“It’s not that you can’t handle it—”
“You don’t trust me.”
“No.” Cadmus shook his head, frustrated. “It’s not that, it’s just that I—”
“Think I’m a pale substitute for a real sorcerer, when Arim—”
“Dammit! Stop interrupting me. I can’t tell you, because then you’ll know how badly I screwed up.” Cadmus flushed as the truth poured out. “I made a mistake, a colossal one. Shit. You might as well know.” He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “I slept with a woman, a person I thought was a woman, and found out she’s Djinn. The enemy.”
Aerolus blinked. “A Djinn, you’re sure?”
His brother nodded. “You don’t know how hard it’s been to resist her, even suspecting she was more than she claimed.” He hung his head low. “But I was weak, I admit. And dammit, she seduced me. I found myself telling her about us, about Samantha and Tessa, about our need to find our supposed affai.” He clenched his jaw tight, shame filling his gaze as he forced himself to meet Aerolus’ eyes. “I’ll never forgive myself for betraying our family.”
“What?”
“I said I betrayed us. By the Light, Aerolus. Don’t make me repeat myself,” Cadmus spat, disgust with himself audible.
“I’m shocked, give me a minute.” Aerolus pondered his brother’s words, trying to fit the pieces of this growing puzzle together. “I’ve been giving our battle with ‘Sin Garu a lot of thought. And I don’t think the change that came over you was a bad thing.”
“Huh?”
“I discussed some of this with Arim, and would have with you if you hadn’t bolted from the room anytime the subject arose.” A disapproving look at Cadmus had his brother scowling. “The fact is, you suffered almost no injury from the Nocumat. Unlike Marcus.”
“And you,” Cadmus grumbled, his gaze knowing. “Don’t think I didn’t notice your exhaustion and weakness the days following that battle.” He huffed. “Why do you think I hung around you, as upset as I was? To protect you. I could easily have sulked in my room that week, avoiding Arim in the process.”
Aerolus had wondered about that, but the Aellei’s interference with the Nocumat and Arim’s continued presence had proved inescapable distractions.
“Yes, well, I’m better now. But you’re not.”
He murmured under his breath and watched as his brother began to glow—a faint illumination that showed the Djinn’s aura interwoven with Cadmus’. Yet instead of dimming his brother, the Djinn’s power, while visibly subduing Cadmus’ aura, boosted his energy. As Aerolus studied the glow, he easily distinguished the difference.
“Incredible.” He stared in wonder, enthralled with the raw magic.
“What?” Cadmus asked gruffly, trying not to sound worried. “What do you see?”
“You’re stronger now than you’ve ever been, Cadmus. I can’t believe you don’t feel it.”
Startled, his brother closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened them, frustration lining the brown depths. “I don’t feel it.”
“Probably because your Djinn doesn’t want you to. My guess is you’ve been under her protection for quite some time. Her hold on you is fairly strong.” That worried him, but Aerolus kept his thoughts to himself. If the Djinn had managed to get that close to Cadmus, by rights she could have killed him. But instead she had used her powers to protect him? Even enhance him?
Coupled with the male Djinn’s selfless attack on ‘Sin Garu, the female Djinn’s actions spoke of another force at play in the Storm Lords’ fight against ‘Sin Garu and the Netharat.
“Cadmus,” he said, coming to a decision. “I’m going to need you to keep Arim occupied for a while. I have somewhere to go, somewhere between.”
Cadmus nodded without hesitation, unquestioningly accepting. As if unloading his internal guilt to Aerolus had incurred a debt to repay, he seemed ready to do anything Aerolus might ask.
Not wanting to take advantage, Aerolus nevertheless had to leave this world, and Arim would not be pleased. But Aerolus couldn’t accomplish what he needed with his uncle breathing down his neck. And he was loath to put the Aellei—my affai, he forced himself to admit—in deliberate danger.
“Good luck, Aerolus,” Cadmus said softly, the beginning of a sly smile curling his lips, making him look like the charming, carefree Cadmus of old. “If you need me, I’m here. And I, for one, am glad you’ll be the target Arim turns to when you come back. Frankly, I’m tired of being on his irritate-the-hell-out-of list.”
Shaking his head, Aerolus returned to his room to pack a few things he thought he might need. As he did, he glanced through his window facing Trudy Warner’s house. He wondered what she’d thought of his exhibition earlier.
He flushed, unable to believe that he, of all people, had been so carried away by lust that he’d masturbated in front of an open window. By the Light, where was his head?
Lost in thoughts of his affai, in her alabaster skin, snow-white hair and voluptuous little frame. His body clenched at thoughts of entering her heat, of merging with the woman who would satisfy the ache of loneliness clawing at his heart, an ache he hadn’t been aware existed until he’d met her.
His affai, a woman who hailed from Aelle, a place known for its treachery and danger, and for its path into Shadren lands.
He sighed, then frowned at the hint of telescope he could see winking between closed blinds. Hell, Trudy Warner needed to get laid as badly as he did. With a small wind, he closed his drapes and gathered a small knapsack of belongings.
Shelving a brief moment of regret that he was leaving Cadmus to deal with Arim, an uneven match if ever there was one, he teleported into the waiting void between worlds, seeking a tendril of his affai’s energy.
Catching hold of what felt like her, he flew on dark shadows of magic to his unknown and unruly future.
Chapter Two
Alandra swallowed loudly and tried to break eye contact the minute she saw Arim’s fathomless gaze trying to pierce the illusion she’d so carefully crafted.
“I’m, ah, sorry. I don’t believe we’ve met?” She mentally curled in on herself as he stepped closer, trying to hide her magic under a blanket of Seattle’s mundane reality.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to feign the fear he surely sensed. Good night, but he was an impressive sorcerer. He fairly dripped with dark, menacing energy. Like most sorcerers from his world, he’d been taught from an early age to revere his power, exalting himself above those with little magic. Similar to the Dark Lords, many of the Light Bringers thought themselves better than those outside of Tanselm.
Considering what she knew of Arim the Sorcerer, she figured he would view tricks and spells against the Trudy Warners of this world not worth his time. With his obvious arrogance a factor, he would no doubt think her too much a xiantope—a being without magic—to be much of a threat, so long as he accepted her Trudy Warner act.
“No, we haven’t met.” He forced her to move back as he advanced. “Now what exactly did my nephew want with you?”
She felt a subtle mental pull and blinked at him in surprise. It took all her will to protect herself from his penetration spell. Having to hide from her people for a year had given her a lot of practice in living incognito, and she finally had a decent reason to thank her annoying aunt for forcing her to flee.
Straining under Arim’s fierce magic, she blanched but managed to look anxious at his nearness. Unfortunately, he looked less than pleased with her nervousness.