Side by Side
Sienna
Later that evening, I find Ahren sitting on the low fence bordering the training yard. Because it’s so full of snow, the fence is barely two feet above the ground.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” I ask as I trudge through the snow, holding out the steaming mug of coffee I’ve brought him.
“Just enjoying the silence,” he says quietly before giving me a smile as he accepts the hot drink. “Thanks.”
I look around. The wind is still howling loudly, and the faint hum of the dome can be heard, but aside from that, it is quieter away from the chatter of the men and women stationed here.
“I guess I can see that,” I say as I take a seat beside him. My foot slips in the snow, and he takes my hand, helping me until I am seated beside him.
“This reminds me of winters as a kid. Remember when Mom or Aunty would turn the pool or pond into an ice rink, and we’d enjoy playing on skates?” Ahren chuckles, motioning to the snow-filled training yard.
I smile, remembering those days. Ahren, Heaven, Tatum and I had a lot of fun.
“Yeah, it was so much fun, and when we went inside, Jaddati would have hot fried snacks and hot drinks ready for us,” I agree, resting my head against his arm.
“Yeah, near the fireplace,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee.
We fall silent, reminiscing about memories of the past. “So, what are you going to do?” he asks after a moment.
I stare out at the blizzard, my smile fading. “I think I’m going to stay for a bit longer. I know why I wanted to come, but I genuinely feel I can be of use here.”
“Because of the barriers, or is the dome itself the reason?” he asks. I glance up at him, cocking an eyebrow.
“The barriers. But what do you mean by the dome?” I ask curiously. “I mean, yeah, it’s intriguing, and I can’t deny that the similarity between our barriers and the dome has captured my attention.”
“Not the words I’d use to describe it.” He frowns, and I raise an eyebrow.
“How would you describe it then?” I ask.
He’s quiet for an extremely long while, and I’m beginning to worry. His brows knitted together in a way I don’t see very often.
“Disturbing, unsettling and extremely powerful.”
“Yeah, the power is immense.”
“Have you touched it?” he asks quietly.
“No…” I say, a sliver of worry rushing through me. “Ahren? What is it?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing… I guess we perceive things differently. Or we, as different types of demons, do.” He gulps down his drink, and I stare ahead in silence. “Don’t touch it; I don’t think it forgets.”
It?
“Ahren, you’re being cryptic. Too many days spent with Dante, maybe?” I point out with a small smile.
He smiles faintly. “Well, we do spend an unhealthy amount of time together,” he chuckles.
“The mysterious quests,” I tease.
“Of course.”
“But really, what do you mean it doesn’t forget?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I think the assumption that demons made that barrier is true. No, I’m pretty sure it’s true,” he murmurs.
“You think there are demons within it?”
“I can’t say; I need to research it a little more. But for that, I have to go back to England; there’s something I need to look into. Are you sure you’ll be ok here? You know things will only get harder with your heat,” he says, giving me an apologetic smile when I roll my eyes.
“How many times have I said I don’t like you guys talking about it?” I pout.
He chuckles. “Yeah, I get that, but I had to ask the question.”
I sigh. “I don’t know, but I have to make use of the time I have.”
“Yeah, there’s only so much you’ll be able to take.”
I nod. “I know…” The mood becomes sombre as we both stare out at the darkness.
“Sienna.”
I look up at him. It isn’t often he’ll call me by my name.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“I touched that dome, and I felt so ravenous for it – for the power it held.” His voice is low, barely a murmur in the wind.
My heart skips a beat as I watch him. He isn’t done yet, and I remain silent, waiting with bated breath.
“And… I had the urge to rip it down, to seek the source of that power and claim it. Only the gods know if I would have succeeded, but I wanted to… And then I heard a voice.”
“A voice?” I ask.
He nods. “She said, ‘Don’t do it’. That was it…
I’ve never heard that voice before, but I felt like I knew her, that I needed to find her, and the moment she spoke, I was able to pull away from the dome and come back to my senses.
” He now looks at me with uncertainty in his eyes. “What do you make of that?”
I frown thoughtfully as I look at the snow in front of me. “It could be a variety of things… Maybe if you allowed me access to the information you have on demons and what our abilities can manifest into, I could help,” I point out, reminding him he had promised he would.
“And I will, the moment you get back to England, just… keep this between us.”
“Why are you so doubtful about sharing it?” I ask curiously.
He hesitates, as if unsure whether he should answer the question I’ve asked him before, but he’s always deflected it.
Unless you swear secrecy, Sienna, I won’t say anything more.
But there are people I can’t keep secrets from, I whisper back through the mind-link.
The choice is yours; that is my condition. Knowledge is power, Si, and I don’t plan to give anyone that power, he murmurs through the mind-link.
I nod. I get that…
Ok… What if I can tell just one person, a person I have sworn to myself that I will never lie to again? I look up at him, and he sighs.
“Women really can’t keep anything inside. I assume you mean Jayce.” It’s a statement.
I nod, sipping my coffee. “Yeah…”
“Fine, once and only if you both reconcile.” He smirks.
“If?” I huff. “Have faith.”
