Page 7 of #Resort Love
However, my thoughts drifted back to Sybil, and my amusement was doused with a concern that was steadily growing. I knew as soon as she shook Ambrose’s hand that he had used his power to unbind the magic flowing through her veins, releasing the constraint of the power she’d possessed since childhood. Even as a child, her magic was incredibly strong. So strong that I was exhausted by the time I finished binding it. With the strength of her power, I knew she would feel the side effects of it soon.
I had always been curious about why her magic was so strong. When her father, John, found me all those years ago, he described it as a family curse. He explained that with some generations, there were children that could do peculiar things that normal children couldn’t. It had caused a lot of strife for those children and their families. The people of that time believed magic to be the work of the devil or demons and most of the time, it ended with the child’s early death. However, no matter how hard they tried to wipe the bloodline clean, the magic never left the family.
When I worked with John and studied his blood, the magic was barely noticeable, so small that I almost missed it. But Sybil’s magic? I could never forget how I stood, blinking at the screen, shocked by the strength of her power and how her power grew each time we tested her. She was still too young to be aware of what we were doing, only being a year old when we first tested the strength of her magic. We continued until she was three, when her family started noticing how different she was. That’s when John begged me to bind her magic, to hide what she was becoming.
During those two years, I slowly began to realize just how much her magic resembled the queen’s magic, the way it warmed and shined so bright as it hummed like a melody of hope. When I told Queen Cassia about Sybil, she merely shrugged it off, muttering that her magic wasn’t unique to Nemos, the upper world. But the hard glint in her sky-blue eyes told me there was more to Sybil’s story and that I should stop asking questions.
After Sybil turned the corner, Ambrose’s lips thinned. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Well, that didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” he said with a sigh, wiping the hand thattouched Sybil on his vest. “Go and make yourself useful, Samian. We need to make sure she accepts my offer.”
“Right,” I murmured with a sigh. “We wouldn’t want my talents to go to waste.”
Ambrose whipped his head toward me, but I gave him a passive wave of acknowledgement, accepted my dismissal with a quiet glee, and turned to walk away. My part in his plan was making sure John heard of Sybil’s offer if she didn’t outright accept it. Ambrose was counting on John’s inability to stay away from Sybil, to ‘randomly’ show his shameless face after disappearing twenty years ago. It would be the perfect little push Sybil needed to accept the offer. Tension slowly crept up my neck; Ambrose had something else up his sleeve, something that he wasn’t?—
“Oh, and Samian?” Ambrose interrupted my thoughts. I turned back, keeping my face bored as Ambrose gave me a half smile, his head tilting to the side with a promise of violence flashing in his eyes. “Try not to mess this one up, yes?” His gaze was sharp, and his tone flat. Even in the form of a question, it was hard not to miss the threat hiding beneath his unbothered facade.
The past few assignments I’d been a part of all ended in failure. At least, in Ambrose’s view. Not so much in mine. It was my life’s goal to bring him down, to make him suffer the way he deserved.
I bowed dramatically, making him growl, and slowly backed away. Straightening, I turned my back on him, earning another deep grumble. I let my magic loose, letting it gather around me. The world momentarily fell away before snapping back into place, transporting me directly to John’s front door. Exhaling, I rolled my shoulders, preparing myself to knock. My last interaction with John wasn’t a pleasant one.
It had been several years ago, right after John met a few members from a group of heretics called The Harbingers of the Divine. The heretics believed magic was the source of all evil in the world, a blight spread by the demons and devils of the land and, potentially, other worlds. They were mostly shunned by the humans of this realm for being too fanatical with their purpose. When magic had been forgotten, the Harbingers acted in secret, silently hoping that one day they would finally rid the Earth of magic. Nothing but empty hopes filled their heads. I even told John as much, but amid his desperation, he became foolish, to say the least. Though that was a problem for another day.
Today’s problem was that I now must knock on this pathetic iron door the Heretics swore kept beings like me away, and face the man that had abandoned his wife and children instead of cherishing and protecting them, all without killing him. I could only imagine what Ambrose would do if I ended John’s miserable life before he could talk to Sybil. The thought of it slightly amused me, but I had promises to keep. Killing John would only interfere with that.
