Incendia takes a step toward him. Poking him in the chest with her right index finger, she meets his intense gaze. “I’ve been surrounded by drunks and addicts my whole life, Andre.” David points to me at the Princess Bride reference. “If you think a macho dude with a pretty face will intimidate me, you’ve got another thing coming.” Bragden doesn’t step away from her when she finishes talking. He stares down at her with an expression I’ve never seen before on him. Her body remains defensive, but her facial features soften slightly.
Tom clears his throat, trying to subtly bring their attention back. Incendia blinks a couple times and takes a couple steps back. The glare returns to her expression. Seeing it, Bragden laughs and walks back to the wall. Darn, Incendia doesn’t blush. I’m tired of being the only girl around here that blushes at everything.
“Incendia, what do you know about Dr. Arden?” I ask.
She stops looking at Bragden and turns her attention to me. “Not a whole lot. He’s been working with Dravin for a while. I don’t know much else. Why?”
“My name is Ryanne Arden,” I say. “Dr. Arden is my biological father.”
“Well, isn’t he just Father of the Year material,” Incendia mutters.
“You can say that again,” Emma says.
“Well, isn’t he just Father of the Year material.”
“Yep, she’s going to get along with us just fine,” Emma exclaims.
Colton
“So, what’s the plan now?” Logan asks.
“I think I should do the protection enchantment on the Howicks and Incendia. We don’t know if Dravin knows about them,” Ryanne says.
“That’s probably a good idea. Do you have enough energy to do that though?” Tom asks.
“Oh yeah, I’m like the energizer bunny right now,” she says. I scoff but kiss her temple. She crawls away from me and walks toward Mrs. Howick.
Holding her hands out, she waits for Mrs. Howick to take them. Her eyes dart down to Ryanne’s outstretched hands, confused. “I need to be touching you when I perform the enchantment,” she explains. When she places her hands on top of Ryanne’s, she begins the enchantment. “Magic come forth, I call you to me, protect her from danger so evil cannot see…”
Mrs. Howick gasps and tries to pull her hands away, but Ryanne tightens her grip as she continues. Mrs. After a few seconds, she stops struggling and watches Ryanne. I can hear her quietly chanting the spell. Her voice slowly dwindles into silence as she finishes. She smiles up at Mrs. Howick but doesn’t say anything. Letting go of her hand, she moves onto her husband. Mr. Howick gives Ryanne his hands willingly. She performs the enchantment on him and moves on to Travis.
“If you wanted to hold my hands, you didn’t need the enchantment excuse,” Travis tells her with a wink.
“I bet you’re a real ladies man, aren’t you?”
“Not in front of my momma,” he chides but smiles. Ryanne laughs…no, she giggles. I glare at Travis. I know that he sees me because his smile widens.
“Give me your hands,” Ryanne says.
Travis holds his hands in the air, high enough so she can’t reach them. She stomps her foot like a child throwing a tantrum and stares up at him. I bite my tongue to keep from laughing. “Travis Howick, you give me your hands right now or I will make it rain all up in here,” she threatens.
“She’ll do it too,” Emma says, “believe me.”
“Wet t-shirt contest?” he says with an even wider smile. Ryanne puts her hands on her hips. Even though she’s standing with her back to me, I can imagine that she’s staring up at him with narrowed eyes, a straight mouth, and a slightly scrunched nose. Her magic cracks around us, and I can hear her mutter something about a stupid southern gentleman. Uh oh, Travis better listen to her. “All right, all right, little missy. I’m done.” He gives her his hands.
Ryanne’s demeanor instantly changes. Her body relaxes, and she says in her most innocent voice, “Thank you.” Bragden is trying not to laugh in the corner of the room. Liam reaches out and punches his shoulder.
“If you want to remain dry, I wouldn’t laugh at her,” he tells his brother. I can hear the smile in his voice though. Bragden rubs his shoulder and nods, quieting his laughter.
“I’d listen to your brother, Bragden,” Ryanne calls over her shoulder. I see everyone else cover their mouths to keep from laughing. I even see Incendia smile. The room fills with Ryanne’s magic again as she puts the enchantment on Travis.
Travis’s eyes widen as he feels the magic enter him. He looks down at her surprised. It is a strange feeling. Being a mage, we can already feel the magic coursing through our body. Adding someone else’s magic to the mix, well…it’s an odd combination. When Ryanne’s magic first touches the skin, it feels like thousands of tiny pin-pricks, but when it enters the body, it turns to silk. It can be felt moving through the bloodstream, but it’s pleasant. It’s...comforting. It feels natural, like it’s meant to be there.