Twenty-Eight
With no time to lose, we began early the next morning.
The birds sang their tune on a neighboring tree, the morning song that somehow I'd gotten used to in the short time I'd been there. At some point between going to bed and waking, it had rained. The humidity still clung to the air, the smell of fresh rain a welcome scent.
We stood on the patio of the backyard ready to practice magic again as we had done before going to Tartus. Instead of training as actively as we had before, he made me stand in front of him, arms crossed not moving.
I could feel the heat of his body the closer he stepped towards me. My eyes lingered over his muscled chest and arms as he continued and I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. I cleared my throat trying to startle myself out of the daze I was in - and to stop myself from staring. "What are you doing?"
Gently, he placed his hands on my shoulders. "I have no idea but stay still."
As I watched him I felt a sudden pull. It moved me closer to him, closing the space between us.
He pushed me back gently. "That's not staying still."
I shook my head. "Sorry. I didn't know I was doing it."
He held me firmly in place again and suddenly I felt the pull again.
He pushed me back into place. "This isn't going to work. The calling is stronger than I thought."
I nodded, dazed, still working through the fog I was momentarily under.
"Gods," he mumbled. I could see him desperately clinging to some sanity. "In all the centuries ... I've never thought I'd need so much self-control as in this moment."
My lips parted as he spoke and I found myself nodding to whatever he was saying. "Hmm-hmm."
He laughed as his eyes went from my eyes to my lips. "Don't look at me like that, sweetheart."
I nodded but still watched him with half closed eyes. "Okay."
He groaned. "Oh, the hell with it."
My skin was on fire again.
And as abruptly as it started, it stopped - just as Julian pushed me into the pool directly behind me.
As soon as I hit the water I immediately appeared right behind him, pushing him as hard as I could, drenched from head to toe. "Why do you people keep doing that?!"
Julian laughed and turned, directing an attack at me. I raised a hand in front of me and deflected it back at the house. A crash rang throughout the space but that didn't stop his continued attacks. He pushed me and I pushed back making sparks of magic fly between us.
I laughed, giddy. I was powerful.
And it wasn't like the time I'd first been unbound, that was barely a scratch of what I was currently feeling. I felt invincible like nothing could stop me.
And it was mine.
Not someone else's to control or damper or claim.
Just as I felt new power start to grow within me Julian pounced.
One second I was standing near the door, the next I was spectered to the floor, pinned under Julian's crushing weight.
My head collided with something firm beneath it just as the air squeezed from my lungs.
He deviated my hands away and pinned them to the floor just as a light shot from them and hit a nearby table.
My vision danced as everything came slowly into focus around me.
Starting with Julian's handsome face. He'd groomed his beard closer to his jawline that morning. I could see the worry in his eyes as he watched me. "Are you all right?"
Somehow I gritted out, "You're crushing me. I can't breathe!"
I could hear Naida laughing somewhere nearby. "I knew you two would make up by now."
Julian looked up and shook his head.
"Get. Off."
Immediately, he rolled off letting me go.
As I coughed air back into my lungs Naida spoke. "Well, I'm off I will be back in a couple of days."
I turned to Julian. "What was that for?"
He raised himself from the floor and sat casually on it as he looked at me. He perched his elbow on his knee, tilting his head, "I rather you don't throw your magic at my baby sister while she is unprepared."
I sighed as I pulled myself up into a sitting position. "Fine, you're right." I turned to Naida as she stood in the doorway. "I'm sorry -" I stopped, frowning.
Naida looked back at me slightly taken aback. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"
Somehow I could feel something new about her. Since the night prior I could somehow start feeling people's energy. With Julian, I felt a gentle stillness. With Naida, there was jovial energy ... and something cold and new.
Something brand new.
I stood and approached her. "No. There's just something different."
Naida looked to Julian behind me. "She's freaking me out."
I frowned. The new energy seemed to concentrate around her middle.
"I can't put my finger on it," I whispered.
She stiffened. "W-What do you mean?"
"It's something new." Finally, it clicked. "Are you pregnant?" I smiled, excited. "A boy?"
Naida visibly paled and the silence that hung in the air between all of us seemed to stretch forever.
It was Julian that broke it. "Huh. My guess is you didn't know."
Naida shook her head, her black curls moving slightly across her forehead. "I-I have to go."
I regretted what I said as I watched her slowly take in my words. "I'm sorry, m-maybe I'm wrong!"
Naida suddenly smiled and placed a small kiss on my cheek. "Don't be silly, thank you." She hugged me quickly. "Thank you." As she turned, she disappeared, spectering presumably back to the Frozen City.
I turned to Julian. "Will she be okay?"
Julian smiled. "I'm sure she's gone to tell Axel the good news." He ran a hand through his black hair. "Hell of a time to be pregnant given the circumstances."
I shook my head as I looked at where she previously stood. "It completely took her by surprise."
"Come on, light fae," he finally said. "Let's keep practicing. We don't have much time left."
I turned to him. "Can you please tell me why you felt the need to push me into the pool?"
He stood and the same cushioned blue mat from before appeared on the floor between us.
"I tapped into the magic between us and, in not so many words, released it.
" He smiled. "So if at any point you feel the overwhelming need to kiss me or anything of the kind, please, by all means, don't hold yourself back. "
Gods. He knew how to push all my buttons. I could feel a muscle jump near my eye. "Can we just focus, please?"
He laughed out loud.
I threw myself into training. Whatever tether was held between us was suddenly sprung loose, almost like it had released me.
And I harnessed it - I used it to my advantage.
And magic was as easy as breathing.
I could specter further, specter objects without breaking them - build stronger barriers and have more powerful bolts of power spring from my hands. I was stronger, faster, my glamours lasted longer. Julian's magic intensified too but he still couldn't keep up with me.
