Half-Breed (Taming the Elements Book 1)

by Hickory Mack

  Chapter 31

  Nakia was waiting in the sitting room, a scowl on her face, when Chiori returned alone. She looked Chiori over from head to toe, went so far as to walk a complete circle around her, even lifting her arms to complete the examination. Finding nothing she nodded with a sigh.

  “You’ve returned to us in one piece. You had us worried, Lady Chiori,” Nakia said.

  “I figured if anyone was too worried, or if I were needed, someone would come find me. I was with a teacher at all times, I was perfectly safe. The point needed to be clearly made,” Chiori replied.

  “I fully understand and respect that, but we’re held responsible for your well-being. So, next time something like this happens, can you please make your point after you tell someone what’s happened? Hina came back without you, but she’s a lesser Lady Chiori. She went into hiding before coming to tell us what happened. By then you’d already left with Kai and we weren’t sure where you were. I know you were safe, but next time it could turn out very differently,” Nakia scolded.

  “Okay, Nakia. I didn’t think about it like that, if there’s a next time, I will notify someone of my whereabouts,” Chiori answered. She was a little nonplussed at being so closely monitored, but too tired to argue.

  “Thank you. I dealt with Hina appropriately, but it will be up to you whether she can remain one of your companions,” Nakia said.

  “Okay. You do a great job, taking care of everything. I really do appreciate all you’ve done. You’re the Head, okay?” Chiori said and Nakia scowled once more.

  “Don’t think that lets you off the hook,” the snake said, her voice stern.

  “Sure.”

  They had dinner, and Hina was not included. Nakia said she didn’t want the meal to be spoiled by any upset that may occur. Afterward Saya, Yuuki and Mai all joined Chiori in the bath where they repeatedly touched her hair, commenting on how much softer it was and how much healthier it looked.

  “It’s so much shinier than it was just a few hours ago!” Mai said, mystified. They demanded to know everything she’d done that day, focusing on her time with her magic teacher. Chiori told them what had happened with Kai, wondering if calling attention to the magic within her had caused the change. The girls all agreed that it had to be what it was.

  “Her eyes are brighter, too, look. Less gray, more blue,” Yuuki said, staring at Chiori in an unsettling way, her beautiful purple hair in a sloppy bun atop her head. Mai put her hands on Chiori’s shoulders and stared into her eyes.

  “Are you sure it isn’t an effect of the lighting?” Mai asked.

  “You didn’t notice at dinner?” Yuuki scoffed.

  “It can’t be that big of a difference…” Chiori protested.

  “You touched your magic, Lady Chiori. Acknowledging it makes every difference, it’s a living entity inside of you. Magic likes to be given attention,” Yuuki replied. “Wait until you see yourself in the mirror. Too bad it didn’t wipe out those dark circles under your eyes. They’re starting to look like bruises.”

  “I’m fine,” Chiori said defensively.

  After their bath Yuuki and Mai dragged Chiori to the mirror in her room, setting her square in the middle. Her eyes were definitely brighter, enough to make them look bigger, her lashes darker. She blinked. Those were thicker and longer, too. Her hair looked glossy, the brown darker, almost black. She took it out of its tie and shook it out, amazed by the slight waviness. Running her fingers through it a little sound of surprise came out and the girls giggled.

  “It’s so silky!” she said.

  “Told you!” Mai said.

  Chiori touched the circles under her eyes. Even with them the changes made her feel passably pretty.

  “Are you happy with it?” Nakia asked, coming up behind them with Chiori’s pajamas over her arm.

  “I think so. It’s strange. Eyes don’t change color,” she said.

  “That’s not true. Even in humans eye color will sometimes change with age, or illness,” Yuuki explained.

  “You were starved nearly to death, and had no proper training in using your magic. Both of those things would have an ill effect on your health,” Nakia added, handing Chiori her pajamas. “If you have no further use for me, I am going to take my leave for the night.”

  “I will, too,” Mai added.

