by Renea Mason
I shook my head. “Wait… You mean, that’s all you had to do in the first place?”
“Well…I guess I could have, but then you would have missed out on all the fun. I might be brutish, as you say, but I’m not cruel. Besides, most of that was for me. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. Now, close your eyes.”
The last thing I remembered was resting against his shoulder as I drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER NINE
Expectant
Sunlight glinted through the crack in the red velvet curtains that lined the wall of windows in Cyril’s room. The familiar weight of his snow-white comforter, the warmth of Overton’s body, and the stiffness in my muscles were all welcome signs. All reminders of the intimacy we shared the day before and the comfort I had missed.
Perhaps it had all been a bad dream with a beautiful ending. But the haziness cleared, and the memories surfaced, allowing reality to rear its ugly head. There was no rush though, nowhere I had to be, so I stretched my toes and cracked my neck, limbering taut muscles. I drank in the beauty of Overton’s sleeping features. So peaceful, and in his proper place.
I had become so accustomed to having him here that the past few weeks without him were torture. I missed him—his company, his rigid ways of seeing to things, his kindness, but most of all, his smile. Cyril made me feel as if I ruled the universe at his side. Overton made me feel as though I were the center of it all. It was a feeling I could become addicted to, perhaps I already had, and that’s why, now, I was more at peace than I had ever been.
With one finger, I reached out and traced the line of Overton’s jaw. My touch was featherlight to keep from waking him, so I could savor him longer. The bridge of his nose, his cheekbones and his lips, all part of the masterpiece he was. A reflection of the depth waiting inside.
A tingling sensation skittered down my back, not wholly uneasy, just awareness. I turned my head to see Cyril standing at the foot of the bed, watching me gaze at Overton.
“Good morning, Light.” He smiled.
I meant to return his greeting but instead was stifled by a yawn. “Ahh…” I raised my arms above my head, stretching, and rolled onto my back. “Good morning.”
“I was thinking, perhaps, given everything that happened recently, we should accelerate your lessons.” He walked to my side of the bed and sat on the edge, capturing my hand between his. “You can’t know how much it pains me that I left you defenseless against Vidius. Especially while knowing all the magical ability you possess gave you options.”
“Cyril, it wasn’t your fault. We were outplayed. Whatever the gems are in his skin, that’s his advantage. I was stupid and careless because I was so happy to see you.”
He caressed my wrist with his thumb. “So, we could have all done things differently. What’s important is I help you gain better control over the magic.”
“Cyril, what happened to him, Vidius, I mean? How did you get him to leave? I felt the power radiating off him, and no offense, but I wondered if you’d even be a match for him.”
“That’s the strange thing, he wasn’t there. When I arrived, the door was open, and I saw the strange box. I smelled your blood, panicked, and went looking for you. When I arrived at your cage, you and Stanton were…let’s say I thought you’d prefer to not be interrupted. I waited around the corner and sifted through his thoughts until you were done.” He glanced at Overton’s sleeping form. “Light, if you ever doubted his love for you, I can tell you, no matter how angry he may have been, he was just as lost without you.”
I lowered my gaze to my hand engulfed in Cyril’s. “I’m sorry… I never meant… I mean—”
He dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine. “There’s nothing to apologize for. It was beautiful to see the two people I care about most in life find solace in each other. Like now, I can’t even properly sleep with you. Well…I can hold you and comfort you, but since I don’t sleep, it’s not the same. I came in here last night and saw how he held you while you both slept. I can see in his mind how much peace it brings him. How could I be anything but happy?”
He kissed me again. “I love you, Light. Loving someone properly means you should always consider their happiness paramount to your own. Even though it might seem like a selfless thing to do, once you’ve lived as long as I have, you come to know how truly selfish it is. By loving you, and ensuring your happiness, my experience is tied to yours. Therefore, I am better for it.”
He raised my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. “Don’t get me wrong, I would feel differently if you had been with anyone else. There has always been a connection between you and Stanton, and I love you both enough to never deny it.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Thank you seemed too formal. I opted for a smile and changed the subject. “So, you’re saying Vidius gave me a concussion, beat the hell out of Overton, locked us up, and just left? That’s it? Was the trailer there when you arrived?”
“Yes, I sent the men to clean it up.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. He was so powerful. Why did he step out after locking us up? And why lock us together? There were dozens of empty cells.”
He inhaled deeply through his nose. “I believe the stones are fragments of Aristia. They amplify his power. From what I can see in Stanton’s thoughts, none of the fragments Vidius melded to his skin are as large as the ones in Celestine’s eyes. It must anger him that we have Celestine. She seems to be a vessel of sorts, breathing but unconscious. Somehow she’s important to the fragments or otherwise he would have already used them himself.”
“So that explains the power, and why he’s mad, but why leave? Do you think he stole something from the compound that we overlooked?”
“I really don’t know. I was too worried about your well-being to consider his motives. I guess it’s possible. Perhaps he came looking for Celestine? With Vidius, it’s hard to tell.”
“See, that worries me. You didn’t feel the power radiating from him.”
