by A. S. Oren
Michael shakes his head. "This isn't nature, Honey, it's a front lawn." He trails behind his husband.
Zaria grins and holds onto Edgar's arm. "Those two never cease to amaze me. Polar opposites, but it works. I'm glad you're okay, Avalon. We need to get back to the camp and make sure the boys haven't taken over while we left some of the teachers in charge."
Edgar nods. "I imagine at least one of them has been rope tied with vines by this point." He chuckles. "I knew you'd be okay."
They head for our house. Probably to make a Void.
That just leaves the guys and me.
You guys don't need to hang around with me out here. I'm fine, really. Minos just decided to hit me with that news at a strange time. I suppose no time, other than night, would've been strange though.
Maverick runs his hand through his hair, causing his forelock to fall into his eyes. He bats it away. "He didn't tell you where they were? We could go help them if we know."
I snort smoke out my nose. No. He doesn't know. Rosemen doesn't allow them outside, so he has no way of figuring out where they might be. I have no doubt that he will be fine though. I've seen through his eyes over the past years. Rosemen has gathered an army of kidnapped teens that all hate him. He should've known they would turn against him at some point.
Bullock shifts his weight. "Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the situation. But, Rosemen is just one man with no incredible powers. Why haven't they fought against him sooner? I doubt it would have to take an army of them to take him over."
Rosemen uses the serum he gives them as a type of power over them. It's highly addictive. I'm not sure how they got to the point where they want to overthrow him because they know that by doing so they will have to give up the drug. I remember one time I saw Rosemen, he looked like he'd been using the serum on himself. He no longer looks fully human. One of his eyes has changed to look like a toad's, and his muscles are grotesquely oversized. Minos doesn't appear to have any of those kinds of changes, but who knows.
Mirren clears his throat. He was with me when I went out. He rubs at his eye with his index finger. "Maybe they figured out how to replicate the serum. If they can do that, then they no longer need Rosemen to make it for them, and they can be ready to rebel against him. I only had it a few times, but I can tell you it took me a few weeks to get over not wanting it."
I sometimes forget he was briefly part of that. He never showed up to fight at the end. Do you still have any side effects from it? I only had maybe a drop, and well, I still have angel wings while in this form. And the black stain never went away.
Mirren shakes his head. "No. I wish I did. That stuff gave me insane focus and adrenaline. I could read four or five books in the course of an hour or sprint for miles."
Jakki raises his hand, his eyes glassy. How long has he been drinking today; did he never stop? "Maybe it was never the serum that caused the change. You and Minos are magically bond to some extent. The ceremony was never performed, so it's not as strong as it could be, but his magic still flows through your veins because of the Fold's magic. So maybe it's his magic that made the change."
For being drunk, that does make sense. Why didn't I ever put that together? Because I never talked to Mirren to find out whether he was still affected after all these years. That could be possible. But why would it turn my transformation into such a gross thing? Before, I could deal with it better.
Amr rubs at his chin. "It could be because you didn't magically bond with all of your Fold at once, and since you didn't do that, the angel and dragon sides fight for dominance over the other. There's a reason why we are the only true dragon hybrids in the world. Angel genetics seem to be the only ones strong enough to combat the heavyweight dragon."
My gaze turns to the moon. How convenient for me then. Well, that sucks. Why don't you guys go inside now. I'll just go to sleep until the sun comes up.
Paden rubs the back of his neck. "I could go get you something to eat and your shaman jewelry, so you can eat it."
I can wait until morning to eat. I don't want to have to change back in two hours. I don't have any pain right now, so I would like to keep it that way.
He nods. "Okay. I'll make strawberry waffles in the morning, and you will eat them all.”
I smile internally. Okay.
The others all trail back into the house. I envy them; they can go inside and sleep in their cosy new beds all night long. Maybe one of these days, we'll find enough of the Shaman jewellery that it will last all night long.
Mirren stays behind. "I apologised to Bullock earlier today."
I stare at him for a long moment. I'm going to trust that you're telling the truth and hope that you weren't a total dick about it.
He shoves his hands into his pockets. "Being a dick is part of my genetic makeup though."
Well, at least you are aware of it. Thank you for talking to him.
He nods. "You're really okay though? Because I nearly thought you died this morning."
I stretch out my wings. I promise I'm fine. I would've said something to James if I thought something was off.
"Tomorrow, we'll work on you summoning bigger things. Once you have that down, then the fight training will start."
But I always kicked your ass in sparing class.
He grins. "Maybe I was letting you win. Ever think of that?"
There's no way. Your temper burns just as hot as mine.
He grins more. "Good night, Princess."
