19. Evan
19
Evan
T he buzzing of my phone on the counter interrupts my shower. At this late hour, it’s probably Luke , so I turn off the shower and wrap a towel around my waist.
EVANDER: Where do you live?
EVAN: Chicago.
EVANDER: No, asshat! What is your address?
EVAN: Why?
EVANDER: So I know what to tell the cab driver.
EVAN: You’re in Chicago?
What the hell is he doing in Chicago ? I send him my address and lay my phone back on the counter. I stare at it for the longest time, unsure how I feel about this surprise visit. Luke’s been gone a few days, so the distraction might be nice. Still , I am completely unprepared for Evander .
After drying off, I pull on boxers, shorts, and a T -shirt. It isn’t long before I hear the knock on my door, and when I open it, Evander is standing in the hallway with a duffle over his shoulder.
“ Hey man!” he says.
I step back and invite him inside. “ What in the world are you doing here?”
He walks into my living room and gives the place a good once over. “ Nice place.”
“ Thanks .”
Turning , he smiles at me and pats my chest. “ I wanted to come sooner after you called, but I had to work.” He shrugs. “ I have a few days off, thought I would come check on you.”
“ Really ?”
He smiles and leans slightly closer to me. “ Surprise !”
“ I am…very surprised. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I ask.
He drops his bag next to the sofa. “ Did he come? Luke ?”
“ He did.”
“ Good . I hoped he would. That’s another reason I waited.” Evander wraps his hand around the back of my neck. “ Wanted you to have time with your boy.”
“ My boy?” I ask, raising my eyebrows. My face heats from an unexpected blush.
Evander smirks like I’ve just told him a secret. “ Fuck of your life, huh?”
Shocked , I take a few steps back. “ What ? I didn’t say that.”
Good -naturedly he smacks my cheek a couple of times. “ You didn’t have to. Remember ?”
“ Shit !”
“ I love that you forgot I can see what you’re thinking.” He removes his jacket, laying it on the back of the sofa, and sits, making himself at home.
I had forgotten. To be honest, I never thought I would see him again.
“ Um , do you want a beer or something to drink?” I ask.
“ Water would be good. Plane trips always make me dehydrated.”
When I return with his water, he takes it. I stand there and watch as he takes the first drink. Memories of our time together come rushing back, and that feeling of being drawn to him returns full force.
“ You okay? You can sit down, you know. I’m going to be here a couple of days.”
I run my hand through my hair and sit next to him on the sofa. “ I just…am in shock you’re actually here. You look good!”
He chuckles. “ Not bad for an old man eh?”
Yeah , he’s ancient. He is also intimidating, and I am completely flustered. He takes my hand in his, a little too comfortable with touching me, but the second he does, my insecurities fade away.
“ That better?” he asks.
I nod.
“ I knew it had been a long time since we saw one another, but I’ve got to be honest, Evan , I thought you would remember that I can do more to you than just make you forget.”
“ I did… I do…” I shake my head and calmness blankets me. “ Fuck me,” I mumble.
He finds that amusing. “ You sure it’s okay if I visit? I’m sorry. I guess I should have called and asked first. I’m really bad at social niceties.”
“ It’s okay.” I wrap my hand around his, and he squeezes.
“ I’ll get a hotel room if that would make you more comfortable.”
I pull at his hand. “ No ! Don’t !” Fuck , I love how he makes me feel. It is as alarming as it is amazing.
“ That’s why I came. I’ve been worried about you after what that prick did to you. That and I felt bad for how insensitive I was. Why wouldn’t you want me to come and make a horrible situation like that go away?”
I close my eyes, resisting the urge to move closer to him. Evander Thrace is like the sun that, once I feel the pull of his gravity, I want to bathe in his orbit.
“ The sun huh? No one has ever thought of me that way.”
I open my eyes. “ Sorry !”
He touches my face with his fingers. “ Don’t be. It’s nice. I like you, Evan .”
“ I like you too.”
This is awkward as fuck, but I don’t feel any of that because of his influence. He lets me go, and my unease and nervousness return.
“ I apologize. It’s difficult to keep my hands off of you. I needed to know you’re alright, and I know how hard you are on yourself. For some reason, I feel the need to rescue you.”
“ I need rescuing sometimes.”
He smiles. “ I know you do. You don’t seem as guilt ridden. That’s good.”
“ I love him,” I blurt as an explanation.
