by Holly Evans
I opened my eyes to find Lysander curled up next to me asleep. A glance around told me it was dark outside. I didn't know how long had passed. I stroked my hound's hair and allowed my fingers to linger on his collar before I traced the patterns on my own bracelet. I wouldn't have chosen him, but I wouldn't be without him. He stirred and looked up at me with a small smile.
"Evelyn, I'm glad to have you back."
I brushed my thumb over his cheek. "You never lost me, dear hound."
His smile spread and he sat up pulling me into his lap. "I was worried about you."
His breath was hot on my neck. Memories of our earlier activities unfurled in my mind.
Elise cleared her throat and said, "I'm glad you're back to yourself, Evie, we were a bit worried for a while. I've made up a room for you both, it's small, and simple, but it'll do while you find a new flat."
I stood, stretching out my sore muscles. I must have knelt for a good while.
"The witches haven't broken yet; Quin and Kadrix left to get some sleep. There's some food for you in the kitchen. I'm going to bed, try not to make too much noise."
She gave me a big grin. I blushed and thanked her before heading to the kitchen; I hadn't realised just how hungry I was. The food was lukewarm, but I didn't care; I'd have been happy to eat just about anything at that point. Lysander watched me with some amusement and handed me a large glass of cold water when I was finished.
Without warning, he scooped me into his arms and said, "I believe we have unfinished business."
"Oh?" I said as innocently as I could muster.
He gave me that sexy growling laugh that sent shivers down my spine.
The room was as Elise had described, small and simple, but I remained eternally grateful. Lysander pushed the door to with his foot before he crossed the space to our bed in two strides and gently lay me down on the bed. He lay next to me, his fingers entwined in my hair as he brushed his lips against mine, asking. The day had been too long, any semblance of restraint I may have had had turned to dust. I pulled him to me and kissed him fiercely. I explored his mouth with my tongue while I tugged his shirt upwards, eager to feel his skin tight against mine. He moaned into my mouth as I slipped my hand down over his jeans. He was clearly as focused on continuing where we'd left off as I was. I undid his jeans, pulling them down over his hips and continued to stroke down over his boxers; we pulled back to remove our shirts.
I whispered in his ear as I ran my hand over his increasing hardness, "I am a lucky woman."
He growl-purred and scratched up my inner thigh, bringing me to arch my back and give him easier access. Suddenly he stopped, his entire body went rigid and his head shot up. His eyes went wide before he trembled. I stroked his face, the stubble rough beneath my palm.
"A demon walks this plane,” he said.
I gently pulled him close to me and stroked down his back while I kissed from his temple down to his jawline. "I'll keep you safe, dear hound."
He stopped trembling and whispered, "I felt it, Evelyn, that was no runt."
Elise knocked on the door before she pushed it opened and walked in. She smirked at our state of undress, and I was glad we hadn't gotten as far as we'd hoped. I was quite fond of my dignity, after all.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" She looked at Lysander with a frown.
He nodded and settled against me.
She sighed. "I will not allow them free rein in this city. We will destroy the demon and everything will return to as it should be."
She muttered something about celestials; I caught a few choice curses, but nothing coherent. "Do not fear, Lysander, you will be safe. We won't allow harm to come to you."
Her pale blue eyes maintained a grey hue. The calm I'd come to know her for was slowly shattering.
She gave a small nod and said, "I will speak to my lady, good night both."
With that, she left, closing the door softly behind her.
I wriggled under the covers and pulled Lysander close to me. We didn't say a word as we lay in the dark; his breathing slowly eased and settled as I stroked down his back. Sleep didn't come easily that night.
Forty-Two
Breakfast was quiet and tense. Elise's make-up was pristine, but it failed to hide the shadows under her eyes or the tension around her mouth. Lysander didn't say a word and remained locked in his own thoughts. Quin and Kadrix only stayed for a moment to make sure we knew they were around before they went down to the witches. Once Elise had finished with her small breakfast, she retired to her altar, leaving me with Lysander.
"I know you will do your best Evelyn, but my master was not someone to take lightly."
I squeezed his hand. "We fought off those that came through the hellmouth, didn't we?"
He nodded but didn't look at me.
Quin stormed into the room, his expression dark. He put some water on to boil and muttered under his breath. Kadrix wasn't too far behind him, he sidled up to Quin and wrapped his arms around Quin's waist and leant his head against his. I looked at them, waiting.
Quin ground his teeth together before Kadrix said, "The witches committed suicide. We got nothing from them."
"Our home was lost for nothing!" Quin spat.
Kadrix held him close and kissed his cheek. Quin relaxed under his touch and gave him a soft smile. He poured the water into a French press to make more coffee and sighed heavily.
He narrowed his eyes at Lysander and me. “What happened?"
"A demon came through to this plane,” Lysander growled.
Quin's hands tightened. Colour flushed his face before he calmed himself.
"I miss the good old days where we killed redcaps and told lycans to behave themselves like good dogs."
Lysander's lips pulled back, but Quin's charming smile disarmed him.
"So, what's our plan of action?" Quin asked.
