Ryder couldn’t keep it contained forever, though. Flare-ups like that would lead to questions he couldn’t answer.
Thalia hummed in agreement. She didn’t bother looking at Ryder before she walked away, but he felt her magic shift. It stung him like a transparent blade pressed against his throat: Don’t test me. The fluttering in his stomach calmed and his magic retreated.
“What the fuck was that?” Liam seethed.
Ryder chewed on his lip and shook his head. Two fingers pinched Ryder’s jaw and tugged. Liam’s thumb and index finger sent a jolt through him, and it deepened when he saw the recognition slide into place on Liam’s face. Their magic collided, tangling and untangling, stretching to make room for one another. Ryder almost gasped, but he clenched his jaw to keep the sound at bay. They were sitting next to each other in a café, and their friends were sitting around them. Christy’s singsong voice. Tyler’s rambling. Donovan’s quiet laugh. But all Ryder could focus on was how Liam’s fingers loosened, and how their magic pulsed suddenly; a warning, a prelude.
Their magic danced between them. Water and Fire and something else, something darker.
Liam dropped his hand. It brushed Ryder’s arm, and he shifted away, putting space between them.
“How’d the reading go?” Tyler had the voice of a charismatic spokesperson. He was eloquent and commanding, the kind of person who took the lead in everything he did. Especially their circle.
Ryder waited, but Liam said nothing.
“We skipped it and smudged instead,” Ryder said. The lie came easily. “Are we doing anything for the full tomorrow?”
Thankfully, Christy ran with the subject change. Her silver bangles clattered around her wrist as she wiggled her hands excitedly. “Drum circle and fire pit at Tyler’s. We invited everyone.”
“Yeah?” Ryder nodded to Tyler.
Tyler nodded back. His black hair was slicked back, making the roundness of his copper cheeks stand out and the multiple silver hoops through both his ears glint in the light. His eyes were upturned and clever—fox eyes as Christy would say.
“It’s in Pisces,” Donovan piped up. His light eyes were as open and pure as Christy’s, blue like the aquamarine pendant that hung around his neck. “You should set some intention, Liam.”
“I will,” Liam said. If he was shaken, he didn’t show it. His face was as set and serene as ever; cheekbones that could cut glass, a jawline Ryder envied, sharp, smart eyes that flicked once to Ryder. They didn’t linger. His gaze shifted back to Tyler and Donovan, but not before Ryder caught the distinct wave of his pupils, expanding out and in again, a flare of magic he’d snuffed out. Liam cleared his throat. “Did you figure out the communication spell, Ty?”
“We were just talking about that,” Tyler said and gestured to Donovan with a wave. “I found a few things, but most of the instructions are in Latin, which none of us speak.”
All eyes turned to Ryder. He knew what Tyler wanted, but none of them had the courage to mention it. So, they stared, urging Ryder with pointed gazes. Christy looked away first, then Donovan. Liam looked at his steaming mug.
“What?” Ryder spat.
Tyler shot him a knowing look, trying to get his point across without words.
Christy made a weak noise. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said to Tyler.
Instead of waiting for an explanation, Ryder cut them off and said, “Ask Thalia.” He sipped his tea and averted his gaze to the table. “She’s closer to her than I am.”
“Didn’t she used to tutor you, though?” Tyler asked. “It would be a short conversation, Ryder. You know I wouldn’t usually recommend going to…them, but we need it.”
“You don’t need to talk to trees, Tyler.” Ryder snorted a laugh. He replayed the way Tyler said them again and again, disgust under anger under fear.
“Yeah, we can work on something else,” Christy said softly.
“It’s not about me,” Tyler said sternly. “Donovan hasn’t been able to focus his energy. He’s Earth; he needs the guidance. The forest is filled with spirits, ancients, nymphs.” He tapped his finger on the table. “Answers. We can’t not try.”
“At least be brave enough to say her name then,” Ryder said under his breath.
The table went quiet. Liam’s eyes were all over him, pinpricks like spider feet.
“Ask Jordan…” Tyler stood up from the table. “Anyone want anything? I’m getting coffee.”
Ryder noticed the space where Jordan’s last name lingered, unsaid but there all the same. It was one thing for a matriarch to mention it, but discussing a dark clan was taboo for a small circle of beginner witches.
“Hey…” Christy rested her palm over top of Ryder’s hand. He expected her to pull away when she felt the blistering heat rising from his skin, but she didn’t. “If you don’t want to—”
“It’s fine,” Ryder said.
Liam’s foot brushed against his under the table. Another spike of energy shot through him. Christy flinched away, as if he’d shocked her. Liam swung his foot back and tucked it under the chair, far from Ryder.
Christy’s pale eyes flicked between Ryder and Liam. She was psychic, but her gifts rarely manifested within the circle, which was a common practice. Psychic or not, circle-mates shouldn’t have access to everything. Information dealing with emotions had the potential to be dangerous, and Christy was almost always respectful of their boundaries as a group. This time was no different. Instead of prying, her magic hovered around her as a shield, an instant response to Ryder’s spark.
“I’m just nervous,” Ryder explained. He offered her a smile, but it was heavy and faraway. “Sorry.”
Christy nodded. She tucked a blue strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s probably just the full moon. It gets everyone worked up.” A white mouse crept out of the breast pocket on her slouchy black T-shirt. Willow’s long whiskers trembled as she wiggled her nose. Christy scratched the mouse’s head with the tip of her finger. “It’s all right, Willow. He didn’t mean it.”
“Sorry, Willow.” Ryder offered Christy’s familiar another withered smile.
“Say it’s okay, Ry,” Christy cooed at Willow in a baby voice.
Tyler and Donovan appeared with their coffees. But Ryder’s energy was too volatile for him to sit through a circle meeting. The magic he’d worked for years to keep at bay hummed deep in his belly. It made everything sharper, closer, more defined. He heard Liam inhale, listened to the sound of air sucked past his lips, the constant click of his tongue ring against his teeth. Liam shifted and Ryder’s heart sped up. Liam moved his hands in his lap and Ryder’s stomach clenched.
Being in proximity with each other after recently tethering was a bad idea. Especially after Liam had just put two and two together, and Christy had witnessed a collision of their energies, and Ryder was biting at the bit for a release.
“I’ll go deal with this Latin bullshit,” Ryder said.