I took the final turn onto the gravel path with towering pine trees and slowed as I reached the gates. I keyed in my code and drove down toward my house. As I slowed, coming to a stop, I spotted Aurel. He sat with his back against my front door with one knee drawn to his chest where his head rested.
As I turned the car off and stepped outside, he got to his feet.
My eyes travelled up to the second-floor window where Daniel stood. I nodded in acknowledgement and brought my eyes back to Aurel. Behind him, the front door opened and Anna came out. I sucked in a deep, even breath, gave her a small smile, and then turned my attention back to Aurel.
I didn’t give him a chance to speak and, instead, I stuffed my hands into my pockets and looked at him.
‘Elena asked the Celestial Beings to help her.’
His eyes widened, but he remained quiet, his attention was on me and the next words to leave my mouth.
‘They agreed to help.’
The tension inside him snapped and slowly, he backed up into the door and slid back down to the ground. Anna shifted beside him, her wide eyes focused solely on the floor at Aurel’s feet. It had been a rough day for everyone and the strain grew with each passing moment.
Finally, I broke the silence again.
‘I wanted you to hear it from me.’ I turned to leave but stopped.
His eyes were circled with dark shadows. He’d been punishing himself the whole time, and some deep, twisted part of me thought he deserved it. But the part of me that loved him as my brother, chastised the less humane part.
‘I don’t blame you,’ I ground out, and turned slightly to face him. ‘I want you to know that.’
When I turned this time, I left. I didn’t wait to hear his response nor did I wait to see the look in his eyes. I got back into the car and drove back to the hospital.
***
Ace
A quiet, inaudible sigh woke me. My eyes fluttered open and darted around the room trying to gauge exactly where I was. As they landed on the small, open window a pang of pain shot through my head. God, that was bright. I drew my hands to my face. Then it hit me, my hands moved. I sucked in a deep breath and looked down at my legs, I tried wriggling my toes, and when the blanket at the end of the bed moved, I choked back a sob.
How much time had passed?
Fragments of the last few days came back to me in bits and pieces.
I slowly, and carefully, swung my legs over the side and then I saw Illarion.
He was sleeping, so peacefully, I considered not waking him. But I wanted him to see me, I wanted to feel him and hold him. I wanted to throw myself into his arms. I wanted things to be how they were before.
Carefully I tested my legs, first one and then the other. A fierce tingling spread through me as the pressure subsided and when I was sure I wouldn’t fall flat on my face, I quietly padded over to him and knelt. Every movement was like a fresh slice of pain but I pushed through.
Silent tears fell as I took him in. It was as though I hadn’t seen him for months. God, whatever Aaryon did to me to unblock my feelings was as much a miracle as was the fact that I was standing and walking again.
It was the truest form of fear, remembering how it felt not to have anything inside me, to not feel, or love, or hate. There was nothing that terrified me more than touching him and not feeling a damned thing.
Reaching up, I gently brushed my fingers along the violent bruise that spanned from his jaw down to his neck.
When he stirred, I moved my hand and waited.
Slowly, after what felt like an eternity, his eyes opened and as soon as they found mine, a quick flicker of pure and unfiltered awe flashed through his eyes.
He didn’t say a word as he reached for me and found my cheeks. He finally smiled and brushed my tears with his thumbs.
He moved before I could. He reached down for me and brought me to my feet. His body was pressed firmly against mine, holding me upright as he towered above me with his brilliant brown eyes looking right through mine.
His hands swept down to my arms and cupped my elbows. His eyes never left mine, not ever when he reached up for my hair and slowly rearranged it across my shoulders.
He drank me in, absorbing every touch and sound as only our quiet breaths danced around us. As much as I wanted nothing more than to stand with him, I couldn’t. With each minute, the pain got worse. I gripped his arm and winced as he pulled back.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I need to sit,’ I whispered, holding onto him.
He moved gently and led me back to the bed. Carefully, he sat beside me and pulled me toward him, one hand landed on the curve of my back and the other on my lap.
‘Ace.’ His voice was thick and my name was a prayer on his lips.
A shaky laugh left my lips and my hands reached up and tangled through his hair.
‘You have no idea how good it is just to feel this and to hold you.’
He pulled back slightly and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
‘I know what you mean.’
He drew a ragged breath and ran his fingers through the dark strands of my hair around my shoulders.
‘I love you, Illarion.’ I reached up and cupped his cheek, feeling the stubble of his beard tickle my hand. ‘I love you, more than you could ever know. And I’m so sorry about Daniel, I’m so sorry about the things I said.’
‘Hey.’ He smiled, sweeping his hands over my arms. ‘I told you before, I understand. I’m not going anywhere Ace, as long as you want me here, I’m here.’
***
From there, time went as it should. Elena and Michael came and went, Daniel visited as well. But Illarion kept everyone out, insisting it was too soon. I mentally thanked him for it.
It was too soon. I couldn’t deal with all their emotions and my own. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to try to explain what happened and how all of this was possible.
I sucked in a deep breath and looked up at Illarion—he sat down beside me.
‘Is the pain any better?’
