Victor looked angelic but broken. I couldn’t feel any heat radiating from him. I touched his cheek to check his temperature, and I could have sworn to the gods that I saw Evangelia’s fists clench. The depth of what I felt through Victor’s aura was as pure as if it were my own. I could feel the lingering pain and his love for me. It was overwhelming. I knew now more than ever that once Victor had his powers back, he would know exactly what I felt. There would be no way to block my feelings from him.
“I’m here. What is it?” I asked.
He could barely talk, but said, “I… love –”
“Shh,” I demanded quickly, because I, as everyone else in the room, knew exactly what he wanted to say. “Don’t talk. You must rest and heal.” This moment would go down as one of the most awkward moments in Ischero history.
I looked over at Evan and he locked eyes with me for a couple seconds. I couldn’t read his thoughts, but I was able to read the turbulent expression of his oceanic blue eyes.
“I’ll take him to his room,” Nikolas sighed, and winked at me.
“Thank you,” I said, getting to my feet and patting Niko on the shoulder. “I’ll have Sun Paw prepare a bath for him.”
He scooped Victor up and was up the stairs before anyone could blink. That left Evan, Evangelia, and I. We all three just stared at each other for a moment. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was breathtaking. Her lustrous, jet-black hair was a sharp contrast to her ivory heart shaped face. Her eyes were a silvery gray and nearly transparent as water. She was as tall as I was, roughly five feet eight inches, and slim. She seemed to be sizing me up as well.
After several moments of silence, I had to speak.
“Evangelia, would you like to go up to your brother’s room? I’m sure he would like to see you.”
“I’m not staying. I just want to make sure that he’ll be alright,” she said, and I detected the razor sharp edge in her voice.
“He’s going to be fine,” I assured, trying to smile.
“And I guess he has you to thank,” she said, darkly. I assessed her clenched fists. I could see the whites of her knuckles.
“I plan to do everything in my power to help him heal,” I promised
“He wouldn’t need any healing if you hadn’t rid him of his powers in the first place. You nearly got my brother killed,” Evangelia bellowed and narrowed her eyes.
“I think you should go upstairs and see how your brother is doing,” I simmered, glaring at her.
“You don’t rule over me,” she said, and her aura burned as bright as flames.
She was definitely a daughter of fire, and a descendant of the legendary, hothead God of War. It was obvious that Evangelia didn’t have her facts straight. She was confused and agitated. I watched her cautiously.
“Victor hasn’t told you everything. He’s kept you in the dark about what really happened,” Evan said. She looked at Evan for a second and then turned back to face me, again.
“My brother is the rightful ruler. Not you,” she declared in a high-pitched voice. “None of you deserve to live after what you’ve done to my family,” she added, glaring at me, then at Evan, and then at Nikolas, who had just walked back into the parlor.
“You don’t know what really happened all those years ago,” Evan said, taking a step toward her. She took a step backwards.
“All of you deserve to die.” Evangelia’s body started trembling violently.
At first, it looked like a tiny flame glowing out of her hand. Without warning, the ball of fire raced past my head at the speed of light and torched the fireplace mantle. Another blazing sphere whipped passed Evan as he fleshed out into water. Evangelia’s aim was off and the flames were taking over the room. Evan dosed them all. Evangelia leapt backward and hurled more flames from her hands. She wanted to set us on fire, but seemed to be having more success at burning down my house. Evan soaked her several times and finally she quit, drenched and shaking. She charged at me like a raging bull and I had no choice but to seize her by the neck.
My bolt ripped through her, exploding from out of her back. I didn’t want to hurt her, so I flung her hard on the marble floor. She was knocked out, but she was an Ischero, which meant she would come too eventually. I glared at her for a moment and then stared at Evan. He had already transformed back to his human form and stared back at me in shock. Like sister like brother, I thought. It was only a month ago that Victor had transformed into a bull and charged at Nikolas.
“She already tried to kill me once in the forest,” Evan sighed.
