Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up #4) - K.F. Breene Page 0,8

not to harm them. And don’t allow any stragglers. Ivy House is very moody lately, and she often acts before I can defuse the situation.”

“How do you defuse the situation?”

“By taking control of the arsenal. It’s like grabbing a plastic sword out of a child’s hand so the kid doesn’t thwap someone.”

“I didn’t know that was possible.”

“It is once the heir has enough power and control.”

Something glinted in his eyes, and I found myself tapping into our connection. His pride beamed through it, making my face heat. “Any idea how much power you have yet to…inherit?”

“I don’t know how much is eventually coming, no. Edgar thinks I’m over halfway there because we’ve made it through the first book.”

Austin’s eyes crinkled, and that feeling of pride almost overwhelmed me. “I’ll have to work hard to create a castle that is worthy of your keep.”

I shrugged, my embarrassment flaring higher, although I wasn’t sure why. “I need more instruction, though. The books only have so much. The instructions are literal, and there’s not much room for reinterpretation or tweaking. I need a powerful teacher who can help me with nuances.”

“It’ll happen.” He nodded to me. “You sent out that summons. The right mage will come.” He took a step back, and his muscles popped once again. He gritted his teeth. “Hands in pockets,” he murmured, taking another step back. “I have to get going. Text me when your son is around. I’d like to meet him. See if he’s as crazy as his mother.”

He gave me a brief smile before turning, clearly willing to beat up a few more people to give me a proper goodbye.

“He’s conflicted about—”

Sensing another presence, I cut myself off and spun around, ballooning my magic around me even as I sent out a wave of power with a “Hah,” chopping my hand through the empty air for emphasis. Once that would’ve been a ridiculous karate chop; now it was an unnecessary flourish.

Austin turned just in time to see Jasper go sailing, up over the stop sign and into the trees, catching halfway up before tumbling down, hitting a dozen or so branches before he splatted onto the dirt.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” I rushed to Jasper as Austin kept going, probably figuring it was just another day when dealing with me. He was right.

Jasper lay with his hands spread out to the sides, wheezing. “Sorry!” I said, sending a prod of magic to make sure nothing was broken or punctured. Finding he was just bruised, I quickly repaired the damage. “Are you okay?”

“You’ve taken away the pain. I am okay. Just…dazed.”

“Okay.” I rested my forearms on my knees as I looked down at him. He didn’t make a move to rise. “Do you…” I bit my lip. “Should I help you up, or…”

He struggled to his side before pushing up onto his knees. “Was that punishment for using the hairy shifter in your training?”

I grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. “No. I was just distracted and didn’t hear you creeping closer.”

“Why use ears? You can feel me.”

“Oh no—I could’ve sworn I told you, sorry. I usually block the links to give us all some privacy.”

He braced his hands on his lower back and arched back, trying to stretch it out even though he couldn’t feel the pain anymore. It gave me a little validation for my reaction to the stab wound.

“You’ve said you block it, yes.” He nodded, dropping his arms. “But since it has never been blocked, I assumed I was still on trial.”

I blinked at him for a moment. “What do you mean it isn’t blocked? I’m blocking it right now. You shouldn’t be able to feel my presence or emotions or anything. I can’t feel yours…”

His dark eyebrows drew in. “I can still feel your presence and…confusion.”

I blinked at him. He stared at me.

I pulled the block away, his confusion and wariness immediately rushing in. “Is that any different?” I asked.

“Is what any different?”

Frustration boiled within me, and his wariness grew.

“You feel my emotions all the time?” I demanded.

He stiffened, and I could sense his anxiety through the link. He was stopping himself from stepping backward in the face of my anger. “Yes.”

“Do you always feel it at the same strength? The feelings through the link never dim or anything?”

“I can’t feel emotions when you’re asleep, just your location or proximity. When you startle awake, it wakes me.”

The heat drained from my face. “What about when…” I cleared my throat.