Talley looked at the dead bits of flower on the table and thought about what she knew about Thaumaturgics. When Talley heard the word “witch”, her mind immediately went to the movie Hocus Pocus, but Thaumaturgics had little in common with Sarah Jessica Parker and black-flamed candles. According to all the information she could gather while at the Alpha’s cabin awaiting Scout’s trial, Thaumaturgics were similar to Seers. They were women born with special gifts, and just like with Seers, it was supposed to be one gift per customer. But where Seers could only See a particular something, Thaumaturgics could supposedly manipulate their one special gift. One of the Omegas claimed he once met one who could control the wind. He said that he had been young when his father had cornered her outside their home in Turkey, but he would never forget the tornado she conjured out of nowhere that leveled their house.

Talley hadn’t believed him. She hadn’t really believed that Thaumaturgics existed, although she would never admit that to anyone who might get word back to her mother. But if she could believe Walker…

“I’m sorry to ask, but…” She laid her hand on the table, palm up. Walker looked at it like it was the chemistry homework she was actively avoiding, but placed his own on top of it. Talley hoped the smile she shot him showed all the gratitude she sincerely felt. “So you believe your grandmother was a Thaumaturgic?”

A spark of confusion. “A Thauma-what?”

“You don’t know what a Thaumaturgic is?”

More confusion, and this time it was accompanied by a shot of embarrassment. “Should I?”

“No, not at all,” Talley said, trying hard to alleviate his discomfort. Maybe it was because she was getting used to Seeing him, or maybe because he was making an effort to be Seen, but Talley was able to catch a little more than just flecks of emotion. For example, she knew that he worried she would think he was uneducated and uncouth because he didn’t know what a Thaumaturgic was, and he thought that lack of knowledge was part of the reason she didn’t want him. “It’s just this urban legend that Shifters and Seers like to spread around. Except, I’m starting to wonder if they’re real.”

Some of the tension eased slightly out of him. “You think my grandmother might have been one?”

“It fits what I know about them.” She felt a tiny bit of hope through their connection, so she continued on. “According to legend, they’re women with the ability to control some natural force in the world. Things like the wind or fire or—”

“Or plants.”

“Or plants. I’m guessing your mother has the same affinity?”

Walker’s eyebrows pinched together. “Not really. I mean, she’s got a few things sitting around the house and has some flowerbeds and stuff outside, and it’s not like she’s got a black thumb or anything, but she’s not like my grandmother. Her plants live and grow, but no better than they would for anyone else.”

This was the problem with trying to find out anything in the supernatural world. There was no Wikipedia site devoted to Thaumaturgics, and a Google search would only uncover a list of definitions and a few role-playing games. There was a library up north somewhere, but it wasn’t exactly like they would let just anyone access the archives, and Talley doubted they would actually hold anything useful if they did. Facts weren’t a concrete thing when dealing with the supernatural, and every time you thought you uncovered one of them, something would come along throw a bunch of confusing muck on top of it.

“How about your grandmother who is a Seer? Can she See your mother?”

“She can, but she says its muted, as if her memories are painted with watercolors when everyone else uses acrylics.”

“And you?”

“I never thought to ask.”

Talley pulled her hand out from under Walker’s and leaned back. “Even if your grandmother wasn’t a Thaumaturgic, it makes sense that whatever made her invisible to Seer Helkamp would be passed down to your mom and then you.”

“But I’m a guy. I thought you said these Thaumaturgics were women.”

Talley wound a piece of hair around her finger, no longer worried about how uncool her nervous habit might make her look. “Over the last year I’ve learned that you can’t rely on what gender a power is supposed to belong to. Sometimes the strongest powers come in a box you weren’t ever expecting.”

Walker studied her face for a long moment, and Talley feared that she’d said too much. She trusted Walker and knew he was a good person, but sometimes good people believed in the wrong thing. She was trying to think of a way to cover for the way she’d just stated her belief in Scout without actually renouncing Scout when he said, “You look sad. Is everything okay?”

Talley tried to smile but knew it wasn’t convincing. “I’m just disappointed.” She hadn’t realized that she’d put so much hope into finding out how Jase could block himself from her until it was taken away.

Walker’s smile was even less convincing than her own. “I guess that makes two of us.”

“Walker, I—”

“It’s okay.” This time his smile was a bit more genuine. “I really think we could have been good together.”

Talley had to blink a couple of times before she could respond. “We could’ve been great.”

“I hope he realizes how lucky he is.”

Talley reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. Not for the first time, she wished her power worked in reverse so he could know the sincerity of her words. “I wish you all the love in the world, Walker of the Helkamp Pack. If there is anything I can ever do for you, just ask.”

Chapter 7

Jase Donovan had to be the most unlucky human being on the face of the planet. Not only had he ended up with the hardest Math 109 professor at the university, but the TA who was supposed to explain things to the dumb students had only the most basic understanding of the English language, and Jase had less than a basic understanding of her accent. As a result, he was staring at a page filled with problems that made about as much sense to him as the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, when he caught a familiar scent on the air. Less than a minute later, there was a soft knock on the door.

Jase rolled his shoulders and counted to five in his head. He didn’t want her to think he’d been sitting here and staring into space waiting for her to get back.