Faults

Chapter 33: Taylor

Three Days Prior

"Hm, so have you found someone useful for us?" I ask Christian as he hangs up his coat next to the door.

"In fact, I have. I've had my eyes on this man for a while," he responds.

I let out a laugh. "Do I have some competition?"

"Taylor, please. Don't be so ridiculous. He's five years younger than me. I'd rather not be entangled with a sixteen-year-old. But, onto the point. I've found a young man named Marshall that has an ability that could potentially help us greatly. He's able to raise people from the dead. Don't you think that would be beneficial?" Christian asks as he steps toward me.

His hands find my waist and pull me to him. I look up at him and answer, "I think that'd be helpful... If we were dead."

"That's precisely the point. If we die, he can bring us back. Of course, it may take some external magic to help him learn how to bring someone back permanently, but you knew Lennon Bailey, didn't you?" Christian asks as one of his hands snakes up my back and to my neck.

"Lennon Bailey? Yeah, I knew him loosely. Isn't he older than you?" I ask.

Christian's hand moves to my jaw. "He's dead."

"Dead?"

"As a doornail. You see, he had gotten his hands on a now-destroyed copy of Exitium. The thing about the necromancy-related spells in it... They require sacrifices. He was executed for performing them, as well as possessing a copy of Exitium," Christian explains, his fingertips grazing over my lips.

Once his hand leaves my face, I say, "Oh, that's right. I remember now. He had the same ability as this Marshall kid, didn't he?"

"Correct. Necromancy abilities are certainly wondrous ones. With Exitium, he became more powerful than both of us combined. There's a ritual written in there for permanent resurrections. He performed it so many times, creating an army of undead soldiers with the greatest abilities. This is yet another reason why Exitium is banned. With his army, there ended up being people with the same ability at the same time, causing the magic to become weakened. I'm not sure if you'd remember that, as you didn't have your ability at the time," Christian tells me, thinking out loud.

I shake my head. "I don't remember that at all, but do you think Marshall could do the ritual?"

Christian smirks. "It's a dangerous one, I suppose there's only one way to find out if he can handle it. But, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Although, in the long run, I'd rather we just stay alive. It's the most viable option, after all."

"Good point," I agree before sucking in a sharp breath.

Christian's hand has slipped under my shirt and is making its way up my stomach and to my chest. "Enough talk," he whispers before kissing me.

Gladly, I kiss him back. I bring my hands to his back, pushing him closer to me. His tongue slips into my mouth and I return the favor to him. Once we break apart for air, I smile slyly. "How would you feel if you had some competition with this new kid?"

"I think there would be a death in our alliance. And there's no way to bring this one back," Christian snickers.

"Oh? Is that jealousy I detect?" I ask, arching an eyebrow.

He laughs. "What's there to be jealous of? You know you're mine."

"Very true," I respond before kissing him again.