“This is incredible!” Quinn’s large eyes took in the dizzying dome, capable of fitting five men at most.
She wasn’t wrong. Centuries of magic, graffiti, and carvings covered every inch of the walls, from the worn floor to the unnaturally smooth, slightly rounded ceiling. A dizzying clash of colors and shapes. Some I recognized; others bent so far from my time I couldn’t grasp them.
Quinn was in awe, and I let her explore while I struggled to close the trapdoor with a single thumb and some elbow grease. After a solid minute, she noticed my struggles, and with her hands and my strength, we managed to close the hatch and sit.
My palms burned, and my magic ached from containing the blast. I could lose control at any moment.
She leaned to one side. “This says K&G 2015 that’s…” she trailed off.
My power weakened, but I waited, wanting to learn more. No magic filled her eyes, yet when I touched her skin, her potential radiated. Now, instead of floating the simple pebble, meant to measure stamina, she broke the stone and the magic inside. She had secrets, but I wasn’t willing to push her for them, not yet. Not until my lover woke.
“So, what is this place?” she asked again.
Sweat rolled down my back, but I still didn’t release her pebble. “It’s ancient power. Layers of magic and energy that stretch back to the dawn of time. It’s capable of great amplification and focus. We will use it to absorb the rogue energy from your broken device and push it back into the world.”
Quinn nodded. I couldn’t focus. My magical muscles quivered with fatigue. If I waited any longer, I would have no control over the release of power. Without warning, I slammed my hands palms down on the floor, before pulling them away from the sharp bits of pebble.
For a beat I held. If it kept exploding, the Alun would take the magic, but Quinn would take the shrapnel.
Instinct took over. I pulled Quinn into my chest and rolled, my back to the blast. I waited for pain, but nothing happened. Out of the corner of my eye, a tiny, blurry, black dragon pounced on a pebble shard on the ground before the magic of the Alun winked the creature out of existence.
Quinn’s fingers, pressed to my chest, tightened, and the odd moment took a back seat to everything that was the woman under me. Her little body was so small and delicate compared to my lover. I had a sudden urge to bend down and capture her surprised lips between my own.
“You saved me again,” Quinn’s breathless voice echoed off the rigid walls.
“I didn’t. The magic didn’t explode like I expected.” My voice had a rough edge I wasn’t used to, and blood rushed below my belt.
Something clicked. I was attracted to Quinn—the woman my lover had tethered without her knowledge. Before she could feel my reaction or guess at my thoughts, I rolled off her.
This was complicated. Very complicated. Xan didn’t know this woman, and my lover came first.
She lay on the floor. At this angle, the hint of breasts rounded her training uniform. The female body had never been that attractive to me, but Quinn was different. The slight curve to her hips and the slope of her shoulders begged to be traced. Her adorable face was much too thin, but the spattering of freckles and little dimpled cheeks called to me. She was stunning. She’d be more so with food and training.
I traced down her arm, found her hand, and tugged her upright.
“Do you know what you did to the pebble?” I asked, staying far away from my epiphany.
Quinn shook her head before tilting it to one side. “I broke it.” She shrugged. “Sometimes when I touch things, they melt into their components.”
I grunted, understanding her results, though not how she accomplished them. The remaining pebble shards hid in the textures and colors of the Alun, while the little prismatic dragon nagged at me. Ifiled the memory away for my lover to watch when he woke. He would understand and be able to help her. We had to wait.
Quinn gave me a hesitant smile and pawed at my tunic. “May I?”
Why she wanted it puzzled me, but I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to strip for her, especially if she asked. I pulled it off slowly, one glimpse of skin at a time.
“You tease.” She grinned at me. “Wow, your six-pack still looks good sitting.” She licked her lips.
I snorted. “It’s not for looks.”
She wiggled her eyebrows as if to say ‘sure’ before taking my tunic. She breathed once. My tunic unraveled into balls of thread and chunks of beeswax. There was no flashy magic or movement. The item simply changed.
A better understanding of what her Majekah did bloomed.
“I guess you’re going to have to keep it off.” Quinn twirled some of her hair.
I snorted, but my heart raced.
It shouldn’t. Not yet. Another week, maybe two, and my lover would wake. Not much could happen in a week. I’d keep my distance and wait.
