Page 88 of His Darkest Desire
The magus huffed, stepping closer to the window. “It is…” Doomed. “Heartening.”
“Could it be that the magus is happy?” asked Shade.
“They are happy. That…is enough.”
Fire and ice—rage and grief, pain and sorrow—pulsed through Vex’s being.
It isn’t enough. Wasn’t enough.
All that power, all that knowledge, and you couldn’t comprehend that simple truth.
He awaited the darkness, the nothingness, and the release it would offer, but it did not come. He didn’t know how long he stood at the window, watching the memory. Didn’t know how long the musicians played, how long the goblins danced, or how long the children roamed in packs, playing tricks on each other and their elders. He didn’t know how long the moonlight shone upon the village below his tower.
At some point, he became aware of a new sensation, cool and wet, upon his lips, tongue, and in his throat. Water. Drops at a time, slaking some of the thirst he’d been unable to quench. It wasn’t the first time, he knew, but he’d not yet felt it so clearly.
“We’re still here,” Kinsley said. “You’re still here.”
A few more drops of water slid down his throat.
If only he could move his lips. If only he could force a sound out of his mouth to tell her he was there, that he could hear her, feel her. If only his body would respond to his commands. If only he could escape the nothingness and return to her.
Warmth flowed into his hand, accompanied by gentle pressure; it was Kinsley’s hand upon his. That warmth spread up his arm and through his body slowly, soothing away the lingering aches and pains. He was aware of naught in that moment but her.
The memory had long since faded, cocooning him in restful darkness that thrummed with her heat, with her voice, with a whisper of her scent.
“Kinsley?” Echo asked.
“He’s starting to look better, isn’t he?” Kinsley’s tone held a heart-wrenching blend of hope and desperation.
“He is,” said Shade.
“Tend to yourself a while, Kinsley,” said Echo. “These ones will hold vigil.”
“I can’t leave him,” she replied, tightening her hold on Vex’s hand.
His chest swelled, and his heart beat faster.
My mate. My Kinsley.
Shade spoke with the gentleness and patience with which they’d conducted themselves for as long as Vex had known them. “If you do not tend to your own needs, Kinsley, you will be unable to care for the magus.”
“I’m fine, really.”
“It would ease this one’s mind,” said Echo.
“I… I don’t… He hasn’t woken yet, and I…”
Vex ached for her. The rawness in her voice, the concern…it was more than he ever would’ve expected.
“He is deep in a healing slumber,” Shade said. “You’ve time enough for a hot bath, a warm meal, and a bit of restful sleep. Should the magus’s eyelids so much as twitch, this one will hasten to your side bearing word.”
In the silence that followed, Vex could almost sense her indecision, could almost feel her mind battling itself—a battle echoing within him. He did not want her to go, yet he could not stand the thought of her suffering, least of all on his behalf.
“All right,” she finally said. “I’ll get something to eat and take a quick bath.”
Vex was vaguely aware of something shifting near him, and then Kinsley’s other hand stroked his face.
“I’ll be back soon, okay?” Kinsley withdrew from him. “I promise.”