Page 35 of Reluctant Wizard

“Let me amend my previous statement,” he said quietly. “I think I need to spare myself that pain, which will be inevitable, no matter how amicably we part.”

She still wanted to argue the inevitability of their parting, but Alise had an admittedly difficult time picturing any future for herself. “Isn’t the thought of never pursuing this—” she waved a hand back and forth between them “—painful also?”

He briefly closed his eyes. “Of course it is. But we know this will end.” He imitated her gesture with more vigor, then dashed his hand to the side, slopping the remnants of the tea. She evoked a water elemental to soak it up and he pointed. “See? You do that so easily.”

“So because I have magic to clean up messes, you think our relationship is automatically doomed?” Now she was getting annoyed.

“I didn’t say any such thing,” he retorted with heat. “We are both wizards. Wizards don’t have relationships with each other.”

“Why not? There’s no rule that says that.”

“It’s commonly understood! Especially for wizards of your echelon. You’ll need a familiar.”

“You don’t have one.”

“Because there’s no such thing as a library emergency. We don’t need extra power. You will.”

“Maybe I don’t want a familiar. In fact, I know I don’t.”

“You’ll change your mind,” he said grimly.

She stared at him for a second, deeply offended. “I’ll accept a certain amount of badgering from you,” she said coolly, “because I know it comes from a place of you wanting to take care of me and protect me. But do not presume to tell me my own mind.”

“And there she is. Lady Elal in the making.”

Whoa. That hurt far more than she’d expected Cillian could wound her. She almost couldn’t catch her breath following that unexpected blow. “Pardon me,” she said, standing and deliberately folding the quilt. “I understand what you mean now about us only causing each other pain. I’ll go now.”

“You agreed you would stay.”

“I think that agreement is moot now. Consider it a decision from on high.” She lifted her nose and waved a hand in haughty dismissal, then snatched up the bottle of spirits from the table and pocketed it. “One can’t trust an Elal to keep their word, after all.” She headed for the door.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Curse it, Alise. Don’t you walk out that door.”

She walked faster.

He caught up easily, seizing her arm.

“Let me go,” she said, not looking at him.

“Be mad at me. I deserve it. But it’s not safe for you to be out there alone. Don’t put yourself at risk because I’m a fucking idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot,” she corrected, softening. “But that was dramatically unfair of you to say.”

“It was. I apologize. I was… upset. And I have issues. Please don’t go.”

She stared stonily at the wall. “On two conditions.”

“Done.”

Nearly laughing at his immediate capitulation, she dared a glance at him—and found his face very close to hers. Her amusement flamed into desire. Swallowing against her suddenly dry mouth, she said, “I like gingerbread. Can you make that?”

“I make excellent gingerbread,” he answered with a relieved smile. “I can do that. What’s the other condition?”

“Kiss me.”

~17~

Cillian froze, his mouth so close to Alise’s upturned lips, already so tempting, even without the glittering challenge in her luminous eyes. He wanted to kiss her, of course, had thought of little else, but the ghost of Szarina hung in the air between them like one of Alise’s cloaking spirits. None of us needs another Szarina incident. “Alise…” he said, voice faint.

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