Page 40 of In the Dark

“Well, you’re welcome.” Compliments did not sit well with him. He shifted uneasily and stared out over the sea of his own making. Waves bubbled and frothed as they crashed against the stony shore, filling the air with a timeless melody. “You don’t need to butter me up.”

Karsia had never been one for beating around the bush. It simply was not in her nature. It surprised him when she shifted her body to lean against him, bringing his arms around to circle her body. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. I know you aren’t an ordinary man. Like I’m not an ordinary woman.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m not stupid and I’m not blind. I can sense magic when it surrounds me, even when I’m stuck in my own mind. And you, sir, are all shades of magic. More than I’ve ever seen in one person in my life. Will you tell me who you really are?

She held their combined hands up to the light and considered how they looked together. There was something about him that made her feel safe and acknowledged. Attraction twisted in her belly. When the feelings came, she went with them, accepting the natural ebb and flow of emotions. Under normal circumstances she would have enjoyed riding the tide with Morgan. Her mouth twisted down and she thought about how little time they had together.

Even when she looked out at the world with Darkness harnessed to her, she saw his intelligence and integrity. His determination and drive to help her. A stranger. After she’d tried to blow the roof off his office.

She appreciated him for his steadfastness. Fate was something she believed in absolutely, and it seemed that even in a tide of blackness there was a silver lining.

Not to mention he was damn sexy for whatever his age and had the awesome power to find her when she couldn’t find herself. Pride welled up until her limbs warmed. This man, this incredible being, had stayed by her side. He still trusted in her goodness and integrity. It was an awesome thing.

“I’ll tell you soon. When we have more time. It’s a long and boring story,” Morgan replied. “And you shouldn’t be concerned with what I can do, only what I’m willing to do for you.”

“What are you willing to do for me?”

“Anything.”

She chuckled once. “Anything entails quite a lot.”

“Sometimes people are worth going to the ends of the earth for.”

“You don’t know me,” she told him again. “Don’t get me wrong, it makes my poor shriveled heart quiver when you say such nice things, because I’m a romantic to the core. It’s not that I don’t think you mean it. I just think you’ll change your mind once you know the whole story.”

“I doubt I will.”

She felt the deep rumble of his voice against her back, enjoying the sensation. “Should I tell you?”

“Please. I admit I’m curious about you. I would love to know what makes you tick. What kind of witch, and what kind of woman you are.”

Karsia would have given anything not to tell him. To be one of those ordinary women who worried more about where to get their hair done than anything else. Still, he deserved to know if he was going to stay anywhere near her.

“You’re aware magic exists in this world. You’ve seen it, touched it, have some dominion over it yourself,” she began. “You know witches and wizards are real. Our magic comes from the world beyond the veil and is accessed through our genetic makeup. Passed down along gender lines.”

Morgan moved into a more comfortable position. With a snap of his fingers, the half-eaten gelato cones disappeared. “I think that’s more of a statement than a question, but yes, Miss Cavaldi, I know magic is real.”

“Then we’ll start with the birth of the veil. The story on your stone tablet.” She drew a breath before launching into things. “The earth is made up of balance.”

“Yes.”

“So is magic. Practitioners have power stemming from one of the four elements: earth, air, fire, water.”

These were things he knew already. Part of his education growing up on Olympus.

“According to our history, magic wasn’t always manageable,” Karsia said, crossing one leg comfortably over the other. Her voice flowed over him with the richness of spring water. Cool and melodic. “At one time, before the veil separated the two worlds, wars were fought. People went mad with the influx of energy they couldn’t handle and couldn’t shut off. It was a dark time. Chaotic and messy and confusing. Two people set out to find a way to stem the flow.”

“The elementals.”

“Yes. My ancestors. They searched, they found your stone, and they got their way. They became the veil. Tamed magic to the point where those with the genetics to utilize it didn’t die from the sheer magnitude of raw power. And our line continued.” Using her free hand, and not sure her own gift would work, Karsia conjured, drawing on a well of magic as ingrained in her being as her spirit. Her legacy, her birthright, a rush of heat and light composing everything she was and would be.

Surprisingly, a perfect white lotus blossom filled her palm. Pink and magenta tinged the petals and melted slowly into buttery yellow bracts. “I got mine from my mother. Earth magic, living things.”

She held the flower out to Morgan, who took it. Immediately the scent hit him, sweet and pungent. He drew it into his lungs and sighed, thinking the flower a beautiful analogy for Karsia herself. A perfect melding of delicacy and strength.

“It’s exquisite.”

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