Vulnerable: Book 1 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

49: Witch's Warts

Ben was waiting by the door the moment we walked in. He grabbed my hand immediately, pulling me into his arms.

"What did you do?" he spat at Lukas.

"I didn't do anything," he replied tiredly. Like he wasn't in the mood for Ben's shit today.

"You were gone far too long."

"We just lost track of time, Ben," I said, pushing away from him. "Don't worry. It only felt like we were training for an hour but apparently it was two. I should have texted you that we were running late." I didn't want to be in his arms right now, feeling my worry for Lukas who had avoided conversation with me the whole way back.

What made him cry?

When did he cry?

Why did my memory seem to blip? Did I exercise too hard and get faint?

But he wasn't listening to me. Instead, his eyes were locked on Lukas, glaring at him.

Without looking at either of us, Lukas adjusted the bag on his shoulder and pushed past us, walking up the stairs. Yet when he had gotten up a couple of steps, he paused, turning around to say, "I think Ollie is ready, by the way." And then he kept walking.

· · ───── ∘☽༓☾∘ ───── · ·

After showering and getting changed, the day went pretty normally. We didn't discuss Lukas's new claim that I was ready to meet his uncle. Instead, we all avoided the topic really. For a while, Ben and I mulled around the house, killing time as we usually did before the whole house gathered in the media room for the evening to watch some movies together. We were currently binging through the Harry Potter series, which was honestly an interesting experience among actual witches and wizards, commenting on the inaccuracies of the magic.

Yet at some point during the third movie, Lukas had drifted off for a large amount of time. And then Ben had excused himself, saying that he had something to attend to.

When neither of them had returned by the end of the movie, curiosity had gotten the better of me.

As I walked out of the media room, I used the new trick Jayce had taught me to deaden the sound of my walk, creeping up the first flight of stairs to the landing that held Erica's, Jayce's, and Drake's bedrooms (the one below mine and Ben's, Lukas's, and Loren's). Knowing I couldn't get any further until I was in their hearing distance, I then tapped into a new trick we had practiced: ultra hearing.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and channeled my magic to my ears, shifting them until they were tilted at just the right angle with the magic funneling all the noise towards my ear canals. Placing a hand on the railing and sinking myself into the feeling of the house, I spread touch-based my magic through the banister, up the stairs, and through the walls, searching for any noise frequencies until I picked up slight mumbling from Lukas's room.

Adjusting my ear, I was just able to make out Lukas's and Ben's voices, which startled me. Because it sounded like it was just the two of them... alone. The first time since that night in Ireland.

Now before you judge me, I know it was wrong to eavesdrop. I should just ask what they were talking about or demand to be included. But for some reason I knew they were both keeping something really important from me and neither one of them was going to budge if I pried. Which meant dishonest measures were the only way I would get the answers I sought.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" I heard Ben say.

"I'm sorry," Lukas mumbled back.

"I thought I was your friend."