“I should warn you, child, the truth is not always easy to accept. Sometimes the truth seems like another lie. Truth is a sword. It cuts you and rips out parts of you that you didn’t even know you had. But alas, you’re here, like the stars foretold, and therefore I’ll give it to you.”
She stood and walked over to the far wall, fiddling on a bookshelf. She picked up several books looking inside before shelving them. Finally, she pulled out an emerald green one with a leather bookmark attached and found what she was looking for.
She clasped a small object in her hand and walked over to me.
Opening her hand, she held out to me.
“The key.” She shook her hand. “Take it.”
“What’s it for?” I asked, looking up at her.
“That, I cannot tell you. You will know when the time comes.”
“Uh … thanks, I guess.”
She laughed. “It’ll all make sense in due time.”
“May I?” Cleo asked.
I nodded.
She clasped my necklace and her eyes rolled back in her head. I almost jerked away from her, but somehow I held still. She let go and smiled at me, her fangs poking into her bottom lip.
“Oh, it is exactly as the stars have told me. The darkness cowers. I shall celebrate.”
Just like it began, the memory swirled in color and then I opened my eyes to look at Theo. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, the pupils dilated.
“How did you do that?” he breathed, his eyes wide with wonder.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure. I thought I might be able to show you, since we’re connected, but I didn’t think it would actually work.”
He took my hand in his flipping it palm up and tracing the lines in it. “You amaze me,” he whispered so softly I wasn’t sure if he actually meant for me to hear so I didn’t respond. He looked up at me flicking his dark hair out of his eyes. “There seems to be no limit to what you can do. It blows my mind. I feel like I should bow before my Queen.”
I snorted. “No bowing, please.”
He grinned, his eyes flickering with light. “I don’t plan on it, but if I was to kneel it would only be before you.”
I cupped his face in one hand. I didn’t say anything for a moment, just felt the pulses of his body beneath my hand. “We have a long road ahead of us.”
“We do,” he agreed, placing his hand over top of mine. “But together, we’ll overcome it.”
“You mean it? You’re not going to go rogue and abandon me because you think it’s for my own good?”
He chuckled huskily. “If I actually thought it’d be for your good I would—but I know we’re stronger together.”
“I love you,” I whispered.
“God, I love you too,” he murmured back. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but whatever it is I’m glad for it.”
He leaned forward and kissed me slowly, softly. It was a simple kiss but somehow I still felt it all the way down to my toes. Every time he touched me I felt it everywhere. Little tiny zings of electricity made my body hum.
His body pressed into mine, urging me to lie back on the floor. He kissed me deeper, the cool metal of his lip ring a stark contrast to the heat of his lips. A small moan escaped me and he captured it with a soft chuckle. My body warmed, not only from the feel of his body but from the electricity created between us. I was slowly being set on fire, but he made it a pleasant experience.
My hands delved into his hair and he captured them, entwining his fingers with mine before pinning my hands above my head.
“Theo,” I panted between kisses. “Let me touch you.”
“No,” he growled hungrily. “This is my time.”
This is my time.
Oh, my God, I might spontaneously combust.
The kiss reached scorching levels and I writhed beneath him, pressing my hips up and into his, begging silently for more.
We’d only had sex the one time, and it felt like so long ago. I needed to feel him against him more than I needed my next breath.
He broke the kiss long enough to place a soft kiss to my neck and whisper, “You make me crazy.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
He smashed his lips to mine and I moaned again, unable to quiet myself. I should’ve probably been embarrassed by all the sounds I was making, and the fact we were on the floor in the living room, but I needed him so badly I couldn’t bring myself to care in the moment.
Tomorrow, I’d probably hate myself, but for now this took precedence over any potential embarrassment.
His fingers crept slowly under my sleep shirt and I shivered as goose bumps suddenly dotted my skin. It didn’t matter what he did, my body reacted immediately like I was a puppet and he was my master. I felt the brush of his fingers on the underside of my breast and I gasped, my hips rising against his.
“Theo,” I breathed.
“No bra?” he joked.
“I’m in my pajamas, dick wad.”
He laughed warmly and kissed my lips, then my neck, before taking his other hand and with one finger pulling my t-shirt down into a V shape so he could kiss the top curve of each breast.
I should have told him to stop, not here, this wasn’t the place for this, but I couldn’t find the words because I wanted him more than I wanted to be responsible.
Since my hands were finally free to wander I grabbed the hem of his shirt, edging it up. He sat up, leaving enough space between us for him to remove it.
I bit my lip, gliding my hands down his chest and abs, his skin smooth and flawless now. I’d loved it before, and I still loved it, but somehow unscarred it seemed less Theo.
He lowered again, kissing me deeply like he couldn’t get enough of me.
It was amazing how with one touch, one kiss, he could make me feel so loved. There was no questioning how he felt about me, how we felt about each other. It was there, written as plainly as words in the touches and gestures and even the glances.
There was something so amazing about a love so undeniable.
