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“Lace, this is Mateo. A friend of the family,” Savy explains.

“We’re more than that,” he says, smiling softly.

I’ve never wanted to deploy a nightmare more.

It would be worth dealing with the consequences.

Chapter Four

Savy

“Mateo,” I hiss, wrapping my arm around Archer. I can feel his spells hovering, ready to attack. “Be serious, and stop provoking.” I tighten my grip. “He’s like a brother.” I glare at Mateo. “Or a much older uncle.”

He’s harmless most of the time, but he has a mischievous side.

“Fine,” he sighs. “I’ll stop.”

“How old are you?” Rome asks, stepping into his view of Lace and crossing his arms.

“Why? Should we compare power?” Mateo asks, raising his brows.

“Could,” Rome hums, dropping his arms.

They stare at each other, and Mara clears her throat.

“We should get back to the reason you're here,” she says, walking to her bond. “You’re the strange warlock here. Careful.”

“Savy,” Mateo grumbles.

“You deserve it,” I say, tilting my head. “You always think you're the baddest in the room. Show some respect. Don’t make comments that Archer can misinterpret. He’s my soul bond, and you should be happy for me.” I want to teach him a lesson.

Color. Blue. I stare at his hair, and it falls around his shoulder. The strands instantly turn blue.

“Shit,” he hisses. “You know I hate that.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “Change it back.”

“Oh, my,” Lace gasps.

“Nice.” Rome chuckles.

“You’re lucky.” I lift my chin. “I could have shaved it off.”

“You wouldn’t,” he says, narrowing his eyes.

“Disrespect Archer or my friends again and find out,” I threaten, and Archer palms the back of my neck.

His magic calms.

“Alright. I’ll be good. Please,” Mateo begs, lifting a chunk of his hair.

Undo. His hair returns as it was, but I leave a streak of blue on the back of his head. He’ll discover it later and be reminded to be polite.

“Has Granny warned Aria?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “She won’t take the chance to reach out.”

“I need to talk to her.” I nibble on my lip.

“Your parents could have gained spells since we dealt with them last,” Mateo points out. “We didn’t think they could get to Gran. It’s not worth the risk.”