Sapphire Sun

by Suzi Davis

  Chapter Fifteen – Lingering

  No one spoke as we approached the group. I could hear myself breathing, along with the squelch of my shoes sinking into the mud, the distant calls of birds and the cracks and rustles of wildlife moving through the forest behind me. I imagined I could feel the eyes of my friends watching too; they had become my friends, I realized. It reminded me that I wasn’t alone, that there were others willing and ready to fight alongside me. If it came to that.

  “David,” Aed called. His voice carried no emotion, no clue as to whether David was welcome or not. There was an expectation behind his words, a subtle command: come. David immediately obeyed.

  He dropped his arm from my shoulders and passed me his nearly finished cigarette.

  “You can kill that smoke for me. Wait here,” he instructed. And then he stepped forward.

  I let my hair fall in my face, peeking through it as I sucked on the cigarette, the bitter smoke stinging and burning my throat and lungs. I forced myself to hold it in and then blew out a thin, steady stream, attempting to look as casual and uninteresting as possible. It seemed to work. All eyes were on David, including Aed’s.

  “Aed Dubhan,” David greeted, sounding amused. “You old bastard. It’s been a long time, brother.” He stopped before Aed, offering his hand.

  Aed watched him emotionlessly, his black eyes cold and empty. Up close, it was nearly impossible for me to think of him as Sebastian, there were no immediate traces of him left. Slowly, Aed’s pale lips began to pull up into a cruel and twisted smile. He reached out and he and David clasped one another’s forearms in greeting, both smiling coldly at the other.

  “It has been a long time,” Aed agreed, his voice sharper than Sebastian’s and without the usual lilt of an Irish accent with which Sebastian spoke. “What took you so long to join us? We’ve been waiting.”

  David shrugged.

  “That bitch, Grace, tricked me into helping her. She bound me to my words with her magic and forced me to promise her my help. I also had to swear not to harm her, or Sebastian.”

  Aed laughed, the sound haunting and cruel, echoing off the trees and slopes that surrounded the meadow. I tried not to shudder.

  “David, David, you’ve always been a fool around beautiful women,” Aed chastised, shaking his head. “And how, pray tell, did you manage to escape the child’s clutches?”

  “She and the others are returning to the mainland to gather more followers and then move against you. Keira and I volunteered to remain behind, to observe you until their return in two days. They plan to attack at dawn on the third.” David glanced lazily over his shoulder at me as he spoke. I tried not to frown. Why had he warned Aed that we were going to attack in three days? I began to feel uneasy. I watched him suspiciously through my hair, careful to avoid Aed’s eye.

  “Grace trusted you to remain behind?” Aed questioned. His face was expressionless but his eyes were piercing, locked on David’s and demanding the truth. I could feel the Lost Magic flowing through him, twisting its way around David and squeezing the words from his lungs. There was no way he could lie or evade this question.

  “She trusts me enough,” he wheezed. “We have become surprisingly close.”

  A strange expression passed over Aed’s face. His features momentarily contorted with what could only be called pure, murderous fury. A spark of madness brightened his eyes. Then just as quickly, it was gone. He smiled without mirth.

  “Have you? How interesting. And what of this one?”

  I quickly dropped my gaze, focusing with all my might to maintain my magical façade and to hide the true extent of my ability and the power I was currently using from all those around me. I could feel Aed’s eyes burning into me.

  “This one is mine,” David growled, his voice suddenly threatening.

  Aed laughed.

  “Is she?” he smirked.

  “Yes.”

  There was an audible pause, tension filling the air. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, including myself.

  “I’m surprised that you would take interest in one such as her,” Aed commented quietly. Icy fear was rapidly expanding in my stomach, my legs already feeling too numb to help me if I needed to run. “I’m curious, brother… Call her forward.”

  “Keira!” David barked without hesitation.

  I immediately began moving, my body responding before my mind had made the conscious decision. I was terrified but I forced myself to remain calm, to slow my heart rate and take deep, even breaths. I must stay in control. I glanced at Aed through my hair, thankful to find that his eyes weren’t on me, they were locked with David’s.

