“What’s he doing here?” Lilura pressed her fingers into the table as she scrutinized him.

  Chase crossed his arms and leaned against the china cabinet.

  “He knows,” I said. “Everything. And I want to show him what I can do.”

  My confident tone apparently got Lilura’s attention, because her gaze left Gavin and bore into me. She pursed her wrinkly lips and nodded. “Fine. Sit down.”

  She stood with a grunt and hobbled away. The look of fear on Gavin’s face brought a laugh to my mouth.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “Except for her ability to turn you into a toad, she’s perfectly harmless.”

  “More than I can say for me,” Chase mumbled. I glanced at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

  Sable purred and nudged my leg as I slipped into my chair. Gavin sat beside me, his eyes darting around the room like he expected someone to jump out and attack him. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing when Lilura brought out an extra teacup from the kitchen.

  I decided not to warn Gavin about the tea. That’s what he got for following me around like some stalker. To his credit, Gavin didn’t make too much of a sour face after his first sip.

  Lilura gestured to the candles in front of me. Chase reached into his trench coat pocket and took out his lighter. His jaw was set as he lit the wicks. I glanced nervously at Gavin, wondering what he thought of all this. It was one thing to talk about magic. It was a whole other thing to see it happen. Or not happen, as my track record seemed to go. I glanced at the flames. But the candles were only lit for two seconds—just enough time for Lilura to sit down again—before they went out.

  Lilura’s forehead wrinkled. “Did you blow them out?”

  I stared at her for a second, then shook my head. “I, uh, used magic. But that was fast. How did I …?”

  “Hmm.” Lilura grabbed the lighter from Chase and lit them again, then jutted her chin out at me, indicating that I should give it another try.

  I flattened my hands against the table and focused. Again, all three candles went out at once.

  “I’m getting better.” I sat up straight and grinned at Gavin. His eyes glowed with amazement.

  Lilura’s brow gained a few more wrinkles. She glanced at Chase, then stood and left the table. She returned with a feather, the hair-like strands fluttering as she brought it closer. As soon as she placed it on the table, it floated two feet into the air. My jaw dropped. I quickly snapped it shut and looked toward Chase. He scratched his brow, his mouth in a straight line. Why did he look upset?

  “Let’s try something,” Lilura said. She left the room and came back with a wicker basket. I jumped back a bit in my chair when she dumped its contents all over the table. A colorful pile of feathers sat before me. Lilura regarded me with a cocky grin.

  I took a deep breath and concentrated. It took me a few seconds, but every feather soared into the air, some of them bouncing off the ceiling. My heart sped with pride.

  “Holy crap,” Gavin whispered.

  I looked at Lilura, and deflated a little when she appeared more confused than impressed. What was it going to take to win her over?

  The pots of soil she placed before me weren’t a challenge, but when she slid the glass of water in front of me, I almost groaned.

  “This isn’t my strong point,” I said to Gavin. “I’m supposed to change the color of the water.”

  “To what?”

  I shrugged. “Any color I want. So far I’ve managed murky, but that’s about it.”

  “Still pretty cool.” Gavin moved a strand of hair over my shoulder.

  I got lost in his eyes for a moment, reveling at his touch as his hand lingered. He was really cool with all of this. As he gazed back at me, something inside my chest resonated like harp strings, gently plucked. Chase cleared his throat. I tore my gaze away and focused on the water. Five seconds later, the water turned blue. Not just any blue, but the exact same color as Gavin’s eyes. I gasped. “Whoa.”

  “Make it red,” Lilura said grumpily.

  “But I just—”

  She cut me off. “Red!”

  I huffed and stared at the glass. The water swirled purple for a second before changing to red. I let out a small giggle.

  “Not bad,” Chase said, his arms crossed over his solid chest. He didn’t look pleased though. His serious expression led me to think I’d done something wrong. He regarded me, and my cheeks grew hot. His attention shifted to Lilura. “Think it’s because of him?”

