“Affai?” Arim glared at Cadmus. “Not yet.”
“You’re too late.” Lexa said softly. “They’ve bonded.”
“Oh?” His words were almost a whisper, and Lexa swallowed audibly. Odd, but Cadmus thought her reaction to Arim made her all the more alluring. Near him, she seemed more human, more approachable.
“They’ve been bonded since that first night Cadmus took over for Darius at Outpour.”
Cadmus started. “What?”
His question was echoed by Ellie and Ethim, who entered the room.
“Yes, Dark Mistress,” Arim said caustically. “Make sure to let all the pawns know exactly how you’ve been playing them before you make your final moves.” He shook his head at Cadmus. “The mistakes we make in youth…”
“Haunt us forever,” Lexa spat, anger making her light blue eyes glow almost white. “Oh shut up, Arim. You always were a maudlin asshole. You can blame me all you want to. But true love speaks for itself.” She smiled, her ghostly face awash with satisfaction. “Cadmus and Ellie were made for one another.”
Chapter Twelve
Ellie stared in astonishment, waiting to see just what the hell Alex—or should she say, Lexa—meant by that remark. She still couldn’t believe her best friend of nearly ten years, Alexandra Novak, was in fact Lexa Van Nostren, a Dark Lord. Hell, she might as well have been told her best friend was Satan’s daughter. No doubt the Light Bringers thought of her as such.
She snuck a glance at Cadmus and saw him watching Lexa with an inscrutable look. What did he see when he looked at her? Unfamiliar jealousy reared its ugly head, and Ellie had to remind herself that she knew Alex—Lexa. “You’re giving me a headache,”she sent the woman the waspish thought, wondering if she could read it.
“Sorry, Ellie. But you never opened up to me about the Djinn either, so maybe we’re even?” Lexa sounded hopeful, and Ellie sighed. Of course her friend had telepathy, could freeze men in their tracks and ate creatures like the Netharat for breakfast. For a woman reared in the ordinary, Ellie found her life spiraling into the unknown awfully fast. Her mother was now completely in her father’s camp, so that ties to the mundane world had vanished. Her fiancé was a Light Bringer, a royal prince from another world, and her best friend happened to be a Dark Lord, a supposedly evil scourge trying to destroy anything in her path.
Well, at least Ellie and her father had smoothed over many of the bumps in their relationship. Theirs would probably never be an easy one, but at least her father now understood her better. The guilt pouring off him hadn’t hurt either. Nice to know she wasn’t the only one feeling terrible for their past.
Now if Ethim would only acknowledge Cadmus’ role in her future.
“What do you mean Cadmus and I were made for each other?” She thought as hard as she could at Alex. Lexa confused the hell out of her.
No wonder she hadn’t recognised her best friend. In Seattle, the Alex Ellie knew worked as a retail buyer, travelling coast-to-coast purchasing the latest trends for ritzy department stores. A terrific cover if one had to be out of pocket for any length of time. But that Alex had known seemed so different, so much more open, so normal. Alex Novak had long black hair, green eyes and a tan that Ellie envied. She was slim and stood as tall as Ellie. That freakish tallness had helped the women bond. A chance meeting in a coffee shop had produced a decade of friendship. Although, come to think of it, perhaps the friendship wasn’t so chance, or so true.
“Not at all. I had my reasons for meeting you, Ellie. But our friendship has been one of the only things in my life worth keeping. Believe that, if you will nothing else.”
“Fine.” Ellie heaved a mental sigh, unable to withstand the pain in her friend’s voice. “But you’ve got so much explaining to do it’s not funny. Just try not to piss off Arim to the point where he slices you in half.”
“I’ll do my best,” came the dry but relieved reply.
“We’re waiting,” Arim said, his voice low, silky and threatening enough to make Ellie wish she were standing closer to Cadmus.
As if he’d sensed her distress, Cadmus glanced at her and quickly sent waves of reassurance. Deep-rooted warmth stole through her being, and remembrances of their time in the gazebo sparked fresh heat. He winked and turned back to Lexa, waiting with Arim for her explanation.
Lexa glared at the imposing sorcerer awaiting her reply. “I’m surprised you haven’t sensed this before now. But then, you’re so stubborn you’d resist the truth if it bit you on the ass.”
Cadmus coughed to smother a laugh, and Ellie noted the way Arim’s huge fists clenched. Lexa was either very brave or had a death wish.
She sighed and continued, “In all the centuries since the Dark Tribes split and were thrown from Tanselm, tetrarch upon tetrarch of Storm Lords have ruled over the land. For the most part, you Light Bringers brought peace and prosperity to Tanselm.”
“’For the most part?’” Arim crossed his arms over his chest.
“Tanselm, like many other worlds with such magic, needs balance to flourish. Just as the Darkness in the Dark Lords’ hands all those years ago hurt the land, the Light you people throw on everything you touch has begun to scar your precious Tanselm.”
Arim frowned. “You’re lying.”
“You know I’m not. You’ve felt it in your soul. I’ve felt it myself.”
“Oh?”
“From time to time over the years, I’ve visited, Arim. Keep your enemies close, right?”
His lips thinned but he said nothing. Ellie found the interplay between her friend and Arim as fascinating as their words. She could see the way Arim studied Lexa’s every expression, her every movement. Ellie sensed they had a history that went far deeper than that of mere enemies. Lexa, for her part, acted so blithely uncaring and hostile that Ellie was surprised Arim couldn’t tell how much she still cared for him.
Glancing subtly around her, she noted all eyes focused on Arim and Lexa, and opened her senses. The Light around Arim and the Dark around Lexa seemed complete opposites, and complete complements. The bands of energy surrounding each of them seemed to reach out and lick at the other, testing, probing, almost…inviting? Interesting.
“I agree.” Cadmus mentally caressed her. “But pay attention, love. Lexa’s about to tell us why we’re perfect for each other. I don’t want you or your father to miss this.”
“Very funny.” Containing a smirk, she focused on Lexa again.
“Tanselm has been steadily weakening. The Light is beginning to burn her out, and she needs some Darkness to balance her magic. Thus the most recent batch of royals.”
“Excuse me?” Cadmus asked.
“That’s right, Earth Lord. You and your brothers were born with Tanselm’s blessings. Of the half dozen tetrarchs before you, yours is the most balanced of the bunch.”
Cadmus’ mouth tightened. “So what? I’m the Dark one to even out my brothers?”
“That’s bullshit.” Arim glared. “Cut the crap, Lexa. For once in your pitiful life, tell the truth.”
“I am.” Ice coated her words. “If you’d shut up and listen, I’ll more than explain. I’ll show you.” She stepped forward and drew a circle in the air. Ellie watched, entranced, as four small boys looking very much like younger versions of Cadmus appeared. “These are the identical quadruplet princes of King Faustus and Queen Ravyn. Each prince was born with the powers of the elements, and each rooted himself to the Light and Dark of existence through Tanselm’s grace.”