by Dannika Dark
“Uppercuts!” Novis shouted.
I swung my arm three times in a sequence of punches.
“She clocked me!” Simon complained.
“Get up!” Hysterical with laughter, I punched my arms out. “I don’t even care anymore.”
“Then forfeit!” Simon demanded.
The interactive video game had consumed our attention for the past hour. Novis owned every kind of game imaginable. Simon gave it a whirl, even though on numerous occasions he’d argued that video games held no intellectual challenge. His skepticism stemmed from a fear of the unknown.
“What kind of sissy punch is that?” Simon mocked as he ducked to the right.
Novis declared, “She has you beat.”
Out of nowhere, Simon pummeled my character in a whirlwind of swings and knocked him out. “That was far more exciting than cards.” He flexed his bicep and kissed it.
“That’s really mature.”
“Let me show you what else I’ve got,” Novis said, pulling Simon’s attention away.
“That was fun.” I collapsed on the tan sofa, out of breath.
Cheri spread across Adam’s lap like a cat—stretching and yawning. She finally stood up and tugged his hand. “Let’s go to bed. I’m tired of watching them.”
He tilted a beer bottle against his lips and muttered, “I’m not sleepy.”
She leaned forward suggestively. “Me either.”
In that uncomfortable silence, I gulped down my lukewarm soda. When Adam didn’t budge, she parted through the room like a knife through butter. Cheri glanced over her shoulder and they shared a look, but I couldn’t tell what was going on between them. Something personal and none of my business.
Novis eyed the doorway when she left, and I wondered if he disliked her for the simple fact that they were both in his care and knocking the headboard.
A personal chef had prepared our homemade pizza served with beer, soda, and chips. In private, Novis was laid-back. There were moments I could almost imagine the young man he once was.
“I may need to borrow that,” I teased.
“You’d probably have to borrow the telly while you’re at it.” Simon smirked and got ready for his first round of bowling.
The pizza crust was no longer fresh and I dusted the crumbs off my fingers, sending a shower of sprinkles on the sofa. I could feel Adam’s glare. It was a peeve of his to eat on furniture and he didn’t join in our party. I wondered how Cheri scored in that department, because I loved the idea of a man feeding me in bed.
An unlit cigarette dangled from Adam’s mouth as he read the label on his beer bottle.
Simon rolled a strike. “In your face! Care to wager and make this interesting?”
“Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts. We are now reverting back to childhood,” I mumbled. “How many guards do you have outside of the house, Novis?”
“I’m not exactly sure.” He barked out a laugh. “It’s safe, if that’s where your concern lies. The perimeter is well lit, armed guards are on post, and every window in this house is secured with an alarm. No one gets inside unless we allow them access.”
“I thought Justus’s door would have kept Superman out,” I said.
“Anyone can pick a lock,” Simon muttered.
“Worry not. One of my best security advisors is helping Justus with your new home. You won’t have guards, but he’ll make sure that a cockroach can’t get in without clearance.”
“Thanks, Novis. I knew it was easy to find us down there after Logan did, but I didn’t think they would—”
“What do you mean, Logan did?” Adam’s voice cracked through the conversation like a leather whip. “I thought Justus hired him to track Nero.”
I had spoken without thinking, and that’s what happens when you live with a lie.
Simon finished his turn and spun around. “You didn’t tell him?” He shook his head. “Did you think he’d never find out Logan took you, Silver? Badly played.”
“When I want your advice, I’ll ask for it.”
“What do you mean, took her?” Adam rose from his chair and crossed the room.
Simon’s eyes skipped to mine and I knew part of it was because he had trouble looking at Adam’s scars. “Shall I tell him? The man has a right to know the truth so I’ll give you the opportunity before I spice it up with my version.”
My hand flew up and on cue, Novis opened the door and the two extracted themselves from the soon-to-be crime scene.
Time to come clean. “Logan was hired to deliver me to Nero, but when it came down to the actual hand-off, he backed out. Logan was never instructed—let me rephrase that—Logan had no intention of hurting me. In fact, he protected my life.”
