by Anna Hill
I was relieved that as soon as I was back, immediately I felt like I was in my element again. My natural inclinations toward leadership were taking hold again. I thought the time I spent as a prisoner might have taken some of that determination away from me, but it clearly didn’t.
In fact, I think it may have intensified it.
Lio didn't question me any further. He got up, got dressed, and followed me back to the living room where Rhyion was faithfully sitting by Angelo.
I walked up to him.
“Rhyion, I need you to teach me this spell. Lio will stay with Angelo. You and I need to take care of this now.”
Rhyion stood up. “Of course.”
Lio took his seat and Rhyion began to lead me to another bedroom in the house. This one was also old, dusty, with only a bed inside of it.
Actually, no, this one also had a bedside table. And on top of it, a heavy leather-bound book.
Rhyion grabbed it. “This book of spells is ancient, written completely in Tangelo.”
“Tangelo?” I asked.
He nodded. "An ancient language. Your ancestors spoke it, though, along with English. All witches and wizards used to be taught Tangelo in school. Of course, it’s died out since as the human elite would never allow anyone else to learn it. But my father taught me as his father taught him.”
He flipped open the book, which had several colored bookmarks placed throughout. He flipped to an orange one, and then turned the book toward me.
“I know you can’t understand this, but I’m going to tell you how to pronounce it. While you say it, you’re going to have to focus on a feeling of protection… a motherly feeling, specifically.”
“A… motherly feeling? You know I've never been a mother.”
Rhyion smiled at me. “But haven’t you? I see you with my people, I see you with our children… you’re very protective.”
He was right about that. I had always felt protective over the shifters. In my mind, they were my people, and I was responsible for them. I guess, in a way, it was kind of mothering.
I could focus in on that feeling. Even if it was a much vaguer feeling than what I usually used for my magic. What I thought about and focused on normally felt more tangible. Focusing on a feeling of protection was different.
But I could do it. I was gifted, I knew I was.
“Okay, give me the spell.” I looked down and read it as he spoke. It was written “tero lanta mesa riope.”
“Teh-row lan-tuh mess-uh ree-oh-pay,” he pronounced slowly.
I closed my eyes, thought of the way I felt when I watched kids playing on the village path, and focused on the anger that overcame me that Robert ever tried to hurt them. And I repeated it.
“Tero lanta mesa riope.”
A flash of light spread across the room, spreading out through the window… I could see the light flash across the land outside.
Rhyion smiled. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect. That should cover the entire island and conceal us. I don’t see Robert getting past that.”
“So… what exactly does it do?” I asked, a little confused at how this spell worked.
“It does exactly that. It puts a protection spell on us. We should be impossible to find by any other sources of magic.”
I was going to have to trust Rhyion on that, but honestly… I was always going to stress that we were susceptible to Robert’s clutches now. I knew I’d never be able to get him out of my head.
“I’m going to destroy Robert,” I told Rhyion.
“I know that you will.” He smiled. “We will figure out a way, I promise you.”
“We need to figure out a way now, Rhyion. You and me. I know you’ve been doing your research. I didn’t learn much in my time with Robert, but I know that as soon as I had my magic back, he bolted. I must be too strong for him.”
“I do think that’s true, Annabelle. I’m sure if it came to a head-to-head battle right now, you would absolutely win.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” I asked seriously.
“Annabelle, we don’t know where he is. We wouldn’t even have been able to find you if it wasn’t for your help. He’s not easy to track.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what are you talking about? I didn’t help you.”
Now Rhyion looked confused. “What are you talking about? Of course you did.”
“No… How could I have helped you? I was locked away, without magic, without any powers.”
“You… contacted Lio,” he said, an edge of uncertainty in his voice.
“I did… what?”
“You contacted Lio. You came to him, and you spoke to him. In a dream. You told him you were locked away in a place with all metal rooms and walls. It reminded me of what I’d read about some of the old underground witch tunnels that were used in case of an emergency, built underneath castles. And because of that, we began searching underneath all the old castles for you.”
It suddenly dawned on me. “So when I saw Lio in my bed, that wasn’t just… my imagination? I had actually spoken to him? I actually reached out?”
“Yes, of course. We all thought you knew. We thought that was purposeful.”
“No, not at all. I mean, I wanted to focus on Lio. I certainly wanted to connect. But I had no idea it was possible. It wasn’t anything I thought I could accomplish. I mean, I wasn’t able to conduct magic, so how could I do that?”
Rhyion smiled. “Because that wasn’t magical in the conventional sense, Annabelle. You remember me telling you that some witches manifest powers that other witches and wizards cannot? Like future and pastsight?”
“Right… But I didn’t have any.”
Rhyion grinned. “But you do, Annabelle! It did not manifest during training that we knew about, but apparently the stress of your situation brought this out of you. Being able to communicate to someone in their dreams… That is an incredible power indeed. And it was how you saved yourself.”
So I… saved myself.
