Chapter 16 #2
Luc’s eyes narrow, the way they always do when he’s already a few moves ahead of me in whatever game we’re being pulled into. “She said the man she ran into knew you. From Pomerium.”
I flinch at the word. It feels strange, hearing it spoken out loud in this tiny apartment. “She didn’t know what she was saying,” I reply, my voice tight. “She thought it was just a normal reference.”
“But it wasn’t.” Luc’s tone hardens, and when he looks at me, the glow in his irises pulse. Subtle, but unmistakable. “No one outside the realm would casually mention that name unless they meant to.”
I move toward the window, needing air, space, something. “So you also think it was a message?”
Luc doesn’t answer immediately. When he does, his voice is softer, but dead serious. “It wasn’t a coincidence, Cece. It was a warning. Someone knows where you are. And they wanted you to know that they know. That they could get to you anytime.”
My arms wrap tighter around myself instinctively. “But why go through Kate? Why involve her?”
He steps closer, just enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from him again, calming me. “Because they knew it would rattle you more if the message came from someone you love.”
A chill runs through me that no amount of warmth can undo. “You think they’ll come back?”
Luc hesitates.
Not a good sign.
“I think this was a test,” he says finally. “They wanted to see how exposed you are. How unprotected. And I don’t know how the person who witnessed us that night fits into the story, if at all.”
I spin to face him, my voice sharper now. “I thought you said I was protected. That no one from Pomerium could trace me here.”
“I said most couldn’t,” he replies, jaw tight. “But if they’ve found a way to slip between realms undetected . . .” He trails off, like he doesn’t want to finish the thought aloud.
“I’ve been careful,” I insist. “I’ve only talked to Kate about it. And that was because I thought I might be losing my mind.”
I look at him then. The glow in his eyes is gone now. They look almost human. Almost tired.
“Luc,” I say quietly. “What happens if they come for me?”
He steps closer, the floorboards creaking softly under his weight. His fingers brush against my arm. The touch is light, but it reassures me.
“Then they’ll have to go through me first.”
His voice is low, threaded with steel. I can feel the faint thrum of magic beneath his skin, coiled and restless.
Luc moves to the window, his silhouette framed by the city lights beyond. His shoulders are squared, but tension ripples through him, like he’s holding something barely in check.
I don’t move.
“Tell me,” I say, the words quieter than I intended. “I need to know what we’re actually up against.”
He turns slowly, his expression unreadable. “It’s not just Pomerium anymore,” he says.
He crosses the room, stopping just in front of the couch. When he speaks again, there’s something ancient in his voice. Reverent. Worn. Dangerous.
“To understand the threat, you need to understand more about what I am. What governs my kind.”
“We’re called Warpers,” he begins, eyes distant. “Gifted powers by the gods themselves. Some manipulate energy. Others fold space. Detect. Bend. Banish.”
He meets my gaze.
“But those of us born with all the gifts are extremely rare. Feared. Controlled.”
“So how many of you can do it all?” I ask, my voice barely holding.
“One,” he says. “Me.”
He looks uneasy saying it. “Travel. Erase. Lock out intruders. Harness raw power. I do it all. I am the most powerful Warper my realm has ever seen.”
I inhale sharply.
“Which means you’re a threat to a lot of people.”
“Yes.”
I sit down slowly, my knees suddenly unsteady.
“I have enemies outside my world,” he continues, “but lately I’m realizing I have them within as well. Pomerium is ruled by the High Order. Guardians of law, balance, and tradition. And at the helm is Aris. He has always kept a close eye on me.”
He starts pacing, restless. “He’s never trusted me. Always thought I was too independent. Too powerful. And now? I feel it in his energy. The way it twists when I’m near. He feels threatened. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already plotting to make me disappear.”
He stops pacing and faces me again. “But that’s not the worst of it.”
I glance up. “There’s worse?”
Luc nods, his voice dipping. “We’ve started detecting unfamiliar energy. Slipping into our realm from outside. Ancient. Corrosive. There’s talk of a resurgence. Of a forgotten kind.”
“We call them Surgers.”
I freeze. “I’ve heard that name.”
He watches me closely. “You’ve heard it? How? In dreams?”
I nod slowly.
“They were banished long before the Order was formed,” he says. “Beings of pure energy. Of destruction. If they’ve found a way in, or even near us, everything changes.”
Silence settles between us.
Luc sits beside me now. Not touching, but close enough to share breath.
“And then there’s you,” he adds. “You, Cece, are the piece none of them understand.”
I look at him, unsure where this is going.
“When I broke the laws to pull you from your fate,” he says, “I left a mark. On me. On you. And now something is changing in you. You can feel things. You recognized the name Surger. That energy you sensed the other night wasn’t a hallucination.”
“Something’s waking up in me,” I whisper.
“Yes,” he says quietly. “I believe so. And if that’s the case, they’ll want to control it. Use it. Or destroy it.”
I close my eyes, suddenly overwhelmed. “Why me, Luc? And why are you still risking everything for me?”
His fingers brush my hand, warm and comforting. “When I saw you, I didn’t just see someone in danger. I saw someone who hadn’t finished her story yet. Someone worth saving.”
His voice softens.
“And now . . . I can’t walk away. Maybe this is something deeper than either of us understands. Maybe you’re the one who changes how this ends.”