It was rare, it was special, the kind of magic that exists freely in the world but, so few ever find it.
Slowly, like unwrapping a present we took turns removing the rest of our clothes.
When we finally joined, I swore lights sparkled around us.
I nearly wept with joy at being connected like this once more with him, but I dammed down the tears knowing Theo would love to pick on me later.
He nuzzled his face against my neck, his lips resting at the point where my pulse jumped in time with every erratic heartbeat.
He glided one of his hands through my hair to rest at the nape of my neck, bringing my head forward until our foreheads were pressed against each other.
“Do you feel that?” he murmured. “The way we’re made for one another?”
I nodded. I did. I’d felt it long before I ever wanted to admit and wanted to keep believing he was nothing more than my asshat protector.
But Theo was more. He’d always been so much more to me.
I crashed my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his neck. I couldn’t get close enough to him. He kissed me back with just as much passion and I soaked it up like a flower who’d been without the sun. I guess that was a pretty accurate description of Theo and me. We were both dependent on each other in order for the other to survive.
The thick scruff on his cheeks was rough beneath my palms but I’d never tell him to shave it. I loved how it somehow made him even more handsome, ruggedly so.
“I love you,” he whispered once more.
I gasped, suddenly unable to find the words, but he knew. He always knew.
***
It was early in the morning, light would soon be creeping in the windows, and we lay curled on the floor, wrapped in a blanket and each other’s arms. We should have gotten up and put our clothes on, and I should have returned to the room I shared with Adelaide, but for the moment we were both content to stay there.
Theo glided
his fingers through my hair absentmindedly, like this was something he did all the time. I drew random shapes on his bare chest, watching the slight pulses in his skin from the beat of his heart and each breath he took.
I knew it wasn’t realistic, but I wished I could pause this moment and live there forever. The peace, the quiet, his arms around me, it was all so perfect.
I saw a drop of water appear on his chest and I startled, realizing I was crying.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered into the dark, his fingers stilling in my hair. “Did I hurt you?” He started to sit up but I shook my head.
“No, no,” I hastened to calm him. “I don’t know why I’m crying. I guess, because this is so nice. It was barely the blink of an eye ago when I thought you were dead. That this would never happen again. I realize now I was barely getting by—how difficult it was without you.”
“You need me,” he stated with a grin.
I laughed softly. “Yeah, I do.”
I’d proven I could survive without him, but it wasn’t the same. Life without Theo was black and white. He brought color and vibrancy to my life. Without him I had no anchor. I was a boat adrift at sea. Now that he was back my life was exploding with brilliance once more, there was only one major problem.
Thaddeus.
I had to kill him.
I knew it as sure as I knew I loved Theo or that I was going to take my next breath. This world, mine, ours, the enchanted and the human, depended on his dying.
They say good and bad must coexist side by side for balance, it might be true, but evil had no place anywhere and Thaddeus was pure evil. He’d kill every last enchanter to get what he wanted, and in the end he still wouldn’t be satisfied.
“This is so fun!” Adelaide squealed, her hand clasped in Winston’s and in the other a large bucket of popcorn held closely to her chest. “It’s like we’re normal humans!”
“Shh!” I hushed her, paying for the popcorn, box of chocolate, sour gummy bears, and two drinks for Theo and myself. Theo had already grabbed our large popcorn bucket and was piling even more oily butter into it. I wasn’t going to complain though. Greasy movie theater butter was part of the reason anybody came to the movies.
Theo, Ethan, and Jee had discussed it and after some minor preparation and talks on what to do in an emergency—like we get attacked in the middle of a movie theater, which seemed highly unlikely to me—they agreed all of us could go see a movie to get out for a while.
Frankly, it was a break we all very much needed. So even if they had spent all of yesterday going over What do in case of … plans, I wasn’t going to complain and nobody else was, either.
In front of me, Winston and Adelaide disappeared into the darkened theater. We’d all agreed to see a comedy—deciding our life was already enough of a horror show and action packed. Adelaide and I would’ve loved to see a romantic movie, but the guys out voted us, so comedy it was.
Theo fell into step beside me, Jee and Ethan were behind us.
“This is so good,” he said around a mouthful of popcorn, already helping himself.
I laughed. “Try and save some for me, would ya?”
“No promises.” He winked.
My heart warmed, for a moment pretending I’d never learned I was an enchanter, and we were a normal human couple enjoying a simple date at the movies.
Inside the screening room the lights were dimmed. Adelaide and Winston headed for the seats nearest the emergency exit, like we’d already discussed. I hated we had to look over our shoulders, as if each of our breaths was a countdown to the last—a ticking time bomb waiting for the right second to implode.
The six of us lined up in a row. There was still about twenty minutes before the show started. The guys wanted time to scan the perimeter of the building and clear the nearby buildings before letting us in. They took this whole security thing super seriously. After all this was over, if it ever ended that was, they should think about protecting the President’s daughter or something.
God, what if this never did end?
