“Watch closely,” Barry teases, giving me a wink that earns him a disapproving scowl from Derry. “You could learn something.”

“Yeah, how to be a voyeur,” I complain.

“Porn director.” Barry rubs his arm furiously to ease Kiley’s slap.

I’ve been watching Ryan and Mel physically display their affection for fifteen minutes minimum. We alternate between hands-off and hands-on, though touching them both during the attempted transfer is the worst sort of awkward I’ve ever felt in my life. I don’t even have a free hand to cover my beet red face. I’ve never, and I mean never, been so embarrassed before. Unfortunately, the connection isn’t reforming. Augmentation is a bust.

We initially tried a less physical method, but it didn’t work. Our hope was something more intimate would be more effective. No dice. I drew the line at kissing despite Barry eliciting more. Firm line there. We even tried with Barry out of range, thinking his Sumair shielding was inhibiting transfer. It made no difference. I severed the ties quite messily less than twenty-four hours ago. Reknitting the threads won’t be easy. It may not even be possible.

Barry waggles his brow. “Could it be they just aren’t feeling it?”

Kind of like watching your parents make out, isn’t it? Supermom goads.

“No point of reference.”

Mel and Ryan stop trying after thirty minutes. Barry’s mood music suggestion is the final straw. They’re sitting on the couch with their foreheads pressed together in a heartbreaking mutual acquiescence.

“Tell me what happened when you broke their connection,” Declan encourages me.

“I cut the cord, but not neatly.” I grimace. “The thread frayed, if that makes sense.”

“Perfect sense,” he agrees.

“Switch up your stream and try us,” Kiley recommends.

“This isn’t working. Two botched attempts will irreparably puncture my already deflated ego.”

“Just try,” Declan presses.

“We don’t even know if this is the type of connection we need to initiate the transfer. Maybe it doesn’t need to be so…physical.”

“They should definitely give it a shot,” Barry muses.

“Barry’s looking to live the evening vicariously through others,” Derry notes.

Barry frowns. “I miss my blonde beauty.”

“Fine, but if this misfires, I’ll go ahead and implode myself. I’m not much use to you, anyway.”

Keeping Barry distracted is as good a reason as any. Happy-go-lucky-Barry is a pervert, but frown-town-Barry’s far less easy to stomach.

“Should I step out?” Barry offers.

“We’ll try it this way first.”

Kiley wraps her arms around Declan’s neck. “I perform better with an audience.”

Barry guffaws, Derry groans, and I sigh. Witnessing their romantic connection appeals to me less than watching Mel and Ryan did. It’s bad enough to feel what they’re feeling. Watching it makes me want to jam my fingers in my eye sockets.

Declan grips Kiley’s hips while she curls her legs around his waist. When she presses her lips to his, I step back to steady myself from the intensity. It’s like a gust of wind was shot at me even more forcefully than the blow-dry I experienced earlier today, courtesy of co-star number two. Roses bloom in my cheeks, the thorns pricking holes in my fire fuel drums.

Bright side: I’m not the only one influenced by the dazzling display. Derry’s covering his eyes, Barry has a case of slack jaw, and Ryan and Mel are drowning me in envy.

In under thirty seconds, I sense the shift in Declan. He needs her to stop, but Kiley’s too engrossed in satiating her hunger. Anticipating his retreat, she greedily slurps every iota of air energy she can. She’s ravenous.

Barry’s presence doesn’t negate their ability to transfer energy, meaning his shield is more to block visibility than thwart physical dangers. Me smelling his Fennel and Crushed Rock scent is hit or miss. It isn’t always a miss, confirming the shield doesn’t protect from magical enhancements, just seeing the magic directly. Hence, my nose isn’t a reliable source. It depends on who else is around. Usually, when Derry’s around, all I smell are Morning Glories and Sunshine.

