by Brea Viragh
“I already did, don’t worry. You’re safe.”
It explained why she didn’t get a shrieking alarm when Orestes paid her a visit. Earth elementals, she thought, the same as her. Her family. It was a reminder of their position under the Claddium’s thumb.
“You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine. I’m just not in the mood to be sociable today,” she told him, stuffing her emotions down. “Sorry.”
“What are you sorry about?”
“Whatever it is you came here to do or to tell me. I can’t. I’ve had a rough day.”
She looked it, sadly. There were dark circles under her eyes and wrinkles where her skin used to be smooth. If it were within his power, Leo would have kissed those lines away. “Come out with me tonight.” He moved her palm to his lips. “Let me make it up to you. Lord knows we could both use a little recreation after this week.”
Astix chuckled. “But the week just started.”
“Don’t quibble. What do you say? We can go out for some dinner, maybe a little dueling pianos bar action. I have a great place in mind,” he said.
“I don’t feel like going out.” She gathered her sheets closer to her body, hiding her half-naked state. He caught a flash of skin before it quickly disappeared under a mound of blankets. “My mattress and I have been arguing lately and I’d like a chance to mend the bond. I’m also about to break down. You shouldn’t have to witness it. This is me doing you a favor.”
“You know, I may seem like a world-class extrovert and a real people-pleaser, but I know the benefits of staying in. I too have spent many a day engaging in secret delights with my bed.” Leo got to his feet and twisted his body. Cracks resounded as he stretched. “Let me cook you a nice dinner, then. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m known as a real chef de cuisine.”
It wasn’t that he felt obligated. He genuinely wanted to do something good for her. Something decent. Something that would replace the thin line of her mouth with a smile and help erase the darkness beneath her eyes. There was too much weight on her shoulders, and she trusted no one to help share the burden.
“Who told you that? Your innumerable girlfriends?” Something potent and eerily akin to jealousy flashed across her face. If he hadn’t been paying attention, he might have missed the flicker of emotion.
“Oh, ha-ha. Good looks, brains, and a sense of humor. I believe you may be the perfect woman.” Leo stared down at her until she rewarded him with the hint of a grin. It rounded her features and deepened the set of her eyes. He was transfixed, his gaze captured by the small dimple forming to the left of those plump lips. He almost missed her response.
“I don’t have anything in the fridge. Even a so-called gourmet would have trouble mixing the ingredients you’d find in my kitchen,” she told him. “On second thought, don’t go in there. Go home and forget about me. Then your father won’t shiv me in a dark alley for speaking to you. And I can go back to trying to solve the unsolvable.”
She must think he was ridiculous for coming back. Why else would she keep insisting he leave? There was only one problem: He couldn’t leave her alone. And with Orestes threatening her? No way in hell was he going anywhere.
“My father can go take a shit if he thinks intimidation will keep me away from you. Give me a few minutes to run to the store and I’ll come back with a few things. This will be an enjoyable evening, I promise. You deserve it.” Leo practically sprinted out the door before Astix could shoot him down again.
It left her time to wonder what the hell was happening, and why she was letting it happen, especially after her shocking afternoon in the park. There were so many reasons to turn Leo away. It would be smarter to turn him away. She had too many things to think about, to worry over, to give his need for a date any credence.
She blamed it on her emotions, which had somehow acquired free rein in the last week. She wasn’t thinking straight. Her priorities were backwards and sideways.
Delight and embarrassment fought inside her when Leo not only showed up—without alerting her crystals—but bearing a variety of gifts.
“I didn’t know what you would like so I got a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean it.” His voice carried down the hall and startled her when he let himself inside. Again.
How much would it cost for a state-of-the-art security system? Her wards were falling down on the job hardcore.
Pots and pans rattled and cabinet doors snapped open and shut. She walked toward the sound and found him in the kitchen, already making himself at home. Several brown paper bags lined the island, with their contents hidden. Leo methodically dug his hands into them and removed a variety of glass jars and fresh produce. Bags of beans, lentils, and pasta followed. He learned the configuration of her cabinets by trial and error as he stored the groceries away.
She watched him do it and chuckled. The picture he presented was too damn white-bread, cul-de-sac for her, and so startling she needed a moment, leaning hard against the doorjamb with one palm above her heart. As far as first dates went, this one was shaping up to be immensely satisfying. The fact that she’d never had a real first date also had something to do with it. Her mind warned her to focus on the curse. On the death runes slowly sucking the magic and lifeblood out of her family. Of her brother in the Claddium’s clutches, who needed her help.
Then wondered if it was selfish to take this time for herself and enjoy the company of a man who not only intrigued and fascinated her, but aroused her at the same time.
Leo grabbed a chopping board from the cabinet near his right leg. “I was thinking about making some sort of seafood for us tonight. I wasn’t sure what you like. Or if you have any allergies. I bought a variety of proteins—duck, turkey, beef, chicken. I figure what we don’t use tonight you’ll freeze for a later date.” He held out a single lily for her perusal. “For you, my lady.”
