“Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”
He gazed out at the wildflowers that grew along the perimeter of the deck. Her yard sloped down to a manmade pond that backed up to several other homes. “Very beautiful. Peaceful.”
“Yeah.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I don’t spend nearly enough time out here.”
A dragonfly zipped by and then returned and hovered in front of her. It sped off when a crow cawed from the corner of her roof.
Malik held up his hand and Sonhos joined him in the chair. “It must be refreshing to be able to use your wings.”
Tori paused. “What’s it like in the... stone? All I keep imagining is I Love Jeannie.”
His confused look made her laugh. “It’s an old television show that my parents used to watch all the time. Jeannie was a female genie who was found by a guy. Whenever they showed her inside her bottle, it was like a little apartment.”
“I’m unfamiliar with some of your modern conveniences, but I have witnessed many generations of inventions.” His jaw twitched. “But I assure you that it’s nothing like a home. It’s more of a... presence only.”
She bit her lip. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
He grabbed her hand. “My dear, you may ask me whatever you desire. The answers may be distasteful to me, but I will do my very best to quell your curiosity.”
Sonhos let out a small sound. Tori tilted her head. “Is he hungry?” She gasped. “He doesn’t eat dragonflies, does he?”
Before Malik could answer, she ran in the house and grabbed a slice of bread. She handed it to the crow. He carried the bread to the railing and sat there for a moment.
“Is he going to—”
Sonhos flew off the porch and landed on the birdbath. He dropped the bread in the water and used his beak to dunk it. After a moment, he tore off a chunk and swallowed it.
“Never mind. I was going to ask if he’d eat bread, but he answered the question.”
Another dragonfly zoomed by. Tori held her hand up and after a moment, it lit on her finger. She pulled her hand close.
“Thank you for your time, my beautiful friend. I will take this as a good luck blessing for my day.” She blew it a kiss when it suddenly flew off.
“That was delightful.”
She turned to see Malik beaming at her. Oh Lord, that face could get me in some serious trouble.
“Merada adored dragonflies. We spent many hours in the gardens, so she could watch them flit about.”
She held out her hand. “Come with me.”
She led him to her mother’s chamber. Dozens of photographs of dragonflies adorned the walls.
Malik let out a low whistle. “These are magnificent.”
“I got my love of the insects honestly. My mother always thought they were magical, and she passed that belief down to me and Felicia.”
His face tightened at the mention of her sister. He perused the room. “I feel slightly uncomfortable in this place. I can feel the powers that have graced this room.”
Tori shooed him out. “Back outside. I don’t want you freaking out and destroying her chamber.” She took extra care to make sure the locks were engaged once they were out.
“I don’t make it a habit of losing my temper to the point I rage.”
His dry tone made her laugh. She smiled at him sweetly. “Why take the chance?”
Back outside, he watched Sonhos fly in large, lazy circles. “Ahh, the gift of flight.”
Tori agreed. “I’ve often thought that as I watch the dragonflies. They seem so effortless when they fly.” One buzzed nearby. “Or hover to watch.”
He held out his hand and one immediately lit. He gazed at it with clear affection.
“Merada always claimed that her love for me took flight with a dragonfly and would always hold the key to her heart.”
“That’s beautiful. You must miss her.”
A dark cloud gathered in his eyes. “You have no idea.” He waved his hand and the dragonfly flew off. He didn’t speak again, and Tori didn’t pressure him to say a word.
Chapter Seven
Leeann waved from a corner in the back of La Scala’s Restaurant. She steered Malik toward the table, but he stopped and pointed to a sign.
“I’ll join you in a moment.”
She gestured with her head. “We’ll be right over there.”
She took her chair as Leeann watched Malik walk away. “Where’s he going? He’s hot.”
“Bathroom. And yes, my friend, he certainly is.”
“You have about two minutes. Tell me everything.”
Tori shook her head. “I can tell you in ten seconds. I’m falling for him, hard and fast.” She used the next minute to catch her friend up on everything that had happened.
Leeann clucked her tongue. “Girlfriend, you better be careful.”
“I know, I know. Apparently, I’m very much like his soulmate, so he’s infatuated with me. I don’t know what to do.”
“From the way he looks in those jeans, I could tell you a thing or two that I’d like to do with him.”
“Lee! Stop. If anyone is going there, it’ll be me, so back off.”
“Excuse me, ladies. Is this seat taken?”
A drunk guy from the bar almost fell into one of the vacant chairs. Leeann pulled her hand away as he tried to grab it.
“Get out of here, you lush.”
“Oh, come on, baby. Don’t be like that.”
Tori leaned toward him. “Dude, when my boyfriend gets here, you’d best be gone. He’s not going to like you hitting on us.”
Before she realized his intent, the guy grabbed her hair and pulled her toward him. She put her hands up to avoid his sloppy kiss, but she couldn’t get her hair from his grip.
“Get off me, you bastard!”
She heard Leeann cuss just before the guy flew backwards. Tori smoothed her hair out of her face to see Malik storming down the aisle, his hand out in front of him. Before she could comprehend what had happened, Malik threw his hand to the side and the drunk suddenly flew from the floor into the wall. He crashed hard and flopped down in a booth.
A waitress hurried to the booth, followed by several other restaurant patrons. Tori grabbed Leeann’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “We need to go.”
Leeann didn’t miss a beat. “No shit. You better sharpen your skills, my friend, because your boy has powers.”
Out in the parking lot, they decided to reschedule dinner. Leeann gave Tori a quick hug and held up her hand to Malik. He stared at her awkwardly as she raised his hand and slapped his palm with her own. “It’s called a high-five. You’ll need to know that around here.”
“I’m much obliged at your lesson in modern courtesy.”
“See ya, Tor.” Leeann grinned at Malik before she headed for her car.
Tori stared at Malik as he sat in the front seat. “What was that?”
He avoided her gaze. “I defended you.”
“You weren’t even near us. Why didn’t you tell me that you had abilities?”
“I didn’t want to alarm you.”
“Alarm me?”
“You choose to not explore your own powers. I was uncertain how you would feel about my own.”