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“Maybe you don’t know where she is, maybe you do. Regardless, I’m going to enjoy torturing you because you hurt the love of my life. I don’t even care if you were possessed–it’s still fucked up. You’re a brother to me, someone I love, and you attacked her when she couldn’t defend herself, after we risked our own lives to save her from certain death? Fucking asshole.” Ares was beyond bringing back now. He was firmly in his battle zone, the headspace he used when he tortured people. This time Mal wasn’t his partner in crime, but the target.
“How about I lock you in the greenhouse and set it on fire so you can burn alive? I bet that would bring back some old memories…” Ares lit one of his fingertips on fire and burned Mal’s cheek, leaving behind a burnmark.
Before he could go through with it, Desmond linked us.
Hey, I have her downstairs in the dining room. Get here stat. Bring Mal with you.
I smiled at Mal. “Put some clothes on, we have a lot to talk about.”
Iwoke up again in Bash’s arms, his face nuzzled into my neck as he slumbered. His little snores were too cute. Who thought the big, horny incubus–pun intended–snored? I couldn’t blame him for being tired. That was quite the way to wake up. Desmond and Ares were gone, but I was unsure where they were. I slowed my breathing, concentrating so I could use my superhearing. It probably wasn’t as accurate as the guys’, but it was sharp enough to reasonably confirm that none of them were in the room, bathroom, or nearby.
For the first time since Mal tried to strangle me to death, I was almost alone. Sorting my feelings with Desmond, having sex with Bash, and exhaustion had distracted me, but now I was able to process what happened. My chest clenched and my heart skipped a beat.I almost died.If Desmond had come in any later, I wouldn’t be here. I would never see my family again. I knew Mal didn’t like me or want me here–maybe even hated me– but him trying to kill me was completely unexpected. I had no clue how I was supposed to live in the same house as him.
Oscar was stretched out on his side at the end of the bed. His round, golden eyes met my own. I knew it was pointless to ask him to come over here and cuddle with me, so I admired him from afar, giving my good boy a huge smile. He moved his paw toward his mouth and started licking it. Ah, the life of a cat.Must be nice to lay around, lick yourself, and have everyone in the house except Bash fawn over you, even if you can’t stand them.Oscar hadn’t slept with me since he got here, but his familiarity with Desmond’s room made me think he slept here. It figured my spoiled little boy would want to be around the Daddy of the group.
I carefully freed myself from Bash’s grip and tiptoed toward the bathroom. Desmond’s room was just as organized as his office. All of his shirts, whether they were for work or play, hung in his closet. I threw a black man-tank and a pair of gray drawstring shorts on. The clock on the wall said it was 4:30am. Somehow I had slept through dinner and my stomach rumbled in disappointment.A girl’s gotta eat.I peed, washed my hands, and splashed water on my face.
I looked up at the mirror and took an appraisal of the woman staring back at me. Deep purple bruising marred my throat. Despite sleeping for so long, my under-eyes were dark. My hair was an absolute rat’s nest, and I used the hair tie around my wrist to pull it into a top knot, which wasn’t much of an improvement. I wasn’t sure how to deal with all of this. So much had happened in the past week. My entire life exploded and the fallout was too much. Everything I worked for and the people I cherished my entire life were gone in an instant. I was a comet moving at light speed through a dark sky, unable to see where I was heading and burning up until there would be nothing left of me. I needed to talk to someone on the outside who understood my situation.
I have to see Azazel.
I calmed my breathing, taking deep breaths in and out. I had only time-hopped on purpose once, when I left Zaz in the stream. He looked unhappy when I disappeared, but what else was I supposed to do? Nothing he said was straightforward. Showing me those visions only made me more suspicious of him. He obviously kept information I needed from me. What else did he know? Why couldn't he tell me?
This time, I was getting answers to all my questions. No more riddles. I closed my eyes.
I want to see Zaz, in Prospect Park in 2010. The gazebo by the treeline, where all the red flowers are.
A pulling sensation made me feel like I was moving, even though I stood still with my feet firmly planted on the cold tile floor. When I opened my eyes, the entire room was pitch black. Anxiety clawed at my heart as it beat a concerning rhythm against my chest. I lifted my hand in front of my face, but nothing came into view. Was I stuck here, in a black void? Concentrating again, I closed my eyes.
