Magic's Mark

Chapter 8

"Taylor," I shook his shoulders and tried to control my jagged breathing. I felt fear close up my throat as I stared down at him. Why had I allowed myself to absorb so much? I shook him once more, his eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Are you okay?" I stared down at him as he slowly moved his body.

"Yeah..." he pushed himself up on one elbow and examined me.

"What happened?" Are you okay?" staring back at him in a state of panic.

"It's okay Cara. You took a bit much and I wasn't prepared," he admitted.

"What do you mean?"

He was sitting up now and talking, so he must be fine but I was still in a state of shock. For a moment, the thought that I might have damaged him beyond repair had flown through my mind.

"I did use up a lot of magic earlier today, so I didn't quite anticipate that you would be able to draw so much power so quickly," he gave me a weak smile as he spoke.

I examined him suspiciously, "But you still have magic?"

He laughed shortly, "Yes Cara. It'll take more than that to kill off the magic in me."

He got up from the bed, slightly wincing at the moment and started walking towards the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked stupidly as the shock simmered down within me.

"Seeing as I am a little bit out of action, I think you should make me some food."

He walked gingerly towards to kitchen and I had to hurry behind him to keep up.

"So you're okay?" I heard myself ask again, I was still stunned how much the power exchange had affected him.

He turned and his eyes locked on me, "Cara I am fine. Trust me. I would tell you if I wasn't."

I nodded slowly and allowed myself to believe him.

I opened the cabinet above the stove and started rummaging through it, I found a loaf of bread that seemed acceptable and grabbed some bacon from the fridge. A quick and easy bacon sandwich seemed like a good enough option.

"So how long will it take for you to recharge your magical batteries?" I asked as I place the frying pan on the stove and waited for it to heat up.

Taylor had pulled himself up on the kitchen counter and was leaning his back against one of the cupboards, his eyes half shut as if he was about to go to sleep.

"With some food, an uneventful evening and a good nights sleep," he shrugged his shoulder, "I should be back to normal by tomorrow."

The thick smell of fried bacon lingered in the air long after we had finished the sandwiches, I was washing up the frying pan allowing my eyes to fix on the water streaming from the tap. For a moment, allowing myself to get lost in the motion of the water and my mind wandered, I felt myself shudder as the memories from the day washed over me.

"I think I should stay here tonight," Taylor's voice forced me back to the present.

"Really?" I looked at him questioningly.

"I don't want to leave you on your own just yet," he gave me an apologetic look as if he felt like he was intruding.

I nodded softly, it had been a while since I had had a houseguest for two nights in a row but with all the creepy warlocks roaming around I guess it was for the best.

"Plus I still feel a bit weak," he shot me a gentle smile.

I felt a stab go through my stomach as the memory his ashen face flashed through my mind.