Magic was at its strongest when we were.
And we felt invincible.
And it was all thanks to Julian.
Every waking moment was dedicated to learning basics on protecting myself and using my magic as an offense.
During daylight hours we'd train outside, using the sunlight as long as we could.
We only stopped for meals and at the end of the day.
I'd spent the nights curled up by the lamps of the house reading Axel's book, absorbing every detail I could trying to learn what I could that would help us.
Julian was doing research on his own too and was pouring himself over books almost every night. Nearly every night we would pass out in our respective seats while reading.
Then we'd wake in the morning, change and start everything anew.
We didn't have time for anything else. We didn't need distractions. No matter how many times I found myself daydreaming about his hands or eyes, how they lingered during training and definitely not that night in Tartus.
It was on the fourth day back from Tartus that I dreamt of Damien.
He stood at the edge of the Santa Monica pier from my memory, his dark hair fluttering in the breeze as the sun set on the horizon.
He seemed to be blending into the oncoming darkness of the night.
The darkening clouds overtook the dying light of the day and I saw lightning crash in the distance as the storm clouds moved in.
Funny, it hadn't rained that night we were at the pier.
As I approached him and he came into focus, I noticed his skin was paler almost grey. His eyes, that held such warmth every time I saw him throughout our lives seemed vacant, far away.
He looked so drained, exhausted.
He finally turned and smiled. The smile tugged at me, it was genuine but tired, barely reaching his supernatural violet eyes.
"I finally found you again."
I ran to him and hugged him fiercely. His hand reached for my cheek and I almost recoiled from the touch. Why was he so cold?
I took his hand in both of mine, trying to will some of my warmth to him. I watched his eyes as he smiled at me. "You look so different." His hand reached for my hair. "I don't remember the last time your hair was this short."
I choked out a laugh. "High school. I had gum in my hair and had to cut most of it off."
He smiled. "Ah, I remember. I really wished you would have waited for me to get it out for you."
I laughed again, "I do stupid things when I'm angry."
He smiled sadly. "I wanted to apologize."
I shook my head and hugged him again. Gods. I couldn't let him go. "There's nothing to apologize for."
I felt him nod. "There is. I'm sorry for dragging you into this. For not telling you how I felt sooner." He paused. "Maybe we would have had more time-"
I shook my head. "Don't talk like that."
I felt him chuckle and when he spoke again his tone was soft, soothing. "I have to, I don't have much time left. I'm sorry for not being with you when you needed me - for being so consumed with grief at my father's passing and my fate that I disregarded you."
I was sobbing. "Please don't say that."
"For not being worthy of keeping you or loving you as you deserve-"
I looked up at him and placed my hands on his cheeks. "I am going to save you, Damien. Please just give me a little time, I will bring you back-"
He shook his head as his hands wrapped around my wrists. He gently pulled them away from his cheeks. He looked at my fingers and smiled, placing small delicate kisses on them. "If only we had more time."
My heart twisted as I watched him, I could feel it breaking. He looked so defeated. Like the night he told me his father died. He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against my hand. "Maybe I have died and this is Tyrna after all."
Somehow his name broke through me in a half sob.
But it was as if he wasn't listening, instead, he watched me and leaned closer, softly pressing his lips against mine.
The wrecking sobs came and there was nothing I could do to stop them.
I was losing him, I could feel him slipping from my arms even as I wrapped them around his neck and pulled him to me.
I willed my strength to him, trying to give him everything I could to pull him back to me, to keep from losing him.
The feeling intensified and I felt like I was burning inside my skin, the tingling feeling took over and I couldn't stop it as it continued to grow. I gave him everything I could, transferring whatever energy I had to him - damning every consequence. I couldn't lose him.
Something pulled at me and instantly I was no longer at the pier. I was sitting in a large chair, in front of a fire, Julian shaking my shoulders so hard my head hit the back of the chair I sat in.
There was no denying the fear in his eyes as he looked at me. "Emylin, are you all right?"
I shook my head and cried again, the overwhelming sadness taking over again. "It's Damien. W-We can't just sit here - he's dying, I just saw him."
"What?"
I placed my head in my hands. "He came to me, h-he's not going to last long if we don't do something."
"Damien?"
I looked at the voice of the man that somehow I'd overlooked standing behind Julian. When did Asmo come back?
His eyes were still one of his most striking features. They were as black as coals, looking at me as if they could suck my soul right out. And his smile... it was mocking as if he was trying his hardest to stifle his laugh.
"Julian," his lip twitched. "I wasn't aware this was a rescue mission."
Julian glanced behind him at the man as he still knelt in front of me in the chair. "Shut up, Asmodeus."
He snorted, crossing his arms. "Is that any way to talk to your King?"
"What?" I wiped my tears from my cheeks.
"Don't listen to him, Emylin."
I ignored Julian and looked at Asmo. "What did you just say?"
He didn't miss a beat. "Didn't you know, Emylin? I am the rightful heir to the throne of the Underworld. With Damien dead, I am the true king."
"You are not King," I almost spat, the anger boiling over inside me. "Damien isn't dead."
I felt Julian's grip loosen and I turned to him. "Emylin," he whispered as his hands dropped. "Damien is dead. He has been dead." He wouldn't look at me. "This entire time."
I felt as if I'd been stabbed in the chest. I couldn't breathe.
"Oh, darling," Asmodeus sighed with mock sympathy.
"You haven't been training to save him.
You've been training to kill Robyn in the Damien suit.
" He looked at his nails. "I'm paraphrasing, of course, I think the words Julian used were 'Damien's corpse' not 'Damien suit'.
Forgive me, I want to be absolutely correct with my words. "