Don't call me princess!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Day Ten
I stand at the island, preparing mini cheesecakes for dessert tonight. Training went well today, no major fights, and I summoned a large koi during Mirren's training. I don't know how, but both of us actively trying not to be douche bags helps us tolerate each other better. Uncanny, right? The others meander throughout the house, doing their own thing. No more training for the day.
Amr sits in front of me before he huffs and closes his laptop.
"What's wrong?" I press the graham cracker crumbles down into the cupcake moulds.
"Kearn hasn’t emailed me back. How long are we going to do this dance? It's been three years since I revealed to him that he's part of my Fold. Why doesn't he want me?"
Who knew the butler with the bi-coloured eyes would end up being in one of our Folds? My brother was ecstatic when he found out it was going to be his. Only one problem, Kearn, the butler, has never been receptive to his advances. "Maybe he's trying to figure out if he likes guys?"
He sighs. "I've been reading up on Folds to see if that was possible. But I've never found a story where the person was given Fold members that weren't attracted to their sex or vice versa."
Would that apply to Jakk,i too? Would the Fates put them together knowing Jakki feels like a woman on the inside? "Maybe you should straight out ask him what's keeping him from wanting to be with you. Then, you could work through it together. You believe in the Fates, so they would never steer you wrong, or give you someone you can't handle." I'm starting to get that with Mirren. Not that I fully believe in the Fates now.
He nods. "Maybe I'll take a trip over to the school later and see if he's there."
I spoon my cream cheese mixture over the crusts. "Speaking of talking. Have you talked to Jakki about his drinking? He was drinking vodka in his orange juice yesterday morning, and I'm pretty sure he was drunk last night."
He shrugs. "I'm not too worried about it. He's had a lot on his plate lately, and it's the summer, so I'm sure he's having fun."
I frown. He's just poo pooing the fact that Jakki's day drinking? "Meer, I really think you should talk to him. Seriously, sit down and have him talk to you."
He glares at me and huffs. "I've tried, Avalon. All he does is cry anymore. What do you want me to do?"
I stick the cakes in the oven for fifteen minutes. "Let him know that you will love him no matter what."
He leans onto the counter. "What do you know that I don't?"
I shake my head. "It's not my place to tell you. But you need to let him know you'll love him no matter what. Or this madness will be never ending."
He frowns but nods. "Okay." Let the others know I'll be back tonight. I have some errands to run.
I watch him leave through a Void. Errands for Kearn or for Jakki? I hope he takes this seriously. I don't want Jakki drinking himself to death because he's too afraid of losing Amr.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Day Eleven
The feather hasn't moved. It's been eleven days of meditation and trying to centre my magic so that it goes through one finger, and it still hasn't worked. I huff. "I'm just not grounded, Bullock. I don't think I even know what that means. My magic doesn't want to focus. It just doesn't." I flop down onto the couch.
He rubs at his cheek before sitting next to me. "You'll get it with more meditation."
I wipe at my eyes; I have to remember to keep my voice level. If I yell, he'll think I'm frustrated with him and not myself. "Meditation works for you, but it hasn't been working for me."
He stands up. Is he going to leave? "Stand up, too."
I get to my feet. He steps behind me and bends over just a bit to rest his chin on my left shoulder. Strong jolts rip through me. I don't think he knows how badly I want him. If I didn't think it would scare him off, I'd push him into the couch and take him as mine. I close my eyes. His hands move down my arms; he takes his time as if he wants to trace every inch under his fingertips. I press my back into him.
He swallows hard near my ear. "Can-can you feel my magic touching yours?"
Oh, I can feel something. I need to take this seriously though. Closing my eyes, I focus on my magic, hot and all around the room. Just on the edges, his magic—cool like a breeze on a spring day—swirls with it. "Yes, I can feel it a little bit."
His magic presses into mine more. Cooling it down and making it shrink until I can gather it myself. I push it down into my hand and focus it on my finger. Opening my eyes, I focus it all on the feather. It rises in the air and flutters to the other side of the room.
"That's how it should always feel when you gather your magic to focus it." He moves to pull away from the embrace.
Placing a gentle hand on his, I stop him from going farther. "Thank you. I'll remember that." I turn in his arms. Sun god, I want him. This moving things slow has been torture on my libido, but I'll just have to deal with it. He doesn't move. I stare at his lips. Would it scare him too much to give him a simple kiss on the lips, a thank you?
I lean into him, preparing for a kiss. If he meets me, then I'll know; at least, he will have the choice if he's ready or not. I don't have to wait long to have the soft, warm caress of his lips on mine. The jolt magnifies to a hum. His hands move to my waist and pull me closer. I put my arms around his neck. I suppress the urge to push him into the couch and deepen the kiss. I have to take things slow, not scare him off.
He breaks the kiss. "I've been hoping you would do that for a long time. I was just too afraid to say anything. I didn't want you to know that I've never been kissed before, either."
