They were both Guards. That I knew at a glance. My senses had honed themselves better in my time here. Noting the magic level or abilities of others had become natural.
“No rush.” Gavin smiled big this time. I had made his day. This guy had it bad for Scyrus.
I turned to his friend. “Have you been here long?”
“No. I’m Khalil.” As soon as he told me his name I noticed the striking Arabian features in his face. The tan of his skin reminded me of honey and I’m pretty sure most girls would have no problem with licking him up and down. Not to mention he carried the namesake of a writer and poet that inspired greatness in humankind.
Khalil Gibran.
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
Of all his insightful writings on love, this would be the first quote to pop in my head. I had issues.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I glanced over to see that Gavin dominated all of Scyrus’ attention for the moment. The smile plastered on her face indicated that she participated in the conversation unwillingly. I turned back to Khalil to start another conversation when he spoke first.
“I know you belong to Alexander. He’s a lucky man.” Wow. Direct and hot. No, he and I wouldn’t be an item, but I liked him for someone else.
Claire.
I know she already considered herself attached, but my gut told me James needed to be removed from the picture. I would take pleasure in assisting.
“I like you. Not just because you think I’m a catch. Well, maybe that has a little to do with it.”
“I like you, too.” He smiled.
Okay, maybe I’m thinking a little crazy, slutty, here, but…If I could have a threesome…No, not one that involved two girls. That was always what a guy wanted. Two arm candy guys indulging my every desire. Khalil and Alexander would fit into that fantasy divinely.
Wait, didn’t I just decide I wanted to set him up with Claire? Not good. I shouldn’t fantasize about my friends’ soon to be boyfriends.
“Are you dating anyone right now?” Red colored my cheeks fast. “N-not for me. It’s one of my friends. I think you should meet her.”
“Sure. I would love to.” His direct gaze and calm words put me right at ease. There, that wasn’t hard. Although, as I examined him closer it occurred to me that he probably didn’t need help finding women. He reached over to finish his glass of wine and then Gavin’s voice broke in.
“What do you say, ladies? Are you joining us at the party?” I couldn’t help but snicker. He tried so hard to entice Scyrus, but she didn’t want him.
We waved as they left and I lowered my voice to her.
“Why are you alone? Men would drop themselves at your feet if you let them.” I looked right at her waiting for an answer.
“Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean I should take free handouts.”
Priceless.
“Nice subject change, by the way. I believe people in your field call that avoidance.” She smirked and then continued. “I’ve never met another person that claimed my soul. You have him. There is nothing that will change that.”
I stilled. Change. That’s what I feared. It’s hard to change thirty plus years of a belief that holds your sanity together. Letting go of it was leaving me open and vulnerable. I wanted to believe in him, but it was hard. Everything in my brain argued against it.
Not sure what to say, I opened my mouth, “Look, if you
—
”
Saved by the phone.
My new phone rang with the auto ring tone. I missed my reggae music from the old phone. The number was not familiar, but I answered anyways. So many of the people in my life were new and I hadn’t gotten around to memorizing all those numbers yet.
“Hello?”
“Layna, its Jasmine.” I drew a blank and then remembered. She lived by Claire. I was pretty sure they were friends. Jasmine’s voice filled with a stressful tone that I had not heard when we met.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Claire. I don’t know what’s wrong, she’s sick. Delusional. I don’t know, just get here fast. We’re in her room. She wants this to be private. Don’t tell anyone.” The phone disconnected.
I looked up into an already concerned face. I put the glass down.
“I have to go see Claire.”
“You’re not going anywhere alone. And don’t think you fooled me for one instant with that evasive bullshit. “ My Guard Scyrus spoke now. She had been tasked with my care when I was away from Alexander and nothing would keep her from asserting that power. “I’m coming.” She patted the heavy metal holstered under her dress. I had nothing. Just my magic.
Scyrus and I stood from the table when Khalil appeared again.
“I left my phone on the table. What’s going on?” The news must have been clear on our faces.
“My friend Claire is…I don’t know. Something’s wrong and she needs help.” I filled both of them in on the cryptic phone call from Jasmine. Guilt oozed right along with my words. What if Claire wanted it kept a secret? Had I just ruined everything by telling two people? Jasmine explicitly told me to come alone. Well, it wasn’t those words exactly. I got the point.
Khalil’s brows rose up and he spoke again, in full Guard mode too. “It can’t hurt to take another person with you. Alexander would kill me if I let you go alone. Your safety is important. What if this is a trap?”
“A trap? First off, she’s my friend. Second, how would they trap me in a building filled with other Healers. Someone would notice.” Jasmine’s words replayed in my head and I felt the wrongness in them. I couldn’t explain it yet. But, it was off.
“Didn’t you say she lived in the Clomay building?” Khalil’s voice laced with worry.
“Yes, why?”
“That building evacuated a couple of days ago. No one should be there. The magic users are working some potions to detoxify it. A few Healers were bespelled. The whole building has been sealed off until they can locate the spell.” I looked at Scyrus and Khalil. That settled it. We would all go.
“I think we need to talk to Alexander. Let him know what happened. No one is supposed to be in that building now.” So Khalil was a rule follower…Uggh!
“There isn’t time. Let’s just get there and assess, then you can call him.”
Although I wanted to sprint to her room, caution told me not to alert everyone. The dark sky hid us from the small amount of people milling around at this hour. After we passed the more popular gathering areas, the courtyards we walked through were silent. I walked in the middle with Scyrus and Khalil on either side.
