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HENRY REPEATEDLY SHOVED his hands in his pockets and yanked them out again. Thoughts raced through his mind and not even taking deep breaths calmed his nerves.
Out of all the places on Earth, why here?
His feet splashed in the water that had puddled all over the pavement from the morning rain. Seattle was still grey. Looking up at the sky, it was like being back in England.
Perhaps that was why she was there. Perhaps Seattle reminded her of home.
Henry wondered about other similarities between London and Seattle, but he wasn’t in America for sightseeing. Not even to visit Washington’s Sanctuary for Dragons.
For once in his life, he didn’t have time for creatures. He was on a mission.
Walking past tall buildings, he scanned the numbers on the grey walls. He was nearing his destination, and his palms were sweaty.
His mission was to find her—his best friend. Leaving England hadn’t been enough; she had left the continent too. He had waited for her call and had spent numerous movie nights alone until he had lost hope. But after everything, he was there to get the explanation he deserved.
It was time he took matters into his own hands. It had already been three years since she had left.
Henry expected her to be angry for seeking her out, but he hoped she would also be happy to see him. Even seeing her shocked would work for him. He wanted to see her—even if he was angry.
Henry spotted the block of flats he thought she lived in. He hoped he had the right place. Considering he had found it through a realtor who had sold Ciara’s old—presumed—house, he couldn’t be sure. Henry wouldn’t have even found that house without his brother’s address list for future wedding guests.
He was away from work for his trip. It was time for his annual summer holiday anyway, but his original plans hadn’t involved Seattle. He hadn’t been planning to fly to America until he had found her address.
America had been kind to him. He hadn’t been there before, but so far his trip had gone well. He had no regrets about flying to the other side of the world, but a worry gnawed inside him. What if she isn’t there?
Sighing heavily, Henry stopped in front of the tall building. He double-checked the number on the grey, textured wall before turning to look at the double glass doors.
He forced his feet to move, mixed thoughts building up in his head. Would he be angry with her for leaving him like that? Or happy to see her? Pulling at the door, he realised it was locked. And it required a code.
Of course he didn’t have one, but it wouldn’t stop him. Turning left and right, he made sure no one was nearby. He turned his attention back to the locked door and pulled out his wand. He focused his power, letting it flow through the stone core of the wooden stick. After a quick flick, the door unlocked.
He pushed them open while putting his wand back in his pocket. The doors slid close behind him.
What if she was there? Ciara, who had cut him out of her life. Henry hadn’t seen her in so long that the possibility of seeing her still seemed distant. They had barely been adults when she had left.
But he hadn’t come all the way to Seattle to turn around like a coward.
Taking a deep breath, he looked between the lift and the stairs. The latter gave him more time to think, and he needed that.
He had been meaning to walk, but after the second floor, he found himself running. He was halfway up when he decided there was no turning back.
He ran all the way up and stopped at the top of the stairs. Looking around, he didn’t spot the right flat number. The corridor led left and right, but he couldn’t tell which way to go.
He stood there long enough for someone to walk up behind him.
“My flat is over here.”
Henry froze.
That voice.
He spun around to see his best friend standing a few steps below him.
His mouth hung ajar, and his eyes widened.
It was her, standing right there. Unless a spell was deceiving him—but it was unlikely. He didn’t feel as if he was under any enchantment.
She had grown. Not taller, but she had matured. She looked skinnier but had gained some muscle—she must have been hitting the gym regularly. Her hair was longer and perhaps a shade darker.
The way she stood was different. Something powerful in her posture. Confidence, perhaps.
“Ciara.”
She smiled at him. “Henry.”
His eyes wandered down to her leg as she walked up to him. She was limping, only stepping lightly on her left foot. “Are you injured?”
Henry cursed himself. It was the stupidest thing to say. But it wasn’t as though he had prepared a speech. He wasn’t even sure whether he was excited or furious. Or both.
Ciara’s smile lingered, and she glanced down at her leg. “Stupid accident.” She shrugged. “I’ll just have to be careful for a while.”
His brows furrowed. Considering she could use magic, it likely hadn’t been a mundane accident. Unless there had been non-magics around. Using magic in front of them was out of question and highly illegal.
“Do you want to come in?” Ciara gestured towards her flat door.
She seemed happy to see him, but distant. Almost unfamiliar.
It was as if he didn’t recognise her anymore. His past best friend.
Henry nodded. “I’d like that.”
Ciara led the way, limping to the door. She unlocked it by moving her hand for a spell. Then she snapped her fingers, and the doorknob twisted. Wandless magic. She was the only one Henry knew who could do that.
She slid the door open and let Henry go in before following.
