Perhaps my perceptions might be skewed. Confusion and a sense of disquiet replaced my well of confidence. I had no idea what the future might hold.
“Damn it. I need a drink.” I ran a hand through my hair and exited the doorway in search of Ellie’s small kitchen.
The Dark Lord waiting for me in the living room froze me in my tracks.
“Arim, so nice to see you again.” Sin Garu held up clawed fingers stained with blood in a mockery of a wave. “It’s been too long. And I mean that.” He smiled through a mouthful of sharp teeth.
“I’m sure you do.” I felt no other presence in the room but tightened the shields around myself anyway. Staring at the Dark Lord, I couldn’t help looking for any likenesses to Lexa. I found none but the same smooth, white skin.
“Arim, in my quest to save Tanselm from the scourge of Light Bringers, I may have been too hasty. It seems not all Light Bringers are without Darkness.” Sin Garu rubbed his hands together, a hint of blue flame curling within his palms. “Aerolus, for example, is much Darker than I’d thought.” He paused, watching me carefully. “And Cadmus, the Earth Lord. Now that fine young man has potential.”
I remained silent, and the bastard’s smile faded. “You’re about as much fun as Marcus. A wet blanket, pardon the pun.” He grinned. “Now Darius, that one I liked. Full of fire and anger. He really knows how to broadcast his energy.”
“Is there a point to all this?” I sounded as bored as I could, pleased at the downturn of his smile.
“Such a lacking attempt at discourse. Pity your mother never taught you any manners. But then, Ilya didn’t have a whole lot of time to teach you anything, did she? She died when you were what, eight, nine?”
Wondering at his goal, I waited. The hair on the back of my neck rose at the Darkness pooling behind me, and I concentrated the bulk of my shield along my back.
The chatty Dark Lord continued. “My own father passed when I was born, leaving my mother to raise three children alone. And you know what? She did a wonderful job. Until a Light Bringer stole one of us right from under mother’s nose.”
My interest stirred despite my desire to remain aloof. “Lexa.”
“Yes.” Sin Garu sneered. “A pity your kind tainted her. She would have made the best of us, perhaps proven even greater than myself. You have no idea how long it’s taken me to return her to what life meant her to be.”
Sudden anger on Lexa’s behalf took me by surprise. “What? It wasn’t enough she was forced to endure Light Bringers growing up? You had to punish her as well?”
“I must admit, when she returned to us, she was not at all the girl I’d expected.” Sin Garu’s face cleared of all expression. “But that’s all in the past now, isn’t it?”
“You brought it up. And I have to wonder why.”
“Because the similarities here are just too strong to ignore.” The sorcerer’s blue eyes darkened with malice. “Just like you and my sister once enjoyed a close relationship, so do Cadmus and Ellie, Light Bringer and Dark Djinn. I can only hope your nephew is less sensitive than you were. Why, when Lexa told me how pitifully you cried, how you cheapened yourself for a dead whore and her family, I —”
The blast took me by surprise, and I’d been expecting an attack. Holding tight to my shield, I rejected the blue flame trying to sear me. My building hatred needed an outlet. Shooting a ray of pure Light at Sin Garu, I stared in shock as the Dark Lord absorbed the attack.
He smirked. “She was right. You’re an easy one to enrage. I look forward to our next meeting. And do bring your wits with you, then, hmm?”
In the blink of an eye, he vanished. I had no idea what to make of his visit. Mention of Lexa and the past seemed no more than a cheap trick to make me lash out. But Sin Garu’s attention to Cadmus and Ellie concerned me. The Dark Lord knew Ellie was Djinn. It was only a matter of time before he invaded Foreia in his quest for domination.
And no matter how strong Ethim and his Sarqua were, they were no match for the power of a Dark Lord so steeped in hatred that his emotions had muddied mine.
I scowled. Because Sin Garu had made one point clear. Cadmus and I shared similarities too close to be ignored. The time for a deep conversation with the Earth Lord had come, and I needed to see Ellie for who she was, not who Sin Garu or I wanted her to be.
One way or the other, I vowed to protect Cadmus — from himself, if need be.
I could only hope he wouldn’t hate me before it was all over.
Chapter 21
Ellie
I sat up in the gazebo as Cadmus entered. “Where have you been?”
He wrapped me in a warm embrace, making me forget all about keeping my distance. His strong arms both comforted and aroused, making me feel safe and desired.
“I heard you’ve been having a time of it.” He pulled back to look down at me, and I noticed a strange, almost sleepy sheen over his eyes.
“Are you okay? You look a little tired.”
