by Jenn Nixon
“I hope you’re right, Rune.” Cyndra smiled at him and rubbed his arm before he disappeared around the lighthouse to collect his father.
Overjoyed some of the reunions had gone well, Cyndra climbed to the top of the lighthouse, heading straight for the widow’s walk. Without second-guessing her powers, she evoked the energy to her hand, keeping the manifestation beneath her skin. Her thoughts turned to a barrier, strong enough to keep all casters and siphons inside, on the island. The fiery heat spread over her skin, twisting with her energy, strong enough to make an attempt.
She pulled it all back halfway through the cast. She didn’t have the strength to reach a high enough casting point to cover the whole island without using her siphon.
You’re strong enough, caster, Zorin’s voice echoed through her head.
You’re awake?
Zorin didn’t answer.
Cyndra called his name and ran around the walkway glancing over the side, focusing on the first hut closer to the garden. A dim light flickered inside. Nothing else moved. Most of the island slept. Casters and siphons, previously stuck in a time-bending realm would finally have a good night’s rest. Zorin was resting and healing. The humans would go on, never knowing what happened here, excited for the morning.
Calmer, Cyndra evoked her elements again, one at a time, allowing them to build naturally and merge as her thoughts turned to the barrier she wanted to created. The power shot out of her, moving directly upward, spreading out exactly like the one she’d torn down. Digging deep, pulling every bit of power from her body, Cyndra saw the shield form in her mind and opened her eyes to see the image come to life.
White, green, and red mixed and swirled over the island creating a dome and once it spread over every inch of land, it turned translucent and locked into place. Cyndra palmed the railing and held herself up even as her knees weakened. She did it.
Smiling, Cyndra glanced up at the invisible barrier, grateful something finally went right. Although she may be inadvertently throwing herself in the middle of a fight, she, Rune, Jack, and even Zorin were connected to these people. Somehow, they had to find a way to move forward, together.
How had to wait until the morning.
Cyndra walked down the flight of stairs to the service room. Way too tired for any shenanigans, she closed and locked the sliding door above the staircase, knowing Rune and Jack would project any emergencies through the bond.
After fixing the mattress and stripping down to her tank and underwear, she stretched out, trying to keep her mind clear as her body sank into the foam, relaxing, sending her adrift soon after shutting her eyes.
Chapter 33
The heat from above warmed his skin. Zorin tilted toward it like a sunflower. As his eyelids slowly parted, he lifted his hand, shielding the sun from the wide opening over his head. His thoughts were his own. His body was within his control once again. When he attempted to sit, the restraints around his chest constricted.
His body tensed, eyes widened.
Zorin?
“Rune?” He lifted his head, grunting and straining against the vines. “Is this you?”
Yes.
“Why?”
“You were trying to siphon us dry,” Jack said, moving to his friend’s side.
“Mergan,” Zorin barked, breaking two of the straps around his chest.
Jack stepped back. “Easy.”
She’s dead. Rune projected. Her control might not be.
Zorin furrowed his brow. “She’s no longer in my head.”
“We needed to be certain, Zorin,” Jack said, relaxing as Rune twirled his hand to remove the remaining vines and offered his hand to help him up. “Are you okay?”
Zorin stood and signed thank you to Rune before stretching his limbs and wings, nodding to the casters. “You are certain she’s dead?”
“Yes. Evie too. Rune’s dad buried them in a clearing in the woods behind our huts.” Jack eyed the area and sighed. “My uncle and a few others are there, too, apparently they had injuries before going into the mirror like Evie.”
“I’m sorry, Jack.” Zorin swallowed, forming the one word capable of tearing apart his entire existence. “Cyndra?”
Went to the lighthouse to put a new barrier around the island. She…gave this amazing speech, Rune said as Jack repeated it word for word. Zorin’s heart warmed. The survivor had become a leader. Rune rubbed the side of his face. I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news…
“Bale already asked for a tribunal for my war crimes,” Zorin said, watching their faces drop. “I may not have all my memories, but I know what I did during the war. Mergan reminded me. I’ll happily face any of those casters. Most are as innocent as I am.”
