Page 20 of Muse

“Right,” he said, as if remembering. “Did all of that go well with her?”

I nodded. “Yes. She is here tonight.”

“I’m glad to hear that all worked out.” His smile seemed restrained and uneasy, and he even spoke slower than usual, as if carefully choosing his words.

"What did you plan to say to me before I left?" I asked because I hadn't followed him into this room to talk about my mother.

"I don't know that I really had a plan," he admitted. "I just didn't want to leave things the way we had. I behaved boorishly and ruined what should have been an otherwise wonderful night for both of us."

“Nothing was ruined, Soren. It was only a kiss.” That’s what I said, but even to me, it tasted like a lie.

"Perhaps," he conceded in a low voice but cleared his throat. "But I was your enchanter and would like to be again. You have to be able to trust me and rely on me, and when that becomes entangled with romance, things can become twisted and dangerous."

His dark eyes implored, and he finished simply, "When we work together, we create magik, Izzy. I don't want to spoil that."

He was oversimplifying the complications of our relationship. If a romance between us were discovered, we would be severed from our magik. It was a special kind of agony for a muse or enchanter to be cut off from the magik.

“Neither do I,” I said quietly.

“So you will accept my deepest apologies then, and we can put all this behind us?"

"You have nothing to apologize for." That part was true, but I immediately and unabashedly followed it up with what I hoped would be a lie, "We both were caught up in a moment, and it is completely behind us now."

“Good, because I would like to continue on as friends.” He held his hand out to me, and I tentatively took it.

“Friends it is.”

With a handshake, we solidified our new friendship, yet he seemed reluctant to let my hand go. His thumb caressed the back of mine, reminding me of how he'd caressed my cheek when we kissed, and my stomach fluttered in delight.

Maybe that occurred to him, too, because he let go and stepped back, putting distance between the two of us. He leaned his shoulder against the bookshelves and folded his arms over his chest.

“Can I be honest with you?” he asked.

“I would prefer it, yes.”

“I’ve been wanting to get together with you so we can practice,” he said.

While that was not at all the confession I was hoping for, the prospect did immediately thrill me. I loved every conduction I had done with him, and they were the best I had ever given. Not to mention that it meant that I could spend more time with Soren, which is something I'd wanted to do since the moment we parted.

“Do you already have a conduction lined up?” I asked.

"Not yet, but I am certain that something will be coming soon," he assured me confidently. "I thought that with more time and practice, we could create magik unlike anything this kingdom has ever seen."

"How so?" I asked, but I grew more excited as he talked about it.

"You have hardly even tapped into your magik. I can feel it." Then he gave me an awed smile. "And if we can draw it out, we could light up the night sky."

The library doors opened, and a tall woman in a slinky black gown strode into the room. "Soren, there you are."

“How did you find me?” he asked in confusion.

“You weren’t at the bar, and the library is always the second place I look,” she explained.

“You do know me too well,” Soren said as she joined us. “Isadore, this is my dear sister, Serena.”

When she looked at me, I noticed she had the same dark eyes as Soren and long hair the same shade of charcoal black. She was a beautiful woman in her early thirties, and her low-cut gown was incredibly flattering on her hourglass figure.

“You’re a muse,” Serena said after she eyed me up. “Is she the talented one you’ve been talking about?”

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