He takes a long drink of his water. “ I know you do. I’m just happy to see you have finally allowed yourself to love him out in the open. My guess is that you put up a fight first.”
“ It wasn’t easy, you know. But I’ve had a long time to think about that speech you gave me in that diner.”
“ That is all it took?” he asks.
“ Hardly . There was something about being with him again. He pushed my boundaries, and all that chemistry and desire was still there, stronger than ever. I didn’t want to fight it anymore.”
“ Worth it?”
“ Yeah , man,” I say with a sigh.
“ Good . You deserve to be happy, Evan . I can see Luke makes you very happy.”
He nods and scoots to the edge of the cushion. “ Look , I know it’s late, and you have to work in the morning. Mind if I shower before I call it a night?”
“ Of course. I don’t have another bed, so is the sofa okay?” I ask as I stand.
“ I don’t mind if you don’t. Like I said, I can always stay at a hotel.”
“ Nonsense .” I grab his bag and lead him down the hallway. “ Bathroom is there. You can use this room. There isn’t a bed though. Guess I need to see about getting one before my sister comes for a visit.” I place his bag on the floor, and he stands with his hands on his hips. “ Thank you. I’m glad you came.”
He slaps his hand on my shoulder. “ Me too. Don’t worry about me. I know my way around Chicago . I’ll keep myself plenty busy while you’re at work.”
“ I don’t cook, so you will have to fend for yourself for food as well.” I’m not sure what to do with myself. Until he reaches up and touches my arm.
“ Say good night, Evan . By the way, I don’t mean to be intimidating.”
But he is. He isn’t entirely human, an immortal, or at least he implied that he was, who has a power over me that is fascinating and addictive.
“ I am immortal.”
Oh , and a mind reader.
He smiles. “ Yes , and a mind reader.”
I step back. “ It’s a lot to take in. You’re a lot to comprehend.”
“ I understand. If I answered some of your questions, would that make you feel more comfortable?”
Honestly , I’m not sure if I want to know the answers to my questions, but my curiosity for Evander has only grown since the first time we met. “ Maybe , but why tell me now when you wouldn’t the first time.”
Leaning back against the doorframe he takes a deep breath. “ I’m not sure, to be honest. As I said, fate brought us together, and it was for some particular reason, or reasons. I can’t help feeling those reasons haven’t fully played out. I’m a lonely man, Evan , mostly by design. Perhaps it would be good to let someone in on my secrets. I may be immortal, but not above needing a friend.”
I can’t argue with him about the feeling of fate bringing us together. He is an enigma, and I’m not even sure he is real. “ I would like that too, being friends I mean.”
“ Good , because I am dying for this not to feel as awkward as it does.”
“ Same .” We laugh, and I turn toward my bedroom.
I feel his touch on the back of my arm once more and the bliss returns. I could cry, it is such a satisfying and freeing feeling.
“ Sleep well,” he says before disappearing into the bathroom.
EVANDER
I honestly took advantage of being alone and exhausted, sleeping in until late in the day. I’ve worked thirteen days straight and needed the rest. Besides , Evan’s sofa was pretty comfortable. I wandered around Chicago during the afternoon. Other than all the people, it was lovely. At least they were all alive and healthy.
In return for letting me crash on his sofa, I picked up some fresh food at the market, planning to make dinner. It was obvious, from Evan’s barren refrigerator this morning, that he doesn’t cook.
I have just put the chicken in the pan when he arrives home.
“ Hey , honey!” I quip.
He laughs and blushes. Still intimidated I see.
“ Hey . You cook?”
“ Man has to eat. You have to learn to cook your own meals, Evan . Do you eat out every night?”
“ Most of the time. Luke left me some leftovers and a couple of frozen dinners. I am trying to stretch them out.” He unbuttons the top buttons of his shirt. “ Mind if I change?”
“ It’s your castle, man! I’m just a visitor.”
He laughs and disappears down the hallway.
While the chicken is browning, I start chopping up the vegetables. I decided everyone likes stir-fry, at least I hope Evan eats vegetables. Jury is still out on whether he likes spicy food. I bought chili flakes, and Thai chili sauce, in case he does. Once the bok choy is chopped, I turn the chicken over and dice it in the pan. I am chopping the red pepper when Evan joins me in the kitchen wearing gym shorts and a T -shirt.
“ Feel better?”
He opens the fridge and grabs a soda. “ Much ! Whatever you’re making smells good.”
