by Alexa Silver
They were the same wings she’d seen in her dreams since childhood.
Every Luminis knew what those metallic traces meant. Even knowing that status in the Luminis world meant nothing in the mundane world, she couldn’t reconcile the broke, shy musician with royalty. She must have imagined it. Must have overlaid her dream with the flesh and blood young man she was attracted to.
But she hadn’t imagined the rest. He was sweet, and when he’d told her to never hope to die there had been passion in his eyes. Her uncle wasn’t happy, but he never liked any of the guys she dated.
Well, she’d never liked any of the other guys as much as she liked this one. There was something about him she couldn’t shake. It was more than the power she could feel almost bubbling up inside him when their hands brushed. More than the echo of distant music that clung to him like Aqua Velva.
She’d known a girl once who had had a boy’s name in her head for as long as she could remember. Christina never knew if she ever found him or not. Sometimes it happened, other times it didn’t. Christina had never had that, only her dreams, but she couldn’t imagine the draw to a boy being any stronger than the one she felt toward Will.
“Chrissy!”
She nearly dropped the glass she was drying when Uncle Sal yelled her name.
“What!” The diner was empty and Maggie had been about fifteen minutes early. Maggie was sweeping the floor out front and Chrissy was finishing the dishes from her shift. They’d lost their night dishwasher and hadn’t been able to find a new one yet. That meant staying after work sometimes to catch up. Chrissy didn’t mind too much, but she’d rather be home where she could daydream about Will without interruption.
“I called your name six times, girl. Got to pay better attention,” Uncle Sal said. He wasn’t really her uncle, but he and Aunt Angie had raised her since her parents died when she was six. She didn’t think they were any blood relation, other than being from the same Luminis line. Officially, of course, Aunt Angie was her mom’s sister, but mundane social services didn’t need to know about private Luminis family arrangements. Magic beat mundane bureaucracy any day of the week.
“Sorry, Uncle Sal,” Christina said. Uncle Sal annoyed her sometimes, but he’d always been good to her. He and Aunt Angie never treated her any differently than they treated their sons. “What do you need?”
“You steer clear of that boy, Chrissy,” he said. The words were a variation on his usual theme. You’re too good for that boy, Chrissy. You can do better. His tone was new. There was a dangerous note in it that put her on guard as if an attack were immanent.
“He’s nice, Uncle. I like him.” Chrissy couldn’t figure out why her uncle was behaving this way. Every instinct she had screamed at her to be with Will. Of all the right things she’d ever known, he was the rightest.
“He’ll bring you nothing but grief, girl. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“Uncle, you say that about every guy,” she said, trying to brush off his worries.
“Don’t sass me, Chrissy,” he said. He ran his hand over his face and for a moment, Chrissy thought he looked old. Old and tired and maybe a little resigned, but she couldn’t figure out where the last came from. When he pulled her into a hug, she sank into it, letting the familiar scent of Old Spice mixed with grease and peppermint wash over her.
“I promised your dad I’d look after you if anything ever happened to him,” he said. Chrissy tightened her hug. Her aunt and uncle rarely talked about her parents. The attack they’d died in had been bad and they were just two of many who’d died fighting it off. She’d heard the old Prince himself had shown up to help turn the tide and kill the demon pack. She didn’t know if that was true or just a tale someone decided sounded good.
“You don’t know that boy, Chrissy. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“Then tell me what I’m getting into,” Chrissy said. She hated being treated like a kid too young to know not to fly in public.
Her uncle stilled and she sensed a war going on inside him. Whatever he knew about Will was serious. “I—” he paused, “I can’t, girl. I wish I could,” he said, and Chrissy shivered at the finality in his tone. Whatever he knew it was important. Perhaps Will belonged to a line that had challenged their ruling line. Maybe his ancestors had been involved in something nasty once. Whatever it was, it was obvious that her uncle had been barred from talking about it. Her people didn’t use magic to alter people’s thoughts, but they would use it to enforce silence, if necessary.
