Unstoppable (Their Shifter Academy #6) - May Dawson Page 0,2
our tickets, I’d like to get some more funds,” Silas said. He glanced up at the clouds. “And maybe get us out of the rain before it starts.”
“Lead on,” Rafe said.
We found ourselves heading past a two-story brick schoolhouse and closer-together houses with small plots of garden, then into the most quaint and adorable town. Little wooden shops and buildings were clustered close together, each with a welcoming front porch decorated with intricate wooden scrollwork.
The train station was small, a wooden three-story house on either side of the tracks with a bridge from the third story over the tops of the trains. Inside, the lobby was hushed and empty. A bored man sat reading a magazine, his feet propped up on the desk. The list of destinations was on a chalkboard in the wall, neatly lettered.
Silas glanced over the board, then said, “Morning. I’m looking for a connecting train to Quorum.”
“Quorum, hm?” The man didn’t even look up as he dropped his magazine and pulled a book toward himself. “You’ll need to connect at Fairway. That’ll be seventy-eight a piece for second.”
Silas pulled out his wallet. “I’d like a private car in first, please.”
Rafe glanced at him skeptically.
“That’ll be three hundred for the car to Fairway and another eleven hundred for the one to Quorum.”
“Lovely.” Silas pulled the bills out of his wallet, then glanced at Jensen, who reached for his own wallet. We each had a thousand of their bills, divided between us all in case we were separated.
I reached into my own pocket and pulled out a few hundreds, not wanting Silas to be without any funds, but he grinned at me as if he had a plan.
The agent took the money and slid it through a slot in the top of what looked almost like an old-fashioned green-and-brass metal cash register. Due to how common magic was here, almost every bill was examined to make sure that it wasn’t created by magic. It wasn’t like in our world, where Silas could create money whenever he chose.
Rafe was still, watching Silas, and I knew he was choosing to bide his time to ask him what the hell he was doing.
Silas took our tickets from the agent and handed them out to us each. “In case we’re separated.”
“We’d better not be,” Rafe said.
“The train’s in three and a half hours,” the man said. “Car three is reserved for you, sir.”
“Thank you,” Silas said. He threw his arm over my shoulder and sauntered with me toward the door. “We’ve got some time to kill. Let’s have a few drinks and a game.”
“A game?” Rafe asked icily as the four of us stepped out onto the porch. The roof protected us at the moment, but the rain had broken, and a heavy drizzle pounded against the roof and fell steadily in front of us. Water ran over the cobblestone streets.
“I know you’re worried about money,” Silas said, glancing at him over his shoulder. “You don’t need to be. Not when you have me.”
Chase’s winning lottery ticket popped into my mind. That was how Silas had gotten around Chase’s pride, while still managing to lavish his friend with everything Chase ever wanted. But that only worked in our world. Here, everyone was guarded against magic.
Silas held a finger to his lips for just a second, as if he knew what was in my mind, that mischievous look in his gaze.
“Silas,” Rafe started. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”
“I won’t,” Silas promised. “I haven’t been in this town since I was a child. No one knows who I am.”
He raised his hand above the two of us, and a bubble of dry materialized around the two of us. Even when I stepped down into the street where a small river seemed to be streaking around my shoes, the bubble pressed down first, shearing the water away.
“If you’d be so kind,” Rafe said.
Silas twisted his fingers, and Rafe and Jensen followed us with their own magic umbrellas in place. Silas was smiling, just a little. He’d waited and made Rafe ask on purpose.
I elbowed him, and he glanced down at me with innocence written across his face.
“Don’t just be incredible, Silas,” I teased him. “Be nice.”
He looked down at me, his eyes bright in that handsome face, then pulled me even closer to press a kiss to my forehead.
“Nice might not be possible in the Greyworld, Maddie,” he told me softly, and the two of us walked on together.