Free Legend of the Touched by JF Jenkins

something
into the garbage.
    "Good nap?" he asked and she could see him smile in
the orange glow of the flames.
    She nodded, standing so she could join him. "What are
you doing?"
    "Finishing dinner. The power went out shortly after
you fell asleep. I was able to save the turkey with my magic, get
some mashed potatoes made too. Right now I'm trying to figure out
what we can use and save, and what will need to be tossed."
    "You saved the turkey with your magic? How did you
manage this?" She couldn't help but laugh. All sorts of crazy
images were coming into her mind. In particular the turkey spinning
on a spoke over Jason spitting out a flame from his mouth. His
magic probably didn't work like that to begin with, but she'd yet
to see it in action. Too bad she missed it.
    He shrugged. "It took some creative problem solving.
I'll leave it at that. And I of course was able to get us some
light."
    "I noticed." Gwen stared at all of the candles. "A
bit of an overkill though? Seems like more of a fire hazard to
me."
    "I'd stop it before it got that far. Can't help it
though. I like to start things on fire. It's so natural, and not
something that happens enough."
    "Thank you. It's beautiful," she said softly.
    "Go ahead and sit down. I think I figured out how to
make crème brulee."
    "How fancy!"
    "Don't get too excited until after you taste it and
it doesn't kill you. Thank goodness I know how to follow
instructions well, or we'd be at a loss."
    Gwen took a seat at the dining room table, watching
him move about the kitchen some more. Fire poured out of his hand
with a great force as he "blow torched" their dessert. Her eyes
widened in awe at this. So beautiful and strong all at once, almost
frightening in a way that he contained such power inside of
him.
    "Cool trick," she whispered.
    "This? I suppose. Haven't done it in a while, so I'm
a little out of practice. I should probably use my magic more,
huh?" He cracked a half smile. Then the fire from his hand stopped.
A few minutes later, he had the food dished onto plates and brought
it over to the table. The turkey was noticeably dry, but it smelled
good. It was edible. And while the stuffing she had put inside was
a little burnt, and the mashed potatoes were a tiny bit soupy, she
applauded his cooking skills under the forced improvisation.
    Soon their stomachs were both full. A nice feeling to
have instead of the nervous knots which had been there the whole
week. The dishes were placed in the sink, and she was about to
start cleaning them when Jason came up behind her, kissing her
neck. They trailed up the curve to her jaw until he nibbled on her
ears.
    A small giggle escaped her lips. "I can't focus. Is
that your goal?"
    "Those can wait," he murmured.
    "They'll get smelly."
    "Our whole house will smell soon anyway."
    "When will the power be back on?" She swallowed,
butterflies filling her stomach. Something about their talk must
have re-inspired him. This was awfully romantic of him. Maybe he
was trying to make it all up to her. Who was she to complain?
    He shrugged. "I don't know. You're the one from the
small town. How long did this sort of thing take back home? In the
city it never lasted longer than twenty minutes."
    "It depends on why the power was out. Usually it came
back in a few hours. Every so often it lasted for a day or two."
She couldn't focus much on the conversation. Their bodies began to
sway slowly as he hummed in her ear. Her heart started to flutter,
her cheeks went hot, and words stumbled out of her mouth. "Are you
serenading me?"
    "That would mean I'd have to sing you a song," he
said, taking a brief pause in his self-made music to do so.
    "So then what are you doing?"
    "Filling empty space, trying to find something to do
while we wait, being sweet for a change, humming a tune because I
feel like it. Pick your favorite one." He spun her around so she
could stare into his eyes. The flames of the candles reflected in
them. It was beautiful.
    Gwen put her arms