“ Just chicken stir fry. How are you with spice?”
“ Love it! The more the better!” he responds enthusiastically.
“ That's what I’m talking about!” I say as I open the chili flakes and sprinkle them over the diced chicken.
“ You’re probably right. I should learn to cook.”
I hold up the knife. “ No time like the present.”
He makes a harumph sound and approaches me cautiously. “ No way can I chop as fast as you do.”
“ I don’t expect you to. That takes practice, but I’m sure you can dice this onion.”
“ How do you do that?” he asks, referencing the pan of chicken.
“ Easy ! Fresh chicken breast, salt and pepper both sides, a little olive oil in the pan, and brown it over medium heat. Once one side is brown, turn it over, dice it, and add dry spices. Next , we will add the veggies, in order of which will take the longest to cook.”
“ Not the onion.”
“ Right ! Bok choy, carrots, pepper, broccoli, snow peas, and onion in that order. A lot of people add the onion with the meat, but I like for it to retain some of its sweetness. Then we will add the soy sauce, chili sauce, peanuts, and the leafy part of the bok choy.”
“ You make it sound so easy.”
“ It is easy. Your mother spoiled you, didn’t she?” I ask.
“ Apparently . Luke would probably buy you a beer for trying to teach me how to cook.”
“ Is he a good cook?”
“ The best. His mom let him help out in the kitchen. Then after she died, Luke took on the responsibility of cooking for him and his dad. I swear, I gained ten pounds while he was here.”
His voice fades, and I know he misses him, so I move away from the stove and place my hands on his biceps. I physically move him in front of the stove, using the maneuver to feed on his sadness.
“ Here , I’ll chop, and you cook.”
“ I don’t want to mess up dinner.”
“ You won’t. I’ll be here the entire time. Go ahead and add the bok choy and continue stirring.”
He follows my instructions and tells me about his job while I teach him to cook. I decide that for the few days I am here, he is getting cooking lessons each day.
The rice takes a few minutes in the microwave, which I let him handle as well. When we sit down to eat, he moans with approval on the first bite.
“ Fucking voodoo, man!” he says.
I throw my head back and laugh.
“ I mean it! This is delicious!”
“ Told you that you wouldn’t mess it up. I can sleep better at night knowing you can make yourself at least one meal.”
He smacks me on the arm, and we both laugh this time. It’s good to see him happy, lighter.
“ Tell me more about Luke’s visit.”
“ Not much to tell. We fucked a lot,” he says with a wicked grin.
“ Obviously .”
“ He wanted to show his portfolio to some gallery curators, so we did that.”
“ Really ? Does he paint?”
“ Photography ,” he answers. “ His stuff is amazing. I need to ask him to let me print a couple to hang up in here. I have no idea how to make this place feel more like home.”
“ Was anyone interested?”
“ Not really, except this one gallery. They accidentally saw some personal pictures he had taken of his sister and me. Those were the photos they wanted, but he refused because they are private. Told him that those images showed his emotion, and that is what made it art.”
“ Was he disappointed?” I ask.
“ A little. He was more irritated with this artist who was there working on an install. Luke said he was hitting on me, but I didn’t feel that way.”
I smirk. “ Oh , so he’s a possessive lover?”
“ Yeah , he is.” He says it so honestly that it is obvious to see how much Evan feels for him. “ So get this! The artist invites us to his opening. These tickets were like hundreds of dollars, and he just gave them to us.”
“ Did you go?”
“ Yep ! Went and got Luke a suit and everything. You should have seen him. He looked incredible!” He stops before putting another fork full of food in his mouth. “ Oh sorry. I guess you wouldn’t care how he looked.”
“ But I like hearing that you enjoyed it.”
He spoons another hearty helping of stir fry and rice into his plate. “ We get there, and you wouldn’t believe it! This guy paints these massive paintings.” Evan holds his arms up wide. “ And every one of them are people having sex. I mean all kinds of sex. Some of it was kinky. One even had what I guess they call blood play.”
“ Seriously ?”
“ I’m not kidding! The way he paints, you sorta have to look at it a while to see the image, so the people weren’t recognizable, but everything else was!”
“ So how many paintings did you buy?”
He chuckles. “ As if! Something about them though. I think they inspired Luke or something. He got this idea to merge his photos with images of people. He even took a few pictures of me before he left. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”
“ I’d love to see some of his work too.”