This whole time, I was thinking Angelo rescued me… which, of course, he did. But I didn’t think I played any part in that rescue. I didn’t realize that I had done anything to bring him to me.
I let out a small smile, despite myself. Even at my worst moments, I wasn’t a complete victim.
Take that, Robert. Attempt to control me as much as you want…
I clearly cannot be controlled.
3
I walked into the living room where Lio was still with Angelo.
It was dark outside now. I still hadn’t stepped foot outside, but I could see it through the window.
“It’s done,” I began to tell him. “I was able to do the spell with Rhyion.”
Lio smiled at me. “I know, I saw it. It was beautiful. You never cease to amaze me, Annabelle.”
I pulled a dusty wooden chair away from the wall and sat across from him and next to Angelo, who was still sleeping.
“Annabelle, you can’t hold onto the guilt of the lives we lost. Promise me that you’re not.”
I looked out the window, where darkness had taken over… but I could still see a bit of glimmer from the stars and moon above.
“I can’t ever promise you that. I think I’ll always remember what happened, and if I’m honest, I’ll always feel guilty for it. The only thing I can promise you is that I absolutely will take my revenge out on Robert. He will pay for what he did.”
Lio nodded. “I certainly do not doubt that.”
I looked away from the window and back at him. “Rhyion has no idea how we’ll find him, but we’ll come up with something. I’m going to start reading with him every day. That’ll be my new training, I guess. Thinking of a plan to get back at him.”
“Well, I think you were pretty much done training with us, anyway. You got all that you could out of it. You are far more powerful than all of us. And certainly more powerful than that scum human, Robert. Even with his black magic.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “It’s just a matter of time.
”
I heard Angelo begin to stir a bit before he softly fluttered open his eyes. I immediately turned to Lio.
“Do you mind giving us some time alone?” I asked.
Lio smiled softly. “Not at all.” He stood up from his chair and walked into one of the empty bedrooms, shutting the door behind him. Rhyion was in another, no doubt continuing to read the old spell book for any clues on how we could find and annihilate Robert.
I scooted my chair closer to Angelo. “You’re awake.”
“Apparently.” He groaned.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Tired,” he admitted.
I grabbed both his hands and cupped them in mine. “I’m so sorry, Angelo. I’m so sorry you got hurt this badly for me.”
“I’m not,” he said defiantly.
I looked at him skeptically. “Angelo, you could have died. You almost did.”
“But I didn’t, thanks to you. And even if I had… I would have done my job. I got you out of there.”
There were no words for his dedication to me. It was unending. I could never express how grateful I was.
“Why did you come alone?” I asked. “Why didn’t you ask Rhyion or Lio to come with you?”
“They wanted to, of course,” he said softly. “But it wasn’t safe. Even though Robert infiltrated the island, he had no idea which shifters you were fated to. He didn’t know who your closest allies were. I didn’t want him to know. Surely he already figured out who I was, considering I killed one of his lackeys and saved you… So my identity was no secret. I was the only one who could go without spilling any secrets, so I did.”
I leaned my head gently against his chest, putting me only inches away from his face.
“You know… I’m not so sure that lackey actually was trying to kill me. I think he was maybe just trying to knock me out and capture me. Because it’s pretty clear that Robert doesn’t want me dead.”
Angelo cocked his head. “Why do you say that?”
“Because he could have killed me in there, but he didn’t. And when I refused to eat, they force-fed me. Or, they were about to before you showed up. They definitely wanted me alive and healthy.”
“But that makes no sense,” Angelo said quietly.
“No, it doesn’t. But I think that’s the truth.”
Angelo nodded softly. “I’m sure it is. You are very intelligent. If you believe it is, then it is.”
I could hear his heart beating underneath his chest. It calmed me down. His entire warmth brought peace to me…
In the same way Lio usually did.
“You’ll never know how grateful I am for what you did,” I told Angelo. “I know you’re fated to me, and I know you feel like it’s your duty… I understand it’s your responsibility in your mind, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an incredible thing to do. You would give your life for me… That’s not a small thing.”
“You know… you’re right. I do feel it’s my responsibility. And as such, I would do it no matter what. Even if I didn’t want to, but… I do want to. Of my own volition. It has nothing to do with fate or responsibility.”
“How do you mean?”
“For me… I want to save you not just because I’m your fated protector. I wanted to save you because I couldn’t stand the thought of harm coming to you. Do you remember when we spoke about your love for Lio romantically, and I said I didn’t care about you loving me romantically?”
“Yes…” I answered quietly, my heart thumping because I could see where this was going.
“Well, I was being truthful then. I didn’t think it mattered to me. But after you were kidnapped… Something came over me. I realized I do love you… so much. You are the only woman that I see, the only one I think about, the only one I could ever imagine being with.” He put one hand on the back of my head, his fingers digging into my hair. “I know that you love Lio, and that still doesn’t bother me. Your love for him does not take anything from my love for you. But I needed you to know that. As I laid there, nearly dying, the only thing that I could think about was that I was going to die before I could tell you how I felt. So I needed you to hear it, before anything else happens to me.”
