It knocked me backwards so fast, pain shot up my backside as I landed on my ass. My shields shattered spectacularly inside my head.
“Ow.”
I paused on the ground, reaching up to cradle my head in my palm.
I was not expecting... that.
Courtney’s cackle pierced the air. She threw her arm up as she jumped up and down. My lips curled up and I shook my head despite my wounded pride.
I got to my feet slowly and rubbed my bruised butt. I was sure her ass was just as bruised as mine but she didn’t show it. Not with the victory grin still etched out on her face.
I staggered towards her, a little shocked by how well she’d done that.
“Well done, Court,” I said. I cleared my throat. “That was crazy strong.”
Courtney limped towards me, looking like she’d twisted an ankle. However, her wince was masked with that grin.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded, flicking her fingers towards her leg, then straightened up after her magic did the healing.
“Yeah, but that hurt more than expected,” she said.
“You did it very well,” I said. My ego was wounded but it was masked by how proud I was for my sister. In the time that I had been gone, she had grown so much. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Bella knocking some sense into her and forcing her to take her magic more seriously. “I never managed to smash Horlow off his feet, I can tell you.”
Court smirked. “Yeah, I was glad it worked,” she said. “But you still shot straight through all of my shields and got me as well.”
I nodded. “Yeah, not sure how we’re going to fix that weakness,” I admitted. I placed my hands on my hips and leaned my head to the side, stretching my neck, trying to get all the kinks out of it. “You did the same thing to me and I couldn’t keep my shields up either, although part of the spell and the set-up is your own wards, so... anyway.” I shrugged.
Court brushed some of the grass off her jeans.
“Enough for today?” she asked, still breathless.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “may as well go in for some lunch.”
At that moment, my stomach rumbled. Courtney smirked.
“Some things don’t change, do they?” she said, brushing her shoulder with mine as she pushed past me.
We walked back towards the house together, my heart singing with happiness to be beside my sisters once again.
The sun shone down, not too hot, but enough to make the scenery around us sparkle. I breathed in deeply, glad to be back home. The air had never seemed as fresh as it did here, even in the Fae realm. The trees swayed in the breeze.
I slowly reached up, wincing as I tugged more of my injuries, and brushed hair from my face.
“Can I ask you something, Ava?” Courtney said as we walked inside and collapsed on the couch. I rested my feet on the coffee table before me, staring up at the ceiling and trying to ignore the bruises forming.
Bella was nowhere to be seen, so I had to assume she was off reading or experimenting somewhere. It was almost a relief. I was sure if she had been there, she would have been peppering us with questions. I didn’t want to answer hers just yet.
“Yeah, of course,” I said.
My stomach rumbled, craving sandwiches. Luckily, I was a witch and could make a sandwich without stepping into the kitchen and fishing through an empty pantry for ingredients. Leaning forward, I waved my hand over the coffee table in front of me and magicked up a platter of chicken and salad rolls.
“Oh, thanks,” Courtney said as she grabbed the nearest sandwich and took a bite.
After a minute or two of filling our bellies, her request came back to me.
I cleared my throat and wiped my mouth. “Sorry, you said you had a question before I rudely interrupted with food.”