“Oh great.” Tharsis muttered. “Nice, Cross. Thanks a bunch.”
“Blame Job. I swear, can hear his damn good influence in my head, telling me not to throw Gion to the wolves.”
“Gion isn’t going anywhere.” Ty insisted, holding up her hands for quiet. “All I want to know is what happened.” She turned back to Gion. “Are you alright?”
He started down at her uncomprehendingly. “What?” Why wasn’t she screaming at him? Why wasn’t she evicting him?
“Did Cross hurt you? You look very pale.” Ty’s hand came over to carefully touch his arm and Gion felt the punch of it like a sledgehammer. The Air energy went wild.
Ty yanked her hand back. Her eyes jumped up to his for two heartbeats this time.
Cross shot Gion a frown, feeling the charge in the air. Cross held a lot of power. “What was that?”
Tharsis felt it, too, but he was a bit more astute. Sudden comprehension lit his face as he realized the energy came from Gion and Ty. “Holy crap.” He blurted out in astonishment.
Gion couldn’t blame him. He’d been feeling the energy between Ty and himself for years now and he still didn’t understand it.
Ty, meanwhile, quickly rallied herself and added another talent to her resume: Lecturing. “I asked you not to bother Gion while he adjusts, Cross. He’s endured so much under Parald and you’ve gone and traumatized him even more.”
“No.” Gion shook his head, dazed by the fact that Ty wasn’t expelling him from her kingdom. That she was standing up for him. “No. Cross… uh… It was my fault. When he grabbed me, it was an automatic reflex to push him back. The other Air Phases sometimes…. Well, I’m just used to being prepared for attacks.”
Tharsis flopped down on the umbrella striped sofa, watching Gion closely. “Like a deranged boy scout.”
Ty sighed and adjusted her glasses. “I understand what it’s like to not feel safe.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Gion said, again, this time for not being able to provide her with a better fate. It gutted him that Ty didn’t feel secure. Gion would have gladly given his life to change things for her. In fact, there was nothing he wouldn’t trade, say, or do for this woman’s happiness.
Ty was his Match.
Not according to destiny, maybe. But, for Gion there was only Ty. In his heart, he’d known that from the first second he saw her.
“Gion.” She leaned closer to him. “You’re a Water Phase, now. It’ll take time, but you’ll be okay. We’re protecting you. Alright?”
No one had ever wanted to protect Gion before. He didn’t say anything, because everything that came to mind sounded like the pitiful dialogue from a one of Tessie’s maudlin soap operas. What Gion felt for Ty was more than just an obsession.
This woman owned whatever remained of his soul.
Tharsis tilted his head to one side, taking in Gion’s expression.
Ty apparently took Gion’s silence for agreement, because she gave an encouraging nod. “Okay then, I’m going to go back to work.” She glanced over at Cross. “Play nice.” She warned and went gliding out of the room, again.
Gion briefly closed his eyes.
“She’s already had a Match, you know.” Tharsis said.
Gion’s jaw tightened. “She doesn’t anymore.” And that was all that mattered.
“Yeah, well, she was right to renounce Parald’s ass. The guy’s a psychotic murderer. Girl certainly has a type, it seems.” Tharsis shrugged. “But if you think you’re gonna strike back at Parald by trying to get Ty into bed...”
This time, Gion didn’t bother to use his powers. He just reached over and seized Tharsis by the lapel of his sports coat. “You say another fucking word about Ty and, I swear to Gaia, I will…”
“You’ll what?” Tharsis interrupted. He didn’t even bother to shove Gion back. “Nothing. You can’t touch me and you know it, genius. Not if you ever wanna be the good guy in Ty’s eyes.” He arched a brow. “And that is what you want, isn’t it?”
“Get your hands off of him.” Cross wrenched Gion away from the sofa. “Nia told me not to kill you, yet. But, I can and will if you touch Tharsis. Or Ty. Or my uncle. Or especially my Match.” He gave Gion a shove. “I’m holding an entire fucking House. In a fight, I’ll win. Because, even if you kill me, I’ll just take you out along with everyone else when the Shadow House falls.”
