Page 37 of Magpie
We both jump, startled at the sudden interruption. I turn to find Sean standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, his eyes glowing vibrant red.
“We’re busy in here,” Ghost says, taking another step forward.
“Not anymore you’re not,” Sean snaps.
Silence rings out at his words. Ghost is looking wildly between me and Sean, as though he’s waiting for me to deny it, to send Sean away and fall back into his arms that do nothing to warm me. I turn and hold Sean’s gaze, nodding in a silent gesture of gratitude.
“This is bullshit,” Ghost snarls, storming from the room, shoulder-checking Sean as he does. Sean doesn’t even seem to notice; his eyes have never left mine. He enters the room, kicking the door shut behind him.
I hold my head high. “I wasn’t lying, Sean. I don’t want any part of this ritual. I just want to sleep.”
“That’s fine by me, but you’ll be sleeping in my arms.”
I bristle instantly, my mouth falling open. “The hell I will,” I snap, but he just continues to take steady steps toward me.
“Everyone participates in the ritual, pretty bird, even you. The only exception he ever made was Irina.”
I frown, remembering the flash of a name scribbled on the back of a card, a little heart inked next to it. I don’t have long to focus on it.
“I’m not going to let you make Alister furious with you,” Sean continues. “And I’m certainly not going to let you bring someone like that asshole into one of these rooms just to placate him. Ifyou want to sleep the night away, that’s fine, but it’s going to be with me beside you.”
“What if I don’t agree?” I taunt, fighting the smirk that’s tugging at my lips. I don’t know why the idea of riling him up is thrilling to me, but I can’t help myself. Since he kicked that door shut and caged me in with him, I have been unable to resist the alluring song of temptation that pours off him.
“Feel free to run, pretty bird. I’ve daydreamed about chasing you through these halls since I first tasted your sweet lips.”
I can’t help the gasp that escapes my mouth. I’m struck speechless by his bold proclamation.
“You don’t even know me,” I whisper.
“And yet, I can’t stop wanting to learn everything about you. If I didn’t know better, I would say you’re a witch who has me caught under her spell.”
Sean walks slowly forward, giving me plenty of time to move, to retreat. I stay exactly where I am. He stops in front of me, running the tips of his fingers up my arms to my shoulders. I expect him to lean in and kiss me, but instead he spins me around and points at the bed.
“Time to sleep, pretty bird.”
I smile, moving to the bed and crawling in. The sheets are silk, flowing over me like water as I slide underneath them. There is no thick comforter, no heavy blanket; this room is made for more carnal acts than passing the night fully clothed in each other’s arms. I watch as Sean kicks his boots off and crawls into bed next to me. He rolls onto his side, facing me as he reaches out and tugs me to him. I twist so that my back is against his chest, not trusting myself to face him.
The moment he touches me, that blessed warmth begins to pool in me, and I sigh at the feel of it. My eyes flutter closed as he begins tracing circles up and down my arm, further stoking that warmth.
“Earlier, in the library, why did you tell me about Alister?” I ask, my voice quiet in the space between us. His fingers still on my skin. “Outside of the ritual, everyone avoids me. You could have left me in that library alone. Alister would have eventually found me…” I trail off when I realize I’m not entirely sure I believe my own words. Would Alister have cared enough to come find me, to rescue me from the sea of uncertainty and anguish my lesson left me adrift in?
“Because I remember what it was like, finding myself grappling with the feelings of having done something I regret,” Sean says. “Only I didn’t have anyone to try to bring me back to myself, to pull me from that void. There was only myself, and Irina, and Alister then, and they were entirely too engrossed in each other to notice that I was drowning.”
I twist in his arms, and he tilts his head down to hold my gaze. He continues tracing his fingers up and down my arms, a soft smile gracing his lips.
“I never wanted anyone else to feel that lost, that alone, again.”
“Is that why you followed me in here with Ghost?” I ask, and he smirks at the nickname.
“I followed you in here because watching you walk behind this door with someone who wasn’t me made me lose my mind.” His fingers trail up my arm, over my shoulder, my collarbone. They trace a line up my neck before coming to rest over my lips. “I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else tasting you.”
“Oh,” I say, not drawing back from the feel of his fingers touching my lips, letting me taste his skin, if only barely. He smiles at me, the shifting ink of his tattoos becoming a grinning skull, as he leans forward and places a kiss on my head.
“Go to sleep, Magpie,” he breathes, tucking me under his chin.
I’m awake for several hours more, listening to Sean’s quiet breathing. I am warm again, but not just warm; I am satisfied. Something I haven’t felt since waking in this house. Thechurning dance of the ritual continues around us, but we are content to rest against each other. My eyes drift closed, and I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
The night is steadily fading, and I feel myself fade alongside it. I worked well into the early hours of the morning with Ronan, and my eyes are scratchy with lack of sleep. He instructed me to pour various vials and potions into the basin in the stone table, their contents mixing and blending together into an oozing liquid. The table responded in turn. The runes lit up at chaotic intervals, casting the room in an eerie, ever-changing glow. Ronan consulted no less than four different books, looking between them and his watch before each stern instruction he gave me, each whispered incantation.
