Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up #4) - K.F. Breene Page 0,55

me.

“Scent, yes,” came his disembodied voice. “Not sound, though. For some reason, I can’t get this potion to cut out sound.”

“Maybe you don’t have enough power?”

“I can do a soundproof potion, and the two can be taken together, but the soundproof potion doesn’t respond to aeration, and, strangely, stops the other from responding as well. I have no idea why. It makes no sense. So when I use the soundproof potion, the invisible potion doesn’t last as long. I don’t figure I need it here, though, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll be quiet.”

I shook out my hands, noting Mr. Tom had drifted down the way a little, giving me space.

“Here.”

The bit of sidewalk where Sebastian had stood looked completely empty. “What?”

The sound of glass met concrete. A shoe sole scuffed against the path, and a little vial appeared at my feet.

“So you can see me, and also get used to needing a defense against invisibility potions. They are heavily used within the magical world.” His foot slid further away, giving me space. “You have to be careful with this potion—the one I took. It isn’t just your body that disappears. It’s almost like a cloud extends around you. Not far around you, but you will make things within the cloud disappear. A cunning eye will spot that, and an experienced magical worker will look for it. That vial at your feet holds a counter-spell to the potion I took. If I drank it, it would nullify the effects of the spell I have consumed. If you take it, it will allow you to see through the effects of the potion I’m using. There are a few varieties of invisibility potions, and the counter-spell will reveal them all in different ways. That’s a secret, too. Most counter-spells are just that—counter-spells—but I added a twist to this one. It’s more helpful that way. Plus it tastes better.”

“You guys must all want to sneak into each other’s labs and steal each other’s stuff, huh?” I picked up the vial and pulled out the cork.

“In most cases, yes. Which is why our labs are so well warded. Break-ins usually only happen to newer mages, and they don’t have much to offer. Anyway, don’t let me keep you. I didn’t intend a lesson on invisibility potions, I just figured…since the case presented itself…”

“I hope this isn’t poison.” I upended the vial. The taste of black licorice exploded in my mouth, and I forced myself to choke it down. My face screwed up and I shook my head. “If that tastes better, I don’t want to know what it tasted like before.”

“Don’t like black licorice? Huh.” He took the empty vial from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine. I flinched as half my hand disappeared. “Also, no, it is not poison. I don’t want to even contemplate what it would be like for that alpha to come after me. I will never hurt you, as long as I live. I swear that, both because I have decided to take you as my student, and also because I’m terrified of what that alpha would do to me. The more I learn, the more I realize how even-tempered he is around you. I do not want to make him angry.”

“No, probably not. He gets crazy.” The street shimmered a little before settling back to normal. The shape of Sebastian manifested near my elbow. A little hazy, orangy and sparkly, but there. “Cool.”

I gave a thumbs-up and tried once more to blend into the stone, remembering what Mr. Tom had said. Feeling the stone. Turning into the stone.

Shivers coated my body. Was it finally working? Either way, I needed to get closer to the main drag.

I crossed the street at a jog, then flattened against the wall of an old house turned orthodontist’s office. Shivers still danced across my skin. I chanced a glance at Sebastian, standing about ten feet away, looking right at me.

“Dang it. You can see me?”

“Is it cheating if I tell you?”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

He looked away. “That’s a yes, then, it is cheating. Your expressions come in handy.”

“Dang it,” I said again, aiming for the alleyway down the way. Ulric drifted back, scanning the street, on bodyguard detail. Mr. Tom slunk across the street after us, following at a distance.

“Oh, I see,” Sebastian said, at my back. “He is disguising himself for when he can’t blend into buildings. Though…who is he trying to look like? And the rolled-up sleeves and pant