Chapter 5 #2
“Raw, untapped power,” Kensington uttered.
“Strong?” Zach asked.
Kensington nodded once. “Oh, yes.” He swallowed, and in the sudden silence, Drew heard his throat bob.
“How strong?” Zach demanded.
Kensington glanced over at Drew, and he was surprised to see fear in those green eyes. “Stronger than I’ve ever seen in all my years,” he whispered. “Strong enough to destroy the very world.”
The silence that fell over the room was charged, and Drew looked between the two men in disbelief. “No fucking way!”
Zach glanced over at Drew as they made their way down the front steps and back onto the sidewalk.
He’d hardly said a word for the last half an hour and was still quiet and pensive, but Zach couldn’t figure out if it was in a good or a bad way.
Was Drew just processing the fact he had powerful magic in his lineage that had manifested intensely within him?
Or was he beginning to question his sanity?
Was he on the verge of bolting? Was he having regrets that this had ever happened?
Zach found it immensely frustrating that he couldn’t get a read on the situation, especially as that little flicker of hope had bloomed into a much larger flame.
Drew was powerful . . . extremely powerful.
This meant there was a very good chance he’d be able to break the bonds of the gem, the bonds that kept Zach a prisoner to Oberon.
Kensington didn’t know the spell needed to return Zach, however, he was confident that with some training, Drew would master his powers enough to be able to send him back without needing the actual spell itself.
Few magic users were strong enough to manage that, but Kensington had no doubts Drew would be one of them.
Zach just had to convince Drew to free him instead of returning him.
Which would mean Zach would likely have to come clean about what he actually was.
It was a painful story, one he wasn’t keen to have to retell, but if his future rested on the telling, then tell it he would.
Luckily, it would appear he had time on his side.
Drew wouldn’t master his powers overnight, and so Zach had a little time before he’d have to bare his soul—quite literally.
“You okay, kid?” he asked, bumping their shoulders together as they came to a halt in the bright sunshine.
“Hmmm?” Drew asked, looking up. His eyes cleared a little and he offered a small smile. “Oh, sorry. Yeah, I’m good. Just a lot to take in, ya know?”
“I bet.” Zach gestured down the street. “It’s a pretty nice day.
How ’bout we take a walk before going back?
I do believe we passed a sign on the way here that said this street once won Canada’s Greatest Street.
I’m not sure what constitutes a ‘great street’ but if it has anything to do with the bakery and cinnamon buns Kensington spoke of, I definitely think we need to check it out. ”
That earned him the shy smile he’d been going for.
Drew really was beautiful. The bright sun made his pale blue eyes appear almost translucent, and his unruly hair fell over his face, softening the sharp angles caused by malnutrition.
Even though Drew was probably the most powerful person he’d ever met, Zach found himself wanting to protect him at all costs.
He had the strongest urge to pull him into the protective circle of his arms and not let him go.
Instead, he placed a hand on the small of Drew’s back and turned him until they faced downhill, and they began to walk.
The headquarters of the Nightingale Collective was a couple of hundred metres up the road from the business district, and it didn’t take long until they’d left the houses behind and were walking past various storefronts.
Colourful banners hung from light poles, and hanging baskets overflowing with flowers added splashes of colour.
It was busy, with almost every parking space taken, and the sidewalks were crowded with people.
The largest crowd was a long queue of customers waiting to get into the bakery.
“Holy crap,” Drew murmured as they joined the end of the line. “How good are these buns?”
A woman in front of them heard him and turned with a grin. “You’ve not had one before?” she asked.
Drew shook his head.
“Oh, honey, you are in for a treat!” she declared. “Do you like cinnamon and cream-cheese frosting?”
Zach wasn’t imagining the wistful look in Drew’s eyes. “My mom used to make cinnamon buns for me when I was really little. I haven’t had one since she died but she always used cream-cheese frosting on them.”
The woman’s eyes softened and she reached out and squeezed his arm in comfort. “I think these buns will serve your mom’s memory well. I hope you enjoy them.”
Drew gave her a tight smile and then fell silent once she turned back to her friend.
Zach stood a little closer, offering silent support, and they quietly watched the other customers as they inched forward.
