Page 5 of A Touch Charmed

I’d always been weak when it came to Thora.

Now I had to go explain myself to Audrey. Fucking awesome.

Wes and Audrey didn’t live far. I took the path that bordered the forest. Out of the tree line, a rolling shadow poured onto the concrete in front of me. Thick as night. It circled in on itself as it gained height. I took a step back, knowing I had no power to combat it. Even if I did touch Thora right now, the only thing I’d be able to do was run. And what good did that do any of us? I didn’t have water funnels and lightning like Wes and Audrey.

It figured that I’d be given the power that only gave me the ability to look out for myself.

The smoky shadow reared and snapped forward, flickering between smoke and liquid, as if it were trying desperately to form into something solid and fighting a losing battle.

Was this supposed to scare me? Audrey said it would try a physical attack next, but I learned how to use my fists before I learned my ABCs. Even if I’d put that part of me away a long time ago, I grew up running scams on dealers, and I managed to walk away from that scene undamaged. I rubbed my thumb on my jeans, over the puckered ridge of skin above my hip bone, courtesy of a stab wound that had never healed right.

Mostly undamaged anyway.

“Is that your best?” I cocked my head and motioned for it to take a swing at me. “Want to jump inside my head? I guarantee you won’t be able to spend five minutes in there.”

I didn’t need a curse to take me back to my worst moments. I lived with the vivid reminders of them every single day.

The shadow stilled, then plunged into the concrete, sliding through the cracks in the sidewalk. If it wanted to get my attention, it would have to try a hell of a lot harder. The curse didn’t have shit on the day Thora said we were broken beyond repair.

The distance between us when she went to school had taken a toll on our relationship, no doubt, but I thought we could deal with it. I thought being crazy in love would be enough to get us through. I fucked it all up, though. I pushed too much, put too many demands on her time, until I pushed her away altogether.

Shale crunched under my feet and punishing waves crashed against jagged black rocks. I could already hear the lecture I was about to get. It hadn’t been a total bust though. At least I knew both my power and Thora’s now. That was more information than we had before I’d gone over there, broken my leg, kissed her while she’d been under the influence of magic, and ultimately got ordered off her property.

I’d take the silver lining. I didn’t have much else going for me.

I approached Wes and Audrey’s house and flung open the back sliding door. And walked right in on Audrey riding Wes on the living room couch. She let out a scream. He grabbed a nearby throw blanket, covering the two of them as he glared at me.

“Seriously, you two. Get a room.” I flopped down on the opposite chair.

“We have a room.” Wes clenched his jaw. “We have a whole damn house.”

Audrey pushed her hair out of her face and narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you doing back so soon? You promised you’d try today.”

“I did try.” I whistled as I motioned downward. “Crashed and burned.”

“You actually talked to her though? Did you touch? What are your powers?” Audrey sat up straighter, which caused the blanket to slip down her shoulder.

I put my hand over my eyes. “I can’t have this conversation with your nipple pointing at me like that. I can feel it judging me.”

“Jesus Christ.” Wes tucked Audrey against him, tightening the blanket around her. If he wasn’t my best friend, I had a strong feeling I would’ve ended up on the other side of the slider. I still might, but at least he’d have the courtesy to open the glass first. “Give us a few minutes to get dressed. Don’t go anywhere.”

Not a problem. I didn’t have anywhere to go.

The rest of my summer builds had been pushed back until after the festival. I kept myself available the week before the event in case anything went wrong, as things tended to do. That’s why Audrey had pushed me so hard to connect with Thora now. Because for once, I actually had some free time.

I usually spent the week of the festival fishing, but I supposed convincing my ex to work with me, keeping my dick under control, learning how to use magic, and battling an ancient curse could be just as relaxing. Not that I’d been given much of a choice in the matter.

Audrey and Wes came out of the bedroom a few minutes later, hand-in-hand, and fully dressed. A golden green light glowed between their palms. It was equal parts comforting and nauseating, like seeing your parents kiss. Wes took a seat on the sofa and pulled Audrey onto his lap. She let out a contented sigh as she snuggled against him.

I stared down at my open palms and wondered if I’d ever be able to combine my light with Thora’s. Or if we were already too late. “I’ve got speed. That’s my power.”

It had been surreal, the way everything stood still, while I’d felt like I moved at a normal pace. The world hadn’t blurred past me. I blurred past it. If it hadn’t been for the dragonfly that hovered in the air just within my line of sight, its wings beating exactly once in the time it took me to walk halfway across the beach, I might not have realized what was happening.

I wished we had tested our powers more, but Thora wanted me to leave. She didn’t want to believe in magic, she didn’t want me to knock on her window, she didn’t want to heal my broken leg, she didn’t want me to insult her, and she didn’t want to kiss me. Not really anyway. I’d spent a whole lot of time today making Thora do a whole lot of things she didn’t want. I figured I owed it to her to do one thing she did.

“Speed will come in handy if you need to get to the other side of the island in a hurry,” Wes said. “Because of course the curse couldn’t have gotten loose in the winter when we’d all have cars and a hell of a lot more time on our hands.”

There were few things Wes hated more than how much walking we had to do in the summer. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he also hadn’t refused to ride a bike, but he claimed the tiny seats made his balls numb.

---