“You can tell me all about it after we get this little fireball upstairs.”
Ten - Cordelia
Equals
Victor was in and out of consciousness, so Sun Paw gave him a sponge bath while he lay in his bed. The bite marks had disappeared and all the torn chunks of flesh had grown back as if the attack was just a horrific dream. I was roused out of my sleep throughout the night by more visions of bleeding roses. Each time I woke up, I would check in on Victor. The bruising on his face and body, which looked like large purple blemishes, had finally started to disappear. I also checked in on Evangelia. She slept like the fiery angel she appeared to be, tossing and turning.
I’m still deeply astounded that she’s alive. Why Victor thought to not reveal the fact of her existence was obvious. It was his security. Nevertheless, where was she all this time while he terrorized Nickel City and the Ischeros? Her presence made me wonder if his parents were dead. He would have to disclose everything once he was healthy. Many notions about his family swirled around in my head as the glorious morning sun peeked over the Sierra Nevadas.
A high-pitched squawk broke the silence. I peered through the lace curtains of my bay and saw the large vulture sweep downward toward the garden. I didn’t expect the warriors for a few hours at least, but Hedea had always been known to be impatient. I was nervous and anxious to learn any information the warriors had gathered, therefore I didn’t mind Hedea’s early arrival. I stroked the diamond lightning bolt on my medallion and my heart stopped racing. My medallion always had a way of making me feel subdued.
I dressed quickly and decided to check in on Victor before heading downstairs. I expected the healing process to be complete by now. I never made it to his room. Victor waited for me in the hallway, leaning against the wall like a statue – a beautiful and fierce statue.
“You shouldn’t have let her go!” Victor snapped. “No one knew about her and now she wears a target on her back.”
“I see that you’re looking and feeling much better,” I said calmly, regarding his fully recovered muscular frame. He was in rare form this morning. It took another second or two before what Victor said sunk in. He must be referring to his sister.
“What are you talking about?”
“You let her go,” he snapped, again. He needed to calm down or I’d subdue him. He put me through enough last night. My patience was paper-thin.
“Let her go? She spent the night in the second guest bedroom. She was exhausted. She’s probably still asleep, so stop yelling or you’ll wake her.”
“No she isn’t. I’ve searched the entire house and she’s gone! We have to locate her before the Apolluon detect her aura or the Lykanos find her. She set a couple of those beasts on fire last night.” Victor paced up and down the long hallway.
“Calm down.” I headed to the second guest bedroom, which was at the far end of the hallway.
I flung the doors open wide and just as Victor had stated, Evangelia was not in bed, and the room was empty. I sped past him and headed down the stairs. Just as I descended onto the foyer, Nikolas marched up to me.
“Delia she’s gone. Victor is right. She must be found and by us. The poor little thing won’t last a night shooting those fireballs the way she’s been,” Nikolas said.
“She believes that I deserve to die and that the empire destroyed her family,” I said, turning to face Victor who stood behind me. “She attacked both Evan and I last ni
ght.”
“She’s zero for three since she tried to fry me in the forest, as well.” Nikolas rolled his eyes. “A couple lessons at aiming couldn’t have hurt, Vic.”
“Her lack of aim worked in your favor,” Victor said, harshly.
“Better aim wouldn’t have hurt us, both Evan and I are faster, but it may have prevented the Lykanos from nearly finishing you off, dragon-boy,” Nikolas said.
“That’s Lord Victor to you, and might I remind you - a mighty steed can burn.” Victor’s face flushed and his eyes narrowed. The dragon within him wanted to come out.
“Mighty steed. I think I like it.” Nikolas chuckled at Victor’s attempt to insult him.
“Oh, why don’t you go have a drink and wise up?” Victor said, knowing that wine had a very interesting effect on the son of Dionysus. Wine increased a centaur’s intelligence.
“Why don’t you both?” I asked.
