Chapter 11 Silver #2
I tried not to feel left out, and failed miserably. I never understood how much I used to rely on Gideon’s lack of power until Kleos divided hers with him. We used to look at each other and roll our eyes when our friends showed off. Now I was the only one who couldn’t levitate a teaspoon.
I straightened up, suddenly aware of a shift in the air.
The snake entered the kitchen first, followed by him.
“Cas,” Kleos greeted with a smile as she turned to the door. “Were the shirts too small for you?”
I turned to find the hulking man bare chested, his ridiculous musculature on full display.
He wore low pants, showing off a distinct V under his navel.
The lightning marks on his flanks, arms, and neck were currently black, like both of his eyes, but I watched electric blue currents ripple through them as he walked to a free chair, on the other side of the table.
“I can’t say I’m very fond of shirts. They limit movement.”
More like he wanted to display his chiseled perfection. “Show-off,” I grumbled.
His eyes found mine. “What was that?”
I lifted my chin, accepting the challenge. “You’re showing off, and you know it.”
The corner of his mouth hiked up. “So, you’re saying my appearance ought to give me cause for pride?”
It took a great deal of self-control, but I managed not to kick him. “I’m saying you clearly think so. Would you be bare chested if you had a pot belly?”
“Thankfully, we’ll never know.”
Chuckling, Kleos waved toward the cupboard. Six sets of plates and cutlery hovered to their respective places around the table.
“I actually meant to speak to you,” Gideon started, turning to Cas.
He lowered his voice.
I could still hear him trying to sell the man on a job at the Guard.
Please, let him say no.
I understood Hilda’s desire to keep him close, but he’d already encroached on my friends’ circle in a few days.
Deciding to leave them to their chat, I asked, “Where’s the old man?”
Both heads of the table remained empty while Lucian worked the stove.
He chuckled. “His nose will bring him to the table soon enough.”
Indeed, not five minutes after the smell of cream and cheese attempted to make my stomach eat itself, Cassius came to fill the vacant space.
I didn’t miss his gray eyes flash towards Cas, just as suspicious as mine.
I was dying to ask him what he thought of his new houseguest, but I couldn’t do it with so many keen ears around.
I could have hunted him down for a chat in his quarters in the left wing of the manor, but the thought of venturing there without invitation felt like poking a bear considerably more dangerous than my divine sort-of-brother.
“Oh, good. Chateau Margaux.” Cassius inspected the bottle. “Though it’s a little young to open. And perhaps not suited to what I smell.”
“Gideon brought it.”
“Ah. Well, I’m certain it’ll be delicious in a year or ten.” With a dismissive wave, he banished the bottle to the cave and replaced it with a much older and dustier white, chilling it with a touch.
Really, how had I managed to surround myself with so many powerful magic users? At least only one made me uncomfortable.
“You envy it,” Cas said to my right.
It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. I reluctantly redirected my gaze to his.
“Magic. You wish you could wield it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And what of it?”
I almost jumped when he reached out, his hand seeking my wrist, but the moment he grasped it, I was frozen, incapable of a single thought.
His hand felt warm but must have chilled me because a shiver ran over my skin, spreading through my body.
His lightning marks brightened to neon blue, both of his eyes alive with magic.
The electric shock jolting through me bordered on painful until it settled under my skin, buzzing inside me.
A moan escaped me and I pressed my thighs together to stop myself from coming.
“Fuck.” I couldn’t gather my thoughts, lost in pleasure and energy. It took me several seconds to realize I should be annoyed at the intrusion. “What the fuck did you do to me?”
Cas was the picture of indifference, leaning back on his seat as everyone watched him, tense.
“I just lent you some of my energy.” He shrugged. “It won’t last long—a few days at most—but you should be able to handle simple spells.”
I blinked several times. “Come again?”
“How did you do that?” Kleos wondered. “I mean, I managed to share half of my power with Gideon, but that’s because mine was originally crafted for two people—Frey and Freya.
And Poseidon himself handled it. But I didn’t think it possible to just lend magic to someone.
Transferring some energy to a stone is one thing, but to a living person? ”
“It’s no different. You were advised against it because most people wouldn’t survive it.
If you shove too much magic in a weak recipient, it explodes, whether that’s a crystal or a person.
But this is Artemis. She can take it. Frankly, it’s strange she doesn’t have access to magic given what she is. ”
I knew why. Apollo had told me.
“I took over this body then because I knew that within moments, hours, days perhaps, Father would sense the rebirth of an Olympian on Earth. I prevented it by sealing the little girl’s power.”
His words ran in my head for days and sleepless nights. Was I grateful, angry, frustrated? Without him, I might have been able to use magic my whole life. Without him, I might already be dead.
“So, just like that, I can use magic?” I asked dubiously.
“Give it a try,” he challenged. “It’s instinctive to us. You won’t manage complex spells, but most simple magic happens because you will it into being and have enough power to do so.”
Feeling incredibly stupid, I bit my lower lip, looking around for something to do.
I’d never actually had any magic, but I’d suffered through plenty of practical lessons until I could drop the subjects in high school.
For those blessed with power, it took focus, determination, precision, and confidence to work a spell.
I willed the bottle Cassius had just open to tilt, trying to pour a glass. The bottle jiggled a little as it slowly slanted. White wine splashed a little, but most of it ended up in the glass.
I gasped, pure joy erupting inside me, like a kid on Christmas morning. But the moment I looked at the self-satisfied grin on Cas’s face, I did my best to hide it.
“It can get addictive—using power that doesn’t come from within,” Lucian cautioned. “It doesn’t cost anything. It doesn’t give you a headache or tax your own strength. You shouldn’t do it too often.”
“Yes, which is why the matter of Kleos’s power reserve is a high priority,” Gideon said.
“What’s that?”
“Kleos used to drain herself in crystals that have been stolen,” I summed up for Cassius’s benefit, trying not to smile as I tipped the wine over each glass in turn, getting smoother by the third. “I’ve been assigned to Gideon’s team working on it.”
“So has this man,” Gideon said, throwing his arms around Cas’s shoulders. “He’s just accepted the job.”
Ugh.
“Great,” Kleos and I said at the same time.
Only one of us meant it.