Chapter Twenty-Three: Byron

Byron held her in his arms as sleep eluded him. He didn’t want to let go of this reality, afraid that he would wake up and find this all a dream.

It’s no dream, his dragon said happily. And it’s not fake either. Not to Cassie. Not anymore.

No, this is very, very real, Byron agreed as he listened to the soft rise and fall of Cassie’s chest.

Someone is coming,his dragon said, suddenly alert.

It’s just someone passing on the street,Byron murmured, finally feeling the soft grip of slumber.

No, he’s coming to the store, Byron’s dragon said, his hackles raised like a fearsome guard dog. Byron bolted upright, the sudden movement jostling Cassie awake.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice still heavy with sleep even as her eyes darted around the darkened room.

Before he could reply, a loud knock came at the store door. “There’s someone here.”

Cassie reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. “No shit, Sherlock,” Cassie said with affection as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed a robe.

“Wait.” Byron reached for his clothes as he got out of bed.

“I can answer my door on my own,” she told him as she headed for the door.

“But you don’t know who it is,” Byron protested.

“No, that’s why I’m going to go and open the door.” She fixed him with a questioning look. “I own a store selling malfunctioning magical paraphernalia. It’s not the kind of store people break into. And if they were here to break in, they would not announce their presence with a knock…” She paused as there was another knock. “Two knocks at the door.”

“Point taken,” Byron grumbled, jamming his legs into his jeans. “But I’m still coming with you.”

“Suit yourself.” She paused at the bedroom door, waiting for him.

Was he overreacting? This was all so new to him. It appeared now that he had claimed his mate, his protective streak had grown stronger. More demanding.

Perhaps because there is a chance our mate is already carrying our child,his dragon said.

Now that was a thought!

“Ready?” she asked.

“I am.” He followed her downstairs, back through the store, and to the door. Byron could sense the person on the other side. A man. Alone.

He relaxed a little.

“Dad?” Cassie unlocked the door and opened it wide. “What’s wrong?”

“Hey, Cassie. It’s nothing serious. I just need your help with something…” He smoothed his hair down and tilted his head to one side, his gaze resting on Byron who was standing behind Cassie. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company.”

“Oh, this is Byron.” Cassie glanced over her shoulder at the dragon shifter.

“Hi there.” Byron raised his hand. This was not how he’d envisioned his first meeting with his future father-in-law.

It’s certainly a first impression he’ll not soon forget, Byron’s dragon said.

“Hello.” Cassie’s dad nodded. “Good to meet you. Cassie’s mom told me all about you… Entering the couples’ competition at The Lonely Tavern.”

“Now that we’ve got that awkwardness out of the way, why don’t you come in and tell me why you need my help?” Cassie stepped back, treading on Byron’s foot. “Sorry.”

“Not a problem,” Byron said as he backed into the store.

“Dressed to impress, I see,” said the mirror on the wall, but Byron wasn’t sure who it was referring to, and he didn’t ask.

“We were called out to a disturbance last night,” her father began.

“We?” Cassie asked.

“All of us,” her dad said.

“All of us?” Cassie tensed. “Mom and my sisters? Are they safe?”

“We were out for... Well, we’ve been keeping up with how you and Byron are progressing through the competition,” her dad said. “So when I got the call, we were all together, so we all went…to the disturbance.”

“And this disturbance?” Cassie croaked. “It must be pretty serious.”

“It’s a storm in a teacup,” her dad said.

Cassie blinked. “Oh. So it’s not that bad, then?”

I don’t think this storm or teacup is a metaphorical one, Byron’s dragon said.

Neither do I, Byron agreed, even though the notion seemed absurd. But this was Wishing Moon Bay, and the contents of Cassie’s store were proof that magical items came in all shapes and sizes, and often with strange temperaments.

But a storm in a teacup?

“Well, it’s more than a storm. It’s more like a hurricane.” Cassie’s dad took a step back. “We need to go as soon as we can. It could be quite dangerous.”