Would we have to live our life like this every day until we died? Always looking over our shoulder, and second-guessing every look from a stranger? Theo and I weren’t even ready for this, let alone had we discussed it, but would we ever be free to marry and have children? Once upon a time I dreamt of going to college, meeting my future husband, and settling down and having some kids. It sounded peaceful and wonderful.
Now, all that seemed like some little girl’s fairy tale wish. Something so silly and far fetched it could never possibly come true.
I pushed those thoughts out of my mind, refusing to dwell on things like that when there were far more important things for me to worry about. For now, I was going to focus on enjoying myself. Moments like those were fleeting.
I placed Theo’s cup in the holder beside him and did the same with mine. He held the popcorn bucket hostage in his lap, so I held onto the chocolate—Reese’s Pieces and M & M’s—and sour gummy worms.
I opened the sour gummy worm pack first and popped one in my mouth. My taste buds danced across my tongue at the tartness.
“If you eat all that popcorn you’re going to get the refill,” I warned him.
He merely looked at me and shrugged. “Okay.”
“Maybe I should’ve gotten my own.”
“Maybe.” He shoved another handful in his mouth.
“Here, take this.” I deposited my snacks into Jee’s lap beside me. Before he could protest I was up and heading out to the concession stand for my own popcorn.
“Mara, wait,” Theo groaned behind me. His protector mojo was raging strong and refusing to let me get away from him.
He caught up to me quickly, grumbling about girls, sensitive, and that he was going to share.
We both knew it was a lie. He could eat enough to feed fifty people and still go back for seconds and maybe thirds.
Since I wasn’t going to be sharing with anyone I got a smaller bucket, one which couldn’t fit two people’s hands inside of it, and went over to the counter to add more butter into it. I inhaled the scent of fake movie theater butter, smiling to myself. Leave it to greasy artificial food to make me feel better.
Armed with my own bucket of popcorn we headed into the theater once more.
I took my candy back from Jee and eyed him shrewdly. “There better not be any gummy worms or chocolate missing.”
He cracked a grin. “I don’t want your PMS candy.”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
A few minutes later the lights turned dark and the screen flickered to life with previews. Adelaide made an excited squeal that sounded like a baby pig.
This was the first time she’d ever been to the movies, same for Theo, and maybe for the others too. It wasn’t something I’d done often before, but Dani and I had gone some.
Dani … the girl who’d been there for me practically my entire life. The one I felt like I’d abandoned. I didn’t know how she was, or if she was safe, and unfortunately contact was not possible. If she was safe and the Iniquitous didn’t know about her I had to keep it that way. I couldn’t risk any contact back home for fear of bringing harm to any of them. Enough damage had already been dealt the night I left.
Theo’s hand suddenly entwined with mine and he gave it a small squeeze. Somehow, freaking protector powers, or our connection, he’d sensed me growing upset.
I flashed him a grateful smile, though I couldn’t be positive he’d seen it in the dark theater.
I wiggled in the seat and focused on eating my snacks and waited for the previews to end and for the movie to begin.
***
Emerging from the theater into the bright afternoon sunlight was like having your retinas personally victimized by the sun.
“My eyes!” Adelaide cried, slapping a hand over them. “My poor eyes!”
We all stood on the sidewalk for a moment letting our eyes adjust to the brightness.
After a minute, Adelaide spoke aga
in. “Do we have to go back to the apartment yet?”
Jee scoffed. “What’s wrong with my apartment?”
She turned her gaze to him. “Nothing—except it’s pretty much a prison.”
He shrugged, unable to argue with her words.
Theo twisted his lips, thinking. “We’ve got a few hours until the sun starts going down, so I don’t see why not.”
“Thank you!” Adelaide cried and jumped into his arms.
He chuckled and hugged her back before setting her down.
We were in downtown Minneapolis so there were plenty of shops and restaurants we could get to on foot, though we had brought the car in case we needed a faster escape.
“On one condition, though,” Theo warned, pointing a finger at her. “We all have to stick together.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like I expected you to say we could separate.”
He grinned. “I’m glad you know me so well.”
“Enough standing here, let’s go.” She grabbed Winston’s hand and started dragging him down the street, leaving the rest of us to follow.
Theo slipped his hand in mine as we walked and I looked down, smiling at the ease with which he did it. Theo had had far more trouble easing into our relationship than I had—granted I hadn’t been raised being told I wasn’t allowed to fall in love with my protector, whereas he’d always been told a relationship was forbidden between us.
The six of us were relatively ignored by passersby as we wandered around, even with Adelaide squealing at every little thing.
I wasn’t really interested in looking or shopping. Instead, I enjoyed the feel of the sun on my skin and being with my friends.
After going into a few shops we decided to get dinner before heading back to the apartment. I could tell Theo was getting antsy but it wasn’t even dark yet when we made it back to the apartment. He was as much a worrier as he was a literal warrior.
I guess having had enough time with each other we all went our separate ways. Theo and I found ourselves alone in the training room. More often than not we were hanging out in there. It was one of the few places everyone else avoided unless they had to be there.
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