Derry’s guilt breaks me out of my apparent hypnosis. Kiley’s lack of control makes him question his. Our connection isn’t so desperate, so necessary. Yes, there are flashes of heat ignited by sudden urges, but it isn’t pivotal, and it certainly isn’t as fatal as this union will prove to be if I don’t end it.

I do the only thing that can halt their progression. I strip Declan of his desire to surrender while giving Kiley’s desire a cold shower. She lands on the floor with a soft thump. Declan’s too dazed to notice. She stares up at him, awestruck.

Barry slaps Declan on the back, circulating the tension-filled air. “Walk it off, Hoover.”

Kiley curls her knees up to her chest, rocking back and forth on the floor. Words are her lifeline, yet she can’t speak in the afterglow of the energy transfer.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Barry hauls her into his arms. “Up you get, Minivac.”

His bulk makes her appear even more miniature. He’s humming one of her songs as he carries her from the room, rocking her as he goes. His nurturing nature warms my heart. You know what? Tally’s nowhere near good enough for him. He deserves someone better.

Derry draws me to him. “I doubt he’d agree.”

“Why did that work?” The small success does little to minimize my failure with Ryan and Mel.

“When you broke our bond, you didn’t just cut it. You burned it,” Ryan theorizes. “Both ends are singed. Now the line can’t be reconnected.”

“Well, you’re a doctor.” I wriggle out of Derry’s grasp. “Fix it.”

“It’s scar tissue now,” Ryan contests.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

Derry rubs slow circles on my back. “Temperature check?”

“Quit asking me that,” I snap, instantly regretting it. My natural reaction is to shirk any support, so it’s tough to accept how much I need it from Derry. To depend on someone so absolutely breaks all the bolts holding my robot together. They clink as they fall to the floor, my left eye twitching each time one makes contact.

Derry gives me a sympathetic smile. “You’re being too hard on yourself. This is new for all of us. You did an amazing job for your first try.”

“This is supposed to be my purpose.” I clench my fists at my sides, excess heat collecting in my palms. “If I’m innately meant to do this, it should come without effort.”

“Being great at something means practice.” Kiley returns from her timeout, her Coreopsis and Bottle Rocket scent stronger than ever. “Killer voice here, but I had to train myself to use it. Besides, I’m the one who needs practice. I got carried away.” She cringes. “Emptier than I thought.”

“We should’ve warned you,” Barry throws in. “We’re all a tad low…most of us, at least.”

Derry’s heart is guilt-heavy.

“If you’d let him share me, he would. I could share with all of you. I have enough. You’re just too stubborn to let me.”

Cool your jets, Supermom cautions.

“It wouldn’t matter,” Derry interjects. “I need more. I burn through it quicker.”

“Because of the fire?”

“Yep.”

Declan half-smiles while Mel and Ryan guide him to the couch.

I make nervous circles with my thumbs and index fingers. “How are you feeling, Declan?”

“Empty. Full,” he murmurs.

Relatable. Derry puts me in a trance constantly, even when he isn’t catering to my overflow.

Kiley doesn’t wait for an invitation to curl into his lap, nuzzling into his chest via her own form of apology. As soon as he wraps her in his arms, she settles. There’s no lingering strain, no lingering fear. I’m sure everything will be fine with them. Unlike Ryan and Mel.

Botched that job the tiniest bit, didn’t you? Supermom adds unhelpfully.

“Epic fail.”

“I’ve been having visions a long time,” Mel counters, “and I couldn’t have dreamt it happening as well as it did.”

“My healing power took fine-tuning, too,” Ryan reminds me. “There was ample trial and error before I got it right.”

I wish Tally had come. She’d offset their placating. The scale-tipping makes it difficult to feel guilty for what I didn’t accomplish. The main goal for the night wasn’t achieved. Ryan and Mel are still broken, and I’m responsible for breaking them.

“Where does that leave us?”

“It means more research,” Ryan decides.

“And more practice!” Barry beams.

“That too.” Mel winks at him. She really shouldn’t encourage him.

