“I was frightened, too. But I know you’ll enjoy having that special connection with him.”
Opal chewed on her lip. “Okay. So… how do we try?”
“Just start by touching him first,” I suggested. “Take it slow, and eventually, you’re going to want more and more. Ez is kind. He won’t do anything without your say-so.”
“But what if I freak out?” Her eyes sparkled with tears. She was really worried about upsetting him.
“Listen, Opal. Don’t force yourself to be ready because you think you’re going to lose him,” I insisted. “Ez is a great guy, and you’re safe with him, but you have power over this situation yourself. Only you get to decide how much you want to trust him, and you have the power to withdraw your consent at any time, even if you’re in the middle of doing something. And if my brother oversteps that, know that I personally will beat the shit out of him.”
“You and Charlie just seem so perfect.” Opal sniffed, sounding close to bawling. “I don’t think I could ever get that far with anyone.”
“It wasn’t that easy. I panicked with Charlie a few times, too,” I said. “It’s all right. Ez will be patient. And if you go to a bad place, take a break before you try again. It’ll get better, I swear to you.”
I hoped I wasn’t giving her bad advice. But she seemed reserved as she straightened and said, “You’re right. Being with Ez… it wouldn’t be anything like what my father did to me. I trust myself enough to know that my boyfriend is nothing like my dad.”
“Definitely not. I can’t say it doesn’t have an effect on our marriage, because it does, but we’re able to get past it either way.”
“You two are kind of… adventurous, aren’t you?” Opal gave a giggle.
I smiled slyly and said, “You could put it that way.”
“I envy you. I don’t think I could enjoy being tied up. I’d freak out,” Opal said.
I shrugged. “It’s a personal preference. It turns sex into a conversation.”
“Really?” Opal’s eyes widened.
“Yeah. It’s really helped our communication.” We had to be open, if we were participating in activities like this.
“But isn’t it dangerous?” Opal asked.
“Not if you do it the right way.” Ivy spoke up for the first time, setting his tea down. “It’s actually one of the safest ways you can have sex, because there’s so much consent involved. You just have to make sure you have a partner who you can trust completely, and that you’re always playing safely.”
I nodded. “When I’m in that space, I have to tune into how I feel, and be completely present with Charlie in the current moment. When that happens, nothing else matters.”
“I don’t think it’s for me,” Opal stated. “But I’m really glad you found something that works for you guys.”
“You can have that with Ez, too,” I encouraged. “It’ll just take some time.”
“Thanks, Ava.” Opal reached out and squeezed my hand. “You’re a true friend.”
Ivy gave me a wink, and affection for him rose in my heart. I was really glad we’d remained friends, despite everything. Without Ivy, Charlie and I wouldn’t be as close as we were now, and I had him to thank for that.
I didn’t do much the rest of the day, besides study for finals and take a nap. Charlie came back to get me that evening, and we headed to Hemlock’s secret illusion room, both to practice our demigod powers and to work on Charlie’s profiling project.
I was surprised that Marcus was sitting at the round table when we got there, dangling a cat toy in front of Rishi. Sprigs peeked out of Charlie’s pocket, watching the cat toy swing back and forth.
“We didn’t think you were coming,” I started as I rolled up beside him.
“I think I’ve figured something out,” Marcus began, and he stood. “I wanted to show you guys—”
He cut off, face going pale as a figure materialized in the room, six feet away from us. Kallie had suddenly appeared, as if she had teleported herself there. Her face panicked as she snapped her fingers once, then a second time.
Behind us, the door slammed. Marcus looked over his shoulder, and I turned my wheelchair. I was gutted as I watched adifferentKallie walk into the room through the hidden door.
Oh, shit,Oberi mumbled.This isn’t good.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. There weretwoKallies in the room, and both of them appeared absolutely petrified. Before the Kallie that had walked in could face herself, the Kallie that had abruptly appeared in the room snapped her fingers once more. That Kallie vanished, blown away as if by a wisp of wind.
