“Is the ceremony exclusive to alchemists?” Liam asked.
Ryder parted his lips. He considered the question carefully. “It’s not something I’d want you to see.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Then yes, it’s exclusive,” Ryder rasped.
He tried to step around Liam but was blocked again. Liam kissed him hard and deep. Ryder tilted his head and closed his eyes, relishing the weight and softness of Liam’s mouth on his. He broke away and headed for the door a moment later. Percy followed by his feet.
Liam’s voice sounded distant when he blurted, “You don’t have to do this.”
Ryder closed the door and headed down the stairs.
Chapter Five
RYDER HESITATED. HE stood on the porch of Gerard Wolfe’s house, situated in a cookie-cutter neighborhood that overlooked the ocean. The air was lighter. It smelled of the sea and harbored an ever-present chill the Washington coast was known for.
The front door was painted dark red. A wind chime dangled from the overhang, jingling in a salty breeze. Ryder lifted his fist to knock but hesitated again.
This is my home. He closed his eyes. Why am I scared of it?
The door opened before he could knock.
“Hey, kid.” Gerard’s voice was warm and rough. He had the face of a Wolfe, so much like Jordan’s, so much like Ryder’s. His jaw was strong and his cheeks were dusted with faint freckles. Light, blonde hair was slicked back. He clasped a hand over Ryder’s shoulder. “Were you gonna stand there forever?”
“I might’ve,” Ryder said. His lips twisted into a smile. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I’ve been waiting for you to come inside for ten minutes, but your energy is a bit…” He tilted his head to the side, dark, golden eyes narrowed playfully. “Predictable.”
“Is Mom here?”
“Yeah, Jordan too.”
“I think…” Ryder inhaled a deep breath. He looked away from his father and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I went at this too fast. It’s only been a couple days, but it’s getting worse and worse.”
“C’mon.” Gerard tugged on his shoulder. “We’ll talk inside.”
The Wolfe household was just as he remembered. The wood floor was stained dark cherry, covered in throw rug after throw rug. High ceilings opened the space, highlighting a chandelier crafted out of antlers and portrait paintings framed on the wall. A staircase on the right led to the second floor, but they headed left toward the living room.
Jordan sat in front of a brick fireplace, wearing a ratty T-shirt and tattered blue jeans. River was perched on her shoulder, and Moon, Gerard’s familiar, was coiled over her lap, around her arms and legs. Moon’s tongue flicked out, tasting the air. She lifted her head and looked to Ryder, scales patterned prettily and tail red as ever.
“She’s gigantic,” Ryder said through a laugh. He grinned and his brows relaxed.
“Boas can get up to twelve feet long, she’s only eight. Still got growing to do.” Jordan pouted her lips at Moon. “Ellen’s in the kitchen making coffee.”
Ryder wrinkled his nose.
“Tea for you,” Jordan added quickly. “Coffee for the rest of us.”
“I’ll help her bring the cups in,” Gerard said.
Jordan waited for their father to slip into the kitchen before she pinned her gaze to Ryder and lifted her brows. “You’ve been syphoning. I can feel Liam’s magic on you.”
Ryder glanced over his shoulder. Anxiety hummed in him alongside the magic, Liam’s magic and his Fire and his darkness. His nostrils flared and he tried to steady his breathing. “It was an accident.”
Jordan narrowed her eyes. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. We’re fine. But—”
“But it scared the shit out of you,” Jordan snapped.
Ryder shuffled over to the fire and sat down beside her. Percy crawled into his lap and meowed at Moon. “I don’t know what to do. One day I’m doing a reading with Liam, the next he’s going down on me on the hood of a car and I’m sucking his soul out of his body. What the fuck, Jordan? What do I do?”
“For one, I hope you sanitized that nasty car—”
“Can you not, right now? Honestly?”
Jordan’s full mouth split into a grin. “Most necromancers start to notice their magic early, but your Lewellyn blood must’ve put things off. This is normal, it’s just happening at an inconvenient time.”
“And at an accelerated rate.” Ellen spoke like flowers bloomed, slowly, gently. She set a teacup on the table in front of Ryder and sat beside him on a patterned, colorful rug. Her skin was milky, and she had hair that turned gold in sunlight, but white under the moon. She ran her fingers along the side of Ryder’s face. “You okay, sweetie?”
“Not sure,” Ryder mumbled, hoping his mother hadn’t heard any more of their conversation. “What does Margo think of this?”
“The Lewellyn matriarch has no say in it,” Gerard interrupted. “You’re a Wolfe.”
“They don’t have a say.” Ellen’s tone was soothing as she shot a stern glance at Gerard. “But they did offer their support. If you decide to do the ceremony, Margo will recognize it.”
“What about my magic?” Ryder glanced between his parents. The flames sparked in the fireplace. He looked at the photos lined up across the mantel above it. He recognized one of him and Jordan from when they were small, wearing matching outfits. “And my circle?”
“Necromancers are solitary for a reason.” Gerard leaned back on the couch and kicked his ankle over his knee. “I don’t know how progressive things have really gotten with Thalia in charge of Port Lewis, but…”
“It’ll take time,” Jordan said. “But we haven’t run into any problems yet.”
“It’s only been a few weeks, Jordie,” Ryder whispered. “Tyler and his parents won’t change, you know that.”
“The Lis are purists.” Ellen flapped her hand dismissively. “The world is changing around them and they’re standing still. What does everyone else think? The Carroway girl, what’s her name, Kelly?”
“Christy,” Jordan piped. She grinned and poked Ryder’s leg with her bare foot. “I didn’t tell you—she sent me flowers yesterday. Flowers. With an I’m-sorry-thank-you note.”
Ryder arched a brow. That was something Christy typically would do, but he didn’t think she’d have the courage to go through with it. She didn’t do well outside her comfort zone. As much as Ryder wished Christy would’ve apologized to Jordan face-to-face, the gesture warmed him.
“Christy, that’s right. And Liam, the cute one,” Ellen said. Her small nose twitched on her round, full face.
“The cute one,” Jordan whispered, prodding Ryder with her foot. He swatted her.
“And the Were!” Ellen exclaimed. “How’s he doing?”
“The what?” Ryder asked. “You mean Donovan? He’s an Earth witch.”
“Donovan Quinn?” Ellen blinked at Ryder, her wide green eyes upturned and clever.
Gerard cleared his throat. He shared a look with Ellen that spoke of secrets. “We should be talking about the ceremony, shouldn’t we?”
“Yes, yes,” Ellen said. She sipped her coffee and smoothed out the wrinkles in her long, colorful dress. “Have you been practicing, Ryder?”