by D. N. Hoxa
“Is there something I should know, Star?” Aaron finally turned to face me again.
If I said no, he was going to know I was lying. And I wasn’t ready to tell him yet.
“I’m hungry.”
“Your hunger can wait. Tell me, what did they really do to you in Alcatraz?”
Nice. He had me completely cornered. I tried my wall or door or whatever was going to keep my feelings private again. It was big and made of three thick layers of pure iron, some ironwood and then some white marble, just to make it look pretty. I imagined my emotions like a foggy ball in the center of my body, right below my chest, and I imagined the doors closing around it, on all sides. And then I tried with Aaron.
“I already told you, Aaron. Let’s just drop it, okay? I’m not in the mood.”
His eyes narrowed as he analyzed my face. Three seconds later, he sighed and shook his head, completely clueless, and joy filled me from head to toe.
“Fine. And the Elders? What was that all about?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled. “I just don’t have time to see them because…I need to get back to the thing with New York and stuff.”
His brows shot up.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Really, Star? You’re going to lie to me every time you speak now?” He shouted, his voice louder with every word.
“Aaron, please. I am not in the mood—”
He cut me off. “I don’t care! Who the hell are you? What happened to you? Did you talk to someone? Did they fill your head?”
“Nope, just my veins,” I murmured. Oops.
“Veins? What veins?”
I had to roll my eyes again.
“My veins, Aaron. I’ve been taking shit in my veins. And I don’t know what it was exactly so spare me the question. There. Happy now?” Suddenly, I was exhausted.
“What?” His voice shook. He came to sit with me again. “What kind of shit?”
“I don’t know.” That, at least, was the truth. “He said that he wanted to open my eyes or something, so that’s why he was giving me those potions.”
“He? You mean Samayan?”
I nodded.
“You saw him?”
“Yes, he paid me a visit.” It wasn’t something I was comfortable sharing, but since it was Aaron…
“What the…when? Wh—I mean, what did he say?” He was more excited and terrified than I expected.
“Hey, relax. It wasn’t really him. It was hologram or something. He can appear in body and mind anywhere he wants.” Not that I was happy about it, but I definitely did want to learn how to do shit like that, too.
“Well, what did he say?” Aaron said.
“That he wanted me to see what I was missing. All the power, blah blah blah, I needed to see all that I could have and that I was selling myself short—stuff like that.”
“Fucking hell,” he whispered, his eyes wide and his lips parted. He was really adorable when he looked like that.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, pressing my lips into a tight smile.
“But why the hell didn’t he kill you? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I could kiss the guy for not doing it when he could, but why?”
I dragged myself closer and closer to him until he put his arms around my shoulders again.
“I asked the same thing. He thinks I have Illyon, that’s why.” I sniffed the soft skin of his neck and filled my nostrils with that heavenly smell of tangerine and summer. And that strange smell I could never define before because I had no idea that he was part demon.
“Why the hell…” Aaron’s voice trailed off, and his body went completely stiff. Just like his arms had wrapped around me seconds ago, they now unwrapped and he took me by the shoulders. His next words brought shivers down my spine. “You have Illyon,” he stated.
Shivers or not, it wasn’t like I could deny it. He was smart enough to make the connections.
“You can't tell anyone.” Exposing him to that kind of knowledge—or anyone for that matter—meant putting him in front of a lot of danger. I wasn’t exactly comfortable with that, but at least I knew he didn’t die. It made it a tad bit easier.
“You…you’ve had it all this time?” He looked positively terrified, so I only gave him a nod. “But…but you lied. Why? Why did you lie to me?”
The Aaron in front of me was a completely heartbroken one, and he wasn’t even trying to hide it. I didn’t like that one bit.
“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you the whole truth. Because I’m the Guardian, Aaron. I am the legal Guardian of Illyon, appointed by the book itself, and trust me when I tell you that you don’t want the book in the hands of Tytania.” It was the truth and he could sense it.
“Are you insane? Why the hell would I not—”
“Because she saw Samayan, Aaron. And I was there.”
That shut him up effectively. I couldn’t understand why he insisted on looking at me throughout this conversation. I just needed his arms around me. I looked at them with longing. And as if he read my mind—he did read my feelings!—he took me in his arms.
“Explain,” he whispered, and I did.
“In the Cathedral, once the mess was cleared and I killed Jespersen,” I said with a well deserved grin, “when Tytania came to check if I had gotten the book, that’s when Samayan appeared. I had no idea how since I was covered in pieces of broken wood so I didn’t see them. I just heard.”
It felt good to not wonder if Aaron would believe me. Because it was the truth, I knew without a doubt that he would.
“Apparently, when Samayan took her throne, he knew she was alive. He put a lock on her powers or something, so that’s why she hasn’t been able to do anything against Samayan so far. It’s why she’s stuck here, with us. And when they talked about Illyon, the book that I already had in my hands, he said that she would never have it, after Tytania made it clear that he wasn’t the only one who could use it. She also said that once she got her hands on it, she was going to take over, just like Samayan had done for the past four centuries. It was a hell of a slap to my bruised face and a clear indicator that the book needed to stay away from both sides.”