“I haven’t seen her since the day of the Masquerade Ball,” Victor said, ignoring my remark. “I’m afraid she hasn’t trained enough to use her powers to their full potential.”
“No kidding?” Nikolas chortled, loudly. I had to jump in between them before Victor lost it completely.
“Let’s get a group together to find her. Any idea where she could be?” I asked Victor.
“I know where she might have gone. I’ll go there now!” Victor exclaimed and was about to run out the door, but not before Nikolas blocked it.
“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s daytime and the shadows are everywhere.” Nikolas said looking down at Victor. Victor looked up at Nikolas and laughed.
“I’m getting through that door even if I have to go through you.”
“Sure, if you want a tattoo of one of my hooves on your face.” Nikolas winked. “I get it. You want to find your sister, but you may not be as lucky with the Apolluon as you were with the Lykanos.”
“Victor, if you walk out that door you’ll be smothered by the shadows and we may never find her,” I said as I walked into the parlor, leaving them to glare at each other in the foyer. “Victor, would you come in here, please?”
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Nikolas said, and headed for the library.
“We don’t have time,” Victor said, following me reluctantly.
“Your aura is at a colossal high because you’re worried. Try to relax. Look, I haven’t forgotten about last night,” I said, trying to keep my composure. “By slipping out, you almost got yourself killed by those fevered beasts and nearly robbed our empire of an important element – you.”
“I know,” Victor said looking down at the ornate area rug.
“Do you? I fought with the council over having your powers restored and now I look like the fool.”
“You did? I–I didn’t know that you had spoken to the elders,” he said, taking a few steps closer to me. “Why did you do that for me?” We were only about a foot apart now. It was a very uneasy space.
What I felt for Victor was what the gods intended, but it’s not what I wanted. I still loved Evan so much. The attraction between Victor and I was embedded in our bones. What happened last night had confirmed everything the gods had planned from the very beginning. How could I fight it when I could feel every thread of his being without even touching him?
“I did it because… I believe in you,” I admitted, and he held my gaze. I had to look away. I walked over to the fireplace. “But, at the time, I had no idea that I’d be fighting on the behalf of a pleasure seeker. You almost allowed the Lykanos to cheat our empire of your unique gifts. Your power of a Chameleon weredragon will provide our empire with the strengths needed to battle any entity in the Underworld. Why would you gamble with our future?”
There was a long pause before he finally answered.
“I felt like a prisoner, Delia. Like a child being babysat. I don’t feel like an Ischero or a ma, for that matter. I want to be an equal,” he said somberly.
Victor was cocky, therefore, I appreciated his honesty. I felt his heart racing and his emotions were at their peak. I felt his fear of losing Evangelia. His thoughts were of his sister’s safety and shame. Victor wanted to be my equal almost as badly as he wanted to be my lover.
“Victor, you have to control your desires. You can’t run off into the night and leave yourself vulnerable to whatever entity might just be sitting around waiting. We don’t know what’s out there anymore. We haven’t come face-to-face with all the demons Hades has fortified. How do you know that you can defeat them all?” I asked as Victor pondered my question for a brief moment.
“You talk as if I have powers. I’m still vulnerable to a housedog. My powers were unparalleled to whatever’s out there, Delia.”
“Look, I want to make sure that you and Evangelia are safe and prepared for what may be coming our way, but there is only one way I can do that,” I said. “And that’s by both of you lowering the burning flame within you.”
“I get it,” Victor said, reaching for my hand. I had to pull away. I couldn’t touch him, not now, not ever or I may never let go.
“Evangelia needs you and regardless of what you’ve engrained in her naïve head, she needs the empire – us. Are you ready?”
“Of course I am. I was about to leave a minute ago when the giant–”
I put a finger to Victor’s lips and felt the pull toward him immediately. Oh gods, he was irresistible. I looked deeply into his steel gray eyes as the heat intensified within me. My bolt shot out of my eyes, penetrating his. His body reacted by trembling uncontrollably. Victor’s temperature rose and a glow took over his entire body. The glow was a bright shade of crimson at first, then it shifted to a rich, deep shade of violet, and finally reverted back to crimson. I’d never seen anything like it. We all had an inner glow, but it was usually white or red. I’ve never known any Ischero’s glow to be violet.
