CHAPTER THREE #2
He thought of the scars; they were brutal markings, and he wondered who was responsible.
They were old, and he'd suffered them over a long period of time as one scar was laid upon another.
The burns he'd seen were mostly cigarettes, but there were others, elongated as if he'd been tortured with a hot knife.
A few hours ago he didn't want to know anything, and now he wanted to know everything about this man.
Kai's life was not just his own now; Ramos would never just cut him loose.
Kai looked at him and their eyes locked.
Did he know? What was he seeing? Then he looked away and stared out the window as the jet made its landing in Mt.
Pleasant. Ramos wanted those eyes back on him; he wanted to be Kai's focus.
The obsessive thoughts raged through him, but he stayed still, and he stayed silent.
He would find out everything there was to find out about this man.
Ramos pulled out his phone and sent a text to Silas requesting that Kai Azar be detained at the Palace. He didn’t want Kai meeting with Tarek and then taking off. He stared over at Kai as he sent the text. He received a response almost immediately.
“What’s the reason for detention?”
“There’s more here than we know. Too many questions and too many talismans involved.”
“He will be held in confinement. Are there magics involved?”
“Yes.”
“Meet with me following your return.”
“Yes, sir.”
He closed his phone and stuck it back into his pocket. The jet came to a stop, and everyone got up and started for the door. The guard nearest Kai put a hand on his arm and stopped him. Ramos moved toward them and heard the exchange.
“I have been ordered to secure you for transport to the Palace.
" He said and pulled out a set of iron cuffs.
They made magic impossible and disabled the wearer.
Kai was surprised and hurt; he hadn't expected the confinement, and the expression struck Ramos like a slap, and he felt guilty for having set him up.
Ramos shook it off, knowing that he was doing what was best for the man.
Until he knew more, Kai needed to be protected.
"Why, why are you cuffing me?" Kai asked, not yelling, just asking, but his tone was sharp.
"You have an aura of magic, and the Master does not abide by magic in any shape or form after his beloved was attacked by magic," Ramos told him, making his voice as calm and soothing as he could manage.
"It's just a precaution; no one is going to hurt you.
" Ramos moved the guard out of the way and walked Kai off the jet with his hand at the small of his back.
The iron cuffs had completely neutralized the remainder of the cloaking spells Kai had used, and his scent was fucking amazing.
The scent flooded Ramos’ senses and filled his heart and mind with the need to protect.
His beloved was central to everything else in his life at this moment.
The surge was powerful and invigorating in its own way.
They reached the tarmac, and there were several cars waiting.
Ramos directed Kai to one and helped him get seated, and then he slid in next to him.
Kai hadn't said anything more and seemed to be going along with what was happening to him.
His body language was showing Ramos something completely different from the agreeable detainee he was presenting.
His shoulders were stiff, and his eyes were taking in every aspect of his environment.
He was waiting for a chance to bolt, and Ramos was making sure that chance never came.
Ramos took a big risk and placed his hand over both of Kai's wrists where they lay on his lap.
The iron cuffs were large and cold and probably uncomfortable but necessary for now.
"You'll be released when they know that you are not a threat," Ramos told him, and Kai nodded. Ramos kept his hand on Kai's, and Kai allowed it, which was one step in the right direction. Kai's silence was beginning to bother Ramos. He decided to ask a question that had been riding him hard.
“Who did that to your back, Kai?” The question caught Kai off guard, and he abruptly turned to stare at Ramos, his eyes tense and fearful. His breath became shallow, and then he looked away.
“It was a long time ago.”
"Who did that to you?" He asked again, firm and persuasive in a way only a beloved can deliver. Silence hung heavy, and then suddenly Kai's fingers gripped his, and he took a deep breath.
"My father." He stated and took another breath. The bond was bringing him enough peace in Ramos' presence to trust him. He probably wasn't understanding what he was feeling, but he was trusting it, and that was all that mattered right now.
“He had a very specific way of dispensing training and discipline. I was a slow learner... still am in many respects." His tone was flat, almost dead-sounding. He was suppressing his feelings in order to speak.
“Was Tarek treated the same?”
“No, mother and I shielded him from his moods as best we could. Tarek did not have an easy life, but he never beat Tarek. I was the difficult one; I was the one he had to break." Kai took another deep breath and turned to look out the window. The talking was over; that was clear.
***
Kai was shocked that he'd told this man one of his deepest secrets.
How was it that all he had to do was ask and Kai spilled his guts, telling him of things he'd not shared with anyone.
Even his mother did not know the severity of the beatings that he'd endured.
There was no sense telling her because there was very little she could have done about it at the time.
Now this man knew his shame, and would he tell others?
There was nothing Kai could do about it; he'd trusted him, and his heart was telling him Ramos would not share his secret. Ramos was a man of few words and had treated Kai decently, but they had maintained a distance. Now he was moving closer, and Kai could feel his presence touching him and affecting him in strange ways. The change in demeanor was slow and subtle, and he didn’t know what it meant.
The city fell away outside the car window, and heavy tree cover, forests, and fields took over. It was beautiful but empty and desolate. They were going into the wilderness twenty miles outside Mt. Pleasant to an isolated area. It was the location of Coven DuCane.
It was well hidden underneath mystical chants, ancient rituals, and glamour, and few knew of its location.
Kai had never approached Mt. Pleasant; the Coven had a menacing reputation that Kai took seriously, and he chose to do his business elsewhere.
Coven DuCane was known to house many priceless relics, but he had no desire to find himself on the bad side of Master Louis DuCane.
Now here he was being delivered to the man for judgment.
“Tarek will meet you once you are processed," Ramos told him, sounding as if he were trying to ease his fear of the place, but that was impossible.
The sooner he got this reunion over with and was allowed to be on his way, the better.
As his anxiety peaked, he noticed the smell of gun oil and sandalwood filling the vehicle.
It settled on his nerves and eased his tension in an odd way. Scents had never triggered him before.