Dancing with Shadows

by Bridie Henderson

  “Quinn?” Her eyes flashed as she looked upon him.

  “Why do you fear me?” she asked, her voice echoing much as it had in the Outlander glade, though much softer now.

  “I am not afraid of you Quinn. You saved my daughter. You saved me. Why would I fear you?” he asked, his voice rough and hoarse.

  “I do not know, but you do. You want me and yet you feel you cannot have me. Why is that?” she tilted her head to the side as she reached a hand towards him. He was relieved. He anticipated that his power would counteract hers, sending it back inside her and then he’d have her back. The real her, not the power driven, unbridled version that stood before him but it never happened. Her hand connected with his cheek, softly and sensuously cupping it. He closed his eyes against the feel of her. He just couldn’t help it. Her power flowed around him, through him, just as it had in the bedroom a few hours before. He felt like he was on fire, a beautiful sting that wasn’t really painful, he just felt… more. As though her power was feeding him, making him stronger. She leaned forward, floating upwards to be level with his height and pressed her lips to his. He couldn’t move, he wanted what she was giving so badly right then, but he forced himself to stay as still as a statue as her lips moved against his. She pulled back, her eyes still an eerie white.

  “Why do you resist what is meant to be?” she whispered and by the Gods, the hells, and everything in between, at that moment he couldn’t think of a reason. He leant in, about to give in to his urges when she whirled away from him. The soft white tendrils turning dark as she stood in front of him and Shay, facing two people he hadn’t seen in years.

  “Oh my Gods…” he heard his Father whisper as his Mother looked on in part horror, part scientific curiosity.

  “You… I hear your heart. You hurt him,” Quinn murmured, her voice magnified and many as it had been in the glade. She moved forward towards his Mother who stood her ground stubbornly. The upcoming catastrophe broke the spell over him and he reached out just as Quinn began sending her shadows towards his Mother. He grabbed her arm and she turned to face him, her blackened eyes turning brilliant white before they closed and she collapsed in his arms, her shadowy powers evaporating into the air as she went limp. He caught her before she hit the floor and cradled her body against his. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he looked over his shoulder to make sure that Shay was alright.

  “Squidge?” he murmured.

  “I’m alright Daddy. She saved me… I… I’m sorry.” A single solitary tear fell down her cheek as she looked at Quinn, her misery and guilt emblazoned on her face. He wanted to comfort her… after all, he could relate to those feelings.

  “Slade?” His Mother approached, her eyes guarded and pained.

  “Mother.”

  “Everything alright?” Aaron stepped forward, having come through the portal, apparently missing everything. “Did Shay make it through?”

  “She did.” Slade answered simply, challenging his Mother who looked between her sons confused.

  “Aaron?” she asked, seeking an explanation.

  “It’s a long story Mum… I think we should get inside before we tell it.”

  “No,” Slade said, feeling himself sweating against Quinn’s rapidly heating body. “We need somewhere fire proof or open.” He said urgently, seeing Quinn’s pale skin reddening with the power fighting for release inside her. To his surprise, his Mother didn’t asked questions instead she turned around, telling him to follow her and their group did just that. Shay floated behind him, silently crying. Aaron looked down worriedly at Quinn, then at him and then at their parents. His Father said nothing, barely even gave him a backwards glance as he walked ahead, striding besides his mother. One hells of a welcome home, he thought, irritated as he hurried behind them. Sweat bled into his eyes and soaked through his shirt and he was certain he was going to die of dehydration before they made it wherever they were heading. Eventually, they arrived in a large field, devoid of trees and plants, except for some odd looking red and gold flowers decorating the far side. He rushed to the centre, shouting at the others to stay back as he placed Quinn down on the cool grass. It sizzled beneath her, steam rising from under her body as he shook her.

  “Quinn? Come on, I need you to wake up, dammit!” he gently tapped the side of her face but she did not respond. He moved back, as far from her as he dare, and shouted for her to wake the hells up but still nothing. He could hear Shay’s soft cries behind him and the curious murmuring of his parents. “Ice! I need ice, something cold!” he shouted, panic and concern robbing him of rational thought. Quinn began to shake and flop around on the floor, one convulsion after another as she boiled from the inside out. Unable to take the sight of her in so much pain, he reached forward once more, gripping her body against him, ignoring the burn against his skin. “Quinn, please…” he was begging now. Footsteps sounded behind him and then Aaron was there, a bucket of ice in his hand, his Father was a step behind him also carrying a bucket.

  “Do it! Do it now!” he shouted, bracing himself as a torrent of cold water fell over him and Quinn, followed by hard, sharp ice cubes. Quinn stopped convulsing against him and released a soft gasp, her eyes opening for a moment before she grimaced in pain.

  “Run!” he shouted to Aaron, who was already dragging his Father away to the edge of the field.

  “Quinn? Use your gift, baby,” he murmured, moving his hands so he wasn’t touching her skin. She blinked once before shaking her head.

  “Hurt… you…” she rasped, her voice thick and laden with agony.

