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“It wasn’t long,” I mumble, and try not to drool.

She’s wearing way less fabric than last night. Loose pajama pants cover her from her hips to her ankles, but her waist is bare. The little tank top stops under her braless breasts, and the thin straps make it droop, showing what seems like miles of skin. I want to drag my tongue over the exposed areas and hear her whimpers. Her face is free of what little makeup she wears, and she’s even more beautiful. Her hair is curly from the braids she wore all day and cascades down her back.

“Are you tired?” she asks, standing on the opposite side of the bed. She takes off her bracelets and places them on the bedside table.

“No.” I roll to my side, watching her climb onto the bed. “You?”

“A little.” She scrunches her nose and turns to face me. “It was an eventful day, but I’m used to getting little sleep.”

“You need to get more.”

She pulls the covers over us and settles.

“Last night was the most sleep I’ve gotten in a long time.” She smiles. “It’s because of you.”

“I’m glad I can help.” I bend my elbow and rest my head on it. “Are you scared?”

“Of what?”

“Griffon.”

“Not really. Maybe if I knew what he could do or what exactly he wanted.” She presses her palm in the space between us. “He’s an unknown. I can’t trust anything Betty and Travis say. All I can do is go with my gut. I did sense evil energy. Whether that is because of who they are or Griffon, we’ll know in time.”

“I won’t let him get to you,” I say roughly.

“I know,” she whispers, and bends her arm, laying her head on it. “Perhaps that’s why I’m not scared. I have you. We have friends, and a little time to prepare.”

“I'll use my spells if I have to,” I mention lightly.

“That’s when you live your nightmare, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I can help this time. I can enter your dream and change it,” she says.

“Probably.” I hadn’t voiced the possibility, but I should have known she would be thinking about it.

“Can you rescind the spell? When you make them live their nightmare?”

“I couldn’t…” I clear my throat. “I discovered that when it is important, I can.” I pause, and she smiles gently, encouraging. “After many years of practice, Fritz wanted me to try reversing the spell. I refused. He didn’t understand the pain I felt because of my mom. He wouldn’t stop asking, persistently annoying me. It was something I didn’t want to risk. At the time, I would rather not use that aspect of my magic. I could live without it. Yet, I couldn’t help the nagging voice in my head, urging me to explore and accept my magic as a whole. I finally gave in, but I had rules. If I were going to test it, I wanted to find someone worthy of living in their nightmare. If it didn’t work, I wouldn’t be racked with guilt.

“He agreed, and we did some research, intent on finding a bad man. We did. A human was preying on women. He enjoyed kidnapping them and taking them into the woods. We followed him. Before he could do anything, Fritz controlled him, and I changed the woman's memories, sending her to safety.” I look at the space between us. “I was still nervous, but determined to conquer my spells. Just as I raised my hand, Margarete appeared between us. I was startled and turned to her. She thought I was in trouble and teleported. My spell was already prepared, and instead of digging into the man’s head, it went into Margarete’s. All of us were shocked. I'd never felt such panic. She was a mom to me, and I couldn’t lose her. I could see the spell taking over. Her face drained of color, and her eyes glazed over. She couldn’t respond to me, and I knew I had to find a way. Rome would never speak to me again, and Arthur would hate me. The family I always wanted would turn away, just like my dad did. I couldn’t allow it. I wouldn’t survive.

“I was on the edge of breaking down. Seeing her like that took me back to that day. I just couldn’t handle it. Fritz yelled at me, and it snapped me out of my daze. I moved close to her and stared at her blank expression. She was always filled with joy and a love of life. I couldn’t allow her to die. Rome loved her desperately,” I rasp.

“So did you,” she whispers.

“I did. No one could replace my mom, yet she gave me what I needed in my darkest days. She was family. I concentrated on my spell, just as Fritz taught me to do, and commanded it to come back to me. Her mouth opened, and a black mist floated out and entered my body. She fell to the ground and blinked. I was so grateful that I didn’t care that my nightmare came.” I roll to my back and stare at the ceiling. “The man saw everything, so I had to influence him. I knew the aftereffects were coming soon, this time quicker. I didn’t have it in me to spell him with his fear. I left him with Fritz, and Margarete took me home. I barely got to my room before I fell asleep. She took care of me for seven days.” I turn my head to look at her.

Savy lays her hand on my chest. “She loves you.”

“I thought…” I look away. “She wasn’t angry. I woke up, and she was sitting beside me, food on the side table. She knew I would be hungry. I didn’t want to talk about it, but she insisted. I explained, and she understood. She didn’t blame me. I felt guilt, though. It was difficult to move past it, but she didn’t treat me any differently. She praised me for conquering my fear and canceling the spell.”

“I haven’t known her long, but that doesn’t surprise me.” She scoots closer, pressing against my side. “You’ve carried the blame for too long. You weren’t expecting her, and didn’t have any warning. Margarete is right, you commanded your magic. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Yeah?” I huff and tip my head down.

“You’re a good man. A good warlock. You were given gifts that most of us couldn’t control, despite the horrible consequences of using them. Your family would say the same, and probably have, you just weren’t listening.” She smirks.