40. The silence was too loud
The silence was too loud
CASPIAN
Emptiness rings from inside her room, and I feel disgusted entering against Kyra’s will. But her thoughts broke every barrier I had in place, shattering them into un-mendable shards.
Yells of glooms, Ethan, and then…nothing. Silence. For a few seconds her aura was non-existent, and I returned in haste from a task Alex asked of me. I discover her body nearly bare on the floor beside a puddle of drying blood and her garments drenched in the liquid.
Elegantly, Kyra’s body falls still after I lift her, and stealthy, meticulous hands remove the soiled garments.
Ensuring the lights are dim, I can only see her silhouette as I clean blood from her frame.
Averting my gaze, I keep skin to skin contact to a zero.
With one hand, I dress her in her underwear and another hoodie.
Both are obtained from a closet filled with exclusive clothing.
Seeing how fragile she can be, I am now stagnant in her living area, standing guard while she sleeps.
Frustrated, I’m still unsure how Kyra is able to defy my mental wards. Many moons have been spent going over details of our past, shining light on how the founders and first fays lived, in search of what clues may lead to discovering the ‘how’ of my problem .
Our parents strived to ensure the old knowledge was passed down to my siblings and me once our bloodline abilities manifested. Reading every mind around us created more stress than imaginable. A never-ending whisper of tales.
Rigorous at first, the challenge came realizing I could expand its distance. And the old Sun God, Helios, circled our realm for six months before I was able to gain a minimal grasp on blocking what I could hear. Had it not been for my grandfay, insanity would have taken me years ago.
Hades know I still haven’t found a way to use this ability to speak with others. It haunts me.
Echoes of a sudden noise draw me towards her room, and I cancel out the chatter of students partying, thrusting, and enjoying other obscene acts around Rebirth. Though a few slither past the cracks as my magic works to rebuild.
Regardless, my heart rate rises.
“Every male on this ‘Top Ten’ list can become my eternal. Especially number two, four, five…fuck it, all of them. I wonder if they’re into group thrustings?
” I groan, realizing it’s the time of year where students concoct multiple lists of males and females that are most desired. I pray my name has missed the call.
“Damn it, why isn’t this spell working? What must I do to get past these wards? There’s a party in the Langlia Region, and I never miss an exclusive from Darleris Academy.”
Huffing, I place a silencing spell against her door, which allows me to place an ear against it, unnoticed. I hear faint movements of linen, which calms my nerves. She must’ve knocked something over. Satisfied, I return to the comforts of her living area.
I’m down one drink, and the memory of Haven’s Hole continues pestering me. We all witnessed Kyra scribe her name multiple times, so I plan to speak with Eros once we return from this mission.
“Yes, Cas is away, time to play. I’m about to get wolf-shifter wasted.”
A headache forms between my brows at the thought. Had Kyra not been in need of my help, whether she is aware of it or not, House Earth students wouldn’t see daybreak for seven moons. And we all know how dire it is not to miss lectures.
They would fail and be removed. Left to roam this realm, weak and targeted by glooms.
“Damn, how long have I been asleep?” says a familiar head voice.
Even her mental groan has me smirking. “And when did I get in bed?” Clear as glass.
Her aura’s essence is one of the most filtered and clean invasions I’ve experienced.
Minus Clarrisa’s–well–before she joined an Academy.
“Shit, I need to wash my…when did I change clothes and clean the blood?” Waking up, Kyra’s thoughts become less scrambled and more direct as they enter my mind.
“Let me grab my laptop and put something on in case they hear me. There has to be a way out of this.”
“A way out of what?” I mutter.
Beyond her wall, I hear blurred voices laugh and argue against subtle background music. Obviously, a mortal show. Us fays suck at reality T.V., movies, and whatever else is put on camera.
Point in hand, Kahlan and my attempt at their version of, Naked and Afraid mixed with Love Island. The last thing I need is her seeing that embarrassing rendition. Thankfully, she haven’t figured out the channels.
A door opens, and I adjust myself, sitting and waiting for her to walk in.
“One route results in your desires, the other, destroys who you’ve become.
” “Damn it, Blaise, how the hell am I supposed to know what this means? What desires? I swear, his cryptic messages–Oh my God, Caspian!” She startles, clutching her chest whilst hunching over, mumbling more curses, which renders a ghostly smirk from me.
