Fire and Bone (Otherborn #1)(12)
The commando’s eyes are locked on the floor as if his life depended on it.
Wow. Obviously not a gawker—not even when the girl’s half-naked. Maybe he’s gay?
“So. Where were we?” Marius asks, like we just got interrupted by his secretary. He looks me over again, and this time I stiffen. His gaze stops at my neck. “We really must get you a new torque; that one is archaic. Truly, Faelan. It’s no longer the Dark Ages, as much as you may miss them.” He laughs softly and goes back around his desk to open a drawer, and then he pulls out a large red velvet box. He opens it and picks up a delicate gold necklace. There’s a charm on the end—a Celtic knot with three loops tucked inside a circle—and in the center of the charm sparkles a yellow-orange stone.
Marius holds it out in offering. “You do the honors, Faelan.”
Faelan runs a nervous hand through his hair before he leaves my side to walk over and take the chain from his boss. He comes back toward me, holding it awkwardly in his left hand. He pauses in front of me, hesitant, like he’s not wanting to get close. But after several awkward seconds, he reaches around my neck to unlock the heavy metal ring resting on my nape.
His chest envelops me, warm against my cheek. I hear a click, and the heavy weight of the shackle falls away as he sets it aside. But he doesn’t move back. He stays. Close. And then he begins to place the delicate necklace.
The smell of fresh-cut grass fills my head, and the taste of peppermint blossoms in my mouth, tingling in my nose. And I know it’s him, his scent surrounding me.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
My skin warms as prickles work their way through my insides—
“Stop,” Faelan growls, cutting through the rush. “No feeding.” He steps away a little so we’re not touching.
My eyes fly open as he moves back. But he only allows a few inches between us as he finishes clasping the necklace into place. “I can feel when you begin to take from me,” he says. “Try not to feed without someone’s permission.”
“You taste like peppermint,” I say before my brain can stop my mouth.
Marius chuckles, and a chill runs over me as I realize what I did. I just fed off Faelan? I didn’t even realize that I was doing anything. How could I take something as monumental as life from someone without meaning to—my God, this is insanity.
“I’m sorry,” I say, weakly. Shame fills me, like I got caught doing something perverted. “I didn’t mean to.”
“You’ll learn,” Faelan says, his tone losing its edge a little. “It’s a matter of control.”
“According to Faelan, control is everything, and hunger is a demi’s weakness,” Marius says. “I’ve always felt his strict ways were unfortunate, especially with all that hidden beauty he carries. I was truly disappointed that he wasn’t more liberal when he came into our House. But over the centuries, I’ve come to appreciate my stoic, unaffected friend. And in your case, Daughter of Fire, it will serve us well. Since you’re so . . . full of possibility.”
The words seem to be important, but I don’t know what they mean. The thin necklace tingles against my skin, distracting me. It warms but it doesn’t burn like the heavy collar did. My nerves settle too. It’s a sudden and real shift, as if I’ve taken one of the antianxiety meds the psychiatrist prescribed for me after I got kicked out of my third foster home—like maybe the necklace is working to somehow mask my emotions or something? The idea of an inanimate object muffling my senses would normally terrify me, but I can’t seem to work up the fear with the cloud of stillness settling in, crowding it out. Mostly, I just feel relief. I can breathe steadily again, and I don’t want to punch something. I’d say, on the whole, it’s a huge improvement.
“I believe your potential can be harnessed, though,” Marius continues, bringing me back. “And Faelan’s sure to be adept at that. His strength will have to be above average to guard against that blossom of power that will emerge as he helps you with your transition over the next few days.”
Faelan’s gaze snaps to Marius. “What are you talking about? I brought her to you. My part in this is done. I was to return home after this task. I’m meant to guard the doorways to the hidden realms now.”
“No, I think not. You’re far too young to retire. And the City of Angels needs you. Your House needs you, my friend.”
Faelan’s skin goes sallow. He looks like he’s going to be sick. “Marius,” he says, his voice beginning to shake with emotion, “it’s not right. I thought you called up Cias. Even if I wasn’t meant to leave, I’m a hunter, not a tutor. I collect them, I bring them in. That’s it. And we had a deal.”
“Cias isn’t even close to being strong enough for this,” Marius says, seemingly oblivious to Faelan’s frustration. “Look at her.” He steps closer to me. Before I realize what he’s doing, he reaches out, running a finger gently over my temple. A strange buzzing fills my skin as he whispers, “So much hidden there. Why else would she have been tucked away with the humans for so long? Something has kept her locked out—perhaps the Cast. We must discover why. I don’t trust anyone more than you.”
“No, Marius,” Faelan says through his teeth. “You will not get me mixed up with the Cast. I’ve had enough of this madness you’re always planning.”