“I see you were being literal.”

There it is, his dragon rumbled.

“I’ll need to get dressed.” She turned on her heel and ran back through the store. The sound of her feet on the stairs faded as Byron was left alone with her father.

Byron glanced at him and flashed him a lopsided smile.

“Phineus.” Her dad thrust his hand out toward Byron.

“Good to meet you, Phineus.” Byron grasped his hand and shook it, sure he was being assessed by that one handshake and hoping he would be deemed suitable for Cassie. “I’m Byron.”

“So tell me,” Phineus began.

Here we go, Byron’s dragon said.

“Are you the same Byron Fireborn, who wrote The Young Witch’s Handbook?”

“A Handbook for Young Witches?” Byron corrected.

“Yes, yes,” Phineus said with a curt nod. “So are you?”

“Yes,” Byron said, hoping that this would not get him into trouble with a member of The Authority.

“I thought so. When Imelda told me about you, I thought, that is the man fate would have chosen for my Cassandra.” His eyes narrowed. “Fate has chosen you for Cassandra, hasn’t it?”

“It has,” Byron gulped.

Phineus stared at Byron for a long moment, as if he were mulling over a problem, or scrutinizing an artifact. “Good,” he finally said with a nod. “Good.”

“Ready!” Cassie called as she hurried down the stairs and sprinted across the store, dressed in her usual ensemble of jeans and a shirt, with her heavy work boots on her feet and her hair tied up in a headscarf.

“Very businesslike,” Phineus commented before he twirled around, cloak swirling dramatically before he strode off into the night.

Cassie arched an eyebrow at Byron and then ushered him out the door. She turned and swiftly locked it, pocketing the ornate key before she linked arms with Byron and strode after her father.

“Shouldn’t we take the car?” Byron asked.

“My father does not believe in them,” Cassie said as she jogged to catch up with her father.

“But isn’t time of the essence?” Byron asked, following behind.

“It is. That’s why he uses a more unconventional means of travel, when necessary,” Cassie replied.

“Unconventional?” Byron asked.

Oh boy, his dragon said.

Surely it can’t be anything worse than what the tavern has thrown at us over the last few days, Byron said hopefully.

“Here.” Phineus stopped walking some way down the sidewalk from the store and shoved his hand into his pocket, taking out a small box.

“Ley lines,” Cassie whispered to Byron as her father opened the box and took out a compass. “They run all over Wishing Moon Bay. He uses them all the time.”

“It’s always better to trust the old ways,” Phineus said, his voice a low murmur as he held out his hand palm upwards with the compass resting on it. He lowered his head, his lips barely moving as he whispered an incantation. The air around them thickened, and electricity tingled in the air, the sense of an old, wild magic at work.

Before them, the air seemed to shimmer like the surface of a lake. Then it began to spin. Slowly at first, then faster until it was a swirling vortex of shadow and light.

“This portal will take us there directly,” Phineus said and walked forward without a backward glance. “It won’t stay open long, and we must be cautious. There are always risks when bending the fabric of space.”

Bending the fabric of space?Byron’s dragon asked.

That’s what the man said. Byron eyed the portal warily.

Ask about the risks, his dragon prompted.

“This is safe?” Byron couldn’t help but ask, his eyes fixed on the swirling gateway that hovered like a vertical pool before them.

“Nothing worth doing is ever without risk,” Phineus replied, stepping toward the portal. “But I have crossed through many times. Stay close, and focus on the destination, not the journey.”

With that, Phineus stepped into the portal, the shifting light engulfing him as he disappeared from sight.

Cassie reached out, taking Byron’s hand firmly in hers. “I need to do this,” she said, meeting Byron’s gaze. “Are you with me?”

“Always.”

Cassie pulled Byron forward. “Come on,” she urged, and together they stepped into the swirling light, the world around them dissolving into a blur of colors and sounds.