He scanned the flat. It was minimalistic. A simple coatrack with a couple of coats hanging. The living area and bedroom space were one small room. Other than that there was just a mattress, a small chest of drawers, a desk, and one chair. From where he was standing, it looked as though the kitchen had just the essentials.
It wasn’t a cosy flat—a place to call home. It looked like a cheap motel room, only cleaner.
“Very...” Henry wanted to be honest and polite, but it was impossible to be both.
“Empty?” Ciara offered and limped past Henry. “I know. I don’t spend much time in here.”
Henry continued to look around the flat, but spared a glance at Ciara. “So, you’re at your boyfriend’s flat or something?”
Ciara shook her head and glanced away from Henry. “No boyfriend, but I work a lot. I’m just suspended now.”
Henry stopped looking around and turned to face Ciara. “Suspended?” His eyes fell down to her left leg—the one that was injured. It couldn’t be just a sprained ankle. Magical healers had access to methods that could heal those in just a day or two. Unless the injury was so recent, it had to be something more serious.
Ciara nodded. “Too many near-death experiences, according to my superiors.”
His brows furrowed. “Near-death experiences? What do you do for work?”
“I’m a hit witch.” She smiled. “Well, sort of. I assisted with other tasks, too.”
Henry knew exactly what a hit witch was. A hit wizard, except a woman. They were trained professionals who caught dangerous wizards and witches and put them behind bars.
He tilted his head to the side, giving himself time to gather his thoughts. “A-and you’ve had too many near-death experiences?”
She shrugged. “So they say.”
He stared at the woman—his old friend—whom he no longer recognised. Ciara hadn’t been reckless. Adventurous, maybe, but not reckless.
“I haven’t gone insane. You don’t have to stare at me like that.”
“I didn’t—”
Ciara smiled. “I know you, Henry. You actually seem very...” she looked him up and down “...unchanged.”
He frowned. “Is that good?”
Ciara’s smile widened. “I think so.”
A smile crossed Henry’s face and then vanished. “You’ve changed.”
With a heavy sigh, she said, “It’s been rough at work.”
“So, you catch dangerous wizards and witches?”
“Well, on paper, yes.” She walked over to her desk and leaned against it as if her leg was hurting.
“On paper?”
“I also do undercover and protector missions.”
Eyes wide, Henry stupidly asked, “For real?”
She nodded, playing with the belt loops of her jeans. “Someone has to deal with the bad guys on the magical side.”
Henry’s forehead creased. “I know, but I never thought you would.”
Ciara had always talked about becoming a curse breaker. Not a hit witch.
“I know it’s dangerous. In fact, my job is so dangerous that I haven’t seen my own mother. My job could put her in danger, too.” She sighed, exhaustion shining through her eyes. “I just finished an undercover mission, and like I said, I’m suspended now.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. In a weird way, Henry felt less sad about being left behind, knowing Ciara hadn’t even seen her own mother. Yet at the same time, his heart broke thinking how lonely she had to be.
“How long will you be on suspension?” Henry asked.
“Six months at the very least.”
It was a long time, and nothing appeared to be keeping Ciara in Seattle. It sparked the perfect idea.
“Come back to England.” The words flew out of his mouth, taking both of them by surprise.
Ciara was at a loss for words.
“I mean it.” And he did. He needed time with Ciara. He still didn’t have an explanation to her disappearance, which she owed him.
“I...I don’t know.” Ciara rubbed her arm uneasily.
“Have you even thought about it?” Henry’s eyes gleamed with hope, but it was soon ripped away.
“No.”
He was disappointed. “Will you think about it?”
She avoided his gaze. “I don’t know.”
“Six months should be enough to visit old friends, even if you have other plans.” Henry wasn’t good at convincing people, but he was going to try hard for Ciara. “Everyone is wondering what happened to you.”
“I have friends.”
“Outside work?”
Ciara shrugged, making the answer clear. She didn’t have many—if any—friends outside work.
Henry couldn’t believe his best friend was such a workaholic.
“What about you?” Ciara asked, eager to change the subject. She sat down on the only chair in the flat and gestured for Henry to sit down on the mattress.
So he did. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he turned to face her. “What about me?”
“What do you do for a living?” She didn’t know what he had been doing since graduation. It wasn’t hard to guess what his job might involve, but she didn’t want to guess, she wanted to know.
“I’m a creature trainer.”
The corners of Ciara’s mouth turned up. “Of course.”
“I suppose it’s not that hard to figure out.”
“Nope.”
The grin stayed on her face. She had always adored how much love Henry held for all magical creatures and animals. He was the type of person who would collect lost puppies and abandoned dogs. Or would have if he lived a non-magic life. But he didn’t, and it wouldn’t have been a surprise to learn that he had taken home a lost baby dragon.
“I’m not that surprised by your career choice either, now that I’m thinking about it.” Henry was horrified—but not that surprised. “You’ve always enjoyed adventures.”
