Chapter 13 #2
“Prince Xavier, I assure you, you are anything but forgettable.” The shadow steps forward, practically pulsing with power.
Being near him is like standing next to a power grid, and it makes my jaw hurt from clenching.
Holy shit, this is the warlock. My gaze darts to William and John who look completely unaffected by this man …
creature... alien? I really have to figure out the polite thing to call someone. This is starting to get ridiculous.
“Xavier, thank you for doing this.” The shadow shrugs what I think are his shoulders.
“Anything for you guys, you know that.” William and John exchange a look, but they both nod.
“This is Lila, our granddaughter. She needs to learn how to put up the holo-emitters. Lila, this is Prince Xavier Colest, heir to the warlock throne and our man in charge of anything mystical.”
William gestures to the blur, and I wave.
Yeah, it’s super awkward, but what else am I supposed to do?
It’s kind of hard to greet someone when there’s no hand to shake or eyes to meet.
Considering I really only have a vague idea how tall this dude is, I could be making eye contact with his nipples right now for all I know.
In fact, I’m not sure how he’s even going to show me how to operate the holo-emitters either.
The captain holds out four palm-sized devices, and the blur reaches out and picks them up.
Well, okay then, I guess he’s solid, not a mist or shadow, though maybe that’s some kind of illusion.
My eyes scan his form, looking for some hint of solid shape or mass, and it’s not until I get to his head that I see a flash of something.
Deep within the mist, a light shines, and the closer I try to look, the brighter it becomes.
It’s a pale, pale green, and I feel myself sinking deeper into its magnetism, my mind growing light and my body becoming insignificant.
I want to touch the light, to be one with it, to let it consume me.
It’s calling me; I can feel how much it wants me, needs me.
Suddenly, the feeling starts to change, and that warmth becomes desire.
Our energies touch, making my nipples pebble and my breath become harsher, almost a pant.
Oh my god, I’m going to orgasm in front of everyone.
What the hell is going on? I grit my teeth so I won’t moan, but then it suddenly feels like it’s starting to drain from me.
With nothing to tip me over the edge, the orgasm I thought was coming is just out of reach.
That desire and teasing pleasure is slowly draining down and out through my limbs, moving toward the shadow.
“Goddamn it, Xavier!” William’s shout knocks me back into reality, and I stumble as the trance leaves me. “What the fuck were you doing to Lila?”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” The melodic voice sounds shaken and disgruntled, but there’s no doubting the sincerity in the rushed apology. “I’m not sure what happened. It’s like she locked on to me and dragged me under.”
“Me? Uh, nope. That was all you. I’m human, remember? No freaking crazy mind powers here.”
“Not human,” William grumbles. “And that better not have been you doing what I think you were.”
“Defective Skarrian then,” I offer in an attempt to lighten the frigid tension in the room.
“Did you seriously not do that?” John asks Xavier, a curious lilt to his voice.
I watch as the blur shudders violently. “No, I’m not sure exactly what happened.
It’s like our consciousnesses merged until we became one.
I’ve never heard of something like that happening to a warlock.
We are taught how to do that from a very young age, so our minds are like steel cages.
I’m going to have to consult with my parents about it. ”
I wish I could see his face and get a read on him, see if the surprise in his voice is mirrored by the rest of him.
That’s if he has a face... maybe this is his permanent state?
Damn it, I wish I could ask about it, but that would just be fucking rude.
Even I know that. You can’t just ask people if they have faces, Lila.
Those kinds of questions probably end with dueling at sunset or something else to make amends.
I’ll have to ask one of the grandpas next time I get a chance.
“Alright, come on, we need to get on with it. It’s almost intermission, and people will be going out to smoke. We don't want them seeing the two of you out there setting up,” Captain Lester grumbles.
I start to head toward the exit, hoping that Xavier will follow me, but John puts his hand out to stop me. “No time for that now. Xavier will have to teleport you down there; it will be quicker.”
A nervous squeak escapes my mouth, but I slap my hand over it, hoping no one heard. But from the amused smiles on the men’s faces, I’m almost certain they did.
