Chapter Ten
The cool kiss of the night air brushed Tess’ skin. She heard the rush of the wind as it circled around her. Slowly her eyes opened, just a crack. In a room with only a burning candle to offer lighting, she propped herself up on her elbows to take note of her surroundings.
“Okay, Jaxon, where have you taken me to now?”
“You are beyond the portals of reality.” The high-pitched voice snagged her attention and she whipped her gaze toward the foot of the bed. Nothing. She saw nothing.
“Where are you? And who are you?”
“I am here.” The voice carried a trace of irritation.
“I can’t see you.” A sigh followed the rapid tap-tap of footsteps. Her eyes widened as she watched a miniature version of a man stalk into her line of vision. “You’re an elf,” she noted with a frown. “I can’t imagine why I’m surprised to see an elf. I mean, after all, I’m married to a wizard, am currently ensconced in his wizardly family home and have faced off against a witch. No, I’m not surprised. Or at least I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“If you’re finished talking to yourself, I shall introduce myself.”
Tess flopped back down against the stack of pillows beneath her. “Don’t cop an attitude with me, Shorty. I don’t even know where I am.”
“Obviously you weren’t listening when I told you—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, beyond the portals of reality. Have I mentioned that isn’t funny?” She turned her head, directed her gaze toward the minuscule man.
The elf’s brows puckered. “I was not trying to be humorous. I was merely trying to appease your curiosity. And my name is Narvil, not Shorty. I take offense to Shorty.”
“Of course. You would. You’re an elf.”
“I am well aware of what I am, Madam Tess. Jaxon has instructed me to stay with you while you acclimate yourself to your new surroundings. He believes I might be able to answer any questions you will have.”
“Okay. Fine. Does anyone here talk like a normal person?”
Narvil’s eyebrows rose. “I do not understand you.”
“Don’t you ever use slang? Speak casually? It’s like living with a bunch of English professors.”
Narvil grunted his disapproval. “We speak as we have all of our lives.”
Tess sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Never mind. Forget I said anything. I’m not going to spend the next ten minutes arguing with an elf. Could we get some lights on in here?” Giggles erupted from the corner of the room. She dragged a hand through her hair before scrubbing her face. “Come out, come out, wherever you are. Narvil, do you want to ask your friends to join our little party?”
He stamped his small foot in disapproval. “Those are not my friends. The giggling you heard was from my sons. My wife has failed to control them.”
“Narvil!” The disapproving, high-pitched voice made him shift his stance uncomfortably.
Tess stood, wobbled for a moment while she considered her new bedroom. Apparently Jaxon had taken the time to move the comforts of home along with her. She recognized the armoire from the bedroom she’d shared with her husband. The closet door gaped open, revealing a wealth of her clothing hanging neatly on the rods. Her robe draped across a nearby rocking chair and even her bedroom slippers had been blinked over. She supposed she should feel grateful. Right now however immensely overwhelmed better described her emotional status.
“You know, Narvil, I could really use something to drink.”
“Of course. We have a wide variety of refreshments. What would you like?”
“A soda, anything with caffeine. Why don’t you run along and get it? I’ll wait for you right here.”
The elf folded his arms—a gesture meant to be intimidating. “Jaxon mentioned you might try to get rid of me, Madam Tess. I’m afraid I cannot oblige you.”
“Oh, he did, did he? Well, I’m going to go find my husband so you can feel free to tag along and while you’re at it, stop calling me Madam Tess. It makes me sound like the owner of a brothel.” She rounded the bed and headed toward the door. One step toward freedom, she ran into the solid wall of Jaxon’s chest. His arms closed around her, preventing both her fall and her escape. “It’s about time you got here.”
His eyebrow arched and with a nod of his head, he dismissed her companions. “I see you’ve met Narvil and his family.”
“Only Narvil. His family stayed in the background, not that I blame them.”
“How do you feel?”
“My head doesn’t hurt anymore. I would imagine I have you to thank for that.”
Jaxon cupped her chin, tilted her face to his. “You’re upset.”
“You could say that.”
“Because I healed you?”
She struggled her way out of his arms and backed toward the bed. “Because you didn’t know about the witch. Because I didn’t know about the witch and, oh hell, because this isn’t what I expected!” When Jaxon started to approach her, she held up one hand to ward him off. Did he even know how close she was to hysteria right now? “No, don’t. Jaxon, I don’t think I can do this.”
His expression didn’t falter. He remained calm, almost emotionless. “Tess, there is no out.”
“I know all about the no divorce rule but Falcon didn’t say one word about a couple living apart from one another.”
“Living apart?” His voice dipped several octaves, going dangerously low.