I want to see Zaz, in Prospect Park in 2010. The gazebo by the treeline, where all the red flowers are.
A tugging sensation started, but I didn’t open my eyes. I kept mentally chanting my destination, hoping it would be enough to get me where I needed to go. I felt wood on the soles of my feet, and cracked my eyes open, peeking to see my surroundings: a cherry wood floor and a high, chapelesque ceiling. I opened my eyes all the way and was relieved to see the quaint gazebo I spent so much of my childhood reading in. It was a round, wooden structure with partially open sides and benches. The flowers around the outside were still red geraniums, just as I remembered. The sun was shining off the pond in the distance, and I felt somewhat calmer.
Zaz sat on the bench across from me. His long, curly hair was down, reaching his exposed pecs. He wore a white, mesh tank top with low cut arm holes and black drawstring sweats. The smile on his face fell, and he lifted his shades to get a better look at me. When he got an eyeful of the bruising on my neck, he shot up from his chair and cradled me in his arms. I guessed I was going to be a weak-ass bitch, because the emotional dam inside me broke. Sobbing all over his tank, I took a sharp breath through my nose to try and trap my snot leaking all over his shirt. I cried so hard I started shaking and got hiccups.This is so embarrassing.He squeezed me tighter and took my top knot out to run his hands through my hair. Normally I would have smacked his hand away for petting my hair like a child, but it actually felt calming.
“Shhh, shhhh, shhh, what’s wrong Diana?” he whispered. His southern cadence was so comforting. Each word was a slow, purposeful caress to my battered spirit. “Please tell me what’s going on.”
After several minutes of him holding me and trying his best to calm me down, I tried to explain it to him between heaving sobs. “Mal almost choked me to death. He was trying to teach me telekinesis–” I sniffled, trying to clear my nose because I couldn’t breathe. “–and we got into an argument and it got out of control, and one thing led to another–” I coughed, swallowing a huge lump of snot. “–and he almost strangled me to death. Desmond saved me at the last minute.”
“Can you explain everything in detail, from beginning to end for me?” he asked. He was so patient and kind, and it made it easier to talk. “Take your time.”
After I explained the whole thing, including the lessons and what the guys were teaching me, Zaz took my hand and led me back to the bench. He pulled me onto his lap, and I snuggled into his chest. Fuck it, I already cried all over him, got snot on his shirt, and had zero street cred now. Why not cuddle with him, too? He wasn’t muscled to high heavens like Ares or ripped like Desmond, but he had a sinewy, compact build that comforted me. His long arms swaddled me, and I felt like a safe baby.
“Desmond, Bash, and Ares won’t let that slide. Mal’s going to pay, and you’re probably not going to have lessons with him anymore. Which is fine, because you don’t have telekinesis as a power anyway.” Zaz said as he rubbed his hand up and down my arm.
“How do you know? And who says I’m staying there?” I sighed. “Can we stay here and live in 2010?” As ridiculous as the question sounded, I wasn’t joking.
“No. Every second you spend here, another second passes in real time. So if you spend an hour here, you missed an hour in the present day. I wouldn’t suggest spending any more than a few days outside of your natural time period either. The side effects are painful.”
“I don’t want to be there right now.”
Now that I said it out loud, I wasn’t sure if it was the truth or not. I didn’t feel safe around Malcolm, but I loved spending time with Bash and Ares. Now that Desmond and I were on the same page, I wanted to see where things went with him. He was so talented and could teach me so much. I did enjoy magic, despite how much I complained about my life being ruined. It was a challenge, a puzzle I kept solving. The rush of learning something new everyday hit that dopamine craving I wasn’t getting from school anymore.
“Diana, you need to stay there and learn as much as you can for as long as you can. You’ll be safe. Trust me.”
“First you tell me they’re dangerous and that Mal is the worst of all. Then he proves you right. Now you want me to stay there?!” I tried to get out of his hold and stand. If you were going to curse someone out you should do it while looking them in the eye, but he didn’t budge. Great, another man with superhuman strength.Why can’t I attract normal guys?“Do you want to see the bruising on my neck again?”
He stayed strong and didn’t release me. The determined look on his face made me think that he knew something about this whole thing that I didn’t. Or he was a typical man who thought he knew best.
