Chapter 20

The next morning I stayed in my room . I hardly ever drink but when I do, I have neither self-control nor foresight enough to appreciate just how hellacious I will feel the next morning. Overall, I didn’t feel too bad, but my stomach was still turning somersaults. Part of that had to do with the way the night had ended.

It was afternoon before I decided to face the music like the mature adult I was supposed to be, but it was difficult considering how I’d been treated. Don’t get me wrong, I like Justus, he’s a very strong individual with the manners of an orangutan. But my father, he was not.

I’d spent too much wasted time overanalyzing the events of the previous night and quite frankly, I’d had enough of this silly bullshit. Perhaps a night with Simon would have been an inevitable regret, but I would have liked the choice.

Of course, I never slept with anyone on the first date so part of me was glad it was interrupted—the same part that made it easier to be pissed off at Justus.

The fact that Simon had tucked in his tail and run didn’t help matters at all. I could have been mad at him for taking advantage of a situation—but in his defense, he was equally as drunk.

But he must have known the effect that binding would have on me, that it would remove all choice. Once Simon poured himself into me, there was no going back. I never imagined anything could feel so intense. In fact, hours later I could still feel his light. I hated that, because I didn’t know if what I felt for him was real or conjured up by our exchange.

I scooped his leather jacket from the floor and straightened the sleeves when something caught my eye. Turning the shoulder, I saw teeth imprints in the material. The evil part of me wanted to laugh, but all I felt was embarrassment; it would be a constant reminder of this night. I threw the jacket over the back of the leather sofa in the main room and paused, noting the silence.

“We’re in here, Learner,” Justus called out from the dining room.

I never had to announce my presence around Justus; he had a way of sensing my energy even when my shields were up.

They were both sitting at the table wearing poker faces; Simon’s hand wrapped around a short crystal glass, memorizing every angle. I had the feeling they had been there all night from the looks of the table scattered with six fast-food bags—some empty—and wrappers all over the place. It looked like a war room and they were eating their way to a strategy.

I reached for a bag and sat down with one foot up on the chair as I pulled out a sack of room-temperature fries. I wasn’t sure what to think, I half expected that Justus would have kicked Simon out. Maybe they were sharing stories, maybe Simon was telling him all about how I was in bed. My eyes narrowed, but he never looked up from his glass.

“I’ve told Simon about how you were made.”

I brushed the salt from my fingers and leaned back, interlocking my fingers over my knee. I didn’t like my personal business being discussed as table conversation.

“Since when is my business everyone’s business?”

I redirected my focus to a painting behind Justus. It was a maiden in a stream. A man held the sun in his right hand and reached for her with his left. Her hair was soft waves while his was wild, more like licking flames of fire. I often looked at the painting while we ate, wondering what the artist was really trying to depict. The woman wasn’t even looking at the man, who was completely enraptured by her. What the hell was a guy like Justus doing with such a thought-provoking painting?

“Last night after you two left, I got a call from the Council.”

I looked between them. “And?”

“Your Creator has come forward. He is requesting our presence tonight.”

The blood moved away from every extremity in my body, including my head, and for a moment, I thought I was going to have a close introduction to the floor. I leaned forward and came close to losing the fry I just ate.

“What does he want?”

Justus was stoic and looked at me with dead eyes. “To claim you.”

“I don’t want him anywhere near me,” I said as I shook my head. “You’re my Ghuardian, can’t you do anything?”

“I have no authority over your Creator. He’s coming to collect you, and you will go with him.”

“Just like that?” My anger snared like a drum as I leaned across the table and pointed my finger angrily on the wood.

“Adam would never have allowed this—I trusted you ! Did you even try to keep me, or was this the release you were looking for?”

He flinched as though he had been slapped, but it didn’t matter. I bolted out of my chair and ran to my room. Justus and Simon filled the doorway as I was shoving clothes into my bag.

“I’m leaving.”

“He’ll find you, Learner. You can’t run from this.”

“The hell I can’t! Maybe I’ll find someone else to take me in who actually wants me!” I screamed as I hovered over my bag, frozen like a statue, arms straight down and fingers wide open. I was charging up and I knew if I didn’t find a way to level it down I was going to regret it.

“Justus, you have to try with the Council, they don’t know the circumstances. You can plead your case before he makes his claim,” Simon urged.

“With Merc on the Council, there’s no way this will be unanimous.”

“Look at her—you can’t do it! She’s not ready; he’ll use her. Look how he brought her into our Breed, if that isn’t proof enough for you. He’s not going to release her.”

“Eventually, he will give her independence.”

“No, Justus, he won’t. Ever.”

“All Creators tire of the care they must give and grant freedom.” Their voices were argumentative and growing in volume.

“He’ll keep her, Justus.”

“What makes you so sure?”

I sat against the wall, curling my arms over my knees.

“Do I really need to answer that?” Simon folded his arms and looked at him directly. A heavy silence fell before he continued. “I’m quite certain in all these months you have tapped her energy. You know she is a Unique.”

In that moment, I realized Justus hadn’t really known for certain everything that transpired between me and Simon last night, but now he knew that we had exchanged. He looked at me, disheartened, but I didn’t care. My knuckles were white, my lips dry, and worst of all, as much as I wanted Adam to come take me away from all of this, I knew it would only put him in danger.

Justus suddenly raged out with a fury like I had never seen. “I am powerless, Simon, this is law. I cannot stop him!”

The air crackled as he faced the wall. Simon moved to my side, cupping my hands in his. I felt a calming sensation pouring into me, and Justus knelt beside him.

“Don’t make me go,” I pleaded. “I’ll die; I can’t go with him.”

Justus and Simon exchanged a look and nodded.

Everything went black.

***

I was sitting on a large, polished black rock by a crystal blue river. Tall pine trees bent to the whisper of the wind. A few yellow butterflies flitted about. I heard the splashing of the water as it ran over the rocks and the sunlight shimmered on its surface. It felt peaceful, and yet… not real.

“It’s not real.”

Justus stood by the edge of the water with Simon at his side.

“How did you hear what I was thinking?”

“This is not the real world. This is the link between the waking world and the subconscious. It is the in-between we sometimes call the Grey Veil.”

“How did we get here?”

He stepped up and found a spot on the edge of the flat rock, running his fingers in the water. “Not all Mage have the ability to do this and I don’t have time to explain. I needed to show you how to get here. Anyone you have shared your power with can join you here, provided they are shown.” He gave a slighted look at Simon who spun around and started pulling at the pinecones that spiraled from the branches above.

“But I don’t know how we got here.”

“You do, Learner, you felt the pull. You can do it alone, we just had to show you the first time, but you never forget the feeling and how to summon it. It’s like sitting on the edge of a slide right before you slip down and give yourself to gravity.”

I laughed unexpectedly as I wondered how Justus knew what a slide felt like. This was a man from probably the middle ages and I couldn’t imagine him at the top of a slide.

A strand of coppery hair blew around my neck into the sunlight. I snatched it, looking carefully.

“Always liked the gingers.” Simon winked.

“Sometimes how you see yourself is reflected here. But I can see you are still conflicted.” He tugged at my hair to bring to my attention it had darkened to an almost black shade. “You continue to drift between both reflections of yourself.”

Justus set a plan for us to meet nightly so I could provide him details about my maker. He hoped to find a loophole to get me out of his custody. Even if I was to go with my Creator, Justus would remain my Ghuardian as he is afforded a certain amount of rights by the Mageri.

But not enough. Not nearly enough.