Chapter 17

RHEA

The moment I open the door to see Jack on the other side, all of my nerves about the upcoming conversation disappear. I may not know how this is going to go, but none of it changes the fact he makes me feel at ease. And that's exactly what's going to happen here.

"You're not wearing your glasses," he says.

"I knew it was you. And I like that I don't have to wear them sometimes. I don't usually when I'm home alone."

He nods, seeming to like the answer. "Can I come in?"

"You know you can." I step back. "How did everything go with your grandparents?" I ask, heading over to my bed and taking a seat.

Jack doesn't hesitate to come and sit beside me. "It went well, I think. They took Eddy back last night and made sure he has everything he needs for school today. I don't know exactly when they're going to talk to my dad, but they've said they're going to and I know they'll keep their promise."

"That's great news," I respond. "I'm pleased for you."

"Thanks. I know there's still a long way to go and there's a chance nothing is going to change, but at least we have people we can rely on to look out for us."

I nod. "It's really good. I mean, the stuff with your dad is really bad, but I'm glad your grandparents are watching out for you."

"Me too."

I look down at my hands as a weird silence settles over us. There's an intensity to us that I don't recognise, we're normally so much more talkative.

Jack notices me fiddling with the hem of my shirt and reaches out to take my hand in his. "We should talk about what happened at the museum."

"Technically nothing happened at the museum," I point out.

He chuckles. "All right, we should talk about what we were talking about at the museum then. I believe you wanted to know how I'd feel about your snakes if I was kissing you."

"That's not exactly what I said."

"It's what I'm choosing to hear." He lets go of my hand and reaches up to cup my cheek. "I can tell you how I feel about it, or I can show you. The choice is yours."

My breathing hitches. "Show me." The words come out as barely a whisper, but there's no taking them back. I don't want to.

Jack leans in and my eyes flutter closed as I wait for what's to come. He slips his hand further into my hair, not seeming to care in the slightest that Rattle is coming to see what's going on.

The moment Jack's lips meet mine, I forget all of my worries about my snakes. It's sweet and full of emotion, not quite what I expected but even better for it.

He pulls back and I open my eyes, only for me to gasp.

"Rhea?"

"You should look in the mirror," I whisper as I watch the colour of his face change. Gone is the pale skin I'm used to looking at, replaced by grey stone.

He gets up and heads to the bathroom in the corner of my room, his eyes widening as he takes in his reflection. "Well, I knew it was going to be a good kiss, but that good?"

I laugh. "It's nothing to do with the kiss, you're probably just feeling relaxed enough to access your magic properly again."

"True. Stand back, I need to test it."

I frown, confused about why he might need space until his whole body turns to stone right in front of my eyes. That part is all the same size as before, but the huge stone wings that now fill my room are a different matter.

"Wow," I whisper.

"Impressive, right?" he asks, sounding like his normal self, which is a bit confusing. I think I expected his voice to change to go along with the stone encasing.

"Can I touch them?" I know I shouldn't ask, but all I want to do now I can see them is run my fingers along the stone.

He nods and turns around.

I reach out, my hand shaking slightly as I touch the top of them. The stone is as hard as I expect it to be, but it's warm as if it's been out in the sun all day.

"Can you fly?" I ask.

"Yes, though only for short distances, the wings aren't really made for longer than that." He turns back around so he's facing me. It's weird to see his normal features made from stone, though his expressions remain the same.

I can't imagine it's anything like seeing someone encased in stone after encountering gorgon magic.

"Thank you," he says, catching my hand in his.

"I didn't do anything."

"That's not true at all." His skin ripples and returns to its normal shade while his wings retract into his back. "You helped me regain my proper form."

"Hardly, you're immune to gorgon magic, and even if you weren't, people don't turn into stone from kissing a gorgon."

"No, it's nothing to do with your gorgon magic. It's just you." He steps closer and pulls me to him. "You've been there for me in a way no one else could have been, you've listened to me talk about my dad and you were the one who suggested I talked to my grandparents. You've helped me shed a weight that's been on me since my mum died. And I'm not saying that everything is magically better because of course it isn't, there's still so far to go, especially where my dad is concerned, but everything just seems a little more manageable now."

"I know what you mean," I whisper. "You've helped me too."

"I'm glad." His hand is on my waist and his eyes bore into mine without a hint of fear about my magic. Even if he is immune to it, that still feels like an immense thing, and not a situation I expected to find myself in.

"Where does this leave us?" I ask.

"Wherever we want it to. But if that offer of coming to Greece for a week is still on the table, I like the idea of that."

"As my friend?"

"Is that what you want me to go as?" he asks.

"No." The word hangs between us for a moment. "I want to tell them you're my boyfriend."

"Does that mean I'll be able to stay in your room?"

I snort. "Definitely not. If anything, it'll mean that we end up with a guard outside the door. But that's not the point."

"It isn't," he agrees.

"So, is that a yes?"

"Yes. But maybe we should start with an unchaperoned date," he suggests.

"I'm free now."

"So you are." He leans in and kisses me again.

I wrap my arms around his neck and sink into him, enjoying how close I feel to him right now. Perhaps we're going fast by jumping straight in, but after everything we've shared over the past few weeks, it's impossible not to feel like this is the right choice for us.

Because I may have known him for only a short time, but now that I've met him, I can't imagine dealing with this without him.

And luckily, I won't have to.