a lot of strange characters there.”
I didn’t understand how he would make such an assumption about me. “But you do magic. You said your whole family was magically inclined. Surely you have to realize other people can do magic, too?”
He looked down, suddenly interested in the tops of his shoes. “Ivie, I have a confession to make…” Jack pulled on his hair so hard I feared it might come out.
His discomfort made my stomach twist and I tugged on the hem of my— his shirt to cover myself. “Well?”
“I’m a fake.”
A fresh surge of heat flowed through me, as if the energy hadn’t fully left my body and churned just below the surface. “A fake?” I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean a fake ?”
“I mean, I don’t really do magic. My tricks are just tricks . There is no magic involved whatsoever. But I am a really good illusionist who learned from a skilled magician.” He didn’t show the least bit of remorse. Like a spoiled child caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
“I don’t understand. You lied to me?” My face must have been a mask of shock.
I didn’t know why I was surprised. People lied to me all the time. Matt hadn’t told me the truth about anything. But Jack? I’d known him for only a few hours, and I was completely taken aback. We had a…
“What about the magical connection we shared?” I gasped. “What about our merging with nature and drawing upon the strength within us?” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “What about the sex ?”
He winced, his eyes filled with guilt. “Ivie, you’re very sweet, and I’m sure you know you’re beautiful, but I honestly thought you were just playing a game. I’ve heard about girls who like to pretend they’re Wiccans and spend a night roleplaying the whole magic thing in the woods. So I made up the convergence to play along.”
My face flamed, and I was unable to raise my voice above a whisper. “We took our clothes off in an open field. We had sex. Twice !”
He bit his lip and blushed, his guilty face almost apologetic. “The sex was amazing.”
Somewhere deep inside me, deeper than I knew existed, a tap opened. No… a pipe burst. Like a raging river or an underground aqueduct, it flowed through me into every nerve ending in my body. As if I’d harnessed the electric current running through the house, the lights dimmed as I pulled the current from the outlets into me. Faint sparks radiated from my fingertips. I knew I should be afraid, but I was too angry to register fear.
Matt, in his new form, let out a sharp whine and cowered against the wall.
“Ivie,” Jack said in a shaky voice, “Ivie, you’re… glowing .”
That tamped down my anger somewhat, as I was almost instantly enthralled by my power. I caught my reflection in a dark window, and Jack was right. I was glowing. I couldn’t take my eyes off myself. That was the first time I’d seen what happened when the magic surged in me. Faint blue sparks shot out of my outstretched fingertips, and I saw my eyebrows knitted together in angry concentration.
“Christ, your hair… This isn’t possible . None of this is possible. I think you should try to calm down. Didn’t you say you turned your fiancé into the snake when you were angry?”
His question pulled me further away from the rage pulsating through me. “Not a snake.” I shook my head, still watching my every move in the window. “A skunk.”
“What?”
Even as I turned toward him, I couldn’t quite tear my eyes away from my reflection. “I didn’t turn him into a snake that first time. He was a skunk.” I watched his reaction in the glass, certain he was afraid. “I was angry.” I forced myself to look directly at his face. “So angry I tingled with heat. I burst with it.” As I said the words, for the first time since I’d felt the initial rush of electricity flow through me, I remembered what had happened that night. I’d been out of control with rage, pointing my sparking
I didn’t understand how he would make such an assumption about me. “But you do magic. You said your whole family was magically inclined. Surely you have to realize other people can do magic, too?”
He looked down, suddenly interested in the tops of his shoes. “Ivie, I have a confession to make…” Jack pulled on his hair so hard I feared it might come out.
His discomfort made my stomach twist and I tugged on the hem of my— his shirt to cover myself. “Well?”
“I’m a fake.”
A fresh surge of heat flowed through me, as if the energy hadn’t fully left my body and churned just below the surface. “A fake?” I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean a fake ?”
“I mean, I don’t really do magic. My tricks are just tricks . There is no magic involved whatsoever. But I am a really good illusionist who learned from a skilled magician.” He didn’t show the least bit of remorse. Like a spoiled child caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
“I don’t understand. You lied to me?” My face must have been a mask of shock.
I didn’t know why I was surprised. People lied to me all the time. Matt hadn’t told me the truth about anything. But Jack? I’d known him for only a few hours, and I was completely taken aback. We had a…
“What about the magical connection we shared?” I gasped. “What about our merging with nature and drawing upon the strength within us?” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “What about the sex ?”
He winced, his eyes filled with guilt. “Ivie, you’re very sweet, and I’m sure you know you’re beautiful, but I honestly thought you were just playing a game. I’ve heard about girls who like to pretend they’re Wiccans and spend a night roleplaying the whole magic thing in the woods. So I made up the convergence to play along.”
My face flamed, and I was unable to raise my voice above a whisper. “We took our clothes off in an open field. We had sex. Twice !”
He bit his lip and blushed, his guilty face almost apologetic. “The sex was amazing.”
Somewhere deep inside me, deeper than I knew existed, a tap opened. No… a pipe burst. Like a raging river or an underground aqueduct, it flowed through me into every nerve ending in my body. As if I’d harnessed the electric current running through the house, the lights dimmed as I pulled the current from the outlets into me. Faint sparks radiated from my fingertips. I knew I should be afraid, but I was too angry to register fear.
Matt, in his new form, let out a sharp whine and cowered against the wall.
“Ivie,” Jack said in a shaky voice, “Ivie, you’re… glowing .”
That tamped down my anger somewhat, as I was almost instantly enthralled by my power. I caught my reflection in a dark window, and Jack was right. I was glowing. I couldn’t take my eyes off myself. That was the first time I’d seen what happened when the magic surged in me. Faint blue sparks shot out of my outstretched fingertips, and I saw my eyebrows knitted together in angry concentration.
“Christ, your hair… This isn’t possible . None of this is possible. I think you should try to calm down. Didn’t you say you turned your fiancé into the snake when you were angry?”
His question pulled me further away from the rage pulsating through me. “Not a snake.” I shook my head, still watching my every move in the window. “A skunk.”
“What?”
Even as I turned toward him, I couldn’t quite tear my eyes away from my reflection. “I didn’t turn him into a snake that first time. He was a skunk.” I watched his reaction in the glass, certain he was afraid. “I was angry.” I forced myself to look directly at his face. “So angry I tingled with heat. I burst with it.” As I said the words, for the first time since I’d felt the initial rush of electricity flow through me, I remembered what had happened that night. I’d been out of control with rage, pointing my sparking
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