Page 17 of The Discovered
“I heard you scream again,” he said. He cleared his throat. Whatever wall he’d so carefully constructed was starting to crack.
“I’m okay,” I breathed. “Just another nightmare.” Whoever that figure was—I seemed to have cast him out. I hoped he would stay gone, but if the enormity of his power was any indication, I knew it would be far from the last time we would encounter each other. Was this the enemy Daelon hoped to shield me from?
The light from the moon shining through my open window illuminated the contours of Daelon’s face, his dark hair falling onto his forehead. He was shirtless tonight, which I had to admit was a sight to behold. His upper body was defined and rigid, and I wondered if his job as a witch trainer had anything to do with that, or if he just worked out.Do witches work out?His joggers hung low on his hips, revealing the V from his abs disappearing below the waistband.
“Like what you see?” Daelon smirked.
I blushed scarlet.Busted.
I hesitated. “Yes,” I answered because it was the truth, and I knew it would catch him off guard. “It’s not a bad view.”
His eyes widened, regarding me with surprise before letting an amused grin spread across his face.
“Do you want me to stay with you again?” he asked, quieter this time. His grin faded, and his eyes narrowed, intense and imploring.
No, Áine,you absolutely do not, I scolded myself.You still don’t really know who this man even is.
“Yes,” I murmured, barely audible. My breath caught as he crawled over top of me rather than walk to the other side of the wide bed. For a moment he hovered over me before rolling over, leaving a gaping space between us.
“Well, as long as you don’t end up trying for a cuddle like last time,” I said, daring him.
“It’s times like these I wish I could force you silent,” he muttered.
I tensed. He really did have some audacity. “I’d like to see you try.” Something dangerous stirred within me, and I couldn’t tell whether we were threatening or flirting anymore.
I lay on my side to face him. He was on his back, his jaw tense as he stared up at the ceiling.
“Don’t test me,” he said, his voice low and rough, throwing me a side-eye. I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or if we were still toying with each other.
“Testyou? I’m the one with all the power.”
His mouth twitched. “Power is a social contract between you and others. It can be exchanged, given, and taken at your will. What good is your magick if you don’t desire to wield it on me?”
“Is this a philosophical riddle?” I asked, attempting to piece together what he was trying to tell me. I wasn’t conscious enough for any of it.
“Go to sleep, little witch.” The corners of his mouth curved upward, and his eyes closed. His hands clasped over his bare stomach.
“You’re used to ordering people around, aren’t you?”
“Yes, actually. And they generally obey, too.”
I huffed and turned over to face the window. I gave my head a little shake. I didn’t understand what game we were playing, and I sure as hell didn’t know the rules.
I also didn’t understand the feelings Daelon stirred within me—a longing, an understanding, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it—desire. He knew who I was, and he didn’t run. He didn’t want me to become less of anything, not less powerful, less of a witch, or lessdifferent.I didn’t feel different at all here in this place with him. Not like I did back on Earth with my friends, as amazing and loving as they were. They weren’t capable of understanding me. Not fully.
It was perhaps too good to be true that he was exactly what I needed right now, but here he was. He was a protector, a mentor, and maybe even a friend. But this growing fire between us was dangerous. I knew he felt it too, despite his attempts to remain impassive and controlled. It was raw, like the energy I felt from Reagan as we danced in the club. But it was more serious, like one misstep and we could crumble.
I reached out to feel Daelon’s energy instinctually as I crept closer to unconsciousness, meeting the same wall as before. It was because of this defense that I was safe, and for that I was grateful. Time passed and I found myself unable to drift off again. As I studied the moonlight on the gray rug next to the bedside, I felt Daelon stir next to me.
I tensed at first and then relaxed as fingers stroked through the long strands of my hair, slowly and delicately. The gesture was so unexpected that I wasn’t sure if Daelon thought I was asleep or knew that I was awake. I let out a long breath as his fingers brushed back the hair behind my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
“Go to sleep, Áine,” he whispered. His hand trailed down from my hair to the side of my neck, lingering for a moment before pulling away. “You’re safe.”
Training was more of the same over the next week. Daelon insisted I wasn’t allowed to graduate to actually wielding magick until I learned how to detach my emotions from my power. I found myself nearly drowning in my metaphysical ocean over and over again all on my own. The mysterious intruder had been absent from the shadows of my mind since I banished him the week before. Despite those brief moments of intimacy and vulnerability, Daelon was just as domineering and hot-and-cold as ever. It felt like we were playing a game that neither of us could win.
Today, as I treaded amidst all the energy of this world and the next, I bathed in a sense of calm. I was a part of all things, and it was a privilege. I lost sense of whereIbegan and others ended, with all the forces of the cosmos at my fingertips, gently pushing and pulling me with each cresting wave. The water was warm against my skin as if infused by the soft rays of a morning sun.
Daelon’s voice from beyond the confines of my psyche boomed,Now I want you to think of your mothers.