Evan nods. “ Sure , if you’re interested. Guess this means I can text you more often?”
“ Guess it does.”
This whole friendship thing is going to take some adjusting for me. I haven’t allowed myself the luxury of having a friend since I was young. When you know they will all die and leave you alone, you learn it’s better not to even start those relationships. I know I am capable of being a friend, and perhaps, not so socially awkward, but it won’t be the easiest thing for me.
However , I honestly enjoy Evan’s company, and that he is starting to loosen up around me. We shall see if our budding friendship lasts through some of the truths, he wants me to share.
EVAN
“ Are you going to talk to me about what happened?” Evander asks.
We’re sitting on my tiny balcony drinking beer and looking out over the glittering lights of Chicago . “ First , you have to answer my questions.”
“ Fair enough.”
“ How are you immortal? I mean how does that even work?”
He grins. “ Well , I don’t grow older, and I don’t die. Next question.”
“ Do you get sick?”
“ No . I can be injured though, but I heal fast.”
I have so many questions, it’s impossible to know what to ask next. “ When were you born?”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “ You sure you want to know?”
“ Yeah !”
“345 BC , in Thrace , Greece .”
I shake my head and take a drink of my beer. “ You’re so full of shit.”
“ I didn’t think you would believe me.”
“ How can I ? That makes you older than Jesus !”
“ I’m aware.” He doesn’t flinch. Is he really telling me the truth?
“ Wait ! Thrace ? Is that why it’s your last name?”
“ Yes . Back then we didn’t have surnames. It was more important whose bloodline you came from.”
“ And who was yours?” I ask.
“ You wouldn’t recognize any of the names. Well , not my father’s, or his father’s. Adam is at the end of the line.”
I shake my head. “ Hell , I don’t know what to ask now.”
“ Well , how about if I explain? I was born immortal. I am Phayed the same as my mother. When I was old enough, I joined Alexander’s army. My purpose was to gather strategic information from the dying.”
“ By reading their thoughts?”
“ And memories. Sometimes the information came through their confessions. I’ve been mistaken for an angel, or a demon, more times than I can recollect.”
“ Alexander the Great ?” I ask in disbelief as I connect the dots.
“ Takes you a minute to catch up, doesn’t it?” he asks with a chuckle.
“ In my defense, this is insane. I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I can believe what you’re telling me.”
“ Can’t blame you for that. As I told you, there are many things in this world that you are not aware of, and that don’t fit into the idealized box that is considered reality.”
“ Phayed .” I repeat the word to myself, so I won’t forget it. “ What’s it like living forever?”
His expression turns serious as he turns his attention back to the cityscape. “ Lonely , Evan . When I was younger, it was amazing. I felt invincible. I was to some extent, but when you lose your family and friends over and over again, it’s unbearable. It’s why I don’t form relationships.”
“ But you’re attempting to be friends with me?”
“ Fate ,” he reminds me.
“ Yeah , fate. I think Luke and I are fated.”
“ What about Rachel ?” he asks.
My heart twists a little. “ I don’t know.”
“ You still love her?”
“ Of course, I do, but…”
“ She broke your heart.” I nod. “ You reconciled with Luke , and now look how close the two of you are. Will you consider giving her another chance?” he asks.
“ I think, deep down, I want that, but what are the chances that two people will love me at the same time? It seems the odds are against us. Plus , she was the one who broke things off.”
“ She set you free to build a life for yourself. There is a difference.”
“ And now what? She’s in Wyoming with a daughter, and I’m here in Chicago ,” I point out.
“ But you’re attempting to make it work with Luke .”
I take a deep breath. This conversation is harder than I expected it to be. “ I love him.” I don’t know how to convey my feelings, so I hold out my hand to Evander . He takes it, and I lean my head back against the glass door and close my eyes.
“ I understand,” he says after a few moments. “ You know that you and Luke belong together. It’s your feelings for Rachel you don’t trust.”
“ My infatuation with her started the first time I met her. I was just a kid before I even knew what that meant. When we got together…”
Evander pulls his hand away and chuckles. “ Too many details. Hot as hell, but too personal.” He shakes his hand as if he touched something hot. “ She understands your kinks, the things you don’t want others to know.”
Fuck , how I miss her. “ Luke does too. He let me do things…be myself…” I look into Evander’s gray eyes. “ I think he will be understanding about the rest of it.”
“ Such as?”