The romance of the gesture was off the charts, at least in her limited experience. It caused an odd reaction in her chest that may have been affection. Or acid reflux. “Well, thanks. Anything sounds good to me. Whatever you want to make.” Astix ducked her head to hide the emotions no doubt plain on her face and swirled the lily beneath her nose, drawing in the potent scent. “I’m not a picky eater.” She paused a second before saying, “If your plan is to dazzle me, Mr. Voltaire, I must tell you I’m immune to these charms. They won’t work on me.”
Leo, for all his strength, appeared to her a sociable creature who would be at home in a variety of settings. Affable, patient beyond reason, and kind. No one would ever say the same for her. Without thought he’d reached out to take care of her, which was in and of itself a kind of magic. It was impossible not to be at ease around him.
“We’ll have to see about that, won’t we? Although I plan on not only dazzling you tonight, but for many nights to come.” He winked. He actually winked. What kind of person still winked?
Fluidly moving from one side of the kitchen to the other, Leo chatted as he prepared their dinner. Soon food littered the countertops and he threw the jacket off, his sleeves rolled up. “You see I wore my fancy outfit.” He indicated the spiffy work attire. “Just for you.”
“Sure you didn’t just come from the office?”
“…Or that.” He popped the cork on a bottle of wine, pouring two flutes and holding one out for her. Astix moved to sit on one of the stools, crossing her legs slowly. She gratefully accepted the glass of white wine Leo handed over.
“Let me tell you a little about myself. To get you more at ease so you’ll stop bouncing your knee up and down.”
She slapped a hand down to still the movement. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I think it’s called making conversation.” Leo grinned. “I haven’t always lived in Chicago, you know. My parents moved here about sixteen years ago. I was only, what…” He counted on his fingers, “fourteen at the time. So different from Seattle. At least in my opinion.”
“All right, I’ll play along with th
is conversation bit. I wouldn’t have pictured you for a northwestern boy.”
“Things changed when Dad accepted a position with the upper echelons of the Great Lakes Claddium. Kinda out of the blue. Then there were private schools and tutors. Hours of being grilled in the finer aspects of my magic and strict punishments when I didn’t exceed expectations.”
“This doesn’t explain your interest in me,” she couldn’t help responding.
“I’d think it obvious.”
Leo maneuvered about the kitchen with confidence. After a few peeks into lower cabinets better left closed, he found a cast iron pan and set it on the stove. As he cooked, he told her about his childhood, painting a picture of what it was like growing up as the son of Orestes Voltaire. Astix found his voice soothing on a cellular level. She watched him move, listened to his rolling baritone, and found her heart lighter. Her worries lessened.
Soon two duck breasts went in the pan with a heaping helping of butter, and her stomach growled.
“I’ve always had a certain amount of responsibility and things expected of me. The burden grew with time.” Leo threw together a citrus and red wine sauce to compliment his duck. “Of course, as soon as I manifested my powers at my Awakening, my father recruited me to work. Would you believe I wanted to be a pro-football player growing up?”
Astix stifled a laugh and tried to help him with the plates. “No, I can’t.”
He bade her to sit back down, wanting to complete the meal and preparations himself. He set down a tray of appetizers, an assortment of cheese and olives. “Sports were a little beneath what my father wanted of me. My dreams died early on. Now I work my way up the Claddium ladder, little more than an errand boy, because of what stronger people want.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m not sure anymore. I’ve been doing this long enough to enjoy the work. I like helping people. The elementals in our area rely on us. More now than they did before. People don’t know what to do with the rogue magic leaking into our reality.”
“True.”
“I want to help you.”
She leaned forward with her arms folded over the edge of the countertop. “You can’t help me. Or haven’t you been listening?”
“I can try,” he insisted.
“Just go on with your stories.” She settled down to listen and popped the button cap of a mushroom in her mouth. “I don’t want to talk about me.”
Leo leaned over the tray and selected a ripe Kalamata olive. “Okay. Let me tell you what happened in the office a few weeks ago. You’re going to laugh.”
He launched into a jubilant retelling of a man able to manipulate air currents and his unfortunate love affair with a woman with a nasty temper and an affinity to fire. Unfortunately for both, they ended up in Leo’s office with a few second degree burns and scarring that went deeper than the skin. A side effect of the leak.
It made her laugh and helped put her at ease. She found herself telling him about one of her first shows, how the CD player crashed in the middle of her second set and she was at the mercy of the audience.
“Drugs and late hours and temperaments,” she said. “Who would have thought they’d turn on the DJ? I wasn’t prepared.”
“Did they stampede the stage? Carry you away on their shoulders and demand their money back?”
“No, they didn’t.” Astix helped herself to another glass of wine, pouring until the liquid nearly bubbled over the rim. “But they did whine and grumble and throw anything in their pockets until a stage hand came up and helped me resolve the problem. Loose wire. I was petrified.”
“I can only imagine. What did you do then?” he asked.
“What else?” She swallowed. “I finished the show. Then I planned another, and another. Bernardino helped. Finally, I figured out it was the best way for me to get myself out there without the world expecting too much from me. A way of hiding in plain sight. Tix is the best version of me. The human version. You know?”
