Her voice shakes at the end. I don’t want to wait, but I know that it’ll be hard to force it out of her. I’ll give her some time, but I can also be pretty persuasive when I need to be.
Standing tall, Ryanne only comes up to my mid-chest. With my arms on either side of the door beside her head, I realize just how small she actually is. Why does it have to be her? I lean down and kiss her forehead, enveloping myself in her warm, floral scent. Sighing, Ryanne steps forward and wraps her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest.
“Everything is going to get worse before it gets better, Colton. When the time comes, you’re going to be needed somewhere else. I’m not going to be beside you, because I’m needed elsewhere. You just have to trust me. Sometimes, I know what I’m doing. Sometimes, I just make it up as I go—like Jack Sparrow. He usually gets out of sticky situations. Think of me as Captain Jack. Trust I have a plan even when I don’t.”
“You want me to think of you as Johnny Depp dressed as a pirate?” I ask. “I happen to find you much more attractive.”
“I don’t know. Johnny Depp is pretty hot,” she says as she smiles up at me. I lean back and cross my arms. As Ryanne’s eyes slowly move down to my chest, a slight blush rises in her cheeks. What is she thinking about? Clearing her throat, she looks up at me. “Please trust me, Colton.”
“I’ll try to trust your fake winging-it plans, but if you get yourself killed again, I’ll…” she raises her eyebrows, waiting for the end of my threat.
The door she was leaning against opens, and Ryanne falls backward into Travis before I can finish it. He reaches out and catches her as she starts falling. “We’re going to leave here soon. You guys should get ready.” He looks down at Ryanne. “I’ve only known you for a day sunshine yet you keep falling for me. What is it? My incredibly handsome face? Southern charm?” Travis pauses for a moment before saying, “It’s the belt buckle, isn’t it?” Ryanne opens her mouth to reply, but doesn’t say anything. He does manage to get a blush out of her. He laughs at her reaction and steps to the side, letting her pass. Ryanne looks at me and starts giggling as she walks back into the room.
*****
“So tell me about this next family? Who did Dravin kill, and will they want to cause me harm because of it?” I ask.
“No, you won’t have to defend yourself or Colton against these folks. They’re friendly enough, but they are neutral right now. They don’t want to be a part of the battle. Mr. and Mrs. Prowler used to work for Dravin, but they left before he started all of this ‘Stop Ryanne,’ stuff, so you’ll just have to persuade them to come to our side,” James explains.
“Do they know about the prophecy?” I ask.
James nods. I figured as much, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “Ryanne, everyone knows about the prophecy,” Emma says as she finishes packing her suitcase.
“I didn’t know about it,” I retort.
“Because you weren’t born a mage, honey. You were a human for eighteen years.” My eyes follow James as he leaves the room before I turn back to Emma.
“I’m still a human, Emma. It’s not like being a mage makes us aliens or anything. We’re technically still human. We all share the same characteristics. We all have dreams, goals, and drives. We all laugh, fall in love, and experience grief. The only thing that makes us different is that we have magic. We have powers that can be used to help said individuals.”
“Look, sweetie, I love you, but I’m not the one who needs hear the speech. I’m already on your side,” Emma leans forward and kisses me on the cheek and walks out of the room, laughing at my shocked reaction.
“Come on,” Colton says as he throws my duffle bag over his shoulder pulls me out of the room too. I never unpacked, so it didn’t take long to get everything ready.
“I can carry that.” I try to grab my bag from him, but he holds it above my head, laughing. They always have to pull the short card.
“Nope, I got it,” he says as he closes the hotel room and starts walking down the hallway. I run after him and jump onto his back, wrapping my legs around his waist and arms around his neck.
“Well then mister, you can carry me too,” I say as I kiss the back of his neck. Colton laughs, but carries me through the lobby. We get a few strange looks from the concierges, but I don’t care. Tom laughs when he sees us, but no one says anything.
“Hey, what happened to the man with the dagger?” I ask Colton as he puts our bags into the back of the car.