He opened his mouth and flames reached out and grazed my cheek. The weredragon was awake. I wasn’t burned; instead, I felt the power of his heat. After a few seconds, he finally allowed the heat to subside and he began to control it. I extinguished my bolt about the same time he extinguished his flame. We stood face-to-face for a moment, just a few inches apart, and knew all too well that our souls were forever entangled in Zeus’ well-woven web.
“This is incredible. Do you realize that this is the first time that we are both with power at the same time?” Victor asked. He was right. I had taken away his power when I regained mine.
He took another step closer to me, erasing inches. I could tell by the playful and dreadfully sexy smile that spread across his face that he could feel my emotions. He knew the truth about how I felt for him.
“We both had power right before I took yours away,” I said, and took a couple steps backward.
“You did what you had to do. Now things will be different between us. They’ll be right between us,” He said, taking my hand in his.
Warmth coursed through my entire body, starting at the hand he held. I closed my eyes for a second, maybe two. It was as if I had never really breathed before – as if the air had never flowed through my lungs. The scent from the numerous bouquets of flowers, arranged around the room, intensified as if my nose was pressed up against them. Every sound in and around the house – the ticking on the grandfather clock, the blustery wind that whipped through the trees right outside the closed windows, Nikolas clinking bottles of wine in the cellar as he made his choice on one, became even more distinct and clear. I opened my eyes and every hue in the parlor was more vibrant. My heart beat in tune with his melodically, as if our hearts performed a duet.
“I felt it. I felt you,” he breathlessly. “It’s as if we are one. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long while now and I must admit that it was well worth waiting for.” Victor gazed into my eyes.
He was gorgeous, simply divine, and I was intoxicated with him. I was at a loss for words and he knew it. I was transparent to him now and I didn’t care. All I wanted in the wor
ld, all I needed, all that would make everything right, was a kiss from him, right now. I wanted to taste him and drown in his arms. I leaned into him and took in his delicious fragrance of him – rich, dark, and sweet. I wanted him here and now. Just one taste, I thought. No.
“No… I can’t–” I pulled my hand away and stepped around him as his face fell. Oh gods, that was close.
“Delia, please,” Victor pleaded, reaching for me as I stepped past him. I kept my back to him.
I fought not to clench my chest in front of him as the searing pain stabbed into it like a sword. The pain wouldn’t subside, as the blade seemed to slide deeper. I was almost out of breath. Oh, gods, why?
“By the way, that pain, the one in your chest, will never cease. It may subside every now and again, but it’ll never stop. Not until you and I are together.” Victor said.
I hated this – him knowing all my secret feelings – my intense attraction to him, but thankfully not my thoughts. He reached out and stroked my hair for a moment. I wanted nothing more than to turn around and let him grab me and make me his, but I didn’t turn around. Instead, I fought against the pain.
“Then I’ll have to learn to live with it,” I said as I turned to face him.
“We’ll see how long that lasts,” he challenged.
“You better go find your sister, Victor.” My legs felt weak and wobbly. I took a deep breath, walked over to the sofa, and sat down.
“Thank you.” He had his powers back and he was grateful for that and the fact that I had saved his life, but he was disappointed. He wanted me as much as I wanted him, actually more, but I had more to lose.
“You’re welcome,” I said, trying not to look him in the eyes, but to no avail, I caught his gaze. “Now go find your sister and bring her to me,” I commanded, lightly.
Victor nodded, turned, and walked away. He disappeared before he reached the archway to the foyer. I heaved a sigh of relief. My mind drifted to Evan, whom I have loved for such a long time. It seemed like he and I had always been connected. I was scared, so scared for the very first time that things would never be the same between Evan and I.
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