I’d keep my distance from them, for now…it’s still early but— Rune paused to cover his yawn and smile. It was late when Cyndra sent everyone to bed.
Jack chuckled. “That was kind of funny.”
Yeah. Rune nodded.
“Rest while you can, I’ll patrol the island.”
Thanks, Zorin. Rune approached and moved in for a hug. He squeezed the caster. I’m glad you’re safe.
“Me too, Rune,” he replied and smiled at Jack who had his hand out. Zorin took it and pulled the caster closer to hug him too. “You both did well.”
“I’m getting there.” Jack leaned back and smirked.
Zorin patted his shoulder and lifted his hand as he neared the exit of Rune’s rather comfortable hut. “Sleep well.”
Waiting nearby until they were both actually resting, Zorin jumped onto the branches of the nearest tree and rode the wind reaching a decent enough height to glide properly over the island. Aside from Rune, Jack, and the slight fire Cyndra evoked, Zorin didn’t sense any of the five hundred or so casters in the mansion as he glided the perimeter where the barrier used to be.
He wondered how many he knew. How many he was responsible for imprisoning. He knew most of the punishments leveled against casters who had stepped out of line in the past. He didn’t know if those measures were strong enough to keep everyone satisfied. Not all caster families were the same and their rules didn’t apply to the siphons. With many families and groups gone or decimated, their community needed to start anew, hopefully with new leadership.
Bypassing the lighthouse, Zorin swooped over the caster’s garden, heading for the town, finding it mostly quiet and barren save a few people gathered near the former town square, chatting softly about the future.
Satisfied the majority of the people were still resting or at the very least behaving, Zorin returned to the lighthouse, landing on the widow’s walk, and heard the shower running in the living space. Certain Cyndra already knew he arrived, Zorin entered the lighthouse and went downstairs, pausing near the lavatory, catching the scent of her wildflower soap before moving to the only piece of furniture in the living room. He extended his wings and sat, then let them drape over his shoulders and armrests of the couch.
Everything he wanted to say disappeared from his mind when the water stopped. Each minute thumped against his temple, speeding up when the door inched open. Zorin palmed his knees and breathed in before glancing over.
Holding the doorknob with one hand and her towel with the other, Cyndra lifted her head, flushing and quivering the instant their eyes met. Seeing the arousal manifest on her face hardened his body and gave him hope.
He swallowed. “How are you feeling, Cyndra?”
“A little tired and sore.” She tugged the side of her long T-shirt and tossed the towel into the bathroom before closing the door.
When she didn’t turn back, Zorin sighed and covered his eyes, trying to calm his rising urges. Are we beyond repair?
“I don’t know,” she said softly from across the room. He felt her eyes on him and clawed the arm of the couch with his free hand. “I’m trying to figure out what was true and what wasn’t.”
“Ask anything you wish, Cyndra.”
“I haven’t a clue where to start…”
> “Mergan wanted to destroy your memory of me.”
“Why?”
“We were close, long ago, but I left when she went too far and she never forgave me. I almost died during the war, barely made it out of Georgia alive.” Zorin sucked back the tears, still shielding his face from her powerful stare. Mergan, she…took me back, her ulterior motive, the entire time was to gain control over me so I could never leave her side just like her twelve casters.
“The soulless?”
Zorin nodded and lowered his hand. Cyndra leaned against the kitchen table, arms tight over her chest, cheeks still flushed, while her breathing and heartbeat elevated. “I’m not sure what will happen to them now that Mergan is dead.”
“They haven’t reappeared yet, mirror-wraiths either,” she said emotionlessly.
He locked his jaw, straightening his back despite the pounding of his heart. “Every time I gained clarity, each moment of control came from you, Cyndra.”
