by Anna Lewis
“I am,” she said. She frowned. “It’s…I’m confused.” He looked away, then he looked back at her. He took her hand, pressing it in his own. His eyes raised to meet hers.
“If you want both of us,” he said, “you can have both.” Nessa frowned.
“That’s not love,” she said.
“What is?” He asked.
“It’s between two people,” she replied slowly. He shook his head.
“Your definition is skewed, darling,” he replied. “All of our lives, Charlie and I have been a unit. A package deal, if you will.” He stepped closer to her. “Both of us,” he whispered gently, then walked back inside. Nessa sat down on the stone bench that was on the balcony. She watched as the sun rose over the land, lighting up the buildings of the city that spread out before the castle. She began to cry. She felt childish for doing so, but she was so overwhelmed.
A shadow passed over her. She looked up to find Charlie standing before her. He sat down next to her, removing his gloves. He reached up with a bare hand, wiping away the tear that streamed down her face. As his finger touched her skin, she was taken into a vision with an electrifying jolt.
On a bed with red silk sheets, Nessa lay, naked, entwined with both Ra and Charlie. As Nessa kissed Ra, deeply, passionately, Charlie ran kisses down the nape of her neck.
They all tumbled together on top of the silk sheets, the room a soft red glow. As Charlie held her, nuzzling her neck, Ra entered her, his eyes changing from their deep blue to a brilliant gold, his irises black reptilian slits. Charlie’s hands slid over her breasts, his fingers toying with her nipples. His fingers were hot and dry, and the electricity of his power lanced through her, causing her to cry out. Meanwhile, Ra filled her, rocking back and forth over her. She rocked her hips upward in response.
Nessa moaned, the delicious feeling of endorphins and the heat of desire surging through her. She could feel Charlie behind her, his arms wrapped around her, his hands moving over her skin, and Ra within her and over her. She looked into Ra’s eyes as her hand reached back for Charlie at the same time.
The scene faded as Nessa felt herself return to the balcony of the tower. She was staring into Charlie’s deep blue eyes. They still sat on the bench, so close, their noses were almost touching. He took his hands away, smiled at her, and pushed a tendril of hair behind her ear. He leaned in to her, his lips close to her ear. She was still absolutely buzzing with desire. She licked her lips.
“I saw that inside of you,” he whispered. “You asked me if I could read your thoughts. Not your thoughts. But I can read your deepest desire.” He pulled away and smiled at her, his eyes shifting gold with want and lust. He stood and walked back inside. Nessa was stunned. She had just witnessed another show of Charlie’s power. It was as though he could see inside of her, holding up a mirror so that she could see her deepest, darkest inner wants, her hungers.
She did want that, she realized. But at the same time, she was livid. How dare he look inside of her like that? That was clearly an abuse of his power. When he looked at her, what else had he seen? She stood up and followed him inside of the tower.
She stormed in to find them both sitting inside in the arm chairs, clearly waiting for her. They were silent, watching and waiting to see what she would do. She placed a hand on her hip. Anything to maintain her posturing. It was unnerving to be faced by what was, essentially, two of the same person.
“Have you done this before?” She asked heatedly.
“No,” Charlie replied.
“So, what am I?” She asked.
“Our lover,” Ra said huskily. “Our princess.”
“I don’t want to be a princess,” Nessa snapped, folding her arms over her chest.
“Is that all?” Ra asked lazily.
“Yes.”
Ra stood, taking Nessa in his arms. He kissed her on the lips, slowly, passionately. He was skilled, well-practiced at this. Nessa pulled away, looking at Charlie, who was still sitting in his chair. His gloves were on again. He smiled at her, his eyes beginning to glow yellow, his irises changing to black, reptilian slits.
Ra began to trail kisses along her neck, starting with the tender skin beneath her ear. Nessa moaned, leaning into it. Ra tugged the straps of her tank top down over her arms, baring her lacy bra. Nessa kept her eyes on Charlie, who watched with interest. Ra’s hands slid down over her ribcage, pulling her tank top down to her waist. Ra began to trail kisses down her back along her spine. His lips felt hot against her skin. Nessa closed her eyes as he went. He knelt down behind her, pulling her tank down over her hips. He then pulled her leggings down, tugging them off of her legs.