Studying the iron door, my blood warmed and I clenched my fists so tight my knuckles turned white. Taking another moment to convince myself not to break it down, I knocked and waited for John to answer.
The door swung open. John’s eyes widened, stunned to see me standing on his porch. Scrutinizing him from head to toe, a jolt of pleasure calmed my growing temper as I saw how haggard he looked. Before his time with the Heretics, John was a man who stood tall and proud, his frame lean but strong. However, it seemed that time had not been kind to him. His once chestnut hair was now faded to a peppery gray and his pale skin seemed to sag. His cold sky-blue eyes weresunken in with deep, dark circles underneath them. A smirk threatened to form, but I composed myself, keeping my face neutral.
“What are you doing here?” John grumbled, a sneer curling his cracked lips.
“Is this how you greet an old friend?” I asked innocently, cocking my head to the side.
John hissed but opened the door wider and stood aside so that I could enter his home.
“Nice place,” I mused, taking in the mess around me. Stepping into the living room, I noticed piles of clothes thrown in random spots on the chairs and floor throughout the room. Looking into the kitchen, I saw containers were stacked on the table and counters, still filled with stale food. The house was older and run-down. The brown-paneled walls made the home feel dark and unpleasant. My nose crinkled in disgust.
Coming up behind me, John clipped my shoulder as he walked past, settling in a chair at the kitchen table. “What do you want?”
Pushing down my growl, I took in his bloodshot eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept for days. “Research not going well?” I asked calmly.
Narrowing his gaze, John’s lips curled into a snarl. “What do you want?” he repeated, quickly losing patience.
Turning to the desk beside me, I studied the books and notes littered across it. “I’m here to tell you that our good friend, Ambrose, has found her and offered her a job to work for his,” I paused, trying to think of a better term for what we were, “company.”
Picking up a book that was flipped open, I skimmed the page, recognizing John’s handwriting. The page detailed his recent bloodwork, and I took a quick note of the results. Thepercentage of magic in his veins hadn’t changed, but something else was new about their findings.
John quickly jumped from his chair and snatched the book out of my hands, slamming it to the table beside us before I could figure out what he had found. I shifted my focus to him, my anger rippling through me when John bared his teeth at me.
“What do you mean he found her?” he growled, his breathing becoming uneven. “Weren’t you supposed to keep her existence a secret?”
Sniffing, I looked away, taking a moment to calm myself and remember my purpose for being here. I noticed a wooden frame on the wall; a picture of John and Sybil when she was a child, sitting beside a fire. His arm rested on Sybil’s shoulder, pulling her closer for the camera. She held a stick, her attention focused on the marshmallow at the end that had just burst into flames at the exact moment the shutter clicked. Her face was filled with a delighted shock that widened her eyes, and her smile was so broad, it took over most of her face. Guilt hung heavy on my shoulders, and I forced myself to look away.
Cutting my gaze back to John, my face hardened. “I don’t know how he found her,” I said, glowering, my voice filling with contempt. “I have kept my word on remaining silent with regard to her existence. But it seems that someone gave away our little secret.”
Taking a slow deep breath, I released it, pushing that anger further down so I could keep up my mask of indifference. Still, it made my blood boil to hear the accusation in his voice. I had been investigating how Ambrose managed to find her for years now; however, my search remained fruitless. But when I found out who told Ambrose about Sybil, I swore I would tear them apart, limb by fucking limb.
Returning my focus to John, he stood in front of me, as stillas a statue except for his chest which started swiftly rising and falling. His composure shattered as he turned, picking up the book and throwing it against the wall while roaring a curse. Raising an eyebrow, I glanced at the book that now lay flat on the floor but returned my cold gaze to John. Bringing his palms to his eyes, John fell into his chair, resting his elbows on his knees while he fought for air, gulping down steadying breaths. Keeping a close eye on him, I gathered my magic, transferring myself to the book. Reaching down and wrapping my fingers around the beat-up leather, I stuffed the book into the hidden pocket of my jacket and quietly returned to my spot.
Clearing my throat, I found a bottle of water and handed it to John. He gingerly took the bottle, draining it in one go. Leaning back in his chair, John’s head fell back, and he closed his eyes. “Did she take his offer?” his voice was rough.