"Find a new home. Kill the demon. Shove something large and pointy up the celestial's asses so they don't bother us again,” I said.
Kadrix's face lit up at the last item on the list; I leant back in my chair, trying to subtly put a little more space between us. Elise walked in and poured the coffee for herself.
She kissed Quin's cheek and said, "Thanks, you're a star."
Quin laughed and the tension dissipated when she sat down. "I have had many words with my lady as of late. She assures me that these complications aren't without some benefit somewhere." She shifted her weight. "The demon is being hidden by someone, so we can't do anything about that at the present. The witches' untimely death was inconvenient, but such is the way of things. We need to take this moment to pause, regroup, and heal. This war is not done yet."
I didn't like how that sounded.
"We'll find new a new flat; I found a few that look as though they have potential if you'd like to look at the specs." She looked at me.
My stomach churned. I wanted my old home.
I smiled. "That'd be great, thanks."
Lysander refused to leave my side, and in truth, I was happiest with him there. After everything over the past few days and with the demon loose, somewhere, I enjoyed the contact with him. Quin and Kadrix joined us when we returned to our old flat and we packed up everything we wanted to keep: the rest of our clothes, some hidden bits Quin had. There wasn't all that much, really, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
Elise had arranged some viewings around the city for the rest of the day; Quin made his excuses and said he trusted Lysander and I to be good judges. In truth, I suspected that he'd be spending more time at Kadrix's flat than ours. I missed the days when we shared everything; he was my twin, but he had to do what was best for him. Lysander kissed my temple and held me close as we walked away from our flat for the last time. The clean-up crew would make it presentable; the rest was dealt with.
The rest of the day was devoted to travelling around the city looking at what felt like hundreds of flats. We were ready to give up for the day when we walked into the last flat of the da
y. It was perfect. Light flooded in through large windows, the entire flat was spacious and airy. I grinned at Lysander before Elise arranged for the paperwork to be signed the following morning. We had a chance at a fresh start.
Forty-Three
I walked into Kadrix's workshop in a fantastic mood; there was a bounce to my step and a grin on my face.
It evaporated when Quin waved his hands, snarled, "I'm fucking tired of being a pawn,” and jars around him exploded.
The room went silent, save for the quiet tinkling of shards of glass settling on the benches, books, and floor. All colour left Quin's face as he looked around. Powder filled the air, gloop clung to the edge of shelves and splatted from the ceiling.
"Did I...?"
Kadrix held him close and gave him a small smile. "It seems that your skills are evolving, but we do need to tidy up this mess before something else explodes."
As if on cue some of the purple gloop mixed with the small balls of electric blue on a bench and promptly emitted a puff of green smoke before it all caught fire. Kadrix ran and waved his hands, using elven magic to put out the fire. Quin stood wide-eyed looked around him.
"So... we found a new flat,” I said tentatively.
Kadrix shot me a dark look. I shrugged.
I didn’t dare get involved in the cleanup process; I had no idea what the powders and such were, nor did I have any intention of finding out. Quin muttered and grumbled under his breath as he scrubbed at old books and tossed bowls and such in a large sink. Kadrix worked around him as quickly as possible; his presence didn't seem to relax Quin quite as much as it usually did. I glared at the elf. If he'd hurt my twin, I'd castrate him. Lysander nuzzled my neck and growl-purred when I tensed, the possibilities of Kadrix's betrayal growing in my mind. Once the workshop was clean again, Quin approached with a half-hearted grin.
"You said we have a new flat?"
The rush of excitement filled me once more. "We do! Oh it's wonderful, it's so spacious, and airy, it's in Florenc, too."
The grin spread on Quin's mouth, but didn't reach his eyes; his hands remained tucked in his pockets.
"So... since when do you make jars and stuff explode?"
He gave a little shrug. "I guess I've been all sorts of new things recently. Alchemy has become like second nature to me, and there are a few old languages I started speaking with little to no training."
His eyes refused to meet mine. Kadrix cleared his throat but remained on the other side of the room.
I shot the elf a dark look. "What did you do to my brother?"
His mouth fell open, but he closed it again without saying anything.
Quin gave another small shrug. "We were experimenting with a potion to bring out natural magical talent."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "That isn't what I meant, and you know it, but don't think we won't discuss that later."
The corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "Elves don't... they aren't monogamous."
Lysander snarled at Kadrix over my shoulder.
Kadrix huffed. “Don't snarl at me. Your kind own multiple slaves with no rights. You of all creatures should understand other forms of romantic entanglements and arrangements. I was under the impression that Quin knew elves weren’t familiar with monogamy."
I went to punch the elf. Quin put himself between me and Kadrix.
"I'll deal with it, Evie. It's ok. It's a misunderstanding that we need to talk through."
I looked around Quin to give the traitorous elf the darkest glare I could muster.
"Haven't you wondered what's odd about us, Evie?" He dragged his fingers through his hair, his eyes still fixed on the floor. Kadrix dared to walk a little closer. "I mean, you shouldn't have been able to collar Lys, and then there's my alchemy. We're not... normal."
