Blind Warrior (The Weavers Circle #3) - Jocelynn Drake Page 0,51

forgot. Or was afraid that I was overloaded. What didn’t he tell me, Wiley? Is it another reason why I’m in danger?”

“Oh God, no! We’d never keep that from you. It’s nothing like that,” Wiley gushed. He crossed to Cort and grabbed his arm. “They’re all very serious about keeping you safe. We feel terrible that you’ve gotten drawn into this.”

“I know. I don’t blame anyone. Just an unexpected risk of working with Grey. I don’t regret it, though.”

A heavy sigh left Wiley, and he leaned his hip against the counter. “Good.” He sipped his coffee, getting lost in the heat and caffeine again.

“Wiley…what are you not telling me?”

“Shoot. I was hoping you forgot. You’re way too sharp right now for not having had a full cup yet.”

“Tell me.”

Looking back out at the squirrels, he worried his lower lip for a moment, and Cort was content to let him think. He couldn’t imagine what else the Weavers had to tell him about their crazy world.

“I’m not just Baer’s boyfriend. I’m his soul mate. That’s why there was a mix up at the bakery. Baer felt something. We both did. But he thought it was his soul recognizing a missing Weaver.” Wiley shook his head, a serene expression filling his face. “Nope. We’re soul mates.”

There was no way to keep the skepticism off Cort’s face. For some reason, believing in Weavers and magic was a hell of a lot easier than believing in soul mates. It was a damn pretty idea. He was a total closet romantic. He wanted to believe there was someone out there just for him, but the reality was that he would be happy if he could find someone who liked the same type of movies as him.

“You don’t believe me,” Wiley observed with a smirk.

“Well…”

Wiley shrugged. “I can’t say that I believed in them prior to meeting Baer, but after being around him, it’s like he fits me. He’s a missing part of me. We still argue like normal couples. It’s not perfect, but he makes me happier than I’ve ever been. I fell in love with him before we realized that we were fated to be together. Dane and Clay were the same way.”

Cort stared at his coffee, remembering all the different times he’d seen Dane and Clay together. He couldn’t recall ever seeing two people more in sync with each other. He had been sure they’d been together for years.

“When a soul mate is bonded with a Weaver, he takes on some of his powers,” Wiley continued, and Cort’s head snapped up.

“What? You’ve got magic too?”

Wiley smiled as he held up his index finger and thumb just an inch apart. “A little. I can hear the thoughts of the animals. I can’t shift like Baer, but I’m trying to communicate with them more. With practice, I think I’ll be able to. Right now, the information is all one way.”

“What about Dane? He and Clay are bonded, right?”

“Dane’s a healer,” Wiley said softly. Cort’s eyes immediately darted in the direction of Grey’s apartment. He opened his mouth to ask, but Wiley was already shaking his head. “He’s tried. So many times. He nearly killed himself trying to heal Grey. Using his power takes a lot out of him, and he’s figuring all this stuff out on the fly. There aren’t any instruction manuals for us.”

“But the spell book you were talking about…”

“Written by the Weavers for the Weavers. They’ve never had their soul mates. This is all new for them. The hope is that the bonded mates will make a difference this time. That maybe we can save them from dying when they fight the pestilents.”

Cort didn’t realize that his knees were giving out until Wiley grabbed his elbow to help hold him up.

“Let’s get you in a chair,” Wiley quickly said, ushering Cort over to one of the stools that lined the counter. “I know it’s a lot to take in. Dane beats himself up a lot over not being able to fix Grey’s vision. He tends to forget that he’s saved Baer’s life twice. He’s healed Lucien and Clay several times. And Grey, he was a hell of a lot more banged up than just damaged eyes. Dane saved his life.”

“But Grey’s powers are linked to his eyes.”

“Yeah. It’s frustrating, but we’re not giving up. I’m looking for new spells to try. We will get his sight back.” Wiley reached over and placed his hand on Cort’s arm. “Not that we’re not incredibly