Page 57 of In the Dark

“Are you going to be safe?” Astix wanted to know.

Morgan stared at Karsia. “I believe I will.” He helped her rise from the couch and ushered her back toward the staircase. “Good night, everyone. Have pleasant dreams.” He would make damn sure everyone in the house did.

The others said their respective good nights and watched the two leave.

“Why do I have a feeling our days are numbered?” Elon supplied in the silence left behind.

Astix sighed. “Because they are.”

**

Karsia reluctantly followed Morgan out of the living room, passing Aisanna when she came back down the stairs. The older girl gave them a passing nod.

“You could have let me handle it,” Karsia told Morgan, moving slowly down the hall.

“I know. But we’ve had enough for tonight.”

Although he knew what she wanted, he understood why it was not a good idea to let her engage. She needed time away from reality, and Morgan was afraid, deeply afraid, that soon he would have no power to help her.

Karsia felt the tempest coming. Not a literal one, but something big, looming on the horizon and gaining speed. Momentum. Perhaps it was her imagination, but the seed of darkness inside of her rejoiced.

Once, she would not have been afraid, cowering before destiny. She’d wanted a big life. She’d wanted to live large. But this? This was too big for her. So much easier to bury her head in the sand and pretend it wasn’t her problem. With her meager earth magic trickling through her veins, she could only pretend she was formidable instead of actually being formidable.

She pursed her lips. “Remember who it is you’re coddling. I’m not a child who needs someone to hold my hand.”

“Right, of course. I apologize.” He pushed open the door to the guest room and let her enter first, watched her sniff the air as though by simple scent she could guess at traps. “Is this to your liking?”

“It will do.”

The guestroom was tidy, with a sturdy four-poster bed taking up the majority of the space. Morgan walked around it, touching the wood, bending closer to examine the craftsmanship of each post. The history drew him; the time someone had taken to individually carve out each swoop and swirl.

If Elon had taken the initiative to prepare the bed, Aisanna had added her own personal touch to the room. Roses and begonias speared from tall crystal and porcelain vases. They scattered across the room with a sweet scent designed to put them at ease. A carved chifforobe and chest of drawers completed the room, each chosen for their uniqueness. The floor—original loblolly pine—was left bare.

Morgan shucked his sweater and stripped down to his undershirt. Karsia watched each movement with the precision of a hawk. He expected comments, lewd or otherwise, and was a little unnerved when she remained silent.

Grime and dirt clung to the fabric, once-white sleeves dotted with yellow sweat stains. He stared down at the shirt. Didn’t want to think about how he smelled.

Approaching her on the pads of his feet, Morgan ushered Karsia to the mattress and tucked her into bed like a baby. Giving in to her more tender impulses, she let him. Gentle fingers stroked down the length of her hair until her movement stilled and breathing became normal.

Once upon a time, when she was a commonplace witch, cuddling with a man was natural and enjoyable. Karsia fought against a wave of bitterness. Back then she would have rejoiced in being held, rejoiced at those strong arms gathering her close and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest against her back.

She wished she had met Morgan sooner. Last year, or sometime in the early part of the current one. They could have had a typical romance, with flowers, candies, candlelit dinners, and walks near the lake. He would be good at those things, she thought, those little things to let a woman know how he felt.

Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do now. She was sinful and he was hopeless. That was all they could ever be.

If she’d never met Morgan, Karsia would have been content to carry on with her plan. She would have destroyed the Claddium building from the ground up and raised her face to the sky while the debris fell around her. Would have accepted her lot in life and took the city down with her.

With one last sigh, Karsia closed her eyes and gave herself over to whatever lay in wait in sleep.

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