Overton stirred, rolling away from us.
“Why don’t you get dressed and meet me in the kitchen? You can grab a bite to eat, and then we’ll head out for a lesson. Vidius was smart to go for your head. It’s impossible to focus with a brain injury, but there are ways to speed your recovery. I’d like to teach you how.”
I raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t involve any head trauma, does it, because Overton isn’t going to be there to heal me.”
He half chuckled. “No, but if you need to be healed, I can handle it. Overton needs to stop using that ability.”
“Why?”
He sighed. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but he’s so stubborn, perhaps you’re the only one stubborn enough to stop him.”
“I should be offended.” I tried to hide the grin pulling at the corner of my mouth.
He all but snorted. “Really, Light? You could barely say that with a straight face.” He leaned in, burying his head against my neck. “I’ve told you Stanton is long-lived but not immortal, meaning he can die under the proper circumstances, right?”
I nodded.
“Every time he uses his ability, he weakens. He gets stronger with age. So eventually, if he doesn’t use it, he is made whole again. But if he were to use it frequently enough, it could kill him.”
I tried to hide my shock, settling instead, on appreciation. “Thank you for telling me, even though he’ll be pissed you did.”
“Oh, I know. But what is that saying about all being fair in love? I care about you both. I’m not above playing a little dirty.” He placed a soft kiss behind my ear and breathed in my scent. “Speaking of dirty—”
“Cyril,” I warned.
“OK, Light. I’ll behave for now, but I make no promises about what will happen when we’re out practicing. Once your clothes come off…”
“Oh, hell no.”
A sudden and fierce kiss left me breathless. “See you downstairs when you’re ready.”
I sat, staring at Overton for a moment, thinki
ng of how he changed so much in such a short period. How each time he saved me, he risked himself. I leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I love you.” A contented sigh was his only response.
CHAPTER TEN
Essential
“Light, why are you so quiet? It’s not like you.” Cyril turned the leather bound steering wheel, veering the car onto a gravel road. We had driven for hours.
The classical music playing through the speakers allowed my thoughts to flow from one to another. Lately, I had been so lost in my contemplation of the events surrounding Vidius that it was hard to escape the swirling mess in my head.
“I guess there’s just so much to think about. Vidius, Overton, the cargo in the truck…you…us? My mind keeps racing from one idea to the next. Oh, and there’s the wondering about what kind of crazy shit you’re going to ask me to do during training.” I hooked two fingers on each hand in the air, miming quotations.
He reached across the console and patted my knee. “In time, you’ll learn to quiet the thoughts. No matter how much you achieve, there is still infinite chaos. As for your lesson…” He gathered the fabric of my sundress and dragged it toward my pelvis, skimming the backs of his fingers along my inner thigh.
I’d selected the dress because it would be easier to put back on if I ended up naked and covered in goo again. It never hurt to be prepared, and the shivers of pleasure rippling through my body made me even more glad I’d picked it.
“Cyril…” I whined. “If you keep doing that, we’re not going to get anything accomplished.”
The gravel road ended, and he shifted the car into park. He turned toward me, cupping my cheek with one hand. “I don’t know what it is, Light. There’s something about you today. I mean…I’m always enamored with you, but it’s harder for me to control. When I break my connection with you, I feel…anxious, I guess that’s what you’d call it. Sort of like the feeling when you’ve forgotten your keys or when you lock yourself out of the house. I don’t ever remember feeling this way. When I left you to cook dinner last night, it was unbearable. Perhaps I need to refocus my magic or…” His thumb stroked back and forth across my face. He pursed his lips in thought for a second then shook his head. “Anyway…let’s go.”
Pausing with one foot outside the car, he twisted toward me and surprised me with a kiss, then finished his climb out of the vehicle.
Before I could unbuckle my seatbelt, he opened my door and extended a hand to help me. The sporty BMW sat low to the ground like my Solstice, so I accepted his hand and exited.
He laced his fingers between mine and led me through a few dozen yards of forest surrounding a clearing where we slowed. “Remember when I took you by the river for your first lesson?”
“Yes.” We continued walking through grass, so high it tickled the tops of my calves.
“Well…I took you there so siphoning magic would be easy. The rushing water, the ley lines, the position of the stars allowed the energy to flow. Today, I chose this location because it is void of magic. Listen.”
The cool twilight air carried no sound. “What am I listening for?”
“Anything.”
Beyond the wind and rustling of leaves, there was nothing. “I don’t hear anything. Not even birds.”
“Exactly.” He stopped in the center of the clearing. “This is where it all began. That night I saved you—when you were a newborn and your mother was dying. My cabin once stood right here. Your father’s car was parked where mine is now. Down the road a bit, there was a small town, but it’s gone.”
I scanned the area, looking for any sign of the structures he spoke of, but nothing aside from the serene meadow surrounded us.
“Remember when I told you there were lasting consequences because I killed Ruarc?”
“Yes.”
He grasped both of my hands in his and stared into my eyes. “There once was an intersection of ley lines here, but there isn’t anymore. The town is deserted, and in its place are huge gaps in the Earth where fire escaped. Everyone thinks it was caused by a coal vein catching fire, but it was Ruarc’s demise.”