  “Yes, of course, have a great night,” Chiori said. Once they’d left she dipped behind her screen to change, then visited the bathroom to brush her teeth. Yuuki took care of the futons and bedding while she was gone. She slipped into the sitting room. She still had homework to take care of.

  Chiori brought the journal into the bedroom and sat in the middle of her futon. She had class with Ichio the next day, and she didn’t want him to think she was shirking her responsibilities, though she totally was. Chiori sat with the book in her lap for several minutes, mentally readying herself, then she opened it to the second entry.

  February 13th, 1843

  Mary’s recognition ceremony was every bit as perfect as she wanted it to be today. The whole coven was there, congratulating her and making lewd jokes about making baby witches with her new mate, since Edmund hasn’t “done the job yet”. I know it’s normal, but sometimes I wish it weren’t. Can’t our personal lives be, I don’t know, personal?

  The Grassford coven attended, and the second reason for the ceremony was completed. All the girls and women from our coven, including Mary, myself and even our mother lined up, and about eight feet away, facing us, were all the girls and women from Grassford.

  Then all the men and boys came through the line, stopping at each woman, one at a time. They took both of my hands, kissed both of my cheeks and stared into my eyes. Touching, skin to skin contact, is said to make a potential bond form more quickly. It’s hoped that someone will meet their bonded partner this way, and it’s happened in the past, but it didn’t happen for anybody tonight. Thank the goddess.

  How horrifying would it have been to have the bond form in front of the entire coven, to be celebrated and remarked upon and recognized right then and there? I’d rather fall in the river and be carried over the falls to my death.

  If it has to happen, let it be in a private moment, away from prying, teasing eyes and knowing smiles.

  Chiori was relieved that she could read this entry without turning into a complete mess. She kind of knew how the girl felt. Everything she did was under scrutiny, though those that watched her were demons, not members of her own coven. She wondered if the ritual described was still in practice. If it was, how many times had Kai taken part? How many times had he held a woman’s hands, kissed her in the hopes that she was the one? How had his potential bond mate not known when it had happened?

  All it took was a touch, and they knew. Lord Makkai had known immediately. Chiori resolved not to allow anyone new to touch her. If simply holding someone’s hand could make a bond form, she would avoid all contact.

  Her thoughts turned to Kai again, holding her hand and touching her cheek when he’d tucked her hair back and she blushed. She put the journal on her desk and stomped back to her futon, ignoring Yuuki’s look of confusion at her sudden attitude.

  Chiori lay down and pushed her thoughts to Lord Makkai. She’d see him on Sunday, but each day was going by agonizingly slow while she impatiently waited for time to pass. She wondered what he would think of her brighter bluer eyes and her softer hair. He’d never seemed to care about her looks before, except to remark about her malnourishment and injuries. Her heart hurt, thinking of how he accepted her, when he was surrounded by such beautiful women all the time.

  When she fell asleep it was to sweet dreams of him. She dreamed that his eyes had turned all red, and she was older and they didn’t have to be separated anymore. She was strong and could take care of herself, but only had to if she wanted, because Lord Makkai was there for her. Chiori dreamed of the lake, of swimming with him in the shallow water.

  Click. The gun was pressed against her temple. Fen was o
n the ground, dead at her feet. Lord Makkai had a hole in his forehead, his eyes empty. Her girls lay scattered and dying, and Pax was whispering in her ear.

  “It’s all your fault, Miss Alice,” he pulled the trigger.

  Chiori woke with a scream and bolted into the gardens before Yuuki could stop her. She screamed at the stars and threw herself onto the ground under the cherry tree to cry bitter tears until the cycle repeated. Calm, sleep, dream, scream, repeat. Eventually she gave up and paced around the gardens, careful not to trip herself over rocks or uneven ground. The girls were right, she couldn’t keep this up much longer.

  Sometime around midnight she saw a light come on in one of the classrooms. She ignored it for a while, she didn’t want any company. After several more revolutions around the garden curiosity got the best of her and she went to investigate, wondering which of her teachers were working at such a late hour.