Ciara smiled at him. “Well, you know me.”
He couldn’t control his tongue. “Do I? Because to me you seem so much more...mature. As if it had been a decade instead of three years.”
“A lot has happened, that’s all.” She looked down at her hands and sighed. “Not all good.”
“Like almost dying once in a while?”
Ciara smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Others weren’t so lucky.”
Henry stared at her for a good minute, his eyes turning grim. “Someone died?”
“Many people have died.” Ciara wagged her head, trying to shake off the memories. “It’s just...I lived in Canada at first, you know.” Her voice wavered, but no tears surfaced.
Henry remembered that side of her. How she hated showing feelings—especially negative ones—to other people. Even the people close to her.
“What happened in Canada?” Henry asked, hoping not to push Ciara over the edge.
“You remember Theo, right?” A smile crossed Ciara’s face, quickly vanishing. “From the tournament back in our school years?”
“Theo Bouch or something.” Henry remembered him. Ciara had been friends with the guy.
“Theo Boucher,” Ciara said, nodding.
Then the tears came, glistening in the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away hastily.
“We became even better friends when we started working together after I moved to Canada. We had...a special connection.” She paused to exhale. The tears were back. “But then he died on a mission with me.” She wiped the escaped tears off her cheeks as if they were burning acid.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s been a while now.”
Still, the sorrow in her eyes was clear as daylight. It hurt to see her that way.
“You know you could have called me, right?”
“I know.” She turned away and paused before facing Henry again. “I know I could have. I just wasn’t sure how you would react. Besides, I didn’t want to put you in danger.”
“I wouldn’t have minded.”
Ciara smiled and blinked away the last tears. “Well, enough of my tragic past years. How is your family?”
Henry’s family had once been like a second family for her.
He smiled, happy to talk about them. “Mum and Dad are fine. They are having mid-life crises now that the others are growing up, but they should be okay.”
Ciara chuckled. “They’ll be just fine, I’m sure.”
“Probably.” Henry smiled wide enough for his teeth to show. “Anyway, Gabriel is about to finish his fifth year, and Polly and Poppy are finishing their third year.”
They were all growing up so fast. Ciara had always seen them as little children, yet Gabriel was almost an adult already.
“Gabriel is also duelling in the school team like...” Henry stopped himself before his older brother’s name slipped out.
“Like Liam once was.” She didn’t flinch—didn’t even blink. “How is he, by the way?”
“Well, he’s...he’s back in England.” Henry shifted in his seat. “And well...he, uh—”
“He’s engaged.” Ciara nodded. “So just spit it out and tell me how he is.”
Henry cocked his head to the side. “Do you have a spy on him or what?” He paused, and it hit him. He pointed a finger at Ciara, shock fuelling his words. “If you tell me the two of you are in contact—”
“I haven’t talked to him in years. And no, no spies, either. But he invited me to his engagement party.”
“They, um...everyone assumed the invitation got lost in the mail.”
“It didn’t.”
That hurt. Ciara could have come, even to see Henry for old times’ sake. But she hadn’t.
He swallowed, turning to look away from her. “You didn’t want to come, then?”
“I would have come if the timing had been better.”
Henry turned back to meet her gaze. “Meaning?”
Her jaw tightened, but she kept her eyes on him. “It was around the time of Theo’s funeral.”
That was an acceptable reason.
“Why won’t you just come back to England now? Even for a visit.”
Ciara shook her head, straightening her back. “I can’t just leave everything.”
“You’re suspended for six months. What’s keeping you here?”
She was silent, trying to come up with an answer, until she had one. “Well, nothing, I suppose.”
Not with her suspension.
“Exactly!” Henry clapped his hands together. “So, it’s decided now. You’re coming back with me.”
Ciara chuckled, shaking her head at Henry’s excitement. “What would I do in England?”
“Meet old friends, of course.”
“They probably think I’m dead by now.”
“Exactly, and you’re not,” Henry said. “My family would love to see you.”
Ciara sighed. “I won’t make any promises on how long I’ll stay.”
“Then don’t. Even if you come back for a week, I’ll be happy.”
“I suppose it’s about time I came to visit.”
“It is. Besides, you can stay at my flat, so you don’t have to worry about getting a hotel room.”
Ciara raised an eyebrow. “You have your own flat?”
“Yes.”
“What about your girlfriend?”
Henry scoffed. “No time for a girlfriend. Creatures are the love of my life.”
Ciara laughed. It was such a Henry thing to say.
“Alright. I’ll stay for one week, but I’ll make no promises on anything more than that,” Ciara said.
Grinning, Henry asked her, “When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow?”
“It’s set in stone!”
No more escaping. It was time to go back home. At least for a visit.