Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy)

by Paula Flumerfelt

  Mathieu closed his eyes. “I’m thankful that I’ve met the people I have, even though some of them severely pushed my self-control to not slap the living crap out of them.” His eyes opened and flicked from Solomon to Erik, both of whom grinned guiltily.

  “I wish you had smacked them around,” Darcia said, then raised his beer, “to friends, family, lovers, those we can stand and those we can’t, the ones who kept us going when we were sad, and the ones that made sure we were grounded when things seemed too good. To them, to you, to me. Cheers.” A chorus of ‘cheers’ followed his short speech, then drinks were drunk.

  Erik pounded on Darcia’s back, smiling. “Damn straight. Who’s hungry?”

  And that got everyone into an excited frenzy for food. It took Solomon, Erik, Mathieu, and Avanon working together to feed everyone in the headquarters, including the two remaining Shadowriders. They made a whole host of steaks, potatoes, corn, and gravy. Then, a different group cleaned the dishes, and everyone retired to bed. Or they tried to.

  “No, Jo. You can not sleep in here.” Solomon stood blocking the bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Jo’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Just because you finally took notice of Mathieu and slept with him doesn’t mean we’re changing the sleeping arrangements.”

  “You must be joking, child. Mathieu doesn’t want you in here.”

  “Yes he does! And Lione doesn’t know anyone else here.” Jo retorted, hands on his narrow hips.

  Solomon pointed to the door, “Then go make some new friends.”

  The brunet ducked under his arm and jumped onto the bed, clinging to Mathieu’s middle. “Matt! Tell Solomon that Li and I can sleep in here, too.”

  “Jesus, all of you just lie down and shut up.” He groaned, putting a pillow over his face.

  Jo gave a noise of victory and snuggled into the bed against Mathieu. “Thank you! Lione, you can lay here.” Mathieu felt the bed shift as Jo pat his friend on the head.

  “We won’t be alphabetical…” Lione said.

  Solomon sighed from the other end of the bed. “So you’re the one…”

  “What?”

  “Well, I found all of the spices in the kitchen alphabetized. And then the books in the library,” the blond said in a flat tone,

  “I do it without much thought. My apologies.” Lione replied.

  “What part of ‘shut up’ escaped the comprehension of you two?”

  After that, the silence was filled with a guilty quality. Mathieu smiled contently, and was nearly asleep when the raven gave a small sigh. “That man didn’t return with my ma…”

  “If it was late when he finished, he may not have wanted to move her at night. I’m sure they’ll be here in the morning. Can we sleep now? Please? Really, please?” Mathieu groaned, then rolled over onto his stomach.

  Chapter

  Twenty

  “Ugh, why are we up this frickin’ early? I could still be sleeping.” Kiev said, grumpy. “Daylight works just as well as pre-dawn.”

  Mathieu chuckled, patting the top of her head, his fingers getting caught for a moment in her unkempt hair. “I needed a time to talk to all of you guys before you get distracted by the rest of the activities of the day.” It had been a week or so since he had started training people, and he had successfully gotten through all the types of Elementals. As a result, the area around the headquarters now had a small lake, a single mountain with two small foot hills, sand, clay pits, and a host of other raw materials for the Users to work with.

  Narrie and Lenore had worked together to create a lake, and the misplaced earth had been made into the mountain. Lenore had also managed to stretch her control to pull in every type of rock available, sectioning them off for later use. Currently, his unit was sitting on the bed of flat rocks that had become his personal training grounds. The surrounding area bore scars of abuse from said training, and there was a divot in the stone that Mathieu had created for his meditation.

  Erik and Solomon flanked him, Jo and Lione across from him, with Enak, and Kiev between the two groups. “Now that everyone has moved onto group training, I thought we should meet and talk.”

  Erik nodded, and crossed his arms over her chest. “Yes, and we should cover everyone’s job.”

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Jo, let’s start with you. I want you near me at all times, whether we’re fighting or not. That being said, Lione, your singular purpose is to protect him. As soon as the invasion begins, you attached to his hip.” He said, although with the look that the pair was giving him, that had already been their plan.

  Lione shyly nodded, “I will do so.” He looked at Jo and they both smiled.

  “Then Erik, Enak, you two work together; but I’ m sure you can already do that.” The group at large mumbled. “And Kiev, I want you to watch our asses. You have the longest reach of any of our abilities, and I trust you to be able to hold off any threat until we can assist in neutralizing the threat.”

  “What about me?” Solomon asked, raising a brow.

  Mathieu rolled his eyes. “I figure that whatever I tell you to do, you aren’t going to do anyway. So just kill things and don’t get hurt.” He folded his legs under himself. “Alright, meditation, then warm up. We’ll spar after that.” He closed his eyes and pushed his energy out from him in a controlled manner, making a shield around him. It lifted him off the ground, balancing in the divot he’d made over time. All of his senses stretched out, sensing and testing those around him. He could feel the soul deep connection between Erik and Enak, the sadness in Lione, even though his mother was now at the HQ and perfectly healthy, Jo’s darkness and the threads of fate that attached him to Mathieu, Solomon’s heightened emotional state, and Kiev’s boredom. It made him smile to feel the general consensus of unhappiness with him. At least him unit was united on one thing. It seemed to him that from the beginning, no one had been happy with his choices; Mathieu figured this was just because they couldn’t see the brilliance behind it yet. At least, he hoped it was brilliance.

