A Gray Area

by Amy Sumida

  “Agreed,” I said to Cyprian. “Although, from what you've told me, you already know about most of my abilities.”

  “I know you can work with colors,” Cyprian admitted. “That you can see and touch auras. But that's very general. What can you specifically do, se esaria?”

  I was getting used to his nickname for me and had given up on chiding him for the familiarity of it hours earlier. It seemed silly when we were one step away from being faulin-married.

  “I can see color wavelengths,” I told him immediately. “All the spectra; from infrared to ultraviolet.”

  Cyprian's eyes widened.

  “And I can alter them,” I went on. “I can manipulate the colors around us and conceal us with them. I can touch a person's aura and change it; make them feel whatever I wish. Certain colors have physical effects when directed at human bodies; I can use those to hurt or heal. With the right color and my concentration, I could drive a man to madness or simply kill him. Although, the latter is quite difficult and nearly impossible with Supernaturals.”

  Cyprian whispered something in Faulin; an exclamation of amazement. Then he added in English, “That's how you left my club without anyone seeing you.”

  “And how we got in yesterday.” I nodded. “Now, what can you do?”

  “Faulin, in general, can affect passions,” he said. “Not love; nothing permanent. Only arousal. We can heighten the sensations in a body and stimulate lust until its strong enough for us to feed off of. And we have a very powerful control over that arousal; both in others and in ourselves. We also have our Divera; our alternate Faulin bodies that are stronger than those we normally wear. They are only used in times of peril as they take a great toll on us physically. Each faulin's divera differs but, generally, we become more muscular, our skin thickens, and we grow nearly-indestructible claws and fangs. You saw my claws last night when I attempted to dig us out of here.”

  “You said Faulin, in general,” I noted the distinction. “What can you do?”

  Cyprian gave me an approving look for catching it. “I'm stronger than most faulin. I can use lust to sway people.”

  “That doesn't sound so different.” I cocked my head at him. “Most people are swayed by their lust, especially if it's strong enough.”

  “Yes; precisely,” he agreed. “And that is where my power stems from. But where most people are lightly swayed into doing things for the promise of sex, I can make people act against their will and do things they normally wouldn't—not even under the influence of lust. In short, I can make people lose their reason and resistance.”

  I frowned as I thought back over our interactions. “You tried to do that to me.”

  Cyprian's lips twisted in a self-conscious smile, and he briefly looked away. When he reconnected our stares, he looked rueful. “I did,” he admitted. “In the Fire Room when you pushed my power back at me, I was amazed and compelled to test you. I took you and Malik up to my rooms and attempted to use my abilities to seduce you.”

  I recalled the sensations I'd felt; how Cyprian had tempted me. I inhaled deeply and tried not to hold it against him. It was difficult.

  “Please don't look at me like that, se esaria,” he whispered. “It was a moment's weakness for a man who had his power challenged for the first time in centuries. And I lost. You started to succumb, but then you shifted that arousal onto your bleiten. You sent me from the room like a child. I was horrified, absolutely astounded, and... utterly fascinated.”

  “I wondered about that,” I whispered.

  I hadn't intended to actually have sex with Malik in Dirty Nothings. It was supposed to be an investigation. I thought I'd tie him up and smack his butt a little and that would be it. But I'd gotten carried away. Now, I knew why.

  “Will you forgive me?”

  “I forgive you,” I said and let go of my anger. His apology helped. “We can't have bad feelings between us now. Not if we're going to work together to get free of Terial.”

  Cyprian's face had lightened with my first words but then I'd gone on, and his expression shifted to sad acceptance. “No, we can't have that,” he said stiffly.

  “Would you like to go first? I won't try to fight you. We need to see exactly what you can do.”

  “Very well.” Cyprian focused on me.

  My skin started to shiver, and I shifted my vision into my other sight to see what Cyprian was doing. At first, it was the same as before; I saw his aura start to reach toward mine. The red swaths touched my aura and instantly pulled the same color out of the sparkling swaths around me. It lured my lust to the surface, and I inhaled sharply as intense arousal raged through me. My back arched, my sex clenched, and I jerked toward Cyprian as if he had physically pulled me. Then it was suddenly gone.

  “Are you all right, se esaria?” Cyprian's voice was rough with his own desire.

  “I'm fine,” I whispered as the lust drained away. “Try again.”

  “Are you sure? It felt more powerful than any other time I've tried to draw on lust.”

  “I'm sure.” I sat up straighter. “Feel it out this time; see if there's anything new and if there is, go with it.”

  Cyprian nodded. His new, sparkling aura flared again. The lust reached for me, but then it began to lighten. Cyprian's eyes widened as the bloody swath paled into dusky rose. I tried to prepare myself for the hit, but I knew I shouldn't; we needed to see exactly what he could do. I just had to trust that we could counteract anything that happened.

  I melted. That's what it felt like when his love hit me. My limbs went liquid first and then I felt it seep inward to fill my heart before it rose to bubble up my throat and drench my eyes. I wept tears of joy simply to be close to him. I was on my knees; reaching for him—the man I loved more than anyone in existence—when it abruptly withdrew.