“ That painter I told you about? He asked Luke and me if he could study us for a painting.” I duck my head. “ He wants to watch us having sex.”
“ Wow ! That was forward.”
“ I know!”
“ But that excites you,” he observes all too clearly.
I turn away, embarrassed. I didn’t even admit that to Luke . “ I’m a twisted fuck.”
“ No , you aren’t. You have to stop telling yourself that shit!” he reprimands. Wish he could do that all the time. “ Do you think Rachel would do it?”
I nod. “ Actually , I kinda do. Maybe Luke would too, if it were the three of us.”
“ What’s to gain by letting this man watch you?”
“ The thrill for one thing. A painting of us together, for another. It’s hard to explain, but it would be validating. Someone would witness our love. Someone who doesn’t think it’s wrong, or dirty. Someone who thinks it is beautiful enough to turn into art.”
“ That’s kind of beautiful, you know. If it comes up again, you should explain it to them that way.”
“ Do you think they would do it?” I ask.
“ Hell , I don’t know. They might if it is truly important to you.”
That feels like a pipe dream, the last thing to consider, when I am not sure Rachel will ever consider getting involved with me again.
“ Can I ask you something?”
“ Why stop now?” I tell him.
“ What about the two of them? Are they in a relationship too?”
“ No . Luke ended it when she found out she was pregnant with his sister. Looking back, I get it. I think they have just stayed in their opposite corners, mostly for Olivia , but also because they would face the same scrutiny and exile that I always feared living in Alta .”
“ And now? Don’t you think Luke will want Rachel back now that you’re together?”
The thought makes my heart skip a beat. Would he? He would. Why wouldn’t he? “ I hadn’t thought of that. I have only seen this as something between him and me.”
“ How would you feel if he and Rachel rekindled what originally brought the three of you together?”
I shift my legs and sit criss crossed so I can curl into myself. I’m silent because I don’t know how I feel about it. Evander’s hand slides around the back of my neck and squeezes.
“ It’s okay to have mixed feelings,” he says softly. “ Of course, you want them together. You love them both, but you also don’t want to be excluded.” He vocalizes my every thought. “ They would want you included too, you know.”
“ Would they?” I ask.
“ Surely you feel that in your heart as the truth.”
I pull his hand from my neck and stand to leave. “ I don’t want to talk about them being together.”
I walk back inside, and Evander follows. I honestly hadn’t considered that Luke might go home and reconnect with Rachel . Evander’s right though. Why wouldn’t he? Luke has always wanted the three of us together. He has me, so now all he has to do is convince her.
“ I’m going to bed.” I throw my bottle in the recycle bin and start down the hallway.
“ Evan ?”
I turn back to him.
“ I’m sorry. It didn’t occur to me that you wouldn’t have considered they might be together again.”
“ It’s fine. He loves me. I know that. And I love them. Why would it upset me?” I shrug off his suggestion. “ Goodnight ,” I tell him as I escape to my bedroom.
That thought plagues me the entire time I’m in the shower, brushing my teeth, and now lying here in my bed for what feels like hours. My emotions are volatile and mixed. I haven’t called Luke the last two nights, but then he hasn’t called me either. Last night, I was distracted by Evander . Tonight , I’m afraid if I talk to him, I will ask him if he slept with Rachel after he returned home.
I’m not ready for the answer to that question. A part of me wants Luke all to myself for a time. I kept him at arm’s length for so long. Rachel and I had time together, and even though it ended in heartbreak, it was wonderful.
I roll onto my side and fold my pillow in half. The real question, the one I don’t want to face, is if what Luke and I have, has an expiration date on it too? I thought the three of us could love each other forever, but Rachel shattered that dream for me.
Now of course, I realize how naive I was. Love doesn’t hold people together. It doesn’t promise they will always be there for you. Being in love can mean being utterly alone, even when you are in the arms of another. I know the three of us will love each other all our lives. I also know that love can’t change the obstacles we would have to overcome to be together like we want.
I can’t bear these thoughts and feelings a second longer. Throwing off the covers, I get up and rush out into the living room. Evander is lying in the dark on the sofa with his hands behind his head. His eyes seem to glow in the dark as they look up at me.
“ Evan ? What are you doing up?”
I look over the exposed skin of his chest and decide fate knew I needed this too. Pulling the blanket back, I stretch out on top of him and press my naked chest against his. He repositions his body and wraps his arms around me. That is when all of it lifts away. No more heartbreak, no worries, no fears, just peace.
