Page 72 of His Darkest Desire
But a hint of a smirk returned to his lips when he dragged his gaze back up. “Now that I think upon it…” He moved his hands to the front of his tunic, and those long, deft fingers unfastened the clasps one by one to expose his chest a little at a time. “I am.”
Okay, not what I expected him to do. Abort!
Snatching up a strip of bacon, Kinsley tossed it at him with a laugh. “Eat breakfast with me.”
Vex’s hand darted out, plucking the strip out of the air. His eyes blazed at her as he opened his mouth, clamped his fangs on the meat, and tore off a chunk.
Oh, he looks like he wants to eat something all right. Just not breakfast.
“This one understands not what just transpired, magus,” said Echo.
“Mayhap it has to do with their flesh,” suggested Flare. “Flesh brings strange sensations, it seems.”
Strange cravings, too.
“It is not for these ones to know,” Shade said. “It is between Kinsley and the magus.”
“Why do you call him magus instead of Vex?” Kinsley asked before eating a spoonful of porridge.
“Magus is his title,” replied Flare.
“And we would honor him through its use,” added Echo.
“The magus has watched over these ones for many centuries,” Shade said, ghostfire swirling. “He has guarded these ones’ true names and essences for all that time.”
“Essences?” Kinsley arched a brow. “Do you mean like your souls, or…”
“These ones’ very beings. The magic with which these ones are formed.”
“Wisps are birthed from the ether,” said Vex, drawing Kinsley’s attention back to him. His expression had softened, and the light in his eyes was no longer fiery and passionate, but warm, affectionate, and just a little sorrowful. “They are beings of pure mana, with no distinction between body and soul. Some say they are amalgamations of lost souls, or echoes of ghosts long since passed on. Others claim they are the will of the primal forces of magic themselves, granted form and consciousness. I know only that these three have been my steadfast companions for almost as long as I can recall.”
The wisps brightened. Echo floated down from the table until they hovered a couple feet above the floor. “These ones have been with the magus since he was small.”
“Long before he grew into his ears,” said Flare.
“Since before he grew into his ears?” Kinsley looked at Vex and laughed at the mental image of him as a child with overly large ears. “He must’ve been adorable.”
Vex’s cheeks darkened. He inhaled deeply, regaining his composure, before leaning toward her with his elbows on the table. “And what of me now, Kinsley?”
Kinsley ran her eyes over him, stopping them at the V of his open tunic. “Adorable is not the word I would use.”
Dark. Beautiful. Otherworldly. Sexy. Any of those would do.
Vex chuckled. “A response that avoids answering all together.”
“The magus was rather solemn as a child,” said Flare, “and has little changed in that regard.”
“This one would say the change is more than a little,” Shade said, turning their head toward Kinsley. “At least as of late.”
The implication of Shade’s words was not lost on Kinsley, and that blush returned to her cheeks. “So, Shade, Echo, and Flare are not your true names?”
Diversion! Nailed it.
“They are not,” Echo replied, returning to Kinsley’s eye level. “True names are to be held close. They hold power.”
When she frowned, Shade drifted closer and said softly, “It is not the same for mortals. The power is diminished.”
She looked at Vex, her frown deepening. “But you said I have fae blood, right? So what does that mean for me? What power does my true name really hold?”