Nessa opened her eyes, looking at Charlie. His eyes still glowed yellow. She smiled at him seductively, moving her hands to her breasts. He bit his lip. She could tell that he wanted to touch her, but was frightened to. So, she touched herself for him, grabbing her breasts, then running a hand between her legs. Ra ran his hands over her skin. He felt preternaturally warm. She looked at him, and found his eyes were glowing yellow, too, the irises black slits. She reached forward, pulling Ra’s face to hers. He kissed her, hungrily.
They began to move toward the bed that was off to the side. It almost seemed to be an afterthought. The focus of Charlie’s life was the books on their shelves, all of it taking up most of the room. The bed was a four-poster dark oak frame with plush white comforters and a luxurious pile of pillows.
“Come on, Charlie,” Ra said, pulling his shirt off over his head. “Voyeurism is only fun for you.” Charlie said nothing. Nessa walked over to him, clad in only her lacy black underwear. Charlie looked at her with heat, desire. She leaned forward, kissing him. She whispered in his ear.
“Do you want me?” She asked.
“Yes,” he said, nervously. She reached behind her, unsnapping her bra. He watched as it slid off, his eyes traveling over her skin. She pulled off her panties. They were black lace. She smiled at Charlie as she dropped them to the floor. She walked over to Ra, who was sitting on the bed, already naked. His penis was erect, ready. She poked his chest playfully with her finger. His eyes widened in surprise.
“No teasing your brother,” she said. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “That’s my job.” She looked at him and he nodded. She walked back over to Charlie, getting into his lap. He looked a tad nervous. She took both of his hands, removing first one glove, and then the other.
“I want you to touch me,” she said. He looked at her, nervously licking his lips. He raised his hands, cupping her breasts. She could feel the electricity coming from his hands. She exhaled. She could feel his visions, seeping into her pores. Flowers, opening lushly as they bloomed. A fire, burning and licking at the night sky as it roared. Slow, seductive images. He began to run the flats of his palms over her body. Nessa bit her lip as images of firecrackers danced in her mind. If he kept going at this pace, she was going to come just by being touched.
She leaned in, covering his mouth with her own. As he kissed her, he moved his hand to her vagina, sliding his fingers inside of her, teasing her clit with his fingers. She moaned against his mouth. He slid two fingers in. The electricity coming off of his fingers felt amazing. She could feel images, coming from him, but she held them off with her own power. She wanted to stay there with him—present. He began to move them in and out, massaging her as he did so. Nessa gasped as he pumped with his fingers. She rolled her head back, arching her back.
He stopped suddenly. She returned her gaze to Charlie, who was studying her with slight worry. She placed a hand on the side of his neck.
“See?” she said. “I’m still here.” He smiled. She stood up, taking him by both of his hands. She pulled him so that he was standing. She pulled off his shirt, running her hands over his smooth skin. She paused, her hand over his sternum. She could feel his heart, pounding in his chest beneath the palm of her hand. She unzipped his pants, then tugged them and his boxers down. His penis bobbed free of the fabric, fully erect. She ran her f
inger over it lightly, looking him in the eyes as she did so.
Nessa took him by the hand, leading him over to the bed where Ra sat, waiting. Nessa straddled Ra’s lap. He grabbed her ass, slapping it with a hand. Nessa laughed. She kissed Ra, and he ran the tip of his tongue over her teeth. She felt as Charlie sat down on the bed beside them. She turned to him, kissing him. They might have looked similar; however, their demeanors were utterly different. They tasted differently, too. Ra was spicy and musky, while Charlie was all softness.
Slowly, Nessa moved over to Charlie, wrapping her legs around him. He placed his hands on her hips. She placed herself over the tip of his penis, sliding on to him. She could feel his visions coming on. They were strong, like a wave. She used her own powers to hold them back. She began to move her hips, slowly riding the length of his cock. He ran his hands over her body. He was looking at her in surprise.
“What?” She asked.
“You can hold them back,” he said.
