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There’s a gloomy air about him. It doesn’t matter that he smiled at me when I came into the room. I knew something wasn’t right. I can almost feel the heaviness of his heart. Thinking about it now, I realize it’s always been that way with Seer since the moment he opened his eyes to mine. I’m normally not always concerned about what other people are feeling when it doesn’t directly concern or affect me, but it’s different with Seer. With him, it’s like an invisible string ties our souls together, or maybe it’s just my imagination running in overdrive. But right now, something tells me he needs to be consoled.
Seer walks over to where I’m sitting on the window side couch, which is my favorite spot in his room, after the huge king-size bed.
He leans forward, bracing his hands on either side of me. He places a chaste kiss on my neck. My nose. My chin. And last, my lips. His mouth lingers on mine. “Hey, beautiful,” he murmurs against my lips.
I smile widely into her eyes. “Hey, Papi.”
He straightens himself in one swift move. “What are you reading?” he asks, gesturing at the opened book in my hands.
I turn the book around in my hands so that he can see the back cover. “Jonathan Haidt’sThe Happiness Hypothesis.”
“Hmmm,” Seer hums with an impressed smile. “I love that one. It’s a good read.”
I nod in agreement. Seer heads for the closet, pulling his vest over his head on the way. For a moment, I’m distracted by the delicious curve of his back that gives way to the even-toned narrow hips whose sturdiness I can testify to.
He has a magnificent body and knows damn well how to use it, too.
I shake my head to get my mind out of the gutter. I put my book aside and walked over to Seer. I wrap my arms around his waist from behind, pressing my cheek against his bare back. He stills for a second, and then I feel him relax into the embrace. We remain like that for a long time, unmoving, just giving and taking comfort as needed.
Seer turns around in my arms and drops his head into the curve of my neck, contentedly sighing as I run my hand over his back in slow, comforting strokes.
It’s a long time before Seer pulls back to look into my eyes with a genuinely grateful smile. “Thanks, baby. I didn’t know that I actually needed that.”
I take him by the hand and pull him over to sit with me on the bed.
“What’s wrong?” I ask gently.
Seer drops his head on my shoulder and sighs softly. “We voted today at church on whether to work for Anderson Grey in exchange for information on Edward.”
“And?”
“It was a draw. I had the deciding vote.”
“And?”
Seer doesn’t answer immediately. He lifts his head off my shoulder with a sigh. “I voted against the idea, but Pocus nullified the vote with his veto power. He’s determined to do this, whether or not I want him to.”
“And that bothers you?” I ask, looking into his eyes with a slight frown. “Why?”
“I’m…,” he trails off with a frustrated sigh, as if he doesn’t have the right words to express his thoughts. “It’s just… I feel like all of this is my fault, you know? If I didn’t have a twin brother who’s determined to kill me, the MC wouldn’t have to be torn about working for or against a criminal.”
I frown slightly. “You think we should blame you for your twin brother’s psychopathic behavior?”
“Maybe it’s my fault he became a psychopath in the first place,” Seer responds.
“Why do you say that?”
He shrugs, his focus turning inward. “We used to be close growing up as boys, you know? Then I started to get visions, and everything changed. Edward became a totally different person. He bullied me, and the weirdest thing was that my Mom and dad knew… but they let it go on. I learned to hide from him. I’d escape into my closet and read until I fell asleep. Sometimes, I think Edward started acting like that to prove to our father that he’s the strongest, even if he isn’t the chosen one. I didn’t know it at that time, though. Then, I thought everything would go back to normal if I didn’t have the sight. So I’d pray to the moon and stars every night, and whichever God cared to listen to take my power away,” Seer chuckles dryly. “Nobody told me it was a waste of time.”
“Is that why you left home?” I ask quietly. “Was it because you felt guilty for the gift you were given?”
“Partly,” Seer responds. “But mostly because I felt responsible for my uncle’s death.”
“Your uncle?”
“So, after grandfather’s death, Cornwall needed to pick a new mage. It was either papa or his younger brother, Uncle Jonathan. Then, on the day of grandpa’s burial, I saw a vision that Uncle Jonathan would be the next mage. I was so excited that I ran into the funeral parlor to break the news. Uncle Jo tried to stop me, but it was too late. He died a week later from a mysterious illness. Dad was announced as the mage of Cornwall a few weeks later, and I thought that was the end of the story.”
“But it wasn’t?”
