I pondered for a moment and settled on the truth. “No, we’re just friends.”
She exhaled and turned to face me. “Are you sure?”
“Unless you know something I don’t.” Her face brightened. “But Valerie, Noah’s life is dangerous.” She frowned at me. “He’s much older than you.”
“I’m twenty-one,” she reminded me.
“I know.” I gave her a small smile.
“Lilith!” A tiny shrill voice screamed as small feet ran into the kitchen.
“Hello Rosie.” I bent down to her level. There were only three children in the Compound and most of the parents kept them away from me. Rosie was different. Her mother couldn’t keep her away for long. I suspected that she liked the feel of my Magic. She would seek me out whenever she could. She had bright brown eyes and black hair that hung just above her shoulders. I had no experience with children, but I did enjoy the fact that there was no fear behind her eyes.
“Hello, Valerie.” She seemed to remember the other woman.
“Are you hungry?” I asked her, holding out a buttered piece of bread. Her little hands grabbed it from me and chowed down.
“You said you were going to teach me to fight like you.”
“Later.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
She intertwined our hands, her chubby fingers looked tiny in my hand.
“Rosie!” Judas appeared in the threshold and shouted from across the kitchen. It startled me to finally hear his voice. He had been ignoring me so fervently. “Come away from her.”
She looked perplexed for a moment. Judas strode over and snatched away the small child.
“She’s dangerous,” he muttered under his breath as he strode from the room.
Valerie stood awkwardly and shot me an apologetic glance. The words stung. I had thought Judas was a friend. Before I could do something stupid like cry I fled the kitchen and went to find the healer. By the time I found Davis in his office, my emotions were back under control. I stood in the threshold of his office, Davis had his head in a book. I cleared my throat. When he looked up, his warm face brightened.
“Lilith, how wonderful to see you looking so well.”
“Hi, Davis.”
“How can I help you?”
I looked over my shoulder and moved further into his office before closing the door softly behind me. “I was after a book.”
He looked at me amused. I felt stupid to even ask the question, but I couldn’t shake the strange feeling about how my Magic acted when I was around the Hunter.
“About a magical connection between Mages.”
“Hmmm.” He sat back in his chair. “I might have something. I have a number of banned books here.”
He popped up from his chair with a speed that didn’t match his age and rifled through his voluminous collection. “Any particular reason?”
“No, I just heard an old story from Noah that interested me.” I tried to keep my voice light.
“Are you talking between family members?” He looked at me over his shoulder.
“No. The story was between strangers. They could channel their Magic easier in each other’s presence.”
He pulled a thin book from his shelf and turned to me. “I think this might be what you’re looking for. I remember seeing a similar folk tale. It was a love story, Romeo and Juliet type thing.”
He placed the book in my opens hands, the cover was worn with age. It felt so fragile. I tucked it under my heavy sweater. “Thank you Davis. Have you heard when Loral will be back?”
“Sorry, Lilith. No word yet.”
Chapter Thirteen
I shuddered with fatigue, but still Stella wasn’t satisfied.
“You’re too slow,” she huffed, bored. Stella wasn’t the most patient Mage, but she was a good teacher.
“I know. It’s my eyebrow that’s gone.” I gestured to my face which was now minus an eyebrow. I would have to glamour a fake one on for weeks until it grew back.
We were standing in the corner of the gym that was reserved for Magic sparring. No one wanted to throw Magic at me. Luka was the only volunteer. I guessed it was so he could spy on me and make sure I wasn’t betraying the oath. He had been lazily lobbing fireballs at me all afternoon while Stella watched on. We were practicing using my new casting technique in combat simulations. So far I had been unsuccessful. I was either too slow at getting the shield up, or it was so weak that Luka’s Magic burned right through it.
“I have shield runes tattooed on me. There is no point in casting like this.”
“Fine. Try and use the rune tattoos this time.” She faced the Hunter. “Turn up the power.”
My hand hovered on my dagger and I readied myself to slash my palm. I centred my power and locked eyes with Luka. No doubt I looked ridiculous with only one eyebrow, but he had yet to openly mock me. I could see the glint of humour in his eyes. When I felt the telltale flare of Luka’s power, I slashed my palm and slapped the blood under my collar bone. Before I could force enough power into the rune to activate it, I was forced to roll out of the way of Lukas attack. The massive ball of flames brushed past my shoulder and went out as it hit the padded wall. I returned to my feet. There was a sizeable hole burned into my sweater. It hung awkwardly off my shoulder and the skin underneath was red and peeling.
I turned my glare to Luka. “This was my favourite!”
He shrugged, not offering up any apologies.
“I think you need some more motivation.” Stella strode over to Luka. She gripped his shoulders and manoeuvred him next to me. The spark of power that flowed between us still unsettled me.
“What are you doing?” I hissed and yanked my grip from Luka’s hand.
Stella skipped to the other side of the room and grabbed one of my daggers. She balanced it awkwardly in her hand. It was clear she was inexperienced with weapons. Even though she had amazing control of her power, she would be a liability in close combat. She sliced her palm and the smell of her Magic was combined with Luka’s’. The combination made me light headed. Her long hair rose on its end and her eyes turned black. It was eerie to see the effect on someone else’s face.