“Sounds like a fairy tale,” he said mockingly. “Why don’t you give me the long version.” He lit up the smoke, took a deep drag, and dropped it in a soda can. “I’m going to have some words with him,” Adam decided.
“No, you’re not. That isn’t your place, Adam. I know you care about me, but stop trying to find a reason to hate him.”
“Why would you choose a man like him?” He turned his back to me and stared at the door.
I stretched my fingers across his back. “He’s honorable.”
“He’s a criminal.”
“People change. You above anyone should know that. Your opinion matters to me, but you’ve always been so damn judgmental. Be angry because I lied to you, but don’t hold a grudge against Logan because he turned his life around for me. I don’t know where things are going between us. What he’s offering is a lot to consider, and I’m not taking it lightly.”
“I can’t believe I saved his life,” he said in a disgusted voice.
Furious, I slapped him on the back. That comment sliced me raw. “How can you say something like that? You may resent the hell out of your gift or the planet, but don’t you dare wish someone dead that I care about. I’d stand up for you if someone said the same thing.”
“He tried to kill you.”
“Don’t be melodramatic. Logan protected me.”
Adam showed me his profile with the scar running along his jaw. “Are you going to act like it’s no big deal? Doesn’t some small part of you wonder if he’ll always be truthful? Cross is the kind of man you can buy for the right price. That says a lot about his character.”
“You were bought for free, remember? I fought against caring for him but the feelings are there—I can’t deny them. He’s not the man he used to be and has the potential to become so much more. I’m not exactly a catch. There’re a few unsavory facts about me that you’d probably be disgusted by if you found out.”
“Such as?”
Hybrid. Science experiment. Mutant. Freak of nature. “Nothing.”
Adam was so caught up in our conversation that he turned around. No insecurities divided us any longer. It was just him and me.
“Nothing you say will change my opinion of you.” He inched in a tiny bit closer, watching me with his smoky brown eyes that held the faintest reflection of the light he inherited from Novis.
“Don’t be so sure.”
“So tell me,” he urged in a softer voice.
I kept my lips pressed and he shook his head. “Still the same old Silver; stubborn as ever.”
“Still the same old Adam, pushy as ever,” I retaliated.
We were closer than we should have been and when I leaned back, he flinched as if I’d slapped him. His hand reactively covered the scar on his face.
I gripped his wrist firmly, trying to pull it away. “It’s not that, Adam. It has nothing to do with your scars.”
He jerked his arm away and scratched the whiskers on his jaw. Novis was right—Adam was different. There was no recovery period, no time to adjust and come to terms with what had happened. Adam wanted validation that he was still desirable as a man and I couldn’t give it to him. A kiss wouldn’t erase his damaged thoughts. Wasn’t Cheri enough?
The door swung open an
d Simon filled the entryway. “Have you two kissed and made up? I haven’t finished my game.”
Chapter 20
Something was on my mind the next day—and that was Adam. I tossed and turned most of the night thinking about our talk. Could that kiss have saved him? Common sense told me no, but I felt guilty that I couldn’t reciprocate his feelings. What if rejecting him put him over the edge? Maybe it wouldn’t have led to anything, but I was afraid of opening a door that we’d decided to keep closed.
A piece of the puzzle was missing, and a little girl chat was in order.
Novis had left a pair of faded jeans and a blue cotton shirt neatly folded outside my bedroom door. It was obvious that they were men’s clothes and were probably his. We were about the same height and he had a slim build—although I needed a belt.
Cheri closed the bedroom door and strolled across the room, relaxing in the chair by the window. The sunlight caught her enviable waves of blond hair.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you, Cheri. Do you know why Nero left you and Ray behind that night?”
“The other girls were more cooperative and we were new. He drew more light from me than anyone else.” She hugged her arms as if the temperature had dropped.
