Page 32 of Fated

Calyx gave him a long, hard look. “Yeah, dude, seems you’ve been ‘off’ a lot lately.” His brow furrowed in concern before his gaze dropped to my hands. “Her gloves?”

He looked back at Ash.

“I told her she could take them off inside this room.” Ash shrugged.

“They’re in the bathroom,” I said.

Calyx walked to the bathroom, the glass crunching under his boots.

He bent over to collect both gloves from the floor before tossing them to me. Slipping them on again, I raised both hands to show him.

He sighed, then said, “Ok, let’s clean up this mess … Areya may need another room to sleep in.” Calyx stared at the bed, his lip curling up in disgust.

Ash offered me his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. Then he extended his arms in front of me. My eyes narrowed in confusion.

“There’s glass everywhere, and you’re wearing socks. Either I can carry you out of this room, or you can dig glass out of your feet all night.”

Oh.I nodded and before my mind could process it, he scooped me into his arms, lifting me easily against his chest. I tried to ignore the warmth of his body or how good it felt to be so close to him again, not daring to look at him. He was angry with me for using my power on him.

He carried me a few doors down the hall, setting me down gently in front of another bedroom. About to step inside, I hesitated, turning back to him. “Thank you for saving me. Well, you had to for Agidius, but thanks anyway … I guess.”

His eyes drifted down to the marks on my neck, and my hand instinctively lifted to cover the wound. He hesitated a moment. “You saved yourself, Areya.”

Calyx appeared in the doorway, arms loaded with bandages and antiseptic.

“Don’t want that to get infected,” he said, offering me the supplies.

“Thank you, Calyx,” I murmured, taking the supplies, and giving him a small, tired smile.

He shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as if not quite sure what to do or say next. Then, with a brief nod, he turned and walked away.

Ash’s eyes found mine, and for a moment, it felt as if he was going to say something more, but he only sighed, adding, “Goodnight, Areya.”

Chapter 9

Once in the new room, I headed straight for the window, pulling the curtains shut with a sharp tug and stifling a shudder. Crossing back to the door, I flicked off the lights and crawled into bed. The blankets were cool against my skin, and I pulled them tightly around me, reaching for an extra pillow and hugging it to my chest.

“What do I do, Mom?” I whispered to the silent room.

So much had happened tonight, too much. It all felt like a blur, and yet every detail pressed down on me, making it impossible to truly process.

I had magic.

That thought sent a small jolt of excitement surging through me, a brief spark of light in the suffocating darkness that had wrapped itself around my existence.

Magic was real, and it was inside of me.

Pulling my hands out from under the blankets, I tore off the black gloves. Ash had said they could come off in the other room, but he hadn’t commanded me to put them back on.

Focusing, I remembered how it had felt when my hands had glowed, when the light had surged from within me. I strained, concentrating with all my might, willing the glow to reappear.

But nothing happened.

After several minutes of trying, frustration set in. My head ached from the effort, and I let out a sigh, finally giving up. It felt as if every last drop of magic had drained into Ash.

If I could just survive two more days until my birthday, I’dhave real magic—not just unpredictable sparks,my inner voice reminded me.

Then, a sudden realization struck: I wanted to live, desperately. I ached to experience my magic, to feel its power coursing through me. Had I really spent years devouring books about such things, yearning for a life of the supernatural, only to learn that it all existed right before my life was about to end?

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