Once they got through the front door, a heavenly smell hit their noses and they both moaned a little.
“I think,” Zach said, eyes lingering on the end of the display case where a rapidly dwindling supply of cinnamon buns sat.
“We need to get one for now, and then get one for later.”
Drew just nodded.
They finally reached the counter and a bubbly young lady asked for their order.
They decided on a plain almond and cream-cheese bun each for now, and orange and poppy seed buns to take back home for after dinner.
Zach happily handed over his card and soon they had a small white box each in hand with their prizes inside.
Heading back outside into the sunshine, they wandered randomly from store to store, window shopping as they ate.
Suddenly, Drew frowned and moved towards a brown-brick building just up from the bakery.
Zach followed, but couldn’t see anything exciting in the windows at all.
In fact, it looked to be empty. “What is it?” he asked.
Drew pointed up. “It’s lined with swastikas!” he said, outraged.
“And?” Zach asked.
Glaring, Drew hissed, “I know you’re a demon and all, but surely even you can see the issue here?”
Zach frowned, thinking hard, and then it clicked. “Oh! Because of the whole Nazi thing.”
Were those lasers shooting out of Drew’s eyes?
“Yes, because of the whole Nazi thing,” Drew said, the finger quotes not at all necessary to convey his sarcasm.
Given he was still holding a box in one hand and the fingers of his other were covered in frosting, they were rather distracting.
Would Drew punch him if Zach leaned forward and sucked those fingers into his mouth?
Probably.
“This building looks pretty old. I’m pretty sure it predates the Nazis.
” Zach scanned the walls and saw a small plaque.
He skimmed it and grunted in triumph. “Yep, it was built in 1913. I missed the whole multiple World Wars business, but many of my colleagues were kept very busy with them. You do know the Nazi party appropriated the symbol and turned it evil, but it was actually a holy symbol for many religions for well over ten thousand years.”
“Really?”
Zach nodded. “Yeah. It was a symbol of hope.”
“Oh, that’s sad,” Drew said, his righteous anger deflating from him. “True to form, though, I suppose. They ruined so much for so many people.” He gave Zach a cautious look. “Being a demon, you’re probably the leader of their fan club or something, aren’t you?”
He scoffed. “No fucking way. There are some things even too evil for me. I’m glad those fuckers are in the deepest depths of Hell, getting what they deserve.”
Drew relaxed at that and his shy smile returned. “I keep forgetting you haven’t actually been on Earth for so long. Honestly, how do you know so much about what it’s like here?”
They began walking again, heading downhill towards the lower end of the street.
“At first I learned from stories, told from those who had been summoned. Some of them brought back books with them, and I’d read everything I could.
Then someone brought back a wireless radio and I would tune in each day to listen.
Then television. But the internet opened it right up.
I could live vicariously through that, learning about anything and everything.
Watching videos and shows made me almost feel like I’d actually experienced it for myself. ”
Drew hummed. “So, you really can’t leave Hell unless you’re summoned?”
“No, and that’s a good thing.”
“It is?”
“If we could leave anytime we wanted, this world would have been destroyed long ago.” He paused, wondering how to phrase what he wanted to say.
“Drew . . . I’m not like other demons. You’re extremely lucky you accidentally summoned me and not one of the others.
I’m an anomaly.” He shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to this sweet kid if it had been literally anyone else but him.
Drew looked at him for a long moment, assessing, and then he smiled, lighting up his entire face. “Well then, I’m glad I was lucky enough to get you.”
They shared a smile under the bright summer sun, and for the first time in eons, Zach felt .
. . happy. He had done some terrible, terrible things in his very long life—things that would horrify Drew—but right now, in this very moment, Zach didn’t feel like his soul was weighed down by those actions.
He didn’t feel the creeping, persistent guilt that had prevailed over him, day in, day out, since Oberon had chained him with the power of the gem.
Drew made him feel free, and perhaps if he was very, very lucky, he might one day soon actually be free.
“Is that a Timmy’s?” Drew asked, peering down the road.
Zach glanced further down the street and nodded. “It does appear to be one.”
