Ancient Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress #1)(63)

“All right,” Connor said as he held up his glass of whiskey. “To Ancient Magic. Back on its feet!”

I touched my glass to his, then clinked my way around the circle, careful not to miss anyone. I was so damned glad to be back with my friends, the threat temporarily averted.

“One more,” I said after a sip. I raised my glass. “Health and happiness. Because we have them, and we want to keep them.”

“Cheers to that,” a deep voice said as we clinked our glasses.

I turned. Aidan stood in the doorway, his hands tucked into his pockets. It was suddenly a bit harder to breathe. His dark hair was shiny instead of singed, and his skin was no longer deathly pale. In his t-shirt and jeans, he looked back to normal. Which was to say, damned good.

And also a pain in my ass.

“Hey, Aidan!” Connor said. “Good to see you, man!”

“You’re looking better,” Nix said. Though she and Del liked Aidan, after the events at the cathedral, we were all on our guard. Because of my memory, someone hunting us had always been at the periphery of our thoughts. But after what had just happened, the threat had become more real. We were all wary.

They still thought he might be able to help us, but he made me nervous. I’d experienced how powerful he was. Aidan was the freaking Origin, not to mention a full Elemental Mage and a healer. He was too powerful. Eventually he was going to sense what I was, especially now that I had Aaron’s lightning gift.

“You look like you’re feeling better,” Nix said. “Not nearly as crispy.”

Aidan grinned. He looked so damned handsome that I wanted to curse him. I settled for cursing myself.

“Come, join us,” Claire said. “Want a beer or a whiskey?”

Aidan glanced at me. Clearly he was here to talk about the scroll, but I wasn’t ready to lie again. So I said nothing. We’d talk, but it’d be better if it were after a drink and some chatting with my friends. If we were all normal and charming, then he’d be more likely to trust me when I lied, right?

Even the thought turned my stomach.

“Whiskey, thanks,” Aidan said. He took the seat next to me.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I glanced at him quickly, then away.

“So, they sprung you from the hospital, eh?” Connor asked.

“Clean bill of health,” Aidan said.

Claire brought him the whiskey and he thanked her. We chatted about the shop being up and running again.

At first, I was uncomfortable. But Aidan fit right in with my friends. I was genuinely wishing I didn’t have to blow him off later tonight.

But I had to. Severing contact with him was safest for us all.

“Hey,” Aidan’s husky voice was soft near my ear. “Can we talk?”

I glanced at him. Better now than later, I figured. Like a band aid. “Yeah.”

“Thanks for the drink, Claire and Connor.” He set his empty glass on the table. A twenty was tucked beneath it. “It’s been good talking to you all, but I’ve got to run.”

“I’m going to walk him out,” I said, not making eye contact with anyone.

I followed him to the door. He held it open and I walked through.

“Can we talk at your place?” he asked as he followed me out.

I looked around at the darkened street. I didn’t really want to talk about the scroll out here. “Sure. Come on.”

“How are you doing?” he asked as we climbed the stairs to my apartment.

“Fine. You know, getting the shop back together.” I hated this awkwardness. But I was about to lie to him, so there was really no avoiding it. I let us into my apartment and asked, “You?”

“Great, now that I’ve recovered from being a lightning rod.”

I swallowed hard at the reminder. “You threw yourself in front of that for me.” That made it even harder to lie. And much harder to push him away.

“Yeah, seems that I did.”

“Why?”

“Felt like a better option than watching you get lit up.” His dark gaze met mine, intense enough to burn.

My heart pounded and my breathing stuttered. This was going to be so much more difficult than I’d thought.

“And I knew you wouldn’t use your magic to protect yourself,” he added.

He was right about that. “Um, thanks for saving me. I’m sorry I didn’t get the scroll.”

“You’re a bad liar.”

“No, I’m not.” I was a great liar, even when I didn’t want to be. “I really am sorry I couldn’t get it. It was destroyed by the lightning.”

“You don’t have to lie to me, Cass.”

I really did. I had to lie to everyone who wasn’t Nix or Del, no matter how much it exhausted me. “I’m not lying. I am sorry I didn’t get it.”

“You are lying. And I know why. I know what you are.”

My stomach lurched. “A treasure hunting Mirror Mage? Yeah, I told you that.”

“No. You’re a FireSoul.” His gaze was solemn.

The floor felt like it dropped out from under me. Somehow I stayed upright. I even managed an incredulous laugh. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”