  I fell backward with a cry; empty and hollow.

  “Amara!” Cyprian knelt and reached through the bars. I felt his hand close on my knee. “Amara? Are you well? Have I hurt you?”

  I took a shuddering breath as my emotions returned to normal and then I sat up. I nodded shakily as I got my breathing back to normal.

  “Try again,” I said firmly.

  “I don't think—”

  “Try again!”

  Cyprian settled back on the ground and nodded. This time, a wave of marmalade light hit me, and I laughed instantly. Pure, happiness; my body floated with it. It was a safe feeling; one I could experience without losing any of myself to it. It allowed for a longer experiment. Cyprian steadied himself into the power, and I dissected it. I could feel him siphoning off the energy and see the surge of it filling him. He began laughing with me. Finally, he let it go, and we stared at each other in peaceful joy.

  “You can feed on all emotions now, can't you?” I whispered. “You were right.”

  “And I can stimulate them high enough to allow me to take much more without hurting someone.”

  “What if you wanted to hurt someone?” I asked in a low, dangerous voice.

  Cyprian's eyes went deadly. “I believe I could take it all without raising their levels.”

  “Try it.”

  “No, Amara,” he refused. “We know enough. I will try it on Terial when he returns.”

  “But—”

  “No! I refuse to risk you in that manner,” he said with finality. Then he softened his tone, “It's your turn. Let's see what you can do, Spectra.”

  “All right.” I gave in.

  I centered myself and studied his aura. I felt powerful, but I wasn't sure how to use my power. I reached out to the wavelengths of color around us and they rolled toward me. I stopped immediately; it was too much. The colors had jumped for me like an eager puppy.

  “It's okay,” Cyprian said. “I felt something but it wasn't painful.”

  “I wasn't directing it at you.”

  “Oh.” His eyes widened. “Nonetheless, you must try again.”

  So, I tried again; looking around me longer first. The colors
seemed brighter, but I'd assumed that was just the way they were in Danu. Were they actually brighter because of my magic? Cyprian's aura appeared stronger but that could be another side effect of the Fusion. I focused on the sparkling glow around him and started to manipulate it. I twisted some calming amethyst into the blood-red lust that always simmered in the foundation of his aura. Cyprian took a deep breath and his shoulders fell in a relaxed droop. And then I noticed the rose blooming in the blood.

  That hadn't been there before. Was it the remnant of the love he'd pushed onto me when we were testing his talent? Cyprian had affected my will in a dramatic way but had it affected him in return? I searched for remnants of the marmalade happiness but found none. Then I hesitantly reached for the dusky rose. I had intended to alter it into a nice, kind watermelon but instead, it launched itself at me. I gasped as other emotions came with it. I was suddenly overwhelmed by Cyprian; the sugary delight of pure sex, the steadiness of his power and rock-hard resolve, the ocean of loyalty he had for his people, the slight acid burn of fear for us, and then that budding rose that wouldn't die or even wither under my coercion.

  I'd never tried to alter someone's love before. I'd never had reason to. But I had assumed that since Cyprian could make me feel love, I could make him not feel it. Was it just his love I couldn't affect? Perhaps because of the Fusion? It seemed a likely explanation.

  Even without the staggering knowledge of Cyprian's blossoming love for me, it was all too much. I'd searched and manipulated auras many times before, but I'd never taken them into myself and felt them as if they were my own. It was far too intimate. I drew away and the emotions muted, but I could still see them pouring into me. They came so quickly that Cyprian couldn't replenish them.

  He started to turn gray and slumped forward.

  I cried out in fear and pushed everything back.

  And they went.

  I gaped as the colors of Cyprian's aura rolled back to him with my intent and filled his fading life-force until he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. His cat-green irises were glowing with power. Glowing as mine had the first time I'd entered Danu.

  Cyprian smiled. “I think we're ready, se esaria.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Hours later, the sound of footsteps straightened our spines and drew our gazes together. Cyprian nodded to me and went to stand to the side of his cell entrance. I cloaked him in color wavelengths and he disappeared. Then I slumped against the bars; looking completely defeated. My eyelids went to half-mast as I stared at the stairs.

  Terial emerged with a jaunty step. His smile brightened when he saw me, but then he noticed Cyprian's empty cell. “Where is he?” He roared.

  “Vanished,” I muttered. “The bastard just left me here.”

  “No! It's not possible!” Terial waved a hand at the bars and the ward in them melted away.

  Then he pulled a key out of his pocket and opened Cyprian's cell. He hurried inside and searched the cell as if maybe Cyprian were camouflaged against the stone. But as soon as he was inside, Cyprian and I hit him together; our combined efforts blasting past his power and Danutian shields. Terial gasped, fell to his knees, and stared at me in horror.

  “What are you?” Terial whispered.