“Where is it now?” Aaron’s voice was too calm to be normal.
“I can't tell you.” It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t want him even more exposed than he already was.
“It’s the necklace.”
This time, I stiffened. How the hell did he know?
“No.” Real convincing, Star.
“It is, isn’t it?” A dumbfounded smile took over his face.
“No! Why the hell would you think that Illyon is a necklace?”
Aaron was looking straight at my chest now, and I was beginning to feel uneasy though my necklaces were both under my black shirt.
“Don’t play games with me, Star. I’m in love with you. I see everything about you. And when you went into that Cathedral, you didn’t have a sun-shaped necklace around your neck. And after we came back, you never took it off. Ever.”
Damn him. It wasn’t fair that all of a sudden, all I wanted to think about was how he noticed me like nobody ever did before and how that made me feel like a total school girly—giggly and all.
“You’re in love with me?” I asked, grinning.
“Wha…” A short second of confusion, and Aaron shook his head, chuckling. “Yes, Star. I’m in love with you. I love you. Come here.”
His arms, my sanctuary, wrapped around me again. Pure bliss.
I kissed his neck slowly and enjoyed every second of it. I’d missed how his skin felt under my lips. So much.
“Stop that. The conversation isn’t over,” Aaron tried, but his voice was already thick with desire.
“Yes, it is. There’s nothing more to say. Just don’t tell anyone, okay? I know it sucks for you, but I don’t trust the Elders. Not after New Mexico,” I whispered in his ear as I grazed his earlobe.
“She can’t use her powers,” he whispered.
“Yeah. Seems so,
” I said in between kissing his warm skin.
“Shit. It actually makes sense.”
“Yeah. But then again, I wasn’t all that surprised. Nobody does anything without personal interest in our world.” I moved on to his Adam’s apple and chin, and I loved the shivers that ripped down his shoulders.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He took my face in his hands and made me look at him.
“Because I didn’t want you to know, Aaron. As simple as that. I couldn’t risk you being taken from me because of that knowledge.” An honest-to-God truth, and he felt it. That’s why he gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
“Babe, don’t keep things from me again, okay? Especially things like that. I’m not as weak as you obviously think I am.” He almost sounded disappointed.
“I don’t think you’re weak, Aaron. I just think others are strong, too. And torture sucks for everyone,” I whispered and sealed his lips with mine again.
It took him a second, but when his tongue invited itself inside my mouth, I felt electrocuted in the best way possible. I touched his face and neck, his strong chest and those perfectly defined arms, and moved down to his stomach.
“I’ve missed you,” I said in between kisses and let my hands wander lower, until I grabbed his building erection with longing. A low growl escaped his throat.
“I’ve missed you,” he breathed. “I’ve missed your body, so much.”
It had only been three days but damn if I didn’t know exactly how he felt. It was like a machine—the longing, the need to be in his arms—that constantly needed to be fueled up. As I kissed him and touched him and caught fire under his touch, my mind was completely cleared of any thoughts—or cravings.
Aaron pulled me onto his lap and lay down on the sofa, positioning me on top of him. I fit him perfectly. His strong muscles—one especially—made me want to crawl out of my skin for him. I tried to put a little distance between our bodies and unbutton his jeans.
“You drive me crazy when you feel like this,” he whispered against my neck in between his kisses, and his husky voice made my toes curl.
“Undress me, baby,” I said when I finally managed to unbutton his jeans and found my way under his underwear. His hard erection was heavenly warm against the skin of my fingers. God, it was impossible how much I felt for him.
Aaron didn’t need to unzip my leggings to make room for his hands. He cupped my ass for a second before he found my wet folds and played me like a fucking violin.
It was only him now—only him and the pleasure that reached my bones with every move of his fingers. I squeezed him and swallowed the sounds he made, right off his lips. His other hand had already found my breast, and I was ready to explode into a thousands stars. So ready, when…
“Horatio.”
My body grew stiff the second I felt an energy, a warlock coming straight for the room we were in. Aaron stopped moving, too. Cursing Horatio’s name under my breath, I pulled myself up and adjusted my pants and shirt, while Aaron did the same.
I heard a knock, and then without waiting for an invitation, Horatio opened it.
A wide-eyed Horatio with his hair pointing at every direction, his appearance complete with his signature wrinkled clothes, smiled at me.
“You’re back. Good,” he mumbled, rubbing his hands together. “No, not good. Things aren’t good.” Not so surprising.
“What? What’s not good?”
“It’s Evan. He’s…” Horatio looked up at me, his eyes those of a scared little puppy, and his lips opened and closed a few times before he spoke again. “He’s old.”
It took me a couple seconds to remember who Evan was. Evan, the shifter from Samayan’s wolf pack.
“So?” I asked, because I wasn’t sure why he wanted me to know something as useless as that.
“What do you…I mean, his body is not only completely stripped of its shifter gene, but it’s also aging at an unbelievable rate.” He shook his head in panic. “It’s the potion. It’s that damned potion.”
Well, why didn’t you say so in the beginning? I thought, and grinned at the good news.