The sensation was disorienting, a feeling of being stretched and squeezed simultaneously as if time itself was bending around them. Just as Byron thought he could bear no more, the light faded, and they stumbled out onto a cobblestone road lit by streetlamps.

Cassie’s grip tightened on Byron’s hand as they scanned the old buildings before them. But he didn’t need to see where the storm in a teacup was. He could sense it, the feel of it making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“This way!” Phineus strode down the street, and stopped before a blue door with a lion head door knocker made of brass. As he reached for the door handle, he turned to them and said, “Brace yourselves.”

Cassie tightened her grip on his hand, and he nodded, trying to look more confident than he felt. What use could he be here? He had no magic.

But we have something more, his dragon said. We have Cassie’s heart and her trust. She can draw on our strength.

Phineus turned the door handle and shouldered it open. Instantly, a wild, inexplicable wind curled around them as if trying to suck them inside. Byron slipped his arm around Cassie’s shoulder and took a step forward, planting his feet firmly on the ground.

The three of them stepped into the hallway, and already the wind howled around them. Any decorations on the wall had long since been blown off, joining the debris swirling around in the eddies of the wind current. The potent smell of the tannins of a fragrant tea filled his nose.

Byron held Cassie tight. He would shield her from anything that came their way.

“This way!” Phineus shouted above the rushing wind, and they pushed forward into the next room.

The kitchen was chaos incarnate. Cassie’s mother and sisters stood with their hands outstretched, the incantation they spoke lost to the wind that whipped their robes and hair around them. Small streaks of lightning crackled through dark swirling clouds above the center island, upon which sat a delicate teacup in the eye of the storm. A teapot sat nearby, the steaming tea trickling from its spout into the teacup added to the rain which spilled over its rim, pooling on the counter and splashing onto the floor, being whisked away by the winds that rattled the walls and flung open cupboard doors.

Cassie stepped forward, out of Byron’s grasp as she assessed the situation, her hair up and out of the way beneath her headscarf. Byron could see the unwavering determination in her eyes as her gaze swept over her family, to the havoc being wrought around them.

“Byron,” she called out, her voice steady despite the mayhem. “We need to contain this before it spills over. If it gets out of the house, we’re going to be in trouble. I have an idea, but I’ll need your help.”

Byron shifted nervously, his animal instincts roiling in response to the unnatural disturbance. “What do you have in mind?” he asked.

Cassie nodded toward the fridge in the corner. “The fridge. The storm is being fueled by the hot tea from the teapot. The cold air should help calm it down.”

“Okay.” He nodded. He didn’t want to leave Cassie, for fear that she would be picked up by the raging winds.

We need to trust she can manage without us, his dragon ordered. We have to do what she says.

“And an opposing air current to disrupt the winds.” Cassie pointed. “There! That fan! Move it in front of the fridge to blow cold air toward the storm.”

Her mother looked over and nodded. “On it! Don’t let up, girls!” she instructed her daughters. “Keep the containment spell up while I help Cassie.”

Byron put his arms out in front of his face to shield himself from the worst of the pelting rain as he pushed forward toward the fridge. It felt like he was being forced back by some giant creature, feeling a pair of oven gloves bouncing off him.

He made it to the fridge and grabbed hold of the door. The wind was blowing the wrong way, keeping it forced shut, and the muscles in Byron’s arms strained as he leaned back, yanking on the handle.

Come on! His dragon roared. Cassie’s watching. You can’t fail at opening the fridge.

Byron gritted his teeth and grunted as he hauled back with all his might, and finally, the fridge door flung open, the light from inside spilling into the dark clouds of the storm, along with the contents, which flew out and joined the debris flying around.

He looked around to see what he needed to do next and saw Cassie’s mom heading toward him. The wind and rain flowed around her as if she had a protective bubble. She was towing a tall standing fan with her.

“Hey, Byron, nice to see you again!” she shouted as she stepped over to him.

