Page 150 of Cursed Heirs

Truth be told, I was distracted by X and Ore talking over in the corner.

That thirty feet away was the most distance that had been between Ore and Alena for days. She’d even been sleeping in his bed with him. Without a pillow wall too. There hadn’t been anything sexual that had gone down, but still. It was a big deal for her, considering everything.

I shifted my weight and called my phoenix fire, then I started weaving the flames, creating dancing figures in the night all around Alena’s building.

A thrill went through me as she giggled and smiled out at them happily.

I saw Ore and X looking over as they heard the sound that was so rare now.

X grinned from ear-to-ear, and Ore gave me a thumbs-up.

Then they went back to whispering.

Fuck it.As I continued with myflame art, I used my phoenix hearing to hone in on them.

“She’s too dependent on you, Orpheus.”

My breath caught in my throat. It was as if Xavier was speaking my thoughts, thoughts that I’d been too afraid to voice in case I’d come off as a selfish shit.

“I agree.”

“What? Just like that?”

“What did you expect me to say?”

“Rub it in my face, how it’s a turn of the tables to how it was in the early days where she was more comfortable with me, something along those lines.”

“With everything that’s happened, I think we’re far beyond those trivialities and immaturities.”

“Well… good.”

“I’m her safe place right now. She knows I can help her when the black magic sickness gets the best of her and it likely also has something to do with the fact that I was the one there the night of her rescue. I can’t take that away from her. It’s all she has to hold onto.”

“But you can ease away a little bit, like you’re doing right now?”

“Exactly. Slow and easy progress, but progress nonetheless.”

“That’s what this exercise is about today? Progress regarding control for both of them?”

“An exercise that they’ll be performing every day from here on out, now they’ve both stabilized enough. We’ll need to push it, though, a little more each time. And now you’ve found the key to holding onto your control, I need your assistance.”

“How so?”

“I’m going to give them their first push in a moment. Alena can extinguish my magic. So far she hasn’t gone that route when I’ve stopped her outbursts from the black magic sickness, but with this push she might. I’ll need your help if she does. You have enough of my blood running through your veins to use your magic at a high enough level to provide a jolt to pull her from that state.”

“I’ve got you. But I won’t hurt her. Ever.”

“Just stunning her enough to jar her back to us will be fine, although with what I have in mind, I’m hoping even that won’t be needed.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“If I tell you it won’t look real. Just follow my lead when the time comes.”

I was pulled from listening at the sound of Alena grunting in frustration.

I swung my head to see black flecks taking over her shimmering golden building that had been coming along nicely.

“It’s okay,” I told her. “It looks amazing. You don’t need to rush it.”

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