Cross had a point.
Gion vividly recalled the last time the Shadow House collapsed. As the end of the world spiraled closer, Gion’s last thought had been of Ty.
Tharsis crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “So… Let’s talk about my little cousin.” He suggested with cheerful menace.
Tharsis knew.
Gion could see it in the younger man’s face. Thar knew that Gion wanted Ty. Damn it, that was the last thing Gion needed. Tharsis seemed like a slacking workaphobe, but the guy had a vicious streak and an IQ frighteningly close to his cousin’s. Thar could severely screw-up Gion’s life. If Tharsis drew a line in the sand between Gion and himself, Ty would stand on Thar’s side. There wasn’t a doubt in Gion’s mind.
Which meant that Gion couldn’t underestimate the kid.
“I have no intention of discussing Tritone with anyone.” He cautiously said.
“Oh, but we have to. Because, I see it allllll now.” Tharsis drew out the word. “Why you never jumped into the Water Kingdom and just tried to steal Ty for Parald. Why you freaked out that time in the jail when she had the panic attack. Why you set her free when the Air House kidnapped her. Why you’re even here.”
Not being able to simply kill assholes was a frustrating drawback of Gion’s new life.
He glanced down at the clipboard and decided to pick his battles. “I’m going to go check the windows in the throne room.”
“I don’t think so.” Tharsis patted the sofa cushion. His wristwatch had the Ghostbusters logo on its face. “Sit down and let’s watch some TV.”
Gion couldn’t have been more shocked if Tharsis suggested that they try out for the Olympics together. “I beg your pardon?”
“Oh, no.” Cross groaned. “Not those damn models.”
“I DVRed this week’s episode.” Tharsis clicked on the flat screen TV via remote and settled back on the couch. “Did you ever see this show, Guy? Tyra’s hot, isn’t she?”
“Who?” The Elemental realm received hundreds of television channels, but Gion certainly never watched any of them. He didn’t have the time or inclination. Watching TV required a level of relaxation that Gion never achieved.
He never relaxed.
Ever.
“I’m not going to endure some idiotic human prattling. I’m conducting a security…”
“Sit down or I’ll have to go find someone else to watch my show with me.” Tharsis propped his feet up on the coffee table. “And that someone will be Ty. Who do you think we’ll talk about, Romeo?”
Fuck.
Gion glanced over at Cross, although he seriously doubted that Cross was in the mood to lend him a hand, what with the throwing him through the glass door and all.
Cross was already ducking back through the broken doorway and making his escape. “I’m gonna go check on Nia.”
Fuck.
Gion drummed the clipboard against his leg and grudgingly headed over to the sofa. “You really don’t want to make an enemy out of me, boy.”
Tharsis snickered. The massive sapphire stud in his earlobe flashed deep blue in the light. “Guy, you stopped intimidating me back when Ty and I were in those jail cells. You didn’t even try to kidnap Ty for your boss. I knew right then that you weren’t going to hurt her.”
“That doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you.”
“Please.” Tharsis rolled his eyes. “Just shut up and stop with the Cobra Commander-ing.”
Gion didn’t know what that meant, exactly, but Tharsis’ total lack of fear disconcerted him.
Gion scared people. Since he was eight years old, other Phases avoided h
im or looked at him with wary frowns. Parald and Seneca had been terrified of Gion’s power. Not even Isaacs rolled his eyes and told him to shut-up. For some reason, Gion actually found Tharsis’ unintimated attitude… interesting.
“Sit.” Thar repeated.
Gion didn’t know what else to do, so he sat. Chairs in the Air Kingdom promoted good posture and attentiveness. The Water Kingdom only decorated with overstuffed furniture suitable for slouching. It took Gion several tries to position himself so his feet stayed flat on the floor and his back remained straight.
Tharsis puffed out a “God in heaven” sort of breath and turned his attention back to the TV. “So, now, I get why you’ve been doing such a suck-y job of stealing Ty for Parald, at least. I figured you were attracted to her, but I didn’t realize how deep it went.”
Gion stared fixedly at the television. Thin humans screamed at each other.
