“Look what Mr. Gideon brought for you, sweet boy. Cookies.” Lake pulled Rath into her arms for a tight hug. “Have you eaten all your food today? Too many sweets on an empty belly will give you a tummy ache.”
Rath glanced at his father for the answer.
“He has.”
“Good.” Lake opened the plastic container and allowed Rath to choose his cookie. As expected, he picked the largest one.
“Thank you, sir,” Rath said, taking a generous bite of the treat. Sticky chocolate coated his fingers and mouth. “I like cookies.”
“I’m glad you do. I’ll make them anytime you’d like.” Gideon took the container from Lake and placed it on the counter.
“Son,” Lake said, her focus not leaving the boy. “Tell me about the doctors who’ve come to see Rath today.”
“Before or after you left your room this morning?” Aldous made no attempt to hide his irritation.
Ignoring him, Lake wouldn’t take the bait. “Has anyone had success?”
“Several have ideas. Remember that Witch on Creda we heard about? She came by earlier and has some ideas about crystal healing that were interesting. I’m anxious to see what her analysis of Rath’s blood produces.”
“Excellent,” Lake said as Rath yawned and slumped his shoulders. “I think it’s time for someone’s nap.”
“I’m not sleepy, Mamil,” Rath insisted with another yawn.
She cradled him as they walked to the bedroom. “I think you are.”
For several seconds, Gideon and Aldous stood in silence, both unsure of how to begin such a tenuous conversation.
“I’m glad we have a few minutes together,” Gideon finally said, though he wasn’t completely certain his statement was the truth.
“My father made her happy for seventeen-thousand-six-hundred-eleven years. She will never love you the way she loved him. You will never live up to his standard in her life. Measuring up to Barnum Ravenwood is an impossibility for you so you might as well not even try.”
“Wow.” Gideon took a step back and held his chest as if the blow of words had wounded him. “Why don’t you tell me what you really think?”
“I did. Are you deaf, Human? I said my mother will never love—”
“I heard what you said, Aldous, but I’m telling you now, I have no interest in replacing Barnum. I respect that he was her husband and that you are her son, but I love Lake and despite what you or any other Mage wants, she loves me. And my intentions are to make a life with her.”
Aldous didn’t respond. Instead, he extended his hand and pointed his fingers at Gideon’s throat. Squeezing tightly, he sent the Human to his knees. Gideon struggled to breathe, to live. His face was blue. Only a second more and he would fade to darkness. Drunk on raw power, Aldous didn’t notice the constriction around his own neck until he opened his mouth to speak. Panicked, he darted his eyes around. Lake was targeting him.
“Release him.”
Aldous’ grip strengthened.
“I said, release him.” Lake pressed. She sent Aldous to the ground and helped Gideon stand. Her stare could have burned a hole through Aldous’ heart. “If this happens again, you won’t like the end result. I will see you in the morning for Rath’s follow-up appointment with the Witch from Creda.”
As they left, Aldous pressed his communication device. He could not, would not allow this madness to continue. “Call Torrun,” he said, voice raspy from Lake’s assault.
“Yes sir?” Torrun answered.
“Be...begin a search on Gideon Stone. Utilize whatever source you have available to discover his agenda. I want him out of my mother’s life.”
“One day, you’re going to decide I’m not worth the trouble,” Lake said when they arrived to Gideon’s room. “Second time you’ve been attacked by my son.” As she brushed his neck, a blue light pulsed from her fingertips and healed him.
“I’m not easily deterred, Lady Ravenwood.” He pulled her to his lap and trailed kisses from her forehead to her lips.
“What did Aldous say to you?” Her lips dropped to his neck and returned the string of kisses. Without stopping for breath, she removed her shirt and then his.
“You expect me to think when you’re half naked?”
Lake rose and slipped out of the rest of her clothes. She moved into him, grinding herself against the bulge growing in his pants. “Totally naked. Yes, I do.”
“One second,” he said, drinking in her body. Every piece of her flesh sparkled in sapphire and silver undertones. “I will never tire looking at you. You are exquisite.”
She leaned forward, slipping her tongue in his mouth. “I taste good too. But first, what did Aldous say?”
“That I will never live up to Barnum. Told me how good of a husband he was to you. How much you love him. I expected this attitude from Aldous. It’s no big deal.”
“I hope you know it’s not a competition. Yes, I will always love Barnum, but he is my past. You are my future.”
His fingers gathered in her hair. “Nothing Aldous or anyone says could make me doubt what’s between us. I’ve not been with another woman since I met you, Lake. I haven’t wanted anyone but you. Let me show you.”
“I should tell you, making love to me will be different than anything you’ve ever experienced.”
Gideon’s lips wandered from her shoulder up to the smooth contours of her neck. “Oh? Will it hurt me?”
“On the contrary, it will be the most decadent, most sensual thing you’ve ever done.”
He responded with a long, lingering kiss. His tongue moved in, out, and over her lips, a prelude of more delightful indulgences to come.
“We will become one, Gideon.”
“I’ve wanted to be one with you from the instant I saw you on Famiil. I’ve yearned for the moment.”
