The roof garden still had morning dew on the plants. It was a glistening sight in the newly risen sun.
But Lunella led me away from the door. She aimed for a bench as far away from the entrance as we could get and finally sat down with me.
A quiet moment passed before she started to speak.
“Our ability to see magic is independent of our strength to use it. How much of the magic’s intrusion into our world you can see determines how strong you can be with the magic. From what Vitas has told me, you see everything painted with it, dripping and contoured with the colors. That you had to work to keep it away.”
I simply nodded.
With a pinch of the bridge of her nose, Lunella let out a sigh. “Your parents should never have pulled you from classes. There were things in there you needed to know. It’s the first place we gauge power and ability. Everyone in S’Kir has magic. It’s only to what degree that we need to know. Once you advance out of the placement classes, you are taught according to your potential ability. Your strength.
“Kimber, do you know why the advanced defense class is taught the last half of the last year of your secondary schooling?”
This time, I shook my head in the negative.
“Because we don’t want a bunch of undisciplined, untaught, untried, horny, hormonal teenagers fucking each other’s brains out through secondary school.”
I coughed. “Excuse me?”
“Your magic is inherent; your power comes from sex.” She drew her hand across the roof. “Why do you think we all pair up? Why do you think Elex was allowed to move in with you? Did you think Villea and Asterioth were Neves’ servants? Sex, Kimber. Without it, all we can do is little local things.”
A wave of dizziness swept over me. How had I never known this? No one had said a thing to me about having sex to increase my power in the magic.
I’d been living as a virtual celibate for the past sixty years.
I blinked a few times. “So, I was able to stop the tremors earlier in the week because…”
“Because you were out on the balcony watching the couple have sex.?.?. and having sex yourself. And last night you couldn’t because—”
“Wait. How did you know about the garden?” The blood drained from my face.
She grinned. “Because I was on Tymon’s balcony getting myself some as well. They are fun to watch. I don’t know who they are, but once a month, usually on the full moon, they go out there and have a really good fuck in the dark.”
“Isn’t that… intrusive to watch?”
Quirking her lip, she gave me a smile. “Didn’t stop you.” She waved off my statement. “No. It’s voyeurism. They like to take the chance that someone will see them. It’s a turn on. Missionary is boring when you need your power restored constantly.”
“Sweet savior, I had no idea.”
“I wish I’d known you didn’t know. I would have explained it a lot sooner.”
“I was still able to stop the tremor last night— Oh. Shit. Because Jallina and Drez had lent me their power.”
Her wordless nod confirmed my statement.
“Do I have to return the power to them?”
“No. I’m sure Jallina will be mostly naked as soon as she’s in the door, looking for a little power restoration from her mate.”
“I used up the power from both of them…”
“And what remained of yours,” Lunella cautioned. “You need to find Elex, and you need to get that boy naked and horizontal. Quickly. You cannot go without power—we just don’t know when the tremors will start.”
I turned to her. “But…yes, we do. It’s the project Elex has been working on for the past few months. It’s a way to tell when the mountain will shake.”
Lunella’s jaw dropped open. “What?”
*
“So, as you can see, while the device is still in its infant stages, we have been getting readings from the small tremors that happen almost constantly, to the peaks that jump up before one of the big shakes.”
The professor was proud as a peacock as he walked around the massive machine with me, and Lunella, Master Dorian, and Mistress Ophelia following him.
Elex was standing in the corner by the controls. His countenance was dark, brooding, and tired.
He was constantly tired.
I walked over to where he stood and placed a hand on his shoulder, and he almost tossed me off.
“Elex…”
Turning his scowl on me, I could see exhausted anger that fell away when he realized it was me.
“Elex, please. If this is too much for you, please leave the position. The professor seems like a nice guy, but you’re completely exhausted. We haven’t touched each other in a week…”
“Is that all you’re thinking about? My dick?”
“Don’t do that. I’m not only thinking about your dick. I miss you in the bed. I miss you in the apartments. You’re not at training with me, and now you’re behind on that, as well. If this is going to take you away from everything we have at the temple—”
His hand hit the console, and he stormed off out of the room. I let out a breath and hurried after him.
“Elex! Goddamn it. Come on.”
He jerked to a halt and spun on me. “This is my life, Kimber. This is what I have spent my life learning about, developing, trying to create. I can’t just walk away from it when you suddenly get elevated. Do you just want a kept man? Would you like it if I—”
“Stop.” I whipped the word at him harshly. The click of my shoes on the tiles in the room was smart and sharp. “Do you regret sleeping with me? If you want out of this relationship, go. Tell me now. We aren’t mated. We aren’t committed in any way. I’m standing here telling you I miss you in my days, and you immediately accuse me of trying to hold you back. Don’t you dare. If you don’t want in, then get out.”
Elex walked to the wall and sank back against it. I watched him with my arms folded, waiting.
He held a hand out a moment later, and I accepted his invitation, putting my hand in his.
“Kimber, I’m sorry. I’m just…wound tight. This is my research coming to life.”
“Elex, I would never keep you from the university and your research. But if we’re going to have a relationship, I can’t be the only one there.”
He sighed and twined our fingers.
I leaned in. “I also miss your cock.”
The laugh echoed through the hallway, and he smiled. “So you do just want me for my penis.”
“Well, your tongue, too.” I grinned.
His palm was warm on my cheek. “All right, Kimber. Head home with the others. I’ll be home, but probably late. I can’t promise no more late nights, but I will do my best to get home to you.”
I kissed his palm and nuzzled my cheek against him. “Good,” I purred. “I’ll wait for you. Naked.”
This was new for me, being so boldly sexual. But, if that’s where my power came from, and I was Breaker of the Spine, I needed to power up. And often.
Being shy about sex had to be a thing of my past.
It was kind of fun, but I needed practice.
I felt as seductive as a yam.
I headed back to the lab, leaving Elex standing in the hall watching me. I swung my hips a little bit as I walked, and I heard a low groan behind me.
Maybe Elex was attracted to dirty-talking yams.
But my little bit of confidence was shattered when he fell asleep mid-sex.
Again.
Chapter Thirteen
Kimber
I stepped on to the training floor, and no one was around.
I had found an official note telling me to be there, so why wasn’t anyone there?
More than happy to head down, a workout would be welcome. Something to get my mind off the fact that after three nights of trying to convince Elex to sleep with me, all he did was sleep next to me.
It was beyond frustrating.
I was beyond frustrated.
All I wanted was a quickie at this point, and he couldn’t stay awake, stay up, for more than a few minutes after getting home.
I had to talk to him about this again, but I knew he would take it as an attack on his career. I didn’t want to infringe on his career, but he also wasn’t bending to our new circumstances.