Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

SIMON

" That was the bond, right?" I gasped as Ogden's magic flowed through me. " The one that started from the whistle?"

" Yes . It's done." Ogden sighed. " I won't return to the cage now. I can't because of the connection between us."

" I'm not your master," I said quickly. I never wanted him to believe that. But at the same time, selfishly, I wanted to rejoice. Ogden wouldn't be going back there. He was safe. Here . With me. If there was anything I knew about, it was how to stay safe. No one would cage him again.

His magic continued to rush over me. Until now, I didn't think anyone but mages could manifest external magic, but clearly Ogden could. And … maybe I could too? Because I was pretty sure that's what just happened.

" I feel your magic, like it's linked to mine. Like it's inside me," I whispered. I pushed my fingers into my chest where a knot of our combined magic seemed to be writhing within me. " How is that possible?"

" It's part of the summoning spell," Ogden said as he rubbed his own chest. Did he feel the same thing I did, or had my magic stolen his? I was too scared to ask.

Before today, I hadn't thought about how other supes' magic worked… or any magic at all, really. Magic and magical beings surrounded me all the time. It just was. I lived my life. I had my family. Mama always said Willow Lake was special, but what did that mean? I wished I'd paid more attention. Did that mean everyone could put their magic out there like that?

Ogden was a lot more worldly than I was— I'd known that even before he mentioned buying swimming gear from Monaco or having his own lawyer. I bet he'd know. Since we were tied together now, I should attempt to learn stuff too. I cringed. I didn't know where to begin. Except for biology class, I'd never really liked any of my school subjects. And I only liked biology because it was practical. Where else could you find out the answer to important questions like: Could cats survive falls from great heights?

Maybe I should start with learning more about summoning magic and the kinds of connections it forged. Huh . I bet some scientist out there had classified all the various bonds made between supes. Could I look that up on Supenet ? Until today, I'd only known about bonds for mates, whether chosen or fated.

But this wasn't like that, was it?

I gulped for air.

" Are we mated? No , we can't be. "

" No ." Ogden shook his head. " But there is something connecting us."

" Holy hairballs, what have we done?"

Ogden didn't say anything.

My parents weren't fated mates; they'd chosen one another instead of having the Eternal Magic do it for them. With so many people finding their fated mates this past summer, Willow Lakers talked about bonds a lot, so I knew a tiny bit more about how fated and chosen bonds happened than I did before. It made me suspect something like that might have happened between Ogden and me, except… not?

" I might not be the smartest cat in town, but this…" I hit my chest where the magic was still tangled up inside me. " Whatever this is between us, it feels a lot like what I think a mating bond is supposed to feel like. So what does that make us? Companions ? Chums ? Comrades ? Partners ? And don't say I'm your master. Nope . Nuh -uh. Not happening."

" Partners ?" The word resonated between us. " I could live with that." Ogden said.

" Sweet mother of kittens," I whispered as I rubbed my chest harder.

I was unprepared to be someone's partner. I was an unambitious night security guard at a motel where nothing ever happened. And if something ever did happen when I was on duty, it was a sure bet I'd run in the other direction as fast as I could. I wasn't exactly a prize. But , for Ogden , I suddenly wanted to do better, be more.

And what about the other magic I had sensed when we'd waited for the whistle to take him back to the cage? For a moment, I'd almost thought it felt… I don't know. Real . Like a true connection. Except it wasn't. It was created by the magic in the whistle. False . Artificial . Fake . Counterfeit .

" This is all so very, very wrong, isn't it?" I asked. " You feel it too, don't you? How wrong it is?"

Once again, Ogden didn't speak.

I hated I could mistake such a manipulative spell for the real thing. Even for a minute. How was that possible?

It was something to think about later. Much later. Or never. Because did it matter now? The magic had joined us together. What use would it be to dissect the past?

For now, all I could do was try to relax as Ogden's magic pushed into all the gouges and crevices in my own. The strange magic should feel foreign and intrusive, but it didn't. It soothed me, even more than a hug from my mama. Ogden felt like home.

That stupid summoning spell was messing with me.

My heart pounded in my chest.

It was so wrong to crush on a stranger who'd been dragged into my life against his will. And yet I couldn't regret it too much, because where he'd been before I blew the whistle sounded horrible.

And … what if we tried to make the most of this situation? I'd never believed I'd find my fated mate. But Ogden and I were stuck together now, right? Maybe we could find a way to be companions. Lovers even? Or was that too ambitious? I mean, he could be attracted to me. He had flirted with me. But then again, he flirted with the others too. It might not mean much.

But if it did …

" Hush now, kitty cat," Ogden whispered. He rested his hand on my chest, right over my racing heart. " You're stressing yourself. Stress isn't good for anyone. What's done is done."

He was right. I nodded and sucked in a deep breath. Ogden stroked my chest, almost like he was petting me. Would he do that? If I shifted, would he pet me? I could remember my parents doing that for one another. It seemed… I don't know. It wasn't sexual, but it was nice. Soothing .

Then Ogden hummed. I didn't recognize the song, but it sounded like a lullaby. He smiled as my heart slowed to a normal rhythm and my whirling thoughts quieted.

" There you are," he whispered.

I stared into his bright blue eyes and leaned forward. Now that I was calmer, other feelings were getting stirred up. Sexy feelings. Then I remembered we were at the police station.

I pulled back. " We need to tell Van what happened."