Page 116 of Silent Jay

Except my magic is still locked away.

Well, sex is sex, but emotions are complex. You should be hoping it’s just the physical acts or a lot of hearts will break at the end of this adventure.

I tripped on the flat ground and had to catch myself on the wall. On my right, the path around the temple dropped down a cliff side, looking out into the bright blue cloudless sky.

Including my heart.

Lost in my conversation with myself, I rounded a corner and ran straight into another body, bowling it over and rolling us both across the rigid stone walkway. I came to a stop when I hit the wood guard rail. The steep sides of the mountain spread out under me. My heart raced, and my vision spun. The sensation of falling, which Tyson made me intimately familiar with, soured my stomach.

You don’t have magic. If you fall, that’s it.

Shut up. I know.

Were you this scared of heights in Tyson's arms?

Do not imply I trust him.

I managed to roll away from the rail and sit, clasping my rolling stomach.

Across from me, a familiar face gathered bandages, ointments, and pill bottles which must have exploded out of his bag.

“What are you doing here?” Doctor Raba asked, narrowing his eyes.

I narrowed mine right back, wondering the same but unable to ask. After my racing heart calmed, I pointed at my mouth and made a slicing motion with my hands.

Although I couldn’t see his lips through his bushy salt and pepper beard, his eyes smiled before he schooled his face. “Ah, so you still can’t talk. What a shame.”

‘Hack,’ I spit, but all that came out was a squeak.

I stared at him as if I could see into his soul, and my breath caught in my throat. I could see into his soul. My third eye wasn’t quite working, but I could crack it open. With a thought, my magic sight showed me a blurry world of color.

Doctor Raba’s eyes widened before hazing over and doing the same.

Shit, he was a mage. I knew that. Stupid, slow, hungover brain. Why didn’t I wait until he turned his back or something?

Too late now, I studied him. Like me, his third eye blazed on his forehead. He was definitely human. Nothing glowed around his heart as it would with a shifter. Not even a hint of shifter blood of any kind ran through his magical veins. He burned with more power than I expected, his connection to the Ley Lines appeared surprisingly strong. Like the Ley Lines, all I saw was a textured blur.

Fuck, so not a hack….so in on my kidnapping?

I rubbed my lips together, letting the magic vanish.

He’d already closed his third eye and turned to gather his medical supplies. I helped him with a few bits which had rolled toward me.

He knew I was magical now. But did the curse suppressing my magic also hide it? I used my mate's elemental powers. Did that mean I had a dragon’s glow around my heart, as if I were a shifter? Fuck, I needed a mirror.

You’re a mess right now. You really don’t.

Not helpful.

“What are you staring at?” He asked, not looking up from his medical bag as he repacked it.

I rubbed my lips together before shrugging and standing to continue my run. Only I didn’t. The moment I rounded another bend, I pulled up and plastered myself to the side of the building, looking behind me. I didn’t see the Doctor, but if I crashed into him, he must have been going the way I came from.

Being as stealthy as possible, I slunk back the way I came and caught up to him just as he disappeared through a side opening. Slowing and stepping lightly, I eased through the arched entry and peeked around, but only an empty hallway met my gaze.

Jay, this is dumb. He’s obviously here for a reason; ask someone. You have friends now. You don’t have to do everything alone.

I straightened to do just that when a fist connected with my face, and something sharp jabbed into my arm. Burning fire raced from the prick and down my limbs, immobilizing me. I landed on my side and rolled, my chest and cheek squished against the cold floor.

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