Page 27 of Elegy of Twilight
The words he spoke were enthralling, like discovering a secret others had tried to bury. As I watchedthe lines of his face, the angles highlighted by flame and shadow, a low throb began in my heart. I wanted to fix him, to reach out and take away his pain with my hand. That was what he was asking for, wasn’t it? For me to heal him, to break his curse just by accepting him as he was.
Titus continued, “The sorceress discovered my treachery. She cursed me to life in darkness with a thirst for blood, and sentenced me into exile in the caves here.”
“How long ago was it?”
“Five, six years perhaps.” He shrugged. “Living in darkness takes its toll.”
I bit my lip, but the words burst out of my mouth anyway. “What of the other man? The one who spoke to me last night. Who is he to you?”
Titus scratched the back of his neck and gave me a sidelong glance. “He’s my half-brother. We have the same father but different mothers.”
I sat a moment, letting the words digest. Titus had a brother. They were family, so why the cryptic warning? “And he is cursed too?”
A rough, dark laugh escaped from Titus’s throat.
“I’m trying to understand,” I explained.
He cupped my face, leaning close so that his breath kissed my lips. “Don’t evertry to understand the darkness. You are light and grace and beauty. I am drawn to you like a thirsty soul to water, but I fear my shadows will corrupt you. This conversation about myself and my cursed brother is not one I enjoy, but I will deal with him separately now that I know he has attempted to come between you and me. I want you to stay with me, awhile, Lucia. Will you?”
My eyes widened. He was asking a question, giving me a choice. “For how long?”
“Does it matter?” Titus asked, pushing the blanket off my shoulders.
“It does. The knights believe I’ve gone home. They will search for me if I’m not at the abbey. They’ll think I’ve been. . .” I trailed off, unable to say the words.
Gently, Titus placed two fingers above my heart and pushed me onto my back. I reached for the blanket, but he batted my hand away. “Let me look at you, my moon goddess.”
“One day,” I compromised as his fingers traced the runes on my legs, running from my hip to my ankle.
“One day and one night,” he countered. “I’ll take you to the abbey before sunrise.”
His breath feathered my leg, and then he kissedmy ankle. I closed my eyes, a riot of sensation chasing through me.
“One day, one night,” I murmured.
“I’ll teach you how to use your magic,” he went on as if I needed any more convincing. “And perhaps it will be enough.”
Fingers crept up my thigh.
“Enough for what?” I shuddered.
Instead of answering he bent his dark head and kissed me. “You’re marvelous,” he breathed.
12
TITUS
Imade love to Lucia again and again, never growing tired of her breathy moans, the way her lips tasted, how her eyes glazed over when I touched her, and the way her body trembled with delight beneath my touch. But more than anything were her runes, the way they made me feel light, normal, almost free.
One day and one night was all I asked for, all she promised, yet I was certain that if she stayed forever, I’d break my curse. The darkness within my soul wouldn’t stand a chance beside her light.
It was daylight when she finally pushed me away, her gaze roving over the house. “Tell me what you know about magic.”
“Ah, now is the time for words,” I said, wagging my finger at her.
She gave me a look, but a faint smile hovered on her lips. “You promised to teach me how to use it, and I’m curious as to why, if I have magic, it only revealed itself now.”
Standing, I tugged on my now-dry pants and rifled through my papers. “How much do you already know about your runes?”
