Chapter 34 #2
Fen looked down to the female soul on the floor in front of him, wrapped in shadows.
She moaned as her pain flowed between them, sweeter and more potent than anything he’d ever tasted.
It lingered for a moment before turning into power that trickled into his stores in an effervescent cascade.
Irritation rippled through him at the interruption.
He hadn’t had nearly enough. The edge of the hunger that was always with him was barely dulled.
Reality seeped in slowly. Talia was here, instead of in his bed where he’d left her.
She wore one of his shirts over her leggings, and she looked like she’d been thoroughly debauched.
The guilt for what they’d done the night before resurfaced, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.
And then the fact that she was seeing him feed hit him like a punch to the gut. Shame curled in his belly like poison.
“I can explain.” The woman at his feet collapsed as he released her from his shadows. “I’m siphoning off her pain to ease her suffering.” His voice shook slightly.
“Bullshit. I know pain when I feel it, and while you were feeding, she was in an immense amount of it. You weren’t making it better. You were making it worse.” Fen swallowed at the fury in Talia’s gaze.
“I may have inadvertently gone too far.” He reached down to help the woman to her cot, but she flinched away from him.
“How often do you do this?”
“I told you, it was an accident.” He grabbed a blanket and laid it over the woman instead.
“Don’t lie to me. How often?” Talia crossed her arms over her chest. There was no empathy in her gaze, just cold, hard judgment.
This was a mistake, just like sleeping with her. She’d never understand. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “Just because you don’t like the answer doesn’t mean there’s a different one. Don’t make it a big deal when it’s not.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re supposed to help these souls, not hurt them.” Disgust rolled off of her.
His cheeks burned. “I do help them.”
“This is not what I signed up for. Do the others know?”
Panic nearly blinded him. “No. And they won’t believe you if you tell them.”
She glared at him. “We’ll see.”
“They’ll think you’re bitter because you finally wheedled your way into my bed and it was a mistake.
” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Fen wished he could take them back, but a wild part of him knew this was the only way to silence her.
He’d worked too hard to rebuild after his ascension to have it all come undone because of one stupid misunderstanding.
Her mouth dropped open. “That’s not what happened.”
“Isn’t it? You know I don’t sleep with people in my service anymore. You know why, and you convinced me to break my rule against my better judgment. I knew as soon as it was over that it was a mistake.”
“Funny how you didn’t know until after you’d stuck your cock in me.” An angry flush spread across her cheeks and down her throat.
“The sex was good, but it’s been a while.” He shrugged, knowing it would piss her off more.
“You asshole. If you think this will keep me from telling them, you’re wrong. They’ll listen to what I have to say.”
His heart raced at her determination, but he kept his expression even, raising one eyebrow.
“Really? The three of them are so wrapped up in each other they forget you’re even here half the time.
What are you going to do? Join them in the bedroom?
Tell me, is sex your solution for everything?
” The barb hit exactly where he’d intended it to, in the tenderest part of her.
He knew he’d won when tears appeared in her eyes.
It was the shittiest victory he’d ever had.
“I hate you.” The words were a whisper. “Keep your fucking secrets. It’s all you’re good at, but one day they will find out. And they will all leave you.” She turned on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
I returned to my body with a jolt, so much power flooding through me until I was nearly overflowing. My body lit up, so bright it was blinding. It was as if a dam had broken, setting a torrent free. There was no controlling it. All I could do was endure.
Except I didn’t know if I could. It was too much all at once. A scream built in my throat as I gritted my teeth, trying to hold it all in.
“Maeve. Fuck. Hold on.” Fen’s voice was frantic. “I can’t—I’m sorry. I’m trying.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Titus move towards me, his hands reaching for me. I flinched back, not knowing what would happen if he touched me. I might burn right through him.
I threw up my hands to ward him off, but my hold on the power surging through me slipped, and a stream of light struck him square in the chest, lighting up his entire body.
My heartbeat thrashed in my ears as his back arched and his muscles seized.
The stream of power was so strong, I couldn’t move.
My limbs locked up, preventing me from redirecting the flood away from Titus.
“Pull it back,” Fen said, shadows streaming from his hands, trying to smother my light. It simply burned right through them.
With a scream, I pulled with every ounce of strength I had.
I felt Fen pulling, too, wrestling with the deluge of his power to separate it from me.
After a heart-stopping handful of moments, it finally gave.
I reeled it back in and the flow reversed, emptying out of me until all that was left was the cool absence of it.
Titus collapsed, toppling to the floor. Marcus and Fen rushed towards him, but I held back. His skin was mottled with black, as if he’d been burned, and he was so still I feared the worst.
My hand flew to my mouth as Marcus gently rolled him over and bent his ear to Titus’s mouth, listening for breath.
Images of my family lying dead on the grass flashed through my mind.
I shook my head, trying to dislodge them.
This couldn’t be happening. Not again. I couldn’t face being responsible for another death of someone I cared about.
Breath rasped in my throat and my hands trembled as Marcus felt for a pulse. Every second that ticked by wound me tighter and tighter.
“He’s still here,” Marcus said finally, his expression grim.
I let out a shaky breath, my eyes burning with tears.
“Badly injured but not gone.” He stroked Titus’s cheek.
“We should get a healer,” Fen said, standing.
“Or you could try.” Marcus looked at me.
I looked at my hands. Could I heal him? I’d never done that before.
Titus was almost motionless. His chest barely rose and fell. It was wrong seeing him like this instead of laughing and joking.
Drawing power was the last thing I wanted to do—for all I knew I’d make it worse—but I couldn’t bear not to try. The chance of fixing him, of redeeming myself, was too seductive to pass up.
Kneeling on Titus’s other side, I held my hands over his chest like I’d seen Death do.
My eyes flicked to Fen who nodded, his mouth a tight line.
Biting my lip, I drew a tendril of power from him.
It felt so laughably small compared to what had just run through me, but I was afraid to draw anything more.
At least not until I knew I wouldn’t hurt Titus.
Directing my power was all about intention. I wanted to heal, so I fixed that purpose in my mind as I let the thread I’d gathered from Fen flow. My hands glowed, but nothing else happened.