“Why didn’t the same thing happen with Michael?”
“I’ve considered that a lot. The best I can figure is it had something to do with the knife you used. You didn’t kill him by releasing magic, like I did. It was my power that caused the devastation. It wasn’t until recently the plants began to grow again in this spot, but the animals still stay away. There is next to no magic here. It’s a dead zone. So this is where I thought it would be best to teach you how to find the magic from within to see you through compromising situations.” He glanced around the field, taking in the barrenness. “Now, do you see why I always want you to be careful with magic?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
He sighed. “OK. I want you to focus and look around using your second sight. It will be harder here, so keep that in mind.”
I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, still tired from all the drama of the past few days. “OK, let me see…” I closed my eyes and opened them as I had done in the past, but nothing changed. I blinked a few times, trying to will the almost electric outlines to appear. I shuffled my feet, trying to find anything standing out beyond the beacon that was Cyril. It was nearly impossible to miss the magic in him. “Cyril, I’m not seeing anything. You weren’t kidding about this being a dead zone.”
“Here… let me try. I’ll see if I can find a place to start. Perhaps there’s a location with a little higher concentration.” He stopped speaking and stared at me. His expression was unlike anything I had seen before.
What was it? Terror? Fear? Astonishment? “Cyril, what’s wrong?”
He didn’t speak but kept his focus on me as though he were trying to stare a hole through me.
My brow furrowed. “Cyril, what is it?”
His voice was soft, distant, and unsettling. “I want you to try again. Take your time.”
“Fine.” I closed my eyes again, uncertain why things would be different this time. I opened them again. Still nothing.
Cyril coached me with calm, precise words. “Hold out your hand. Can you see the energy inside you?”
I did as he asked, and very much like him, the magic in me was easy to see.
“Now, look at me, and tell me what you see.”
Lifting my gaze, I described the details of his aura. “You have that same outline. Yours is red. It’s almost like the magic power and the prismatic coloring correspond.”
“They do. You haven’t imagined that. Tell me what else you see.”
“There are points of concentration where the light collects.”
“Good. Can you see my soul?”
I paused. “No, of course I can’t, you don’t have one. None of you who came from the other…world…or dimension, or whatever, do. If Vidius had a soul, I would have dropped him as soon as he walked in the door. Was that a trick question?”
“No.” The uneasiness in his speech remained, heightening my anxiety. “Now focus on yourself. Tell me what you see.”
“Well…I’m nowhere near as powerful. My aura is more greenish.” I held out my hands, inspecting them.
“Keep going. What else do you see?”
“I swear to God, Cyril, if I grow another penis like that time you had me shapeshift into Clarence…” I gasped when I glanced down my body. How could it be? It wasn’t possible.
“Tell me, Light.”
“Cyril, how is it possible? Did you do this? If so, when? And why?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What is it you think I’ve done?”
“Did you combine me with someone else? I don’t remember. Would I remember? Son of a bitch. Why did you do it?” My muscles trembled from panic.
“I didn’t combine you with anyone. This wasn’t my doing.”
“Then how the fuck do I have two souls?”
He took two long strides toward me and rested his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t have two souls. The answer is m
uch simpler than you think.”
I shot him a look of disbelief. “Is this some kind of joke? I know what I see.”
“The other soul isn’t yours.” He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and then cupped my cheek.
“Stop playing games.” A growl sounded, trapped behind my teeth.
He exhaled the deep breath he’d been holding. “Light, you’re pregnant.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “What did you say?”
He removed his hand from my face and slipped it behind his back, adding some distance between us, no doubt sensing the fury building inside me. He didn’t answer me.
I peered down again, taking in the sight of the misshapen orb glowing in my abdomen. “What the ever-loving fuck, Cyril? How is that possible?”
He crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The exasperation in his words was tangible. “I would think, by this point in your life, you’d have at least a basic understanding of how these things work.”
Was he seriously being flippant now? Did he have a death wish? I sucked in deep breaths, trying to quiet my rage enough to speak. “Fuck you, Cyril. Of course I know how people get pregnant.” Another deep inhalation. “It’s the big, fucking, omnipotent know-it-all that told me it wasn’t possible. What was it you said? You’re energy, not flesh? You don’t even have the right components to create life, and when it comes to Overton, you told me the soul binding process made it impossible. That in over six centuries, with all your family’s womanizing ways, not one of you had ever fathered a child.” I lunged at him. My outstretched hands impacted his chest, intending to shove him, but I barely nudged his solid mass. “Don’t you dare blame this on my ignorance.”
His words were cold. “Well…everything I told you was true, so I’d love to hear your explanation. How do you suppose this happened?”
It was the accusation and lack of compassion in his voice that unsettled me. I took a moment to consider his words. “I don’t have a fucking clue.”
“Really now…the mechanics are basic. But I don’t understand why. You’ve never spoken of even wanting a child. But it’s not the first time I’ve been cast aside in favor of human men. The real question is how did you hide it from me? I never imagined you’d—”
