by Dean Murray
Chapter 27
I groaned as Alec circled two of my biology essays and handed them back to me. "You're doing much better, but you're missing a couple of key components here and here."
"Has anyone ever told you you're a brutal taskmaster?"
His smile took away some of the sting over just how careful he was being not to touch me lately. It was like he had a split personality. When he was thinking about it, he was ultra-careful not to do anything to deepen the Ja'tell bond. Other times, usually when he was thinking about something else, he'd unconsciously reach out to me.
I still wasn't sure which option I preferred. Every moment we spent together made me want to touch him that much more, but the idea of being addicted to anyone, even him, was more than a little unsettling.
"Sure, Rachel tells me I'm entirely unreasonable on at least a daily basis."
I stuck my tongue out at him, and started back through the book in search of the missing information. There were so many other ways I'd rather be spending our time together, but he was adamant I not fall further behind in my classes.
I looked up to ask for a hint, and found him staring off into space. "Penny for your thoughts?"
His smile was a half-hearted thing. "Mother is playing again. She just finished up with 'Courtship', so the next one will be 'Welcoming'."
It was amazing how quickly I could forget his supernatural abilities. Most of the time he seemed so normal. If you could consider any gorgeous, well-built boy who happened to be interested in me normal. Every so often though he'd do something that should be impossible.
Alec's smile was slightly apologetic. "Sorry about that. Would you like to listen as well?"
My confusion earned me a chuckle. Alec reached over to the bedside table and picked up a remote that had more buttons on it than most laptops. A split second later piano music flooded the room through the myriad of speakers mounted on the ceiling.
The piece Alec's mother was playing was incredibly beautiful, full of lilting chords of joy that seemed to stumble over each other in a cheerful effort to outdo their predecessors in greeting the audience.
Five minutes later, she started the number over again, playing with variations on the minor notes, and Alec silenced the speakers with another click of his remote.
"It's beautiful. I never realized she was so good, Alec. I mean, it's the most incredible thing I've ever heard."
His smile was a combination of pride and regret. "Mother says it represents my birth. She was always an excellent performer. Donovan says she would've been nationally acclaimed if she'd chosen to pursue a career instead of marrying my father. She didn't begin composing until after he was gone."
In what was for me a rare display of common sense over curiosity, I shelved the rest of my questions and looked for something I could use to help him sidestep the memories.
"Growing up surrounded by this, and neither you or Rachel play an instrument?"
Alec shook his head. "I've never had the finesse to play anything. Rachel took violin lessons for more than a year. I think she wanted to be able to play with mother. That was when she begged me to wire the house for sound. Donovan and I spent two weeks setting up mics in Mom's studio, and then another couple of weeks running sound into every other room of the house. She kept insisting it was so she could monitor Mother on the rare occasions when nobody else was home, but I used to hear her trying to play along to 'Courtship'."
The trace of a smile on Alec's face lulled me into a false sense of security. "She doesn't play now though. I've been into her room, and there's no violin there."
"No, she doesn't play anymore. She stopped playing shortly after Mom finished up the piece you just heard."
His expression was so serious now that I almost stopped him before he could continue. "She stopped when she realized that 'Welcoming' was the only celebration of childbirth mother was going to write."
I felt my smile sour, and tried to turn away, but Alec caught my chin and gently pulled my face up, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"You don't need to feel embarrassed. It's not something that's easy to talk about. It's even harder for Rachel to discuss, but sometimes those things still need to be examined. It's actually a relief to tell you. There are so many open secrets around here. It comes from living in such close quarters, from everyone being able to hear what's said anywhere in the house. It feels good to be able to share them with you."
I returned his smile and tried not to focus on questions of just how much of the fluttering in my stomach was due to natural attraction for him, and how much was due to mystical heebie-jeebies.
"For my part, I'm just glad you're telling me something for once instead of continuing to keep me in the dark."
He released my chin and ran a finger down the side of my face. "Well, then I'm afraid I'll have to trade upon your current satisfaction to beg your leave. As much as I'd rather stay here and bask in your beauty, it's time for more training."
I tried to keep the disappointment from my face, but his expression fell a little despite my best efforts.
"You're unhappy with me?"
"No. I mean not really unhappy, at least not with you. Maybe with the situation. I just feel left out of everything that's going on. I know you don't want to get me any more deeply involved with 'dangerous information', but it really sucks sometimes."
Alec gazed at me for several seconds, and then sighed. "If you would like to come watch, you may. Give us half an hour, and then ask Donovan to show you the way."
I felt my face break into a huge smile, but he held a hand up to forestall my thanks.
"This is all still very much against my better judgment, but I'm finding it increasingly hard to refuse you the things you want the most."
"Somehow I find that hard to believe. Even if it were true, you're hardly the type to give away the upper hand by coming out and telling me so."
Alec's eyes had taken on the serious, resigned expression that'd become disturbingly commonplace lately.
"I know. I think that last part bothers me the most, but I find myself doing so nevertheless. Make sure you wait at least half an hour. There's a definite element of danger to all of this."