her that he might not trust himself around people. “Do you…have a desire to hurt someone?”
“Mostly just you.” His voice was gruff around the edges with what sounded suspiciously like laughter. Becca narrowed her eyes at his back.
“But that’s hardly a new impulse, is it?”
This time Nicholas actually did laugh, the rough sound rumbling in his chest. “No, I can’t say that it is.”
“I didn’t think so.” She grinned as she leaned against the wall and folded her arms. She didn’t want to move up closer to the window—closer to him; it seemed like it would shatter the moment. They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes, looking down at the lights. It’s almost mesmerizing, Becca thought. The magic fire burning in her chest and settled down to a warm flame. The feeling of being in control of it gave her a sense of relief and she almost sagged against the wall. She hadn’t realized how much trying to keep it under control had been taking a toll on her body.
“I wasn’t sure at first…I mean, when I first started…changing.” Nicholas finally broke the silence.
Becca’s eyelids flew open. They’d started to drift shut during the long silence. She stared at Nicholas’s broad back. His head hung forward in a kind of defeat. “That’s why you have the handcuffs.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes,” he finally admitted. “I thought…I guess I thought if I started thinking and feeling things I didn’t want to, that I’d handcuff myself to something.”
“And just, what? Stay there forever until you died?” Her voice was harsher than she’d meant for it to be.
He shrugged. “Yeah. In reality I think could’ve easily broken them.”
Becca raised an eyebrow. Those handcuffs were made of steel. But she’d felt some of his power and she suspected he’d been keeping a leash on it even when he was angriest with her, so she didn’t doubt him.
“I’m sorry, by the way,” he added.
“For? Oh, for handcuffing me? Yeah, not cool.”
“I was desperate, but that’s not an excuse.”
“You certainly didn’t want me here,” Becca half-agreed. The thought that her presence had driven Nicholas to anything that could be described as desperation irked her.
“No. I didn’t.”
Becca didn’t ask if his position had changed. She’d wondered if giving her the flash drive had been an attempt to get her to leave. She’d told him she would try to help break the spell on him, even if they had all the information he’d had on Lilia. Having this much magic sitting in the middle of the Southland wasn’t really an acceptable situation. “Seriously, what’s up with this house? There’s no way anyone could afford this on a museum staff person’s salary. Are you independently wealthy, Nicholas?”
“Actually, I am.”
Becca almost choked on her own laughter at his tone. “You don’t sound as happy about it as one would expect.”
“My grandmother passed away a year ago and left me the house and some money.”
Becca immediately regretted her teasing tone. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
“Were you close?”
“Yes. Closer to her than to my parents. They actually live about a mile from here. I haven’t seen them in five years.”
Becca had no idea how to respond to that. She and her parents had their ups and downs, and her parents had each made some spectacularly bad choices in life and love, but she’d never once doubted that they loved her. She could tell from the almost disinterested tone in Nicholas’s voice that love was not something he associated with his parents. And she could tell that the last thing he’d want from her was sympathy. “So what did your grandmother do? She was obviously pretty successful at it, whatever it was.”
“She was Elise Parker.”
Becca’s mouth fell open. “Elise Parker? The Darling of the Silver Screen?”
Nicholas nodded.
“They did an entire segment on her at the Oscars last year. And she’s your
“Mostly just you.” His voice was gruff around the edges with what sounded suspiciously like laughter. Becca narrowed her eyes at his back.
“But that’s hardly a new impulse, is it?”
This time Nicholas actually did laugh, the rough sound rumbling in his chest. “No, I can’t say that it is.”
“I didn’t think so.” She grinned as she leaned against the wall and folded her arms. She didn’t want to move up closer to the window—closer to him; it seemed like it would shatter the moment. They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes, looking down at the lights. It’s almost mesmerizing, Becca thought. The magic fire burning in her chest and settled down to a warm flame. The feeling of being in control of it gave her a sense of relief and she almost sagged against the wall. She hadn’t realized how much trying to keep it under control had been taking a toll on her body.
“I wasn’t sure at first…I mean, when I first started…changing.” Nicholas finally broke the silence.
Becca’s eyelids flew open. They’d started to drift shut during the long silence. She stared at Nicholas’s broad back. His head hung forward in a kind of defeat. “That’s why you have the handcuffs.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes,” he finally admitted. “I thought…I guess I thought if I started thinking and feeling things I didn’t want to, that I’d handcuff myself to something.”
“And just, what? Stay there forever until you died?” Her voice was harsher than she’d meant for it to be.
He shrugged. “Yeah. In reality I think could’ve easily broken them.”
Becca raised an eyebrow. Those handcuffs were made of steel. But she’d felt some of his power and she suspected he’d been keeping a leash on it even when he was angriest with her, so she didn’t doubt him.
“I’m sorry, by the way,” he added.
“For? Oh, for handcuffing me? Yeah, not cool.”
“I was desperate, but that’s not an excuse.”
“You certainly didn’t want me here,” Becca half-agreed. The thought that her presence had driven Nicholas to anything that could be described as desperation irked her.
“No. I didn’t.”
Becca didn’t ask if his position had changed. She’d wondered if giving her the flash drive had been an attempt to get her to leave. She’d told him she would try to help break the spell on him, even if they had all the information he’d had on Lilia. Having this much magic sitting in the middle of the Southland wasn’t really an acceptable situation. “Seriously, what’s up with this house? There’s no way anyone could afford this on a museum staff person’s salary. Are you independently wealthy, Nicholas?”
“Actually, I am.”
Becca almost choked on her own laughter at his tone. “You don’t sound as happy about it as one would expect.”
“My grandmother passed away a year ago and left me the house and some money.”
Becca immediately regretted her teasing tone. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
“Were you close?”
“Yes. Closer to her than to my parents. They actually live about a mile from here. I haven’t seen them in five years.”
Becca had no idea how to respond to that. She and her parents had their ups and downs, and her parents had each made some spectacularly bad choices in life and love, but she’d never once doubted that they loved her. She could tell from the almost disinterested tone in Nicholas’s voice that love was not something he associated with his parents. And she could tell that the last thing he’d want from her was sympathy. “So what did your grandmother do? She was obviously pretty successful at it, whatever it was.”
“She was Elise Parker.”
Becca’s mouth fell open. “Elise Parker? The Darling of the Silver Screen?”
Nicholas nodded.
“They did an entire segment on her at the Oscars last year. And she’s your
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