Traces Of Magic

~Chapter 29~

-Sage's POV-

I awaken to the stinging sensation on my face. I open my eyes slowly. "Finally! You're awake. I thought I was going to have to slap you again." The man in front of me laughs before turning to the woman with purple hair. "Savannah, is the microscope ready yet?" She rolls her eyes. "Almost Dustin. Hold your horses." She presses a button and steps back as it turns on. "There. Done." They swap places so that the woman called Savannah stands in front of me.

"Now get me a good sample this time and don't screw it up." She sighs as she walks back to a table and picks something up. When she's back in front of me, I can make out the object in her hand. She rolls my shirt up and sticks the syringe into my chest to draw blood. I watch the clear cylinder fill up with my red blood. Once it's full, she takes it out and wipes off the needle before handing it off to the man called Dustin. He puts some of the blood onto a glass slide and slips it under the microscope lens. I look down at my chest.

A little bit of blood rolls down from the tiny hole left by the needle. Savannah walks over to Dustin and whispers something into his ear. He takes a moment to think before whispering something back. She nods her head before going back over to the table. This time, she grabs a syringe full of a clear liquid and comes back over to me. She places it in her mouth as she grabs my arm. I wince as her nails dig into my skin. She takes the syringe out of her mouth and sticks it into my arm.

The clear liquid disappears as it's replaced with air inside the syringe. Instantly as she takes the needle out of my arm, I feel drowsy. My eyelids grow heavier and heavier as I struggle to stay awake. Eventually, my eyes give up and let sleep take over.

-Mandy's POV-

"Are you sure you're going to be okay alone?" Jarron and I stand in front of my house. I rub my arm nervously. "Yeah. I should be fine..." I mumble under my breath as I look down. Jarron scoops me up into his arms and smiles. "Maybe I should stick around for a while, just to make sure you settle in safely, hmm?" I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck. "I don't see why not?" He kisses my head before carrying me inside.

He sets me down in the foyer. "Wait right here. Let me close the door." As he walks away, my eyes drift into the kitchen. There's a puddle of blood on the floor along with the pieces of the broken glass. Suddenly, Jarron turns my body so I look him in the eyes. "Don't pay any attention to that Mandy." I start to turn my head back over to it, but he grabs my face and makes me look back at him. "I'll take care of that. I don't want you to worry about it." His soft voice calms me a bit and I find myself staring deeply into his twinkling blue eyes.

He takes my hand and starts to lead me upstairs gently. Like I am in a trance, I follow him slowly. He takes me into my room and closes the door behind us. My bed is still a mess from yesterday when Grayson slept in it. Grayson! I forgot all about him! What if he came looking for me but found the front door wide open and me not here? I look around my room frantically for my phone. "What's the matter Mandy?" I rummage through the drawer of my nightstand. "I need to find my phone. I have to call Grayson and tell him that I'm okay." He shakes his head as I move to my dresser drawers. "Is he really that important?" I freeze and look at him.

"Yes, Jarron, he is." He smiles slyly as I continue looking around. "Well then I might be able to help..." I look over at him as he holds up my phone. I rush over to him and try to grab it off of him. He chuckles and holds it up over my head. "Jarron! Give me my phone!" I jump and try to grab it to no avail. After five attempts, I pout and cross my arms. He smiles at me. "What's this? Is the princess actually giving up?" I glare at him. "No. I'm just thinking of another way to get my phone back." He laughs and kisses my cheek. "Good luck with that."

I take another moment to think when I come up with something. Jarron watches me as I walk behind him. "Mandy, what are you..." He doesn't get to finish as I jump on his back. He lowers his arm in surprise, and I snatch my phone out of his hand. "Ha ha!" I cheer triumphantly as I get off of him. He rubs the back of his head as he chuckles softly. "You don't give up easily, do you princess?" I shake my head. "Nope." He smiles as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer to him.

My cheeks go pink as he locks his lips with mine. His hands rub my back as we stand there. The longer we do this, the more I realize that I want more than this. I want the next level of intimacy. Slowly, I pull Jarron towards my bed. The next thing I know, we're cuddling under the covers. I rest my head against his chest as he wraps his arm around me. "Jarron? How much do you love me?" I feel him sigh softly. "Mandy, I knew as soon as I met you that I was in love with you, more so than I was with Amanda."

I smiles as my cheeks turn pink. "You didn't answer my question." "Oh...um..." He moves slightly. "...I love you more than all of the love in the world." I move closer to him. "Mandy? How much do you love me?" I take a moment to think. "I love you more than how far the universe stretches." He chuckles softly and pulls me closer. He rests his head on top of mine and whispers. "I love you my princess."