  But beyond the people around him, he could feel other things too. Like the thrum of life through the planet, the auras of the elements. He also could feel the pull of the other plane from his early teen years. It had been absent for a long while, but now he could sense it. And he had a better view of what it was now compared to back then. It was the other side of death.

  If it hadn’t been for the spiritual aura he would recognize anywhere as Avian, he wouldn’t have known what it was. But as it was, he could feel her there, pulling to him, trying to cross over enough to speak to him. Letting out a long breath, he wrapped his best friend in his power, pulling her towards him. And soon her voice was in his mind. When he opened his eyes, he could see her within his field of vision, smiling at him. This hadn’t been the first time since he began to expand his power that he had seen her. Mathieu wished he had practiced harder when he was younger so that he wouldn’t have had those months of loneliness without her.

  “How are things?” She said, arms folded over her chest.

  He smiled sheepishly. Solomon and I finally…ya know. And I made a Shadowrider, plus one. I wish you could meet Jo. He’s like a little kid.

  “And tell me the rest.” Avian said, head inclined. She’s always known when he was hiding something.

  I found my father. His eyes flicked towards Erik, and she turned to look.

  She nodded. “I can see it. I remember when it really bothered you that he abandoned you.”

  He sighed softly, wrinkling his nose. Yes, well, now he’s here.

  “Have you talked to him, yet? Oh! I’ve got a surprise for you. Let me borrow your soul for a moment.” Avian grabbed his hand and gave a hard tug, pulling his soul right out of his body.

  It was the most peculiar feelings. It was like his body and his mind were now disconnected and there was a lightness that he’d never felt before. It made him feel like he might blow away in a strong breeze, like he wasn’t anchored to anything anymore. Turnin
g to look back, he saw his body sag forward slightly, and he sighed. “Okay, show me.” He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to get back into his body, but he would worry about that later.

  Avian grinned mischievously and slowly they started to fade into nothing, falling into another plane. It was soft white, warm almost. A pool of water was not far away, and Mathieu guessed it was the center of the whiteness. She squeezed his hand and went to the water, wading into it. “Anita? Hello?”

  Mathieu followed into the water, but it didn’t make him feel wet. It felt cold, that was for sure, but he didn’t feel the heaviness that clothing took on when they were wet. Looking into the water, he couldn’t see below the surface. It was like rippling glass.

  A woman slowly rose out of the water. Her hair was long and white, skin a soft tan. Her eyes were the same shade of purple as his. Mathieu’s breath caught in his throat and he knew who he was looking at: his mother. “Anita, what joke is this?” Mathieu said harshly to Avian, angry at being teased like that. Seeing his father was one thing, but his dead mother was another.

  “It’s not a trick.” Avian said. “It’s your mom’s soul. I found her on the other side, attracted by her thoughts of you. Don’t be rude; say hello to her.”

  Mathieu gave her a hard look. But, then again…he was standing here with Avian’s soul so just maybe…He shook his head determinedly. There was no way this was his mother, but he would play along so that Avian didn’t decide to get even for not believing her and trap his soul or something. “Hello.” He said curtly.

  The woman’s face split into a heartwarming smiling, and she waded across the pool water without displacing any of the water. “Mathieu,” Her hand came to cup his cheek, “you’ve grown so much, you know that? I’ve missed you with all my heart.” Then Anita was hugging him tightly, holding him against her chest.

  Tears he couldn’t explain filled his eyes, and he hugged her back before he thought about it. Whether this was real or not, it sure felt real to him. His whole life he had wanted to believe that his mother had wanted him, had been a good woman. And this thing, real or not, wanted him. “Ma?” He asked quietly.

  “I’m glad to see you. I tried to call you when you were younger, but you wouldn’t come. I’ve wanted to see you for a long time. There are things I need to tell you.” She touched his cheek, pulling back from the hug.

  “…I met Erik.” He said before she could continue.

  She smiled slightly. “Your father. He’s an amazing man, you know.” Anita cupped his face again. “It’s just…a miracle to touch you again. I’m sorry you were alone for so long. But now you’re not so alone, are you?”

  Avian piped up, “He’s got a father and a super-hunk.”

  “I suppose he does.” She looked down at the water around them. “Oh, the others are noticing your absence. You must go. But I will see you again, I promise. And talk to your father. He is the only one who can help you. Oaky?”

  “Help me? With what.”

  “Goodbye, little one. Always know that I love you.” Anita kissed his forehead and then it was as if she was becoming less solid, or him more so.

