Page 208 of A Winding Wave of Magic
Isaac Butt, “On Land Tenure”
So much for blocking the…bond.
Jonathan’s mouth quirked to the left. He had a dimple there that only came out when I spoke to him like this, mind to mind. He liked it, I realized. Or at least found it entertaining.
Turns out Robbie was correct,he told me.Shielding a budding mating bond is like trying to hold back a tidal wave.
He was trying to be funny, but I was finding it hard to laugh at anything as the three of us followed Celine down another long corridor with the same vaulted ceilings—these only fifty feet high instead of a hundred—and ornate tapestries as the entrance hall. A whole kaleidoscope of butterflies swarmed in my stomach with every step I took toward…what?
My fate?
Or maybe the end of it?
You’ll do fine,Jonathan told me.You’re brave, intelligent, and powerful, even if you are a royal pain in my arse.
I glanced at him. This time a smile did tease the corners of my mouth.Thanks.
Then, the unfailingly serious sorcerer with more than a little OCD turned to me and did the strangest thing of all.
He winked.Anytime.
“It’s rude to have conversations out of someone’s hearing,” Celine said without bothering to turn around.
“They do that,” Robbie told her. “I can’t blame them, I must say. If my wife and I could do the same, we would.”
“I wasn’t aware anyone could tell,” I murmured.
Robbie snorted, and Celine tossed her glossy ponytail over one shoulder to send me a withering look.
Celine’s a wave worker.Jonathan told me.She manipulates them better than I work with particles.Don’t worry—she doesn’t know what you’re thinking. Only that we are communicating, which must produce some kind of signal.
That answered my question about different kinds of sorcerers. Particle sorcerer. Wave worker. I wondered what others I should be aware of.
There’s a third that can supposedly bend negative matter, but they’re very rare. I’ve never met one.
“If youplease,” Celine snapped. “The vibration is very irritating.”
“If the Council doesn’t want a powerful seer to use her abilities, then they shouldn’t summon her to a surprise inquisition where she will need confidence with her attorney,” Jonathan replied loud enough that his deep voice echoed off the walls.
Celine’s step faltered, but she snorted. “I see you’ve decided to dabble in the law again.”
“I’ll do whatever my mate needs to be safe. From you or anyone else.”
When the word “mate” left his mouth, Celine stopped. I couldn’t totally blame her. It still had the tendency to take the breath out of my lungs too.
She turned, slowly. “Youbastard.”
Jonathan’s fingers tightened around mine.Don’t say a word. “Never claimed otherwise. Just take us to the Council, Celine. The rest is our business.”
Her eyes glistened—just a little—and her mouth opened. I braced myself for a spell. Jonathan emitted a sound that was pure animal, and to my surprise, Celine shuddered and turned.
“This way,” she said and walked on.
“Gods, Jon,” Robbie murmured as the doors began to open, slowly, on their own. “Did you have to bring out the beast for all of that?”
Savage, he’d once called himself. I had welcomed it then. Right now, as my heart began to speed up, I found I welcomed it more than ever.
Thank you for being here, I told him.All of you.