The words came spilling out of my mouth… I didn’t even process them. “I love you too.”
His eyebrows raised. “You… you do?”
I hadn't realized it until I was about to lose him, either. But in that moment, I knew he was a vital piece of me. And it was as more than just one of my protectors. My feelings for him ran so much deeper than that. He brought to me those same feelings I had for Lio.
Except those feelings were also different. Because Angelo brought me something Lio didn’t. Lio was my nurturer, the protector of my feelings, my safe haven.
And Angelo wasn’t. He was the one who pushed me, who made me better, who brought me strength. He was my muse. He made me more powerful.
I reached out and brushed his dark, black hair off his forehead. “I do. I’m still getting used to the idea that I could feel this way about more than one man. It feels almost like I’m betraying Lio in some way by loving you…”
“But you aren’t,” Angelo told me. “Lio would never care. Just like I don’t care about your love for him. In a way… I like that you love him too.”
This surprised me. “Really? Why?”
He shrugged. “I know he gives you a gentleness I cannot. A gentleness I could never have, no matter how I tried. You deserve that gentleness. You deserve to have everything. I want you to be fulfilled in every way. But that also means you deserve to have me.”
The thought put a small smile on my face. I felt so lucky… to have feelings for both these men and they had no animosity toward each other. On the contrary, they both just wanted to take care of me…
“Can I lie with you?” I ask him. “Or are you still too weak?”
He responded by scooting over on the couch. It was pretty large, so I was able to climb up next to him, wrap my arm around his torso, put one of my legs between his.
He put one of his arms around me in response, and gently kissed the top of my head. “Ever since you’ve been gone, I dreamed I’d be able to hold you like this one day. I never knew if you’d feel the same, or if I’d even get out with you alive… But I hoped.”
I looked up at him. "I need you to be more careful, less reckless. I now that it's in your nature to a degree, but please, Angelo, I realized today that I can’t ever lose you. I don’t want to have to. I want you to stay with me. I want to be happy with you one day… and with Lio. I want to get back Elderan and then have both of you to myself.”
He smiled. “I promise, I’ll be more careful. And I’ll one day live in a castle with you and Lio. And we’ll all be happy.”
“I hope so.”
I looked up at him, he looked down at me, and he leaned in to kiss me.
It wasn’t the same passionate, powerful kiss that Lio had given me. He was too weak for that, and we were not on the verge of making love. It wasn’t the right moment… this wasn’t the time for that.
This kiss was a gentle peck, only intended to show his affection for me. And in a way, it was just as nice as a passionate kiss. Each kiss had its place.
And I was enjoying this simple, sweet moment with him. Our very first sweet, intimate moment… One of many, I hoped.
4
I spent most of the night with Angelo, but eventually, he told me I should go sleep in one of the larger beds in the bedrooms. Not that he didn’t want me with him, of course. But he knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep with such a tight fit, and he wanted me to get some rest after all I’d been through.
Again, I found it impossible to leave his side. Even though he was talking and appeared to be totally fine, I was feeling unimaginably protective over him.
So I turned to Rhyion for help. He’d been sleeping when I walked in, and I asked if he wouldn’t mind watching Angelo for a while. He agreed, I thanked him, and I headed to the back room whe
re Lio was resting on the bed.
Despite the assurances from both Lio and Angelo that neither would ever mind me having a romantic relationship with someone else, I still felt some guilt. I supposed it came from living a human lifestyle where monogamy was the only real option and that people weren’t capable of loving more than one person.
Well, I was positive now that was false. I knew I was capable of loving two men equally because I did… I loved Angelo and Lio the exact same amount.
And that was ten times more than I’d ever loved Jacob.
It was crazy… I didn’t even know I was capable of loving one person this intensely… Now I loved two people like this.
Lio smiled as I came in, but it dissipated when he saw the guilt on my face. “Is something wrong?”
I didn’t know how to say it, so I just blurted it out. “I… I love him.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You love who?”
“Angelo… I love him.”
Lio let out a chuckle. “I know, Annabelle.”
“No, I mean… I really love him. I love him just as much as I love you. I mean, I love you two for very different reasons, but the intensity is the same. My feelings for him are absolutely romantic.”
Again, he laughed. “Annabelle, I know.”
“You do?” I asked, actually surprised. How could he know? I barely found out myself.
“I could see it when you brought him back today. The fear that you might lose him… It was very obvious that fear did not come from a platonic place. That your feelings ran deep for him. As soon as you began to panic, I knew you had fallen in love with him.”
I walked over and sat down on the bed next to him. “And you… really don’t care? Like, not at all?”
“No, Annabelle. Why is that so hard for you to believe?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess because back in Elderan, I didn’t know any human men that would be okay with their significant other dating someone else. Not just human men, either. Trolls, elves, pretty much everyone is monogamous back in Elderan.”