“I want to go back to Charleston.”
“There’s nothing for you in Charleston.”
“My friends are there. My life is there.”
“Your life is here,” he corrected.
“Where in the hell is here? Never mind. That doesn’t even matter. Look, if you’re honest with yourself, you would see that my presence is only making things more difficult for you and your family.”
Jaxon’s expression became more mutinous. “My family is accustomed to the difficulties of our world. Your presence doesn’t alter that fact.”
“Jaxon,” she turned to face him, arms folded, posture defensive. “I need some time to myself, time to absorb what is happening to me. I want to go back to Charleston.”
“No.” The hard, simple word enraged her.
“No? You’re not my keeper. You don’t control where I go and when I can go. Unless you plan on holding me captive, I’m going home.”
He moved so swiftly Tess only saw a blur. His hand captured her arm and he half dragged, half walked her toward the nearest window. Flinging open the curtain, he pointed out toward to smoky exterior. “Look out there, Tess. Tell me what you see.”
“Fog. Thick fog. What’s your point?”
“That isn’t fog. Those are clouds.” The curtain fell back into place. “We aren’t on the mountain anymore. In fact we are nowhere near the mountain.”
“Narvil mentioned something ominous like being beyond the portals of reality. Since I don’t know exactly where that is, I suppose you tell me.” Tess held her breath, fearful of his answer.
“We’re above the Milky Way.”
“That’s impossible.”
He lifted one eyebrow. “Impossible? Have not these last few weeks taught you that we make the impossible possible?”
“What is this place, Jaxon?”
“We call it Mystique. It is our home where we assemble as one, to share, to protect and to gain strength.”
“And to hold innocent women captive,” she snapped.
Jaxon’s breath escaped on a long huff of air. “You’re my wife. You’re not a captive.”
“Aren’t the two one and the same in this world?” Fury danced in the air between the two of them. “Wait. I’ve been in your meeting room. Was I here before? In Mystique?”
“Yes, although that was a rare exception. Normally we cannot allow a human to see Mystique without the proper precautions.”
“So now you’ve taken those precautions?”
A smile tugged at his lips. “When I married you,
yes.”
“One more way I’m tied to this place now.”
“How can you look at it as being tied? You married me because you loved me. At least that’s what you told me.”
She felt the chill of her own stare as she winged it across the room. “I do love you. I’m just not so sure I knew what loving a wizard meant.”
“It means sacrifice but it also means you have a world of knowledge at your fingertips, an infinite cache of power. Doors have been opened to you. You will see worlds you’ve never seen before, experience pleasures, taste life in a way you could have only imagined before now. But with these gifts comes the understanding that you are now one of us and as such, I’m afraid leaving isn’t one of your options.” His voice hummed, a low, hypnotic sound.
Her shoulders drooped. “So you do intend to hold me captive here.”
“If that is how you choose to look at it. I choose to see it as keeping you safe. If it helps, I am not free to leave either.”
“You could have me home in the blink of an eye and don’t lie and tell me you couldn’t. I’ve seen you do it, Jaxon. In fact I’ve seen you do a lot of things that, frankly, I would rather not have seen. But it’s too late for all of that. I know I’ve crossed a line, that there’s no turning back, but can’t you understand I need some time to absorb all of this? Can’t you give me that?”
His fingertips dug into her skin, not painfully but forcefully enough to speak his answer even before the words came out. “Time I can give you. Space, I cannot. You won’t leave me. I can’t allow that.”
“Allow? Do you even hear yourself?” Tess brushed off the hand that still held her arm, pivoted and walked toward the door. “You’re talking like my master instead of my husband. I didn’t marry you because I needed a keeper. I married you because I loved you, because I wanted to be with you. Right now I’m not so sure.”
When had he changed? Or had he always been this way and she’d been too blind to see it? Was this really the man she’d married? She didn’t doubt his love for her but this arrogance, this…this coldness intensified her fears.
Jaxon didn’t move, didn’t try to prevent her from opening the door. “You won’t find your life in Charleston.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.” Tess yanked open the door, took a step and shrieked. A wide, yawning chasm opened up beneath her feet and the wind rushed through her hair as she tumbled through space. And then Jaxon held her close against his chest, carrying her back to the safety of the bedroom.
Shaking, she sat down on the edge of the bed. “What in the hell was that?”
“I thought you understood when I said you can’t leave.”
“I’m a prisoner.” She scooted to the top of the bed and pulled her knees to her chest. “I never thought it would come to this.” She looked up at his face and for a moment, however brief, she thought she saw a sheen of tears in the depths of those silver-gold eyes.
