Hugo would do all the academic things. And Casey would teach Dean about how to function on the Earth plane. It was important for Dean to learn how to play video games and drink too many energy drinks and bemoan his fate. Casey was excellent at that.
He would need a schedule.
God, I’d turned into Dev Quinn.
“I’ve known since I was a kid. My mom says when I was four my toys would appear and disappear. She would get frustrated that someone was moving them, but my stepdad quickly figured out I was doing it. I wonder if I ever would have found out if I’d stayed on the Earth plane,” he explained. “Apparently the ability comes from my mother’s side of the family, but on the Earth plane they were never developed.”
“A witch isn’t the same as a werewolf or a vampire on our plane. A witch’s talent must be honed,” Quinn explained. “Or it stays a small thing, like the human who can see glimpses of the future in her dreams. They’ll often say he or she has the sight because that’s the first skill many witches develop. If the talent isn’t nurtured, it comes out as nothing more than natural ability. For example, if a witch was meant to be particularly good with spells, he or she will have a green thumb, an incredible way with plants. Someone with mental powers will be able to influence those around him, but most people would only describe the person as having great charm. Like I said, it’s not like a wolf who has to change or a vampire who needs to feed. If the parents were raised in the human world, it is likely that Dean here would have spent his whole life not knowing he had powers at all.”
Yeah, fate was a petty, gorgeous bitch, and Myrddin was going to find that out. I just hoped I got the chance to point out that if he hadn’t shipped Dean’s mom off the plane, it was highly likely that Dean would be some IT guy who never came into contact with the wizard. Or maybe I’d let him find out the hard way. “So is it Summer who’s been training you?”
Dean snorted. “Summer won’t touch magic. No, it’s her mentor Erna who’s been training me. She’s from the witch plane but disagreed with their rather violent misandry.”
I stared at him because that was a ten-cent word, and I was really more used to paying a penny.
“Misandry is the hatred of males,” Quinn offered, turning to Dean. “But I don’t understand a few things. Summer is made of magic. Literally. Magic is in every cell of her body. How can you say she’s not good at it?”
Dean’s expression shuttered. “I think Summer should tell you that story. I don’t really understand much of it anyway. I know she doesn’t touch the stuff now. I think it’s why so many people want to arrest her. After stealing this book, I’m sure the witches will put out an APB on her. That’s an all planes bulletin, but it’s really only for the linked planes, obviously, and then only for the ones with actual authorities. There’s this plane full of Neanderthals. They do not care, man. Not a single fuck among them.”
“She’s wanted?” Quinn’s shoulders had straightened, a sure sign that he was about to go into overprotective dad mode.
Dean nodded and shrugged the whole thing off. “On a bunch of planes. That’s what happens when you steal stuff. And she caused a slave revolt on this plane where there are insect overlords. I’m glad I wasn’t around for that one. Bugs kind of freak me out.”
“I’m going to find her. I don’t like the thought of her being out there alone if she’s wanted by the authorities.” Quinn turned to the path he’d made earlier, the one that would have taken Summer to Marcus.
“Uhm, she’s not alone, and it could be awkward if you rush in,” I pointed out. I knew Marcus. He could get freaky given the right circumstances. Not that I was going to mention that. I was going to keep my mouth shut and hope Summer forgot the whole “Kelsey used to sleep with Marcus” portion of the day. It was awkward. It made me super happy Liv and I had never gone for the same dudes. Before I met my husbands, I kind of went for whoever was in the bar at tequila o’clock in the morning, and Liv