The Void - Sequel to The Rift

The Void - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

“Aurora?” Aiden’s voice was soft, a question, it wasn’t that he was unsure of my location - I hadn’t moved in the past few hours - it was more that he was unsure of my mood, a strange concept for someone who had so completely alienated her emotions such a short time ago.

But I was currently keeping my emotions in check, I couldn’t let them distract me, suppressing the irritation at the fact that Kyle had invaded our home though was proving difficult, it didn’t help that I had no one but myself to blame for his presence.

The sound of Aiden sigh filled the air around us, and his hand came up to slide along the wall, until his fingertips brushed the skin of my arm. His hand rested there a moment. “You can’t watch him forever Rory, you need to sleep, and eat, and breathe for a bit.”

Even as he spoke I was shaking my head. “No,” I murmured. “I need to watch him. I need to make sure that he doesn’t endanger you or Maddy. It was my stupidity that brought him here. I am so rry for that. I’m responsible for making sure he doesn’t hurt anyone, and that he doesn’t find some way to inform the Mages of our location. My decision to bring him here was illogical, it was un…”

“Un-Mage like?” Aiden cut me off, his grip on my arm tightened slightly. “Rory, I think we’ve established that you’re not a Mage, you are far closer to human than Mage, and like it or not humans make errors in judgement. For now we are stuck with him, and much as we dislike him, Maddy and I don’t blame you for that.”

There was a pause, I didn’t know how to answer him, as much as I accepted that they didn’t blame me, the fact still rested that I was responsible for it.

Aiden filled the silence again when it was clear I wasn’t going to answer. “But I don’t believe that he’s going to go anywhere, he seems like a selfish bastard and I don’t think he’ll risk running around the city when he could stay here and have you protect his sorry ass.”

There was another pause, and Aiden’s hand skimmed up my arm, past the skin of my neck sending a shower of tingles through me. His hand came to rest where he wanted it, gently feeling the lines of my face, reading my expression. What he felt on my face made him sigh again, a soft sound of acceptance. “You’re going to watch him anyway.” He gave a short nod and made to drop him hand.

Before it could fall completely, I caught it up and pressed a kiss to the palm of his hand. He contemplated me for a moment more and then he gave another small nod, there was the hint of a smile round his mouth though now. “I’ll see you in the morning. If he tries anything, give him hell.”

I watched him go for a moment, watched him close our bedroom door behind him, knowing that I was lucky that he accepted all of me, even when I found it impossible to ignore the part of me that was more Mage than human.

I resumed my post, watching as Kyle settled himself down on the couch. He had complained about not getting a bed, but a brief display of energy on my fingertips was enough to make him back down and accept any hospitality we offered him. It appeared that although he believed I would not kill him, he fully expected me to hurt him; it was possible that he was more intelligent than he appeared.

I calculated the distance between us, from his position in the room to my place at the door, and reasoned that he had heard our conversation. I watched him for some sign that he was offended; most of the humans I had observed didn’t like to be insulted, but he seemed unconcerned by the unflattering way Aiden had described him.

I watched as he plumped up his pillow, and then as he carelessly threw himself onto the couch, rattling the entire room with the impact, with apparent nonchalance, he folded his hands up under his head, staring up at the ceiling.