Page 57 of Haunted Hearts

“The barrier lasted longer this time,” I say as I attempt to catch my breath, the soft buzzing of magic over my skin fading.

“It seems like the more I charge it, the longer it lasts,” Gen observes. “This is good. I doubt I could keep up with you when we get there. So, if we charge it long enough, it might last when we get to Rosa.”

“Then you can stay with Jack, or outside of the property at the very least.” I pull my shirt up and wipe my face. “I think we’re done for the day. Thank you, Genevieve.”

“Yeah, no problem. Of course.”

“One more thing,” I say, hesitating. Now is as good a time as any.

“What’s up?”

“Do you know of any ways to suppress magic?”

She looks confused by my question and takes a moment to think before responding.

“Magic is a part of nature, Cade, it requires balance; suppressing it would be unnatural—like trying to stop a cloud from raining. Eventually, it will rain.”

Nature and balance. Where the fuck is the balance in something like Kai?

I sigh. “Figured I’d ask.”

“This is about Calli, isn’t it?”

“She seems fine, but considering it hasn’t been long since I found out magic was real…”

“You’re afraid of it. I get it, Cade; you know I do considering how I reacted to her. The best we can do is keep her in a good headspace, and be honest with her even when it’s hard.”

“See, you say that. But you don’t know my sister very well. She is nosy as fuck and feels the primal need to insert herself in everything.”

“She wants a say in her life, is that really surprising?”

“No. It’s not.” I wipe my forehead once more.

“Here, drink.” She hands me a water bottle.

I snatch the bottle from her, unscrewing the cap. The cool liquid feels good against my throat, dry from running.

“What should I do?”

“I don’t know, Cade. If you’re looking for comfort from me, you won’t find any.”

Ouch. Okay, I deserved that.

Gen sighs. “Just tell her you’re worried. She would understand.”

I nod slowly. “Maybe.”

She wouldn’t, not if she knew everything, or why I’m worried. I’ve gone from wanting her to use her magic to wanting her to lock it away.

“At least we know this works.” Gen’s tone is positive, but she and I both know this half-baked idea will only work in a very specific situation, if everything goes my way.

“Yeah, my hope is we can use it on me when I arrive there. I should have a good idea on numbers and potential threats soon. You will stay with Jack in the truck.”

“What if that monster is there? It’s not like you can fight him.”

“I plan to stay low and unnoticed. If he is there, I’ll have to disengage, and that wouldn’t be possible without your shield.”

“At the very least, you can get Ben out, right?”