“I do. In both of you. Well, the reason I have never shared is…” he trails off as he finishes off his hot drink. We’re demons, and no matter how powerful we are, we can still be bound to serve, he adds through the mind-link.
My heart thunders as I stare at him. Bound… Used?
That means… Like the djinn was years ago by the Escarras, but-
Exactly, and I don’t think anyone thought about it, but I am fairly certain Mom wasn’t just a prisoner of Endora; I think she was enslaved to serve her.
With her immense power, Mom should have been able to break out, but I think she wasn’t able to; I think Endora had command over her.
She wouldn’t have been truly free until Endora died.
Unease settles into the pit of my stomach. That makes sense… Mom is powerful, even if Endora was, too. Mom should have been able to put up a bit more of a fight… but she obeyed. When she talked about it, she sounded helpless, like she had no choice.
So, you’re saying even part-demons can be enslaved?
Yes. And the information I have mentions this, so if that’s knowledge you desire, I will give it to you, but I need you to swear you won’t share it with anyone. Not Heaven or Allie. And only tell Jayce the bare minimum. If you promise me that, it is yours.
I nod slowly, still shocked by what I just learned. “I promise.”
“Good.” He sticks his tongue out, and I prod his arm, smiling.
“But I am curious about this voice you heard… Was it a pretty voice?” I ask slyly.
He cocks a brow. “Kinda? It was seductive, very enticing and yet… mysterious.” He frowns, and I laugh softly.
“Are you hooked on a voice, brother?”
“No. I just need to know what or who that was.”
“Well, if I can help you figure it out, I will. Now, come on, let’s have some fun!
” I say. Raising my hand, I whisper a spell, feeling my power bend in a way that isn’t normal.
Frowning, I focus on pulling on my demon magic as I freeze over the floor of the training ground until it’s one big ice rink.
They weren’t kidding when they said magic doesn’t work properly here.
“Si…” Ahren says with a small smile, realising what I’m doing when I raise my feet and add blades of ice to the bottom. I then do the same to his boots. “I haven’t skated in ages.”
“I know, but come on, I don’t even know how well they’ll hold with the interference,” I admit, giggling as I place my empty cup down.
He grins. “Risk-taker, I’m not insured, you know.”
“It’s fine, you’ll live!” I exclaim as I get up and pull him onto the ice.
He chuckles as I race off. I may not have skated in a couple of years, but it’s not something you forget.
I dance across the rink, spinning when I near the other side, turning to see that Ahren has made his way onto the ice.
I laugh as I watch him test the blades, clearly having no faith in my work.
Before I can gloat too long, he tests them out, and then he’s gliding across the ice before he pivots and does a slow spin.
“Oh, yay! You can do it! Look!” I’m laughing so hard I nearly miss my edge. “Oops!”
He chuckles as we drift toward the centre and, without even planning it, I reach for his hand just as I used to do when we were kids, and he takes it just as he would back then.
We swing our arms once, twice, and then he pulls me into a side-by-side spin. I tuck in close, my shoulder brushing his, and we rotate together, faster and faster until the rink blurs into streaks of white. I can’t stop giggling the entire time, strands of my hair whipping in my face.
When we come out of it, dizzy and breathless, he gives me that sly smile, the one that tells me he’s about to do something stupidly ambitious.
“Ahren,” I warn, suspicious as he motions me to move back.
I listen, skating backwards anyway, trusting him.
He glides towards me, gripping my waist, and lifts me.
It’s not some perfect, polished competition move, but his hold is steady.
My feet leave the ice, and I let out a surprised yelp.
For a second, I feel weightless, everything a blur.
He sets me down smoothly, far smoother than I expected, and gives me a mock bow.
“I’m impressed,” I say.
“We are reckless,” he sighs, making me burst into full-on laughter, bending forward, hands on my knees.
“We are insane,” I agree between giggles.
He’s smirking, his eyes bright in a way I haven’t seen in a while.
And just like that, we take off again, racing each other down the makeshift rink, throwing in little jumps and sharp turns like we did when we were kids, pretending we were showing off for an imaginary crowd.
I build speed, push harder, and swing into another spin, this one faster, tighter.
I pull my arms in, blade biting cleanly into the ice as the world blurs into streaks of white.
I’m laughing while I spin, dizzy and fearless, when I spot a figure not too far in front of me. He’s wearing a fur coat, arms crossed.
Jayce.
My stomach somersaults in a way that has nothing to do with skating, and my focus shatters. My balance wobbles and then I spiral out of control, and I hear myself let out a startled half-laugh, half-yelp as the ice blade of my boot gives way, and I tumble forward.
Everything happens too fast. One minute I’m upright, the next the world is tilting as I’m careening towards him. I stumble out of the spin, momentum carrying me straight toward him. I brace for the fall, but instead I collide into a warm, broad chest.
His scent envelops me; his arms catch me firmly around the waist, while my surviving skate scrapes against the ice as he steadies me, and pleasure jolts through me, rushing straight to my core.
I look up at him slowly, my eyes wide, breathless, heart racing for an entirely different reason now, and when I hear the small puff from behind me, I realise Ahren’s left me alone with Jayce.
Oh gods.