“He won’t be half as nice to look at without eyebrows.”
If Luka was phased by Stella’s comments he didn’t show it.
“Just throw it at me Stella. I’ll do it this time.”
“We’ve tried that already.”
“It’s not going to make a difference.” I drew my blade and dragged it across my palm anyway. Luka gripped my bloody hand and intertwined our fingers, stopping me from using the shield tattoos.
“It’s fine.” He gave me an easy smile. “I’m sure Loral has some sort of potion for missing eyebrows.”
When my eyes met his, the connection flared to life. Power exploded between us. It had to be a side-effect of the oath. Powerful Magic had side-effects that couldn’t be predicted. I ignored it the best I could. Stella conjured a fireball and flung it across the space. Luka’s eyes kept mine as it hurdled toward us. His faith in me was unnerving. The rune flashed behind my eyes and the shield exploded out from me not a moment too soon.
The powerful blast knocked Stella off her feet and she landed square on her ass, mouth agape. I ran over to her.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry Stella.” I helped her to her feet. “Are you okay?”
“Let’s go again.” It was the most animated I had ever seen her.
She wiped her hands on her leggings and ushered me back toward the other side of the room. “I don’t think I can do it again.”
I could feel the beginnings of power backlash creeping behind my eyes. Apparently it didn’t matter what I thought. Luka grabbed my hand. Stella’s Magic stretched and expanded before she drew blood, and a ball of flames suddenly winked into existence. What Stella lacked in raw power, she made up for in finesse. When she hurled it toward me, the shield appeared almost without thought. My Magic bent to my will like never befor
e. I could see the intricacies of it as it wove in beautiful glittering designs. Stella braced herself against the impact but still skidded back a few meters.
I expected a wave of exhaustion to overwhelm me, but I felt better than I had in a long time.
“That was amazing!” Luka had a wide smile across his face. His joy was infectious and I found myself smiling alongside him.
Stella joined in our celebration. “I’ve never seen such raw power before. If you just learn to channel it, no-one could stop you.”
Luka dropped his arm, the joy seeming to extinguish. “Is that enough for today, Stella? I have a few things left to do.”
“Sure. Thanks for your help,” She gave him a radiant smile and waved him off.
As he left the room, a sick feeling entered my stomach. Would Luka try to collar me again? I didn’t think I could take the loss; especially not after I had just started to become more comfortable with my power. It was stupid of me to practice my Magic in front of him. He was my enemy. You don’t show your enemy your hand before the battle.
“I have to go. Thank you again for your help.”
“We’ll practice again tomorrow.”
I gave her a small smile and rushed from the gym.
I was an idiot! I had just shown the Elect that I was a deadly, unstoppable weapon. I would never be free now. No way would they agree to letting me go once they knew the power I possessed. Luka was probably getting the paralysis potion ready for me. I had fallen for his facade, let down my guard, and now I would suffer the consequences. I had to find him.
I weaved through the corridors of the compound, back toward our bedroom.
“Hey.” Valerie brushed past me. I grabbed her arm before she got too far away.
“Have you seen Noah?”
“Yea, I saw him walking that way.” She directed behind her. “I think he was going to get ready for dinner. Are you coming? Sylvie’s cooking.”
“I’ll see you there.” I waved her off and stalked in the direction she pointed.
Our bedroom was empty. I moved on to the gym.
Empty.
Where was he?
I stalked through the compound. It was so large, only a fraction of the rooms were filled. There were so many parts of the underground bunker that had never been used. He could be anywhere. I needed to talk to him before he made any rash decisions. I came to the springs. The burnt vanilla aroma of his Magic filled the small space. I had been to the springs before, a lot of the compound swam there for fun. I waded further into the room. The black structures of rock holding up the walls were pock-marked and slick with condensation.
“Noah?” My voice was barely above a whisper, yet it echoed around the cavern. All the lamps suddenly went dark.
Out of nowhere I was tackled to the ground. My feet were swept from under me and I fell. A hand cradled my head and stopped me from hitting the ground. Luka’s heavy body was crushing me, trapping my arms to my sides.
“Get off. I just want to talk.”
I wiggled violently under him. Tepid water dripped onto my face. It was impossible to see anything in the dark and I didn’t want to cast any rune Magic in case I scared him further. I wiggled my arms free.
I shoved hard against his chest. He didn’t let up. He adjusted his position, straddling my waist and trapping my hands. Genuine fear rose within me as I remembered the ferocity in his eyes when he dangled the paralysis potion in front of my face.
“We made an oath, remember? We’re on the same side.” My words came quickly.
No doubt he heard the thin thread of fear that wove through my words. It had been a while since I was afraid of Luka. He laughed and shifted his weight. In the next moment he was standing and he held a flame by his face. There was no malice in his eyes. His long hair was sopping wet and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The fear vanished as quickly as it came.
“Why are you wet?”
“I was swimming.”
I rolled my eyes. “You left so quickly, I thought…”
“Why does Stella need to cut herself so deeply before she can use her Magic?” He cut me off.
“I think she needs more blood to use her power.”
