9. Chapter 8
9
Chapter 8
Julen
Tonight was the engagement party for Julen and Glacia. Chaos engulfed the castle as the servants worked tirelessly to prepare for the grand occasion. His mother was on the warpath; if anything didn’t meet her standards, she would throw a tantrum and make the perceived offender rue the day they were born.
Fortunately for Julen, he avoided the mayhem by taking a day trip to Cupidor.
Fourteen sunrises had passed since the pendulum, and nothing had happened. His father stopped speaking to Julen, and his training with Lupan ended abruptly.
The shame that consumed Julen sent him into a downward spiral of dread and self-loathing. He knew he had to take matters into his own hands, so he turned to what he did best: research. Julen scoured everything he could find about Vexora, the quake, and power manifestation. He spent night after night in the archives searching for an answer.
He even poured over old children’s fables about the mythical creatures of Caligon, a forest in southeastern Tarratan, hoping to uncover something—nothing but fairytales.
After poring over every text he could find in Lapistra, Julen contemplated giving up. He had exhausted all his options—nothing was left to discover.
Two evenings ago, Souzie recommended trying a bookshop in Cupidor called Writer’s Wilderness.
“You need to go there. They have a ton of books banned in Lapistra. I’m sure you will find answers there.”
Julen brimmed with delight at the possibility of going back to Cupidor. “That sounds perfect! I’ll go first thing tomorrow.”
“No!” Souzie shouted, then quickly adjusted her tone. “I mean…you should go the day after. The wretched engagement party is that evening, yes? You might need an escape while they prepare the castle for the big event.”
“Hmm. You’re right. My mother will be…”
Souzie nodded. “Insufferable? Unbearable? A woman on a rampage? Yes, go the day after tomorrow. Definitely.”
Souzie couldn’t have been more correct, and Julen sighed with relief as he exited the tunnel. He hadn’t been to Cupidor since that first night when he met Dacias and the romantic in Julen couldn’t help but fantasize about bumping into him again.
Julen would be lying if he said Dacias hadn’t made an appearance in one or two of his nighttime fantasies. Or all of them. Every so often, something would remind Julen of the citrus smell wafting off Dacias, and he’d just melt. Julen’s body would relax, and warm, tingly sensations would ripple around his body.
But he scolded himself for thinking about Dacias that way. Nothing could ever come of it. Julen had more pressing things to worry about. Push him out of your mind.
Julen followed Souzie’s directions to the shop. The Cupidorean city center crackled with an energy that warmed his soul. It felt so free. Everyone did whatever they wanted, and nobody batted an eye. They lived without fear.
He arrived at Writer’s Wilderness. The dust-covered shop’s wooden interior extended from floor to ceiling, and glowing stones suspended from ornate brass fixtures shaped like twisting vines cast a warm, inviting light throughout the space.
The owner looked older than most of the books. Thick-rimmed glasses perched delicately at the tip of her nose.
After Julen explained what he wanted, she gave him a knowing look and pulled out a gigantic book. Leather-bound and delicate, she implored him to be careful; it was the oldest book he’d ever laid his fingers on.
She offered Julen a language guide and ushered him to a sitting area at the rear of the shop with large tables surrounded by chairs. After about two hours of toiling over the text, he was starting to develop a rhythm with the translation process until he came to a word with no direct translation, ‘tenebrosorder.’ Something dark? Julen read the text around it and gathered that it was some sort of dark…thing. A liquid? The book described it as an evil substance that could enter the bloodstream and plague one’s soul. Julen flipped forward and read more about the murky liquid in the “hills to the north.” Lapistra? The mountains?
He scanned through the guide, trying to find words with direct translations, but—
“Doing some light reading?”
Julen’s heart somersaulted. He glanced up and saw him. Blue-Eyed Hunk! I mean Dacias.
“Fancy seeing you here!”
Dacias pulled up a chair, turned it around, and straddled it, resting his arms on the back. He blew a tuft of hair out of his eyes and smiled at Julen. By the Mother Planet, he’s sizzling.
Julen coughed. “What are you doing here?”