"We're perfectly normal, you've just been drinking elven fucking potions,” I retorted.
"You don't really believe that,” he said softly.
"There is nothing wrong with me,” I growled.
I didn't like the path the conversation had taken. It was bad enough hearing the elf had cheated on Quin.
"The celestials hinted at us being... odd."
"They were being assholes,” I snapped.
"There is something unusual about you both,” Kadrix said.
"I've enough from you, elf,” I growled.
"Evie. Enough. He is still my boyfriend."
I glared at them both. I didn't like what had happened to Quin since he'd been wrapped up with the elf; perhaps it was time to start looking for another alchemist.
Kadrix came up next to Quin and brushed his lips over his temple. I couldn't ignore the soft light of adoration that shone in the elf's eyes.
"We need to see where your magic has come from and control it,” Kadrix said.
Quin simply nodded. "I'm tired. We'll do it tomorrow."
I missed my bubbly twin; he used to always have a smile on his face. Guilt squirmed within me. I should have seen how worn down he'd become with everything that had happened. Lysander held me close to him, his breath warm on my skin. I stroked the back of his hand. Quin gave Kadrix a quick kiss before he picked up his satchel and gestured to the door.
"Shall we?"
He followed us out onto the street, without Kadrix. I ground my teeth together and tried to think calming thoughts. It was a misunderstanding, they would fix things, and Quin would be happy again. We all needed a good night’s sleep. Nothing more.
Forty-Four
Elise and Quin consoled each other over ice-cream. I missed them both. When I tried to join in the conversation, I didn't quite fit anymore. They were complaining about the single life, laughing over the elf's misunderstanding. There was no room for me, with my happiness and my devoted hound. I slunk off to bed with Lysander and curled up in his arms. I was in no mood for anything more adventurous than a tender kiss; Quin's words stuck in my mind, taunting me. There was something weird about us. I'd been hiding from it, denying it, but that could only last so long. Squeezing my eyes shut, I gave myself one more night of thinking that I was just another fully human hunter.
I woke up firmly entangled in Lysander's arms, his legs woven around mine. My dreams hadn't been particularly pleasant, but I had a plan. Moping wasn't in my nature. I was going to tackle the situation I'd found myself in head on. Everyone was magical. Elise, now Quin, everyone. They were pushing me out; whether consciously or not didn't matter, the fact of the matter was I was being pushed out. The only way to change that was to embrace the magic I'd found in myself. Lysander's hand trailed down my stomach; I wriggled against him, but focused on my plan for the day.
Taking a deep breath, I sat up and said, "I want to control my fire."
His hands moved over my back and then up over my stomach; he nibbled up my neck and whispered, "Fire comes from passion and strong emotions."
A shiver ran down my spine. Footsteps echoed in the hall just outside the door. He slumped against me.
I laughed softly. "We'll be in our new flat tonight."
He gently ran his nails up my thighs and growled, "I look forward to claiming the new territory."
The temptation to practice said territory claiming grew, but voices came from outside the door. I stood and stretched.
"The world is changing around me; I refuse to be left behind. I'm going to control my fire and embrace whatever the fuck I am."
I turned to see him grinning at me, entirely naked. How I wanted to explore every inch of his toned body in every conceivable way. His eyes danced with promises as he stood and pulled me tight to him, his lips pressed to mine. The knock came at the door.
Lysander stepped back with a growl and pulled on some boxers; I stole one of his shirts and put it on quickly.
Elise looked a little sheepish. "The landlord just rang, he decided to show up early with the paperwork."
I groaned. "Alright, give us a minute."
We dressed quickly and threw our belongings in our bags. The frustration at havin
g been interrupted was overwhelmed by the excitement of moving into the new flat. Quin joined us to come and see his new home, although I doubted he'd be spending much time there. He was a little more himself; his eyes smiled with his mouth, and his muscles were more relaxed.
The agent had the nerve to glare at us when we arrived. I raised an eyebrow and held back the sarcastic comment. They had changed the time at the last second, and they were fortunate that we'd agreed to show up early. I couldn't help but feel that her commission was extortionate, a month's rent for showing us to one flat. Still, I kept my comments to myself and signed the paperwork. The landlord was an older man who spoke little English. He refused to stay still and clearly had other places to be. He and the agent made polite noises before they left, leaving us in our new home. I released the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.
"The attitude from her!" I said to no one in particular.
Quin laughed and stood looking around the living room. "You did well here, Evie."
I pulled Lysander up from the sofa and danced around the big open space with him. It was our new home, and it was wonderful. Quin took the bedroom closer to the bathroom; the rooms were practically identical, so I wasn't too concerned. I focused on choosing where to put the varying weapons that we kept close on hand.
After an hour of discussing the placement of blades and alchemical protections, Quin said, "We're going to try an open relationship. Elves aren't monogamous, I don't want to force him into something that goes against his nature."
I narrowed my eyes. "An open relationship is against yours."
He shrugged. “And if it doesn't work, then we'll figure it out."
I hugged him tight. "Your happiness is important to me."