Page 120 of The Protégé

The more I fell in love with her, the more terrified I became. My enemies were everywhere, and they’d figure out how important she was to me sooner or later.

I needed to take action to protect her. But right now, all I wanted was to spend a peaceful evening without thinking about danger or death.

“Wanna watch a movie with me later?” she asked while washing the plates, after sharing all the ideas she had planned for Musepaper.

I helped her dry the dishes, noticed a rotting wooden plank on her back deck, and remembered she wanted to update things around the house. “When are you going to hire the contractors to repair the back deck?”

“I’ll call them tomorrow and see if they’re available.”

“I know someone perfect for it.”

“Great, thank you!” she said and then gasped as she looked out the window. “Oh my gosh, look!” She toweled off her hands, dragging me out to the porch. “I’ve never seen the Aurora Borealis. I thought I had to go to Iceland or Alaska, but it’s right here in my backyard!” Her face beamed with wonder and love. “How’s that possible?”

“There’s been a lot of geomagnetic storms lately. It changes the magnetic field around the Earth. Things that were once impossible are now possible.”

She turned to me and smiled. “I like achieving the impossible. It makes me think that I’ve accomplished something magical.”

“My team has been reading the Schumann resonance from thepowerful solar flares bursting from the sun.”

“What does that mean?”

“The Earth is changing, and so are we. Everything is energy, and with this continual bursting, we have to adapt to a massive energy influx. But there are those who would use it to carry out their agenda.”

“How?”

I loved how curious she was. “Potent geomagnetic storms have the power to disrupt or even wipe out the electricity on the Earth, which means people could lose power instantly. Think of it this way. If you have gigantic lightning bolts hitting the Earth all at once, what do you think will happen?”

“Everything we depend on will be obsolete. No more social media, no more TV, no phones, hospitals, banking . . .”

Fear swam in her eyes, and I didn’t like it. “Why would people do that?”

“To prey on fears and to instill control.” I embraced her. “But I have ways to counter that. My team is working hard to develop several energy sources that could sustain a pandemic like this.”

“Seems like there are many people with control issues.” She drew back and stared at me. “There’s so much going on that I don’t know about.”

“You don’t need to know. It’s a . . .different playing field—a long game that requires careful steps.”

“Which adds more anxiety to your already stressful life.”

“But I have the most powerful source of energy with me—you. Sunshine is all I’ll ever need.”

Smiling, she looped her arms around me and offered me the most beautiful smile. “Guess what, thief?” She rubbed the back of my neck, loosening the tension in my muscles.

Her smile stole my heart while her sneaky hands tucked it away safely.

“What?”

“Empty your pockets, sir. You’ve stolen something from me.” She narrowed her eyes at me.

I lifted my arms, loving how she could switch my mood instantly. “Not sure what you mean, Madame Sarcasm. You plan on interrogating me?”

“Indeed.” She lifted my T-shirt and ran her hands over my shoulders, biceps, and abdomen. “You’ve taken my sanity.” She dug a hand into my pants pocket and yanked out a fist of air. “Thief, you’ve stolen my heart and now you must pay for it.”

I chuckled. “What’s the punishment?”

“Teach me how you do it.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “How you steal. The process intrigues me.”

“Are you serious?” I arched an eyebrow. “You want to be my protégé?”

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