  I came to a stop by David’s side, directly in front of Aed. I felt his gaze shift onto me, the heat of it withering, the ice of it bitterly cold. I couldn’t help myself; I looked up and found myself staring directly into his eyes. I was shocked to see all traces of the dark blue that used to swirl within the gray depths of Sebastian’s eyes were gone. Aed’s eyes were chillingly cold and hard, the gray of his irises so dark it seemed to almost blend into his black pupils. And as the crushing disappointment hit me, I realized that I had been hoping to see something else there, something familiar, something I could hold on to. But there was nothing. This was not Sebastian, this was a monster.

  Aed considered me dispassionately.

  “I would like to interview your friend before welcoming her into our fold,” Aed suddenly announced. My stomach clenched in fear.

  “Is my word not enough? I have vouched for her, what more do you need?” David asked slowly. He held Aed’s deadly gaze.

  “You’re protective of this one—interesting. Have no fear brother, I only wish to speak with her… for now.” His eyes gleamed wickedly. “Come!” he snapped, his eyes briefly looking my way and with that, he spun on his heel and marched up to his cabin, letting the door swing shut behind him.

  Everyone else was dismissed and the group immediately began breaking up with a few curious and wary glances at David and thankfully, none for me.

  “Go,” David quietly instructed. There was a warning in his eyes.

  I was terrified. I squeezed my hands together to try to hide their trembling. Why had Aed summoned me? He should have barely noticed me. Was my magic not working as it should? Was he too powerful after all?

  “David, I’ve heard so much about you,” Jeremy clipped in his clear, precise tones. He moved in front of me as if he hadn’t even seen me standing there. “My name is Jeremy.” He held out his hand expectantly; David just sneered at it.

  “Make yourself useful, boy, and show me around this place. I’ll need somewhere for my woman and I—that should suffice,” David indicated the middle cabin that stood not far from Aed’s.

  “That’s my cabin,” Jeremy warned, his voice no longer welcoming.

  “Not anymore.”

  I turned my back on their conversation and took a slow, steadying breath. It was time to face Aed.

  The wind rose as I approached his cabin door, gusting so strongly that I had to hold my hood down with one hand. It was almost as if the spirits were trying to force me to reveal myself. Their voices whispered loudly in my ears, warnings and pleas twisted together in a howl of silent voices: stop him… kill him… your destiny.

  Ignoring them, I took a deep breath and pulled open the cabin door.

  I gazed around the room in wonder, almost forgetting to hide in my hood for a moment. I couldn’t believe the luxury before me, so out of place in this rough, log cabin in the middle of a cold and muddy field.

  The inside of the cabin was all one room with a cozy wood stove at its center. Closest to the door was a large dining room table, surrounded by eight chairs. A massive, throne-like, carved chair was positioned at its head and several maps and documents were spread out on the table before it. Beyond that, in the back corner of the cabin, a large flat screen television had been mounted onto the wall with two leather couches arranged at angles before it. There was a pool table and sm
all bar squeezed into the closest corner to my right and the far right corner was partitioned off by dark, hung silks, cascading from the ceiling to the floor. Behind the silks, I could clearly see a massive, king-sized bed, draped in luxurious dark sheets. My mouth went dry.

  “Drink?” Aed asked. He stood with his back to me at the bar, pouring a dark, amber liquid into a small crystal glass.

  I was about to say no when I realized that any girl David claimed was his would probably drink. I was already pretending to smoke, after all.

  “Sure,” I answered as casually as I could manage. I lowered my voice slightly, hoping to disguise its usual cadence.

  Aed expertly poured a second glass for me and carried them both towards one of the couches.

  “Come,” he commanded over his shoulder. I cautiously obeyed.

  I was finally forced to meet his eye as I took the drink from him and sank down onto the adjacent couch. I glimpsed him briefly, attempting a quick smile that might have been more of a grimace. He was staring at me, a curious look in his eye.

