Chasing Magic: Chasing Series Book Two

Chapter 3

I couldn't sleep.

The building was much bigger inside than I had expected, a mansion with long winding hallways that seemed to go on for eternity. Callum brought me to a bedroom at the end of one of the halls; he took a room on one side while Whisper took the other.

Pancaked between someone devoted to protect me and one wanting to serve me, I felt restless. The sunrise was realistic. The sky lit up an opaque shade of blue before golden rays perked over the edge.

Too many questions were left unanswered. Things I didn't think about until I stared at a foreign ceiling all night. Uncle's past was something I'd never be able to unearth completely. Who exactly was after Mhairi? Or the sith royals and why? If my uncle was a sith, what did that leave me?

Where the hell did I fit into all this? I could agree I was an easy target. It seemed targeting a 'bond,' especially someone as squishy as me, would be easier than going after a royal hidden behind a wall of soldiers.

But hey, I managed to make smoke from that old spell in Moir's witchie basement. That was something.

It made my head hurt. All this magic and no idea what the hell was going on half the time.

And I missed Doubloon as a dog. He was no fun to cuddle at the size he was now.

I got out of bed when I heard footsteps starting in the hall. I grabbed what clothes I had available—jeans, shirt, running shoes. "Sorry, Doubloon." I cringed as I placed him in a small cage. With him being so small, I was afraid he'd try to get out and find me but end up lost or hurt.

If I lost him now, I'd have a harder time with all this. He was my last line to a normal world.

I opened the large door in time to see Moir, Callum, and Whisper. "Just in time!" Moir announced, motioning for everyone to follow her. Everyone was quiet, a sleepy grogginess nestled over us.

The halls in the mansion were huge. When we got to the end, two enormous, white double doors loomed foreboding. I half expected to see a Greek god of some sort behind them when Moir pushed them open.

Reality was much less eventful.

On the other side of the doors was a very open room. A large flower that resembled a lotus was painted on the floor in various shades of gold and silver. A man and a woman stood on the other side of the room, both dressed in modern clothing. They looked a bit stiff, backs straight and arms behind their back.

"This is her?" the woman asked, tilting a brazen, icey-blue eyed gaze my way.

I wanted to shrink back. Callum leaned over and whispered, "The Chancellors of SomeWhere." That only made my shoulders stiffen more.

"Aye," Moir replied. "Atrium McKenna."

The woman directed towards me. "You are the bond to Mhairi of the hill Saorsa?" She couldn't hide her disgust.

I didn't mean to, but I absolutely shrunk and deflated at her accusation.

I wanted to be someone Mhairi could confidently stand next too. But here I was, gawking and trembling at an old woman. "I am."

"How exactly did such a weak human manage to bond with a royal? Is it a true bond?" the tall man beside her asked. His hair was silver—truly silver, not to be confused with the silver-gray of an older human. It was pulled back in a tight ponytail.

Moir caught my eye and nodded toward them. I supposed that meant I had to walk over to the intimidating duo. I held my chin as high as I could, though the will to look courageous felt hollow, and moved forward until I stood in front of them both. They both had that pointed, ice blue gaze that tore straight through my body. They looked down at the ring that had been placed on my finger after the bond, Mhairi's name written on the rose gold. It felt like a lifetime ago.

The man snapped his gaze to me. "Given the circumstances of royal sith being targets, you cannot speak of this and must hide the bond mark."

The woman snatched my hand and yanked it toward her. She was older than the man, the lines in her face heavy with time. And a lack of patience, apparently. "What he says is true," she echoed. "We will approve Moir's request to have protection granted. Yet, she will be given no special treatment."

"Wasn't expecting any," I snarked. I couldn't help it. Who were they to judge me so hastily?

The woman's eyes narrowed. But the silver haired man spoke once more. "Callum and Moir, both Atrium and Whisper are under your responsibility. Failure to comply with our rules here will result in the banishment of your whole group. Understood?"

"Aye," Callum and Moir said in unison.

When we left the room, I was simmering. I let them bully me and did nothing about it. I would've been humiliated if Mhairi had seen any of that.

I was starting to think the bonding with Mhairi had been a mistake, that I was the weak point in her defenses. I didn't regret it...but did she?

Someone came up beside me. I assumed it was Callum but when I looked over, I found Whisper. Her plush lips held a slender smile that hit the light of her eyes. She was so beautiful, it was unnerving. "When you stare at me like that it freaks me out," I grumbled, not in the mood to play guessing games with our newest 'party member.

She recoiled, looking confused and then guilty. "Oh, sorry. I haven't been around others a lot since I was summoned. And you know..." She tapped a fist to the top of her head.

Oh, yes. No memories. Which meant the fact that she had zero knowledge of personal space wasn't her fault.

"I'll be accompanying you to these self defense courses," she continued. "So don't be nervous."

"But I am nervous. I played a little basketball in high school, and that's it. I'm being thrown into some magical jujitsu pit and I don't know how to prepare for it."

Whisper looked away before jogging over to Callum. They spoke, and he looked up, shaking his head before Moir stepped in to give a nod of approval.

Callum didn't look pleased. He watched Whisper come back over to me and take me by the elbow. She grinned at me and said, "Let's have a day of our own."