Page 32 of Caroled
“Yes, yes. All very consensual I’m sure, and I don’t give a fig about what arrangements other people have as long as they don’t impede my goals. But what I’m asking about is your emotional connection to this man.”
Charles, who’d been standing across the room, stomped closer. “That’s none of your goddamn business.”
“In this instance, it is my business. And it’s an important piece of information, not prurient curiosity. Tenrael?”
“I love him.” Said with all the simplicity of an incontrovertible truth.
To Charles’s surprise, Townsend didn’t scoff or argue. “Ah” was all he said. “I see. Interesting.” He walked to the window and gazed out as if fascinated by the view of Union Square. “Do you know anything about merfolk’s bites, Charles?”
“They fucking hurt.” Although the wounds were healing rapidly, he was still sore.
“Yes, yes. But that’s not all. They’re venomous, you know. Quite toxic. A single bite will put a victim into a stupor, paralyze him, and eventually stop his heart.”
Charles realized he was rubbing one of the fading marks on his arm and stopped. “I had a lot more than a single bite.”
“Precisely.” After staring out the window for a few seconds, Townsend turned back to Charles and lit another cigarette. “I wasn’t completely candid with you about the nature of the ring. Not out of malice,” he added quickly. “It simply didn’t seem necessary under the circumstances.”
“What didn’t you tell me?” Charles growled through gritted teeth. He’d allowed Tenrael to wear the damned thing and had never considered whether Ten might be harmed by it. He should have known better.
Tenrael settled a calming hand on his shoulder.
Not remotely cowed by Charles’s hostility, Townsend exhaled a cloud of smoke. “I said the ring makes a creature appear human. Not exactly true. It makes Tenrael appear human because, due to his long-term association with humanity, he has incorporated human ways into his nature. The ring just plays that up, you see.”
Charles didn’t see, not exactly, but he got the gist of it, which was good enough. He was never especially eager to delve into the intricacies of magic anyway. Just thinking about magic made his skin feel squirmy. “So?”
“So when Tenrael wears the ring, he takes on the appearance of a human man. That was all I intended, I promise. I thought it would make your time here easier. What I find intriguing is what happened whenyouwore it.”
“It didn’t make me look like a human man.”
Townsend waved a hand dismissively. “You already do, more or less. It doesn’t take an enchantment for you to pass—just hair dye and sunglasses. No, my boy. In your case, the ring seized on a different part of your constitution.”
Charles’s back itched horribly. “My father,” he rasped.
“Indeed.”
“I didn’t grow wings.”
“That’s because you destroyed them. If you hadn’t, perhaps the ring would have made them large enough to be serviceable.” As if that idea was nothing but an idle thought, Townsend went blithely on. “And under the circumstances, even the biggest wings wouldn’t have done you much good. Angels are immortal, Charles. Even harder to get rid of than his kind.” He nodded at Tenrael, who was almost gaping. “You can’t kill an angel with venom, or with drowning, or with exsanguination. They… can be injured. Some injuries may take a very long time to heal. But they won’t die.”
Charles’s mouth had gone too dry for him to speak. He sat heavily on the edge of the mattress, crazily wondering why not-dying was affecting him more than almost-dying.
But Tenrael had apparently recovered enough from his astonishment to ask, “As long as he wears the ring he cannot be killed?”
Townsend gave a broad shrug. “I don’t know. If I were you, boys, I wouldn’t try to test the enchantment’s limits. But I’m pretty sure that as long as that jewelry is on his finger, Charles will be considerably more durable.” He paused and said, as if to himself, “Hmm. I wonder if he’ll age.”
If Charles hadn’t already been sitting down, that would have done it. No aging. That meant he wouldn’t have to leave Ten alone someday.
But Townsend apparently wasn’t finished. “As a custom-made enchantment, the ring wasn’t supposed to work for anyone but Tenrael. I think the magic transferred because Tenrael gave the ring over willingly—and because of his feelings for you. Love has a powerful effect on magic.” He made a wry face as if he didn’t always consider that to be a good thing.
Townsend took a last drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out. “Well, duty calls. I have business elsewhere. Grimes, you can give a full written report after you return to LA. Consider the ring bonus pay. I’m looking forward to a very long future of working with you both.” He clapped his hat onto his head and marched to the door. Before reaching for the knob, he stopped and turned around. “There’s one more thing.”
Charles braced himself. What could Townsend possibly add at this point? “What?” he demanded with as much bravado as possible.
“Remember what I said about a badly injured angel needing time to heal?”
“Yes.” Charles’s heart was tap-dancing in his chest.
“Maybe what looks like abandonment might, in fact, be something else.”
