Chapter 4 Vaxan #2
I’d seen him also assist somebody he clearly did have a personal connection to.
The lovely dragon princess. That predatory—and I meant that far from any innocent, primal, animal way—Keuric, who clearly had his eye on her, had attempted to corner her in an alcove outside the main building.
Winter had sent his Wraith frost crackling along the stonework toward Keuric, which had trapped his hand in a makeshift cuff long enough to prevent him from reaching Evira.
She’d walked on by freely, talking on her phone, none the wiser that he’d even been there.
With her dragon senses, she should have registered him there, but she seemed to get far too distracted in whatever she was doing at the time and often blocked out her surroundings inadvertently.
“So, did you manage to clock them all?” the Celestial asked him.
He scrubbed his hand over his face. “No. I used Soul Track and mostly only ascertained death-touched energy signatures.”
“Well, that’s okay. It’s a good start. Besides, your dad said to practice, not expecting you to do it perfectly right off the bat. Especially when you haven’t used it for a long while.”
“True.”
She held out her hand to him. “Come on. Forget that for now and let’s have some fun.”
I saw him intending to go with her, but then he flinched as something caught his eye.
I followed his line of sight to see him noticing that infuriating Ifrit, Zayn. The chaotic ball of aggression was holding court, as I’d noted him doing all over campus. Unlike us, this was his fourth-year here, so he was already well-established.
And, as I zeroed in on him, it seemed he wanted to make that undoubtedly clear to Winter.
He was grinding on the dance floor with fiery figures made of his fuchsia magical flame entertaining those nearby, while a vampire in just a pair of low-hanging slacks undulated behind him with his hand down the front of Zayn’s designer jeans.
A wolf was licking his throat and nipping at his ear.
And there was even a sorceress running her hands all over his chest that was accessible with his leather vest open wide.
Through it all, his hooded gaze narrowed on Winter and he smirked rather nastily.
Winter stepped back and told his Celestial companion, “You go ahead. Be with your friends. I’ll see to myself.”
She frowned, having not noticed what had upset him. “Win—”
“I’m really fine. No more babysitting needed, Christalyn.”
“You’ll stay and try to have some fun, though? Mingle?”
“Promise.”
“Okay.” She ruffled his soft black-brown hair and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then headed into the depth of the party toward some Light Fae who waved her over excitedly.
Winter released a heavy sigh.
And then he startled me—an incredible feat in itself—as he swung his head toward me and asked, “More observer than participant, are you? I saw you come in here twenty minutes ago from my balcony. Have you been concealed over here the entire time?”
He’d seen me?
With the way I moved, that would only be possible if he’d been actively tracking me, looking out for my arrival. Highly interesting.
I stepped out and revealed myself.
“Vaxan Canor,” I spoke, holding out my hand to him.
He smiled and we shook. “I know.”
Hmm. “Then clearly I’m not the only observant one, Winter.”
His smile widened. It wasn’t the plastered-on one from before. It was genuine. I noted that he had a soothing innocence to him as he smiled, his amethyst eyes shining, his whole face lighting up, in fact.
I took a little too much delight in his stunning eyes traveling the length of me, his attempt to make it respectful incredibly endearing like so much I’d already catalogued about him.
He drank in my sleeveless leather vest with the high collar folded open at my throat, the vest itself fitted to my muscular physique, much of which was attributed to my slight obsession with hand-to-hand combat.
It didn’t exactly come naturally to my species; most were more willowy and graceful than anything else.
After lingering on the good portion of my chest visible with the low and open cut of the fabric, he noted the gemstone buttons fastening it, then sweeping down to my broad belt through my matte black leather pants.
His lips lifted at my forearm bracers that were etched with serpentine patterns, and then he settled on the armored shoulders layered with feather-like panels that flared outward with a reptilian scale texture.
He stared at my deep gray eyes for a very intense moment, wherein I suspected he was attempting to see into me. That wouldn’t be possible unless I allowed it, and it wasn’t yet time for that. But he tried dearly, and I had to give him due credit.
He noted my crown of blackened metal veined with gold that sat atop my sharply styled onyx hair which was closely cropped on the sides and back but styled upward in a structured way on top.
“Sunveil shield?” he queried.
Very few people knew about that, let alone them being able to infer that mine was imbued in my crown.