“This isn’t an exaggeration. We will physically become one. Our bodies will fuse together, and if we choose, so will our souls. The world will go black and only you and I will remain.” She pressed their palms together and her skin glowed brighter, becoming transparent and softer, pliable. Lake’s hand was inside of his. Pleasure radiated in golden spirals through his arm and into his shoulder. The right side of his body was on fire.
“Is this safe for me?” Gideon nearly pulled away, but her magnetic hold kept him rooted in place.
“I would never put you in danger. If you want me to stop—”
He silenced her with a kiss, guiding her backwards to his bed. With tender hands, he caressed her breasts, massaging each mound of flesh until her skin turned as red as the blood underneath. Traveling down her belly, he moved lower and lower, spreading her legs. Gideon pushed his mouth inside and tasted her for the first time as sweet nectar spilled out. Swirling, his tongue flicked the tiny rosebud, circling it, suckling it over and over again until Lake’s body rocked with her first orgasm of the night.
“You’re right. You taste divine.” Gideon licked her another time and she shuddered. Sliding two fingers inside, he used them in tandem with his tongue, bringing her to climax again.
“Your turn,” she purred.
“My turn? I haven’t begun with your turn.”
Lake stretched and pulled Gideon beside her. Tugging at his pants, she yanked them down and tossed them to the side. He was thick, hard, uncut, and ready for the taking. “I want you.”
Before he could answer, her mouth enveloped his cock in warm, wet heat. Nails on his chest, raking down, she took him into the back of her throat. Gideon’s balls drew up tighter as she placed his hands in her hair, inviting him to control her speed. Fucking her mouth, he nearly allowed his body get carried away. If he didn’t stop now, he’d miss the chance to be inside her when he came.
“Lake. Lake, please, let me make love to you. I want to be inside you now.”
She kissed his thigh. “We can have both.”
“As much as I’d like that, I’m not sure I’ll be able to bounce back so quickly.”
“You will. I promi
se.”
“Lake… I…”
“Trust me.” Bobbing her head painfully slow, she sucked hard as if she knew and expected he would need that kind of pressure. Gideon thrusted and groaned, releasing his seed. Fighting the need to sleep after such a powerful release, he lifted her even with him. Kissing her, the salty taste of their arousal lingered between them.
“Told you, darling. I’m spent. Give me a few and—”
She silenced him with another ravenous kiss, fondling between his legs. His cock stiffened, and instinctively, he pushed Lake to her back, arms over her head.
“Everything I am, Gideon, is yours,” she whispered.
As he thrusted inside, the world around them went black, their bodies absorbing into the other until their hearts, their souls, fused as one.
Chapter Nine
Rath whimpered as four needles went through the skin of his abdomen. The Witch had constructed a spell that would supposedly allow her to see inside his body, but it required him to be pricked until a certain amount of blood pooled at the surface. Aldous had been assured the test wouldn’t hurt him, so he gave his son a reassuring nod. Lake, however, was not convinced. She paced back and forth like the mother lion that she was, ever so often shooting Aldous an admonishing scowl.
“Papa, it hurts,” Rath said, his voice weak.
“I’m sorry, son. We’re trying to make you better. It shouldn’t be much longer. Right?” He turned to the Witch and several other Healers who were assisting.
“No, sir. I almost have enough blood to begin.”
“We’ve been doing this for three hours,” Lake reminded. “Rath needs a break.”
“All my progress will be lost if we stop.”
Rath wiggled. “I want to get up, please. My belly doesn’t feel well.”
This time, Aldous glared at his mother. “Please encourage him to be still. Please?”
“Sweet boy.” Lake knelt, taking the boy’s hand. “A few moments longer and we’ll be done and we can get a glass of milk. Maybe a cookie?”
The Witch shook her head. “He can’t eat until tomorrow morning if I’m to get a good reading.”
“That’s unacceptable. When had you planned to disclose this fact? He’s a little boy and you want him to go over twenty-four hours without eating? Aldous, you can’t possibly approve?”
“It has to be, Mother.” Aldous didn’t like it any more than she did, but if finding a cure meant Rath had to go hungry for a while, then no one would eat until he could.
“Mamil, it hurts.”
“I’m so sorry, little one.” Lake pressed a button and a holographic picture of a dolphin appeared in the air above them. “Who’s that, Rath?”
“Sammy.”
“I’m sure he misses swimming with you. Not many little Mages can say they have their own pet dolphin, can they?”
“No ma’am. Sammy taught me how to do back flips in the water.”
“Like this?” Lake touched her finger to the screen and the dolphin twirled backwards and forwards as it splashed.
Briefly, Rath’s laugh echoed inside the suite. When the needles pressed further inside his fragile body, he flinched, causing them to dislodge and cut his tender skin. Blood spewed from his abdomen, all over him and Lake. Instinctively, she snatched him. Her hand covered and healed the injury.
“Enough!” she hissed. “No more. There must be another way, and I suggest you converse with your peers to find it. My grandson is not a pin cushion to poke and prod. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to get a glass of milk and a sandwich.”
