Page 76 of Magic in My Bones

I chewed on their words for a moment. “I want to do right by him. I’m just afraid of pushing him too far, too fast. Ren’s been through so much already, and I don’t want to cause him more stress.”

Rowan’s gaze softened, their eyes warm. “The fact that you’re thinking about this means you’re already on the right track. Don’t rush anything. Trust that you both will find your pace. Just remember, sometimes, just asking what someone needs, instead of assuming, is the greatest gift you can give.”

Cassian chuckled. “And if you mess up, just apologize and move on. We’re all learning as we go.”

I nodded, a weight lift from my shoulders. “Thank you both. Your wisdom is, as always, invaluable.”

Rowan beamed, their curls bouncing as they hopped off the arm of the couch. “Now, about those caves. I think I have just the thing to help cleanse the space.”

They disappeared into the back room, leaving Cassian and me in comfortable silence. I sipped my tea, mulling over their advice.

“You know,” Cassian said, his deep voice rumbling through the room, “Rowan and I wouldn't be together if I hadn't taken a chance. Sometimes, you have to leap before you're ready.”

“How did you know, Cassian?” I asked quietly. “That they were the one?”

Cassian let out a short laugh, glancing toward the back room where Rowan had disappeared. “The idea of ‘the one’ has never really fit with me,” he said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “But with Rowan... I guess I justknewin the way you do when something fits, even if it doesn’t look like you thought it would.” He paused, searching for the right words. “I’ve never believed in that whole ‘one true love’ nonsense, at least not in the traditional sense. But Rowan? There was something about them, somethingdifferent.”

He shifted in his chair, his gaze softening as he spoke. “I wasn’t looking for a soulmate or some grand, perfect connection. What I found with Rowan was real. Messy, complicated, and sometimes frustrating as hell, but real. And it wasn’t aboutfinding some idealized version of a person, it was about recognizing them as they were, right in front of me.”

I nodded, trying to absorb what he meant. “So, you didn’t feel like you were meant to be together, like some grand destiny?”

Cassian shrugged. “Not exactly. But Ididfeel like I wanted to be with them in every way that mattered. Even when I didn't fully understand it. Sometimes, love isn’t some grand revelation, you know? It’s about seeing the person beside you and realizing you can’t imagine being without them, flaws and all. And then taking the leap. Letting go of the ‘what ifs’.”

I mulled this over in silence for a moment. “I think I understand. With Ren, I want to be with him all the time, but not necessarily in the way I expected. I just like having pieces of him around me. I like knowing I’ll get to see him, and seeing him succeed. Being a part of that makes me proud, not just of my work as a teacher, but of him as a person. There’s this sense of… shared joy. A quiet joy in just being near him.”

Cassian’s eyes twinkled, his gruff exterior softening. “Exactly. It’s not about grand gestures or rushing ahead. Justbeingtogether, however that looks. Take the chance, Dorian. The rest will follow.” He paused, his tone shifting to something more grounded. “But don’t forget: it’s important to see each other. All of each other. And don’t let fear hold you back from showing up as your full self. Love isn’t static. It’s a living thing. It grows and changes, sometimes in ways you don’t expect. But that’s the beauty of it.”

I blinked, a flicker of realization lighting up my chest. Perhaps it wasn’t love that terrified me, it was the vulnerability. The fear of trulyseeingand being seen by Ren. Of embracing everything about him, everything about me, without worrying about what might go wrong.

As Rowan gathered their supplies, explaining the protective properties of black tourmaline and mugwort, I watched themmove around their cottage with such easy confidence. They and Cassian had built something beautiful here. Not just a home, but a sanctuary where love could flourish in all its forms.

Perhaps that was the real magic I needed to learn: not the grand gestures of necromancy, but the quiet spell of letting yourself be loved.

“Ready?” Cassian asked.

I straightened my shoulders, feeling the weight of both the challenge ahead and the support around me. “Ready. Though I don't suppose either of you knows a good protection spell against awkward conversations?”

Rowan's laughter filled the room like sunshine. “Oh, darling. For that kind of magic, you'll just have to trust your heart.”

And somehow, surrounded by the warmth of friendship and the promise of possibility, that didn't seem quite so terrifying anymore.

26

Uncertain Echoes

Ren

I squinted at therune-covered chalk circle on my desk, willing it to make sense. The symbols swam before my eyes like drunken fireflies at a celestial rave. Professor Reedy's voice droned on about spirit anchoring and ethereal tethers, but my brain had apparently decided to take an impromptu vacation. My brain felt like scrambled eggs, refusing to process anything Professor Reedy said about spirit anchoring. It was the same fog that had followed me through ethics of magic and care of familiars. Without Grim's reassuring weight on my shoulder, even the simplest spells felt like trying to catch smoke with chopsticks.

The classroom windows were thrown open to the autumn air, allowing crimson leaves to occasionally drift in and settle on ancient wooden desks. Brass instruments gleamed on shelves alongside jars of preserved specimens.

I glanced around the room, watching my classmates effortlessly trace their runes with the precision of seasoned calligraphers. Meanwhile, my own attempts looked like a toddlerhad gotten into the chalk supply and decided to redecorate the floor of a mausoleum.

Professor Reedy's practical approach to teaching was effective, but her words might as well have been in ancient Sumerian for all the sense they made to me. I longed for Dorian's gentle guidance and philosophical musings. At least then I could pretend my inability to concentrate was due to lusting after my professor, rather than some deep personal failing.

I missed Grim desperately. My familiar's absence left a gaping void in my magical senses, like trying to navigate a labyrinth with one eye closed and both hands tied behind my back. Without the weight of his stubby little caterpillar feet on my shoulder, I felt as magically adept as a potato. A very sad, very lonely potato.

Professor Reedy's sharp eyes locked onto my pathetic excuse for a summoning circle, her brow furrowing. She glided over, her robes billowing behind her.

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