On a Razor's Edge (Darkness #3)(3)

“The more I work with the elements, the more open I am to receive them?” I frowned at him. It kind of made sense. “Except I’m already at full power.”

“You’ve had a rough control over your magic for years without knowing it. You’ve had more than enough time to reach max potential, but maybe now, being more open with the elements, it’ll come easier.”

“But why is it such a struggle to contain it all?” I asked sullenly, punctuating the question by stabbing the air.

Stefan minutely shook his head as he studied my mood. “But you do have a lot of power, and with me to balance it out within you, you are learning control. With some better instruction, and your intuition, you’ll be dy***ite.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Dyn-o-mite.”

I got a quirked head in response.

“Never mind. There’s no use in us trying to figure this out. Let’s just hope the guy that’s coming has a clue.”

Stefan dropped his sword and stepped forward so fast I got a nervous flutter he was attacking me. Only, I was still too slow to jab him. He flicked away my dagger and laid a palm on my cheek. “He will. We’ll figure this out, you and me. You aren’t in this alone. I’ve pledged my life to you—I’m in this with you, whatever it turns out to be.”

My eyes misted over with the sentiment. His soft lips brushed mine, the kiss slow and ardent. Expressing his love. Speeding up my heart.

I slid my hand down his defined chest and let it rest on his bumpy abs. “I can’t figure out control over my magic, but I can figure out how to poke things, so I guess I’ll get good at that until these mysterious helpers roll through.”

He gave me one last soft kiss before backing up. His lips curled into a smile. “That’s my girl. Learn to kill monsters while you’re waiting for the next great thing.”

“The next big thing. Is here. That’s an ad. I swear, you and Charles are researching my quirks in the wrong ways. My crazy is not a human problem—it’s specific to me.”

“It’s a good place to start. And the next big thing has been here. Or didn’t you remember getting pounded by it when you woke up?”

I rolled my eyes. “No need to get crude—you’re a man, I hear you roar. Now, prepare to die.”

I lunged at him, magic racing through my limbs, buzzing through my midsection. He rolled away from my blade, barely missed. His glowing sword came up as my dagger sped toward his midsection, blocking at the last moment. On the move again.

“As—ˮ He feinted, making me pivot at the last second, falling behind.

“You—ˮ His sword rushed toward me, causing me to take two fast steps left and smash my dagger against his steel. He was already moving again.

“Wish!” The very tip of his blade flicked at my ribcage, opening a little tear in my shirt.

I flinched back, panting. Hands on knees, I caught my breath while huffing out a laugh. “Charles had you watch some of the romantic comedies, huh?”

“A few.”

“Had a good laugh at the men in them, I’d bet.”

“Soft men paired with soft women. That fits.”

I straightened up, confronted by his lighthearted smile. “And I am…?”

“Irresistible. Beautiful. Mine.”

Warm fuzzies permeated my chest. Until he finished with, “Also from a race with terrible romance movies.”

His laughter echoed once again. I figured it was a great time to try and jab him unexpectedly.

*****

A week later I rolled over as the sun sank from the sky. Stefan and I stayed together every night, often in his private wing within the mansion. He had a giant, spacious bedroom with bathroom, and an outer room with couches, a living room with a gigantic TV, and a weight room.

I’d never lived in so much space in my life. It was good to be king. Or at least sleeping with the leader…

A nervous flutter sped up my heart.

I ran my hand up the smooth skin on his chest, taut with muscles.

“Are you nervous?” I asked, feeling him stir and turn his brawny body toward me.

“Yes, a little. I haven’t seen the Regional since he made me the Boss. I’m worried he won’t find things up to his exacting standards.”

“And he’s the leader of…”

“Basically a large, worldwide company. We are broken into smaller satellites. I run this region, one of a hundred in North America. He oversees half of North America—the southern half.”

“And someone oversees him?” My hand headed south along his body.

“Yes. And his superior, a she, is overseen by a committee.”

My hand closed around his large shaft. His breathing hitched.

“Okay, then why doesn’t this Regional guy end the feud between you and the Caped Crusader?”

“There are two factions of my people. The first realize that humans, even though they aren’t as large, strong, fast, or able to access their magic easily, have a population far exceeding our own. Not to mention they have more powerful weapons. Imposing ourselves on their societies would only make them afraid. And everyone knows what humans do when acting out of fear. There are still those of us who remember the witch burnings, the Crusades, and the Inquisition. We are a different branch of species of human, basically, but we die just as easily. Well...not just as easily, but we do die.”