“Yes.” She pushed him backward on the bed, leaning forward so that Ra could enter her from behind. As he pressed the tip of his penis into the bud of her asshole, she exhaled sharply. She had never been this full before. It was sensual, erotic. She felt the flood of images from Charlie, as she continued to move along his length, and Ra began to move in and out of her, she began to lose her tightly-held grip. As she came, the flood of visions from Charlie crashed through her, like a river, a barrier torn down. She yelled out. It was exquisite—the sun rising over the ocean, a brilliant flash of light. She could see plants growing, their leaves sprouting in green profusion, and the fire, always the fire, burning brightly against the night sky, where the stars burst open in pale light.
She returned, looked down at Charlie, who lay beneath her. He looked relieved to see her returning.
“That’s what you see?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, and he smiled. Ra pulled out of her. He wasn’t one to be ignored. He picked her up, throwing her on her back. “Jealous?” She asked. He grinned as he entered her hard and fast. He surged in and out of her. She cried out as she writhed beneath him in pleasure. Charlie slid in behind her, sitting her up in front of him. As Ra continued to rock back and forth, Charlie whispered soft incantations in her ear, running his fingers over her skin. Nessa felt like she was on fire—as she began to come, exploding around Ra, she leaned back against Charlie, feeling his lips curve upward in a smile against her hair.
* * *
Nessa awoke suddenly from a deep, dreamless sleep. It was the middle of the day, the warm afternoon sun shining through the windows. She stretched luxuriously. She was still wrapped within Ra’s embrace, his sinewy and muscular arm draped over her abdomen. He was on his side, the covers down around his waist to reveal his unclothed upper torso, and his face was tucked into the space between her neck and shoulder. His breathing was soft, warm on her skin. She smiled as she sat up slowly so as not to waken him.
She frowned. She looked to her right, where Charlie’s spot on the bed was empty, an indentation on the sheets where he had lain, and the blankets thrown back hastily. Where is Charlie? She thought. She got up, wrapping a soft blue throw blanket around her. She found Charlie standing by one of the windows, a shelf obscuring him.
“Charlie?” She called softly, still trying not to wake Ra. He didn’t respond. Nessa felt uneasy, a deep sense of dread filling her as she called his name again. “Charlie? Is something wrong, dear?” This time, he turned. Nessa gasped.
Charlie’s face was grim, his expression strange. His eyes were glowing white, like twin orbs of pale light. His movements were jerky, awkward, as if he wasn’t in control of his own body. He exhaled. It sounded like a death rattle.
“Charlie?” Nessa asked. His arm shot out, grasping Nessa tightly by the wrist. His grip was strong, painful. Immediately, Nessa was pulled into his vision, the tower room and its sunshine fading to black. She looked around her. She wasn’t unconscious—that had been her first thought. She could see the outline of Charlie’s body. His eyes began to glow in the sheer darkness. She heard a voice. Frowning, she turned.
Her parents stood behind her. They were spirits, their forms nothing more than pale wisps of ectoplasm. Her father, still tall and proud, even in death. Her mother, blonde-haired and delicate. Their eyes were nothing but dark sockets, and their legs disappeared below the knee, but they were smiling at her sadly.
“Mom? Dad?” Nessa asked breathlessly, unable to believe what she was seeing.
“Hi sweetheart,” her mother said. Her mother held out a pale hand. Nessa reached out to take it, but her hand slid through it.
“How are you here?” Nessa asked.
“We’ve always been here. This is the spirit plane,” her father said, his voice soft. “The Necromancer has trapped us here.”
“So, you’re not dead?” Hope welled within her. With her parents’ powers, they could possibly defeat the Necromancer.
“We are,” her mother replied. “She’s been feeding off of us so that she can maintain her physical form in the material plane.” Nessa’s hope died. “But we can help you from here.”
“We need a weapon,” Nessa said, hoping that they could help. “To defeat her. An incantation. Ra and I tried, but I don’t think it’s strong enough.”
“Charlie’s hand,” her father said. “He’s under the power of the demon right now, but he’s still got enough of himself that he’s telling you something.” Nessa frowned and looked at Charlie. His grip was painful on her wrist.