Though Aldous hoped to find a cure, Lake was right to pull Rath from testing. He was weak to begin with. Going without food for twenty-four hours could be detrimental to his delicate health. It wasn’t that he wanted his child to suffer—on the contrary, Rath’s cries broke his heart— he was simply trying to see the big picture. He turned to the Witch. “You said you had spoken with one of the Shamans about Rath’s case?”
“Yes, sir. In passing.”
“I’d like to meet with everyone in half an hour. Have you all collaborate. Is that possible?”
She nodded. “Yes, sir. I don’t see why not.”
“Good.” He pushed his communication device, calling Torrun. “Can you call all the Metas who were going to see Rath? I believe we had a Giant, Faerie, and a Mer scheduled for tomorrow.”
“Sure, I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks.” Aldous gazed into the kitchen, a smile returning to his son’s face. He would do anything to keep Rath happy and healthy. Anything at all.
Half an hour later, Aldous couldn’t think as the cacophony of voices surged to an even greater high. Though well-meaning, each one suggested a different answer, a new shot in the dark, another proverbial Hail Mary, as he’d heard the Humans say. But now wasn’t the time for speculation and proposals. His son was dying. His heir. And he needed more than what this council was providing.
Without a word or indication, Aldous fled his suite, rushing out into the Complex to return to the Forest Dome. Torrun’s hologram appeared as soon as he’d slammed the door, but he ignored the call. Aldous would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t hope True waited there, but aside from the turtledoves cooing their love song, he was alone. As he looked into the sky, he found Polaris, the North Star, and then went to his knees. Tears welled in his eyes, but they did not fall. He would not give his despair that satisfaction.
“Aldous—I’m sorry—Lord Ravenwood.” True cleared her throat.
He squinted, astonished by her presence. True was here. How did she know to come? “It’s Aldous, True. Please. I’m as much Mage royalty in here as I am a clown.”
She ignored his joke and took a seat beside him. “Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Can I help?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure anyone can.”
“Then tell me why you’ve come to the Forest Dome to look up at the stars.” True fell back into the clover. “In my brief studies about Mages, I see where you worship two deities. Polaris of the Stars and Thalassa of the Oceans.”
“Correct. Each Mage feels a deeper connection with one.”
“And yours is Polaris?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He joined her in the clover and lifted his hands, bringing the stars down to their level for a closer look. “I’m not sure. I liken it to preferring a certain color or food.”
“How did you do that?” She marveled in the colorful sparkle all around them.
“Well, they are synthetic. I couldn’t do it if we were outside, but I could take you up to them.”
“As in fly?”
Blue light pulsated from his fingers, lifting him and True off the ground. “I suppose you could call it that.”
“Very cool. I don’t have any superpowers. I’m just a normal Human.”
Aldous studied her as they floated down into the grass. True Mathieu was anything but normal, she simply didn’t realize it. Yes, she was a Human, but she existed on a higher level than most of the babbling baboons he’d met. The question he had to ask himself was: Could she, would she help Rath? The only way to know was to ask, but not here. The powers that be had eyes and ears everywhere. Too much of a risk for someone or something overhearing their conversation. “I have a few books on Mages if you’re interested in knowing more?”
“Yeah? Actually, I am. I had a Mage come into my clinic today sick with something I didn’t know how to treat. I would love insight into how to help him.”
Aldous wrinkled his forehead. “He couldn’t heal himself?”
“No. I had a Demon come in with the same symptoms a few days ago. She’s still in the infirmary.”
“Is that why you come to the Forest Dome? To clear your head? Think of a solution?”
True touched behind her ear. “Thought this was supposed to keep you out of my head?”
“I made a lucky guess. I like to look at the stars and ponder the myste
ries of life. I knew I couldn’t be the only one.”
“I would imagine there’s not much mystery left to life for a Mage. Aren’t Mages the most intellectually gifted Meta race? The prophets and soothsayers of the galaxy?”
Aldous chuckled. “You’ve been reading Barnum Ravenwood’s A History of Mages haven’t you?”
“It was in my library, so yes. Is it not an accurate portrayal of who your people are?” she asked, eagerly.
“No, it’s accurate.” For the first time in his life, Aldous saw his mortality, not through his own eyes, but through the eyes of his son. If Rath died, Aldous would die too. There would be no more reason for living. “But not even Mages have all the answers one-hundred percent of the time.”
Chapter Ten
Since he had no idea what type of food to prepare for True, Aldous deferred to his mother’s expertise. Lake had been thrilled to help and even more excited that he planned to ask True about Rath’s illness. As expected, Torrun had been skeptical of the meeting, but he agreed with Aldous that Rath’s recovery was paramount, and if True could help, it didn’t matter if she was Human. Neither man, however, had signed up for the stolen kisses and other public displays of affection between Gideon and Lake. Aldous rolled his eyes as the two lovebirds laughed and worked in the kitchen.
“What time is True supposed to get here?” Torrun asked, his actions mirroring his friend’s.
“Any time now. I certainly hope our food is ready by the time she arrives.” Aldous’ voice was louder than usual and he gained the attention of his mother. “Would hate to keep our guest waiting.”
Lake turned from conversation with Gideon but did not release his hand. “Don’t worry about food preparation. I have everything under control.”
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