  “Do you know why I brought you in here?” he asked.

  I took a sip of my drink while I carefully considered my answer. The spicy rum burned all the way down my throat like liquid fire. I swallowed hard, struggling to keep my face calm and stop myself from coughing and spluttering.

  “You want to make sure that I pose no threat to you,” I guessed, speaking slowly with my carefully lowered voice. I glimpsed up again through my hair and saw Aed watching me still, his lips twisted in amusement.

  “How could a skinny, weak girl possibly be of any threat to me?” he dismissed. He emptied his glass in one swallow. “I’ll tell you why you’re here: something doesn’t add up about you and I want to know what it is.”

  I tried to stay calm and still even though my heart felt ready to explode. He was on to me. What should I say? What should I do? I clung to my magical shroud desperately.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, taking another slow and deliberate sip of my drink. I felt like I should be breathing fire after the strong, spiced rum.

  “I’ve known David for a long time, a very long time,” Aed mused to the air. He leant back casually into the couch. “He was trying to hide it from me, but the way he looks at you. I’ve only ever seen him look at a woman like that once before, and she turned out to be an amazing, dangerous woman. A deadly, powerful woman.” My mind flashed back to the night Sebastian had first disappeared, when David had asked me about a woman he had once loved; he had said he “worshipped her”. I knew this must be who Aed meant but how could he possibly think David felt that way about me? He didn’t—did he?

  “There must be more to you than there appears.” His eyes returned to my face, studying me with an unnerving cold, calculation. “You’re weak and plain and demure; you’re hardly remarkable and barely noticeable. There’s no reason why one such as David should show any interest in you. So either you’re smarter than you appear, or more powerful, or more beautiful and certainly more deadly… or all of the above.”

  My heart rate began to slow down. Aed had said I was “barely noticeable.” Surely that meant my magic was working still? Perhaps there was a chance I could get away with this, if I answered carefully. I downed the rest of my drink, feeling emboldened.

  “You call me weak and plain and uninteresting? What woman wouldn’t be dangerous after that?” I purred, crossing my legs and leaning towards him flirtatiously.

  Aed smiled coldly.

  “Careful. You wouldn’t want me to be too interested,” he warned darkly. Goosebumps erupted all over my body. I couldn’t believe how frightening he was, this dangerous man hiding in Sebastian’s body.

  “No, I wouldn’t,” I replied. “I’m with David and he’s waiting for me.” I boldly stood up and moved to leave, but Aed grabbed my wrist, twisting it painfully and pulling me back to him. I gasped in pain.

  “Come here,” he commanded, the magic behind his words forcing me to obey. I desperately wanted to resist and I could have, probably, but it would have given me away. I needed to appear weak; I had to try to keep up my façade. I turned and walked right up to him, stopping just an inch from his chest. My pulse was racing, my whole body trembling as the Lost Magic swelled in my veins, begging and demanding to be used, but I pushed it aside. I couldn’t believe how close I was standing to this dark and dangerous man. I could hear him breathing, the rhythm so familiar that for a split second, I almost forgot that this wasn’t Sebastian anymore. But his scent was wrong, his expensive cologne unfamiliar to me. And the way he stood, and moved, and spoke—and the look in his eyes as he roughly grabbed my chin and tilted my face up to the light—this wasn’t Sebastian.

  “What are you hiding behind those stunning, sapphire eyes?” he asked, peering down at me curiously. And then I saw it, the exact moment that it happened. A spark of rich, navy blue briefly flared within the black depths of his eyes, a momentary flash of recognition, and something else, something almost familiar, and then it was gone. Dark anger abruptly clouded his face and distorted his features. His fingers pinched into my jaw painfully, his grip tightening as if he were about to crush my face with his hand and I suddenly didn’t doubt that he could.

  “Caoilinn,” he growled accusingly.