  “Just do it, you stubborn pain in the ass!” She eyed him, irritation overtaking her worry and lost the fight with herself. A small stream of flames escaped from her hand, building and growing as her head fell back with relief. He thought the flames would die down but they didn’t… they just kept coming, growing higher and higher, hotter and hotter, he felt his gifts bowing as they were tested beyond their limits. He smelled burnt hair as his arms and legs were singed by the intensity of her flames. A blue and yellow inferno wrapped around them, he felt his clothes burning into scraps as he held her tight, unwilling to release her. She screamed loud and clear and full of pain as the flames reached a crescendo, her power tearing from her with ardent fervour and then, all at once, it was over. Her flames escaped her grasp, doused by the lack of fuel and her tense body relaxed into him before the echoes of her scream had even faded away.

  “Quinn?” he murmured after a moment and she opened her stormy grey eyes to stare up at him.

  “I’m sorry…” she whispered, brokenly. He frowned, suddenly feeling the urge to run his hand over his head to check if his hair was still there as her eyes flitted over him.

  “For what? Nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart,” he murmured, gripping her closer still, not wanting the sweet reprieve to end.

  “Why does this keep happening to me?” she asked, as though he had all the answers. By the Gods, he wished he did. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be alright but he couldn’t lie to her either. This was the second time she’d almost died after using her gifts and ended up in his arms. He had no doubt she would have died either. It was as though her gifts were eating her from the inside out.

  After a pause, all he could say was, “I don’t know, baby… but we’re going to figure it out. I promise,” she looked pained for a second and he felt his guilt returning, realising that she probably didn’t want to hear such promises from him in such tones but hells… he meant it. Whether she forgave him or not… he was going to save her. Apparently she came to the decision to let him because she closed her eyes, seemed to nod to herself and then nestles her now naked body into his. He realised that he too also sat in the middle of the scorched field without a stitch covering his body. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time he ended up on his parents’ doorstep as naked as the day he was born but he was certain it was the least fun occasion. No sooner had he had the thought that a blanket was draped over his sh
oulders from behind. He looked up to find his Brother staring at him worriedly.

  “She’s okay… so am I.” He paused before asking what he really wanted to. “Do I still have my hair?” He felt Quinn snort and chuckle against him and it brought a smile to his own face… and a little vein concern.

  “You’re a moron. Yes, you still have hair.” Aaron muttered, his eyes glancing to Slade’s back with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Let’s get her inside. We need to talk.”

  “I can walk,” Quinn murmured, quietly, her eyes still closed as she nestled closer against him.

  “Shhh,” he muttered, standing up, shielding her body from Aaron’s watchful eyes, though he didn’t appear to be concerned with the redheaded immortal at that moment. His eyes were transfixed on the top of Slade’s back instead. Perhaps he had been burned? It didn’t matter, he’d deal with it later. He didn’t feel any pain at any rate. Tucking the blanket over Quinn’s small form and around his waist, to offer himself a little modesty, he turned towards the other members of his family. His Mother and Father stood, clearly arguing about something, and Shay floated beside them listening with concern on her pretty face. He walked forward, ignoring his discomfort of having his and Quinn’s naked flesh so close, rubbing and touching in places they shouldn’t be, in front of not only his Mother but his daughter too. Seven Hells, he thought, for me they’ll make an eighth.

  Chapter 13

  Confused. That pretty much summed up Quinn’s mental processes. Slade had carried her across the blackened field she had awoken in, past a pair of unfamiliar immortals, both of whom quickly stopped arguing as they passed. Like a coward, she’d closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep when she was carried past them. Shay floated quietly beside her, not speaking, not even looking at her as she was carried to a large wooden cabin. He took her up a flight of stairs and into a bedroom. Its walls were painted in a deep forest green, with oak flooring and furniture. It was masculine, yet soothing. Large floor to ceiling windows covered one wall with long emerald curtains ready to be drawn across. A cabinet beside a large bed with black sheets caught her eye. On it, sat three captures. One of a small girl she recognised as a younger version of Shay. She must have been about eight or nine, pretty blue eyes and long blonde hair flew around her fair face as she laughed at the person taking the capture. The second was of a younger, less grizzled and scarred Slade, kissing a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes like Shay, she smiled up at him when they finished the kiss and rested her head on his shoulder and then the loop began again. The third was a capture of them all together, happy and healthy… a loving family. Her heart ached for them, for all they had lost. It strengthened her resolve to help them… but first, she needed to help herself. If she couldn’t trust her abilities how the hells was she going to protect or save anyone?