“Only because I was in trouble,” she said, pushing off the table and walking to the middle of the living room, staring at the wall.
“No, I sensed you—”
“You have your mission, to protect all of us.”
“True, but—”
“When she asked you about leaving the island….”
Zorin stiffened.
“She told you to answer honestly.”
“And I did, to her specific wording, Cyndra.”
“Her specific wording asked if you thought I was strong enough to change you back,” she said, crossing her arms higher, lifting her shirt slightly. His wings twitched and her cheeks flushed again.“ You said I wasn’t.”
“Because you’re not. Mergan siphoned twelve casters to change me. It’s beyond dangerous to siphon that many,” Zorin said, watching her face and body soften which only made his harder. “I’d never ask that of you.”
“You want to be human.”
“Yes, I do. I always will—”
“Did you…” Cyndra’s whole face reddened as she tugged on her shirt again.
“No, never.” Zorin stared at her until she looked away.
“Then why did she—”
“She was jealous of our bond, Cyndra, so I used it against her.”
“How?”
“By telling her ours was true, pure.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked, lifting her brow.
“Completely,” he responded, growing rock hard, knowing she was testing him with her defiance, making him prove his worth. He would, happily and repeatedly.
“You said you wanted to go with her.” She turned to face him, trembling for the same variety of reasons.
“She asked if I wanted to leave and be human or stay on the island. She didn’t mention your name because she knew my answer.”
Cyndra narrowed her gaze, inadvertently unleashing her energy and with it, her emotions, aside from the lust and need, she was unsure, scared. Still, she asked, “What was your answer?”
“I chose to stay with you.” Zorin locked his eyes, aware she shared the growing desire. “I’ll always choose you, Cyndra.”
“Then why are you sitting there so calmly?”
“So I won’t ravish you,” he said, roving his gaze from her thighs to her eyes.
“You think that’s what I want?”
“Yes. Your pulse has been racing since you exited the lavatory. Your fire and energy are blistering under your skin, begging for my touch, my siphon. I see the need in your eyes.”
Cyndra lowered her arms and moistened her lips as she stepped closer, remaining defiant, boiling his blood. “If I can’t change you back you might stay in this form.”
“Yes.”
“And you were willing to give that up even before you knew?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Why?”
“Because of you.” Zorin stared into her eyes, inhaling the air surrounding her, catching her excitement. Knowing he was nothing without her, he prepared his final truth, one he never believed he’d confess. “You saw beyond my form long before I realized how I felt about you. You accepted me, gave me purpose, risked your freedom to follow me into the mirror-realm, fought for me every chance you had. I trust you and want you, need you, Cyndra, with all that I am, as I am, and no matter my form.”
Chapter 34
Cyndra bit back the last question tugging at her heart, knowing it didn’t matter right now, not after hearing that or with him staring at her with his desperate blue eyes, breathing rapidly as he sat on the couch like it was a throne, cloaking his enormous body with his majestic wings.
He answered every question, quelled every fear but one. All traces of control were gone. His stare, however, was all Cyndra really needed to see to know her gargoyle had returned.
The fire and energy slipping over her skin, eased through the bond, beyond her control.
Zorin opened his siphon.
Cyndra gasped at the onset, shocked and grateful to feel him again, and then burst into tears. She slapped both hands over her face and it got harder to breathe. The moment Zorin’s cool, thick arms curled around her, she collapsed against his body and sobbed. Her heart raced as he absorbed the heat from her skin and picked her up, cradling her against his chest. He sat on one of the stools and set her on his lap, easing his siphon and sniffling against her neck.
You came back, she projected.
I heard you, felt you. Zorin rubbed his wet cheek against hers. Forgive me…I couldn’t save Ev—
You saved me, Cyndra said, dropping her hands and meeting his teary eyes.
“You saved me, too, more than once,” Zorin whispered, wiping her cheeks despite the tears falling down his. “In the darkest moments, you were with me, Cyndra. Thank you.”
