“Good. Also, relax. That conversation should be much more awkward for me than you. He is my brother, after all. Still, we don’t need to talk about it again,” Addi suggested. She watched Nev’s tense reaction ease slightly and shook her head. “You aren’t planning on running off again, are you? I’m not sure I could handle my brother’s unbearable moping if you were not around,” Addi stated with a warm smile.
“Unbearable moping?” Wyatt interjected, sounding pathetic and holding his hands to his heart in feigned pain.
“You mope when I am not around?” Nev asked, smiling at Wyatt, thankful for his interruption.
Feeling satisfied with Nev’s promise and her knowledge of how to be smart, Addi encouraged her brother’s effort to lighten the mood. “Oh, you have no idea! You know… we should really have another chat about my dear old brother and his flair for the dramatics,” Addi joked. Still grinning, she quickly finished wrapping Nev’s shoulder.
“What?!? No. No. No. You two chatting about me is bad... very bad. And what did you mean ‘another chat?’” Wyatt inquired, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.
Nev and Addi both chuckled at Wyatt and then grinned at each other.
“You know, I thought I wanted you two to get along better… but now I’m seriously starting to rethink that,” Wyatt admitted, laughing.
“Too late. Now, is dinner ready?” Addi asked, ignoring Wyatt’s look of protests and glancing towards the fire.
“Oh, it should be almost ready. Ladies, if you would follow me please,” he stated as he gestured toward the main room of the cabin.
Nev and Addi both nodded and followed Wyatt into the other room.
Wyatt had managed to cook a stew of sorts. It was not the best thing Nev had ever tasted, but it was edible and warm. Despite the dark memories that lurked in her mind and within the cabin, she found herself feeling much more at ease than she had earlier in the day. She smiled as Wyatt and Addi traded playful barbs, mostly centering around his cooking abilities.
With dinner finished, Addi took a bedroll and headed towards a spot opposite the bedroom. “You two take the bed. Nev should take a break from sleeping on the floor, and goodness knows you can’t sleep more than two inches from each other,” she noted, shaking her head. She swiftly laid her bedroll out. Now that her mind was more at ease with her brother’s relationship with Nev, she promptly fell asleep.
Wyatt watched quietly as Nev removed her cloak, weapons, and boots. He couldn’t help but notice that the burden she always carried seemed a little lighter tonight. “You and my sister had a good chat, didn’t you?” he asked softly as he watched Nev slide into the bed.
“We did. Addi says we are good now,” Nev replied, smiling at Wyatt.
“Wow. Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. Here I thought I would have to owe my sister big for that. So, what did she get you on the hook for?” he inquired curiously. While waiting for her response, Wyatt quickly removed his own boots and joined Nev in the bed.
“Nothing I wasn’t already going to do,” Nev answered, kissing him lightly. Her promise to Addi was one of the easiest she’d ever made. She gazed into Wyatt’s eyes and knew she would do anything to keep him safe.
“Hey, you okay?” Wyatt asked gently, sensing a faint seriousness stir in Nev.
Nev labored to push the encroaching dire thoughts back for another day and gave him a small smile. “Mostly,” she replied.
“Mostly? Hmm… how about now?” he asked, as he wrapped his arms around her and snuggled her close.
She rested her head against his chest and savored the feeling of his embrace. “Much better. I love you,” she whispered, closing her eyes.
“I love you too. Goodnight,” Wyatt reassured, kissing the top of her head and sighing contently.
Chapter 31
Nev had woken while it was still night and was sitting quietly in front of the hearth’s fire, studying the flames as they danced across the logs. She sensed Addi sleeping soundly, even as Wyatt began to stir. Keeping her focus on the fire, she tried to push through her memories. There was something about the heat and light before her that was familiar beyond the obvious. Some hidden and deeper connection was just on the edge of her mind. She’d seen Wyatt create light and heat with his abilities. Yet, she felt strangely blocked whenever she tried.
Nev was aware that not all children inherited their Tink parent’s abilities. Addi was a prime example of a Tinkerer’s skills, not being inevitably passed along. Still, Nev was confident she shared the trait with her father. If that was the case, however, then why did she struggle to have her powers manifest?
With her amulet, it was easy to sense things beyond her typical range. The result was the same, whether she purposefully focused on her necklace or not. Even with the amulet’s aid, however, she could only feel things at greater distances. Without it, she felt limited to only communicating with Wyatt through their shared connection and sensing Sagrine. Nev sighed in frustration as she failed to manipulate the flames playing before her.
Wyatt was now awake and staring at Nev intently. He moved to sit close to her and took her hand in his. “You know… you’re awfully cute when you are perplexed by something,” he whispered playfully before nudging her right shoulder gently with his.
“If that is the case, then I should be extraordinarily so at the moment,” she replied, sounding a little defeated.
Chuckling softly, Wyatt inquired, “True enough. So, why are we up in the middle of the night? Care to tell me what is on your mind?”
Nev glanced at him before taking a deep breath. “Your Tink abilities have saved
