Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)(72)

“Do not tell me they sent more.”

“No. That was it. I then made it clear to the town that it was time for change. Be kind to your neighbor, or get the hell out. I got shot in the back a couple of times, but eventually things settled down.”

“You got shot in the back?”

“I heal quickly. Because magic.”

Niamh’s nightmare alicorn form flashed through my head. Rainbow Bright meets Halloween. I wasn’t about to argue with his ability to heal quickly. Or any other weird thing I ran into. I was officially naive again, needing to learn this new world from the ground up. If I’d wanted to start over, I was certainly doing that.

“And that cemented your reputation?” I asked. Dawn had lightened the sky to a deep blue color nearly matching Austin’s eyes.

“It started it, for sure. Over the years I’ve cemented it. People talk. The stories grow bigger and bigger with each telling. It wasn’t until I’d lived in the town for a while that I learned about Ivy House. I thought the rumors were tall tales until I met Niamh. Even then I took a lot of it with a grain of salt. Turns out those tales weren’t so tall. Barely even did the situation justice, actually, if Elliot Graves is interested.”

“He’s the magical crime boss?”

Austin’s brow pinched. “Yeah, I guess you could call him that. He didn’t show up tonight, though.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure what that means. I know about protecting a tribe and making things run smoothly, but I have no knowledge about ancient magic trapped in a house looking for a chosen. This has gotten…too big for me. Too farfetched.”

“Thank you!” I dropped my head onto the chair back. “I realize that I’m in a huge learning curve with the magic piece, but…the house situation seems absolutely absurd. When Mr. Tom and I were running through the walls, this woman started talking to me. I mean, not talking like I could hear her voice, but…getting her message across. That sounds nuts, but I swear it’s true.” I blew out a breath, thought about pulling up my legs so I could hug my knees, and remembered that the ability to do that was long gone. I settled for slouching. “I sound crazy.”

“Yes, you do.”

I frowned down at him. “You’re not supposed to agree with me on that.”

He smirked and curled his big hand around my calf. For just a moment, I felt his support through the touch. I felt like he had my back. Shivers crawled up my body. After a beat he took his hand away.

“You’re in a situation not many people in the whole world can understand, Jacinta. I don’t claim to be one of those few. But I know what it feels like to have your world turned upside down. I can’t take your place—nor would I want to—but I can guard your back. I can guard you. That is within my power.”

“What if I run?”

He shrugged. “I’m your huckleberry. I got nothing tying me here.”

“That’s not true,” I whispered, a soft spot forming in my heart, and not just because he’d quoted Tombstone and I loved that movie. “This is your home. This is the town you practically built. You might not claim the role of alpha, but you are the alpha.”

“I hadn’t expected you to talk about running. I couldn’t very well throw up my hands and say, ‘Well in that case, hope it all works out for you. Good luck!’”

I laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. “True.”

“When you called earlier, panicked and asking what to do, I felt…” His muscles coiled along his body. “I felt the fire of my youth. Like I wanted to wipe the dust off my shoulders before charging into battle. It made me realize that I’ve been thinking of this town as the place it used to be, a group of people in need of armor. For a time, I found my purpose in being that armor. But the people here don’t need me like they did. They’ve grown into their potential, and they don’t shy away from standing up for themselves. From doing what’s right. Old enemies have moved on. New issues are few and far between. Non-magical cops are increasingly effective at dealing with lesser problems. The world is more modern, communication is easier, and safe havens are more plentiful— I’ve outgrown my usefulness. Now I’m just…getting older. Waiting to retire.” He sighed. “No one ever talks about what happens when you realize you’re not needed anymore, and what comes next when you have nothing else.”

“It’s not the same, but I have a kid who no longer needs me. I don’t have anything besides that.”

“You have friends. And a weird, half-mad butler.”

“So do you. And there is nothing half about Mr. Tom’s madness.”

Silence drifted around us for a moment. “That’s true,” he said softly. “I have one friend. I hope I don’t mess it up.”

“Me, too. You’re the only normal person in this town.”

“I’m too young to feel stagnant,” he said after a another moment. “I still feel twenty. I don’t want to retire or fade into obscurity—it’s time to pivot. Like you are. I feel the truth in that.”

“Don’t make life choices based on my example. I’m not batting a thousand.”

“You’re about to go into battle, heavily outnumbered, to claim what is yours. To claim your destiny. I’d say that is exactly batting a thousand.”