Page 56 of Oh, Sacred Dark
Roman could admit, in the privacy of his mind, that he could get a little ridiculous sometimes…although hedidmaintain he could have made seven hundred muffins in a day.
Sleeping would’ve just had to have been optional.
The area they had decorated for the celebration was nothing short of breathtaking. The surrounding forest glittered with magic-cast lights, winking through branches and leaves. There were stands offering food and drink and flower garlands even though fall was creeping closer. People had set up carnival games, kids cheering or groaning as they participated.
The largest area, though, was reserved for dancing. A booming rhythm filled the air—a low bass, an ancient beat. Bodies spun and writhed in the flickering shadows of the fire like spectres in the night.
Roman had been worried that everybody would want to talk to him or, worse, ask him to make a speech. As Tyler had assured, though, people smiled and congratulated him in passing, handing him food and drinks, but they didn’t take him away from Tyler’s side.
Roman was glad Cross was being celebrated too. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to process such a joyful event being dedicated only to him. It was difficult enough to believe they wanted him there at all, but…
He was getting better at shedding old expectations. His wounds ached, but they didn’t bleed anymore.
Magic buzzed in the air as Roman got closer to the fire, voices singing into the air, filling Roman with something unnameable. A primal force that welcomed him in.
Tyler bumped his arm gently. “You good?”
Roman stared into the fire for a second before closing his eyes.
Dr Li-Shun had said something the other day which had stuck with him. She’d told him an old wisdom from their coven, stories of how primaeval gods were created in the dark when the universe was not yet alive. How creatures were made in the black of the womb, seeds sprouting from lightless soil. How the darkness is its own sacred place, and much can come from it.
In the shadow of the bonfire, Roman felt himself shed something he’d been carrying for most of his life—the blood magic link to his old coven.
Terrible things had happened there, but beautiful things could come from the dark. Roman didn’t have to curse himself with what had been.
There was more to life than that.
He opened his eyes, sight filled with dancing forms, with light amidst the night.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I’m good.”
They wandered through the stands with Connie, Charlie, and Cross. Connie convinced them to try the chocolate-covered bacon, but only Charlie finished his, shrugging and saying, “We deep-fry butter in the south.”
They stuffed themselves further with nachos, followed by funnel cake because, according to Tyler, ‘You can’t go to a bonfire celebration and not eat funnel cake. That’s just wrong.’
Roman leant against Tyler with a groan when they’d finished, his stomach way too full. “I think that was a bad idea,” he complained.
Tyler laughed, putting his arm around Roman’s shoulders. “You sure you don’t want more of that bacon?”
“You’re trying to kill me,” Roman accused, pretending to struggle out of Tyler’s grasp as the Dom held on tight.
They ended up chest-to-chest, laughing into the same space. Roman stilled at the sudden heat that stirred in him, staring up at Tyler’s dark eyes glinting in the firelight.
Their lips were so close. Their bodies. Roman could feel one of Tyler’s large hands at the small of his back, shirt hitched up enough to touch skin.
All Roman would have to do was lean up slightly, and they’d be kissing.
Instead, caught in the current of music, they started swaying. Roman’s arms wound around Tyler’s neck, fingers brushing the shorn hair at the nape. Tyler closed his eyes, head dipping further, and a thrill went through Roman.
This was okay. He was allowed to touch. He was allowed to enjoy it.
Roman laid his cheek against Tyler’s chest and tried to grasp at the happiness that bubbled up, but it kept fizzing into nothing instead.
**********
Roman’s nightmares were getting worse.
He still got them pretty frequently, nonsensical scenes dragging the present into the past, but lately they were…brutal. Sometimes they were more vivid than reality—crystal clear memories, him helpless in the middle.