“I can see you’re determined,” he said, then he kissed the top of her head and for a moment, it was as if Chrissy was nine-years-old again and feeling safe for the first time after her parents died. “I just hope he’s worth the risk.”
“Uncle,” Chrissy said as she loosened her hold on him just enough so she could look up into his face. “Every day a Luminis draws breath, we face risk. You taught me that,” she said. “He’s not dark, you know I’d be able to tell if he was dark.”
“Chrissy,” he said, and she suddenly felt like a kid again, about to be told why she couldn’t have chocolate cake for breakfast.
“Don’t ‘Chrissy’ me!” Her anger flowed from somewhere deep inside and she wouldn’t let this pass. “He’s like us! And he’s sweet and smart and he likes me and I like him!” Chrissy hadn’t realized how much her voice had risen at the end until she heard Maggie laugh out front.
“He isn’t like us, girl! Don’t you get it?” Uncle Sal was angry, too, but Chrissy sensed that maybe she’d already won this battle, she just wished it didn’t feel like she’d also lost it.
“No, Uncle, I don’t. All I know is that I want him.” Chrissy’s face flushed. Luminis families tended to be very open about such things, but it didn’t make it any easier to talk about with just her uncle. “I think,” Chrissy started to say, then stopped a moment trying to sort out what she was feeling. “I think I’m supposed to be with him, Uncle.” She searched her Uncle’s face and tried to sense what he was feeling, something she could sometimes accomplish, sometimes not.
Uncle Sal sighed sadly and gently tucked a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear. “If it’s destined, Christina, there’s nothing I can say or do to stop it.” He pulled her tight against him, almost as if he were trying to keep her safe from herself.
“God help him if he hurts you, Chrissy,” Uncle Sal said and Chrissy shivered. “God help him if he hurts you.”
Chapter 3
Will leaned on the streetlight across from the diner. He’d hidden himself from the view of most people, partially using magic, partially taking advantage of the rising fog. His mentor, Charles was powerful enough to be able to see him, if he’d been there. Maybe one of the guys in his almost band. Luminis were drawn to the arts, which didn’t completely explain Dave, Steve and Sam all showing up at Berklee with him. One day he’d need to look into that, but for now he had more important things to think about.
He lit another cigarette and watched the girl, Christina, as she did her job. Around midnight, another waitress arrived. Will wanted to go right in and get his girl, but waiting was part of his job. Some assignments came through official channels from the Conclave. Others were more instinctive. Luminis found themselves drawn to people or to places at certain times. Once there, the knowledge of what needed to be done would be in their minds. Will had ignored Conclave directives in the past, but never an assignment of the heart, as they were called. It might be to fend off a demon attack, or it might be a kind word to a stranger who desperately needed anyone to care at a critical moment in his life.
Will was very good at his job, even if he didn’t like waiting for things to happen. He watched as she disappeared into the back of the diner and fretted when she didn’t reappear. Would she leave by the back door? One end of the alley was in view, but the other end was over on Broad Street. It was a long dark walk that way.
Will growled low in his throat at the thought of his
girl—his girl—walking that alley in the middle of the night. He didn’t care that she was Luminis and probably more than a match for any ordinary asshole who might bother her.
He’d spent an hour or so after dinner, patrolling the area, burning off excess energy. He hadn’t run into anything major. The Nereid who’d moved into the pond a few months ago had pointed out some snakes that had been bothering her. They usually kept their distance from Will unless they had strength of numbers. Will had killed them for her just as she, and a few dryads watched over his mom whenever she had to go back and forth to work alone. He appreciated their efforts, but they couldn’t venture far enough from their homes to protect her entire route. Still, a favor for a favor. More snakes would appear in time and he, or another of his people, or one of their allies, would kill them. It never ended.
There were other, worse things lurking in the shadows that he didn’t ever want her running into if he had any say in the matter.
