I tilted my head, confused. “I don’t understand. What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you’re strong, but you’re not the strongest being out there.”
He was so serious I had to swallow to give myself time to collect my thoughts. “Are you worried that I think I’m stronger than everybody else?”
He nodded. “Sometimes.”
“I know I’m not,” I offered. “I know there are creatures out there who can rip me limb from limb if they want. There are shifters who are dangerous, and vampires that can be dangerous if raised in nests. I know about all those things.”
“Yes, you’ve read a lot,” Grandpa agreed. “Yet you haven’t faced those things in real life.”
I wasn’t so sure. “I think I’ve seen shifters hanging out on the riverwalk at night.”
He laughed. “Yes, you told me about the full-moon dancing by Cafe du Monde. I still maintain you didn’t see what you think you saw.”
“And I know what I saw,” I insisted. “It was definitely pack dancing.”
“If you say so. That’s not the purpose of this conversation, though. I’m not talking about shifters and vampires. Yes, there are numerous creatures out there who are more powerful than you. You’re cunning. I have no doubt you’ll be able to take them down if it becomes necessary.”
He was doing little to alleviate my confusion. “Okay, then what are you talking about?”
“There are other types of magical beings out there. I’m not talking creatures with fangs and teeth as much as beings who look human but pack quite the magical wallop.”
“What sort of creatures?”
He laughed. “Always the curious sort. I don’t know what sort of creatures, although I can guarantee there will be numerous witches included in that list. That’s not the point of this conversation.”
I’d long since lost track of the point.
“The point is that you’re not the strongest magical being in the world,” he continued. “You’re tough ... and bright ... and always thinking. However, there will come a time when you meet your magical match, and you have to be prepared.”
He was so serious, all I could do was swallow and nod my head. “Okay, what do I do if I meet someone who has stronger magic than me?”
“You practice to make sure you’re ready. That starts today.”
Yeah, I should’ve seen that coming. “Why do I feel as if this conversation has gone in a complete circle?”
“Because you’re as bright as you are beautiful.” He winked at me. “Now, retrieve the log. It’s time to go again.”
That was the last thing I wanted, but he was training me for a specific reason. I couldn’t lose sight of that. “Okay, but I’m going to want some ice cream for dessert if I have to keep working in this heat.”
“You’ll have to earn the ice cream.”
I should’ve known he would say that, too. “Fine.” I threw up my hands and crawled to my feet. “I’ll do it, but I won’t like it.”
“That’s fine. Just try to keep from thinking about Jared Graham’s dreamy eyes when you’re practicing, huh?”
I wanted to find a hole to crawl into. “I can’t believe you just said that.” I stomped across the yard. “He doesn’t have dreamy eyes.”
“Your heart feels differently.”
He was right. It did feel differently. That didn’t mean I would admit to harboring a crush on the neighborhood stud. “A really big bowl of ice cream. I’m going to bathe in it.”
He chuckled. “We all have different things we want to achieve. At least you have a goal.”
I did indeed. I wanted to make him proud, and to be ready should I ever run into someone stronger. Those were my main goals.
Of course, sneaking a kiss from Jared couldn’t possibly hurt either. That was another discussion, though.
One
Present Day
“We’re five minutes out,” Cormack Grimlock announced, strolling into the control room underneath the aquarium on Belle Isle and fixing me with an expectant look.
“I’m ready,” I reassured him.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I furrowed my brow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“It’s the first time, at least to my knowledge, that the gate has ever needed to be rebooted.” He inclined his head toward the empty opening in question. On a normal day, the shimmery surface would be zipping with energy, offering a low-volume hum that served as comforting white noise. Now it was completely devoid of life. “If I were in your position, I would be nervous.”
I hadn’t been nervous until he suggested I should be nervous. Then, suddenly, all I could think about was the way my palms sweated and my ears itched. “Well, I’m totally fine.”
As if on cue, perhaps calling me a liar, Lily Taylor laughed like a loon. Her grandfather had her secured to his chest — apparently he was babysitting and getting the gate back online at the same time today — and he looked perfectly normal in his three-thousand-dollar suit with a baby hanging from his front.
I fixed the little girl — she really was a knockout with her dark hair and lavender eyes — with a pointed scowl. “This is not funny.”
Lily laughed again. She was only a few months old but already the apple of her family’s eye. Although, come to think of it, I’d never seen any of them eat a piece of fruit. She was more like the ice cream sundae bar of their eye. She was doted on to the point I knew she would be spoiled rotten and yet she was bubbling with happiness.
“It’s really not funny,” I repeated.
Lily laughed again and mimed clapping her hands.
“She’s just like her mother,” I muttered, shaking my head as I went back to staring at the empty gate.
“She’s the best girl ever,” Cormack cooed, stroking her dark hair as the baby kicked her feet. Someone had dressed her in a cute pair of denim shorts and paired it with a shirt that read “I’m Grandpa’s favorite.” Since
