care for the child in your body?” Alerian said. “I could rip him squalling from your belly and strangle the life from him before you bled out on the floor. You are nothing, a mote of dust in time and space.”
He had said exactly the wrong thing.
Exactly
the wrong thing. I could take any kind of insult to myself, but not to my child. Never to my child.
The shadow inside me roared up, and with it the push of magic. It pressed against Alerian’s power, furious, seeking to destroy.
Alerian smiled again and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me close to him. I heard Nathaniel shout, but the sound came from far away, swallowed by the waves of the ocean. Then I was pulled beneath its depths, descending into the cool darkness. There was no light, no air, only a suffocating pressure and the blue-green swirl of Alerian’s eyes.
I kicked my feet, felt the resistance of the water, but it was fruitless. I was wrapped in the embrace of the leviathan, and he would not release his quarry.
It was dark, and growing darker, and the shadow inside me smiled. It loved the dark.
Magic surged, releasing the pressure that threatened to crush me. I kicked toward the surface, and the light.
Alerian released me abruptly, staring at me. His face reflected no emotion, but I could sense his surprise. Nathaniel dragged me away from our uncle and toward the door.
Alerian stood where we left him, frozen in place, looking out the window at the river, saying nothing.
Nathaniel didn’t speak to me either as he hurried me down the hall to the elevator. I could sense all the unsaid reprimands he held back. I also felt him drop a veil over our wings only. We could be seen, but we looked like a normal human couple.
We entered an elevator occupied by another couple that were either on their honeymoon or having an affair. Nobody in a tired relationship twines themselves around another person like that in a public place.
The busy twosome took zero notice of Nathaniel or me. My companion and I spoke not a word to each other. Nathaniel kept his hand at my elbow like I was a wayward child that needed guidance.
When we were outside again he turned to me, his blue eyes snapping with anger.
“Would you like to explain what the point of that little exercise was?” Nathaniel said. “We gathered no information and you nearly got yourself killed—again.”
“Look at the river,” I said, pointing at the water.
The river churned, waves rising abruptly. The water turned a poisonous green and steam rose from the surface. A group of kayakers appeared shocked by the sudden change in conditions and paddled quickly back toward their launch site.
“He’s angry,” I said, glancing up at the glass surface of the tower. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him there.
“In the event you have not noticed, so am I,” Nathaniel said. “Madeline, tell me why it was necessary to confront Alerian. We gained nothing from this.”
I pulled my gaze away from the river and looked at Nathaniel, who appeared to be restraining himself at great cost.
“We did gain something,” I said. “I know what Alerian plans to do.”
Nathaniel’s eyebrows rose. “How is that possible?”
“When Alerian grabbed hold of me, he tried to push his power down in me. He was too distracted to notice the flow of magic moving both ways. In that instant when I fought back and broke away, he was surprised, and in his surprise he revealed something that he hadn’t intended to show. I saw just a flash of it, but it was there.”
I paused, watching the water. The waves were dying down, the color returning to normal. Alerian was drawing back, mastering his anger.
“Let’s walk a little,” I said. My baby turned and kicked inside me, and my encounter with Alerian had filled me with restless energy that flying wouldn’t burn off.
Nathaniel fell into step beside me. “Are you planning to tell me just what it was you saw when you peeked into Alerian’s mind?”
“He’s going to use
He had said exactly the wrong thing.
Exactly
the wrong thing. I could take any kind of insult to myself, but not to my child. Never to my child.
The shadow inside me roared up, and with it the push of magic. It pressed against Alerian’s power, furious, seeking to destroy.
Alerian smiled again and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me close to him. I heard Nathaniel shout, but the sound came from far away, swallowed by the waves of the ocean. Then I was pulled beneath its depths, descending into the cool darkness. There was no light, no air, only a suffocating pressure and the blue-green swirl of Alerian’s eyes.
I kicked my feet, felt the resistance of the water, but it was fruitless. I was wrapped in the embrace of the leviathan, and he would not release his quarry.
It was dark, and growing darker, and the shadow inside me smiled. It loved the dark.
Magic surged, releasing the pressure that threatened to crush me. I kicked toward the surface, and the light.
Alerian released me abruptly, staring at me. His face reflected no emotion, but I could sense his surprise. Nathaniel dragged me away from our uncle and toward the door.
Alerian stood where we left him, frozen in place, looking out the window at the river, saying nothing.
Nathaniel didn’t speak to me either as he hurried me down the hall to the elevator. I could sense all the unsaid reprimands he held back. I also felt him drop a veil over our wings only. We could be seen, but we looked like a normal human couple.
We entered an elevator occupied by another couple that were either on their honeymoon or having an affair. Nobody in a tired relationship twines themselves around another person like that in a public place.
The busy twosome took zero notice of Nathaniel or me. My companion and I spoke not a word to each other. Nathaniel kept his hand at my elbow like I was a wayward child that needed guidance.
When we were outside again he turned to me, his blue eyes snapping with anger.
“Would you like to explain what the point of that little exercise was?” Nathaniel said. “We gathered no information and you nearly got yourself killed—again.”
“Look at the river,” I said, pointing at the water.
The river churned, waves rising abruptly. The water turned a poisonous green and steam rose from the surface. A group of kayakers appeared shocked by the sudden change in conditions and paddled quickly back toward their launch site.
“He’s angry,” I said, glancing up at the glass surface of the tower. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him there.
“In the event you have not noticed, so am I,” Nathaniel said. “Madeline, tell me why it was necessary to confront Alerian. We gained nothing from this.”
I pulled my gaze away from the river and looked at Nathaniel, who appeared to be restraining himself at great cost.
“We did gain something,” I said. “I know what Alerian plans to do.”
Nathaniel’s eyebrows rose. “How is that possible?”
“When Alerian grabbed hold of me, he tried to push his power down in me. He was too distracted to notice the flow of magic moving both ways. In that instant when I fought back and broke away, he was surprised, and in his surprise he revealed something that he hadn’t intended to show. I saw just a flash of it, but it was there.”
I paused, watching the water. The waves were dying down, the color returning to normal. Alerian was drawing back, mastering his anger.
“Let’s walk a little,” I said. My baby turned and kicked inside me, and my encounter with Alerian had filled me with restless energy that flying wouldn’t burn off.
Nathaniel fell into step beside me. “Are you planning to tell me just what it was you saw when you peeked into Alerian’s mind?”
“He’s going to use
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