5. NASH

I'd exhausted myself to a point of not being able to sleep.

Ara's lips were on my mind. Ara's touch had infested every corner of my mind.

Legs folded over each other, back straight, focused on breathing, I was focused on that kiss and the way it held me. The moment we touched, I was hit with fragments of him. I saw through slips of time. There was pain and prophecy, he was an echo chamber of thoughts, hollowed out by actions he had no control.

Blacking out from exertion, I woke to my sister rummaging through my closet.

"Melize," I grumbled, lifting my head from the pillow and unable to control the yawn stretching out from the back of my throat like I was going deep on a fist. "What are you doing?"

"I lost a ring last night," she said. "It's the pretty silver band with the inscription on it."

A crackle of thought snapped in me. It was mom's ring. She's going to kill me.

"Stop it!" she shouted, throwing clothes from the ground at me. "I know what you're doing, Nash."

"You stole mom's ring." And I knew the exact one she was talking about. It was funny she'd stolen that one in particular considering it had adverse affects on magic from the inscription. A spell on it to dampen a witch's power, usually inscribed and worn when a family doesn't want to draw attention to themselves.

"Not theft, she was eventually going to pass it down to me, I just tried it on," she said.

"Have you tried casting for it?" I grabbed my pillow and held it tight against my chest, letting out all my energy into a big squeeze.

"It's not my ring, I can't cast for it," she said.

"Get mom to cast for it."

Melize snapped her fingers. "Good idea. Then she'll find it in here, and you'll have to explain it. I won't be in trouble."

I threw my pillow at her. "Mom knows I haven't taken it. Plus, the way you're walking around blasting thoughts, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't already know."

She often got like this, frantic and panicked, unable to keep up her boundaries and control her abilities. Compared to my twin, Rhone, who lacked a lot of magic. Part of me wondered if I'd absorbed him magic in the womb.

"Found it!" she shouted, jumping around. "Ugh. You need to clean your room."

"Why did you take it off anyway?"

"Um, I don't know, maybe because I had to portal you home and mom's silver ring does freaky shit sometimes," she said.

"No duh. Have you read the inscription?"

"It's in those strange symbols. So, no."

"Get out," I told her.

The last thing I wanted to wake up to was my sister. I thanked her for saving my ass last night, but I was pissed that I didn't get a proper chance to talk to the vampire. He wasn't the first vampire I'd met, but he was definitely the first one I'd kissed.

Different witches tapped into their source of magic in different ways. As an omega, though, I couldn't access magic through the world. I could only access it through myself, which meant it drew on an energy store I only knew to fill up through sleep.

The daily routine begin. Breakfast, small talk about my plan for the day, which was always to study or research. And followed up with an escape route out into the so-called big and scary world. I had to find Ara. My soul craved a second glance into his eyes, and my palms itches to reach out and read his skin.

"Nash, today, you're going to come to the market with me," my father said. "We're in need of ingredients for the coven summoning circle this weekend."

It took me completely by surprise. "What about Melize?"

My mom chuckled. "She's staying to help clean and polish some of my jewelry."

Melize scowled at me across the table. "You told her."

"No, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mel, sweetie, you're awful at hiding your thoughts," our father said, also hiding a chuckle. "The kitchen staff heard, and they were concerned too."

She lulled her head to the dining table as other members from other families in the compound glanced across at us.

"Do you really need me to come with you?" I asked.

"You are part of this family," he said. "Yes. And don't think we don't know that you prefer the company of humans to those of your kind. We need to put on a united front. And that starts by showing the other families that we're not losing control over you two."

I know my parents had been in a constant state of worry ever since my brother left. The other families must've assumed that we would follow suit and left our parents, who would in turn probably be forced to leave.

"Fine," I told my father. "But I find the underground market tiring."

"You won't be saying that when we work together on some portal magic," he said.

Portal magic was my favorite. My brother and I would create them constantly together, it was the only time he ever felt a sense of ability at his finger tips. I knew that because he thought it often, and I buried it deep. I didn't want to be burdened by it.

I dressed in my signature all-black suit attire with matching rimmed hat. It made me feel like I was going on an adventure every time I pressed it to the back of my head, almost like I was in an Indiana Jones movie.

My father carried tote bags inside tote bags for all the supplies he needed. I rolled my eyes th moment I saw them with him, and the rucksack on his bag. "Well, come on then," he said, waving me down the hall. "We're going to summon in here."

He preferred summoning directly against a wall just in case someone was to walk in the opposite direction and they'd get sucked through it as well. Personally, I found the idea funny. I wondered if they'd go to the same place, but it was magic, so I'd never tried it out. It could been a blackhole that slurped you up and spat you out into spaghetti on the other side.

The underground market was in a permanent twilight. It looked like a sky above, pitch black with the odd twinkle, like stars, but it was the road or ground of whatever buildings were above this place.

My father had a list of things he required on several scraps of paper that went together would form the longest list known to all kinds. Seeing him go around all the stalls and be peculiar about everything got old quick, but nobody else seemed to mind.