  Slade had laid her down on the bed and moved around to gather some clothes for himself. She spied him from beneath the blanket. The marks she had seen on his back when they had been in the basement had grown larger, thicker and more intricate in their detail. It looked like tree branches, thin and dark, sprawling over his broad back but with an obvious pattern to it. As though it was the beginnings of a picture that was not yet finished. It was beautiful in its own way. The thing was, if his markings had grown she had no doubt the marks on her own back had also developed. She was itching to find a mirror and find out but she didn’t want to move lest she bring attention to it. Branding herself was one thing, but branding him… she wasn’t sure how he would take it. She looked at his back once more as he pulled a thin summer dress out of a drawer, staring at it with a melancholic smile. For the first time, she looked beyond the markings and realised that was not the only change to his skin. Several of the thick scars and gouges that had marred him had thinned, some had disappeared altogether. As though he had healed from wounds that were years old. How was that possible? He pulled on a pair of pants, facing away from her so she had an excellent view of his pert ass but it was wasted on her at that moment. Her mind was racing with the impossibility she was faced with. She did not have the healing touch, never had… and yet…

  “Here, you can wear this. I… I’ll wait outside.” He made eye contact with her for one long, tense moment before he left the room. Sitting up stiffly, she pulled the thin blue dress over her head. It had thin straps and some sturdy support beneath the bust. It was a little large on her but comfortable. She climbed off of the bed and it fell to her knees. She felt a little exposed in it though, thinking wistfully of the underwear she had been wearing before she literally became a living bonfire. She opened one drawer and then another before finding a fresh pair and gleefully pulled them on. Pulling her long hair out of the dress she let it drape down over her back, covering the marks she was sure had grown and then she opened the door, ready for the awkwardness she was sure would follow.

  “Are you okay?” Slade asked as soon as the door opened. His concern was touching but it hurt. He had rejected her, been horrified by what he was doing with her… yet he still cared. It was painful. Like pity. Still… he cared. That was more than most could hope for.

  “I’m fine. Are you alright?” she asked, awkwardly, her hand unwittingly fluttering up to play with the ends of her hair.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Good.”

  “Yeah…”

  Well, she couldn’t think why she had been worried about it being awkward… Her inner sarcasm was interrupted by Shay as she cleared her throat at the top of the stairs.

  “Hey, you,” Quinn murmured, giving the girl a smile. Shay looked down, her lip quivering. “Hey, what is it?”

  “I… I’m so sorry,” she burst into tears and buried her face in her hands.

  “So you should be. That was stupid, Shay,” Slade grumbled beside her and Quinn gave him a reproachful glare as she swept forward to encase the girl in her arms.

  “It’s alright, I promise. Not your fault. Just… don’t do it again okay? I thought I would hurt you,” Quinn murmured, stroking Shay’s hair as the girl cried into her shoulder.

  “I won’t… I just didn’t want to be left behind. I didn’t think it would… I… I was being stupid,” she whispered in between sobs.

  “You’re right, you were being stupid. Why the hell would we leave you behind?” Quinn demanded, leaning back to look at Shay’s ethereal tear streaked face.

  “I… I… I don’t know,” she admitted, crying a little harder. Quinn held her close, whispering words of comfort and kindness for a few minutes more until Shay had cried herself out. When she finally pulled back, she was almost in control of herself.

  “Come on… we have an awkward appointment with your grandparents awaiting us,” Quinn murmured with a sardonic smile. Shay gave her a watery laugh, shot a sheepish look at her Father and turned to float back down the stairs.

  “You’re good for her… I… I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m not the most maternal of people,” Slade murmured, running a hand over his hair.

  “Who you? I never would have thought it,” she said with a smile. The sarcasm just kept on coming.

  “Funny… I mean it though… thank you.”

  “She’s special… not just because she’s an incorporeal spirit but because of who she is… she reminds me so much of Amira. Everything that is good in the world, you know?”

  “I do… Quinn, I’m sorry for all the shit I gave you when we first met. I… I didn’t think about what you must be going through. I just…” he stopped, seemingly unable to get the words out. She was a little taken aback by his sudden apology. Hells, she had only known him for the better part of a week but she hadn’t thought she’d ever see the day he apologised to her. Perhaps it was more pity. The thought caused a throbbing ache to resonate through her chest but she pushed it aside.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m not the easiest person to get to know, or to be around at all for that matter…. What with the dark ‘gifts’ I have and the fire and the death… I wouldn’t want
to be around me if I had the choice,” she said with a shrug. She hadn’t meant it as a self-deprecating remark but just as the facts as she saw it. She turned to head down the stairs but he reached out, his hand wrapping around her arm. She looked down at it before looking up at him, a question in her eyes.

  “There is nothing dark about you, Quinn Hunter.” He squeezed gently and looked as though he wanted to say something else but instead he released her and walked by, heading down the stairs. She stood there for a moment, holding the place where his hand had been. It just didn’t make sense. When he had spoken it hadn’t sounded or felt like pity. More like a declaration. Still, the way he had looked at her in his Brothers bedroom the night before… it didn’t make sense. He didn’t make sense. Choosing to ignore it now and dissect it later she followed after him. She found him in the kitchen. At least she thought it was a kitchen. It was like nothing she had seen before. The walls were decorated with gadgets and gizmos, some metallic, others a weird mixture of wood and metal in peculiar shapes.

  “… it’s impossible, Slade.”

  “No… you’re impossible. So stuck in your beliefs there is no room for anything else. And you call yourself a scientist.”