Page 49 of Entranced By the Basilisks

EMILIA

After we takea break for lunch, Ari puts me through my paces with training my gaze. Repeatedly having me invoke the magic and stop it again before moving on to only using a small amount of magic to stun someone rather than to turn them to stone. Eventually the action happens as quickly as breathing.

I’m exhausted but happy by the time Ari calls the day for dinner. He prepares it and I go to take a shower to refresh, not daring to lie down on the tempting bed. My stomach requires sustenance and I think Ari would let me sleep through dinner.

I put the glamour back on and remove my makeup, forgoing the mental boost of the bright lipstick and pristine eyeliner for a shower and the acknowledgment that I won’t want to bother removing it before I fall asleep tonight.

It served its purpose and for all that Ari ignites interest in my body with almost everything he does, I’m more comfortable around him now than I was this morning.

The same gloomy mood that plagued Ari before breakfast is back when I make my way to the kitchen. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. There are only two place settings. It’s almost cute the way this obviously dangerous and old creature gets so bent out of shape at Jasper missing a meal.

When Ari sees me, his mood brightens considerably, and he brings over the finished food. My mouth waters at the scent of cooked meat, garlic, and some complex nutty flavor I’m unfamiliar with. He places the pastry on my plate, and I realized it’s a grilled pita with meat filling.

“Jasper won’t be joining us for dinner,” he states the obvious.

“I guess my presence will have to do,” I tease, and he smiles at that, but there’s a sadness in his eyes that hurts the soft part of my heart. It’s silly. Ari has demonstrated that he’s powerful, but I’m sympathetic to his struggle.

“Did you invite him?” I find myself asking as we both sit at the dining table.

“I did, but he says that he won’t be here until late. He has a meeting with donors.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, but I will work harder at communicating,” he says, his lips curving. “It is hard to be direct after so much time… not. I’ll talk to him when he gets home tonight.”

What kind of conversation will that be? I have no way of knowing. It’s obvious though that Ari is making an effort.

“Don’t take it personally,” I can’t help myself from saying. “The library keeps him busy, and his schedule is probably packed.”

Ari nods, but I know how to cheer him up. I take a bite of food and my blissful moan at the rich flavors isn’t an act. He brightens immediately and we leave the topic of Jasper missing the meal behind.

Sometime later, after devouring the delicious dinner he prepared, I ask a question that I’ve been curious about. “Is the burn that you feel from my power the reason you keep calling me your spark and ember?”

Ari looks surprised and sips his water before answering. “In part, but it’s more than that too.” He stops as if picking his words carefully. “I do not wish to alarm you, but your presence is an instigation for many things. You may not see it from my perspective yet, but all our lives have been irrevocably changed by you becoming Chosen. You are the spark that starts the bonfire.”

Now Ari scratches his ear. “It’s a little silly, I guess. I can stop calling you that if you’d like.”

“No.” My voice is hoarse. “I like it.”

I have questions about what he exactly means, but I don’t question why I like it. As someone who is routinely overlooked, and most of the time prefers that, it’s odd that the idea of my presence being so cataclysmic appeals to me. Maybe it’s the power of it.

The overwhelm that clammers to the surface during the worst parts of my life has always been when I feel at my most helpless. It’s why these past few weeks have been the way they are. I learned the reality of the world and just how powerless I am in it… but that’s different now. Or for now anyway, until we find a way for me to become un-Chosen.

“What about when we get rid of the snakes?” I ask. “I can’t imagine I’ll change everything in your life so much if I’m a regular human.”

Ari makes a musing sound. “It won’t matter. We’ve met you, and nothing will ever be the same again. The world continues to spin, and you, Emilia Adams Rivera, are a part of it.”

“Oh.” I drop my gaze at the emphasis. One thing at a time… I told Ari that I couldn’t acknowledge the connection between us yet, but every second in his company and every word from his lips stirs a curiosity and comfort that is difficult to ignore.

The crushing stress from the day before has subsided in the wake of him instructing me in controlling my gaze, and in the absence of the stress, my brain wonders… is this power—this connection to Jasper and Ari pulsing under my skin—something I can have?

Ari must sense that I need to mull over his words and changes the subject.

“We’ve met your mother, the indomitable Mrs. Rivera, but will we be meeting any more parents?”

The grief is old now and easier to handle. “No. We lost my dad when I was a teenager. He got sick.”

Ari rests his hand on mine, squeezing it before releasing it as if to give me space. “I’m sorry for your loss. I understand what it is to lose family.”

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