Page 77 of Unhinged Magic
My head tilted to the ceiling, my eyes closing, waiting for her to speak. Because what Scar said next would hit hard. It would be honest and the truth.
“I’m not condoning what he did at all. If it was anyone else, I doubt he would be so lucky to live another day. But it’sWes.”
Hearing his name wound my heart tighter. Ignited a dull ember deep inside of me. I wanted to ignore it. Extinguish it even. How was I supposed to think logically when this bond lingered within me, warping my judgement?
I let out a sigh, filtering through the thoughts consuming my mind. She had a valid point, but I just couldn’t, not tonight.
She stood, and I let her assist me to my feet. A hand on each shoulder, she levelled her stare with mine. “You can do this. If not now, then another day. I just know it.”
I offered her a half-hearted smile, wishing I had her confidence.
“Maybe,” I replied, for no other reason than to change the subject.
She nodded, tapping a fingernail against her forearm, her head tipping to the side as she spoke. “You mentioned there was a photo the other day. Did you find out who the couple in it were?”
Her change of subject startled me. “I haven’t looked into it.”
In all my moods, and tears, and silence, the photo had honestly been the last thing on my mind. I made my way into the kitchen, pulling open a drawer to find a glass, filling it with water. The cool liquid soothed my throat as it slid down. I lifted it in the air. “Want one?”
She shook her head. “Do you mind if I take it for a day? I might know a way to find out who they are. It could be of some significance.”
The photo.
I sighed. “It’s probably just a spirit trying to get my attention. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.”
She pursed her lips, pulling out a kitchen stool and sitting on it. I did the same.
“What if there’s more to it? Don’t you think it’s strange when you tried to summon Wes’s twin ghost, he suddenly felt ill and then the photo appeared?”
I truly hadn’t considered all three things could be linked. In my mind, each event was its own separate incident. Could she be right? Was there something more to all of this? Thinking back to the moment, it made more sense the more I thought about it. At the same time the candles had dimmed, Wesley had suddenly felt like throwing up, and only moments after, the photo had smashed on the floor. But if she was right, how was a photo of a couple somehow linked tous? I wrapped my arms around myself. “If… I entertained the thought that there is more to this photo, do you really think you could find out who the couple in it is?”
She smiled, one that saddened her eyes but lit up her soul. She shrugged. “The least I can do is try.”
Wesley
Icursedundermybreath as Ty appeared out of nowhere, stalking toward where I sat on the outside deck of the man cave. Fury-filled boots pounded closer with every footstep, the shadow on his jawline giving the already dark look directed at me more menace than I was used to.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he growled, his acidic tone tearing shreds off me.
A ring of amber circled his irises, meaning hellfire was about to rain down. I had seen Ty like this only once before, when he found his ex-girlfriend dead. When he wanted vengeance.
I was so fucked.
Rising to my feet, I prepared myself for what was to come, what I probably deserved.
But what I expected and what happened next were worlds apart.
As if I were nothing more than a twig, Ty’s hands gripped the front of my jacket, lifting me off the ground in an effortless second before shoving me hard against the side of the house.A crack ripped through my torso at the contact, pain searing through my limbs, shock muting my thoughts momentarily.
“Fuck,” I croaked, wincing as pain clawed at my chest.
Stars buzzed behind my eyelids, and I blinked repeatedly, fighting for my sight to return.
How fucking ironic.
Ever-so-slowly it refocused, and fuck if it wasn’t the most terrifying thing to witness.
Ty’s eyes had changed, blinking slower with a burning intensity that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Blackwingscast a dark shadow over us, hiding our altercation from the outside world, yet risked exposing us in a way Ty would never forgive himself for if anyone saw him likethis.