“This place is going to kill me way before my enemies do.”
“Are we okay over there?”
“We?” She stands, offering a deep inhale. “Last I checked, you didn’t just swallow your heart.”
“That’s impossible as much as it is dramatic,” I say, arching a brow.
“Hush, you.” Pocketing her phone, she walks around the sofa with the cutest attitude and stops before me. Her thoughts move faster than my mind can decipher. “First, what are you doing here, and second–”
“How did I get in here?”
Between her folded arms and squinted eyes, I’m not certain what area best fits my attention.
Sure as hell not on the thin fabric of her underwear, especially since her pelvis is aligned with my head.
But at least now Kyra is dressed. Gods, I put those on her?
A pair of red, high-rise, bikini, trimmed–
“Are you ignoring me, or do you need more time to think?” She’s witty. My smile meets her frown–half frown–now eyeroll. There’s the smile. “It’s not funny, Caspian.”
“I never said it was or said anything on the matter.” I lean back, away from the light, which feels determined to entice my stare below her waist. From this position, the fabric appears less transparent.
“If you’re refusing to answer, you can leave,” she says, making it nearly impossible not to give in. “Stop being difficult and answer me so you can stay.” I’m giving in.
“Okay, but only if you take a seat,” I counter, not willing to objectify her.
Kyra plops down, folding her legs and removing the hat she has been wearing since stepping out of her room. “I’m listening.”
Her fragrance is intoxicating, just as it was the first day I heard the thoughts that haunt my every waking hour. Intense magic with zero regards to privacy. Like it knew it was always welcome inside my mind.
“Has there ever been a point in time where temptation had you pinned, and every fiber of your being yearned for freedom? As if the Gods were enticing you to partake in certain pleasures, knowing it would ruin you if so much as a finger should dabble?”
She stares, taking her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbling in deep thought. “I…um, I’m not sure how to answer your question. What kind of pleasures are we talking about?”
“Nothing worth overthinking. It’s more rhetorical than pragmatic.” I blow a silent breath. “Think about it, and if an answer presents itself, let me know.”
“Okay, but what does this have to do with my questions?”
I’m not sure how to answer them. How you’ll receive this information.
Will you judge me, or accept it? Fuck. Years of keeping it a secret, why now?
What kind of joy will this bring you, Abraxis?
He remains quiet, and I grunt, considering there is no logical option that she could accept it.
“What happened earlier? Were you attacked?”
“What?” Kyra perks up, stiffening her posture. “Did someone tell you that?” She isn’t upset by the question, the furrow of her brows suggesting otherwise. Taken off guard, maybe, but I don’t respond, hoping she puts the pieces together. And when she doesn’t, I cave.
“I’m here because I was worried about you–your safety. But if I’m overstepping–”
“No. Never. Checking on me will never be overstepping. Am I making you feel as such? It was never my intent.” “Great, on top of last night, now this. I’m tired of these random battles I’m forced to fight…”
Her mind continues its self-inflicted torture, so I place up more mental walls. Kyra’s thoughts are her own, and because I can’t fully shield her out, I’m the cause of what is happening now.
“Stop. I won’t allow you to blame yourself for what I may or may not be feeling.
None of this is your fault, rather it’s my own doing.
If anything, blame me for showing up unannounced and invading your privacy.
” Another exhale drowns out my excessive heartbeat.
“Yes, I was worried about glooms being here. Yes, I came over because Ethan was attacking you. Neither gives me a reason for being here now. You’re not a person whom someone can stake a claim to, nor am I doing so. My body said move…and I did.”
This silence becomes loud. Thick. Heavy. A weight lifts off my shoulders yet is placed upon my chest, pressing my lungs with so much force that breathing becomes a first thought.
“How did…you know about…” she speaks slowly like pieces to this hellish puzzle are sliding into place. My secret is perched at the tip of my tongue, waiting to be spoken.
Kyra gasps, standing, and peers down with an inferno burning away the green of her eyes. Hell condemns me into Hades’s domain for what comes next.
“Caspian–please don’t tell me…are there cameras in these dorm rooms?” Panic tightens the skin around her brows as she visually searches her living area.
“No, not at all.” She couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Then how’d you know?”
Sighing, I share, “I can hear your thoughts. It’s my bloodline ability.”