Page 39 of Touched By Destiny

Eric smiled. He was content to stay focused on the other aspects of their relationship too. “Should I test my other crystal?”

“Go for it. I’ll save you a cookie.”

Ignoring the greedy inspirit digging in the bag he’d stolen, Eric closed his eyes and focused on his bedroom. However, a few seconds later, he’d teleported back to the same spot where he’d arrived in Gabriel’s barren house.

“Did you teleport back and forth that fucking fast?” Gabriel asked, surprise making his eyes widen.

“No, I conjured an image of the other crystal. I even made it a black one to distinguish between the two, but I wound up here.”

“Try again?”

“Yeah,” Eric replied, but his efforts garnered the same results. Blowing out a frustrated breath, Eric repeated the process a half a dozen more times. Nothing changed, and he was growing dizzy from so many teleportations in a row. “I guess I’ve landed on the reason necros only summon a single crystal at a time.”

“If you crush this crystal, do you think you could teleport to your bedroom?”

“I guess so, but how would I sneak out of the house again? Everyone is probably hanging out in the living room. They were going to watch some movie, I think. They’re all excited because Uncle Alden’s coming for dinner again tomorrow night.”

“You have two choices. Later, you can destroy this crystal and teleport home, or you can sneak back into the house before I set the alarm.”

“I guess I have to destroy the crystal,” Eric replied, his gaze landing on his bare feet. “I’m not wearing shoes.”

Gabriel chuckled. “You really think there’s not a bag of things in this house in your size? We have contingency plans everywhere in case I need to get you the fuck off the property or hide you here. I can grab some shoes for you.”

“Hmm, still, I could probably just destroy the crystal and give you a new one tomorrow.”

“Let’s do that tonight. Then we’ll leave a crystal here and plan your trips back to the house to ensure no one sees you. It defeats the purpose of you being able to come and go if there’s no crystal here. And what if you decide to hop over and I’ve left the damn crystal in a suit jacket or something?”

“I’m not done working on this crystal thing,” Eric said. “I’ll come up with theories and see if I can alter the crystals. Maybe mark them magically or something.”

“You should’ve brought your tablet so you could jot down your ideas.”

“I will next time. I didn’t want to get distracted tonight.”

Gabriel went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Inside were a few beverage options and nothing else—not even a condiment. “Have a seat. Want something to drink? And I appreciate having your full, undivided attention. I thought your uncle was in LA?”

“Beer would be great. According to Mari, he’s staying with friends and returning tomorrow,” Eric replied as he accepted Gabriel’s invitation and sat. Gabriel handed him a beer and a cookie, then landed on the sofa cushion next to him. “I didn’t even know he had any friends in California, but it’s not like I know him well. All my life, I’ve heard about how close he was with my dad, and how much he loved being a father. But he barely talks to Mari or anyone else. You knew him before—what was he like?”

“When Nariko was alive, he was very involved in the family and business. Clark and Alden had big dreams, and Rosalind is the practical one. He loved being a dad to baby Maribeth, but once Nariko got sick, he refused to discuss her illness even with his wife. Bottled up everything, and the sicker she grew, the more Alden pulled into himself. He’s been so lostin grief. I hope he’s finally found a way to cope. Clark and Rosalind miss him.”

“Maybe his friends have helped him. I’d love for Mari to have her dad. That’s what’s most important to me. Each time we move, he buys a house and leaves her alone in it. I hate the way she misses him.”

“Yeah, it’s terribly sad. I’m glad she’s had your folks at least.”

“As much as they’ve been her parents too, she refuses to move in with us,” Eric complained. “In her mind, nothing can replace her dad despite the way he’s never been there for her. I see all these pictures of this cheerful guy, but that’s not the man I’ve had the occasional meal with. And I don’t think I’ve ever had a one-on-one conversation with him.”

“Clark was the one he confided in. Your dad tried so hard to get through to him. Begged him to go to counseling or find a support group, but Alden was determined to do things his way. It hasn’t been easy for Clark to lose his best friend.”

“Like Mari, he always looks so sad when Uncle Alden’s name comes up.”

“Another dinner so soon is encouraging though,” Gabriel said, reaching out to toy with one of Eric’s curls. That little display of affection brought a smile to Eric’s face, and he scooted closer to Gabriel. The inspirit had polished off their cookies. Eric’s cool beer was barely tasted, and he held it resting on the cotton of his shorts.

“Yeah, I don’t want to be disappointed, though, so I’m staying cautious.”

“Probably a good idea. Did you hear from Connor this afternoon?”

Eric shook his head. “Nope. I hope I can find him in the morning. I spent my afternoon making cookies and working on my resurrection spell.”

“How close are you to creating immortality for inspirits?”

---