“No, I don’t know. I think you have more than enough to give, but you’ve been saving it up for the right people. The right person.”
“There you go again, with your silky tongue.”
“I think,” he continued, “that you’ve been scared by your magic. You’ve tried to hide because it was easier to be human than to be yourself and accept the consequences.”
“Tends to happen when there’s an entire magical hierarchy calling for your blood.”
“Have you ever thought maybe you’re something special? Instead of a scandal?”
She winced at the word. “No.”
“They’re not after you. You might have been lead to believe it, but it’s not true. I’m not going to lie and say you’re clear, because you’re not. You’re watched. Not hunted.”
“You won’t be able to convince me.” Her fingers tensed and her knees bounced with such might they slapped into the countertop. “How do you know so much about me, anyway? Stalker.”
“I am a master at reading people. Oh, you didn’t know?” Leo smiled, mixing his sauce. “I can see what’s on your mind.”
“Sure.”
Though not a romantic by choice, the moment called for something. A little extra to set the tone and move them forward. Astix summoned several pieces of amber from her study. She drew them into the room, placing them around the countertops and drawing their light from within. Soon a dusky glow grew, warmed the space, made it more intimate.
The use of her gifts brought an answering blush to her cheeks. “There. That’s better.”
“Very nice.”
Leo wanted to please her. He thought about every element of the dish he prepared, wondering about flavors and the sort of things she would like. It mattered to him, he discovered. Making her smile mattered. She was already noticeably happier than she had been when he’d first walked inside. No more thoughts about his father. Or whatever darkness was stalking her and her family.
Call him a pleaser, but Leo needed her smile to come back. He’d seen hints of it through recounting his stories, although not nearly enough.
“Tell me about you,” he said. He knew her past. He knew the outline of her. He wanted to know more, know her perspectives. “I want to know everything.”
“What happened to ‘you can see right through me into the depths of my mind’?”
“I was lying,” he admitted.
“What is there to tell?” Astix handed him a spatula when he asked for it. He caught the hint of black tattoo lines sweeping delicately down from her shoulder, saw the play of light on her golden nose ring resting on smooth skin, and had him noticing the intricacies of her more.
“I suppose I had a happy childhood,” she said. “Big family, lots of grandparents over all the time, at least before they got older and passed away. I’m sure you know I have two sisters, and one twin brother.”
“Zenon. The null.” He drew his attention away from the sweeping curves of her neck and back to the conversation.
Her gaze hardened at the mention of her brother. “Yes. The null.” The word was said with distaste. “I was born first and it seems we’re both freaks. Multiple siblings can be hectic at times, but there was always a lot of love and attention.”
“Families can be a little frenzied, I imagine. You miss them?”
“Yeah, maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. Sometimes I think it’s better to see them from this safe distance. Because of course things were all love and roses until I turned fifteen.”
“Puberty sucks, huh?” Leo deliberately misinterpreted her words.
He commiserated with her plight. In addition to the unexpected push into adulthood via hormones, a person’s powers began to manifest. It meant a change, shying away from childish wishes.
“Puberty and…” She trailed off. “I don’t want to remember.”
She was embarrassed. He could see it in the hunched slope of her shoulders and the way the tips of her ears turned rosy through her thick reddish-brown hair. She’d accepted the id
ea of her abnormality but not in the way she should. Instead of embracing her difference, Astix went in the opposite direction.
Shame.
It’s what the Claddium had wanted, Leo knew. They wanted her to run like a scared rabbit. To hide and shy away until they were ready for her. And for what? To further their own agendas.
“My oldest sister Aisanna had already manifested and grown into her magic,” Astix said. “Mom was pleased with her progress and expected me to fall in line. They kept a high standard for us. We’re Cavaldis. A long, strong lineage of magic users. You can imagine their surprise when I called up a gemstone instead of a seed pod.” Astix busied herself with rearranging the slices of cheese into a frowning face. “And Zee showed nothing at all. At least he got to stay at home. Now he’s gone, because he might be the fucking Harbinger.”
Leo put the final touches on his duck and slid the breasts to a separate plate to focus on his side dish. Not knowing her preference of sweet or savory, he’d decided to go with a little bit of both. Pan-fried vegetables would complement the sauce and pair well with a fresh salad.
“I still remember their faces that day,” Astix recalled. “The horror, the shame. Karsia staring at me with blank eyes because she didn’t understand. She was too young to understand. They ushered me inside right then and told me to pack my bags.”
“They did what?” Leo asked. This was one side of the story he’d never heard. Hadn’t been high enough in the ranks to be privy to the information. His curiosity was piqued.
“They wanted me gone, immediately. I didn’t understand.” Astix leapt into the past with all the zeal of an Olympic diver. Every inch of her body took on a prepubescent cast, her speech rose in pitch. “They took me upstairs and locked the door to my room with me inside. Fifteen minutes, they said. I had fifteen minutes to get everything I needed. Fifteen minutes to put my life in bags. They unlocked the door right on time and told me to get out. Zee stared at me as if he didn’t care, but it was more than that. There was relief on his face. Thankful it wasn’t him. Karsia cried.”