“We’ll get it right.” Ryan’s continued faith in me leaves far too much opportunity for disappointment. “I may know someone who can help. Do you have a passport?”

“I don’t even have a driver’s license,” I admit sheepishly.

“Derry can sort that out.” Kiley chimes in, idly tracing Declan’s neckline.

Derry brings down the hammer. “Traveling is a bad idea.”

“Ah, come on,” she taunts him. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

His eyes narrow on her.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to fix this mess I’ve made,” I assure them.

“You didn’t make this mess, Sweetheart.”

“Yes, I did.” I take his face in my hands, my fiery energy seeking him out. His anxiety skyrockets. “Not taking any undue blame doesn’t mean I can bail on my responsibilities.”

He jerks back, his fear spreading out like lasers aimed at my heart. Crack. “Leaving right now would be dangerous.”

“I’m responsible for everyone here. I can’t walk away from my obligations.”

“Exactly. Away and can’t are the choice words,” he bends what I said to his advantage.

I glower extra hard.

“I’m not asking you to forget the role you play. I’m saying you need to remember your safety equipment.”

Barry beats his fist against his chest. “Unbreakable.”

Barbaric Caveman? Supermom clips.

“You’re not helping my case here, Barry,” Derry scolds.

“You are my safety equipment.” With Tally-flair, I flutter my lashes. “You don’t want to come?”

Derry swallows hard. I’m actually not terrible at that. Good job, me. When he pinches the bridge of his nose, I curse his intrusive mind.

“It’s not like I’m traipsing off into the...where are we going?”

Ryan smiles dreamily. “Someplace warm.”

I like the sound of that. “Sunny?”

He shrugs. “Sunnier than here.”

“Woohoo! Bikinis!” Barry cheers, his pecs dancing excitedly.

“I’ll take it!” Not only is the sun a tempting offer, even if it’s minimal, the whole bikini concept could give me the added fire I need to breach Derry’s heat shield. Convincing him to level up on our relationship will be all the tougher now, but with everything seeming to move in fast-forward, I’m afraid to hit pause. What if I can’t get the wheel turning again? What if I fall off the stupid thing?

“Let’s slow it down. Get her graduated first.” Crack. Crack. Crack.

“Slow it down,” I repeat. While the transfer worked, it could’ve easily resulted in disaster. Kiley wasn’t keen on stopping, and Declan would’ve let her drain him to dregs if I hadn’t intervened. I knew supervising would be required, but I can’t handle being responsible for breaking anyone else when the breaking I’ve already done is potentially permanent. “That’s it!” I shout, my outburst causing everyone to jump.

Derry can’t make any sense of my scattered thoughts. I give myself a mental fist pump. Spontaneity is my silent savior, allowing me continued privacy. He frowns. I shrug.

“It was rushed. Next time, we’ll slow it down.” Derry’s promptly annoyed at my mention of further attempts. I dutifully ignore him, carrying on. “Maybe the transfer can happen without direct contact. That could filter things enough to slow the drain. I didn’t break Kiley and Declan. They may not need the full experience to augment successfully.”

Declan whistles approvingly. “That’s a solid idea.”

“You want to try again?” Kiley grins.

“Of course I do.”

Declan wasn’t the only one to wait for his future. While he spent his life searching, Kiley spent her life waiting to be found. Neither would survive another separation.

Derry elbows me, knocking my thoughts back into focus. “Right, so when we try again, we’ll force some distance.”

“Some distance,” Declan echoes.

“A partition,” I clarify.

“Fast fires burn brighter, but slow fires burn longer,” Derry whispers in my ear, catching the roses in my cheeks ablaze.

Strike the match or dampen the tip, I project. Stop teasing my flowers.

He laughs. Instead of wrapping his arm around me again, he holds out his hand, temperature testing. I dive in. I don’t care how shallow the waters are. I’ve done too much hauling for the evening, and I’m drowning. I’ll happily let him keep me afloat for a while. Just a while, though. If I let it go on for very long, he’s liable to nail me to the bow.