“Sorry. It’s not right what we went through and I’m sure you had it ten times worse than I did. It just never made sense that he left you behind because of the lengths he went through to acquire us. Do you know what your gifts are?” I only asked because some Mage gifts were immediately known while others took years before they discovered their talents.
She shook her head gracefully. “He kept me chained the whole time. Honestly, I don’t really care. Samil never gave me the choice to become a Mage,” she said bitterly.
God, I knew exactly how she felt.
“What happened to Ray? I thought he was staying with you.”
“No,” she said nonchalantly. “He was Samil’s Learner before Nero sold him; the Council evaluated Ray and he was offered independence.”
Lucky bastard, I thought. “Do you two keep in touch?”
She tapped her nails on the table. “Why should I? And I have a question, if you don’t mind. How did you manage to escape?” she asked with a dash of suspicion that made my eyebrows pop up. “Was it that Shifter boy?”
“No. I tricked one of the guards and stole the key.”
“Oh? Which guard?”
“Diego.”
Finn’s job had been to feed Nero’s potentials and clean their stalls. Despite his best efforts, they rejected his friendship. Diego worked the late shift, and Finn had heard from the other captives that he was taking Cheri out of her room on numerous occasions. After a while, she quit talking.
Here I was, grilling Adam’s girlfriend because I was being overprotective—the same thing I chastised him for doing.
“I’m sorry, Cheri.”
“For what?”
“Bringing up Diego.”
“What do you mean?” Cheri laughed. “Ohh,” she said, looking as if she’d reached an epiphany. “Don’t worry, I’m not jealous or anything.”
“Jealous?”
“Diego was a good fuck, but that’s about it. Not much of a conversationalist, if you catch my meaning. I never could get the key from him, but he brought me snacks and sometimes a magazine. Anyhow, you do what you have to do. Isn’t that right?” She winked. “The quiet ones always have the biggest cock.”
Not a single word formulated in my mouth as I stared at her, dumbstruck. A minute of silence passed and I commanded my mouth to come back from the land of silent movies.
“Did you tell Adam?”
Her thin brows pushed down. “Adam doesn’t need to know who I sleep with; that’s my business.”
Not slept, but sleep. It was like a Jekyll and Hyde act; she didn’t seem at all like the kind of woman that Adam would fall for. He didn’t know anything about who Cheri was, but I began to wonder if he’d even care.
Her eyes narrowed, watching me like a hawk.
“You shouldn’t keep secrets from people you love. It’s in the past and he’ll understand.”
“Love?” She laughed and stared at an emerald ring on her middle finger. “I don’t love Adam. God no!”
Now her hyena laugh was really starting to piss me off.
She pressed her lips together and stared aimlessly out the window. “He’s great in the sack—don’t get me wrong—but a little bit on the sweet and sappy side. I mean, how many guys ask you during sex if you’re okay and want to have a conversation? He talks too much in bed, describing what I feel like.” She snorted and scooted her chair back. “But after his accident…” Her expression became petulant and she waved her hand, cutting off the thought. “It’s been nice chatting, but I really don’t need to tell you any of my personal life. You two may be buddies or something, but I don’t know you.”
Cheri’s heels tapped on the hard floor and when she reached for the doorknob, she spun around. “And I may not love Adam, but you need to keep your distance. Claimed, honey. Take care.”
My body refused to move. I sat so still that the chair was moving with the room like a musical carousel, but I was a statue.
***
A messenger appeared at my door a short time later and escorted me to a private office.
“You wanted to see me?” I closed the door and nervously rubbed my hands together.
Novis smiled. “No need to be anxious. Please, come sit with me.”
We relaxed on the sofa by the window. On the outside ledge of the window, a group of sparrows fought for position by the birdfeeder.
“I’ve called you on official business. Your measuring has been recorded in our books and your skills documented,” he began.