“Teleport? Can he really do that? Is he allowed to take people?” I’m pretty sure Dylan told me all about warlocks that second day, but I’ve learned so much in such a short period of time, things were bound to be forgotten.
The blur rumbles, giving a sound of amusement.
“Am I allowed? You are funny, young Lila. Nobody tells me what I can and can’t do.
Teleporting is child’s play for a warlock.
We have to put bands on our children to stop them from using these powers when they are small.
Teleporting babies is stressful for parents. ”
Well, okay then. “Excuse me, Obi Wan Kenobi?” The sarcasm is strong with me. “I hadn't got to that part of my warlock knowledge yet.” How old is this dude? His voice sounds young, but he called me ‘young Lila’ like I was a freaking kid.
“So how do we do this?” I ask, the butterflies in my stomach now a full-on kaleidoscope. Yeah, that’s a group of butterflies. I’m good for more than just impressively weird dildos and erotica recommendations... though my erotica recs are on point, I have to say.
The blur moves toward me. It kind of looks like he’s floating, but it also looks like he’s taking steps on smoky legs.
It’s a little freaky that he’s a perfect blend of shadow with just the barest hint of solid substance.
As he comes nearer, the temperature around my body drops and goosebumps break out across my skin.
He’s close enough for the two of us to be standing chest to chest, if he had one anyway.
The misty fog surrounding him starts to expand, and the squeak that escapes my mouth this time is more like a roar.
I’m too distracted by the mist moving closer to worry about our audience’s laughter this time.
The shadow starts to engulf me, but instead of the frozen prickle I’d expected, it’s a cool, sensuous slide across my skin.
It’s like it’s reaching out and embracing me.
Finally, it reaches my head and covers my face until I’m fully surrounded by the same shadow.
I expected to feel claustrophobic, but it feels good, like I’m safe in a cocoon, cherished and comfortable. It’s like being wrapped in a hug.
“Ready?” The grumbly voice is close now, just by my ear, and I have the phantom feeling of two arms wrapped around me. Swallowing nervously, I nod.
I can’t explain the sensation of teleportation because not much really happens, but I guess it’s kind of like a roller coaster ride.
That feeling where your stomach starts in your throat and plummets very fast until it sits right in the bottom of your belly.
It’s happening before you know it, and it’s over just as quickly.
“Are you all right?” Xavier’s voice tickles my ear, and that roller coaster feeling prickles into another kind.
“Yup, I’m good.” The words are breathy, but I can’t move away from him... it... whatever. I’m still surrounded by the mist.
Slowly, that comforting hug starts to recede, the feeling of being wrapped in arms disappears, and the mist drains away from my body.
First, my head, and when I can look around, I discover we’re outside the dome, the giant black spaceship looming above us and making me feel incredibly insignificant.
When the mist recedes, I discover that England's weather is at its finest, and the magical shadow that just surrounded me was pleasant compared to the natural mist of the countryside. A cold wet fog surrounds the dome, giving it an eerie mystical feel. I know that the humans can’t actually see it, which is a good thing because it would definitely start a panic.
A clearing throat makes me startle, and I realize that Xavier’s stuff—cue the mental sniggering that I just manage to keep inside my head—has left my body.
“Are you okay?” he asks, sounding concerned, which is sweet of him.
“Yup, I’m all good.” I’m excellent at putting up a front, good at deflecting too.
“So do you want to show me what to do?” Not that I’m sure I’m going to be able to see it. The things disappeared into his hand when the captain gave them to him.
“Yes, this might be easier if you could see what I was doing though, right?” He sounds amused this time, but it’s a little too coincidental for me.
“Can you read my mind?” I demand, a little (read a lot) upset, crossing my arms in a defensive position.
“No, Phoeall, you have a very expressive face.” And with those words, something begins to happen.
The mist sort of absorbs inward, flowing backward to expose long limbs covered in clothing unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
A moment later, standing before me is a somewhat normal, albeit fucking hot, male individual.