Page 56 of Soulmates

“I can feel it. Cricket’s magic is made of the earth. I can feel it and it’s super concentrated around his house. There are other pulls of it, places where he must go or must have done large spells, but I know where his house is from here.”

“If I let you go, are you going to stop attacking me long enough for us to get there?”

“Hey, you grabbed my ass. This is not one-sided.”

Jake grinned up at him. “No, it is certainly not one-sided.”

Maddox acquiesced. But even climbing off Jake to stand far enough away for Jake to get up and get his bearings, sent a brief stabbing sensation through Maddox’s chest. And judging by Jake’s hand rubbing his own chest, he assumed Jake felt something similar. Maddox waited, adrift, while Jake righted his clothes and dusted himself off. Maddox almost did the same but stared at Jake instead. The feeling was unreasonable. They’d only been apart fifteen seconds, and Maddox already wanted back in Jake’s arms.

Jake must have felt it, too, because he adjusted his shoulders and neck like he was uncomfortable and then turned to Maddox and stepped toward him, opening his arms. Maddox didn’t hesitate to rush to him and stay there.

“So you feel it too?” Jake said.

“Like something was wrong. I felt kind of sick and sad.”

“I’m sure it’ll get easier. Maybe there’s more information in Cricket’s books now that we aren’t so focused on the initial problem.”

“Okay,” Maddox said. “But this is fine too.”

Jake laughed. “Let’s grab the pack, drink some water, and go back to the house. You can lead the way.”

Jake slung the pack up into his free arm, and they dug out the canteens, their sides pressed into each other. This was good, Maddox thought. The contact was so good. Tingles went up and down his side where he pressed into Jake. He closed his eyes and just let the sensation roll through him.

“Maddy, we gotta go.”

Maddox snapped open his eyes. “Right. Let’s go.”

Maddox pointed them in the right direction and made a tiny heatless flame using fire and air and floated it in front of them so they could see farther ahead than what light his eyes projected. He could feel the earth, the trees, and the plants, all noting the flame, judging it harmless, and letting it be. He had a feeling that in this swamp, the earth could have easily snuffed out something that small if it was unwanted. Cricket was certainly right that there was something feral about this place.

Maddox continued to point out the right path, even noting large roots and marshy areas to avoid.

“How are you navigating all of this? I’m not sure I could even do it, and I was trained in it.”

“I don’t know exactly. But I noticed it on my way to find you. Nature is different here. It’s so uninhabited and has a much heavier presence than anywhere I’ve been before. I could chart this path with my eyes closed, and I would know every obstacle in my way. Though I get the sense it could steer me wrong just as easily if that’s what it wanted. Or I guess wanted is the wrong word. More like if that’s what it needed to do to protect itself. This feels like nature that has been attacked and fought back many times. Do you feel it?”

“No. I don’t feel anything different other than you.”

Maddox pulled Jake to a stop. “Close your eyes.” Jake did. Maddox pulled Jake’s hand and pressed it against Maddox’s chest. He took a breath, and on the exhale, he pushed his greenest magic into Jake’s hand.

Jake gasped. “I feel it. Or I feel something. It’s content. It feels content, and I can tell where the water is.”

“Yes. That’s it. I’ve spent so much time using earth magic that it’s probably more automatic for me.”

Jake let his hand linger there a moment longer before he dropped it back down and grabbed Maddox’s hand, kissing his knuckles gently, then pulling him back in the direction they were going. The whole swamp was lit with fireflies now. They were gleaming greenly on the ground and flashing yellow in the air. It was beautiful, if disconcerting. Maddox filed that away to deal with later.

With Maddox guiding them, they made it back to the house quickly, though they finished the canteens and beelined to the fridge as soon as they got in the back door, desperate for something cold to drink. The house felt empty, which Maddox thought strange, his heart jolting for a moment of fear until Jake found a note stuck to the fridge from Santiago.

Have a good night dickheads. Try to leave the place standing. See you in the morning. -S

“She knew you’d succeed,” Jake said, pulling Maddox to him.

“Leave the place standing?” Maddox raised his eyebrows at the note.

“Yep,” Jake said, then turned to Maddox. “What should we do with an empty house, Maddy? What was it you were thinking about the bed?”

Chapter 34

Maddox blushed as brightly as Jake had ever seen him but leaned casually against the counter and answered coolly. “Why, Jake? Have anything special in mind?”

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