“What is he trying to tell me?” she asked.
“Check his hand when he lets go,” her father said to her urgently. “It’s all there.”
“We have to go now, darling,” her mother said. “She’s coming.” Nessa’s heart began to pound. She knew who they were talking about. “Be brave.” Her mother’s hand caressed Nessa’s cheek—a cold brush of air against her skin.
As they disappeared into the shadows of the spirit plane, the dark shadow of the Necromancer evanesced in front of her until the Necromancer stood before her, studying her with dark eyes that showed through the holes of the mask. She wore an elaborate black dress. It had long, structured sleeves, a tight bodice, and a grand collar that came up behind her ears. She wore the Death’s Head Mask. Nessa studied her, gazing at the pale bone of the naked skull. The woman spoke, her lips painted black beneath the skull’s morbid grin.
“Nessa Kant,” she said, her voice deep, yet soft and honeyed. “I have been waiting for you to come and find me. I have heard that they covered up your parents’ deaths. Such a shame. They died so valiantly and have suffered so horribly. Usually that’s front page news.”
“Let Charlie go,” she replied firmly. He was the only one whom she could save. The Necromancer laughed.
“I think not,” she said, refusing to be swayed by mere words.
“What do you want?” Nessa asked her, guessing her endgame. The woman smiled.
“Excellent question,” she remarked. She brought a black-gloved hand up and caressed Nessa’s cheek. The gloves were made of thick, soft velvet. “Several years ago, your parents and the king were the most powerful people in the country. Now the most powerful people are you and the two princes. If I control you, then I control the country. If I control the country, then maybe I can make my way out of this pit.” She said the last word with deep disdain, almost spitting it out acidly.
“My parents?” Nessa asked. She was trying to get an angle. The Necromancer nodded.
“They thought that they were the most powerful practitioners of spirit magic,” she said. “I proved them wrong. They are my thralls now, you know.”
“So, you think I inherited it?” Nessa laughed. “I’m good, but with the other four elements. You know, the ones which aren’t illegal.” She opened and closed that hand that Charlie was holding in his death grip. It was beginning to lose blood flow, and she could feel the ghostly pins and needles forming. It hurt
.
“Necromancy is always inherited, my dear,” the Necromancer said in her syrup-smooth voice. “When you use your powers, I will know.”
“Let Charlie go,” Nessa repeated firmly. The Necromancer laughed.
“No, I don’t think so,” she replied. “I have given him to the demon for his plaything. You have to make a sacrifice in order to get him back from the demon.”
“What kind of a sacrifice?” Nessa presumed blood.
“You have to choose—Charlie or Imrahil. The crown prince or the savant. You can’t have both,” the Necromancer said, tilting her head to the side. “You must choose wisely, Ms. Kant. If you choose Charlie, then the country will suffer. If the country suffers, then the people will suffer. If you choose Imrahil, then Charlie’s powers go to the demon. Who knows what destruction he will enact in that case?” Nessa froze. She hadn’t realized that so much hung in the balance. She recalled Ra’s words—that Charlie, if given the predilection, had the ability to destroy worlds.
The Necromancer began to walk away, her hips slinking from side-to-side as she walked, her black-clad body fading easily into the shadows as she left the plane. Nessa roiled inside. She looked at Charlie, who was still somewhere—she had no idea where. With the demon, she thought. His eyes were those pale orbs of glowing light. She thought of Ra. He had no idea—he would have no idea where they were.
She knew that she needed to employ her spirit magic. She shut her eyes, letting herself leave her body in the spirit plane. She opened her eyes and pictured Charlie’s room. As she did so, it came into focus. It was shockingly easy. She was there—everything seemed to be in shadow, just the fraction of a second removed, wrapped within a dark mist. She saw Ra—he had awoken to find her and Charlie—they were both unconscious on the floor. Ra was kneeling over them, yelling for help. She looked at Charlie—foam was around the corners of his mouth, as though he’d had a seizure. He looked as though he were in pain.
The queen came running in. She began to scream.
“Charlie! Is he dead?” she asked frantically. She fell to her knees beside Charlie, trying to look at him.