Roxy nudges up against Lukas, her large head pressing against his arm as if to comfort him. It’s such a simple gesture, but it’s incredibly sweet. Her loyalty to him is obvious, and for some reason, it tugs at something in my chest. His method of blurting out something personal is… Unconventional, but it has succeeded in its goal. The embarrassment or vulnerability, or… Whatever it was, that I felt earlier has faded. I’m still not sure I appreciate how completely nosy he is, although I suppose it’s not entirely his fault. I still think he’s judgey, though. That first comment about my outfit really stuck with me. What can I say? The guy just makes me defensive.
“Roxy was really upset that you were taken.” I say conversationally, hoping to lighten the mood and change the topic as fast as possible.
“The poor thing.” Lukas responds, scratching Roxy behind the ears. She lets out a happy huff, her tongue lolling as she gazes up at him with pure adoration.
“She settled pretty quickly when I got here, although she has spent the last nine or so hours keeping an eye on you. I’m starting to feel a little neglected.” Lukas pretends to pout and I roll my eyes at his attempt to joke, but I can’t help the faint smile tugging at my lips.
“Yeah, I don’t think you have to worry about competing for her affection.” I say dryly. Lukas smirks, his expression softening.
“Like you can talk. Your familiar is just as loving as mine. Princess can tell you’re all worn out. I tried feeding her a couple of hours ago, and she flat out refused to leave your side.” He informs me. My chest tightens, and for a moment, I’m overwhelmed. The thought of Princess refusing food just to stay close to me is so ridiculously sweet it makes my eyes sting. Damn it. Now I kind of want to cry.
“Aww, Princess.” I say, my voice softer than I intended, right on the edge of baby talk. She lifts her head from where she’s curled up at my feet, blinking at me with her usual annoyed but concerned expression.
“Have you been taking care of me? I’m okay, baby. I’m just tired. Go have your dinner.” I nudge her side gently, and she narrows her eyes at me in that way only cats can, as if she’s weighing whether or not she actually cares what I’m saying. After a moment, she slinks off, tail flicking dramatically behind her, to finally go eat.
“So, when were you going to tell me that you could do all that? You were basically a one woman army this morning.” Lukas’s tone is caught somewhere between frustration and admiration, his expression an odd mix of exasperation and amusement. I snort out a laugh, despite the throbbing ache in my head.
“I might have mentioned it if I’d had any idea I could actually do that. I can’t usually manage more than one or two big spells at a time. Much less… However many I did earlier. Also, don’t count on me showing up to save your ass if you get captured again. There’s no way I’m managing that again.” I warn him. Lukas raises an eyebrow, still looking unconvinced.
“How did you manage it?” He presses, leaning forward like he’s expecting some kind of method or spell behind it.
“I’m not totally sure, but I think it was just because I haven’t really done any magic in a while. It sort of… Built up? You know?” I gesture vaguely, though I don’t even know if what I’m saying makes sense. Lukas shrugs, his posture loosening slightly.
“Not so much… My magic is more of a constant thing. It doesn’t build up because I use it constantly, whether I want to or not.” He sounds almost bitter about it, and I realise this might be a sore spot for him.
“You’re technically more powerful than me.” I point out.
“I’m fairly sure that overall, you have and use way more magic than I do.” I insist.
“Yeah, but at least you can use your magic for more than one thing.” He retorts, but his frown fades into a faint smile.
“Such as dramatic rescues. Honestly, I thought you’d tell someone I needed help or go to your cousin or something. I didn’t expect you to try and save me all on your own, although I do appreciate it. That was incredibly dangerous.” He says firmly.
“Don’t start lecturing me.” I groan, rolling my eyes.
“I was in a rush. Besides, it’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t.” I argue.
“But-” Lukas starts, only to be interrupted by the obnoxious sound of my phone ringing. I cringe, my headache flaring at the noise.
Lukas doesn’t wait for an invitation. He grabs my phone off the nightstand before I can react. “It’s that cop.” He says flatly, staring at the screen.
“Don’t pretend you don’t remember his name!” I hiss, somewhere between annoyed and amused. Lukas just shrugs and, without further hesitation, answers my phone. Does he realise how incredibly weird that is?
“Why are you calling so late?” He demands in an unimpressed tone. I glare at him.
“Put it on speaker at least.” I complain. Reluctantly, he complies, his finger hovering over the screen for a moment before hitting the speaker button.
“Why are you answering Clare’s phone?” Eli’s voice demands loudly from the other end.
“Hi, Eli.” I say quickly, trying to salvage the phone call.
“You’re on speaker. Lukas is answering my phone because he’s a control freak. What’s up?” I ask cheerfully.
“What’s up?! Are you kidding me? I should be asking you that! Dami and I got called out to a fire in a residential area because someone reported what sounded like magic. We found a totally burned out car. I just got the information on it, and it was yours! What the hell, Clare? I’ve been freaking out, thinking I was going to have to call Laura and tell her that her cousin died!” Eli sounds agitated, and I blink in surprise, taken aback by how genuinely worried he seems.
“I’m fine.” I say quickly, trying to downplay the situation.
“There was an… Incident. Yes, magic was involved.” I admit, cringing. Eli doesn’t stop there. He spends the next few minutes ranting about how reckless I am, how irresponsible I’ve been, and how I’ve given him unnecessary stress. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure we were friends, but judging by how upset he sounds, I suppose we might be?
“Why didn’t you file a report? Your car is totaled!” Eli finally pauses long enough for me to respond, his voice dropping into something more exasperated than angry. I can’t do that, or tell him the truth. I can’t risk Lukas’s family being investigated, although I’m not super inclined to help them right now, I know Lukas doesn’t want to just give up on the lot of them.
“I… It was nothing, no big deal.” I say unconvincingly.
“I’m fine, no one got hurt. I just went home to sleep off a long morning, that’s all.” I add. Eli sighs heavily, clearly not buying my excuse.
“Fine. No report. Are you going to give me an actual explanation?” He tries again.
“How about I give you a few explanations, and you can choose the one you like best?” I joke, hoping to ease some of the tension. Eli laughs, though it’s a little begrudging.
“Fine, I get it. You want me to butt out. But seriously, next time you decide to burn something down or make big public magical displays, can you call and give me a heads up at least? I don’t expect you to tell me the truth, but damage control and spinning a story is usually my job. It helps to be prepared.” He points out.
“Oh, yeah. Sure, I can do that.” I say, not even pretending innocence.
“So you’re basically saying that you’re a professional liar.” Lukas interjects bluntly. I almost elbow him again, but I stop myself, remembering his injuries. To my surprise, Eli just laughs. “Essentially.” He agrees.
“Good to know.” Lukas says curtly.
“Now, was there anything else?” He presses.
“Other than making sure Clare isn’t dead? Nope, that’s it.” Eli seems cheerful.
“In that case, Clare should be resting. Bye.” Lukas hangs up before Eli can say anything else.
I groan, glaring at him. “Lukas, you know we actually DO want to be friends with Eli, right? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to end up getting arrested.” I complain.
“I’d get you out.” Lukas says confidently. I roll my eyes.
“Oh honey, no. If I get arrested, I’m making sure you go down with me.”