Taking Light {Sequel: "For Love of Evil"}

-22-

Destiny's eyes wavered back and forth from Roman's palm, then to Lyra's. Roman stood cold, his right arm folded over his chest with a menacing scowl. Lyra watched Destiny intensely, feeling that she was utterly perplexed and in disbelief.

"It worked." Lyra spoke for Destiny, shifting her gaze to Roman. His cold stare softened when looking to Lyra.

"Yep." Destiny quipped.

"I don't understand." Roman started, "If it worked, why do I... why do we still feel the same?"

"Do you?" Destiny's hazel eyes went to Roman, dropping his hand.

Lyra's eyes widened, looking down at her own palm in uncertainty. She was still in love with Roman; there was still a burning need to have him close to her. But she had noticed that things were indeed, different. It had only been a day, but Lyra took notice in Roman's calm demeanor - he hadn't exploded, or put his hands on her out of aggression. She also noticed that she had somewhat control over herself around him.

"Whatever it was, it's gone now. You're no longer hardwired to need each other. So for whatever reason, the sex demon still loves you." Destiny grimaced, already gathering her things to leave.

Lyra's eyes wavered to Roman, staring at the beautiful monster in wonder. It all made sense; whatever Ares had done to them had caused a type of hostility - he had tried to make them wage a war amongst themselves to create a distraction. The question however, was what exactly he was trying to distract them from.

"When you say hardwired... it could mean anything, right?" Lyra spoke timidly, knowing that Destiny was in a rush to get away from the Upir.

Her hatred for Roman was apparent, but Lyra could actually feel it. Her feelings for Roman were a combination of hatred and borderline worry. Although Destiny wasn't scared of Roman, she was however, scared of what he was capable of.

Lyra could see it in her mind, the image like a fork in the road; a path leading two ways - Roman was on the wrong side. If she looked close enough, she could swear she saw Peter on the other side; the image a reflection of Roman turning his back on Peter.

"You said we were hardwired... hardwired to do what?" Lyra elaborated. But she didn't need a response to know that Destiny wasn't so sure either. She had thought it was their need to be around one another—that infatuated haze that clouded their every decision.

"I don't know. You still love Roman," Destiny's eyes trailed to the tall pale boy, her lips nearly twisting disapprovingly. "And he still loves you, so that wasn't it. But something has definitely changed. The hands don't lie, and neither do the eyes." Destiny spoke bored as she slinked into her coat.

"Then what?" Roman pressed, standing with his arms folded. His stance remained the same - domineering and cold. His large pale eyes were filled with annoyance.

"I don't know. I'm not a mind reader, despite what people think, I'm only a psychic." Destiny spat, tossing her scarf around her neck in irritation. "Let's go." She mumbled, brushing past Peter.

Destiny stood at the divider, jutting her hip out with an exasperated sigh. She rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her hip.

Lyra's attention stayed on Roman, watching as he and Peter exchanged a look. It wasn't the glance itself, but what the two thought when exchanging that particular look. Lyra saw it - she saw the full moon through the trees in the dead of night, this night. It was fuzzy, but she could see it.

She had only received two treatments from Pryce, but Lyra was slowly regaining her old senses. Luckily for Roman, he was unaware. It didn't explain why she hadn't saw what was beyond that secured room; why she hadn't been able to see that crib, or the terrible reoccurring dreams Roman experienced without her knowledge.