Chapter 17 Quinn
Quinn
I’d never been one to remember my dreams. For a brief second, during the moment between sleep and awakening, my world was full of light, soft textures, and acceptance.
People from the past and the present flocked around me with smiles and hugs.
When I opened my eyes, the imagery vanished, but a feeling of peace lingered. I wasn’t sure I’d ever slept so well.
Instead of the skylight shining down on me, a ceiling of black and gold-textured cloth squares met my gaze. Soft sunlight streamed through large windows. I took a deep breath. Everything from the pit fight came back to me.
My peace shattered. I bolted upright and scrambled back.
The baggy old man disguise pulled as I slid across rich black sheets until I hit a headboard.
The scent of stale beer wafted from the shirt, mingling with a very familiar soap.
I didn’t recognize anything around me. Dark wood-paneled walls surrounded the massive four-poster bed I was currently shaking in the center of.
To my right, a leather couch sat in front of a grand fireplace, filled with a heat cone.
A small round table and two chairs rested under the one large window centered at the foot of the bed.
Three closed doors were visible, and Ezra sat in a chair between me and one of them.
“Breathe,” Ezra commanded.
I sucked in a lungful of air as if we were at the gym, and clasped my shaking hands together, only to remember the phantom feel of Brody’s slime. I ended up desperately rubbing my wrists to get it off.
“Quinn, look at me.” Ezra moved from his chair to the bed, though the mattress was so big he wasn’t anywhere near touching me. I met his gaze. “You’re in my room. Xan cleansed you of Brody’s magic. We intercepted you just after the body snatchers left The Pit.”
Body snatchers had me? I stopped messing with my clean wrists and put my hand against my neck. The collar. Those men who took me were real, and they’d almost gotten me again.
“I’ve met body snatchers before,” I said softly. “On my way here.”
Ezra’s chest rose and fell.
“I was walking through a forest.” I clenched my fists.
“They just came out of the trees and grabbed me. They tied me up and gagged me before I could even scream. I think they put me underground. I just remember the dirt floor, the cold collar on my neck, and the other women with me. And then.” I swallowed.
Ezra reached out and placed a hand on my leg.
“The man with coal-black hair. He picked me out of the group. Took me to the side and removed my collar. I’d felt magic stab into me before, but his burned. ”
Tears streamed down my face, and I shoved my fingers into my eyes. His magic, still stabbing into my back, throbbed. In a heartbeat, Ezra slid to me and wrapped me in his arms.
I continued my story into his chest, not wanting it to be real but unable to stop recalling it.
“He ran his hand down my stomach and pressed on my abdomen. I can still smell his breath as he tilted my head up, probably to kiss me, but I’ve no idea.
I blacked out and woke up on a roof with no ladder or way down.
” I rubbed my cheeks as if I could wipe away not just my tears but the memory.
“If he hadn’t taken off the collar, I’d still be wearing it.
” I rubbed my throat. “That happened to me.” I pushed away from Ezra’s chest. No tears leaked out of my eyes.
“It wasn’t a delusion. Everything was real. ”
Ezra pulled me back to his chest and held me. “You’re here, Quinn. And that’s all that matters.”
I didn’t cry. I didn’t focus on what had happened. I was here, even if Ezra didn’t quite understand what his words really meant to me. I breathed in everything that was my frenemy, before reminding myself that his very firm and comforting chest belonged to Xan.
Ezra slowly released me as I leaned back. “I think I need to figure out what happened to me. I keep thinking I can just move forward, but it’s not that simple.”
Ezra frowned, and his fingers drifted to my neck. He traced the outline of the collar, not precisely, but close enough that he had to be familiar with the sensation. Instead of feeling cold dread, little spikes of heat crawled across my skin at his touch.
“Body snatchers collared you?” Ezra asked.
I put my fingers over his and twined them together to pull his hand away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said all that.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Ezra squeezed my fingers.
A tear tried to escape. I ducked and moved the conversation forward. “They did. But they took it off me. I don’t really understand why. I blacked out and woke up somewhere new.”
Ezra’s frown deepened. “They took it off to tether you. The collars exist to suppress magic and block any connection a person has to the outside world. You can’t tether a woman already wearing a collar.”
I understood most of that, but one word didn’t match up with anything from my time. “What’s a tether?”