"I'm gonna go buy something," I told him.

"Stay close," he called after me.

I preferred spending my time with humans because I was special around them. Around my people, I was a witch, and an omega at that. Which then meant I had to contend with being glared at by hungry horned up Alphas as they were desperate to get their claws into me and tear my tight little witchy ass up. I couldn't blame them on that, I did my squats, I kept it tight, and I was nearly suctioned into my black jeans.

Bars were also boring here. I just walked right by them.

Nothing entertained me here.

I went all around the underground city, admiring trinkets on display and gems for sale.

"Well," a voice caught me by surprise.

"I'm not buying," I said, looking up. The stall owner was dealing with someone else. But through the glass, I saw his reflection. "Oh." I turned, nearly falling back on my foot.

Ara stood without his mask, looking sharp in his fancy suit. "I've been looking for you," he said, taking my hand. He pulled it to his lips and kiss it. "You smell so—" He smacked his lips.

An intense rush of adrenaline coursed through me, screaming in my veins. His touch showed me images that wrote entire novels about him. He was old, but young in the face. The longer I stared at him, the more blurry my vision became. Right until...

A soft coo washed over me. "Nash," Ara whispered to me. "Wake up." He pressed a cold bottle of water to my forehead.

I was laid in his arms, looking up at him.

A small crowd had formed around us.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked, taking the bottle but my hands were too tired to open it.

"For you," he said, smiling up at me. "I figured you were going to show up eventually." He took the bottle of water and opened it. "I didn't like the way you just disappeared last night."

Sipping the water, the gnawing consciousness of all the eyes on us were making me conscious. It was different when humans were watching me, but for people like me, it wasn't a nice feeling at all. Slowly, I pulled myself away from Ara. "Thank you for catching me," I said. "I'm fine. Really."

Ara glared up at the crowd. "You heard him. He's fine. Leave."

As the crowd dispersed, that's when my father's face appeared. He was standing there, all of his tote bags filled with items. He just stared.

"Dad."

"Nash," he said. "What are you doing on the floor?" He approached me with a hand to help lift me to my feet. "And with a vampire."

"Ara DeMauriel," he introduced him, standing from his squat beside me. "Your son fainted. I was close by when it happened and offered help to the situation."

The solid state of my stomach knotted harder. "Thank you," I said, looking into his eyes. "I appreciate all of your help. And the water."

My father hummed. "DeMauriel. Didn't that vampire clan move west? After an awful tragedy, or something."

"If you're referring to my sister, Elya's death, yes, it was an awful tragedy," he said. "But I didn't move. I've been here this entire time."

"How old are you?" I blurted.

My father grabbed my arm. "Come now," he said. "We both thank you for helping, but we really don't want any trouble with the vampires. Thank you."

"There's no trouble," he said. "I'm fresh out of slumber." He laughed. "Nash caught my eye. He's special."

"I know," my father said, still tugging my arm. "And we don't want any trouble. Like I said."

It was a fleeting moment of time spent with Ara again. Every contact of his skin on mine was electric. It made me giddy. But whatever alchemy was going on between us wouldn't last if my family had anything to say. While inter-supernatural dating wasn't forbidden, a lot of families prided themselves on being pure. Most witches belonged to that, calling anything else a dilution to the bloodline.

My father lectured me as he forced us to get as far from Ara as possible and summoning a portal out of the market. He was reiterating statements I'd heard be told time and time again. I didn't want to hear any of it though. There was something about Ara I couldn't put my finger on. It got my heart skipping a beat, or several.

"We're not going to say a word of this to your mother," he said. "I don't need her worrying about you. She's already got it up to here thinking about your brother." He gestured with a hand to his forehead.

Once we were crossed the portal, my father exhaled and the several tote bags on his arms all came down and settled in an organized line on the floor.

"It was nothing," I told him.

"What was nothing?" my mother asked, entering the room.

"The gourds," I lied, seeing one pressed against the fabric of the bag. "Someone was handing them out because they were going to go rotten otherwise."

She grumbled. "Well, hope they don't spoil before the circle. You know the earth witches are going to have a field day if they found out we haven't been able to get everything on the list."

"I think they'll save," he said. "So, how's punishing Melize been?"

"Yes," I said. "I bet you've had fun."

"Not really," she said. "She was actually enjoying herself too much polishing jewelry."

"Well, I'm going to head to my room and—"

"You knees are dirty," she noted.

I dusted a hand over them. "I was kneeling to look at something," I said. "Anyway, I'm gonna go change. I still want to get some studying in and meditation before lunch, although I might be too tranced for that. So, perhaps don't come get me until dinner."

It was all a lie. I needed to get back to the underground market. I needed to see Ara again.

Once I was in my room, I secured the door with a knot of magic and then portal hopped my way back to the market. I hadn't been gone longer than ten minutes. Ara had to be around here somewhere.

As the portal disappeared behind me.

I caught him watching from across a path next to me.