  As he was distracted and floundering, Cyprian jerked the key out of Terial's hand. I kept Cyprian cloaked so all I saw was the key floating above Terial, and the Prince gaping at it as it flew out of the cell. Then the door slammed and locked Terial inside. I dropped the cloaking as Cyprian hurried to my cell and unlocked my door. Then I raced out of the cell and stood with Cyprian to confront Terial.

  There was a subtle difference between Cyprian's new powers and mine. Cyprian could feed on emotions. Emotions influenced a person's aura, but they weren't actual life-force. I, however, could now take a person's aura just as Terial had. Although, I believed I could do more with the energy than the Danutian Prince could. Not that it mattered; Terial wouldn't have all that asha for much longer.

  Cyprian weakened Terial by feeding on all of his emotions without raising them first. Terial fell forward onto his hands and knees and gasped raggedly. Then Cyprian stopped feeding; the rest was on me. I continued to pull on the sparkling, vibrant colors in Terial's aura while Cyprian watched him carefully; ready to jump in if needed.

  My body thrummed with power; my vision swimming with light. I could see the ribbons of life swirling from Terial to me in a river that sparked with condensed energy. The aura of thousands of people, plants, and places poured into me in seconds. I should have been scared. I should have worried that my body wouldn't be strong enough to contain such an excess of life. But with that glittering rush riding me, I felt only glory. My immortal body surged to repair and strengthen cells that would have otherwise splintered under the onslaught. I could feel my consciousness expanding and my body rebuilding itself into something far beyond what it was intended to be. I saw the realm spin away beneath me and the destiny of every life inside me unfolded.

  I saw the future.

  “Amara!” Cyprian was standing before me; shaking me.

  I blinked back through time and space to focus on him. I smiled serenely, and he gasped.

  “Se esaria,” Cyprian whispered with wonder. “Your eyes. I can see stars within them. Galaxies.”

  I leaned forward and kissed him. It was chaste; a blessing for the man who had given me the strength to become this new being. The things I could accomplish now were limitless. I could change the face of the Earth; repair the damage done by human and danutian hands. I could make a new world if I so desired. I had become a goddess.

  “Amara?” Cyprian frowned. “Look at me. You've taken a lot of power. I can feel it burning down our fusion. You need to remember who you are.”

  I stared at him thoughtfully. My poor, tortured faulin. Running from those who would enslave him. Fighting for freedom in every way that he could; some of them reprehensible. He glowed with the energy he'd fed on. Dazzling. Magnificent. A rare man. I stroked my finger down his cheek and watched his aura respond to mine. Cyprian could give me pleasure and beautiful children with power. He could rule beside me. Perhaps I'd take him as a concubine.

  “Amaranthine Madison!” Cyprian said sharply. “Spectra. Daughter, friend, and lover. Fighter. Champion. You are precious to a lot of people, Amara. Don't forget them. Don't forget me.”

  I frowned.

  “Malik,” Cyprian said the word reluctantly, but it was more than a name to me.

  I shivered with the sound and a face rose inside my mind. Starkly handsome. Sharply stern. Eyes like dark jewels. Hands like heaven. Strong enough to rule Hell. I loved him. I could feel that love rising. I could feel him rising; running, searching, and... closing in.

  “He comes,” I whispered as my stare went to the stairs.

  “What?” Cyprian turned to follow my stare in bafflement.

  Several sets of footsteps pounded on the wood above us. Voices called out, but Cyprian and I only waited; him in disbelief and me in patience. There was no sense in rushing the inevitable.

  “Is that?” Cyprian asked. “How can they be here?”

  “Malik followed our bond,” I said. “Sir Varian twisted him here.”

  Cyprian's gaze shot back to mine; wide and unblinking. He was still staring at me when Malik rushed into the room. Dark amethyst eyes met my own, and I smiled peacefully. The mark on the back of my neck was hot but then it pulsed with relief.

  “Mvarra,” Malik murmured as he ran across the room.

  I was in his arms then; Cyprian shoved aside. But I could still feel the Faulin; his fusion a thrumming line running through my body. From my lips to my sex, I felt him. But this man who held me commanded more than a physical response from me. My soul shivered with his touch.

  “Malik,” I whispered in a low purr.

  Mal jerked back to stare at me while more people entered the room. Kyrian the Arc, Davorin the Gargoyle, Lily the Tempest, Jason the Veritas, Leo the Maestro, and Varian the
Danutian Knight. I looked upon them and knew them completely in a glance. The light within them all responded to me; glowing brighter in my presence. They leaned toward me as flowers do the Sun. And I nodded in acceptance.

  “Amara.” Malik's palm went to my cheek. “What have they done to you?”

  “We fused to fight Terial,” Cyprian explained. “Then we fed on him. I consumed, but Amara has become a vessel. Similar to what Terial was.”

  “Not exactly,” Varian said softly as he approached me. “No; she's far more than what Terial was. Lady Amara, are you still with us?”

  “I am, Sir Varian,” I said placidly. “And I am also far beyond. You”—I touched Varian's cheek—“I see you. I see what you shall become. What... no. You can't know that yet.”