Ezra’s face hardened. His fingers, still laced with mine, flexed, and I instantly pulled back, flushing with embarrassment.
“I can’t tell you.” Ezra reached for my hand again. “Because all I’ve done is cause pain. I’m not good with this, but Xan is.” Ezra released my hand. “I will find this man with coal-black hair and erase him from this world.”
I believed him.
Ezra stood. “Xan’s almost back.”
“Ah.” I looked down at myself. A bit of glue from the beard pulled on my cheek. “Do you think I could have a quick shower?”
Ezra nodded and helped me out of the massive bed.
“The door behind me is to our kitchen.” He pointed.
“On the left is our washroom, and on the right is the exit.” He pulled me close and cupped my cheek.
“The exit is unlocked. I want you here, but if you want to return to your friends, my enforcers have been instructed to take you wherever you want to go.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Within the castle walls.”
Ezra released my cheek. “Yes.”
Instead of beating a dead horse, I slipped into the washroom.
My breath caught in my throat. The room was carved into the mountain’s rock.
Uneven surfaces covered the walls, and two sinks protruded from the far side.
A series of vines accented the textures with golds that matched the room I had just come from.
Stepping into the shower felt like bathing in a cave lost in time.
I scrubbed myself raw with Xan and Ezra’s soap until my emotions settled and my memories faded back into self-control When I emerged, a black tunic and oversized boxers waited for me.
The tunic reached my knees, and the opening fell, exposing one of my shoulders.
I had to fold the boxers over four times to keep them from falling down.
I could have pulled something that fit out of my pocket-void, but based on the color and the scent, this was Ezra’s, and being surrounded by his strength helped pull on my own.
Using magic to dry my hair was so much faster and easier.
I let it fall over my shoulders, took a deep breath, and went back to the main room.
Xan had replaced Ezra on the chair sitting next to the bed.
My new friend didn’t look like himself. Bags hung under his eyes, and his usually thick, tousled, baby-blue hair stood on end in every direction, as if he’d run his hands through it so many times it didn’t know what to do.
Xan stood as if shocked to see me come out of his washroom. Cool air kissed my exposed shoulder, and the translucent rainbows glittered against my skin.
Fuck me, I loved my hair.
I waved stupidly. “Hi, Xan.”
Xan waved back, just as stupidly, before shaking his head and gesturing to the little table under the window. “Ezra said you had questions.”
I looked around the room for Ezra, but the dark mage wasn’t present. I suddenly realized I hadn’t seen either of them together, not once. What if this were some weird Fight Club spin-off? What if they were the same person?
Had I slept beside one guy… or between two?
My cheeks warmed. Instead of asking foolish or maybe not-so-foolish questions, I moved to the small table and sat down.
Xan placed a mug of steaming tea in front of me.
I took a sip and gazed out the window. Rare, bright blue, clear skies stretched over a world spanning more eras than I could count.
Tall, crumbling skyscrapers from my time stood among stones from centuries ago and sleek new magical structures.
In the distance, the estuary of the river mouth shimmered almost black.
I took another sip of tea and finally turned back to Xan. “Your place is nice.”
Xan’s lips quirked up. “I’ve done what I can. I like the wood. I found it on the top floors of The Old Fortress before Professor Holiday took it over and brought it here to restore it.” He wrinkled his nose. “I think there’s more, but my freedom to search is limited.”
Our little adventure replayed in my head. “I know a guy. Maybe we could break in for a peek at the top floors.”
Xan’s face lit up before he schooled it.
The door to the kitchen opened, and Ezra spilled out with his arms full of food.
I let out a relieved sigh. These were two different people; this wouldn’t be a Fight Club situation.
He filled the small table with scones, sausages, and fruit before telling both of us to eat, then vanished back into the kitchen.
“I guess it’s good to know he’s just as abrasive with you,” I said.
Xan laughed.
Both our stomachs growled. I took a few bites and organized my thoughts, not letting my gaze leave Xan, who, in his defense, did the same with me.
“The reason you’ve not been assigned a place in the family is complicated,” Xan suddenly said. “But every nuance boils down to: we didn’t know what you were capable of or the best way to incorporate it.” He wrinkled his nose. “I’m your new tutor.”