“Star,” Aaron whispered. I turned to look at his incredulous face and once again tried to shut down those giant walls I had built around the foggy sphere of my feelings. I could do nothing but pray it worked.
“There’s more,” Horatio went on. “The Elders sent word and people are going crazy. The heads of all six RR Bases are coming here to meet with you.”
“No.” I didn’t have time for unnecessary meetings.
“Well, they’re on their way already. That, and I have been able to make more Veritas for the next meeting you’ll have in New York. Now, let’s go see Evan. Now,” he repeated like a fucking lunatic.
The plan was to kick the warlock out and finish what I started with Aaron, but the man grabbed my hand and pulled me. Aaron came right behind me.
I was taken through hallways and into a room so white, my eyes hurt. I hadn’t missed the closed space nor the underground smell that the air had in every Base, but it wouldn’t be long now until I never had to set foot down there again.
And then I saw the shifter. Surprised that he had survived the attack in Kentucky, I dropped to my knees and watched him with a grin while he lay on the cold floor of the cage they put him in.
“You’re so screwed,” I said, and he looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I even was.
“Star, will you stop whatever the hell this is?” Aaron hissed in my ear.
I jumped up to my feet again.
“What? He is screwed!” He looked at least fifteen years older than when I’d seen him the last time. I mean, his hair had already started to turn grey right around his big ears.
“Just stop,” Aaron hissed again, and for a second, his eyes turned dark, foggy.
I felt his mysterious energy that wasn’t so mysterious now since I knew he was a demon, and it almost surprised me how strong it was. He could imbibe spells and potions better than a hundred-year-old warlock. If he would try, he could even possess anyone he pleased. Priceless.
“Okay. Fine. I’m behaving now.” I cleared my throat and turned to Horatio. “So…that’s it?”
“Well…I mean, this evidence, you’ll convince the SKO immediately with him. I mean…” Horatio started to mumble. And it all clarified for me. I concentrated on that wall around my feelings again.
“Of course, old man. I know that.” I smiled proudly. “Have him prepared for when we leave.”
When I met Aaron’s eyes, I found his brows narrowed and the blue of his eyes almost blurry with confusion. He took a step closer to me to whisper in my ear.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“With you. With your feelings. What are you doing?”
Clarity again. My smile grew.
“You can't feel me?” I asked, just to make sure.
“No, I can't. What did you do?”
His panic was terribly cute. I wanted to eat him up right there.
“I did it, apparently. I built a wall strong enough to resist your uncontrolled powers.”
I beamed with pride.
“Right,” Aaron said, squinting his eyes. “The wall you just started to work on, minutes ago.”
“Baby, I’m not as weak as you obviously think I am,” I teased him with the same words he’d said to me earlier.
It was the truth. I was stronger now, a lot stronger than any of us had ever thought I was.
“Let’s go eat,” Aaron said reluctantly after a sigh, not so happy with the latest development. He nodded once at Horatio, who was scrambling something on that pad that seemed to be attached to his hands permanently.
We left the lab and started for the kitchen. I had no desire to put in my body anything that wasn’t Samayan’s potion, but I needed to look around, find out everything I could about how many sups were there, how many I could easily manipulate and exactly how many I needed to help me locate Samayan a
nd take him. Once I did, I’d have endless supply of his red potion.
I kept half of my mind permanently trained on the wall I had built around my feelings. I couldn’t risk Aaron’s suspicion. He was one of few I would never hurt, and that complicated things a little.
As soon as we turned to our left and entered a round room I knew well, we stopped.
There were at least thirty people in there. And more were coming from all around us. I saw Ella standing next to Kyle who was sitting on a chair with his laptop in front of him. Good. He’d survived. I was going to need his skills. As well as Samuel Belmont’s.
For a reason I couldn’t yet understand, Aaron was smiling. He was smiling, and he didn’t let me move when I wanted to just walk on and get to the kitchen.
That’s when things got pretty weird.
A warlock, no older than Ella, step forward with a smile on his face.
“Welcome back,” he said to me and nodded his head curtly, almost like a bow.
And then the others started as well.
“Welcome back.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“You saved us.”
“You have our trust.”
As I watched them, I couldn’t bring myself to understand why they would think I cared. But that wasn’t the end. Far from it. The next moment, as if it was their life’s purpose to embarrass me, they started to applaud. Aaron grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly, and for a second there, I imagined myself in a time when I would have had no clue about what I could really become, being happy for this. Even crying for this. I remembered the time when I would have killed to have this moment. To see the trust in those people’s eyes. God, I used to live for it.
I smiled. I would’ve had them bow if Aaron and Ella weren’t there.
A redhead stepped in front and raised her hand to hi-five me. Naomi. I was going to need her. Behind her was big Mike. Excellent. I looked around for Joshua and Carlos, but they were nowhere to be seen.
“Where are the others?” I asked Aaron after the applauding stopped.
Aaron flinched and pressed his lips. “They didn’t make it.”
They died. How embarrassing. I’d trained them, given them all of my time, and they couldn’t even put up with a few warlocks and witches?
