Page 283 of Midnights
“Yeah?”
I hesitate, still too caught between what was real and what wasn’t. “Can I ask you something?”
Her hands still in her blonde hair, and she looks at me in the mirror. “Of course.”
I shift under her stare, wishing I'd kept my mouth shut. But I've already started, so…here we are.
“Can you… smell me too?”
The second the words are out, she freezes. Surprise shoots across her face, then it's gone, replaced by that cool mask again. So that's a very obvious yes.
“Smell you?” she repeats, turning toward me. She actually leans in and sniffs—dramatic enough to make me want to hit her—then jerks back, wrinkling her nose.
“Ew.”
Her face twists in disgust before bursting into laughter and I scowl, fully prepared to drown her in this bathtub.
“Relax, I’m just messing with you.” Then, her expression shifts. “But yeah, I can smell you.”
My stomach tightens. How is that possible?
“Why?”
I don’t know how much to say or how much to admit. I know this whole trust thing works best with communication, but I still feel hesitant to share anything.
“It’s just…” My fingers tighten around the towel. “Cam mentioned something about him being able to smell me.”
Her smile vanishes, eyes going wide. Her mouth forms a silent oh, and something unreadable flashes in her gaze.
“Anyone can, really, if they’re paying attention. Or if they know what they’re looking for.” She pauses, watching me closely. “But especially when you use magic.”
The statement knocks the breath from my lungs. I look outside, but there's no storm. “What do you mean?”
I can barely control my abilities on a good day, and half the time, I don’t even know when I’m using them. And now, apparently, I’ve been leaving a fucking breadcrumb trail for anyone with the right nose.Fan-fucking-tastic.
Elle props herself against the sink, arms crossed, and her usual teasing gone. “Think of it this way.” Her voice softens. “Your magic's tied to you—your thoughts, your memories, your emotions. Whether you feel something strongly, like anger, fear, love, joy, it seeps out. Whether you mean it to or not. And it leaves a mark. A scent.”
Fantastic. So I'm walking around with a neon sign over my head.
“Can you hide the smell?” If I can hide it, maybe I should master that, just in case I don’t figure out how to control it. Maybe I should have a Plan B.
She hesitates, her smile fading at the edges. That's all it takes to know she's not telling me everything.
“No,” she says finally. “So you should probably learn to control it.”
My stomach tightens and I think I'm going to be sick. I know she's full of shit. But neither of us say anything.
What the hell is she not telling me?
Elle claps her hands together, like she didn’t just completely ignore my question. “Get dressed and come eat with me. I’ll be waiting outside.”
She winks and bounces out the door. Great. Another existential crisis. I didn't even use magic—so how the hell does that work?
The thought loops in my head, tightening its grip on my chest with every repetition. I mean I was horny, so is that how it works? I need to somehow figure out what sets it off. See if I can pull it back when it happens.
That might explain why the attacker said I was being reckless. I was horny that night too. Can you blame me? Kane's the kind of hot that makes you want to spread your legs and forget common sense. Maybe my magic thought that was worth sharing.
How many of those storms were actually storms? Were the flickering lights me too?