  Lilura nodded. “Gavin, I’d like you to step outside for a moment.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Outside,” she said. “Just for a few minutes.”

  “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

  “She just wants to try something.” Chase came over and took a seat at the table, his elbow close to my hand. “It might work better if you crossed the street or went down the block a little.”

  Lilura nodded. “The farther the better.”

  Gavin looked between me and Chase. I cleared my throat to cover up how awkward I felt.

  “Yeah, okay.” Gavin took my hand and squeezed it. “I’ll be right back.”

  I nodded and watched him leave, then turned back to Lilura. “What now?”

  “Just a second,” Chase said. He went to the window and peered outside. After a minute he came back to sit next to me. “Okay.”

  “Try it again.” Lilura slid the glass of water closer to me.

  I stared at the glass, concentrating, pushing with my mind, willing my bones to buzz and my blood to heat up. But the water only clouded. Chase and Lilura exchanged a look.

  “I’ll go get him.” Chase left the table with a sigh, and a moment later the screen door slammed.

  “You think Gavin is affecting my powers?” I asked Lilura.

  She scratched her head. We were both quiet for a moment. What did Gavin have to do with this?

  Chase and Gavin returned and sat at the table. Lilura pointed to the glass. I placed my hands next to it, blinking. Immediately, the water turned blue.

  “Did the experiment work?” Gavin asked.

  Lilura studied him. “Where are you from?”

  “We, um, moved here from Chicago about six years ago,” Gavin said.

  “So you were born there?”

  “Well … no.”

  “Where then?” Lilura sounded impatient.

  “Massachusetts.”

  “That’s where your parents are from?”

  Gavin glanced at me, then returned his attention to Lilura. “My real parents, yeah. I was adopted.”

  I tilted my head. “I didn’t know that.”

  “It’s not really something I advertise.” Gavin slouched in his chair. “I didn’t find out until a couple years ago, searching through some files I wasn’t supposed to be looking at.”

  “Do you know who your real parents are?” I asked.

  “They’re dead. I found my birth certificate, so I Googled their names. Found the obituary online. It didn’t seem real, so I took a trip to Boston, without my folks knowing. Went to their graves.”

  I remembered what Naomi had told me about Gavin disappearing a couple years ago. How no one knew where he went and how he had changed when he returned. Now I understood.

  “Do you know how they died?”

  “Why are you asking me all this?” Gavin’s voice was gruff with frustration.

  Chase sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You’re a Cation.”

  Gavin blinked. “A what?”

  “A Cation,” Lilura said. “You’re like a power source for Vila magic. Something in your blood, the blood of your ancestors, charges the electricity for supernatural beings. Witches and Vila often had Cations around to help them use their powers more intensely. They’re often attracted to each other, sort of like magnets.”

  “Don’t get a big head or anything. You’re still just a normal human,” Chase added. “You’re like a battery when you’re near Zadie.”

  Why didn’t Chase look pleased? We’d just found a way to boost my power. I, for one, was ecstatic.

  Gavin and I gazed at each other, the corners of my mouth pulling up.

  “Seems you came at the perfect time too.” Lilura narrowed her eyes at Gavin. “Zadie needs to dive right into the next level of training.”

  My head whipped around to face her. “Really?”

  Chase scratched his cheek. “I was thinking during my drive back from Canada. It’s highly unlikely you’d be able to get close enough to the Reaper to actually stab him with the knife.”

  Gavin’s jaw dropped. I forgot to mention the knife during my explanation.

  “But if I fashioned it onto a strong enough arrow,” Chase continued, “you could use a bow.”

  I tried to picture Chase’s plan in my head. “Um, I’ve been to an archery field once. But I only watched. I never even picked up a bow.”

  “Well, I wasn’t thinking a normal bow. Think you can handle a crossbow?”

  Gavin perked up. “Like Chewbacca has?”

  Chase let out a small laugh. “That’s a little geeky, but yes.”