“How long have you been in love with her?” Tharsis persisted.
Gion rarely thought about Ty in terms of love. The word seemed too pretty and innocuous for what he felt. Not that he had any intention of discussing that with Tharsis.
Silence hummed between them for a long moment.
“Ty’s my baby cousin.” Tharsis persisted. “And she’s been through enough. If you even want a chance at her, I’m gonna need some assurances here, Guy. You’d be saying the same thing to me if our positions were reversed.”
It was irritating that Tharsis had a point. Only Gion wouldn’t let someone like himself near Ty, at all. She deserved a better man. What assurances could he possibly offer? “My name is Gion.” He corrected while he tried to figure out what to say.
“God, loosen up and stop being such an Air Phase.” Tharsis pointed at the screen. “See that blonde girl?”
“They’re all blonde.”
“No, that one. She’s such an evil bitch. I love her. See?” Tharsis made an expansive hand gesture. “I’m willing to share my deep feelings about what’s-her-name with you. Now, it’s your turn to open up with me.”
The keeper of Tharsis’ heart wept mascara-y tears at being told her body language was too stiff to properly sell the sexiness of deodorant.
Gion’s eyes narrowed at the screen. “What am I watching?” The question was part conversational placeholder and part appalled curiosity. The show had been on for two seconds and it was already hurting his brain.
Tharsis grinned. “Oh, come on. You know that you like this. Tessie said you used to watch Days of Our Lives with her all the time.”
“That was part of my job. The Quintessence forced me to endure that drivel.” The blonde woman explained to the camera that a modeling career meant the difference between languishing in mediocrity versus a life full of deep meaning and designer handbags. “And, amazingly, soap operas have more artistic merit than this.” Something worse than Days of Our Lives. Who would have thought that even the humans could create such a thing?
A photographer told another blonde that she didn’t “own her sexy” and was therefore doomed to be “merely pretty” instead of “wha-wham!” More tears ensured.
Gion found the horrible spectacle of it slightly hypnotic.
He stared at the screen until the next commercial break. “I’ve been in love with Ty for eleven years, three month and six days.” He finally said when it became apparent that Tharsis planned to wait him out.
“She wasn’t even of age eleven years ago.” Thar didn’t seem surprised, though. He just fast-forwarded until the half-naked humans returned.
“I know.”
“You loved her before Ty discovered that she was Parald’s Match?”
“Yes.”
Tharsis considered that. “So, why didn’t you kill that son-of-a-bitch a long time ago?”
“Ty’s too young. Even though they never Phazed, I’m concerned that killing Parald will pull her down, too.” Matches life spans usually coincided. That had contributed to the huge death toll in the Fall. Some immune Phases couldn’t live without their Matches and just faded away.
Tharsis scowled. “Shit. I never thought of that. Parald would abso-fucking-lutley try to take her with him. Bastard.”
“When Ty’s two hundred, I’ll kill Parald. She’ll be stronger, then.” Gion watched as one of the interchangeable models craned her neck like a barn owl for her photo shoot. “In the meantime, I’ll keep her safe from him. I have nothing in my life except her. You won’t believe that, but it’s true.”
“Sure I believe it.”
Gion wasn’t sure if that was sarcasm or not.
Tharsis gave another smirk. “So, you figure that you really have a chance with Ty, huh? Even with the whole ‘you being a super-villain’ thing, you think you can win her over?”
“When I require advice on women, I’ll ask somebody who actually has one.”
“Let’s just get right to the bottom line here, okay?” Tharsis turned away from the TV and studied Gion for a long moment. “You hurt my cousin and I’ll kill you in your sleep.”
“That seems fair.”
Tharsis nodded. “Just so we agree.”
It took Gion a moment to realize that Thar had just given him his blessing. That shocked Gion so deeply that he stared at Tharsis speechlessly for a moment. “Why?” He finally asked. “Why aren’t you kicking me out of here or telling me to stay away from Ty?”
“Well, for one thing, you saved my cousin and my sister, so I don’t think you’re as nefarious a guy as your wardrobe suggests.”
Gion nearly snorted at that. Aside from the Fall, he was personally responsible for more graves than any other disaster in the Elemental realm.
