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Blood magic would be impossible to practice on my own, so shadow and ice seemed the best option to relieve some of my grief.
To learn in one evening that I was responsible for the death of my best friend, that my childhood love had been brutally destroyed, and that my parents had been murdered would be enough to shatter even the most solid of psyches.
But if you ask Max, I’ve never quite been solid, not since Link.
Link.
The pain he went through at the end must have been unimaginable. And to hear he promised vengeance in the form of my blade, and I almost slept with the man responsible? I am more of a monster than I ever thought.
Because regrettably still, the horrors that Mace revealed to me last night do nothing to kill my growing affection and trust for him. The honesty in which he spoke was brutal and punishing but also incredibly brave. I felt his inner conflict, his sadness about what had happened, and his regret that it affected me. His methods were horrendous, but his motivation was pure.
I have not forgiven him. But I understand him better now, and we are not so different after all.
My stomach growls, emptied in a bush last night when I burst from Mace’s door to outrun the truth of his statements. I push the hunger from my mind. I cannot go back into that city just yet. Back to that basement apartment Mace arranged for me to stay comfortably amongst the people who slaughtered everyone I loved.
Well, everyone except Max.
That one is on me.
A snapping of twigs behind me has me spinning about, hand out and purpose set for as shards of ice fly at my uninvited visitor.
A burst of fire meets my ice, which falls to the ground in a puddle.
“Shit, Viola. You could’ve impaled me,” Zeph greets me with a shudder.
I wince. “Sorry, Zeph. I’m on edge.” He nods and takes a tentative step toward me.
“I spoke to Loris. He was out of line.”
I take in the man in front of me, with his broad shoulders and imposing build. The tattoos that crawl up his neck are on full display today, as he’s wearing a barely buttoned-up white collarless shirt. The sunlight sets fire to his hair, and I realize for the first time that this man embodies the Summer magic he possesses. He notices me taking him in, and a smile stretches across his bearded face, his eyes sparkling.
Why does Mace set my heart soaring, but Zeph doesn’t?
Looking down at my body, still clad in last night’s jewels and dress but covered in dirt and grass, I wince. “I’m sorry I ruined this beautiful dress.”
He waves my concerns away quickly. “It can be cleaned. I’m more worried about you. Can we go get you some food and talk?”
I hesitate but eventually concede. This city is my home now, whether I like it or not, and I will not be able to avoid it forever. While Zeph is a part of the Patricians, and I know he was part of some of the horrors of the Race, I must believe he had nothing to do with it. He is the one who sent me to Mace for answers, after all.
“I’ll come, but I cannot go to the tavern and face this Gods-forsaken city.”
“My place, then.”
In Zeph’s home, the warmth of a fire relaxes my freezing muscles. He loans me a shirt and a pair of his undershorts to change into, and I happily do, leaving the dress on the floor of his bathroom and the choker around my neck. The intimacy of the situation is not lost on me, and when I glance in the mirror, I realize I look as if we just slept together.
I exit his room to find him at the table with a platter of bread, cheeses, fruits, and cured meats in front of him. He’s shed his shirt and boots, sitting in just a pair of low-slung olive-green linen trousers. His chest has a thin coating of red down on it, and his stomach is soft and comfortable looking. A steaming mug of tea sits in front of a chair for me. I slide into the seat, pull the mug into my hands, and drink from it greedily. “You had a spread like this just lying around?” I muse.
A flush crawls up his neck, and he sheepishly ruffles his hair. “I… Anticipated you may want to have breakfast here, so I gathered it before I went out to find you.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“Tulip. I went to see you this morning after I spoke to Loris, and she said you’d been out of the city all morning.”
Fucking Tulip would send Zeph after me. She has such a soft spot for him. When I ran into her on my way out of town, she was dizzy and drunk from dancing. I told her where I was going but insisted she did not follow. She didn’t put up too much of a fight with her hands full of pastries from the dessert table.
Glancing down, I see my shadow-snake has released his hold on my arm and stretched across my legs. His presence is nearly imperceptible, but I still feel affection and warmth radiating from his shadowy figure.
Zeph must have noticed my attention, an expression of amusement crossing his face. “How have you managed to hold that spell for so long?”
