Page 52 of Elemental Love
“It’s a long story. Preferably a bedtime one,” Dominic said with a mischievous smile. “Can we go home?”
Lust turned Evrain’s cock to iron. “Absolutely!”
“If you two have finished slobbering over each other…?”
Evrain peered around to find Gregory looming over him, holding Coryn’s hand. Evrain helped Dominic to his feet then turned to his godfather. “Sorry, Gregory. I got a bit distracted. How are you doing? Are you okay, Coryn?”
“I’m fine. That was the best fun I’ve had in an age,” Gregory replied, grinning from ear to ear.
“And I’ll recover after a couple of decent-sized snifters.” Coryn said as he joined them, still pale but smiling. “That much channeling was an interesting experience.”
Gregory hugged him.
“Coryn, you haven’t been properly introduced to Dominic yet,” Evrain said.
Dominic smiled shyly. Coryn shook his hand and gave him a conspiratorial wink. “You and I have a lot to discuss, young man. I can give you all kinds of insider tips on how to keep a warlock in line.”
Evrain and Gregory both groaned.
“There are a few things I don’t understand about what happened tonight, let alone anything else,” Dominic said.
“Well, let’s take this party back to the cabin. A celebration is definitely in order, and Evrain can explain himself over drinks and snacks. You do have snacks, right?” Gregory replied.
“We have plenty of unhealthy nibbles for you to gorge on,” Evrain said. “What about Symeon? Are we just going to leave him here?” Evrain gestured to the quivering wreck on the grass a few yards away. Puffs of smoke rose from Symeon’s clothing.
“He’ll live. But he’ll have trouble doing more than lighting a candle for the next few years. Hopefully all this has knocked some sense into Damon too and he’s run as far away as possible. Symeon won’t be able to channel. He’ll have to get used to being a mere mortal. One that can hitch a damn ride. Come on. Time to go home.”
Together, they walked through the woods to where Gregory and Coryn’s rental vehicle was parked. Gregory drove with Coryn riding shotgun. Evrain and Dominic cuddled close in the back, Dominic’s head resting on Evrain’s shoulder. Despite their victory over Symeon, the atmosphere during the drive was subdued. For one, Evrain found the ‘what if?’s going over and over in his head. So many things could have gone wrong. Any of them could have been killed. It brought home just how heavy the responsibilities he shouldered were—to manage the power he wielded and to take care of Dominic.
The cabin felt like home. Gregory wiggled his fingers and soon a fire roared in the hearth and soup bubbled merrily on the stove. Evrain dug out chips and cookies. They sat around the table for a while, ate, drank and rebuilt their energy levels.
Dominic was the one to push his bowl away first. “So, who’s going to tell me how the three of you pulled off that show tonight? Symeon was so confident that you would give in, Evrain. He kept going on and on about outdated values and how it was against your misguided principles to use the power for violence.”
“Which is exactly why Evrain didn’t make the first move. I could then step in to defend him,” Gregory said.
“And Evrain defended you!” Dominic exclaimed.
“Exactly. I had to let Symeon believe he’d got the better of me,” Evrain explained. “Though kneeling for that man destroyed a piece of my soul.”
“But that doesn’t explain why Symeon had so much trouble with the fire Evrain threw at him,” Dominic said.
“I have a very clever godson,” Gregory said. “Our mastery of the elements varies. Fire is an obvious weapon and Evrain is very strong in that power. It’s the easiest to control. He knew he had to use a different element to beat Symeon.”
“And it was you that got me thinking, love.” Evrain took Dominic’s hand across the table, intertwining their fingers.
“How on earth did I do that?” Dominic asked.
Evrain chuckled. “Earth. That was the key. You’re always going on about minerals in the soil, acidity, that kind of thing, and it got me thinking. What if there was a material, deep in the earth, that would react violently if it was brought to the surface. I did a bit of research.”
“And discovered that cesium ignites on contact with the air,” Gregory continued. “Evrain drew cesium from the earth and pulled it into a funnel of air around Symeon. It ignited,effectively sealing him in a tunnel of fire. His immediate reaction was to defend himself with water, but cesium explodes on contact with water. By the time Symeon realized that he wasn’t dealing with ordinary fire and used earth to defend himself he had lost all focus. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but it was enough time for me to hit him with a bolt of pure light, one of the few things that can reduce a warlock’s power. The little cloudburst I created over my head that Symeon found so amusing wasn’t water, it was mineral oil, something that protects against cesium.”
“You are all amazing. You too, Coryn. Gregory was channeling for a long time.”
Coryn shrugged. “After so many years of putting up with him, I’m used to it.”
“Hey!” Gregory protested.
Dominic dissolved into laughter, then fought back a huge yawn.
