Page 25 of Professor and the Seer
“I’m not going home,” I stated. “I have something I need to do.”
“What?” Dina frowned, with reason. I was Ms. Homebody. I hated leaving my place. Had complained the entire time we’d been gone. But that had been before my powers went into hyper mode.
“John’s taking me to meet someone who can help me.”
“I am?” John sounded surprised.
“You’re the one who suggested it,” I grumbled, almost rolling my eyes.
“I thought you’d want to go home for a bit first,” he countered.
“Well, I don’t. We’re going to meet your great-grandma today. She’s expecting us.” Don’t ask me how I knew.
Dina looked between us long enough that Enyo exited the car to bark, “What’s the holdup?”
“Frieda’s not coming,” Dina stated without explanation.
“Why the fuck not? Tell her she can sit on John’s lap if she’s worried about the lack of seatbelts in the back.”
I lifted my chin. “I have somewhere else I need to be. I’ll call you when I get a chance.”
Now I had two sisters staring at me in surprise before Enyo slowly said, “And how are you getting there? We had a hard time finding this junker, and there are no taxis out here.”
I glanced at John. “Do you still have it in your pocket?” Again, I spoke without truly thinking, a part of me aware of things I shouldn’t have known.
Without asking what I meant, John reached into his pants and pulled out a pocket watch, which I somehow knew was one of the few things he’d escaped the island with, and something that he always had with him despite the fact it didn’t tell time.
Dina’s brow arched. “I sense magic. What is it?”
“A gift from my father before he passed. It’s a talisman that offers a one-way teleport home.” John dangled it from its chain.
That rounded Dina’s mouth but not the magical teleport part. Nope, my sister exclaimed because, “Holy shit, I didn’t realize you guys were that serious. You’re meeting his family!”
I blushed. John blushed, too, before I clarified. “I’m going to have a talk with his great-grandma, the one who sees the future.”
“Oh.” Dina almost sounded disappointed before she brightly smiled. “Well, in that case, have fun.”
Fun? My powers were spinning out of control, and she thought I did this for pleasure. I might have scowled, only John stood there, looking golden and handsome, offering me a chance to understand what had happened to me. To be with him. To… fulfill the one vision I wish I’d never seen.
But what other choice did I have? At least before the cavern I’d been able to somewhat handle my power. Annoying, but controllable to a certain extent. Now, not only did I get an overload of futures, I’d unwittingly stolen magic. What if I did it again at a crucial moment and it cost someone their life? I needed to control this new and terrifying ability.
Enyo hugged me, and I didn’t cringe despite the flurry of visions I got. Good ones, I should add. Despite the stress I’d suffered when I thought she’d die, it turned out the risk she took ensured she’d get her happily ever after.
Next, Dina squished me and whispered, “If you need me to roast anyone, just call.” With her, I got a disturbing image of her floating high above the ground, crackling with electricity, her eyes glowing while her hair danced with static. A witch on steroids. Quickly seen then gone.
Bane gave me a nod.
I waved as my family left in the car, feeling a pang because this proved how much things had changed. We’d gone from being unable to stand being apart for long, and me never leaving home, to me actively choosing to embark on a trip with the one person I should have been fleeing from.
But I couldn’t say no to answers. Couldn’t say no to him.
He took me in his arms. “We need to be in close contact for the talisman to work on us both.”
I let my cheek rest against his chest, basking in that moment.
The magic in his pocket watch enveloped us in an icy cold that stole my breath. As we passed from one place to another, I saw no future—nothing—making our arrival jarring.
We went from dry heat and bright sun to cool with a hint of frost and early evening. My breath fanned out white, and John quickly said, “Let’s get inside where it’s warm.”