  “No,” I quickly denied. I could sense that he was barely in control of himself, that his anger was about to overcome him and he was about to do something very dangerous. I abruptly decided to make a bold move, it might be the only way to save myself now. I dropped my disguise, letting my magic evaporate into the air and revealing myself to him. “I’m Grace.”

  He didn’t move to let go of me, he just continued to glare down into my eyes. His tight grip on my face slowly loosened.

  “Is there truly a difference?” he asked.

  I knocked his hand away, rubbing my sore jaw.

  “You can call me Caoilinn, if I can call you Sebastian,” I challenged.

  Aed’s lips twisted into another eerie smile though his eyes were still dark with anger.

  “Touché.” He turned and casually walked over to the bar. He was still angry but he was in control of it now. I could sense that I was still in great danger. “May I offer you another drink?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Suit yourself.” He refilled his glass and then slowly strolled back across the room, dropping down onto the leather couch. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

  Slowly I sank down onto the far end of the couch from him, watching him warily all the while.

  “I had no choice,” I answered honestly.

  “Yes, it’s surprising how strong the connection between you and Sebastian was. Even now that he’s gone, in some ways it still lingers,” Aed commented, catching me by surprise. His comment stung, casting a dagger deep within the gaping void inside me while simultaneously, offering me a strange sense of comfort.

  “It lingers?” I echoed cautiously.

  “Must I repeat myself?” Aed snapped in annoyance. He took a long sip of his drink, downing half the glass in one mouthful, and then continued. “Some of Sebastian’s memories still blend with mine, similar to how mine once blended with his. I can recall the strength of his emotions for you and though his feelings are not in any way my own, I can certainly see your… appeal.”

  He eyed me appreciatively, looking amused by my surprise.

  “I can remember the way you smell, the warmth of your skin, the taste of your lips,” he murmured seductively, “the torture of never having all of you, of always wanting more.”

  My mouth went dry. I licked my lips nervously, desperately trying to stay in control.

  “I’ve decided I want you, Grace. And I always get what I want,” he warned.

  “But… I… David…”

  “David and I have fought over women before. I always win,” Aed smirked. “And so I’ll make you an offer you can’t resist—you won’t resist—join me. Your power combined with mine… we will be unstoppable. Anything and everythi
ng we’ve ever wanted, the world at our fingertips, indulging all our desires, living each day with no regrets.”

  “I could never,” I denied breathlessly though I was slightly tempted by his offer. “You’re not Sebastian.”

  “Not entirely,” he agreed. He shifted down the couch, leaning in close to me. “I’m the most dangerous parts of Sebastian, his deadliest sins, his darkest desires, his most carnal passions.”

  A thrill ran through me.

  “Join me,” he enticed, his eyes glowing. “I’ll give you until sundown to decide.”

  “And if I decide against?”

  “You won’t.”

  “But if I do?”

  “Then, I suppose I shall have to kill you,” Aed answered, looking amused once more.

  “Some choice,” I murmured.

  “I warned you to stay away, but you wouldn’t listen, would you?” I didn’t respond. He grabbed my chin again and tilted my head up so that I was forced to look into his eyes. “Yes, I see clearly now,” he murmured, staring down coldly at me.

  Without warning, Aed bent his head and crushed his lips against mine. He took me by surprise and I immediately tried to pull away, but he held me there with one hand in my hair and the other suddenly locked around my waist. And before I knew what I was doing, I wasn’t fighting any longer. I closed my eyes and gave in.

  He tasted like Sebastian. His lips were soft and warm, his arms steady and strong. The heat and warmth that radiated out from his body was the same that I had always felt. He gripped me tightly, kissing me with a hungry passion that was all too familiar. A desperate desire awakened inside of me and took control of my body as I pulled myself even closer against his. I forgot who this was, and my heart and soul rejoiced to be once more in Sebastian’s arms. I had never thought I would feel this again. My head spun from the rum I had drunk and the dizzying desire that now overwhelmed me. Slowly, teasingly, his pulled back, leaving me breathless and charged. I opened my eyes, wanting so badly to believe that Sebastian had returned.