Not her or Christina.
The more he thought about it, the more he growled. He could almost hear his mother chiding him in that soft, but insistent way of hers, Billy, stop that. Anyone with a speck of talent could hear you for miles, and your eyes are glowing, son. You’ve got to learn to control yourself, Billy.
Mom was usually right.
But this was different. Christina was his, he could feel it. If any man touched her; if any creature touched her, he’d kill him or it. No question, no hesitation. Christina was off limits and if anyone had a problem with that, he could take it up with Will.
Will took his eyes off the diner and turned around to look across the Commons to where his mom worked at Fenway. She needed him. She was as much a target as he was and even though they’d escaped the hell they’d been mired in, his mom was as marked as he was.
As marked as Christina would be if she was with him.
Will rubbed his forehead. This was a bad idea. How could he even consider bringing a girl into his life? Really into his life, not just for a night of fun. How could he protect both his mom and his girlfriend? What if they got married? Could he bring children into the world knowing what they faced with him as their father? A chill ran down Will’s spine. He would die before he let a child of his go through what he did. He would burn the world before he let that happen.
There were people he could call on to help him keep his loved ones safe, but that meant political alliances and Will had an inherent distrust of those. Such an alliance was what left him and his mom under the control of a demon for most of the first fifteen years of his life.
Will turned back to look at the diner. Christina was at the end of the counter talking with another waitress. She had her purse on her shoulder and a sweater draped over her arm, obviously ready to leave.
God he wanted her.
It wasn’t just his aching cock, it was his heart, his soul. He didn’t want a fumble in a back room, he wanted it all. Wanted to sleep with her, wake up with her, see her smile every day, give her children, even if he thought he’d never sleep again if that’s what it took to protect them. He fuckin’ wanted to grow old with her and how screwy was that. Twenty-two years old and thinking he wanted to grow old with someone. Hell, if all she was after was a fling, he’d take it. But the rest of his life would be a hollow shell where she should have been. Somehow he’d find a way to keep her safe along with his mom. He dared not think further than that. He’d find a way.
You stepped out of the fog.
The line came to him again. One of several that had started running through his head while he was having dinner. He should be writing these down, but somehow he didn’t think he’d have any trouble remembering these lines without prompting.
I knew you before.
You danced in my dreams.
He didn’t have a tune yet, but it would come to him. Sometimes he’d have lyrics but no tune and ask one of his buddies if they had any tunes without lyrics. That’s how Get Started was written, but this one…this one he wouldn’t share. Will wasn’t sure if he’d ever let anyone else hear it, he just knew he needed to write it.
You made a home in my soul.
My light in the dark.
My girl in the mist.
Movement in the diner drew his attention and he straightened up, dropping his cigarette where it sizzled on the moist pavement for a moment before he crushed it.
Christina was heading for the doorway. Her maybe-dad followed her and Will was worried he was going to screw up Will’s plan to walk her home, but the old man was still in his apron. They seemed to be having an argument, though his girl didn’t seem too upset. He wouldn’t have to do anything to the old man then. He could imagine his mom’s response to that. Billy! You settle down, young man. He’s her father!
As she stepped out, he pushed off from the streetlight, dissipating the magic that helped hide him and was halfway across the street before she saw him.
“Will.” She smiled at him and the stress he’d seen in her body during the argument vanished. He loved how his name sounded when she said it and wondered how she’d known it. “What are you still doing here?”
He shrugged, suddenly unable to speak, but he did smile as he fought ducking his head. Will had taken on everything from street gangs to demons, but when faced with the girl he was rapidly falling in love with, he couldn’t string three words together without a struggle.
“What time does your mom get off work?” Christina asked. He knew she had to be tired after her shift, but she seemed perfectly happy to stand on the street and talk with him.
“When she finishes,” he said, happy to have finally said something. “I-I’m supposed to go wait for her around five.” There. He didn’t sound like a complete idiot.
