Page 48 of Chaos Carnival

“You're being too hard on yourself.” Maverick's hand settled on my hip, his touch grounding me. His eyes met Lilith's. “But this better be worth the time. Every day that passes...”

“Is another day Ivan's wraithshade grows stronger?” Lilith finished. “Trust me, seraph. Your little hybrid needs to understand these fundamentals before we tackle those bonds. Unless you'd prefer she accidentally bind herself to the wraithshade while trying to free your friend?”

Maverick's jaw clenched, but he didn't argue. Two more nights of the moonlight ritual and he'd be strong enough. Then we'd have to move, ready or not, as far as I was concerned.

“Let's grab lunch,” he said, his thumb tracing circles on my shoulder. “You need a break.”

Lilith didn’t look up from flipping through a magazine. “Yes, she needs to replenish her energy. Humans are so uptight about… a lot of things….”

“Join us?” Maverick asked, ignoring her comment, though amusement shone through his eyes.

He agreed. Of course he did.

Lilith rolled her eyes. “And watch you two eye-fuck each other across the table? I'll pass.”

“We do not—” I spluttered, heat rushing to my cheeks.

Maverick's deep laugh rumbled through his chest as Lilith's musical chuckle filled the room. I glared at them both, but that only made them laugh harder.

“Sure, keep telling yourself that, halfling,” Lilith said, waving her hand dismissively and dropping the magazine beside her. “I'll order in. You two go... have lunch.” She emphasized the last word with a knowing smirk. “I have some reading to do anyway.” She gestured to a stack of ancient-looking tomes that had materialized on the coffee table. “Till tomorrow morning, Tess.”

As Maverick led me toward the door, Oscar's crystalline voice rang out. “Do try to actually eat something this time. Your last 'lunch break' involved considerably more physical exertion than nutritional intake.”

I froze, mortified heat crawling up my neck. “Oscar!”

“What? I'm merely expressing concern for your dietary habits. Though I must say, the sounds coming from your bedroom suggested quite the... voracious appetite.”

Lilith's laughter echoed through the apartment as Maverick grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door before Oscar could make any more observations about our private activities.

“That skull needs an off switch,” I muttered as we headed down the hallway.

“Cajun or Italian?” Maverick's hand pressed against the small of my back as we waited for the elevator, his touch sending sparks through my already magic-sensitized nerves.

“Don't care.” My legs still felt wobbly from the morning's lessons. “As long as there's food and it's not moving when it arrives.”

The elevator dinged and we stepped inside. Maverick crowded me into the back wall, his body blocking my view of the mirrored doors. “You're pushing yourself too hard.”

“Says the guy who got himself poisoned.” I jabbed a finger at his chest. “How's that feeling, by the way?”

His fingers traced down my chest, making me shiver. “Better. Thanks to your healing magic.” His voice dropped lower. “Under the moonlight. Skin to skin.”

“You're impossible.” But I didn't pull away when he leaned closer.

The elevator stopped and an elderly woman got on, giving us a disapproving look. Maverick grinned at her but kept his hand on my waist as we exited onto the street.

Crimson City's afternoon traffic roared around us, the air thick with exhaust and the lingering scent of rain. My newly awakened senses picked up traces of supernatural energy everywhere, flickers of faerie glamour in shop windows, the residual buzz of protection wards, the oiliness of darker alchemies lurking in the unseen corners.

“You're going to give yourself a migraine,” Maverick said, steering me around a puddle.

“What?”

“Whenever you get that look in your eyes, you get a migraine.”

The gentle concern in his voice made my chest ache. I knew he was right. He'd been watching over me, catching me when the magic overwhelmed me, holding me through the worst of the episodes. But I didn’t have time to learn to control these powers at a cautious pace, so I did push myself as much as I could.

I forced myself, for now, to dial back the awareness. “I need to master this fast—“

“We’ll get her,” he cut me off. “We're no good to Addie if we're both burned out.”

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