“Just looking for a book. I was in the mood for something sexy. Something saucy, if you will. This place has a lot of books…interesting books.” Dacias cocked his brow, and his lip curled into a mischievous smirk.
That naughty smirk will be the death of me.
Julen cursed his cheeks for getting hot. He tried to be casual in his banter. “But Rugiria is so progressive. Surely you can find these books there, no?”
“Oh, yes, we have a nice collection in Rugiria, but these have illustrations. Would you like to see?” Dacias opened the book.
Julen quickly shut it. “Don’t you dare! Put that book away; you’ll get us kicked out. ”
Dacias laughed as he said, “Oh, please. I’m sure they’ve experienced much worse than a couple of guys just looking at the books here.”
A flustered Julen didn’t know what to do with his hands. He waved them about as he demanded that Dacias put it away. He knew his face was dark red.
Dacias bit his lower lip as he gazed at Julen. “Your freckles are glowing.”
Julen took the cape he wore for the journey and draped it over his head. “Don’t make fun of me; I hate my freckles,” he groaned from under the cloth.
Dacias took the cape off and leaned closer to Julen. “Don’t. They’re perfect.” Dacias held his gaze, and Julen’s heart took flight.
Julen broke the moment, shaking himself out of his trance. “Well, you found your book. Smutty pictures and all.” He hated how dumb and forced his chuckle sounded.
Dacias grinned. “You know, I thought about you after we met. I hoped I’d find you around Cupidor.”
For Vexora’s sake!
“You did?” Julen asked.
Dacias leaned in even closer. “Yes. You ran off, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of something I said or because I’m Rugirean.”
Julen could feel the warmth of Dacias’s breath on his neck, sending a tingling sensation down his body that hardened his cock. He almost missed what Dacias had just said. “No! It’s not that… I…” He swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat. “Our territories make life very complicated.”
Dacias nodded, his face conveying the sad reality of it all. “They certainly do.” He looked up again at Julen, but, this time, there was a light in his eyes. “But it’s not complicated in Cupidor. I know it’s difficult for you, but I’d love to see you again. I’m not opposed to setting aside territory conflict if I think the person is worth it.”
Julen couldn’t speak. His heart was about to pound right out of his chest.
Dacias continued, “What do you say we meet here tonight? I know a spot called The Blue Lagoon that I think you’ll love. It’s quiet. Private. We can just talk, and nobody will bother us.”
Now, Julen was on fire . His stomach bubbled. Like…a date!? But that wasn’t what Julen asked. “You mean alone?” Of course, he means alone, idiot!
Dacias had the most delicious smile on his face. Those lips . “That was the idea. Just you and me. They have performers, too. So, we’ll have something to watch if the conversation gets stale. What do you say, Arlo?”
Getting tipsy and flirting at a dance court was one thing, but being asked out by a man this gorgeous in a bookshop didn’t happen in real life.
For a moment, he forgot about the territories, his father, the whole damn planet! Is this happening? Yes! Yes! A hundred times, yes! Julen almost floated away on this bubble of bliss, but it popped, and he landed with a thud.
He looked down as dread took hold of him. “I have a family obligation tonight.” That fucking engagement party.
Dacias continued. “How about after? Surely, it won’t go all night?”
Julen shook his head. “I don’t know when it will end.”
Dacias looked down. Defeat looked heartbreaking on him. Julen’s stomach clenched, and his guilt, or something else, took over.
“But, I will try.” He knew he was lying, but didn’t want to see that face. He couldn’t meet Dacias tonight. Or any night. He had to focus. Julen’s life was unraveling. Between his stunted powers and the dreadful wedding, he couldn’t afford any distractions. He needed to manifest and figure out some way to break up his engagement to Glacia.
Dacias perked up. His eyes danced with glee. “I can’t wait. Don’t be afraid, Arlo. I understand why you are nervous, but we have one life on this planet. Let’s do what we want rather than what we should for once.”
Julen sighed. If only he were Arlo and not Julen Zephyrus, he could savor this moment. He closed his eyes and nodded. If only it were that simple.