Page 22 of Magic's Rise

Haut had left Deputy Arden, the sneaky snake, to deal with Levi before marching me into the sheriff’s office and straight into a familiar interrogation room. The last time I was here, I’d just arrived in town and been arrested for daring to visit my grandma’s house, and this time feels no more justified.

I squirm on the cold seat and try to look up at Haut, only for his hold to tighten.

“If you think you’re going to get better results here than you did before, you have another think coming,” I tell the table.

“Thing,” he corrects.

“What?” I attempt to bite his fingers and fail.

“You have another thing coming,” he says.

“No, it’s think. You have another think coming.” I push my feet against the floor but can’t budge an inch. “Your way makes no sense.”

“You make no sense.” He shakes me none too gently, his anger simmering in the air. “Hotwire Deputy Arden’s SUV and leave town without a word? That was your grand plan?”

“Those with super hearing should really work on their eavesdropping issues.” I reach back to smack at him. “What were you even doing there, stalker?”

“You were literally at the sheriff’s office where I work.” Slapping my pinching hand away, he leans down to growl, “Do you think Deputy Arden is so bad at his job that he wouldn’t call me when he spotted my mate wandering into a secluded area with a stranger?”

“You are such a caveman!” I stab a finger toward his face, and he jerks backward. “We should talk about your boundary issues. Even mates need space.”

“No, they don’t, and I’m not letting you turn this around on me.” He releases me and stomps to the door. “You’re on timeout. Think about your actions while we wait for the others.”

“Hey, you can’t lock me in here!” I bolt out of my seat and race for the door.

It slams in my face just as I reach it.

My fist pounds against the hard surface. “You think you can threaten me? No more belly rubs for you! Ever!”

When no response comes, I kick the door with all my strength, then howl and hop on one foot as pain blazes up from my toes. “I’m going to turn you into a goose, Haut! The goosening will return, and then I’ll pluck out all your tail feathers and use them to stuff my pillows! You will be so not-hot waddling around with your pink goose butt sticking out!”

Wait. I drop my foot back to the ground and pull the wand from its sheath on my forearm. Ah hah! No one can cage the Great and Powerful Rowe Branning Wendall Rothnoodle-Head!

With a grand flourish, I rap the lightning-glass tip against the locked door. “Abracadabra!”

Nothing happens, of course, because contrary to the big bad wolf huffing and puffing in the other room, this is not fairy tale magic.

“Okay, let’s try that again.” Taking off one shoe, I rub my wool sock up and down my legging as fast as I can until I feel the fine hairs on my head lift.

Eyes narrowing on the lock in the center of the knob, I send that buzzing feeling down my arm and through my wand.

Lightning leaps from the tip, and with a deafening bang, the door flies off its hinges, slamming into the wall on the opposite side of the hall.

Mouth dropping open, I stand frozen in complete shock.

Haut reappears in the doorway, looking from me to his broken interrogation room. “What the hell, Rowe?”

“I don’t…” Shaking off my surprise, I brandish my wand at him. “Fear me!”

“I already fear you!” he roars, loud enough to make the room tremble. “You’re a loose cannon with more power than you know what to do with! Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be running out of town half-trained!”

I tuck my sock covered foot behind my calf. “It was only supposed to break the lock.”

His gaze drops to my feet. “Where’s your other shoe?”

“It was in the way of…” I mumble the rest.

“What was that?” Head turning to the side, he cups his hand around one ear. “I couldn’t hear that.”

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