Chapter 15
Agnes
A whispered curse woke me two mornings later, and I frowned, looking around the room until my eyes landed on Zan. He was dressed, which he hadn't bothered to do for days, and standing three feet away, one of his horns stuck on a ceiling beam.
"Who the fuck put this beam here?" he muttered.
Touji stirred in his sleep, and Zan froze like that, one knee up like he was about to take a step, one horn hooked around the beam, his arms inexplicably out to the side, like he was about to pirouette. When Touji settled back to sleep, Zan breathed out a sigh and reached up, unhooking his horn from the offending beam, shooting it a dirty look.
I tried to hold back a laugh.
For someone so sexy and dangerous-looking, he really was a big goof.
My heart raced as I tiptoed into the kitchen after him. I rounded the corner to find Zan's imposing figure hunched over something small and glinting. Touji's stopwatch.
"What are you doing?" I hissed. "And why are you sneaking around like a big doofus?"
Zan's golden eyes flicked up to meet mine, a mischievous glint dancing in their depths. "I'm not a doofus. That was graceful. The beam came out of nowhere."
I snorted. "Sure it was. Why do you have Touji's watch?"
"What does it look like, sweetheart? I'm making a very foolish decision."
I crossed my arms over my chest, wrapping Touji's white shirt around me. "Care to elaborate?"
"I can't ruin Touji's life. Or yours. The Guild will be after me, and I can't drag you both into that mess. You have your dance studio. Touji loves chasing his artifacts. You should both live your lives in peace, without worrying about me."
My stomach dropped. Was he leaving us? After everything we'd been through? "Zan, of course we'd worry about you."
Zan smiled sadly and pressed the button on the stopwatch before I could speak, ending its restriction on his magical abilities. "I made this mess centuries ago, and there's no undoing it. We'll just hope the whole rumor is true."
"What rumor?"
"That people I love can live as long as I need them to live," he said simply, making my heart squeeze in my chest. "Perhaps even until I finish this hibernation, for example." He held eye contact for a moment, letting his words sink in. He loved us — or thought he did, at the very least.
"You don't have to do this. Touji is going to search for a solution." But even as I was speaking, a pulse of energy rippled through the room, making my skin prickle. Zan wiggled his fingers, and sparks danced between them. "Well, would you look at that," he purred, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I've got my magic back."
Zan crossed the room in two long strides, his towering form suddenly looming over me. My breath caught as he cupped my face in his large hands, the heat of his skin delicious against mine.
"Wait for me," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "Tell Touji what I did was out of love. I can't say goodbye to him, because he'll try to stop me. And you know how I love following his cute bossy orders."
Before I could process his words, Zan's lips crashed against mine in a forceful kiss. It was over too quickly, leaving me dizzy and breathless.
"Zan, wait—" I started, but he was already moving away, his hands weaving intricate patterns in the air.
A shimmering portal materialized in the middle of the chalet's cozy living room, swirling with otherworldly hues. Zan flashed me one last roguish grin before stepping through.
"I think you're forgetting something!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest as the portal began to shrink.
Oh God. Was this really happening? My mind raced. It wasn't just that Zan had left — that was bad enough — but he had left us stranded in this remote Swiss chalet. How would I explain this to Touji? To the owners?
Only seconds after the portal winked out of existence, another burst into being. Zan stumbled through, a beautiful gold and diamond necklace in his hand.
"It occurred to me that we agreed to leave a gift for the owners!" he announced triumphantly, dumping the glittering pile onto the coffee table. Then he turned back and reached through the portal again, tossing a pile of laundry onto the bed. "I was thinking maybe we should just steal their bedding at this point and replace it with these. We'll leave them a note, assuring them that the necklace is a very valuable gift."
I gaped at him, torn between relief, exasperation, and an inexplicable urge to laugh. "You're unbelievable," I managed to say.
