Chapter 9- Luther #2
Taz glances at me, then we approach her. “Ma’am, we’re with the feds. You shouldn’t be here right now,” he says.
How did she even get here?
Necia and Max are hollering, but I ignore them in lieu of the strange woman before us, a mortal bystander. When we walk closer to her, I notice dark fluid dripping down her lips.
“This building is dangerous. You need to leave,” I say. She doesn’t respond, and more dark fluid drips down. “Ma’am?”
She opens her mouth, and in a deep, scratchy voice, she says, “Sacrifices…must be made…”
The woman falls over, and I gasp. On instinct, I crouch down to check her pulse. Before I can touch her neck, fluid that resembles black ink trickles out of her mouth.
“Luther!” Taz pushes me over just as the black ink flies up. The unnatural liquid engulfs Taz, knocking him back a few yards.
When I finally stand up and rush over to him, the black ink has spread all over his body. I watch in horror as the darkness goes into his open mouth and he gasps, trying to pull it off him, to no avail. The dark ink spreads, wider and wider, forming a black circle on the floor.
Taz is drowning in a supernatural pool of poison.
“Taz…Taz!” I grab his hand and struggle for purchase on the plain floor to pull him out. I tug and tug, but the dark pool has its hold on him. The last thing I see before the darkness covers his eyes is the horrified look of realization.
Taz is going to suffocate.
His hand slips from mine, knocking me back.
The black ink reaches my foot, and I manage to kick it off and crawl backward.
Taz’s silhouette flails underneath waves of ink, and all I can think of is needing to save him.
When I stand up, I muster up any spell I can think of in a panic.
I blast it with energy, but the inky darkness swallows it up.
Some elaborate hexes absorb magic depending on their make and origin; I know this.
But I don’t have time to interpret this dark magic. Taz. Is dying.
I blast the pool with conjured fire, but to no effect. The ink grows and spreads, and Taz’s body stills. I can’t keep a clear head with the panic in my mind. He’s going to die in front of me, and it’s all my fault for failing as a wizard.
I can’t lose you, Taz.
Memories of us as teenagers learning all sorts of magical maneuvers flit through my mind.
I was always so angry at Taz, but he gave me a drive.
He made my life better. And working with him is my second chance to have that spark again.
When he dropped out, I lost a piece of me.
He was so creative, and he deserved to be the best in our class.
And I deserve to tell him how much he meant to me.
Creative…creative…
Shutting my eyes, I calm my mind. I focus all my magic into my hands. Then, I crouch down and reach my fists into the inky blackness. Focus…
A moment later, I open my eyes when I feel the alchemical reaction. The ink wanes, and with a flash of light, the liquid bursts into black butterflies. When the supernatural bugs fly off, I spot Taz slowly sitting up. His chest is heaving as he breathes through his nose, looking around.
I laugh with relief and rush up to him. On my knees, I pull him into me, hugging him hard. “Oh, thank the stars, Taz!”
When I pull off, I take a good look at his distressed face before me. He blinks with a half-confused, half-relieved look on his face. “You’re…you’re okay!” I say, rubbing his shoulders. My eyes sting, and I’m sure tears are falling down my cheeks. “I…thought I lost you.”
As he gazes at me, I lick my lips. His eyes track my mouth, and this invisible need tugs on us both. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, but my instinct tells me what to do next, and I don’t question it. Surrounded by black butterflies, I pull him toward me and kiss him, hard.
It doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense right now.
All I know is Taz is too important, too precious, and too beautiful for me not to have him right now.
This kiss might be a mistake, but it’s one worth making.
Judging by how his lips move against mine and how his hands rub my scalp, he must be on the same page. Taz wants me, too.
Reality hits me like a snowball, and I pull off of him. He blinks in shock, and hopefully some pleasant surprise. Butterflies float around us, and I glance at his swollen lips. “You…you okay?” I ask, out of breath.
His mouth tightens, and then he coughs twice. When he sticks his tongue out, one butterfly floats out of his mouth. After he wipes his lips, he looks at me and shrugs. “Talk about butterflies in the stomach,” he says. We both bust out in hysterics as I sit by his side, still holding his hand.
“I thought you were drowning.”
“I was.” He feels his chest, then looks up at me. “You saved me. Brilliant of you to use that trick.”
“I recall you did that butterfly alchemy back in school.”
He studies me for a quiet moment, blue eyes filled with affection. “With the basketballs. You remember that?”
Wiping my cheek, I sniff and reply, “Of course I did. I never forgot anything you taught me in school. Taz, to me you’ve always been…”
Before I can say another word, he launches at me and pulls me by the shirt into another kiss.
His lips taste sweet, and we fit together so well.
Kissing has never felt this right before.
If there was any question if he was into me, it’s gone, flown away like the black butterflies swirling around us.