Chapter 42. Magic's Apprentice

Cinnia missed Denzel terribly. It wasn't even up to two days since he traveled to Paris, but the ache in her chest was strong and hard to let go of. Denzel had told her that this was what the marking would feel like, but she didn't expect it to be so powerful and irrepressible.

"Cinnia? Cinnia! Are you even listening?" Sophie waved her hand in Cinnia's face till she blinked back to reality. "Where's your head at? You need to perfect this spell. Come on."

"Huh? Oh, right. I'm listening," Cinnia said. She patted the side of her hair, which was slicked back into a low bun, and scratched her brow. "I'm here. I was just..."

"Thinking about your mate. Of course." Sophie nodded. She spread her arms over the lit candles around them, and with a flick of her wrists, she quenched the flames. "I see he has marked you." Sophie gestured to the small, dark purple bruise by the side of Cinnia's neck.

Cinnia ran her fingers across it, a tiny smile playing at her lips as she r