"This is highly illegal," Touji said, sitting in the bed. His black hair was disheveled, and I wondered how much of that he'd been awake for. "And you can't travel between the realms like that. They have sensors now. They'll know."
Zan's booming laugh filled the room. "We'll hurry then! Make the bed, put on some clothes. It's time to go, my little law-breakers!"
Touji leapt out of bed. "We need to move fast. They'll already be assembling a team to capture you at your house." He bundled up the dirty bedding and threw it through the still-open portal, then yanked his leather pants over his hips. "Agnes, stop standing there like you're in shock and move!"
I was startled into action, rushing around with Zan to write a note and leave things as neat as possible. Then Zan grabbed our hands, his grip warm and strong.
Before I could blink, we were hurtling through a swirling vortex of color and light. My stomach lurched as we emerged on the other side, stumbling onto the plush crimson carpet.
I gaped at our surroundings. "Holy shit, Zan. You live in Liberace's wet dream."
Zan laughed. "I don't know what that means."
"It means it's a bit much," I said, trying to be kind.
"It means 'a bit much' got together 'tacky' and made a baby," Touji said, staring at the space. Gilded columns stretched toward impossibly high ceilings. Velvet drapes cascaded from ornate windows, and everywhere I looked, something sparkled or glowed.
"Are those real gemstones in the picture frames?" I asked, stepping closer, then realizing the art was of a human woman in a beautiful gown taking three cocks at once.
"Some of them," Zan said casually.
Touji's voice drew my attention. "Why do all the fountains depict people fucking?" He was standing near a wall of sculptures, some of which had water spurting out of them in a rather suggestive manner. Intertwined marble bodies danced in various states of ecstasy. My cheeks flushed as I took in the explicit details.
"Ah, well," Zan began, a hint of embarrassment in his usually confident tone. "I may have gone through a bit of an erotic art phase a few centuries back."
Before he could elaborate, the grand doors burst open. A flood of stern-faced figures in matching uniforms poured in, surrounding us.
"Zangraxath the Destroyer," one of them barked. "You're under arrest for violation of your parole."
"No!" Touji shouted, stepping between Zan and the approaching agents. "Anya. You can't do this!"
"Agent Inoue. This is not up for discussion. We must follow due process."
"How come he calls her Anya, but she calls him by his last name?" I whispered to Zan.
"Because she's an angel. She only has the one name," he whispered back.
My heart plummeted as two burly agents rushed past the stern-faced woman and seized Zan's arms, their grips unyielding despite his impressive physique. The golden glow of his eyes dimmed, resignation settling over his features.
"It's okay," he mouthed, meeting my gaze with a sad smile.
I felt Touji's arms encircle me, pulling me close as Zan was led away. His warmth enveloped me, but did little to ease the ache in my chest.
"Agnes, listen to me," Touji murmured, his breath tickling my ear. "It'll be alright. I promise I'm going to fix this."
I wanted to believe him, but doubt gnawed at me. "How?" I whispered, my voice cracking. "They said he violated some law. What if..." My stomach turned as I imagined the worst of scenarios.
"Shh," Touji soothed, running a hand through my hair. "I've got connections in the Guild. We'll figure this out."
As the last of the agents filed out, dragging Zan with them, a horrible realization hit me. I pulled back from Touji's embrace, meeting his concerned gaze.
"Touji," I said. "Zan told me before he left that he was going to let this happen. He... he sacrificed himself for us."
Touji's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "He was afraid of the life we'd have on the run with him. So he... he let himself get arrested. For us."
The weight of Zan's sacrifice settled over us like a heavy blanket. As I stood there in Touji's arms, surrounded by the gaudy opulence of Zan's ridiculous palace, I couldn't help but wonder: What the hell were we going to do now?
"We'll find a solution where that doesn't need to happen. I promise you that, Agnes."
"She said it was all due process. Does due process here allow for an appeal?" I asked.
Touji grinned. "I think you might be onto something."