Wyatt squeezed her hand within his before he wrapped an arm around her. “My mother is who I inherited my abilities from. She almost always kept them hidden, and she often told me my gifts were far beyond hers. Either way, I was seven when I first starting noticing I could do ‘tricks.’ My mom’s guidance was incredibly helpful, as my skills developed over time. I remember her telling me about how I couldn’t force my skills to appear any more than I could force them to disappear. All I could do was encourage them one way or the other. Over the years, I’ve tested that premise and found my mom was right. Before my parents died, I would use them carefully at home. After Addi and I were left alone, I tried to hide them because I knew I put Addi at risk. When she was taken for testing, I swore to myself that I would never let myself use them again. Of course, then I met you.
“Suddenly, I was hiding a woman from a prowler and healing her wounds. I wasn’t kidding when I said I had never hidden someone before. And I may have patched people up in the past, but there is a reason I hadn’t considered myself to be a healer. Your shoulder injury was by far the gravest amount of damage I have ever tackled, successfully or otherwise.
“You are amazing and talented. I also have no doubt that you’ll only become more so as time goes on. But you can’t push your abilities to show themselves before you—and they—are ready. I mean… you have already located an underwater cave, evaded Sagrine for weeks, and managed to stand toe-to-toe with him for longer than anyone should be able to. Those are all Tink abilities. Sure they may not be like mine, but they won’t be.
“You are unique, and my mom always said a Tinkerer’s ability reflects the person’s heart. Not their desires. This is why my skills helped me take care of you and heal you, and yours helped you defend and protect us. And your father’s helped him to hide you,” Wyatt explained thoughtfully. He watched her face closely for signs of understanding.
“But I know I’ll face Sagrine again, and I could defend and protect us so much better if my Tink side would simply show itself more,” she countered before leaning her head on his shoulder.
“I think you are doing quite a good job keeping us safe as is,” assured Wyatt.
Nev sat up and cupped Wyatt’s cheek in her hand, turning his gaze to meet hers. “I will keep you safe. Even if my Tink abilities stubbornly remain limited. I just wish I could do more than encourage them and wait to see if they ever really reveal themselves,” she promised before sighing heavily.
Laughing softly, Wyatt smiled at her warmly. “I wouldn’t worry about them appearing. I have no doubt you are going to surpass me before too long. Not that it is an easy feat to accomplish. I am pretty fantastic after all,” he stated before grinning. “And as for the other part—we will keep each other safe. Remember, you don’t have to do anything on your own anymore,” he reminded her before leaning close and kissing her tenderly.
Pulling back from his kiss slightly, Nev smiled. “You know… waiting for my skills to show up would be a lot easier if I was distracted,” she suggested flirtatiously.
“In that case, one distraction coming right up,” Wyatt replied. He stood swiftly, pulling her back into the bedroom and onto the bed with him. In a moment, they were snuggled close. Laying on their sides facing each other, they shared several long minutes of kissing and nuzzling before eventually falling back asleep.
Chapter 32
Addi woke early and well-rested. A storm had raged throughout the entire night, but a sense of tranquility had encompassed everyone within the cabin. She saw Wyatt and Nev, surprisingly, already awake and mostly ready to head out. Addi proceeded to pack up their belongings while she heard Wyatt make sure Nev’s shoulder was still on the mend.
After a quick breakfast, Addi took point and pushed them to keep a decent pace to Nellis’ house. By her estimation, they would reach his house sometime tomorrow afternoon. She wasn’t sure how he would feel about seeing her, and she honestly wanted to just get it over with. She really hoped he wasn’t still mad at her or that he at least was willing to help them.
Regardless of the welcome they received, Nellis’ house would be a welcomed stop. Even though they had not traveled very far, the trio could really use a respite. Wyatt was skilled at healing, but it would do Nev’s shoulder good to sleep under a roof for another night. Not to mention Nellis’ house was fairly large, and she could make sure Wyatt and Nev had a room at the opposite end of the house from her.
Over the past several hours, the sun’s rays had struggled to peak through the steady drizzle that had started not long after they departed the cabin. For almost the entire day, Nev and Wyatt had been walking side by side. Despite their proximity, Nev felt increasingly distant. She hadn’t mentioned anything concerning. Yet, even with her shoulder healing and things better between her and Addi, something was nagging at her. That much was obvious to Wyatt.
He had
