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I held out my hand, or Rook’s hand rather, and imagined a small flame. The warmth of it against my palm. The way the flame danced, chasing away shadows.

With a warm burst, fire formed in my palm just as I pictured it. Me being startled meant that it flared larger and erratic, nearly singing my eyebrows in the process.

“Go back to yourself again,” Dorian demanded, as if he could see that I was getting nervous. I imagined Rook’s form falling away, and suddenly, I was myself again. I held out my arms to be sure and yup, there were my familiar freckles and a scar on my left forearm.

“Holy shit,” I breathed out. “It worked.”

“Have you never done that before?” he questioned gently.

All I could do was shake my head in disbelief. “As far as shapeshifting went, I was always the late bloomer. Then one day, while my father was lecturing me about not trying hard enough, I turned into him. He didn’t appreciate it much. Called me a smart ass,” I admitted, shaking my head at the memory.

That was the first time my father said that he’d never been so disappointed in me. It wasn’t the last.

I sighed and shook off that feeling of inadequacy, because the truth was, maybe if someone had believed in me even once, maybe I would’ve been able to do it myself.

“Now that you know, you have an arsenal of magic at your fingertips. That’s powerful as hell, Merrick. I had confidence in you protecting our mate before, but now, I do even more,” he said with full confidence. “You could channel my wolf and tear anyone that would harm her apart. Channel Rook and throw molten fire. The possibilities are endless. You could weaponize curses.”

“I’m not trying for world domination,” I snorted.

“No,” he agreed easily. “Now tell me what you’re going to do for our Omega.”

“I was thinking maybe a moonlight picnic.”

“Oh, I know the perfect spot,” he said. “I can take you out there and help you set it up. Although, you should probably call whatever restaurant you’re catering from now. Make sure you can get an order ready, unless you plan to cook for yourself.”

It wasn’t that I couldn’t cook. I just didn’t really enjoy it.

A midnight picnic meant we didn’t have a ton of options in town, but we had a few. Not every supernatural was a daylight supernatural, which meant some of the businesses in town opened up at the end of the day.

“Okay,” I said, pulling out my phone, deciding which restaurant to pick. Prue always talked about this Italian restaurant that was owned by a vampire. They may be garlic-averse, but they used every other spice in their repertoire, and it was supposed to be phenomenal.

I stepped away from Dorian long enough to put in an order to pick up at eleven forty-five, just enough time to get it and my girl out to the clearing.

Once I had that ready, I gathered everything I needed to set up a cozy, little nest under the stars.

Dorian turned out to be more of an asset than I realized. He helped me stake out some large branches to set up a makeshift tent, draping the blanket over it before creating a cozy, little nest inside. The entrance opened just enough that you could still see the stars overhead.

“I wish I had some kind of lights,” I admitted as I realized just how dark it would get out here. Prue and I didn’t exactly have night vision.

“Here,” he said, pulling out his phone.

He clicked the button, and it was on speaker, ringing loudly in the quiet forest before Rook’s voice came through.

“Rook, Merrick and I are experimenting with some of his magic. Do you have any lantern enchantments that you know?”

“Actually, yes,” Rook said, not questioning any of this at all. “Picture those old-school hanging lanterns, the kind with metal handles and glass encasements. I sort of just imagine holding it in my hand, and it appears. It’s come in handy a time or two.”

“Thanks,” Dorian said, explaining nothing before hanging up. Then he looked at me. “Now do what he said.”

Instead of those camping lanterns, I pictured the beautiful garden lanterns that glow softly and had intricate designs over the glass. It felt more romantic.

Nothing happened, and he rolled his eyes.

“You have to be Rook to be able to use it,” he reminded me.

This time, channeling Rook didn’t take much. When I was a few inches taller, I tried again. This time the lantern appeared, swinging in my hand.

The first one was a little wonky. That’s why I tossed it among the soft grass, and tried again.