Page 4 of Unmarked Magic

“How you paint these is beyond me.” I flicked my middle finger against my thumb, turning to where I found her watching me, a half-smile on her face. “You’re truly something else.”

“That she is.” Tyler approached Morgan from behind, sliding his hands around her middle and nuzzling into her long brown hair. She giggled, lacing her fingers through his across her stomach.

I never thought I’d see Tyler fall in love again after the sudden loss of his late girlfriend, Ava. But it seemed fate had pulled him from his pain, and I was happy for them both.

The opening night of Morgan’s first art exhibition was shaping up to be a huge success. With Tyler’s help, they had turned the rundown train station that had been unused for over a decade into something they could both be proud of. Its new interior matched her art; the walls were painted a bleak, roughly-plastered gray and the floorboards a dark stain of timber bordering on black. It screamed modern day gothic. I loved it.

I turned to study the painting again. “Where do you get your inspiration from?” I asked, darting a look back at Morgan to find Reid approaching behind her.

He folded his arms, nodding at the painting in question. “I was going to ask the same thing. I’m not sure if I should be inspired or really fucking concerned.” His lips curved into a smile. “Kidding,” he added, nudging Morgan in the side.

Her mouth quirked, which came with a small shake of her head and a wry smile. “Art is very much subjective to the person looking at it.” She stared up at her statement piece. The one piece I, of all people, felt drawn to in some weird, freaky way. “What you and I see is very different. What I see as pain, you may see as peace.”

I nodded. “I don’t know what I see, but it’s beautiful. I don’t know how you do it. I’ve never been any good at art.”

“Nor me,” Tyler mused.

Morgan let out a light laugh. “Guys, it’s paint on a canvas.”

Reid flipped his cap backward, then crossed his arms. “Yeah, my attempt at that would be embarrassing.”

Morgan slid her gaze to him, a grin on her face. “You know, some of the most chaotic of paintings sell for thousands.”

“Not his,” Tyler said, letting out a burly laugh.

I did the same. It was nice to have the group laughing again. The last month had been hard, but the banter had slowly returned. Even Wesley and Tyler had made heavy ground, and could now be in the same vicinity, which was saying something.

Speaking of…

Skye walked hand-in-hand with Wesley at her side, her eye on the piece of art in question. “Oh, wow,” she gushed. She positively sparkled, and I knew it was the mate bond responsible for her permanent glow now that she had found her fated mate. “Morgan, this is unbelievable.”

“Hands off, it’s mine,” I joked. The overwhelming urge to own this piece of art was going to be my nemesis.

I felt Morgan’s eyes travel over me as if she could feel my lack of understanding, like she somehow got me. I ignored the pull to stare back.

“This one is your best yet,” Wesley said. His gaze clung to the painting like the colors itself. “Have you had any interest?”

Morgan humbly dipped her head. “A few of the smaller ones have already sold. There’s only one of each, so first in, best dressed.”

Hearing the words knotted something in my stomach. “That’s it. If there’s only one, it’s mine,” I stated, staking my claim on the only piece of art that had ever spoken to me in my life. Call it woo-woo, whatever. I had to have it.

Morgan gasped. “Scar, are you sure? It’s…”

She didn’t need to say it. A lot of money. But life was short, and I had the perfect place for this piece of art in my apothecary. I let out a light laugh, holding my hands in the air. “Take my money before I change my mind.”

Her face blossomed with gratitude, her irises brightening. “Oh, wow. Thank you.”

She steered me away from the group to take my payment, and I took great pleasure in slapping the ‘sold’ notice on the placeholder card below it. Luckily, the apothecary business I’d taken over from my mother was doing well. It was the one thing in life I was proud of. A business I could live off, specializing in botanicals. They had always intrigued me, as their healing properties were unrivaled, given the right combination. My earth magic was very useful as I spent my days blending the perfect tonics for my customers.

Reid smirked. “Didn’t pick you as the artsy type. That’s quite the purchase.” His dark brown eyes glistened with humor.

Trust him to give me shit about my life decisions.

I rose to his bait. “I like to think of it as bold… spontaneous, even.” I batted my eyelashes the way I always did at him. Like I couldn’t care less what he said. “And that is something I never see from you, mister same boots, same hair, same hat.” My finger pointed to each one.

A quiet chuckle. “Don’t knock the hair. Or the hat,” he said in mock insult. He moved closer, his voice lowering slightly. “And these boots have seen some things.” He threw me a pointed look, but I didn’t miss the sudden shadow that spilled into his dark irises.

Huh?