  She crossed the barrier and into the hallway, the light came from Kai’s room. Her feet planted where she stood, she couldn’t explain why she was pleased it was him, and that bothered her a bit. It kind of made her want to turn around and go right back outside. Her wanderings hadn’t been working for her anyway, so she walked to the open door, knocking on the frame.

  Kai looked up from a pile of books laid out on his desk. His bright red hair was tied back from his face and he wore thick framed glasses, flannel pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. He looked so completely normal and so ridiculously beautiful all at once. She wanted to go back to the gardens and pretend she hadn’t seen him like this.

  “Chiori?” he said in surprise, then cleared his throat. “Um, Lady Chiori, that is. What are you doing here so late, and without any of your girls? Is something wrong?”

  “I’m sorry for intruding, I was in the gardens and saw the light,” She said, knowing her explanation was lame. His brow furrowed and he sat back in his chair, setting his glasses on the book in front of him. He looked beyond her, at the stars.

  “You were taking a stroll in the gardens at nearly one in the morning? In your pajamas?” he asked suspiciously. Chiori realized she was in a tank top and shorts and bit her lip. Should have stayed away. “When I said you should be outside more I didn’t mean at night when you should be sleeping. Don’t you have class with Winry in the morning?”

  Chiori was caught off guard, she hadn’t realized he’d memorized her schedule. Then she second guessed herself, it was possible she’d told him while they talked earlier.

  “Yeah, it’s Winry. I couldn’t sleep,” she admitted.

  “After the long day you’ve had? That surprises me a bit,” he said. “Any particular reason?”

  “I don’t really feel like talking about it,” Chiori shifted awkwardly. It was bad enough that the girls all knew, even Hina. Kai watched her curiously.

  “Come in properly, sit down so we can talk. Would you like some tea to help you relax? You know I’m your magic teacher, right?” he teased. “I can whip up a strong tea that will help you sleep.” Chiori sighed and sat on the sofa near his desk.

  “Magic doesn’t work, Asuka made me sleep when I first came here and it was awful. It isn’t that I can’t fall asleep, I can do that just fine. Once I do fall asleep I have nightmares, and without Lord Makkai here to-”

  “You’ve been unable to sleep unless he’s with you?” Kai looked troubled and Chiori was irritated that she’d barged in and made his night about her. “How long has this been going on?”

  “I don’t have a calendar, so I don’t know exactly how long it’s been. Time feels weird here and I’ve lost track of it. Two weeks, maybe more? I’m not sure,” she said.

  “Tell me,” was all he said, a request more than a command. He turned his chair to face her and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. Chiori didn’t want to feel it again. Even the girls only knew she had nightmares, they didn’t know why. She opened her mouth to say no, but she looked up, into those brown eyes, so soft and caring. He genuinely wanted to know how to help her.

  Chiori bit her lip and chose to trust him. When she spoke and told him about that day, about all the lives she watched end. Her voice was disconnected, her eyes stared into nothingness. Kai listened attentively, a frown on his face that deepened the longer she spoke. By the end she was shaking, and tears rolled down her face in release as she talked, but her voice never cracked. She was startled when his hand landed gently on the top of her head. Her eyes focused, he was crouched in front of her.

  “You have Post Traumatic Stress. And somewhere in the great unknown, your mind and your bond forming made him your safe place. I can’t believe he brought you there, for that,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose and squinting his eyes shut for a moment. Chiori opened her mouth to defend Makkai but he continued.

  “No, that’s not true. I can believe it. Something’s missing, it’s more than that, isn’t it? I’ve heard the reason behind the barrier between the classrooms and your rooms, it’s because you can’t be in enclosed spaces. Tell me the rest, Chiori.” He took her hand and sat next to her. Chiori shook her head.

  “I can’t,” she said.

  “You said magic doesn’t work, but my magic is far different than Asuka’s. If I know what to take away, I can do it, for the rest of tonight. You’ll sleep with only sweet things in your head, dreaming only of the one you love,” he said gently. Chiori frowned stubbornly and he squeezed her hand.

  “Tell me,” he said again.

  “It’s too awful.”

