Page 25 of Celestial Alphas

“Why didn’t they just adopt you?” I ask.

“They were kind people, but they just didn’t really like kids. When I got older, they were warmer to me. I can’t blame them.” He answers so honestly, and it’s refreshing. I actually think he doesn’t blame them at all for not taking him in, even when most people would. I can see he is thankful to them, and I saw him when he learnt of their deaths. He was sad. I smile at him. “There’s more I want to tell you, Gwen. But telling you about my past means fully trusting you, and I need you to remember something first.”

Back to that? “You keep asking me to remember something, but I don’t understand. We never met, so how could I possibly know something about you or remember something?”

Alek looks up at the stars, hidden well by the tall trees. The overwhelming smell of pine and mud fills my senses as the wind blows. It’s cold but not bitter, even when it’s November already. It won’t be long until it’s Christmas, and part of me wishes I could skip that part of the year because it was the only time I was happy with my parents all day. They loved Christmas, and now it reminds me they aren’t here. “You do. You’ve just not figured it out yet.”

“I don’t like playing games,” I counter.

“Neither do I. This isn’t a game to me. Well, I guess if you want to call it a game, it’s one I’m playing for keeps. I want forever with you.” My cheeks flush. “And what I tell you will hurt you, because it hurt me, and I see in your face that there will be a line that we will need to cross together. It has to come from you, not me.”

“You’re so confusing, and I thought I was the mysterious one in our strange bonded group,” I mutter.

“I’m taking the title of the mysterious one. Can I ask you something, though?”

I nod. He can ask, doesn’t mean I’m going to answer.

“What priest gave you your Nex dagger?” He slips my Nex dagger out.

I knew he had it, I could feel it, but I was wondering when he would give it back to me. “Thief.”

He grins in a way that sends my stomach bursting into butterflies. He has a good smile, a really sexy smile. “If you tell me, I’ll give you it back.”

“I could just command it to come to me. We have a great bond. It’s kind of like Thor’s hammer.” I proudly wink. “It’ll just come to me.”

For a second, I wonder if he even knows what I’m talking about, or does he think I’m mad. “Are you claiming that you’re worthy?”

“I’m impressed that you know that comic book reference. It was my father’s favourite,” I admit to him. We spent so many hours reading comics together in all different countries across the world. I never imagined a day I wouldn’t be able to read another comic with him. “And yes, I am always worthy of my Nex dagger. It was in France. He… I don’t want to tell you too much about him because I know what he did was extremely illegal and against all the Nexus laws. But he was sympathetic to my father and my issues.” I look forward. “He made me work for it. The innocent looking, old priest knocked me onto my ass probably a hundred times before he helped me. This dagger, it was actually my father’s. None of the other weapons called to me, but this did. My father was so proud.” I call it to myself now. Alek lets it go easily, and it floats into my hand. I slide it into my jacket, easy for me to grab it in a hurry. “What about you? Your power is crazy. You can make different Nex weapons like it’s a breeze and use them all. That’s an incredible power.”

“It takes control, but yes, I can,” he begins to explain. “Any weapon I’ve seen, I can remake my own version.”

“Can you give them to people?” I ask next.

“No. Except Finn. He can take them.” I’m surprised by that.

“Can any of the others? Do you think it’s a mate thing?” I question.

“They’ve never tried and…I don’t know. I really don’t know.” I stop in my tracks as I feel it. Alek must too, because he steps closer. The forest just got warmer, like a summer breeze suddenly blew through, and it’s not warmth, it’s magic. “What is that?”

“Folk magic feels warm,” I whisper. “We are close.” The forest starts going eerily silent, all the owls’ noises fade, and even the trees don’t seem to crack and stretch in the breeze. Fear makes me want to stop, to turn back, but I know it’s the market. It’s not meant to be easy to find, or everyone would be here. Imake myself walk, and to my surprise, Alek moves with me. “Let me do the talking, okay? And pull your cloak up. There’ll be a lot of Vian here. We don’t want to risk being seen, as Severi will be looking for me. For you too now.”

“Let him try,” Alek growls. “We have unfinished business.”

“He’s Vian and could kill you,” I mutter and shake my head. “Once we are in the market, we will be reasonably safe. Remember the rules. No drawing blood, no fights. You can’t attack anybody in here, not even if they go for you. Their fate will be sealed, but yours won’t be.”

He takes my hand, winding our fingers together. “Understood, but if anyone touches you, they’re dead.”

I don’t tell him, but I feel the same. I want him not to act if he is attacked, but it doesn’t mean I won’t go bat shit crazy on anyone who tries to touch Aleksander. It kind of scares me how much he has snuck himself into my chest and made himself at home. I was brought up not to care about other people, to never let anyone close, especially my mates, but here I am, breaking every rule my parents taught me. They must be turning in their graves.

The gap in the trees lines up perfectly with the bright full moon hanging high in the sky. I lean down, brushing off some leaves. “The old stories about a ring of mushrooms being a fairy trap weren’t so far from the truth. The humans’ warnings were smart.” I lean down and touch one of the mushrooms in the circle, and it glows under my palm, the same way it did for my mother. Bright violet-blue light bursts from the circle before shooting off into the sky, and suddenly the forest is not empty at all. It’s full of stalls with red, black and white tents, thatched huts, and brick buildings, with a pathway straight down the centre of it. Streetlights line the middle of the night market, with star-shaped tops that are glowing bright orange.

The sky is alive with waves of magic now, purple glitter in waves that move across the sky. The market is packed and loud, with people selling everything from little creatures enchanted with spells to potions, and one stall we pass is just selling enchanted orbs that show you desires or fears. I’m not going anywhere near that. I glance up at Alek to see his reaction, and he is wide-eyed in shock. It’s cute. I grin. “It’s real. Told you so.”

“It’s real,” he repeats, tightening his hand in mine. The way he tenses tells me he has spotted a folk creature, and I follow his gaze to one moving through the crowd. Folk kind of look like humans, except they’re much taller. All of them are over seven feet and willowy, like trees. Their skin is the brightest white, but it’s not skin at all; it’s almost bark-like and tough everywhere in jagged bits. Their faces are eerily straight, more rectangular than round like a human. There isn’t hair on them, and the only part of them that doesn’t look like a tree is their eyes. They don’t bother wearing clothes; instead, they wear leaves in a belt around their waist, and I know they wield incredible magic. Magic that should be feared. Unfortunately, a few of them look our way when we walk into the crowd. I didn’t want to attract any attention, but I feel eyes on me from every direction. Too many eyes. “The night market is busy, and there are many Vian here. Nexus too.”

“Ignore them,” I whisper quietly. The hundreds of people in dark cloaks to hide their identities make it easy for us to slip into the crowd. Everyone that comes here wants something, and then they want to leave. We can do the same and get out without being seen. For Rhodes, we have to.

It takes me a while to remember my way through the market, following the dusty red brick floors. My eyes flicker across to see a young woman with a black chain around her tanned neck, attached to the foot of folk selling wooden furniture. Her eyesmeet mine, blue, reminding me of Finn’s eyes, but I don’t look for long because I can’t help her.

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