“Could we maybe get a drink?” Drew asked, tentatively. “If that’s okay?”
“I thought you weren’t a fan of Canada’s iconic coffee chain?” he teased.
Drew blushed and shrugged. “It’s not all bad. It’s a nice day, so I thought maybe we could get a cold brew?”
Zach grinned and linked his arm with Drew’s. “That sounds delightful. Lead the way.”
They had used a rideshare service to get to Ladysmith, since the buses were infrequent and time-consuming, and they called for another to take them back to Nanaimo.
Zach glanced at his watch as they slid into the back seat and saw it was past midday.
They’d gotten their coffees and wandered back up First Avenue, stopping by the thrift store and reading the plaques on the historic buildings for another hour.
Zach was about to suggest they grab some lunch when they got back into town, when Drew’s phone pinged with a message.
He pulled it out and frowned a little as he read it and then cut his eyes to Zach.
“What is it?” Zach asked.
“Oh, Gwen and Dom are going out tonight for drinks with some of the others and they wanted me to come along.”
“Do you not want to go?”
“No, it’s not that, a drink would be kinda nice after the past week. It’s just . . .” He trailed off and couldn’t meet Zach’s eyes.
“It’s just that I’d have to come along and since there’s no way you could explain bringing a cat along, I’d have to come in this form,” Zach finished for him.
Drew chewed on his lower lip and nodded. “Yeah.”
Not entirely sure of the reasons behind Drew’s reluctance—and ignoring the pang of hurt as he worried that Drew was ashamed of him—Zach decided to make an offer instead.
“It’ll be a bit difficult, but I can try and stay ten feet away the whole night?
I could follow you in and find a seat close by but far enough away that you’d have privacy with your friends.
It’ll be tricky to make sure we don’t get separated, since it would be hard to explain us getting yanked back together by the tether, but if the bar they’ve picked is small enough that we can stick close to one another but busy enough I’m not noticed by your friends, we could make it work. ”
Drew’s brow furrowed. “Why would we do that?”
Zach gestured with his hand, hoping to encompass everything he was trying—and failing—to articulate. “Well, so you can have a night out.”
“Why can’t you be part of that night out? Do you not want to come along? I thought you might need a drink as well after today.”
The flutter in Zach’s stomach was ridiculous. He was aware of the attraction Drew felt for him of course, but the mere thought that Drew might want to spend time with him was altogether different. “Yes, I’d like to go,” Zach told him. “I just thought you might not want me to be there.”
The look Drew directed at him spoke volumes about what he thought of Zach’s intelligence. “Of course I want you to be there.”
“Then why the conflicted face?”
Drew sighed and looked away. “You know why.”
“I really don’t.”
There was a long moment of silence as Drew battled with his thoughts, and then he said in a rush, “Because people will wonder who you are and what you’re doing there with me. They’ll ask if we’re dating.”
“So?” Zach placed his hand on Drew’s knee and squeezed gently. “Why would that be a problem?”
“I’ve told you before,” Drew said. “No one will believe that someone like me managed to land someone as hot as you.”
Suppressing the smile at hearing Drew say out loud he thought he was hot, Zach said, “I don’t think you’re as far out of my league as you think you are, Drew. In fact, I’d say you’d definitely be drafted.”
Drew rolled his eyes at the extended sports metaphor but didn’t reply.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, we can tell them we’re just friends,” Zach offered.
“Well, we are just friends,” Drew said, sounding almost bitter about it.
“So what’s the problem?”
Drew’s face flushed crimson and after a long pause he admitted in a small voice, “I don’t want to have to watch other people trying to pick you up.”
“Is that so?” Zach tried not to sound smug about it, knowing it would just further embarrass Drew, but he was extremely pleased about the sentiment. He gave Drew’s knee another squeeze. “Don’t worry, you’re the only one I’ll be going home with.”
“Yeah, because we physically can’t be separated,” Drew muttered.
He grinned widely but didn’t respond. It seemed like the evening was going to be alive with opportunity. He’d all but lost the desire to keep his hands to himself, and now he had concrete proof Drew wouldn’t be opposed to him getting a little handsy. He leaned back in his seat and began to plot.