Chapter 8

8

ROMAN

" I 'm fine now," Xavier said, getting back on his feet. He wiped the remains of his black tears from his face.

"You sure?"

His sobbing rocked me to my core, painful to hear and see. I was still shaking, never expecting him to be so vulnerable. It made me fall harder for him. He was the guy I wanted to hold through the dark times and laugh with through the better days.

"Yes," he answered.

I didn't argue with him. We could talk about it later, on his terms. "Okay."

Lips still buzzing from our kiss, we linked hands and left the bedroom.

Margarite bowed to me, still waiting outside. She said nothing, following us back to join the others.

"Lay down here," Butterfly instructed me. He'd turned the sofa cushions into a bed on the coffee table, the sofas all pushed back.

I did as he asked, mouthing a quick check-in at Darcy.

All good.

Butterfly circled me, his arms folded, clutching the time jar in his left hand. He pursed his lips in thought.

"What are you thinking?" Xavier asked.

Butterfly didn't answer, pausing to bend over me. He held a hand over my heart, his eyes closed.

"Can you sense anything?" I tried.

"No."

Great.

He moved his hand up and down my body, every passing second making my epidermis cringe at his proximity. I seriously loathed this prick, my hate swelling every time I looked at him.

After circling me for long minutes, the silence driving me nuts, he finally piped up. "There are two options. The first is to use the essence of time by somehow placing it inside your body, giving time a conduit. The second option is one big wish to make everything normal again."

My glower could melt this room into liquid mud. "Fuck that."

Darcy nodded furiously in agreement.

"Certainly," Butterfly said with a wave of his hand. "Then we must find the right equipment for me to make this possible."

The mini storm in the jar flashed like a beacon of hope in his hands. Would it survive outside of the glass?

I put that to the fluttery dickhead.

"We will have to be quick," he said. "But I'm not sure of anything anymore." His shoulders sagged, breaking his perfect posture. "This could be nothing more than misplaced hope."

Was I supposed to feel sorry for him? "And who's fault is that?"

He didn't answer.

Fuck him. I couldn't be bothered to start an argument.

"So, what brought you to this conclusion?" Xavier asked.

Butterfly lifted his head. "Whatever Una did to the device made it a powerful tool. There is still a form of magic alive in Roman. If I can get this right, we may be able to manipulate time on a grander scale through the device. Not simply moving between the two times as before."

Yeah, or cause more chaos.

"It's a huge risk," Xavier said.

"Isn't everything?" Butterfly sat down. "Nothing is guaranteed, including Roman's safety. I will need to think more on this." He crossed his legs, drifting off into thought.

And so began loads of waiting around to play havoc on my anxiety. I tried not to fidget too much on the outside, but my inner world screamed in frustration.

I just wanted this over with.

The ground quaked violently, breaking apart the frustrated energy of the room. I jumped to my feet, unsure of my next move.

A second rumble sent the books tumbling off the bookcases. Xavier caught three candles before they hit the ground to start a fire.

A third round of shaking followed, cracks forming in the walls and ceiling.

Oh. Shit.