Chapter 26 #2
After several deep breaths, Cosmo is able to continue talking. “Then I was filled with a desire for power like I’ve never known; the need to conquer was a siren song, taking me over, so enticing, calling me.”
The men around me shuffle uneasily. The tension in the room rises.
Cosmo’s eyelids flutter, and he forces them open again. “But I knew it wasn’t right, my dragon knew. He was fighting it off, like the storm clouds in Avalon.”
“Let me hold you,” Alexis murmurs in my ear. “I can feel his pain pulling at you. You need to be tethered.” I don’t reply, just concentrate on what’s happening, but the minute Alexis’s arms circle around me I feel stronger.
“Amirene was there,” Cosmo says.
Shit, I wasn’t expecting that. “What do you mean?”
“She gave me a drop of something; Lumina? I think.” He coughs again.
“One mote floated down, and I swallowed it. That smoke is still inside me, but her Lumina and my dragon are preventing it from fully taking me over. From making me destroy you all.” His voice is raspy, like he’s choking on the evil fumes.
I’m pretty certain I know what I should do. “I’m going to hold your hand now, Cosmo.”
“Tee, no!” Donovan reaches around me to pull me away, but Max stops him. “Sparkles knows what she’s doing,” he grunts.
“How can we help you, pulu?” Alexis asks quietly. “The dark essence won’t wield like your Lumina.”
“I realize that, and it’s fucking scary, but I’m going to do it. Don’t let me go, Alexis.” I meet eyes with Donovan, then Ludo and finally Maximus. "None of you let me go."
I feel hands touch my shoulder, my thigh, my hair, then I take a breath to lower my arm.
As soon as I link fingers with Cosmo, the world tilts. The apartment walls dissolve into gray mist, and the floor drops out from under me.
Then I’m nowhere.
◆◆◆
It’s not quite pitch black.
I’m still holding Cosmo’s hand, and when I move, I realize the only illumination is coming from my own skin.
After a moment of concentration, I increase the glow so that I can see properly.
And what I see is living smoke rotating around Cosmo’s wrist—like a hundred tiny eels.
Or hyenas circling their prey.
Then when I look at his face…oh shit. The smoke is also swirling behind his eyes.
—Keep fighting off the darkness—
A shudder runs through Cosmo’s frame.
—Trying—
Like Amirene told me, I follow my instincts.
If she gave him a speck of her essence, then surely I can do the same?
I visualize the lilac sparks dancing inside my body, but when I command them to go towards Cosmo, they’re reluctant.
Don’t blame them.
This man has been nothing but awful to me. Why should I help him? Moving closer, I stare up into his beautiful, cruel face. His exterior is so at odds with his poisonous interior.
And his horrendous upbringing does not excuse his sadistic, evil behavior.
The Elite is staring at me with desperation in his eyes. It fills me with pleasure. I hate him so fucking intensely.
Why am I still holding his hand? Ugh.
When I release the hold, he lets out a tiny sound of sadness. A deep gloating settles in my gut, and I step into the endless darkness that surrounds us, walking a full circle around my nemesis.
Cosmo stays frozen on the spot, but his eyes follow me as I move.
A growl leaves my throat, and my jaw clenches so hard, I almost crack a tooth. Cosmo Fucking Drakeward. This man has tormented me, had me on my knees, belittled me, and ridiculed me—and now he is so desperate for my help.
Maybe I’ll help him, maybe I’ll hurt him first.
Hurt him. Hurt him. Hurt him.
Suddenly, it’s like a bucket of icy water is thrown over my head.
Fuck, that poisonous smoke is trying to work its way into my body too. Looking down at my body, I notice my glow has dimmed.
No, this is not going to happen.
I close my eyes and imagine an eruption of lilac fire and molten gold searing through my veins, forcing the smoke away.
—Get out of me—
Then with all the force I possess.
—GET OUT OF ME—
Fuck.
An indescribable rush of sensation travels through my body, and at the last second, I fling my arms around Cosmo, letting him be on the tail end of the blast.
In that millisecond, it’s as though we become one person.
Snatches of his life fill my brain, settling into my hippocampus, never to be forgotten.
I see a disdainful mother, concerned only for her looks and status.
I see a beautiful, blue-eyed little girl hiding behind young Cosmo while his father roars.
I see the matching slim figures of pre-pubescent Wes and Donovan trying to clean bloody slashes that criss-cross Cosmo’s young skin.
I see Cosmo in the Elite apartment, watching Wes and Donovan walk out the door with their hand luggage.
Tears track down my cheeks. Cosmo Drakeward wasn’t born a monster; he was made one.
And now?
Pressing a hand to my chest, I feel the Lumina shift inside me. I expect it to be less, but I don’t think it is. The energy has instead expanded to fill the gaps left by the outpouring.
“Theodora,” Cosmo croaks, as I step back out of reach. “I’m sorry.”
No.
It’s not enough.
I may have saved him from that dark essence, but that doesn’t change anything between us.
My mouth settles in a hard line then…
Blink.
We’re back in the apartment.
My legs give out, but Ludo catches me before I hit the parquet flooring.
—Are you hurt?—
My head rests against Ludo’s chest, and some of the tension leaks out of me. “I’m not hurt. Not hurt, but completely drained, like I’d just run a marathon. A thousand marathons.”
Donovan has Cosmo’s slumped body in his arms. “I’ve got you, brother. I’ve got you.” He looks around at me, frantically. “Is he going to hurt you? Should I tie him up?
“I’m OK,” Cosmo slurs, leaning his head against Donovan’s shoulder and not opening his eyes. “The energy, the dark energy is… gone.”
Alexis pushes past the others, and offers Cosmo a bottle of water and a nod. Almost like one soldier acknowledging another. Max clutches at his cousin’s arm. “Fuck, Lexi. That smoke, that essence…I could taste the evil. I could taste the temptation.”
“We all could, Max.”
—Yes, we all could—
The haunted look in Ludo’s eyes makes me want to weep. He blinks it away, then carries me to one of the plush recliners and covers me with a blanket.
—Sleep, Nymph. I’ll watch over you—
◆◆◆
This time when I wake, it’s only because of the mundane drumming of rain against the window.
What a relief.
Ludo is lying on the floor next to my chair. He has no cushion or blanket; he sleeps silently, fully dressed, lying straight on his back. Max is back under the covers on the sofa, but Alexis and Donovan are nowhere to be seen.
I push back the blanket and step onto the floor as quietly as possible.
Ludo’s eyes fly open. —Nymph?—
—Gotta pee—
The half-bath by the apartment door has a clock on the wall. It’s nearly six. I don’t think I’ll get back to sleep; what I need most in the world right now is a shower and a change of clothes.
—Lu? Can you walk with me back to the basement so I can get ready for the day?—
—Of course—
No one else is stirring, so I send a text to Alexis and Donovan telling them where I’m headed. I also include Maximus in the thread.
My fingers paused over Wes's name. It’ll just annoy him to be texted by me, so I leave him off.
But before hitting send, I add Cosmo.