Page 25 of Crossing Between
Going through Quilith's portal was not something I would ever get used to. My stomach flipped as Varon stepped through it into a softly lit room. I couldn't help my curiosity as I glanced around as the others came in behind us. The numbness from before was fading.
The room was expansive, which didn't surprise me since this was Varon's home, with soaring ceilings that seemed to disappear into the shadows overhead. The walls were adorned with rich, deep green velvet drapes that billowed down, concealing tall windows that allowed only a hint of moonlight to filter through. These windows were framed by heavy, ornate blackened ironwork that looked like there were flowing pieces of artwork throughout them, but I wasn't close enough to see it.
Furniture that was plush, deep emerald velvet couches and armchairs, were arranged in a semicircle, and they looked soft and comfortable. Paintings decorated the walls, ranging from modern to Renaissance. I wasn't a huge art fan, but I could tell if something was expensive, and these screamed money. Regardless of the money spent in this room alone, I felt at ease as soon as we exited the portal.
"Green? I thought you'd decorate with red." I looked up at Varon, not able to stop the teasing that came out. "The green is pretty, though." Like his eyes.
"I try not to be a cliche when it comes to us ancient vampires. Even with my hair." Varon's voice was dry as he sat me on one of the couches, grabbed a throw that was hanging over the back, and wrapped it around my legs. "I enjoy different colors for different rooms." His right hand brushed my cheek gently before he sat next to me. "Everyone, sit."
If I didn't know better, I would think Varon felt something for me with how sweet he was being. I know that his voice had said he wanted to have sex, but this tenderness he was showing me didn't have anything to do with that. I couldn't get my hopes up.
"What do you know about Soulbinders, Quilith? Why bring us into it?" Varon leaned back into the cushion of the couch, which caused me to tip a little, our sides touched. He didn't move, so I didn't either.
I glanced at where Elias sat across from me in the loveseat with Kenji next to him. His beautiful gray eyes met mine and made my mark on my side flare with heat. His shoulders slumped forward. My mind flashed to ideas on how he could use all the tentacles at once, even though it was a serious situation. This was definitely not the time.
Kenji clapped a large hand on Elias' left shoulder, getting him to look at him. "Hey, you're hulkin' out, partner. Pull it in if you don't want to ruin our boss's nice furniture when you go full-sized."
Elias took a deep breath, shook his head, and looked at me again. "Yeah. I'm alright." He spoke to Kenji but there was a hidden message in his gaze that I couldn't decipher at this point. "Let's go on."
Quilith huffed at all of us as we paid attention to them again. "Soulbinders are healers of a sort. Not like you, Elias, and your tentacles." They stuck their tongue out at him before clearing their throat to continue. "Soulbinders can't heal wounds. They can only heal soul damage and bring life back to someone who has passed."
"Isn't that what a necromancer does?" Kenji scratched the top of his head in confusion. He wasn't the only one confused.
"Kind of." Varon is the one who spoke. "Necromancers enslave a soul and direct them when they are resurrected, but it sounds like that's not what the Soulbinders do." He looked at me. "I'm assuming."
My heart rate sped up. What would it feel like if he were to just lean over and kiss me?
"Soulbinders don't enslave. They can revive someone to life with free will. They can also move souls from one body to another with ease. Even if they're still alive." Quilith interrupted my thoughts. "But Zoey can also construct and shape the life energy of a soul." They were holding something back, they wouldn't look directly at me, which was unlike them.
"I still don't understand. It only sounds like the difference is enslavement versus none." I had to fight off a yawn. "What's so amazing about them?"
"Wait." Elias stood and started to pace. "When you say 'shape and construct'." He turned to look at Quilith. "You are talking creator magic, aren't you?"
"Creator magic?" I glanced over to Quilith, who suddenly looked nervous. My eyes were half closed at this point, I was fighting falling asleep.
"Why don't we discuss this in the morning?" Varon stood but kept a hand on my shoulder when I started to tip over since I was leaning on him. "Elias, Kenji, your rooms are cleaned and ready for you. Quilith, would you care to stay here tonight?" His hand squeezed my shoulder. I felt warm at his touch and safe. I was thinking about sleep, but also wanted to think about naughty things with my boss. All of this was overwhelming. I was half convinced that all of this was just a dream, and I would wake up in the morning in my bed without any of this having happened, and my secret still hidden.
"I will take you up on your offer, Varon, my thanks." Quilith nodded at him as they stood. "Zoey, get some rest and we will discuss this further in the morning, alright, lovey?"
I nodded as my hand covered my yawn. "Right. Creator magic and being a soulbinder. We'll talk about it in the morning."
Kenji came to kneel in front of me. He touched my right knee. "Hey, Zoey, I know you were scared earlier. You don't need to be, okay? You're our coworker and friend. We'll take care of you." I straightened slightly when his hand cupped my cheek with a tenderness I hadn't expected from the happy-go-lucky oni.
I covered his hand with mine, squeezing it gently. "Thanks, Kenji."
The three of them left the room, as if familiar with Varon's house. They knew where to go and I felt a little jealous.
"Alright, Zoey, let's get you into bed." Varon picked me up suddenly under my knees again. "You're falling asleep."
"I can just go home." It was probably a stupid idea, but I had to offer.
"I promise I won't bite you again." Varon looked down at me as he started walking through a hallway and up some stairs. "At least not without your permission." He winked at me as I squeaked out a noise and he laughed softly. "I'm teasing, Zoey. I can't seem to help myself." He stood in front of a large door. "Here's your room for the night. Mine is right across the hallway." He nodded toward the doors on the opposite side. "If you need anything, just call my name out. I'll hear you." He pressed his shoulder against the doors to my room, not setting me down until he was next to a large canopy bed.
My eyes took in the room. It was bigger than my townhouse. Even the bed seemed to be bigger than a regular king size. The room was decorated in beautiful, bright colors, just my style. Even the canopy was like a splash of watercolor artwork. "It's so beautiful." I couldn't stop looking everywhere at once."It's like my dream room."
Varon seemed amused as he looked down at me. "I figured it had to be close considering you try to blind me with your clothes every day."
A snort came out before I could stop it. "You noticed that, huh?"