“Hi, Imelda” Byron called back.

“I hear you two have been doing quite well in that competition at the tavern!” Imelda pulled the fan up next to the fridge, keeping hold of it so it didn’t fly away.

“It’s been challenging, but we’re doing it.” Byron ducked out of the way as a heavy cookbook flew overhead.

“Well, this should be a piece of cake compared to that, then.”

“Mom!” Cassie’s voice called over the roar of rushing air. “The fan!”

“Oh, yes!” Imelda pushed the fan toward Byron. “Aim this toward the teacup!”

Byron took the fan and stood in front of the open fridge, bracing himself against the door. Cassie’s mom flicked her finger, and the fan turned on, the blades spinning incredibly fast, and Bryon could feel the rush of cool spread past him.

“Is there air conditioning in here?” Cassie called again. “We need to lower the humidity. The moisture in the air is making this worse.”

“Over here!” Jade yelled back.

There was the whirring sound of the machine being turned on. The air was beginning the clear, the clouds becoming less dense, and the wind was beginning to drop. Byron could actually see Cassie again through the vortex and had to stop himself from running to her. She was clinging to the stove, trying to make her way closer to the center island.

Don’t, his dragon told him. She needs us here.

“It’s working,” Neave cried. “Keep going, Cassie!”

She’s not going to make it.Byron’s grip tightened on the fan. He watched as she used cupboard doors as holds to claw her way closer to the center island, and he flinched more than Cassie appeared to every time an item flew passed her.

She reached the end of the kitchen counter and reached her hand out toward the eye of the storm around the center island, but there was still too much distance. She wouldn’t be able to reach it.

“I’m going!”Byron yelled and went to take a step into the storm, but stopped.

Cassie twisted her hand, and the teapot next to the storming cup teetered before tipping over, bringing an end to the continuous dribbling of tea that had been pouring into the cup. Within seconds, the storm dissipated, the winds dropped, and the clouds spread out into a thin fog, stopping their constant downpour.

There was a moment of silence as they all stood in the destroyed kitchen, looking at each other, until Beatrice put her hands up.

“You did it, Cass!”

Cassie exhaled deeply. “We did it.”

Her mother approached, placing a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “You did well, Cassie. You all did.”

Byron wrapped an arm around Cassie, feeling the residual chill in the air. “You were amazing,” he whispered, pride swelling in his chest.

She leaned into him, a tired smile playing on her lips. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

As they all let out a breath of relief, they gathered around the now-quiet teacup.

“So, how exactly did that happen?” Byron asked.

“A lot of very specific conditions had to be met in a quite unfortunate turn of events.” Cassie picked up the floral-patterned teacup, still a little exasperated. “Do you know how hurricanes are formed?”

“Sure.” Byron nodded. “Warm water heats the air above the ocean, the air rises and forms storm clouds and the spin of the earth causes it to spin.”

“Well, here’s our ocean.” Cassie held up the teacup. “Someone was pouring tea from their never-ending teapot, and for whatever reason, this little cup took great offense.”

“Do you think it was one of your magical curiosities?” Jade asked.

Cassie tilted her head. “It’s hard to know, but I think considering the trouble it caused, it’s best if it comes back with me.”

Phineus came their way and wrapped his daughter up in his arms. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I know how you feel about early starts.”

“I don’t mind too much when it involves a new addition to my shop.” Cassie hugged him back.

“That was some quick thinking, Cass. We’d have been standing around all day trying to contain it with a spell.” Her mom joined in the hug.

“You should start handing out business cards for dealing with this kind of thing,” Neave said.

“You’ll be just like the Ghost Busters!” Beatrice laughed

Byron smiled like a fool as he watched his mate.

She really is just perfect.His dragon swooned.

Agreed. I just wish she could see that.

How life-changing do you think that sagely knowledge is going to be?his dragon wondered aloud.

I don’t know. And it might just be best if we don’t find out.