“That’s a long time to hang around the Commons at night,” she said. “Walk me home?” Christina gestured in the direction she’d been facing and Will smiled, then offered his arm to her. It was an old-fashioned gesture, but for some reason it felt right with Christina. She took his arm and they began to walk. Will felt like a million bucks with Christina at his side. It didn’t matter that they’d known each other less than a day. He glanced down at her and barely resisted the urge to kiss the top of her head. It felt like something he’d done a million times before.
“I like walking in the fog,” she said. It could have sounded like a girl desperate to fill an uncomfortable silence, but instead it was simply an expression of pleasure with the weather.
“I remember,” he replied. “I think you’ve always liked fog.” He hadn’t realized he was going to say that, but he knew it was true.
“And rain,” she said as she looked up at him and smiled.
“Have you ever…” he started, then glanced around to make sure they were alone. Few people were out tonight. Even the traffic was almost gone. He lowered his voice anyway. “Have you ever flown in a storm?”
Christina nodded her head, eyes wide, biting her lip, “Yes! Uncle Sal got so mad at me!” She grinned, holding her hands up to cover her mouth as she giggled.
Will stopped and turned to face her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Ever drop from a cliff and go out over the sea when a nor’easter was coming in?” God that had been incredible! He’d never told anyone about that. He’d done it right after he and his mom had moved to Boston. He’d been about fifteen. He’d never felt so fucking free in his whole life.
Christina’s eyes were wide and she clutched his shirt as she shook her head. She seemed speechless, which was a change since Will was usually the one who couldn’t find his voice. Unless he was singing. Then it was easy.
“You did that?” She seemed shocked, amazed, impressed and scared all at once.
“Yeah!” Will blinked a moment as a wild idea came to him. It wasn’t generally done this soon, but fuck convention. He shook her lightly. “Wanna go now?” Christina looked confused and he realized he hadn’t finished his thought.
“Wanna go fly out over the water? Fly through the fog?” Will couldn’t
contain his excitement. He’d never taken a girl flying before. Most of the girls he’d dated, or even just been with, were mundane. The few Luminis girls had been more arranged “dates” than anything else. He’d treated them well, and they’d done the same, but except for that one blonde, none of them expected more than they got. He tried not to feel like a breeding stallion, but he knew better. His line was highly prized by many and after the devastation of WWII, it was expected that Luminis youth would sire and bear children as required. The only thing that saved them now was that their enemy was also understrength, but that would change faster than they could bear children in the conventional manner. The Conclave liked to push things along when they could.
But Christina was different. Yes, he wanted to have children with her, but not for some grand plan to repopulate their society. He wanted to feel their child growing inside her. Wanted to hold the son she would bear him. Wanted to read to their daughters. He wanted to be there with her through it all. So he waited on tenterhooks for her answer.
Christina seemed frozen in place. She glanced back at the diner, and he figured she was thinking of her dad, or was he the Uncle Sal she’d mentioned. Either way, he was the one she was concerned with.
He took her hands in his. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to raise them to his lips and kiss her knuckles while she thought. Her hands were cold and smelled of Ivory soap. He liked the way she breathed his name when his lips touched her skin.
“Come with me,” he said, looking into her eyes, still holding her hands to him. She was trembling like a bird, wanting to fly but fearing to move. He could sense her on the verge of changing into her Luminis form and he ached to see her in all her winged splendor. What color would her wings be? Would they shimmer? Would they glow? He got a sense of luminescence, like a light through the mist.
Or through fog.
“Fly with me, Christina,” he said, not begging, but urging nonetheless. “Come feel the spray on our wings and the wind in our faces,” he said. “Let’s soar over the fog bank and then dive back into it until we’re soaked and dripping,” he didn’t add that he then wanted to take her somewhere and make love to her all night long and watch the sun come up as he licked the morning dew off her breasts. That would have to wait, but oh, he wanted it.