I run my fingers along his jawline. "Never be afraid to tell me anything, ever again. I want to know your true and honest thoughts. I don't want you to ever feel like you can’t be one hundred percent yourself because you think I may disapprove. Be who you want to be, and I will love you nevertheless."
He smiles. "I should've known you would say that. I’m happy that I opened up to you and that you know the truth about me now."
I trail my hand over his chest and play with the cotton fibres of his simple, navy blue shirt. "Just let me know if I ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I don't want you to hate me because I push you to your limits without knowing it."
His fingers grip tighter at my waist. "I couldn't ever hate you, Avalon. I've never hated you."
I sigh with relief. "That's good to know, for years, I thought you hated me and just put up with my antics for some strange reason."
He laughs. "Well, I did think you were strange with how you always seemed to know when I needed something or were there after I received a slashing from one of the Ancients.
A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips, and I move my hand to rest on his bicep. "Well, I did stalk you a little bit. I don't know what it was, I had an overwhelming need to protect you. It's died down some over the years, as you let me in more, but it's always been there."
He snorts whilst grinning. "Some things about you I don't think I'll ever understand. But I do know I wouldn't have survived all those thrashing if you hadn't been there to help me heal. I'm glad they are over with now."
His slashing stopped when we graduated high school. He had made it through, and so the Ancients saw him fit enough to enter our society with his dragon powers intact. The last one was the longest. I didn't think he would make it to the end still conscious. I was at his side the second it was done, and they had left. Michael got to the point where he would warn me ahead of time, so that I could hide in he passageway and wait for it to be done. "Me too, you never deserved any of it, you shouldn't have to pay for crimes you didn't commit, Derren."
"You've stopped calling me Bullock?" He shakes his head. "I don't want to talk about my sperm donor. I haven't seen him since I was four, and I never want to see the fucker again."
I raise both my eyebrows. I don't think I've ever heard him curse before. "That's fine, we don't need to talk about him." I move to sit down on the couch behind him; he lets me go and follows before taking my hand in his. "As for calling you by your first name, I figured I should use it more often now that we've kissed."
He stares at where the feather rests on the floor and raises his left index finger. It floats into the air and returns to us. "Everyone calls me Bullock, even my own mother."
I frown. "Why?"
He shrugs. "I don't know. She just always has. I have her last name, but my father named me after him. I don't know how that happened. I guess she didn't name me until after she got home from the hospital. I don't like my name for that reason."
I rub the top of his hand with my thumb. "I'm sorry. How about I come up with a new name for you, something only I can use?"
He cringes. "Please don't make it bae or sugarbear."
A laugh bursts out of me. I didn't think he had that kind of quick wit in him.
I think for a moment of something that would fit him. "How about Rock, for when it's just the two of us, and I'll call you Bullock in front of the others."
He stares at me now. "Rock? Why Rock?"
I nod. "Because you're more grounded than me. You've been teaching me to be grounded with my magic, and Rocks are very grounded." I shrug. "I don't know. I guess it's silly. I'll think of something else."
Bullock shakes his head. "No, I like it. I'll be your rock, if you will be my Wisp."
I cock my head to the side. "Wisp? I don't get it."
"Well, I'm your Rock because I keep you grounded. You're my Wisp because you are always trying to float off."
I grin and place my head on his shoulder. I'm so glad he lets me do this now. I feel a bit childish with the nicknames, but I do it with the others in private, why not him, too?
He sits forward. "I think we should do more training, we can't spend the rest of the session lounging. Mr. Clementine wouldn't like that."
I groan. "But I’d rather sit in here and read with you."
He shakes his head and rubs at his cheek. "After you do all your training for today."
I sigh. "Okay. You don't need to be nervous, I'm not mad. Let’s do this thing.” I stand, bringing my magic down into my finger. The feather floats up, but the magic behind it isn’t as powerful as it was with Bullock’s magic helping me.
“Good, now keep doing it until you can get it to cross the room again.”
I glance over my shoulder at him. “If I can get it to cross the room again, in this session, can we kiss again?”
A smirk pulls at a corner of his mouth. “
I think that could be arranged.”
I smile and crack my neck. I have a goal in mind now.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Day Twelve
I slam my hands down on the ground. The wave from the pond freezes in motion; tiny fish swim inside of it as the sunlight beams through the water.
"Perfect! Now, split the wave down the middle and have one turn into a twister, while the other one remains frozen." Rian watches at my side. Over the last week and a half, I've gotten nearly all his training down on the same day he teaches it to me.
I bite on my tongue as I focus splitting the wave into two parts. I have to keep one hand aimed at the still wave while I give the other the command to twist. It sprays water at us. At least I've learned to wear a rain protector during this time, so that my hair and clothes don't smell like dirty pond water.