Unbound by Adriane Ceallaigh

out.” Her smile faded.
    “Wanna talk about them?”
    She shook her head, quiet for a moment before turning back to her pan.“Did you find who put the spell on the pouch?” she asked, nodding at the bag.
    “Aye, I have, but I thought maybe you’d like to find out for yourself. The best way to learn is by doing.”
    “Now what would give you a fool idea like that?” Tossing the spatula down on the stove, she crossed her arms and glared at him.
    “I think you’ll need to learn everything I can teach you about your magic. You need to be able to defend yourself against someone trying to enslave you. I could leave you clueless. Then the magic will start to eat at you, until it controls you, or you kill yourself trying to do something too hard. Is that what you want?”
    They stared hard at each other until she turned away. “All right, what do I need to do?”
    “First, why don’t we have breakfast?”
    * * *
     
    Kayla turned back to the stove, self-conscious now that she knew he was watching her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pushed the eggs around the skillet.
    “Hey, Jubi, do you want something to eat?” she asked the pot of flowers next to the sink.
    “Nah.” The dark head popped out of the petals, covered in yellow powder. “I’ve already eaten, but thanks for thinking of me.” He dove back into the leaves. She laughed at him, then spoke over her shoulder, “Gannon, this is almost done. Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll finish up? You want some coffee?”
    “Sure do.”
    “What kind?”
    “Raspberry truffle, if you know how to make it.”
    “Yeah, I can find my way around an espresso machine.” She got out plates and dumped the eggs onto them just as the toast popped up in the toaster. She slathered butter and honey onto them and set the toast onto the plates, then took them to the table. She put Gannon’s plate in front of him and went back to the counter to get the rest of Roo’s breakfast made. She set the bowl of rice and tuna on the floor next to the counter and hit the button on the coffee bean grinder.
    She measured the grounds into the basket and tamped them down and then placed the small shot glass under the spout and hit the button, watching as the thick brown liquid poured out, capped with soft froth. It had been a long time since she’d done this and she felt awkward.
    She dumped half a shot into a cup for herself and poured the rest into one for Gannon. A shot and a half is plenty of caffeine for anyone. She quelled an excited squeal when she found his huckleberry syrup and poured it into her cup with trembling fingers.
    “Problems?”
    She jerked, almost pouring in too much and glared her displeasure at him. “No, it’s just been awhile since I’ve done this.” She topped the coffees off with frothy milk and brought them back to the table.
    * * *
     
    “So, you like to cook?” he questioned after a long moment, to break the silence.
    “Yeah, I haven’t done it in a long time, though. I’m surprised I still can.”
    “Why’d you quit?”
    The air chilled and he saw her shoulders tense.
    “Sorry. Wrong question.”
    “No, it’s ok. I stopped years ago. I don’t really remember why. I guess it’s been since my run-in with the Mage Hunters. That was about three years ago, I guess.” Her face blanked as something brushed the edge of her mind. She shook it off.
    “So where do we start?” Kayla asked, impatient to get it over with.
    “Have you ever meditated? Calmed and stilled your mind?” he asked around the piece of toast in his mouth.
    She thought about it for a minute. “Once, a long time ago, I would have. At times, I wish I could find that calm center again, but these days I just muddle through.”
    “Then I think we should start there, giving you a place of calm in the storm of thought. I want you to visualize a place where you felt safe, where you were content.”
    “What kind of place?” she asked, irritated that she couldn’t think