“You were with me too. Even when…” She stroked his chin, sweeping her fingers over his mouth, feeling her energy entering his body automatically, arousing every inch of hers. “Even when I thought you were gone.”
“I am here.”
With shaking fingers, Cyndra stroked her right hand along his chest, sending the heat straight into his body. Zorin groaned against her neck, inhaling deeply and sliding his hand to the inside of her thigh. Already overheated and aching with need, she parted her legs and stretched against his chest, angling for his mouth.
Instead of touching or kissing her, Zorin picked her up, gazed down, swallowing hard, and carried her upstairs, bypassing the service room and pausing on the widow’s walk.
“Zorin?”
He took to the air, gliding swiftly over the field, heading toward the mansion. Cyndra wrapped her arms around him and set her head down, trusting him completely, unable to stop herself from kissing his neck or feeding him her elements.
When he landed, Cyndra gaped at the stunning view. The balcony of the caster-made treehouse overlooked the woods northwest of the mansion. Zorin set her down and went inside a breathtaking structure made of roots, trees, and vines—similar to Rune’s hut—disappearing into the dark. A candle flickered inside, bathing the rest of the room in light. Zorin stood at the far end of the treehouse, near the bed, a crumpled plastic covering behind his foot in the corner.
“Your favorite place on the island?” Cyndra asked, walking around the other side, meeting his eyes, already dying to do everything running through his mind as he stared at her. Zorin nodded. Cyndra smirked, seemed her gargoyle was holding back this time. She crawled onto the bed, kneeling in the middle, watching his cheeks darken. “I remember you making some very vivid promises, Zorin.”
“I mean every word I say to you, Cyndra.”
“Then why are you all the way over there.”
Zorin dashed to the bedside, capturing her wrist and leaned over her. “I’m deciding what part of you to taste first.”
He covered her gasp with his lips, slipping his tongue against hers and drew her to his body. Her hands fell to his chest, connecting her elements to his skin, making him groan and kiss her harder. Zorin pressed her bac
k against the mattress and broke from her mouth. He lifted away, but pushed her shirt up to her waist. She removed it all the way, drawing his stern gaze.
“Already wet?” He stroked his fingers between her thighs, brushing against her undying heat.
“Yes,” she cooed, tilting her head back and parting her legs, needing so much more than a simple touch. His tongue sizzled against her flesh, shocking her entire body, and forcing a scream she didn’t think she was capable of making.
Zorin growled, locking her in place with his mouth and powerful hands as he devoured her, sucking and licking, nibbling every inch of her sex, claiming every moan, cry, and whimper escaping her mouth. When her eyes rolled and her thighs quaked, Zorin eased his mouth away, kissed a slow trail up her body, and replaced the hollow spot between her legs with his body. He rubbed his erection against her. Cyndra arched up. Zorin swept his tongue around her nipple and sucked gently, teasing her with another stroke of his hips, but refusing to enter.
Zorin, she moaned through the bond, tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to breathe him in. Please…
“What do you want, Cyndra?”
“You.”
“No, I want the truth.” He drew his hips back, pressing his erection against her burning flesh. His mouth caressed her ear and his hand slipped up her side. “You want me to touch you…”
“Yes.”
“And siphon you…?”
“Oh, yes,” she panted, as he cupped her breast and opened his siphon simultaneously, making her wetter and hotter.
“And what else?” Zorin rubbed his thumb over her nipple and pushed inside, just an inch.
“Please,” she cried, tilting her hips, feeling him slide deeper.
His eyes flashed, he pressed in another inch then pulled his body away. “Tell me what you want, Cyndra.”
“Fuck me,” Cyndra whispered, flushing with intense heat, breathing as heavily as he was.
“The whole truth,” he murmured, sinking another inch, staring down with his penetrating eyes.
Cyndra felt a twinge of fear striking her heart. He wanted her darkest confession now? “Zorin…”
