A chuckle bubbled out of him. She was utterly serious about burning the horror-show dolls, and something about that tickled his funny bone. The mirth was short-lived. He’d been right to come. Something was bothering her, the worry of it creasing her face and hanging heavy in her eyes.
“Do you need me for anything?” he asked. “Are you going to try flying again soon?”
She sighed and trudged out of the circle of chairs, her back bowed in defeat. “You can’t help me with flying. I’m supposed to train with Edgar and Mr. Tom this afternoon, but we don’t need you for that. To be honest, I doubt we’ll get very far with the book. Edgar is in the middle of a tricky passage that he can’t quite make out. The book is written in all five languages that he knows, mixed together, with one of those being Sanskrit. It’s such a stupid way to divulge information. It takes him forever to translate, then make sense of it. In fairness, though, I doubt anyone else could do it. He’s very patient. Regardless, I’ll probably just practice close combat with Mr. Tom while Edgar scratches his head.” She stopped at the window, not taking a seat in one of the two chairs facing a little wooden table, and looked out at the garden beyond.
“Not going well overall, huh?”
“No, which would be fine—I don’t mind easing into all of this—but…” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“What do you need, Jess?” he asked softly, stepping into the room despite himself and standing at her side. “I’m here to help.”
Her eyebrows rose and then fell. “Either you have excellent timing, or Ivy House finally got to you, huh?”
This was why he’d come. She didn’t like asking for help, but she’d take it if someone offered. The house clearly knew that about her, too.
“What do you need?” he repeated.
She shook her head again and tucked a cluster of hair behind her ear. “At the moment, nothing, it’s just…” She shrugged. “Remember when we first met and you said you were really good at reading people?”
“Yes.”
“And remember those summons I sent out last week?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well…” She put her hands on her shapely hips. “It feels like they’re coming. I can’t explain how, it just feels… Honestly, it feels like danger. It feels like whatever is answering my summons is going to be dangerous.”
“We’ll handle it.”
“Right, well, that’s just it. I’m not worried about you handling the town. You’ve got that locked down. Whoever is coming is basically showing up to work with me. I need to handle it. I need to be strong enough to lead, or possibly combat, a dangerous person. Maybe dangerous people.”
“And you’re scared you won’t be able to do it?”
“I’m scared I can’t, Austin. You saw what happened in the bar. I have plenty of power, sure, but I don’t know how to work it. It comes in random bursts, either by accident or when Edgar finally figures out a passage in that book. If someone dangerous waltzes in here, throwing their weight around, I’m not sure how I’ll handle it. Niamh and the others can probably fight them off, if it comes down to that, but that’s not going to win us any loyalty.” She paused for a moment. “I know you can teach me about leadership, but there’s just no time. This is happening soon, and I don’t think I’m ready. The little magic I know probably won’t be enough for the type of presence I feel coming. I’m…” She took a deep breath. “I’m not happy to admit it, but since things might start heating up… I’m not so confident, Austin. I want to be strong and dominate my role here, but…I’m nervous I won’t be enough. That the house chose poorly.”
It hadn’t. He knew she’d blow everyone away, but she didn’t need someone to tell her that. She needed someone to understand. “It’s okay to be nervous,” he said, “and it’s okay to not feel up to leading yet. You have to walk before you run.”
“I’m still at the ‘lying on my stomach’ stage of development, actually. My next goal is crawling.”
He rubbed her back, her warmth seeping into his touch. “I’m here, okay? I have experience in leading. Obviously you don’t need my help with Niamh and the others, but if new people show up, you can count on me. I will put them in their place until you’re ready to step up and take over. You know my past—you know I won’t try to usurp power. Eventually, hopefully, I won’t be able to.”
Her grin was slight, but she leaned into his touch, taking the comfort he offered. Yes, this was why the house had begged him. Jess desperately needed help and hadn’t felt comfortable enough to ask for it. He was happy he’d answered the summons.