We start with unleashing shadows, Magnus letting me show him what I know before he precedes to show me how to hone my skills.
I see from the flashes of pride in his expression, that he’s pleased with what he sees and despite myself, I feel a strange rush of warmth at that. It’s been such a long time since I’ve felt anything like it. Before my mom died, I remember feeling something similar whenever she used to gush over my drawings, but I’d been so young then, the memories merely ghosts in my own mind.
“You have raw power. In fact, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Magnus says, as we take a break from the latest round.
“But you’ll need more than that in a duel. You need to control the shadows instead of letting them control you. The darkness should be at your beck and call, ready to act on your command.”
I feel my brow furrowing in response. What is it with everyone here and dueling? Magnus seems to have the same enthusiasm for it as Raph does and while admittedly, I’ve come to enjoy dueling, I still don’t see why everyone here seems to think it’s so important. I suppose it’s a way of displaying power. But I’ve never been one for showing off.
Still, I can’t deny that Magnus’s tuition is already helping. Raph may be the best in this generation, but Magnus’s experience and wisdom is invaluable, and while Raph’s training has been instrumental in my progress, Magnus is able to teach me to perfect the powers that Raph himself doesn’t possess. Namely the power over the night. The power of our bloodline.
“Again,” Magnus says, gesturing for me to continue, but this time, with a tighter leash on the shadows.
We continue to train for what feels like hours and I lose all track of time until the sun dips low into the horizon, signaling the shift of day to night.
I look up at the sky above as Magnus allows me another pause. The ghost of the crescent moon and the stars above grow more prominent in the darkening sky, and I feel the familiar call in my veins.
Magnus is silent as he stands beside me, but I know he can feel it, too.
“Take my hand,” he says as we stand there, side by side, looking out at the horizon.
I feel his power flow into me and my own flowing into him as we silently paint the horizon with night.
It’s not like that night at Rockford Cape when Raph and I shared our powers. This connection completes some other part of me in a different way.
As night descends on this part of Eden, in that moment, I feel the connection to the only family I have left in the entire universe and suddenly that universe becomes a little less lonely for it.
“It’s been okay so far, I guess. Magnus trained with me earlier and he says that he wants us to keep training together while I’m home for winter break.
“But he’s being his usual cryptic self and every time he looks at me, I get the feeling that he knows exactly what’s been going on at Regency these past few months ...”
I’m sprawled out on the big ass bed in my equally big ass bedroom, talking to Dani on my cell later that night.
“You mean about you and Raph?” Dani supplies.
“Yeah, Magnus has this all seeing, all knowing thing about him that gives me the creeps sometimes,” I reply.
Dani snorts in response.
“Does it matter if he knows?” she asks me then.
I can’t seem to answer that straight away. Raph’s words to me on that last day of semester has floored me and has changed everything between us. But it doesn’t make things any less complicated between us. Quite the contrary, in fact, and I’m not about to plunge head first into the mess that is surely to follow once Jethro St. Tristan finds out. I have a feeling that Magnus would be less than thrilled, too. Despite wanting desperately to hear those words from Raph, I knew from the moment he said them what the fall out would be and I guess I’m just afraid of the consequences. For him more than for myself.
I thought that once everything was out in the open, and I knew where I stood with Raph, things would be clearer, easier. But it seems like as soon as we get past one hurdle, another one just appears in its place. As soon as one question is answered, another more difficult one is posed. I wonder why everything has to be so hard when it comes to Raph. I tell myself that it’s because it’s worth having. But I wonder for a second whether I’m just fooling myself again.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully, letting out a long breath.
Dani doesn’t push it, and I change the subject quickly.
“So, how’s things with your folks?” I ask.
“It’s great, I’ve missed them, so it’s nice to be home,” she replies. She goes on to tell me about her jam sessions with her dad. Apparently, he’s an amazing guitar player and taught Dani all she knows about music.
I lie back and listen to her talk enthusiastically about home and her family. I’m reminded of my own memories with my mom, her teaching me how to pick up a paintbrush for the first time, how to mix colors and the wonder that I felt when she showed me all those things. I feel a pang of wistfulness, but I don’t feel bitter. If anything, hearing Dani talk about her family is strangely comforting. It reminds me that loss isn’t the only thing that exists in the universe.
“Have you seen Baron around?” I ask after a while.
“No, the Aldebran estate is pretty big, so I doubt I’ll bump into him,” she replies. I hear a pause in there somewhere but I don’t read anything into it. Why would Dani need to lie about bumping into Baron?
“You seeing Raph tonight?” she asks then.
“Yeah, he called earlier to say he’s coming later tonight.”
My cell vibrates against my ear then, telling me I’ve got a message. Speak of the devil.
“Gotta go, Dan. Raph’s here,” I say, as I climb off the bed and head out of my bedroom.
“Okay, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she replies breezily.
“Likewise,” I say almost absently.
Dani lets out a weary sigh, but we’ve both hung up before I can make heads or tails of it. Weird. I make a mental note to prod her later.
I text Raph and tell him to meet me by the side entrance. It’s late, so Magnus should be asleep, as should most of the staff. But I don’t want to risk anyone seeing Raph waltz in through the main entrance hall.
He has a wry smile on his face when I greet him at the east wing entrance.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were sneaking me in,” Raph says.
I roll my eyes in response.
“Just get in here.”
He drops a lingering kiss on my lips, which suddenly makes me want to get him back to my bedroom as soon as possible. But I pull away after a few moments, fully conscious that we’re still standing in the middle of the service kitchen.