“And because, good or bad, Ty always reacts to you.”
It was beneath Gion to ask for details on that. Completely adolescent and pointless. “How so?” He demanded, anyway.
“She just acts different around you. She always has. Even back when she wasn’t talking to you, at all, there was a ‘rot in hell’ defiance about it.”
Yeah, like Gion hadn’t picked up on that by himself. Ty’s silence was always spoke volumes. Reaching into his pocket, he absently touched the hair barrette he’d stolen from her, his finger rubbing over the plastic daisy pedals.
“Ty’s not defiant.” Tharsis went on. “Not usually. Only about things that really matter to her. I always thought it was odd, the way you two interacted.”
Gion glanced at Tharsis out of the corner of his eyes. He’d never been able to talk about Ty with anyone before. “She just argued with me.” He was proud of that. “Interrupted me and everything.”
“Did she?” Tharsis made a considering face. “Impressive. You bring her out of her shell. That’s important to me, Gion. You make her bolder. Maybe, it’s because of the energy between you. That has to mean something. I don’t know what, but something.”
“I want Ty to Bind with me.” Gion needed Ty’s family on board with his plan and he wasn’t great at breaking news to people gently. The sooner Nia and Tharsis accepted his intentions, the sooner he could gauge how big a fight they’d mount against him.
“Huh.” Tharsis turned back to the TV. “Parald will come after you, you know.”
“I’ll deal with Parald. Will you try and stop the Binding?”
Tharsis sat there quietly for a full minute. “Let’s put it this way: You’re the meanest, plotting-est, most selfish bastard in the universe. I’m betting that you’d wipe out every innocent orphan in the world for a parking spot.”
“I don’t own a car.”
“I know.” Thar agreed pointedly. “And now you want Ty.”
“I do.”
“Right. So, while I don’t really like you all that much… I’d still rather have you guarding her, than some nice, sensitive, guy with a conscience. No one will touch her, with you around.”
Gion met his eyes levelly. “No one.” He vowed.
“So, if Ty agrees, --And if you try to pressure her, I’ll stop you-- but, if she willingly agrees, I’ll support a B
inding. You’re like me getting a round-the-clock SEAL team for my cousin’s security. I can tolerate the rest of your intolerable-ness.”
Gion was honestly touched by the vote confidence. “I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome.” Tharsis gestured to the television. “Now, pay attention, or you’ll miss the elimination round.”
Chapter Seven
The low'ring element Scowls o'er the darken'd landscape.
John Milton- ‘Paradise Lost’
Since Ty escaped the Air House dungeons, Parald had been compensating by fucking as many women as he could on the stone floor of her cell, imagining that they were his errant Match.
As always, he made sure that his partner faced away from him. It made it so much easier to pretend that he was really taking Ty. The current woman was too thin and lifeless to be a satisfactory substitute. Her straight, dark hair was a far cry from the Water House’s lush red. But, he made do until he could have the real prize under him. Parald had to compromise on so much and he hated compromising.
His hand twisted in the offending locks and pounded into her from behind. “Did you let Gion touch you like this, Ty?”
“No, sire.”
“I think you did. I think you let him take what’s mine, didn’t you, you bitch?”
“No, sire.”
Parald glanced over to the open doorway where he’d ordered Isaacs to stand. Parald liked demonstrating his power to his men. Liked them to watch.
Gion had been a total wash out at it. The one time Parald had tried forcing him to watch, the son-of-a-bitch had looked Parald up and down, flashed that cold, derisive smirk, and walked out of the room. That had ruined the mood, as far as Parald was concerned.
Saxon, on the other hand, enjoyed the shows. His cruel face always reflected pleasure as Parald fucked some woman into submission. He actually got off on it. But, that bastard had let Gion get away, so Parald wouldn’t be rewarding him anytime soon.
Isaacs did as he was commanded and stayed put, but his obvious hatred for the shows came through loud and clear. His shoulders hunched, his eyes focused on a spot three feet to the left of the action, he just stood there and endured. In a way, Parald liked that reaction best of all.
Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) Page 10