Descending Darkness(56)

“No, she doesn’t. She’s afraid that the magic is going to consume her, and that’s all she’s going to be. She’s afraid of losing her identity behind the magic inside of her.”

“I’ll be right back. She’s calling me,” Larkin says as he transports out of the room. The room is silent as we wait for him to bring Liam and Ryanne back.

“That’s not going to happen, Colton. We’re all here to help her,” Emma says.

Larkin comes back with Liam and Ryanne. Ryanne is leaning fully against Liam. He turns to me and says, “I think she’s crashing, man.”

Ryanne looks toward me and laughs, “Colton!” She throws her arms in the air and grins widely. “I missed ya!” she says through her giggles.

“Is she drunk?” Emma asks.

“I think it’s extreme tiredness. She’s very slap-happy, so to say,” Liam explains.

“Slap-happy is a silly expression. I’m not hitting anyone,” Ryanne mumbles as she stumbles out of Liam’s arms and stops in front of Larkin. “If I were to hit someone, I don’t think they’d be very happy about it.” Ryanne leans forward and hits Larkin lightly against the chest. The room goes silent as she leans forward and stares Larkin down. “Are you happy?” she asks him.

Larkin looks over Ryanne at us with a slight smile on his face. I’ve never seen Ryanne like this before. “Nevermind, we can pretend that was a rhetorical question.” She takes another step toward him, warranting a wary look from him. Reaching forward, she grabs his hand and laces their fingers together.

“What is she doing?” Larkin asks us as Ryanne closes her eyes.

“Ry, you don’t have enough energy for that,” I try to tell her.

“Shhhh,” she whispers loudly to Larkin and starts giggling again. “Don’t tell Colton.” I look around the room and see Emma and Natalie trying not to laugh. Bragden and David are smiling. The visible signs of exhaustion on Larkin disappear. It is like recharging a battery. He looks much more energized now.

Ryanne lets go of his hand and spins around. Losing her balance, she starts falling to the side. Larkin reaches out and steadies her. “Whoa, the floor moved,” she mumbles. “Gravity is silly.”

I walk toward her and grab her elbow. I start pulling her toward the couch. “Why’s everyone always pulling me places? I can walk. Sometimes, I can run too. I trip a lot though. I didn’t see the rock until I stepped on it and down I went. I swear my life flashed before my eyes, and then I cried.” I have no idea what she is talking about. Sitting down on the couch, I pull her beside me. Once she lies down, I have a feeling that she’ll fall sleep right away.

“Ooh,” she exclaims and jumps. “Tom!” She points toward David. A really confused look crosses her face, and she starts laughing again. “You’re not Tom. You’re David.” David loses it and starts cracking up. Still pointing at David, Ryanne turns around and looks at me. “David’s your brother. He’s always hungry. Remember, he has the pizza place on speed dial!”

“Do you really?” Emma asks him.

“It’s easier than looking it up all the time,” he defends himself.

I lift Ryanne’s arm so she is pointing at Tom, “Hey, there’s Tom! I found you. Ten points for Gryffindor. Oh, Bragden, you still need to read Harry Potter. Tom, can Emma…” she trails off, seemingly losing her train of thought. Giggling again, she continues, “Not Emma. Emma’s already here. Can…” She whirls around and faces Liam. “Liam, what was I supposed to ask again?”

I wrap my arm around Ryanne’s shoulder and move her so she leans against me. She rests her head on my shoulder as Liam answers. “What she is trying to ask is if it’s alright for Jane and Ross to come here for a little while. She wants to make sure they’re safe, and they still have some questions.”

“Hey, I was supposed to ask that!” Ryanne turns around and glares at Liam. He raises his eyebrows and tries to keep a stoic expression, but I see the smile he is trying to hide.

“I’m very sorry, Ryanne,” he says.

“It’s okay, Liam. You’re my protector. I can’t be mad at you,” she waves him off. “In books, all the bad boys look like Liam,” Ryanne says while looking at Natalie and Emma. “Dark hair, dark clothes, the awesome scar, the tattoo,” she says. Ryanne turns around and looks at Liam. “Do you ride a motorcycle?”

Tom smiles at Ryanne but answers Liam. “Sure, that’s fine. Larkin, can you go get them? I know you’ve been using a lot of magic lately…” Tom is obviously concerned about Larkin.