EVANDER
This is why I came. This is why I’m drawn to Evan . He is a hurricane of emotions all fighting against one another. All he wants is acceptance and uninhibited love. For the love of God , I have no idea how I fit into all of this for him.
I can do this, though. I feed off his emotional turmoil like an addict. So many delicious flavors, with the tang of sour and bitter among the mix. This man has so much love, not only for Luke and Rachel but for his family. While I believe Luke and Rachel don’t take that for granted, I can see others have.
When Evan ran away, they should have followed him. It is what he wanted the most, and when they did not, he leaned into the side of him that he kept at bay. Then he met Zephyr Dragov and leaned much too far. Evan lost control.
As I pick through his fractured memories of that night, I am finding things that are disturbing to me. I wasn’t going to remove Evan’s memory of that night, of his pain and fear, but I have changed my mind. As I walk through his memories, I watch Zephyr carefully. I can almost taste him, but I won’t actually be able to until I get to the memories of their interaction.
Evan is leaving the scene when everything splinters as if a glass is shattered into a thousand shards. What is left is akin to trying to find a weak signal on a transistor radio. There are echoes of voices, Zephyr’s voice. The emotions are even more of a mess. First there is pleasure, then pain with fear spliced together like a Frankenstein vine. When I feel the piercing pain in Evan’s shoulder ghosted in my own, I jerk as teeth bear down on his shoulder.
The Evan that is here with me rises up abruptly with concern in his eyes. “ What’s wrong?” I know the moment he sees my eyes ablaze with light. “ Holy shit!”
I close my eyes. “ You saw this last time, remember?”
He stutters, and I embrace him again. I feed on this clue that is weak and painful in Evan’s mind.
“ Don’t move!” I bark.
He hides his face against my neck as I pull at all of my power, using it to gather what is left of his manipulated memories. I can taste Zephyr now. That bite he left on Evan’s shoulder was something he failed to take. I collect all of it like fireflies in a jar. At some point, I will contemplate on them, work to fit the puzzle pieces together, and fill in the gaps so I can get a truer picture of what happened to Evan .
I do know a few things to be true. “ Zephyr manipulated your emotions to bend you to his will and push you to do what you have so desperately attempted not to do.”
“ What ?” Evan whispers against my skin.
“ Zephyr is Phayed , Evan , and he took away your memories of that night so you wouldn’t remember.”
I lift Evan , who is wide-eyed, and barely comprehending what I am telling him.
“ You have to stay away from him!”
“ He’s like you? There are more of you? He can take away my feelings and memories?”
“ Yes ! That is exactly what he did that night. He took away your hesitations and fears. You may have willingly agreed to what happened, but it was only because he influenced you.”
Evan sits up, and I reposition us so we’re sitting facing one another. I squeeze his shoulders in my hands.
“ I wanted Luke to be my first. He took that from me,” he says as he stares at the floor.
“ This wasn’t your fault.”
“ I let him touch me,” he contends. He is always so ready to take the blame on himself. It feeds the guilt.
With a slow pull, I take away the guilt that is budding in his mind. “ Listen to me!” His eyes meet mine. “ Zephyr is a Phayed . He used you for his pleasure. You have to understand that he took advantage of you.”
Evan blinks at me as his eyebrows pinch. “ Then he’s not like you.”
“ In some ways, he is not. He is a different type of Phayed , but equally as dangerous.”
“ What do I do?” Evan sounds so lost and helpless. I pull him into my arms and hold him close.
“ Stay away from him. Promise me you will stay away from him. You will never be safe around him.”
The truth I’m giving Evan weighs heavily on him. I do my best to lift it away, consume its bitter essence so he can be free.
“ Relax , just let me work through your mind, and I’ll take away all that he left.”
Evan gives in, and I lie back with him in my arms. I heal him, this man torn apart and afraid. He won’t remember the pain of that next day, the blood, the fear, seeing Zephyr that next morning, not even getting sick in the alley with the realization of what was taken from him.
“ Luke was your first, Evan . Exactly the way it was always meant to be.”
He moans lethargically before he slips into unconsciousness. What I’m doing to his mind is too much for his consciousness to comprehend. While it does make this process easier for me, it will make it more peaceful for him as well. When I am done, I will hold him through the night, keeping watch on this delicate soul who needs me more than I could have ever imagined.