Shaking my head, I turned my attention away from him. I saw the way his eyes darkened.
‘I can help you.’
I refused. I wouldn’t let him do that again. It was enough feeling the turmoil running through his head all the time, let alone actually let him feel what I was feeling.
Slowly, he handed me my crutches. I couldn’t stand on my own for long and I couldn’t walk without collapsing. Aaryon did a magical job patching me up, but even so, the pain was real and I was still a mortal.
My body still had to heal and get stronger on its own. He’d just sort of boosted the healing time. I grit my teeth each time the sensation rippled through me—starting from my spine, shooting all the way down my legs.
Aaryon advised Elena to keep me in the hospital for at least a week, to keep my vitals in check, but two days in, I was bouncing off the walls. I had to leave.
Illarion convinced her to let me go home, she agreed—under the proviso that she and Michael take up residence at his house until they were certain I was safe. He agreed and before either of us knew it, we had a great little family.
***
Illarion walked by my side, gently helping me with each new step. I was practically learning to walk again. The pain was as fierce as I imagined it would be. The crutches dug into my underarms as the weight I put on them pressed into me.
A low, calculated breath escaped my lips as I gripped the crutch, taking each step one by one, up to his front door. Most of the evening was spent walking around the garden trying to get me stronger.
‘Are you ready?’
Was I? I sucked in a breath and looked up at him, his eyes full of confidence in me.
‘Can’t wait out here forever, can I?’ I whispered, hyperaware of the tingles spreading through my legs.
Each moment my muscles and bones held me up was agony, each motion was torture.
I winced as a jarring pain consumed me.
�
��I need a minute.’ I breathed, moving instinctively to the door, leaning on it for support.
Illarion held onto me and steadied me, I let my hand hover over his arm afraid that if another wave of pain rocked me, I’d hurt him.
‘I can take the pain from you, Ace.’
‘Absolutely not.’ Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed in deeply.
I heard him sigh and then his arms were around me.
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s horrible, no one should have to go through this.’
‘I would, for you, without a second thought.’
‘I know,’ I whispered. ‘And I love you for it, but I’m not letting you do that, just help me get through this walk. Please.’
‘Of course,’ he sighed.
My eyes watered when I applied pressure on my left leg, immediately I suppressed a hiss and grit my teeth. I felt the wetness in my eyes, clinging heavily to my lashes, before the anger began to bubble. I felt Illarion tighten his hold on me.
‘It’s okay, Ace. You’re doing really well, we knew this would take some time.’
Once I was sure I could look at him without completely breaking into a fit of frustrated tears, I swallowed hard and looked up.
‘Here,’ he said, softly, taking the crutch from me. ‘Lean on me, I’ll take your weight. You just focus on the motion.’
‘Got it,’ I agreed, with a tight smile.
Through the pain pulsing through my body and the tears in my eyes, I focused and pushed on. Illarion was by my side through every painful step. I felt the agony running through him, he was hurting so much watching me in pain and each time I winced, his body tensed against mine.
Trying to convince him that I was fine was harder than convincing myself.
Chatter filled the room at the end of the hallway. Aurel and Anna were there chatting loudly and Elena and Michael were laughing with Daniel about something he’d said earlier. A smile found my lips. It was all so normal.
Illarion stopped us, a few doors away and turned me to face him.
‘We don’t have to do this,’ he said, looking down into my eyes.
‘I can’t put this off forever.’
‘You don’t have to, but you don’t have to rush it. It’s only been a few days; you know they’d understand if you needed more time.’
Tightening my hold on his arm, I looked up at him.
‘I can do this.’
He didn’t say anymore, and instead, handed the crutches back to me then stepped away, letting me move forward on my own. I gripped them tightly. The bones in my back and hips screamed in protest and beads of sweat began to dot my face.
I let out an even breath, focusing on each step rather than the pain.
As we neared, Illarion moved ahead and pulled the door open. The chatter died down and Daniel shot to his feet first, moving cautiously over to us but stopping a few feet away.
Elena’s eyes swept across me, stopping and flaring at the obvious discomfort with which I walked. I forced a smile and looked over at Michael. He nodded, smiling back.
As Aurel moved past them, he stopped a tentative foot away, briefly locking eyes with Illarion. There was so much tension between them. To ease him, I moved forward, trying my best to grin.
‘I am so sorry.’ His voice broke.
If I could have slapped him on the head, I would have. Instead, I shook my head and smiled.
‘Don’t, it was an accident and I’m good, I’m here. See?’
‘But what I did…’
‘It wasn’t you.’
A quizzical expression met me from both Aurel and Illarion.
Thinking of the best way I could explain it without delving into the details, I cleared my throat. ‘It was Dalca. He’s getting into your head through me.’
‘How is that possible?’
‘It’s a long story,’ I said quietly. ‘I’ll explain later.’
His eyes welled, but he nodded.
When Aurel stepped back, I turned my attention to Daniel, Anna stood a few feet behind him.
‘When they told us how bad it was… I can’t believe you’re here, standing.’ Daniel looked across me and back at the crutches.