My mother had been the architect of the Sunveil Accords for our people which had involved Ryker Morgan commissioning the creation of Sunveil enchantments for all Basilisks, something that had been forged by Arcanum Order.
Each one of my people had a certain item they’d had imbued, something they carried with them all the time, which shielded them temporarily from the harmful effects of the sun upon our species.
“Yes, exactly. No shriveling away or being weakened under direct sunlight all the while this beauty and its enchantment is connected to me.” I gestured at the ostentatiously mammoth quartz bar in the distance. “Would you care for a drink?”
“Oh, I don’t… alcohol isn’t—”
“That much has been made apparent.”
He frowned. “How closely were you observing me?”
“Same question.”
“What’s that?” he asked, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“You claimed that you saw me come in here from where you were watching upon your balcony.”
He stared at me, amusement sparking and some flirtation undeniable.
Alas, it was replaced by anxiousness all too quickly.
He cleared his throat. “So, that drink… what else do they have here at that ridiculously overwrought, extravagant bar?”
“For your specific circumstances, I’d suggest Earthbark Elixir. It calms without impacting mental acuity. Neither does it dull reflexes or impair your control in any way.”
“And?”
“And?”
“What does it taste like?”
Ah, of course.
“That didn’t even cross your mind? The flavor? Whether it would be agreeable? Pleasurable to drink?” He gestured at my glass of cognac. “Is that even?”
I swirled the liquor around my glass. “I suppose not.”
He smiled with amusement. “Let’s get that drink.”
His jovial laughter rang out, and the hearty, unencumbered nature of it rolled right through me.
“An actual snake?” he managed to utter through it. “Striking terror into the heart of a Basilisk community?”
I couldn’t suppress a chuckle myself. “A cobra,” I told him. “It reared up from its coil, flaring its hood and stared at us as though it were about to exact a coup d’état.”
His laughter intensified and he slapped his hand down on the bar top.
“And you can’t petrify it,” I went on. “It’s the purest form of a Basilisk, one of the very few creatures immune to that ability.”
“So, what did you do?” He winced. “You didn’t kill it, did you?”
There was that innocence and empathy shining forth once again. He looked utterly devastated just at the very notion of it.
“No. That would be blasphemy to my kind. Snakes cannot be harmed, let alone have their lives snuffed out by us.” I shifted on my stool and leaned in a little closer. “While they can’t be petrified, they can be dominated.”
“You made it submit?”
“I did, yes. Then he turned literal tail and went on his merry way.”
“Wow, that’s really something.”
“Yes, well.” I took another sip of my drink.
I’d switched to the same non-alcoholic drink that I’d ordered for him—Earthbark Elixir.
And after his comment, I’d actually allowed myself to take in and savor the taste.
I’d forgotten how much I’d enjoyed it when I’d used it to soothe myself during my childhood, back when I’d been a highly anxious child.
Par for the course, given my upbringing.
The roasted nut-milk was thickened with a little salt and lightly sweetened with smoked honey, which combined earthy with a trace of spice.
Winter smiled at me. “Some people still think Basilisks can shift into snakes.”
“They do, yes. They hear the name and think of snake shifters. When, in fact, there is no shifting at all. Unless my camouflage ability counts.”
“I’d say not.”
“You’re more enlightened than most.”
“My parents ensured it.”
“After the prejudice they each experienced from different sources for many years before you were born?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, it seems they’ve done a great job of breaking the generational cycle. Even beyond the scope of raising you.”
He nodded, fiddling with his mug. “It’s a lot to live up to.”
“I understand that deeply.”
His gaze flicked to my crown. “I’d imagine you would, yeah. Best to revel in these lighter moments while we can, huh?”
I smiled. “Lighter. Pleasurable.”
Our eyes locked.
Heat blazed in his.
And I wasn’t above it either.
His left thigh that kept inadvertently brushing against mine pushed more firmly into me and remained so steadily.
I smirked, then relished another sip of my drink, before putting it down and pushing it away as I leaned in and dropped my voice low, “You should be made aware that—”
A commotion just beyond the black quartz bar pulled me up short, taking my attention.
Taking everyone’s attention, in fact.
Winter had his back to the situation. I’d purposely arranged things to ensure he didn’t have to look out at the happenings after what had occurred with the Ifrit.
I, on the other hand, had a full view of everything.