  “You can trust me, I promise. Share this burden so it isn’t yours alone to bear,” he insisted.

  “I already told you the shiny version,” she said. Her words started slowly, haltingly, it took over two hours to tell it all, but once she’d started she couldn’t stop. Chiori filled in all the gory details of her time in the cell, tripping over her words, rushing to get it all out, her chest aching and heaving with emotion. She told him everything she’d left out before. Everything she hadn’t told anyone else, even Makkai.

  He listened without interrupting, silently staring at her hand in his, never looking up, but she could feel the energy of his anger. She told him of the words they’d carved into her forearm and he’d gently intertwined their fingers and gone so perfectly still he could have been a statue. She didn’t understand it, but it was so like Lord Makkai’s anger it made her feel a little better. When she finished he was quiet for a minute, and then he reached over and pulled her into a tight hug.

  “He doesn’t know,” he said. A statement, not a question.

  “He can’t. He’ll kill everyone, even those not involved,” she answered. Kai rested his cheek on the top of her head for a long moment, then sighed and pulled away.

  “I can’t make those memories go forever, but I can take them, one night at a time, for as many nights as you need,” he looked up hesitantly. “You might not approve, you might even hate me for it, but it won’t break my contract. Only influence magic needed. You’ll have to stay here, your girls will murder me if I get caught sneaking out of your room after. You’ll be asleep, I can’t get through the barrier.”

  “It can’t be any worse than now. Why would I hate you?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Because I’m an incubus, Lady Chiori, and the magic I’ll use is the magic of the incubi. You’re just a child,” he touched her cheek with his fingertips, “and I am not Lord Makkai."

  Chiori blushed hot and she felt the butterflies flitting around in her stomach. His magic wasn’t supposed to work on her, why would she react that way?! She swallowed hard and frowned, her brain clamoring for her to walk out of the room, but her heart tugged hard and her traitorous head nodded. She wasn’t afraid of Kai, confident in Lord Makkai’s words. His powers couldn’t touch her.

  “Take these memories, please,” Chiori said.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I am.”

  He looked away for a long moment, squinting his eyes closed again as though he was struggling with the decision more
than she was. Then he leaned forward and kissed her mouth. Chiori’s eyes widened, but she didn’t try to pull away, her heart thundered, feeling his lips on hers and then it was over. A chaste kiss meant to do a job. He sat back and gave her a lingering, searching look, disappointment she couldn’t possibly understand in his eyes.

  “Your eyes are hazel,” she mumbled, confused. They’d been brown only a moment before.

  “Sleep well, Lady Chiori,” he said softly, and she suddenly couldn’t keep her eyes open.

  It was as he’d promised. Her dreams were sweet dreams of Lord Makkai, of being safely in his arms. He held her close and warm, and kissed her hands and cheeks. Then she was being kissed again, but it wasn’t Makkai, it was Kai, only in her dreams his name was still Gideon. Even when he was kissing her she was safe in Makkai’s arms. It was the most confusing dream she’d ever had, but the nightmares never came.

  When she woke the next morning the sun was up and she was alone in the classroom, covered with a blanket. She rose and stretched, feeling refreshed for the first time since Lord Makkai had left her to her studies. The books were cleared from Kai’s desk, he’d taken whatever he’d been studying with him.

  Chiori folded the blanket and left it on the sofa, and then the memories and their trauma came back, settling like a familiar and hated cloud. Her eye twitched and she stomped out to the gardens. The sun was higher in the sky than she’d expected and she hurried to her room where Yuuki and Nakia were tidying up.

  Nakia froze when she walked in.

  “You disappear in the middle of every night, and every morning you return. This time, you’ve come back late, and smelling strongly of the sylvan,” she said, her eyebrow raised. Yuuki nodded her agreement, but she wasn’t suspicious. The sprite looked like she approved.

  “I had nightmares again and wandered around for a while. I fell asleep on the sofa in his classroom,” Chiori said easily, omitting information rather than lying, but it still felt wrong. She shouldn’t have to keep secrets from them.