Measuring was an official ceremony where the Council documented the common and rare talents of each new Mage. They tapped into their light in addition to witnessing their abilities. Novis had conducted the ceremony and taken special interest in my ability of telekinesis with certain metal objects. The only secret that I had kept from them was that I was a Unique. Novis only tapped into my light, but hadn’t drawn enough that he would know for certain how different it was.
Justus stood proudly when my name was entered in their record books and I was officially written into the history of the Mageri.
I nodded as he continued. “Your contributions to the ongoing investigation have also been acknowledged. The Mageri is aware of your act of valor and they are offering you a position. It is a rare privilege to receive a job offer by the Mageri in your first year, Silver. It’s not a paid one—it’s an apprenticeship.”
“Like, an internship?”
“Precisely.”
“Does Justus know?”
“This is Mageri business,” Novis emphasized. “Until you make your decision, it is not his affair. The Mageri is above his Ghuardianship to you.”
I considered the offer. “Why me and not Adam? I wasn’t the only one saving lives that night.”
A grim look shadowed his face and he watched a one-legged bird hop on the feeder, pecked at by the stronger ones. “It was offered to him.”
“He turned it down? Why?”
“He felt it was a consolation. Adam resented the offer because he felt they were implying that it’s all he’s good for, and his mind was already set on being a new kind of Healer to all Breed. We had talked about it at length and I’d prefer he not share the knowledge of his gift with others, but I think it’s what he was leaning toward doing. Maybe this was a blessing; some gifts should not be made public. It would have only brought him more danger. No, Adam is not ready. He’s…” Novis licked his lips and looked up, searching for the right words. “…lost. You were second choice. The Mageri would have left the position open until another candidate caught their attention, but you were also on the list. I presume they see it as a—”
“Adam helped during the raid at Nero’s compound,” I interjected. “I don’t want to steal his glory—what’s right
fully his.”
Novis lifted a wisp of hair from his temple and crunched it between his rolling fingers. “Nothing in life is rightfully yours until you take it.”
“He outshines me, Novis. We both know that.”
“Your humility intrigues me. Most would have no trouble claiming their good deeds. You spend far too much time thinking about your shortcomings rather than what you have to offer. Adam is fighting a darkness in his life; something all men face at some point.”
“Adam is not a bad man, Novis.”
His face softened and he lifted a finger, pointing to my foot on the floor. “See that shadow? That’s the dark part of you that you don’t want anyone to see. It follows you. Run from it, and it will always be on your heels. We all live with that darkness and must find a way to turn our backs on it. You cannot force a man to change direction if he is not able to see the shadow for himself. In time, Adam has the potential to be an incomparable Mage. But this is not that time.”
“You would have made a great father,” I blurted out. My teeth clamped down on the inside of my cheek as my mouth operated faster than my brain.
Novis lifted his eyes to the window and shared a private moment with the sunlight. “I was a father once. In my human life, we married young and had many children. That was so long ago,” he said in a soft voice with melancholy eyes.
Time moved through the room at a quiet pace, stretching along the walls and blanketing the floor. A cheery sparrow infiltrated the silence with his incessant chirping as he bounced along the window and flitted off.
“I get myself in trouble a lot.”
He smiled. “I can see that you’re really selling yourself short. Sometimes those who take risks and think outside the box stand out more than those who play by the rules.”
“I thought the Mageri liked rules?”
He tipped his head left and right, mulling it over. “The Mageri likes loyalty, but these are valid points you bring up.”
I shifted excitedly in my chair. I wanted purpose in my life and although Justus assured me good deeds were purpose enough, my spirit was listless.
“This position will be working as my apprentice, Silver. As tasks are required, I will summon you for assistance. It’s a position you have the choice to accept, and you can leave at any time such as you could with any job, although I hope that you choose to stay. An apprenticeship with the Council can lead to greater things. This is about earning trust and gaining experience, regardless of what you may be asked to do. It’s a foot in the door and a great honor to be approached without submitting an application.” He crossed his legs and wove his fingers together. “When there is a need for confidentiality between us, it will be shared with no one. There are no exceptions to this rule. Do you understand this?”