Chapter Fifteen

Math

Math knew it.

He knew Piper had powers.

He’d sensed her magic the moment he’d met her, and Ash’s assessment confirmed the belief.

When they’d been training in Sebekkah, Math had used all his strength and she’d protected herself. And the things she could do with machines was amazing. Machines didn’t exist in his original time period and he’d been curious and had learned what he could to understand their complicated mechanisms. What Piper did wasn’t in any technology manual.

She was special. A special girl and not only because of her powers.

And she’d come back to the Warrior’s base in the professor’s house.

He’d worried when she’d rushed out of here. He didn’t know where she lived. He had her cellphone number but calls and texts could be ignored.

She’d changed into high-waisted jeans and a black top—what appeared to be her regular attire. He loved the gleam in her chocolatey eyes and her sense of humor. He loved how she cared about her mother and understood her uncle was an idiot. He loved how she smiled, how she was smiling at him right now. Her upturned lips were welcoming and warm. The left side of her mouth rose a little higher and the off centeredness reflected her. Not normal. Not regular. Special.

His heart dropped and melted into a slushy pile. He loved Piper. He’d felt the emotion the moment they’d met, but he’d ignored it or pushed it aside. He’d thought it was because she was the first unattached girl he’d known, or it was only attraction.

He love-loved her. Like Olivia and Xander, and Aria and Falcon. Like the forever-through-immortality kind of love.

Except Piper didn’t have immortality.

His body shocked at the thought. Even if she felt the same for him, someday he’d lose her. She’d move on to the Afterlife and he would stay here. Alone. Forever. Frustration and desire, sadness and joy, sent a pulsing rhythm through his body. He loved her, trusted her, and wanted to be with her for as long as possible.

He glanced at Ash, finally sympathizing with the guy’s situation. He’d lost his forever love in his previous time period. Which was why he acted like such a jerk. Now, Math understood the emotion.

“I don’t have super strength or super agility. Tell him, Math.” Piper’s sassy-skeptical tone brought him back to reality.

A reality skewed in a different light. The light of love.

She didn’t glow or blush. She appeared the same. He’d expected a spotlight to show her beauty, and for her to realize her love at the exact same moment. Except she hadn’t even realized she had powers. Because of her upbringing was she less aware of herself? Less aware of her powers and her feelings? Had the other Warrior couples realized their love at the same time? He hadn’t asked those questions. He opened his mouth to explain she did have strength.

“It’s latent.” Ash slipped the stool from beneath him and placed it to the side.

“You haven’t really spent any time with the trumpet besides the few minutes at your uncle’s shop and driving the instrument from the mansion to here.” Math had held the trumpet and put it in the hidden basement. She really hadn’t been exposed. And yet, her powers were already strong. The magic just hadn’t been brought to the surface yet.

While Piper was with her mom, he’d spent the first part of the morning researching ancient lapis lazuli jewels hoping to figure out how to find her lost one. The second part of the morning, he’d gathered the supplies needed to reunite the Trumpet of Peace with the Trumpet of War. Falcon had to find one more item before they could begin the process.

But if Piper’s powers were latent, did they need the Trumpet of Peace to bring them out? Math’s heart pounded. If she enhanced her powers, she could become a Warrior. They’d be a Warrior couple similar to Olivia and Xander, and Aria and Falcon. Their relationship might not be immortal, but it would last a long time. Math was positive.

Now that he understood what the trumpet could do for Piper, he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop the instruments’ powers. “If we destroy the trumpet—”

“If?” Ash raised a dark brow.

“When we destroy the trumpet, will that affect Piper’s powers?”

He shook his head. “Now that her powers have been initiated, they will continue to grow.”

“How could I possibly have powers?” A sheen of fear covered Piper’s gaze as if the news terrified her. She placed her palm on the stool, leaning against the furniture needing solid support.

Math’s chest carved into geometric patterns that segmented into interior points of hurt and confusion. Did she want powers? Or did the idea repulse her? Did he and his powers repulse her?

She plunked down on the stool and crossed her arms. “I haven’t been exposed to a magical amulet or come from a previous century.”

“You’ve been in contact with the trumpet.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, wanting to touch, trying to gauge her reaction. “And there are other factors to consider.”

“I didn’t play the trumpet.” Her anger seemed more fearful than furious.

“There’s something called hereditary magic.” Ash sounded so calm, almost annoyed. Like he didn’t want her to have powers, either.

“That’s good.” Math said at the same time as she spoke.

“That’s bad.”

They looked at each other and then to Ash.

“One simple exposure could bring all your power to the surface.” Ash stood and started strolling toward the door. “I’ll leave you two to discuss the possibilities.”

