Page 62 of Ensnared
“Like hell you can.” Ty follows my example and drags on a pair of pants. “You nearly exhausted yourself the last time you did magic on your own.”
I turn to him, irritated. “Do you have a better idea? The doctor said they’ll take the cast off in sixweeks. I can’t type with this.” I lift my right arm with the cast. “Besides, maybe I couldn’t make my magic work on leaves, but I might be able to influence my own body. I have to try. If I don’t, then what good will I be with the protection I’m supposed to create around the village?”
“You can take a couple of weeks off,” Ty replies. “If you had a regular job with humans, you’d get sick leave…”
“We could all help,” Jack says suddenly.
We all fall silent and stare at him.
He curses, then sits up. His short hair is disheveled and cute, but he’s very serious now. “What if we all participated in the spell? Then you could take a little from each one of us, and no one will get drained.”
“Absolutely not,” Aiden begins.
Ty snorts. “You don’t have to be the only one sacrificing yourself.”
Aiden’s glower turns darker. “It’s not about sacrifice.”
“Oh?” Ty’s eyebrows climb up. “Why can’t we help, then?”
I want to barge in and tell them that I don’t need their help. But I probably do. At the same time, there’s another consideration. Though this healing spell shouldn’t require too much energy, it would be great practice for the future. There’s no way I can cast a full protection spell on the entire village without their help, and if we can figure out how to work together on the small stuff, we can then scale to higher workings later.
The thing is, I got an idea yesterday at the computer store when I was chatting with Pete, the assistant manager. He told me I had to cast a wide enough net with the Wi-Fi signal so that everyone in the village will have good access to internet, even if they’re not in their own house. Maybe I could combine tech and magic to cast a protective net over the village. It’s what my magic does best, and I’ll have an easier time working with technology instead of herbs and crystals. Those never spoke to me the way computers and gadgets did.
The guys are still arguing, though. We need to come to a decision, or Aiden’s herbal infusion will grow cold.
I put my hand on Aiden’s arm. “Listen. You’re all adults. Whoever wants to participate is welcome, as far as I’m concerned.”
For a moment, I think he might argue, but he clamps his teeth together and gives me one curt nod. I breathe a sigh of relief, and Jack scrambles up from the bed and gets dressed. Suddenly they’re all looming above me in the small space beside Jack’s bed, their tall bodies enclosing me from all sides. My heart rate picks up on instinct, and I remember how amazing it was, having both Jack and Ty in my bed.
What would it be like if Aiden joined us?
Ty groans. “Babe, you need to stop.”
I glance up to find Aiden staring at me with a half feral expression. “What?”
Jack steps up to me from behind, brushes my hair to the side, and presses a kiss to my neck. “You’re getting excited. We can smell it.”
“Wow. Okay.” I shuffle my feet, looking away from Aiden. I can’t decide whether that’s hot as fuck or an intrusion of privacy, though I guess they can’t help it. Their senses are just that much better than mine.
“Fuck,” Aiden mutters, then turns to the door. “Let’s start this before we all do something we’ll regret.”
We troop downstairs through the darkened common room of the Lodge and into the kitchen. This is Ty’s domain, and I can tell he’s annoyed that Aiden used one of his fancy copper pots for brewing this witchy tea.
“Should we put this in a thermos?” Jack asks as he leans over the pot and inhales the fumes. “Ooh, it smells nice.”
It does. The air smells like plantain and calendula, cinnamon and turmeric. I have no idea where Aiden found all of the ingredients, but as I read through the recipe on his phone, he nods at every item I ask him about. I collect salt, a bowl of water, and a candle from the junk drawer for the elements.
“Where are we going to do the spell?” Ty asks. “It’s freezing outside.”
Aiden pauses for a moment, measuring me with his gaze. “We could just do it inside.”
I stare at him, alarmed. “What? You know my control isn’t perfect.”
“You haven’t destroyed anything lately, have you?” he asks.
I lift my uninjured left hand. “That’s because I’ve been wearing bracelets. What if I fry your home cinema system? Maya would never forgive me.”
Jack snickers. “True.”