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  “I can teach you,” Chase said. For a fleeting moment, a smile crossed his lips.

  “Well, what are you waiting for?” Lilura slapped her hands on the table and stood. “Go on out to the back with Chase, and I’ll begin treating the knife.”

  “I’ll get my bow from the garage.” Chase pushed away from the table. “I can set up a target in the backyard.”

  ***

  “What are those for?” I asked.

  Chase used ropes to tie long metal rods to the length of arrows. “The Reaper knife is heavy,” he explained. “These will significantly weigh down the arrows. So it’s best you practice with the right weight from the beginning.”

  He stood, leaving six arrows on the ground. I picked one up and balanced it in my hand.

  “The quiver will be heavy too.” Chase took the arrow I held and dropped it into the quiver. “But only by the weight of one of these. There’s only one knife, after all.”

  I took the quiver and hooked my arm through the strap. Chase took great care adjusting it on my shoulder. I glanced at Gavin, who stood nearby, shifting from one foot to the other.

  “Here, let me show you how to hold the bow,” Chase steered me to the center of the lawn. The target stood near the high wooden fence at the back of Lilura’s yard. Chase took my hands and placed them in the proper position on the bow. His fingers grazed over mine.

  “Looks good on you,” Chase said.

  Heat scorched my cheeks.

  Chase stood at my back and put his arms around me, one hand below mine under the bow and the other on my wrist. I felt his breath on my ear. “Just raise this hand a bit more to get the right angle, and keep your elbow up as you squeeze the trigger.”

  My eyes flitted over to Gavin. He crossed his arms.

  “Now, grab the arrow and slide it into place, and then try to lift the bow back to its position.”

  Chase stepped back so I could do as he said. Lining up the target, I concentrated on my arm positioning and pulled the trigger. My eyes closed in shame when the arrow dropped a foot in front of the target.

  “It’s okay, try again.” Chase bent to get another arrow and placed it in the bow, guiding my hands to help me position it. My skin prickled when he whispered in my ear. “A little higher.”

  The arrow hit the target, but as close to the bottom as one could get. I took a step away from Chase and offered him a smile. “Thanks. Let me try alone now.”

  Two hours later, I still couldn’t hit the center of the target, but I was getting closer. My arms felt like they would fall off and the sky was turning purple, so I called it a day.

  “We can practice some more tomorrow,” Chase said as we headed through the house to the front door.

  “What time should we be here?” Gavin asked.

  Chase stopped and crossed his arms. “Your presence is not really required.”

  Gavin took a step closer to Chase. “Well, since I’m her Cation, I think it would benefit her if I’m here.”

  Lilura stepped out of the kitchen and eyed us. Chase glanced at her, then sighed.

  “Fine. You can come, but you’ll have to stay out of the way.”

  “It’s getting late,” I said. “I need to get home.”

  Gavin smiled at me. “I’ll walk you back.”

  As we turned toward the door, Gavin pressed his hand against the small of my back. I caught a glimpse of Chase frowning and rubbing the back of his neck.

  Lilura called after us. “One more thing.” We waited as she hobbled to the door. “Gavin needs to be near you as often as he can be.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  “He is your Cation. He’ll significantly improve your training. And you need him. He must be there when you battle the Reaper.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  After a week of training with the crossbow, my arms and back felt as if they’d been dropped from a skyscraper. At least my aim was getting better. Every time I released an arrow it landed in Chase’s target.

  Every moment I wasn’t in school or practicing with the Blacks, I spent with Mara. Things had been quiet. Mara kept to herself after Emily’s death. And though the dark made me skittish, I hadn’t seen the shadow for a while. I remembered what Mara said about the Reaper leaving her alone sometimes, especially after she would give him something to feed off of for a while. Had Emily’s death bought us some time?

  My instincts told me, however, that this quiet phase was bad. It felt like the calm before the storm. I was on edge, waiting for something to happen.