“I didn’t want it to come to this.” Jaxon sat down on the edge of the bed, dropped his hands between his splayed knees. “Do you think you would be any safer in South Carolina? Tess, Athena knows you now. She knows what you mean to me and she would find you. You would not be able to escape her and I know you would not be as fortunate with her as you were with the other witch. Athena would have no qualms about killing you.”
How much was he not telling her? Tess glared at him. “You told me they couldn’t track us.”
“As long as I’m with you, they can’t.”
“I see. You left that part out.”
He rolled his shoulders forward but she wouldn’t allow herself to feel sorry for him. She needed her anger. “You’re only vulnerable without me.”
“I’m vulnerable with you.” The words were cloaked in bitterness.
His jaw tightened. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“Let me be clear on this. To save my life, I’m going to have to stay here in my little six-hundred-square-feet cell.”
“You are free to explore at will. You will not be held inside this room.”
The bedsprings creaked beneath her as Tess shifted. “So why couldn’t I leave just now?”
The look Jaxon gave her was maddeningly calm. “Because we weren’t finished with our conversation.”
Her knees dropped. “You did that?”
The unanswered question lingered in the air as he blinked at her.
“I really underestimated you.” She slid to the opposite side of the bed, away from him. “You know, there are different methods of abuse, Jaxon. Putting your wife’s life in jeopardy would constitute abuse.”
His body tensed and he rose slowly, the same picture of grace she’d witnessed before but this time much more controlled. Dangerous. “You were never in any danger from me. I have told you repeatedly I would never hurt you.”
“You already have.” Tess presented her back to him, wrapped her arms around her waist. Why couldn’t he see that by forcing her to remain, he was going to kill what they had? How could she trust a man who clearly didn’t trust her? “It’s apparent I have no choice in this matter so I’ll stay. But only until this insurrection is over. Once you and your family of wizards have taken care of the witches, I’m going home…to Charleston.”
She didn’t hear Jaxon approach her. Didn’t know he was behind her until she felt his hand on the small of her back. “There’s nothing for you in Charleston.”
“My life is there. I’d say that’s something.”
His hands curved around her shoulders and drew her around to face him. “Look at me.” He waited until she obeyed his command. “I’m telling you the truth. There’s nothing for you in South Carolina.”
Comprehension came slowly but when it arrived, Tess closed her eyes, shook her head. “No. You said you wouldn’t erase their memories.”
“No, I didn’t. I said I could.”
“And I told you I wouldn’t want them to forget me.”
“I did what I thought was best.”
“And what about Harry and Sadie? Did you do what you thought was best for them as well? Or was it just best for you and the damned Assembly? And should I ask about your car, your house? Did you poof them away as well? God, you erased more than just our friends’ memories. You erased our lives.”
Jaxon remained stoically silent, fueling Tess’ anger. She pushed against his chest and gained her freedom. “Damn you! How can you make all these choices without my knowledge or consent? Don’t you see that this isn’t a partnership? We don’t have a marriage, Jaxon, and you didn’t want a wife! You wanted someone you could control, someone who would warm your bed at night and passively accept your dictates during the day. You picked the wrong woman. I won’t be controlled by you or any other man or wizard.” She whirled, her steps fast and furious as she moved to the far end of the room. “Are you telling me the truth? Did you really erase Belinda’s memories? How about my mother’s? Are you telling me the fucking truth?”
“I have no reason to lie to you.” His voice held no regret. Tess supposed she could have forgiven him had there been even a remote trace of remorse in his voice.
“Give them back.”
“What?”
“Give them back their memories. You erased them with a spell. You can give them back.”
He came to stand in front of her, his hands in his pockets. He only touched her with his eyes, a simple gaze that settled on her face. “I will not give them back.”
“Then we have nothing more to say to each other. You’ve made me a prisoner here. You’ve taken away my link to the only life I’ve known. I could’ve forgiven you for holding me captive but for taking away my friends, my life, I’m not so sure I can.”
“In time, you’ll come to understand that what I did, I did for love. Your friends wouldn’t understand why you couldn’t contact them. They would’ve grown bitter, resentful even. You’d have lost them to their anger. My heart couldn’t allow that.” He reached for her then but Tess backed away until her spine to
uched the wall.
“Your heart. You did. Everything is about you, Jaxon. Your needs. Your wants. I can’t accept that. I can’t accept that I’ve no say in this marriage.”
“That isn’t true. I have listened to you.”
“And then you’ve done what you wanted to do anyway.” She dared him to deny her words.
“I do only what is necessary to protect you.”
“And the Assembly.”
The wall of his anger butted against hers. “The Assembly’s privacy must be preserved. You do not understand.”
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