“I don’t have powers.” Piper’s lips set in a thin line.

Math grabbed the extra stool and pulled it in front of her. Sitting down, he straddled her legs trying to get close. Her scent of lotus wove around his brain. “Since we’ve been together, I’ve seen you manipulate machinery. There has to be an explanation.”

“Back in ancient Egypt there was no electricity. No machinery.” She emphasized her point with a bobbing chin. It was as if she sort-of believed, and yet didn’t want to. “How could my ability be related to the trumpet?”

He wanted to push her into understanding, he wanted her to believe.

“Since the beginning of Earth there have been electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere.” His science aptitude kicked in, except he needed to keep this simple. Believable. “They’re formed when an electric field combines with a magnetic field.”

“Like static cling and magnetic attraction.”

“Exactly.” Like he was a magnet attracted to her and wanted to cling to her.

He must’ve always known his feelings. Known they were soul mates. He’d always found her distracting and never had his wits around her. Did she feel the same? His stomach swirled with possible rejection. His head filled with self-doubt. And his lungs ached with the thought of Piper saying no.

No to him. No to her powers. No to becoming a Warrior.

“What you’re saying is I have electromagnetic power?” She pursed her lips in a cute-disbelieving way.

He wanted to kiss her disbelief away. Prove to her she had powers and she had his love.

He placed his hands on her thighs wishing they were someplace more comfortable. The two round stools limited his ability. “That’s how you’re manipulating cars and stoplights and even the security mechanism hiding the trumpet in the bust of Imhotep.”

She angled her head in a considering expression. “What about the other stuff? The super strength. And super agility.”

“How about a demonstration?”

“You’re going to show me your muscles?” Her lips lifted in a teasing smile.

He was glad she still had her sense of humor. When she learned of all the challenges facing the Warriors, she’d need it. “No. You are.”

Jumping off the stool, he searched around the room. He stopped at the drum set and the round, gold cymbals. He unscrewed the cymbal and brought it over. “Bend this.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

“Afraid to try?” He held the cymbal closer.

“I feel silly.” She took hold of the round metal. “No one can bend metal with their bare hands.”

If she didn’t believe, she wouldn’t try.

“You can do this.” He injected positivity into his voice. She could do this. He knew it.

She gripped the cymbal on both sides. Her face firmed with concentration. Her arms started to shake. The cymbal folded similar to a taco. The round disk became a half-moon.

She lifted her gaze. Brightness shone in her eyes. “I can’t believe I did that.”

Pride in her, for her, puffed his chest. “You did.”

Her expression crumpled. The brightness of success blurred into tears. “But…but…”

“Don’t you want powers?” He grabbed both her hands and the cymbal fell to the ground, clattering. The clattering echoed in his body. Maybe she didn’t want powers because she didn’t want to be like him. Or be with him.

“If I get my powers from the Trumpet of Peace and you’re going to destroy it, then whatever powers it has to cure…I mean, whatever powers I have will go away when the trumpet is gone.”

He gripped her hands tighter. Did she think she wasn’t strong enough? Her powers would continue to grow. “Ash said it probably doesn’t matter what happens to the trumpet. The powers are part of you.”

“Will I have healing powers like you?” Her hope twisted around his gut.

He wanted her to want powers, except the specificity of her question had him doubting her motives. Had trusting her been a mistake? Although, how could wanting to heal be a bad thing. “Why do you want healing powers?”

She squeezed his hands so tight her nails dug into his skin. “I need to tell you something, and it’s important—”

“Math!” Antony skidded to a halt in the music room with an anxious expression.

“What’s wrong?” Math got to his feet still holding Piper’s hands, unwilling to let go. He wanted the lady-killer Warrior to know she was taken.

“The Uset package has arrived in the country.” Antony’s serious tone communicated more than his words. His obvious concern emphasized the urgency, until he sneered at Piper. In this time period, he didn’t believe in relationships. He flirted and dated—a completely foreign concept to Math. “It’s being delivered, and I need your help tracking the contents.”

Piper’s hands stiffened. “Through my uncle’s pawn shop?”

“No.” Antony’s short answer barely acknowledged her question. Which was funny because he could be a charmer when he wanted.

“Can it wait?” Math pointed his head at her. He wanted to finish their discussion. “Plus, Falcon and I need to take care of the trumpets.”

“Both trumpets are in our possession. Safe.” Antony’s expression darkened, conveying more than his words. The Uset package was dangerous. Dangerous especially if the item fell into the wrong hands. “We need to act now. The person delivering the package has been killed.”

Not the news Math wanted Piper to hear before she committed to working with the Warriors.