  To take the edge off, Gavin suggested I run with him. He said keeping physically fit would make me more alert, something that was probably important when battling the supernatural. We ran at the break of dawn, while Mara was still asleep. It was Saturday anyway, so I figured we had a good few hours before she’d even wake up.

  “Ow, ow, I have to stop.” I panted and staggered to a stop on the track. The stitch in my side bent me in half. I kneeled on the ground, grabbing my foot. “I’ve got a cramp in my toe.”

  Gavin jogged around me twice before stopping. “Well, you did five laps around the football field. And you even managed to jump a couple hurdles. I’d say that’s good enough for today.”

  “I’m not a quitter,” I insisted. “My toe really does hurt.”

  Gavin kneeled down beside me. “I’m not calling you a quitter. Let me see.”

  He untied my shoe and slipped it off.

  “Wait, no. My foot’s all sweaty. Don’t touch.”

  “Shut up. I’m a guy. Sweat doesn’t scare me.” He held my foot with both hands and started kneading. The pressure of his fingers felt like heaven. The muscles in my foot melted beneath his touch.

  I watched him, admiring the contours of his face. A hint of stubble brushed his jaw, and a small scar hidden just under his chin added a roughness to his good looks.

  We’d spent a lot of time together over the past week. Lilura had told him to stick close to me, and I greedily took advantage of the opportunity. We’d sit together at lunch, and he’d walk with me to my classes and to Lilura’s house. He even stayed for training sessions when he didn’t have too much homework, choking down potfuls of bitter tea. And he’d call to chat with me at night to ask how Mara was doing. But neither of us brought up getting back together.

  I thought about it all the time, longing for him to take my hand in the halls at school, my gut twisting in knots when he didn’t. He sometimes looked at me in a way that made me think he wanted me back too, but I was too chicken to say anything. Sure, I could train to kill a Reaper, but ask my ex if he wanted to give it another shot? No freaking way.

  “Any better?” he asked.

  “Much. Thanks.” I slipped my shoe back on and wiggled my toes.

  He pushed to his feet and held out his hand. I took it, reveling in his warm touch, memorizing the feel of his rough skin. He pulled me up, but didn’t let go of my hand. Watching his eyes, I took an extra step toward him. I breathed him in, studying his expression. I wondered what he was thinking. His expression changed, suddenly intense. His hand tightened over mine. His eyes flicked to something over my shoulder.

  I turned to see Officers Nesmith and Iturro heading our way across the field. Despite my heart thumping out of control, I tried to hide my fear. What if some of the security cameras still worked the night Gavin and I broke into the botanical garden?

  Officer Nesmith nodded at us. “Morning. Wondered if you two could answer a couple questions.”

  “Sure.” Gavin’s voice was smooth and even. “What’s up?”

  Officer Iturro took a step forward and flashed us a photograph. “Do you two know Luke Stedman?”

  Gavin and I looked at the picture, then at each other. This wasn’t about the break-in. The twist in my stomach told me this had something to do with Mara. I clenched my hands at my sides, praying Luke wasn’t dead, too.

  “Yeah, he’s a junior,” I said. “Something happen to him?”

  “He hasn’t been home for two days,” Nesmith said. “Might just have taken off, like kids do. But we’re asking everyone in town if they’ve seen him. Would you happen to know a reason why he would run away?”

  “Well, his girlfriend just died,” Gavin said. “Maybe running away is his way of dealing with grief or something?”

  Iturro jotted something down on her notepad. “His girlfriend was Emily Broding, correct?”

  I nodded, feeling lightheaded. Oh, Mara. What have you done?

  “When’s the last time either of you saw Luke?” Nesmith asked.

  “Maybe Wednesday?” I said. “I’m not really sure. We don’t really have any classes together.”

  “Yeah, Wednesday, I think,” Gavin said. “He’s in my Chem class. Wasn’t there Thursday or yesterday.”

  “And he didn’t mention anything to you about leaving town?” Iturro asked.