Page 58 of Avelina

I opened one eye and peered up at him. “Yes, and then you actively used Protection. Have you ever done that before?”

“No,” he said. “At first, it was similar to when you pulled me into the shield, but then I was able to take control of it, like I do with Evocation.”

“I think I gave it to you,” I mumbled, closing my eyes again. “Maybe now you’ll live forever. You’re welcome.”

Aaron kissed my forehead and mumbled something, but I was almost asleep and couldn’t retain it. I could feel him, though. He was full of wonder, gratitude, and possessiveness. He squeezed me a little and thought, Mine.

We’ll see, Bear Guy, I thought. We’ll see.

Chapter Seventeen

Linorra thought about what the witch told her. If what she said was right, then she needed to find her lost love. He was her future husband and would someday give her a son, and then a daughter.

I woke up, which was a relief. Aaron lay next to me, which was also a relief. I had no idea if I had slept an hour or all night, but no light came in through the oculus. I missed my phone.

Aaron had migrated to the other side of the bed, taking the blanket with him. We were both still naked, and the air had cooled to an uncomfortable briskness. I shivered, wondering if I could find something dry to wear in Jorin’s closet. I had no intention of putting that weird dress on ever again.

I wondered how Ward was doing and how much apologizing I would have to do about all the noise we’d made the night before.

I sat up, glancing around, but I was nearly blind in the dark room. My regular clothes, I knew, were laid out to dry over the counter, but I couldn’t see them.

Aaron stirred next to me and his breathing changed from regular, shallow breaths to ones that were slow and deep, but I couldn’t tell if he was awake. Thank the multiverse he doesn’t snore, I thought, smiling to myself. I was so happy to wake up next to him. I just hoped he would feel the same way.

“He will,” Spirit said, startling me. Again, she appeared on the bed in a spotlight, looking as if Heshia and Ishkar shone down from above just for her. She was luminous and beautiful and staring at my naked body with obvious interest.

“Any news?” I asked, finding a bit of blanket. I pulled on it, but Aaron had it tucked underneath him like he was in a cocoon.

“Seleca went back to her mother’s palace and went to sleep,” she said. “She’s still sleeping, and, by the way, she has your phone.”

“What?” I asked. I don’t know why I was surprised.

“She stole your phone. I’d recognize that ugly orange thing anywhere,” she said.

“I’m a Giants fan, so sue me,” I said. “Why did she steal my phone? What could she possibly want with it? It doesn’t even work here.” And how the hell did she get my password?

“She looked through your pictures while she waited at your house,” she said, “and she figured out how to play Candy Crush. Now it’s dead, and she has no way of charging it until she goes back to Earth. She got really mad when it died and cracked the screen.”

I sighed. My poor phone. I shook my fist in the air and whispered, a little too loudly, “I will avenge you, Luigi!”

Aaron repositioned himself in bed.

“That girl needs black tourmaline in the worst way,” Spirit said.

“She needs a psychiatrist. And what is that?” I whispered.

“It’s a crystal,” she said, “a mood stabilizer, and it repels negative energy.”

I chuckled. “Spirit, I love you, but that stuff with the crystals is insane.”

“Lina, if you would open your mind a little bit, I think they would help both you and Aaron. Especially Aaron,” she said. “Besides, a few days ago, you would have said fragments were insane, and now look at you. You’re literally talking to a ghost.”

She had a point, and Spirit was always smarter than people gave her credit for. In fact, she was brilliant. She had a degree in bioengineering from UC Berkeley and had been accepted into their PhD program. Smart and hot and very dead.

“Okay, what should I do?” I asked.

“Dump your bag out,” she said.

“What?” I asked, confused.

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