32. ~Talon~

32

~Talon~

She hadn’t left his side in days.

Alena was joined to Orpheus at the hip.

Ever since she’d broken down in his chambers and actually taken comfort in him, it had shifted something for her.

Just toward him so far.

There was nothing X and I could do but wait for her to feel comfortable with us again, to reach out and touch us, hug us, and be close to us.

It was a huge step either way, though, that she’d managed to do it with Ore. And it was a really good sign too. I just had to focus on that.

And not the thing that sparked my anger to life whenever I allowed my mind to go there.

That Constantine had ripped our foursome apart, that he’d fucked with the special thing we’d been building between us.

“Talon?”

I blinked and swung my head toward Alena.

“Yeah?”

“I asked if you’re going to get started?”

I looked at the tree stump in front of her and the shimmering gold framework of a house she’d already started creating.

Orpheus had brought us out here to work on our control.

He was giving his army a much-needed break, so now there was this.

X was doing a whole lot better with his control ever since he’d first felt Ore’s blood spark his own magic in him. And he’d been feeding from him since, so he was in a really good place.

I nodded at Alena. “Yeah, just gearing myself up.”

Truth be told, I was distracted by X and Ore talking over in the corner.

That thirty feet away was the most distance that had been between Ore and Alena for days. She’d even been sleeping in his bed with him. Without a pillow wall too. There hadn’t been anything sexual that had gone down, but still. It was a big deal for her, considering everything.

I shifted my weight and called my phoenix fire, then I started weaving the flames, creating dancing figures in the night all around Alena’s building.

A thrill went through me as she giggled and smiled out at them happily.

I saw Ore and X looking over as they heard the sound that was so rare now.

X grinned from ear-to-ear, and Ore gave me a thumbs-up.

Then they went back to whispering.

Fuck it. As I continued with my flame art , I used my phoenix hearing to hone in on them.

“She’s too dependent on you, Orpheus.”

My breath caught in my throat. It was as if Xavier was speaking my thoughts, thoughts that I’d been too afraid to voice in case I’d come off as a selfish shit.

“I agree.”

“What? Just like that?”

“What did you expect me to say?”

“Rub it in my face, how it’s a turn of the tables to how it was in the early days where she was more comfortable with me, something along those lines.”

“With everything that’s happened, I think we’re far beyond those trivialities and immaturities.”

“Well… good.”

“I’m her safe place right now. She knows I can help her when the black magic sickness gets the best of her and it likely also has something to do with the fact that I was the one there the night of her rescue. I can’t take that away from her. It’s all she has to hold onto.”

“But you can ease away a little bit, like you’re doing right now?”

“Exactly. Slow and easy progress, but progress nonetheless.”

“That’s what this exercise is about today? Progress regarding control for both of them?”

“An exercise that they’ll be performing every day from here on out, now they’ve both stabilized enough. We’ll need to push it, though, a little more each time. And now you’ve found the key to holding onto your control, I need your assistance.”

“How so?”

“I’m going to give them their first push in a moment. Alena can extinguish my magic. So far she hasn’t gone that route when I’ve stopped her outbursts from the black magic sickness, but with this push she might. I’ll need your help if she does. You have enough of my blood running through your veins to use your magic at a high enough level to provide a jolt to pull her from that state.”

“I’ve got you. But I won’t hurt her. Ever.”

“Just stunning her enough to jar her back to us will be fine, although with what I have in mind, I’m hoping even that won’t be needed.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“If I tell you it won’t look real. Just follow my lead when the time comes.”

I was pulled from listening at the sound of Alena grunting in frustration.

I swung my head to see black flecks taking over her shimmering golden building that had been coming along nicely.

“It’s okay,” I told her. “It looks amazing. You don’t need to rush it.”

She looked out at me, her eyes flaming half gold, half black, making me tense.

In my peripheral vision, I saw my flames starting to rage a little.

I sucked in a breath and I saw her mimic it too, and both of us were able to calm a little.

“Again,” I told her, as she seemed to be taking my cue.

We both did it together and my flames quelled, and her magic started streaming gold without the black magic along for the ride.

“It’s our place,” she told me.

I frowned. “Our place?”

“For when we graduate.”

The moment she put the words out there, she seemed unsure. Unsure about how we’d take it.

“I mean, I thought… when we leave here we could, you know, be together? Live together,” she uttered nervously, even blushing.

“Shit, really?”

“Yeah.”

“I fucking love it!”

“Really?” she asked, a cute little smile spreading over her face, even lighting up her eyes.

“No question, firecracker. It’s absolutely happening.”

“What’s happening?” X asked as he and Ore returned to us.