  He sank through the water, plunging down, down, down. Bubbles erupted around him as he fell, and then it was like he just dropped out of the sky, towards the ground. He flinched up as the ground came racing towards him, but his soul slid easily into his body, becoming whole again. The energy shield around him lowered as soon as he had made it back, but he had attracted the attention of Solomon, Erik, and Enak.

  “What did you see?” Erik said in an off-hand way, rubbing his jaw.

  Mathieu fixed him with a blank stare as he said “Nothing.”

  “Don’t lie to us.” Enak said, fixing him with a pointed gaze.

  Jo nodded. “Yeah, you can trust us!”

  “You’re all going to think I’m crazy…” Mathieu said, but the rest just looked at him expectantly. “Fine. I left my body and Avian and my mom.”

  “You…saw Anita?” Erik said, hands gripping his knees tightly.

  “And Avian?” Solomon added on, his tone sharp.

  Mathieu nodded to them, “Yeah.” Was all he said before looking around. “Do some stretches, people. Quit sitting around.” Mathieu got to his feet, stretching for the sky.

  The other’s groaned, but got to their feet, each person stretching this way and that, loosening up where they felt they needed it the most. Mathieu focused specifically on his legs, and soon he was warmed up. He was careful to not look at the others, trying to dissuade them from asking questions about what he had seen.

  Erik, who was still next to him, leaned in to speak to him in a moderately private way. “We’ll talk about your mother later, but I have an issue with you and Solomon being in the same unit. He’ll be a distraction.”

  Said blond wrapped his arms around Mathieu’s waist, kissing the back of his head. “It’ll be more distracting for us to be apart. Besides, I won’t leave him to be only guarded by a Roman.”

  Mathieu’s father hissed softly, glaring at the other. “You are too old for your own good, Priest.”

  “I don’t need your approval to be with my…to be with Mathieu.” Solomon said. Mathieu had no clue what the hell they were talking about, but it seemed to be stirring up some tension.

  “Erik, I can be with who I’d like. And you don’t really understand the full scope of things.” Mathieu said quietly.

  His father looked between the pair before a look of dawning comprehension flashed across his face. “You’re kidding me. You didn’t…”

  Solomon grinned in a protective way, his hand coming to rest on Mathieu’s neck.

  For the past week, he had kept his hair down to prevent the others from seeing the bite scar on the left side of his neck. As Solomon had explained it, his people didn’t do anything halfway. It was all or nothing. And Mathieu had agreed, willing to mate and be bound to the blond for the rest of his life, rather than be without Solomon.

  Thin lines of red marked Erik’s jaw as his teeth ground together. “This is not something to be undertaken lightly, Mathieu.” He said. Erik’s hands were shaking, presumably with anger, as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

  “Shut up. It’s not your business who I fall in love with, or what we do about it.” Mathieu’s eyes were lightening to a mauve when Solomon softly kissed his temple.

  “It’s not his choice. Spar with me, love.” Solomon smiled. It wasn’t often that the blond was affectionate in public, but that didn’t matter at the moment.

  Nodding, Mathieu give him a quick peck on the lips, then stepped away and pulled his hair back, sweeping it up, out of the way. What did he care if the others knew? They stepped away from each other, Mathieu taking an open stance, arms angled away from him with his feet slightly staggered. Solomon was the opposite of him, crouched slightly with his hands clawed, and fangs exposed.

  “Come at me, baby.” Mathieu said.

  Solomon gave a short bark of laughter before he took a series of quick steps towards the smaller male. His movements were like little sways, each footfall a zigzag, lessening the predictability of his next movements.

  Mathieu watched each advancement, each small shift with close detail, body staying relaxed; he knew that if he tensed up, he’d be on his ass in a matter of seconds. As Solomon made a jab for his left side, he stepped out of the way, dropping his arm to catch the blond’s. Then he brought his other elbow under and forward into his boyfriend’s sternum, sending him reeling back. Smiling, Mathieu held his ground, aware that he couldn’t match the other in speed. It was a fact that Solomon often teased him with when they were doing anything, be it cooking or getting dressed.

  The blond give him a measured look, sizing up the placement of his limbs and the way that he moved. “Alright then. Let’s try again.” He took two short steps, then did his Blink Step, aptly named for its ability to move the user faster than a human can track, allowing a slight advantage to be made in the blink of an eye.

  But
Mathieu was ready for it and he spun around, dropping to a crouch. He’d seen Solomon use this tactic on Mina in spars one time to many and knew where he would be. Mahtieu thrusts his arms between Solomon’s legs, throwing them apart and into the blond’s knees, knocking the other’s stance off and dropping him to the hard stone ground. Seizing his moment of opportunity, Mathieu pinned the other down by the wrists and waist, using his energy to shackle the man into the ground.

  “And I believe this is my win.”

  Solomon laughed boisterously, and relaxed in surrender. “Good job. First time you’ve beaten me.”

  “What can I say, I had a moment of clarity.” Then he let the blond up, both getting to their feet.

  “Again?”

  “No, we need to stay sharp, rotating partners. Your asset is speed, which I’ve just proven I can beat.”