Page 47 of Possession

We can’t trust him. He’s obviously here to take us back to our prison, and I am not keen on being monitored by parlor magicians. Again.

I don’t like the thought of it either. The safe thing—for the world, and maybe for myself—would be to return to captivity. We can’t hurt anyone there. But Aris is genuine in letting me keep control for now. I don’t know what he was planning at the Following before I disappeared and they betrayed us, but I know that he doesn’t want to be stuck in this body forever. What’s more, he didn’t immediately go on a rampage upon his release. He hasn’t killed anyone.

The gala and the sound of a hundred necks snapping simultaneously bounces through my head. Well. There’s been some killing, though it wasn’t entirely senseless.

I’m not stupid enough to think Aris is better now or that he’s learned a lesson in some way. Even though I’m not privy to his thoughts, there is a darkness which surrounds his very essence. Small things tell me he misses that violence, that he misses pain—a slip of the words, a quick and fiery rage, the lack of apology when he hurts me. Aris can’t trick me, and he hasn’t tried; he knows that I know.

Do we deserve to be locked up for his proclivities? What if he could keep them in check? They’ve never even let us try.

And, honestly, I’m tired of protecting the world. I’m a human, and I’m selfish. I’ve missed taking walks, smelling the rain, and meeting new people. I don’t want to be stuck in a basement again.

But when I look at Henry, his eyes kind and words gentle, I can’t picture him dragging me out of bed and stuffing me in that cell. Maybe he isn’t my hero, but I can’t vilify him so easily. Aris has to be wrong.

“You said that you came here for me.” I hesitate. “Does the Grand Mage know that you’re here?”

“I discovered your location a few minutes ago, but I haven’t informed him.”

Why not? Aris asks, suspicious.

Maybe the question is plain on my face, because Henry says, “I’m curious. You were hidden, impervious to any locator spells I used. Then, you appeared—here, at the hospital.”

There’s a good chance that he’s already alerted the other mages, and he’s just distracting me, biding his time before their arrival. I know that’s likely what’s happening, but I can’t see any malice in his eyes.

If you’re getting tricked by this face, I wonder what I’ll be able to get away with once you see me.

In the presence of company, I stop myself from rolling my eyes. Aris is always going on about how hot he is—was. Right now, he’s a disembodied voice who talks way too much.

He isn’t tricking me—now, please, let me talk to him.

I’ll leave you to your date.

But his presence doesn’t fade. I imagine his concentration like a predator stalking its kill, waiting for the moment to strike. He won’t let our body get hurt again. If Henry makes a wrong move, Aris will come out, no matter the consequences.

“What do you want to know?” I ask.

He leans forward in his chair, close enough that I can smell his aftershave. “How did you escape?”

“Um.” He smells nice. Minty-pine-like. “I, uh, didn’t escape really. I was kind of kidnapped.”

Henry raises a brow. “Kidnapped?”

“Well, someone came for me, and took me, and I basically became someone else’s captive.” I hesitate. Now, under the bright hospital lights, with Henry staring at me so attentively, my stay with the Following of the Forewarned feels like a bad dream. It was so fantastical and otherworldly. Ryan’s transformation was like something from a movie; I definitely saw it, but it’s like I was watching it on a screen, removed from reality.

That death mansion, with its many hallways and secrets doesn’t seem like a place I ever could have slept in. Dominachion doesn’t feel like a man I ever could have met. And it feels that way because I shouldn’t have been there for any of it. That world is reserved for Aris and his followers; I was an intruder.

The pain in my abdomen is what keeps me from doubting my memories and chalking it up to one long and strange dream. I’ll always have a scar to remind me of my time there.

Henry’s eyes travel down my body, following the hands I subconsciously moved to cover my wound. “The wards on your room were powerful. That must have been some help you had in getting out.”

He’s using you for information.

I know. Though I can’t very well get up and leave, and I’m hesitant for Aris to take control until the situation turns dire. Besides, Henry’s attention is nice, even if he’s not giving it out for free.

“I don’t know how they did it,” I admit after a moment. Even if I’m only being used, I still don’t want him to leave. “I don’t know much of anything.”

He nods, apparently having known this, but his eyes are serious. They fix back on my face. “Why did you run, Mary?”

“I told you—I was kidnapped,” I say, confused. “I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter.”

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