He hauled me to my feet. The rest of the lights returned. “I heard Sylvie’s making dinner.”
There was a strange joviality to his voice. It made me uncomfortable, the lightness didn’t fit him. I eyed him with suspicion. “We better hurry before Tony and Levi eat it all.”
The kitchen was busy. It always was when Sylvie was cooking. Most of the group were already sitting down with their meals, I grabbed my plate and piled on the rich-smelling food. I nestled on the edge of the bench beside Sylvie. Over the plates of buttery mash, gossip was traded like poker chips. In the compound, no one’s secrets were safe for long. Upon seeing me sit down, Valerie got up and sat opposite me. It wasn’t me she was waiting to speak too. Her hair was expertly curled around her face and her makeup applied with a heavy hand. I had done the same thing waiting for Judas a few weeks ago. Now he glared at me from the other end of the table. I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my head.
“You look nice, Val.” I gave her a small smile.
Her tan skin blushed a deep red. Finally the target of her affections came into the dining room. As when I had first laid eyes on him, Luka entered the room confidence first. His body was lean and deadly and he tactfully ignored the number of eyes that locked on him. As it was, I averted mine, focusing instead on the half-eaten meal in front of me.
Luka took his quasi-assigned place next to me. He slid me a plate of bread.
“You need to eat more.”
“You still look like a skeleton,” Stella joined in.
“Thanks.”
“Lilith, Stella said you’ve been doing really well with your Magic.” Sylvie turned to face me.
“I couldn’t do it without her help.”
“And Noah’s!” Stella said.
“He risked his eyebrows for me.”
I was still missing mine. I hadn’t had time to glamour myself a new one.
“Did you hear from Loral, Sylvie?” Valerie asked.
I tried to keep my calm façade. No one ever gave me any information. I believed Luka when he told me that he would relay anything of importance. He would never sugarcoat anything. It was one of his redeeming qualities.
“Everything is going according to plan, Valerie.” She smiled. If I looked closely, I thought I could see a tightness in her eyes, but perhaps I was imagining things.
“I want to go on a mission,” Valerie stated. She had made the same complaint too many nights to count.
“Don’t be ridiculous. What if something happened? You can’t defend yourself,” Sylvie brushed off her daughter with a wave.
“Yes I can! Noah’s been helping me learn how to fight. I’m getting better, right Noah?”
I shot Luka a glare. He hadn’t told me he was training anyone outside our classes.
“Not quite good enough yet, Val, but you’ll get there.”
“But Loral goes on missions all the time and he can’t fight.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Loral is one of the most powerful Potion Mages alive and he can fight,” I reminded her.
“Noah will protect me. I’ll go on the next mission he does.”
This was Luka’s fight and I would leave him to it. Dinner didn’t seem quite so inviting anymore. When I got to my room I flicked on our bedside lamp and retrieved the book I got from Davis. I had hidden it under the mattress. For some reason it made me uncomfortable to think what Luka would say if he found it.
I flipped open the worn cover and reread the same page I had found the night before.
Soul Bonds
A Soul Bond occurs when a pair of souls are deliberately and tightly bound to each other. It occurs in only extremely rare circumstances.
Each Mage has their own unique magical signature—it is how wards are erected. When a Mage enters a Soul Bond, their magic
al signatures are intertwined. Their mind and Magic become permanently connected. Senses and memories can be shared and, in some cases, the pair can transfer their Magic reserves. With all things Magic, the effect relies on the strength and circumstance of the Mages involved in the Bond.
Familiar Bonds
This bond is a connection of the minds only. Familiars are connected rather than bound. The animals work in tandem and stamina is increased between both parties.
Although bonded to the Mage they serve …
I knew all about familiar bonds. They were common. I had never heard the term soul bond before. Closing my eyes, I stretched out my awareness and thought of Luka. Nothing. I couldn’t sense anything. I was alone in my mind. I felt like an idiot. I slammed the book shut, and hid it back under the mattress. I had let my emotions get the better of me. A handsome man had laid on top of me half-naked and dripping wet, and the next thing I was doing was reading up on soul bonds. Loral would never let me live it down--if he ever came back. I spent the rest of the night reading the other books Davis had given me. Luka hadn’t come back to our room before I fell asleep, so I stayed on the mattress. If he wanted to go to sleep at a ridiculous hour he could sleep on the floor.
***
My mother’s emerald-green eyes pleaded with me through the crack in the door. I could save her if I left the pantry, but I couldn’t move.
Dark blood seeped under the door, the thick liquid lapped at my bare feet.
I was frozen and could only watch as my mother’s blood curled around my feet. My power finally laid dormant, silenced by my terror.
“Arina,” a deep voice called in an urgent whisper.
They’ve found me.
Pure dread shot through my veins. I burst through the pantry door, not sparing my dying mother a second glance. I had to go.
“Wake up.”
My eyes flashed open like I’d been doused with ice water. The room was pitch black and warm hands pinned me to the bed by my shoulders. Trapped. I began to struggle violently. The scent of burnt vanilla filled my nostrils, soothing my panic. Luka. It was just Luka.
The Sanguine Door Page 14
