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He grinned, really grinned ear to pointy ear, as I sucked in a sharp breath. He looked boyish and relaxed, the opposite of the stern Ziran I was used to. I blushed and looked away as he tossed my hair like some kid.
“Co-king? We prefer a co-ruler if an alpha and omega share the same sex. And yes, we will be co-rulers,” Ziran said with certainty. “Soon enough. However, by how much your hair has faded and your labored breathing, I suppose this is the outer limits I can take you without slaying Gotham first, breaking his curse on these lands, and most importantly, curing your blood of prism root poisoning.”
I hadn’t even noticed my labored breathing until he reminded me how hard it was to breathe. Ziran lifted a long strand of hair that fell loose from my elaborate braided bun, which I had plaited while we chatted by the shore.
Sure enough, the strand he let slip through his long fingers should’ve been a bright rainbow color. However, it was a dull, dirty blonde going gray.
“You’re right. This is my limit for now,” I whispered, defeated we couldn’t just make a break for it.
It had been so long since Gotham allowed me out of the tower that even the fading sunlight on my skin felt strange and otherworldly. I longed for more, and as embarrassing as it was to admit, more time spent with my alpha.
“The moon chases the sun, and the shadows guide their journey,” Ziran blurted out, gently cupping my cheek. “Lulana, Solara, and their brother-star Nocturnos set our world into motion. They also created this precious bond shared between mates. So don’t despair; I’ll stay by your side until it’s time to escape.”
“There’s a brother star god?” I asked, purposely ignoring the tail end of his sentence, hoping I wasn’t turning bright red like the setting sun. “I’ve only heard of worship of the sisters.”
“Only we worship him, so his name is forgotten in most chronicles. Too ancient for such temporal beings,” Ziran said, and I got the feeling he was including me in that we.
“You’re wise sometimes—wiser than you let on. Or maybe I’m just that naive,” I said, and to my carnage, he laughed with a lifted eyebrow.
“You’re naive but smart and brave beyond measure. Don’t underestimate yourself, Reimund.”
I frowned, not wanting to hear my full name from his lips. I loved the sound of Rei instead and the sparks of warmth that lit up inside my chest when he called me by the only name I wanted to respond to. It was my little rebellion against my useless parents and the evil wizard who named me Reimund.
“It’s quite beautiful. Stunning, honestly,” I said, staring out at Celeste Bay’s crystalline water and briefly turning away from Ziran.
“Yes, very beautiful. Breathtaking, even.”
I smiled up at him in agreement, startled to see Ziran’s amethyst gaze fixed on my face, not the bay.
“...You just covet my magic. My body, alpha. I know this, so you don’t have to play me for a fool,” I whispered, even as I slid my hand across the sand so the tips of our fingers were touching. “How about you guide me in the ways of magic or something useful before we part instead of lying some more.”
“Surely you jest? I was just commenting on nature,” Ziran lied with a smirk as I laughed. “Though I would love to indulge in your happy mood as well. You are beautiful. You’re much more handsome when you’re not trying to chop off my head.”
I laughed harder that time. The sound shocked me, as I rarely laughed in those dreadful days.
“Well, enough of this. Let’s hurry before you lose your strength,” Ziran said while standing.
He reached down to grab my outstretched hand, rubbing my knuckles gently.
“But first, you said you wanted me to be your guide. So let me teach you some fundamentals of our magic, not the useless spells you’ve learned in your books.”
I frowned but did as I was told. Standing up, Ziran spun me around until my back was to his chest, and my eyes faced Celeste Bay. His hands slid down my arms, cupping my outstretched hands as he slowly moved my body in time with the waves crashing against the shoreline.
“Reflection and absorption. Light and darkness. Push…” Ziran whispered, the palm of his hand flat against my stomach as he dragged me backward until my butt was planted firmly on his erection. “And pull. Those are the fundamentals of shadow magic.”
“W-what about light magic? Don’t Elohimen practice both?” I asked, stammering, an all too familiar heat pooling in my gut where his palm pressed down.
“True, but my ancestors are masters of shadows, not light. One is more in tune with the moon, and the other the sun, but they are the same, like a left and right palm.”
“Well, thanks for the useless lesson,” I scoffed, even as a pleasant, tingly sensation raced up my spine. “I don’t think I’ll master shadow magic with your little lesson, but it’s eye-opening. I guess.”
“Any time,” he sniped.
“You are quite arrogant. But I must admit, I like that part of you too,” I whispered.
I flinched as his lips landed against my ear, “Only like? Again, you wound me, Rei…”
My eyes fluttered shut, swaying in his embrace, as I breathed deeply and absorbed the sound, smells, and taste of the bay and forest around me.
