When I woke up just a few hours later, I couldn’t fathom how everyone here had managed to survive three long months on such little sleep.
The answer came to me an hour later, as I stepped into the bustling kitchen of Leonardo’s family home. The rich aroma of coffee mingled with the faint sweetness of the protein shakes Sofia and Enrico were sipping. The reason why everyone had chosen to congregate here eluded me, but it certainly made coordinating easier.
Despite the collective exhaustion from last night, none of us showed it-not even Leonardo, who had spent the entire night patrolling the territory lines with Dante, Enrico, Carlo, and a group of warriors. There was no room for weariness now, not with the Fae already here.
Sofia looked considerably better than she had the night before, already dressed for training and laser-focused.
Ten minutes later, when Emiliano arrived, we all piled into the vehicles and headed into town.
The training ground had been evacuated beforehand, thankfully, leaving no bystanders. Should the rogues or Fae decide to attack, the townspeople would be far from harm’s way.
“Mind if I catch a ride with you?” Carlo’s question caught both Leonardo and me off guard.
I tried to suppress my surprise as his dark brows rose so high they disappeared beneath the tousled strands of his hair.
“Uh, sure,” I replied, clearing my throat and shooting Leonardo a meaningful look. Turning to Carlo, my tone became curious. “What’s wrong with your car?”
“The battery’s been dead for a month.” He shrugged, flashing his signature cheeky grin-the kind I hadn’t seen in a while, the one that revealed his dimple against sun-bronzed skin. Leonardo’s expression, however, was the polar opposite-his narrowed eyes sharp as blades.
“There was nothing wrong with your car last week,” I pointed out, glancing over my shoulder as we backed out of the driveway. Carlo lounged in the backseat, his elbows resting on his thighs.
He gave a nonchalant shrug, his golden-grey eyes glinting in the sunlight streaming through the window. “Yeah, but I figured it was better to talk without an audience.” His gaze flicked between Leonardo and me. “I think we need to discuss Sofia and what her situation might mean for everyone else who was there that night.”
His words caught me off guard, and the surprise that flitted across my face was unfeigned. I’d expected him to bring up battle strategies or even the tangled web of true-mates, not this.
“You think Attilio, Lavinia, Laura, and Dante might have magic too?” I asked cautiously, my stomach twisting at the possibility. It wasn’t far-fetched, and given what I’d seen, the idea unsettled me.
Carlo nodded, his focus locked on me. “It’s something we need to consider. If they do have magic, we should find a way to awaken it. We need all the power we can get right now.”
“I think trying to trigger it is the last thing we should do,” Leonardo interjected before I could respond, his tone edged with frost. His pale eyes locked on Carlo’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “Sofia’s power didn’t just scorch a house; it turned it to ash, and that wasn’t even an intentional release. Do you really want to risk triggering something that could cause an earthquake or a flood?”
The tension in the car thickened, the atmosphere crackling like an impending storm. Carlo’s scowl deepened as he met Leonardo’s glare head-on.
“You can’t deny that kind of power would be a massive advantage,” Carlo countered, refusing to back down. “They’re all aware of what’s at stake. Why not let them make the decision themselves?”
The temperature in the car plummeted as Leonardo’s jaw clenched. Frost crept across the windshield, forming intricate veins of ice, until Carlo’s crimson-threaded magic shimmered in the air, melting it instantly. The heat rose sharply, fogging the windows, and I had had enough.
“Pull over!” I snapped, my frustration breaking through. “Finish your argument outside so I can meet Chiara and Sofia at the park.”
Both of them fell silent, the air still bristling with tension as they exchanged one final glare.
By the time we reached town, we were running a few minutes behind the others. The eerie stillness that greeted us made my skin prickle. Cars were parked haphazardly along the streets, a few with their doors still open. Loose papers fluttered along the asphalt, carried by a chilly breeze.
“It’s unsettling how quiet it is,” I murmured, noticing Leonardo’s features harden. His guilt was palpable, though his determination to set things right burned brighter.
“Two months, and it still feels wrong,” Carlo muttered as we stepped onto the deserted sidewalk bordering the park.
The park, which would normally be filled with life, was empty. The playground sat untouched, its swings swaying gently in the wind. The fountain at the park’s center still spewed water from the mouth of a winged statue, but the once-vivid flowers surrounding it were withered.
Out in the field, Sofia and Emiliano had already begun training. Chiara stood nearby, waiting for me to join her. Though teaching her to control magic felt daunting, I couldn’t leave her to fend for herself. Magic required trial and error, and she would face both regardless of who guided her.
Before I could approach, Sofia’s sharp gasp drew everyone’s attention. Flames erupted along her arm, licking up to her elbow.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, stumbling backward and holding the burning limb away from her body.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Emiliano remarked, his brow furrowing in thought as he rubbed his jaw.
“It may not have been your intent, but the power responded,” he said, offering her a small nod of encouragement. “What matters is learning control first-then manipulation. Now, put the fire out, just like you did last night.”
Sofia took a shaky breath, her shoulders straightening as she concentrated. It took less time than before, the flames gradually receding until they extinguished at her fingertips.
“Well done,” Emiliano praised, his grin easing the tightness in my chest as Sofia returned the smile.
Everyone split into their respective groups, each working on honing their abilities. Leonardo led Enrico, Noemi, and Graziana toward the fountain to practice their water magic, while Emiliano, Sofia, and Carlo remained in the open field, the sun casting long shadows across the grass.