I’d managed to use my power to contact Caitlin, who was still in hiding with Newton, though I didn’t let Gwala know that. Undoubtedly, he already knew they were close and was waiting to use them as pawns as surely as Cynthia and Schwint. True, it would be a long time before I could communicate with people as far away as San Diego, like Omar was capable of, but I hadn’t thought I’d even be able to communicate from room to room. As it was, I at least knew Caitlin was safe for the moment, and she’d been able to pass on that Mom had been released from the hospital a couple of weeks ago, that it looked like Dad would soon follow, and that Christina’s baby bump was already showing.
We’d even been practicing controlling water in the room Gwala had assigned to us. When Gwala had introduced me to Omar, he’d mentioned that manipulating water was one of the things Omar excelled in. Though I couldn’t imagine what he wanted that for, and Omar for sure wasn’t sharing, Schwint and I figured it was something I’d better learn. So far, I was able to change its color, density, and flavor. Who knew what he was going to want me to do to water, but at least I could show I’d learned something.
Schwint had tried to get me to tell Gwala that Omar refused to help me strengthen my power. I almost had several times. Schwint thought Gwala would rip Omar’s throat out. While I hated to admit it, I would have enjoyed that show, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to say anything, though I wasn’t sure why. I just had a gut feeling it would enrage him or make him decide that I needed more motivation. Catlin was too close for comfort, and Gwala had already proven that my family in San Diego was far from safe.
No matter how I tried, and regardless of how guilty I felt about it, I was so angry with our parents. They’d given us a nearly perfect childhood, and we couldn’t have asked for a more loving Mom and Dad. Still, I constantly felt completely unprepared for what we had to face. We’d been so protected from darkness that we weren’t ready to defend ourselves from it. Mom had been so dogmatic about there not being magic, and that we simply had elevated powers, that we did only the most basic of spells. From what I was learning now, they seemed like nothing more than parlor tricks. Maybe Mom didn’t even know the extent to which she could push her power. I kept trying to remind myself that no parent prepares their child to be attacked and taken captive. If they had, what kind of fucked-up childhood would that have been?
Still, if only we’d had a clue what we could do with magic, maybe Cynthia wouldn’t have been taken by the vampire. Maybe she wouldn’t even have been assaulted by that fucking scum all those years ago. Maybe Mom and Dad wouldn’t have gotten their car slammed into the bakery, and none of this would have happened.
Hell, while I was wishing my life away, maybe if I’d known enough, I could have stopped the attack on Brett in the alley and killed the vampire. How different our lives would have been. Brett and I would never have dated. He might not know that he was a demon. His best friend Sonia would still be alive and not the new girlfriend of the vampire king—I was still struggling to wrap my brain around that one. I never would have gotten my heart broken. Never would have gone to the Square. Never would have had any of this shit. Cynthia would be safe. Rodrigo would still be alive. I would have remained a baker, a son, a brother, and an uncle, and been perfectly fine with it all. Yeah, I’d trade places with that naïve son of a bitch any day.
Now here I was, badass warlock in training. Learning it all too late. Learning it from a fairy. How much quicker would I be learning and how much more power would I already have if I could learn from another witch—be that my parents or Omar? Maybe I’d already be powerful enough to destroy Gwala. Or at least communicate through that pane of glass that stood between my sister and me.
Cynthia glanced my way again, bringing my thoughts back to reality. As always, hope spiked through me momentarily as I thought she saw me. Like every time before, her gaze kept moving. Maybe even if I wasn’t powerful enough to ruin Gwala, if I could earn the right to talk to her, I could let her know that we are so much more powerful than we thought we were. Then together we could destroy the Vampire Cathedral. Why stop at just Gwala?
The sconces in her room lowered of their own accord. Barely enough light was left to see her, but I could make out her form as she lay down on top of the plush bedcover and curled up on her side.
This was the position she took every night. Weeks ago, watching her in such a helpless, childlike position had brought me to tears. I’d ended every night wracked with sobs, and it took Schwint hours to calm me to the place where I could fall asleep. My fear and helplessness at being unable to protect her had transitioned from tears to rage.
No more crying. Maybe not ever again. Only actions that would make it so we would get out of here. All five of us, Newton included. Only efforts that would ensure Cynthia and the rest of my family would never be in danger again.
Eighteen
FINN DE MORISCO
The grayin his hair shone in the reflection from the flames that flickered from the sconces in our room. The same effect was true for the sweat gleaming on the muscles of his naked body.
Schwint let out a low growl and slammed into me again.
He pummeled so hard that my face collided with the stone of the wall, forcing me to quit craning my head around so I could watch him fuck me. I lifted one of my hands off the floor and braced it against the wall, simultaneously protecting my face and enabling me to push back toward him, forcing his thrusts deeper into me.
At first I’d refused to have sex with Schwint, not that he had pushed the issue at all. It had just felt so disrespectful to be romantic in the midst of all the injustice that was being brought down upon my family.
However, nearly two weeks after we’d arrived, I’d come back from trying to communicate with Cynthia. I was so angry. At everyone. At the vampires. At our parents. At Schwint. At myself. I don’t even remember exactly at which point my frustration had exploded on Schwint, but I’d shoved him as he tried to console me. Already my power had increased, and I sent him flying across the room. He stopped before he hit the wall, hovering in midair before diving at me, dragonfly wings a blur in his speed. I thought he was going to hit me, and I was so shocked at having shoved him, I would have let him. Instead, he wrapped me up in his arms, so tightly I couldn’t break his hold.
He held me until I began to struggle in earnest, then kissed me. As he forced his tongue inside, his motives became crystal clear. I wasn’t the only one trapped here. Not the only one terrified. Not the only one angry and powerless. However, we did have each other. We could alienate ourselves from one another, making it even more miserable, or we could meet each other’s needs. We could get out our anger, our frustration. We could have a release. We could find renewal and strength in each other, in our relationship.
He dug his fingers into my shoulders as he balanced his weight on my upper body, allowing him to increase his momentum. Already swollen from the previous night, I began to burn as his hammering accelerated. He cried out at his release, and his hands slipped from my shoulders after a few shudders, allowing his body to collapse over my kneeling form.
Trembling, I supported both our weights by resting my elbows on the floor. I drew in a few shallow breaths. “Please tell me you can do that again.”
Schwint laughed, the bright sound soothing. “Yeah. I can. I’m older than you, remember? Gotta give me a second.” Letting out a long sigh, he pulled out of me, causing another flash of pain yet leaving me empty and aching to be filled once more.
He stood up, and I rolled over onto my back. I shoved the guilt away at my pleasure at his otherworldly beauty. Sunflower-yellow eyes too big and gleaming. Lean muscle heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His rolling pin of a cock, still half-hard and glistening from being inside me.
He stretched out his hand, and I took it.
After he helped me off the ground, I reached down, using the slickness to stroke his shaft. “You’ve got me doing a ton more magic. I bet I could get you hard again real quick if you helped me find the right incantation.”
He gave me a kiss, suddenly tender in the aftermath of his onslaught, then pulled away. “You don’t need a spell for that, pretty boy. Trust me.”
Sure enough, he was already growing firmer in my grasp. “Should we move to the bed for this round?”
Another laugh. “Why not?”
We closed the distance between where we’d landed on the floor and the bed. Our room was larger than Cynthia’s. While just as full of gold and glitz, it was less furnished, having only a king bed and adjoining bathroom.
Schwint gave a little leap, his wings appearing, and hovered over the center of the bed. “Do you have a certain position in mind, my little warlock?”
