Chapter Twenty-Four

Wade

It was unusually warm for November. The ocean lifted and lowered the sailboat as it pushed through the waves. Iris sat on the deck, wearing jeans and a hoodie. Her face toward the sun, she sighed. Wade could watch her all day. Her every movement drove him nuts. He wanted her more than anything in the world, but he could be patient. She was worth the wait.

“This is pure heaven,” she said and glanced over at him. “Do you not agree?”

Wade raised an eyebrow at her.

She pinched a look at him. “What?”

“You sounded like Crina.”

“I did not.” She straightened and swung her legs over the side. “Okay, maybe I did. Guess we got to know each other pretty well while sharing this body.”

“Do you want mustard on your sandwich?” Violet called from the cabin.

“Yes,” Wade said.

Dena and Violet were like a well-managed campaign as they made sandwiches in the small kitchen. Aster and Reese cuddled on the deck on the other side of Iris. Daisy lay on her back on the bow, her knees up as she read a book.

The events weighed on Wade’s mind. Magic was real. Iris couldn’t change fates but her sisters, Aster and Daisy, could. What did that mean? Could they make the world a better place for people? If they could, why wouldn’t they want to do it?

“Have you thought about your gift?” he asked, looking at Aster.

“I think about it all the time,” she said, taking a sip from her water bottle. “Why do you ask?”

“You could help people.” He turned the wheel slightly.

“It comes with a price,” Violet said, coming up the steps holding two sandwiches wrapped in paper towels.

“No, it doesn’t,” Aster said, taking the sandwich Violet offered her. “I figured a way to filter it.”

“Then why not?” Wade noticed the frown on Iris’s face. “What? You think she shouldn’t.”

Iris pushed loose hair behind her ear. “I got a lot of stuff from Crina’s thoughts. They used crystals and stones as filters while fate changing. Doing that did prevent bad fates from going to the fate changer’s family, but it has to go somewhere. It ends up inside the changer. Ages their insides. Some bled to death. Many didn’t make it to twenty-five. It’s a painful way to die.”

“That sounds bad,” Wade said. “Why did they change them?”

“They didn’t know. Crina discovered it after her death,” Iris said.

“Fates aren’t supposed to be changed,” Reese said. “The decisions we make direct our fates. People need to make the right choices in their life and not be careless with them.”

“You’re so right.” Aster smiled and kissed him. “I’m glad you’re my choice.”

“Why are we all so serious?” Dena stomped up to the deck, two more sandwiches in her hand. “We are young. What’s that song… Anyway, we should celebrate. I say we forget this crazy stuff and let loose.”

“Yeah, we should address the elephant in the room…um…boat. I can’t believe you two are engaged,” Iris said, glancing over at Aster and Reese.

“It’s a long engagement,” she said and looked down at the big rock on her finger. “I’ll be twenty-one by then.”

Reese rubbed her back. “We aged years after what we went through. I believe we can handle anything together.”

Wade smiled at Iris and she gave him one back. He understood what Reese meant. He’d weathered a storm with Iris. Almost losing her had put everything in perspective for him. It would have crushed him, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. His best friend. There was no one else for him but Iris. No matter how cliché it sounded, she completed him.

He faced forward, watching the bow jump waves as he steered. Iris came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against him. He twisted to bring her to his side, his arm sliding down her back until his hand rested on her hip. Their bodies fitted together like two puzzle pieces. His heart felt at home with her.

The boat rocked, and he held her tighter so she wouldn’t lose her footing. She tilted her head, and he kissed her soft lips. Her hand traveled up his chest and behind his neck, slender fingers combing through his hair. Lips parting, her tongue found his, sending a shiver down his spine. He wanted to get lost in her.

She pulled away from him, and, balancing on her toes, she whispered in his ear, “We’re going to make it, too.”

He smiled down at her. “I’d bet the boat on it.”

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