Magic began to hum in my veins. We were close. To my knowledge, Healing magic was the only thing I had ever done. Something in the magic of the building called to me. too. I knew it to be different than Healing magic, but my senses responded to it. I had to be the one to go in. I carefully examined their faces for recognition. There was none. Why did the magic only speak to me? Maybe this was something I had to figure out on my own. Or maybe it intended to call me to it. Khalil and Scyrus didn’t need to get hurt for my benefit. In fact, I would rather take care of this myself. A little voice in my head purred with strength and told me I could.
“I’m going in alone. What if it really is nothing?” I put all my force into that statement hoping they couldn’t hear the lie.
“Have you hit your head on a hard wall? Why would that be a good idea exactly?” I could see Scyrus’ protective horns growing out of her head.
“We’re going in with you, but unseen. If it’s nothing, we can back out and no one will be the wiser.” Calm and level headed. Claire would like Khalil a lot. If only we could figure out what the hell was going on
—
not we, me. I knew it needed to be me.
Feet silently shuffled along the cement as we came closer to the Clomay building. The statue out front was bathed in soft lights as the rest of the building remained dark. I had learned recently that the building had been named after an ancient Healer, Roman Clomay. The Healing talents of Roman are still discussed in awe by everyone. His murder wreaked havoc over Healers all over the world. The Hunters knew they couldn’t kill him outright. So instead they attacked his heart
—
she
was a soft, breakable human.
They had chosen to reside together off of the Conservatory property in order to be closer to her family. Roman and his sweet Sophie. She had only been in her twenties when the Hunters took her. They bargained with Roman for her and he conceded. They spoke of their need for his healing powers for a Hunter. one of the deadliest of that time, Heron Titus. They had no interest in healing powers. They just wanted to kill Roman, but he believed them in his fear of losing Sophie. Roman knew it was wrong to save Sophie at the cost of the lives lost from Heron’s continued existence, but he could do no less, and so he agreed. If he saved Heron, Sophie would be returned. After saving Heron, Roman was sent to receive his Sophie. She sprawled in the sand, at the early tide, as they had promised. But her body was cold and her life spirit gone. In that moment, by the sea, Roman lost his life. He didn’t die right away, but he did eventually die. Because they killed his heart, and a broken heart can be lethal.
A lump caught in my throat as I glanced over the words in front of the statue now. Attachments were weaknesses. Maybe, my parents had gotten rid of me for my protection. That thought soothed me. They could have loved me so much, but had no choice. Here I was being called into more trouble because of attachments. If Claire had not become my friend, she wouldn’t be in the crossfire. I felt it in my blood. All the lines in this mess seemed to come back to me.
“Claire’s room is in the back. I’m going to take the stairs in the main hall. You will wait here.” Foreign words mumbled from my mouth on their own accord,
paramoní
and Scyrus and Khalil stood still. They were magic words, but I had never before heard them. My lips tasted of their command, so it must have come from me. Fear crept up my body. Did I even know myself? This power scared me.
For whatever reason, the magic that held Scyrus and Khalil kept them frozen, so I left while they waited at the statue of Roman Clomay’s heart.
Once inside the building, I was met with silence. The building appeared to have been empty for a few days like Khalil had said. These living quarters bordered on the edge of the Conservatory, which made them the easiest to reach if you were an intruder. Everything stilled from the lack of people, but my ears hurt from the strength of the magic being used here. Theirs or mine, I did not know.
The stairs spread out across the main hall. They had been left to preserve the history of the building, even though elevators lay in hiding against the back wall of the bottom floor. Fear of being trapped in an elevator moved my legs to the stairs. I started out with one stair at a time and soon found myself running. The tennis shoes and loose clothing from my visit to the shooting range earlier would benefit me now.
As my foot hit the last step and came to rest on the second floor, I knew where they were. My mind raced with thoughts about how to attack. I turned right towards Claire’s room and thought about my defense.
No gun, no back up, maybe it hadn’t been smart to leave Scyrus and Khalil outside. They were trained assassins, after all. With each step, impending doom fell on my shoulders.
Alexander.
I should have at least called to tell him how much he meant to me. What if I never saw him again? The thought constricted my heart, making my breathing difficult. It was better this way. This magic wanted me. No need to sacrifice everyone else in the crossfire.
A door creaked open.
I knew it was Claire’s room.
James stepped out, “Hi, Layna. Glad you could join the party.” His voice portrayed that of a calm person, but the magic swirling around and the empty emotion in his eyes gave way to his insane state of mind.
Suddenly I couldn’t move. The spell rushed over me in an unexpected haze. Maybe if I had anticipated it better
—
I don’t know. Shit. As my body crashed to the floor I realized my legs were no longer under my control.
No need to worry. James came out and dragged me down the hallway by my feet into the room where I saw Claire on a bed in an obvious state of mental loss and Jasmine crying in a chair.
Why had I insisted on leaving Khalil and Scyrus behind? I could not seem to recall the importance of coming in alone as I lay numb on the floor.
The asshole’s hand pulled on my hair and jerked my face upward. “I knew you would come to me.” Really. He had to make it sound like that.
With opened lips I pursed them ready to speak and then paused. Was I numb everywhere? The words started to vibrate in my throat so I began my retort. “I’m not here for you, asshole.”
He laughed.
Then he slapped me in the face. Hot burning sensations blanketed my face. I knew he’d be the type to hit women.
Jasmine whimpered louder.
Shit, this would not go away on its own, and thanks to my independence I had to find a way to save us all. What the hell had I been thinking?
The magic words! How had I called them before? If I did it wrong, James would know I attempted to use magic. James being a magic user scared me. Unsure whether he could overpower me or not plagued my fears and made it difficult to think straight. Or it could have been the huge slap on my face. I had known he truly reeked of asshole, but I didn’t feel like the triumphant one in this situation.