I gestured at Alena’s creation. “This. Alena’s designing it for the four of us. For after graduation.”

X looked absolutely taken with the idea and he started studying the building in detail.

Ore seemed uneasy, though, and more than a little surprised. “That’s what you want?”

“I figured it was a natural progression with the way things had been going with us.” She noticed him looking unsure and pulled back her magic, a crestfallen expression taking her over. “But that’s not what you want, is it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“That’s exactly it. You haven’t said anything.”

She looked down and clenched her fists.

I saw X looking over worriedly at Ore who discreetly held up his hand, signaling him.

And then he shifted his weight in his sexy purple blazer with the studs that emphasized those broad shoulders and large biceps of his and told Alena, “It’s a bit of a leap for where we’re at right now.”

Alena started shaking her head vehemently, drawing back from us. “You’re lying. It’s because of him. Because of Constantine. You can’t stand that he touched me, what he did to me. I’m ruined to you. Damaged goods.” Her eyes flamed black and gold as she gestured wildly at her magical creation. “None of this can ever happen now! It’s too late. It’s all destroyed!” She thrust her palm at it, disintegrating it in seconds. “Just like that!” she yelled, completely irate.

“Alena, take a breath,” I urged. “Like we just did.”

But Ore blew right through the chance of that happening, stepping closer to her and telling her, “He did do all of that to you, yes. And he’s still here with you because you’re letting the memory of what he did control you and hold you back, as well as allowing it to trigger you. He’s still impacting you even though you’re safe here with us. Because you’re letting him.”

“Ore!” I cried.

I looked to X for backup that he’d usually be all for providing when Ore crossed a line like this. But this time he shook his head at me, although looking uncertain. He wasn’t sure where exactly Ore was going with all of this, but he was trusting that it was part of a well thought out plan. One to help Alena through this, maybe? Just in a really fucked-up way?

It didn’t seem to be doing that, though, as she snarled, then thrust her palms into the sky, streaming her golden magic into the dark clouds above.

Thunder rumbled, the clouds drew together unnaturally, as she called a storm forth.

Holy shit.

Her magic turned completely black and a pained cry tore from her as she pushed it further, creating flash lightning.

She spun and it drove down into the ground, leapfrogging right toward Orpheus.

He thrust his palm out, generating a purple oval shield, just before it made contact, his whole body shaking as the lightning hit the shield with terrible force.

“Argh!” she screamed, doing it again and again, until his feet started slipping in the grass and he dug his heels in.

“You’re letting the black magic take you. Letting yet another thing control you,” he called to her. “You’re better than that. Stronger than that.”

She blinked at his words, her hands shaking.

“With this power, no one can hurt me! Ever again!”

“Not true when you’re so lost to it,” he told her. “It makes you weak. And, you are the farthest thing from weak, Alena.” He struggled and managed to push forward, closer to her, gritting his teeth against her onslaught.

She ceased with the lightning, but then we watched in horror as she streamed her magic at him and it started extinguishing his.

“Does this make me weak too?” she threw back at him as she employed her dark magic destroying ability.

“When you’re using it to try to do harm to somebody you love, yes. To somebody who loves you.”

She jolted.

And, fuck, so did me and X.

Was he really saying what we thought he was?

He cleared that up in the next second as he called over to her, “That’s right, little angel. I love you. I fucking love you. Do you hear me? And of course I want us to live together, to be together always and eternally. The three of you are it for me.”

The blackness in her eyes extinguished and she abruptly pulled her magic back, making Ore stumble forward a little, but managing to catch his balance.

The storm retreated.

Alena stood there panting, staring out at him in a mixture of awe and disbelief.

“You love me?”

He nodded as he walked to her. “I thought the words would burn on the way out, that I’d hate the vulnerability of them being put out there. But none of that happened. They were just right.” He reached her and carefully took her hands in his. “ This is right. Loving you. You’re ours, little angel. And nothing and fucking no one will ever change that.”

“So… that… acting like you didn’t want the house… it was you provoking me?”

He smirked. “Isn’t that what I do best with you?”

She slapped his chest playfully.

“Had to see what it would take to get you to pull back on your own without me making you by force like I have been so far.” He smiled. “And it worked. You managed it.”

“The three of you are my anchors.”

“That’s right. Now we know.”

“It changes things,” she breathed reverentially.

“It gives you back control.”

She played with his hands in hers. “I want it back in other ways.” She looked out at me and X. “I want to be with you again.”

“Whenever you’re ready, we are,” Ore told her.

“I’m ready now.”

“You’re sure?” Xavier asked her.

“There’s no rush,” I assured her.

“I know and thank you, but I feel like it’s time. At least to try.”

Well, shit. This really was something.