‘Yeah, it’ll take some getting used to, learning to walk and all of that.’
Illarion shifted by my side, I felt the anxiousness rolling through him at the statement.
‘Is this possible because you’re a Divine Sensitive?’ Daniel asked.
‘Yeah, I guess.’
He shook his head disbelievingly, stepping back as Illarion neared me.
Illarion’s hand fell to my lower back. ‘You should sit down. You need to take it slow.’
Nodding, I followed him around the table and sat down. I was quick to notice Anna’s gaze sweep over me and land on Illarion. Either he didn’t notice or he pretended not to see. His attention was solely focused on me.
Compassion ran through her veins, but laced within it was a pang of jealousy she tried to ignore. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t good at hiding her feelings at all.
As the evening progressed, Elena and Anna served us dinner. I cautiously ate, taking my time to avoid a repeat of the usual after dinner show.
After that night, we weren’t given a minute of privacy to really express how much we’d missed each other. Instead, we were bombarded with family dinners and meetings and all the stuff Elena wanted me to be a part of. Daniel joined us, as did Aurel and Anna. Things were still a bit awkward between Illarion and Aurel but, for the most part, they were civil.
The real challenge was seeing Illarion with Daniel. He’d had a lot on his mind since I’d told him, a lot he wanted to say but thankfully, he didn’t. I was pretty certain that Daniel got the hint. Illarion was intimidating at the best of times.
Michael and Elena had eventually retreated to their own home, but they still spent a lot of time here. Anna also seemed to be here less, which was a notable difference. I couldn’t pretend that it was all fine with me when it wasn’t. Having her in the same house as me was difficult to put it nicely. Illarion understood and asked her nicely to stop coming as often. Something about the way she looked at Aurel when he said that made me think that maybe she was here for another reason.
Finally, after another dinner marking two weeks since my miraculous recovery, I let out a breath. As another night drew to a close, and our guests retired to bed. Illarion and I were left standing in the kitchen, face to face, surrounded by empty bottles of wine and half-eaten deserts.
Walking was getting easier, the pain lesser. Illarion was always there, helping without letting me feel weak, observing without making me feel like a child.
His eyes narrowed hiding most of the beautiful brown as he took a few, purpose driven steps toward me.
I couldn’t help the smile which found my face as his hand brushed my cheek, drawing me to him in an instant.
‘I’ve missed you,’ he whispered, so low I had to strain to hear him. ‘Have I told you that?’
My hands instinctively reached for his neck and drew his face toward me.
‘Maybe you should show me.’
The dangerous look in his eyes told me he knew exactly how he was going to do what I asked. He lowered his lips to mine and, in a heartbeat, his tongue slipped past my parted lips, brushing against mine in the sweetest tease.
Smiling against his mouth, I knotted my hands through his dark hair.
He pulled back and slowly brought my eyes to his.
‘Come on.’ He pulled my hand into his and led us upstairs and to our room.
Since coming back, we’d made my room a little getaway when I needed to focus on Agency work, and since I didn’t want to spend a second away from him it worked out perfectly.
He pushed the door open and waited for me to step inside before he closed it with his foot.
I reached down for his jeans but he was quicker, stopping my hands.
I pouted, but all that got me was an amused smirk.
He raised his h
and slowly and with his index finger, he motioned for me to come toward him. Immediately, I obeyed and stopped only when I was literally flush against his body.
He trailed his finger across my cheek sending shivers down my spine. Slowly, he trailed that same finger along the curve of my jaw, down to my neck, and slowly across my chest, slowing with each caress.
When I closed my eyes, and fell into his touch, he continued, sweeping his fingers across my shoulders and down my arms until he cupped my elbow.
Each touch drew a silent, breathless gasp from me. ‘What are you doing?’ I whispered, breathlessly, finding his eyes.
‘I’m worshiping you,’ he answered, simply, circling me, his penetrating gaze completely drinking me in.
Eventually, both hands traced my arms and slipped the straps of my tank top off my shoulders. I shivered under his touch as he pushed the straps down further and further until he pulled the tank top down to my waist.
I felt his hand tense and then his fingers were back on my skin tracing down my spine.
‘What is it? What’s wrong?’
He remained quiet for a few moments and when I tried to turn, he held me in place.
‘It’s beautiful.’
‘What is?’ I tried to turn around again, but again he held me in place.
‘The mark the Being left.’
I shrieked.
‘There’s a mark? He left a mark?’ I pulled back from him and rushed into the bathroom. I turned so I could try to get a look.
I gasped. It was beautiful.
The intricate pattern was just like the geometric tattoos on Aaryon’s skin, only mine wasn’t completely black like his were, which explained why I hadn’t seen it before when I showered and changed. The color was darkening as the days went by, probably as the damage he repaired, solidified.
My back was getting stronger and most days I didn’t even walk with a limp anymore.
Illarion came and stood beside me. His eyes fell to the mark, pure awe filling his eyes.
‘It’s incredible, Ace.’
My heart slowed and then sparked back to life in a flurry of emotion. I looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled, this was real, this was so much more than I ever hoped for.
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