Reckless Magic (24 page)

We drove slowly to avoid the
meandering pedestrians and occasional horse and buggy. Cops sat on
street corners talking casually with street artists and a group of
musicians played the blues with an open guitar case set out in
front of them.

Although the weather was still fairly
warm, the days were growing shorter and it was already dark
outside. My magic was pulsating and my senses were heightened. I
could feel the pull of strong magic in the direction we were
driving causing my heart to beat even faster.

Eventually Avalon pulled over in a
more deserted area of downtown. My pulse quickened as we stepped
out of the car. I could tell where we were going now from the draw
of magic beneath the ground, but I let Avalon lead the
way.

I followed Avalon to a darkened
doorway that appeared to be locked; the door was made out of a
strong wood but had been painted black. A brass door knocker sat in
the middle shaped into the same image that Avalon had tattooed on
his left wrist: a large snake wrapped around an apple, eating its
own tail. A chill ran up my spine; I was not entirely sure what I
had just gotten myself into.

Avalon gripped the doorknocker in his
palm and held it for a few seconds. The brass turned to gold and
then illuminated the doorway for only a second before dulling back
into the brass we first encountered. I heard the lock click and the
door opened partway. I followed Avalon into the building realizing
he had given me no explanation as to what was behind this
door.

A long and lighted hallway surprised
me, as I had expected something dark and dingy. Candelabra on
mahogany tables were placed evenly down the length of the hallway;
the carpet was plush and burgundy and the wallpaper, a beautiful
and intricate gold-leafed. Although the entrance was not what I had
expected, it still offered no explanation as to where I
was.

“
Follow my lead.” Avalon
turned his head and whispered to me. “And stay close,” the look in
his eyes helped me understand his seriousness. I nodded my head,
swallowing the huge lump in my throat and continued down the
hallway.

At the end of the passage was a large
mahogany door with a similar brass knocker as the first door; only
this snake was much skinnier and wrapped around a scroll. Avalon
wrapped his hand around it and the same effect as before occurred.
This time however, beyond the door was a set of stairs winding
downward, but significantly dimmer than the hallway.

I could hear many voices below us and
the strong drag of magic left me certain this was our destination.
I followed Avalon down a twisting path of stone stairs that seemed
like it would never end. My stilettos made a clicking noise with
each step.

At the bottom of the stairs was a
surprisingly large room full of people. The room must have covered
the entire block underneath the streets up above. The people all
dressed extremely well, milled around the room on plush couches and
chairs covered in ruby and gold thread. Small tables sat in between
them and I noticed in one corner of the room larger tables, set up
for poker. A counter ran half of the length of the back of the room
serving drinks and I realized that this place was a bar, or a club,
or ok, I didn’t really know what this place was yet, but something
along those lines.

Avalon walked straight over to the
long counter and ordered two drinks; I stayed close to his side and
took the brown liquid he offered to me. I sipped the strong
smelling liquid, pretending I knew what I was doing, but nearly
spit it out in the same breath. The strong, woodsy liquid burned as
I struggled to swallow it and then gave me an instant heady
feeling, making the room spin around me.

“
Use your magic,” Avalon
whispered to me through gritted teeth. I forced a smile and then
worked harder to force my magic into control. I calmed my nerves
and cleared my head. I would just pretend to drink whatever it
was.

Avalon looked around the room
nervously and I wished I knew what he was looking for. I did my
best to pretend to be bored; mimicking the stance of the other
scantily dressed women I saw standing around the room. Avalon stood
on his tippy toes to get a better look and I contemplated
telepathic communication to get some answers, but decided against
it.

The force of magic radiating around
the room and my blood hot and boiling combined with the energy
buzzing inside of me confirmed my belief that everyone in here was
an Immortal. I was at once thrilled that there were so many others
like me, but then cautious again when I realized they were still
all strangers. They however, all seemed to know one another. Maybe
this was some type of Immortal club and I hadn’t been inducted
yet.

“
Stay here,” Avalon
commanded and turned to walk away.

“
Wait,” I demanded. “Where
are you going?” I was suddenly nervous and shy.

“
I’ll be right back…. I
promise,” Avalon softened his tone and gave me a reassuring smile.
I tried to trust him, but this whole night had just been too
weird.

I attempted to follow Avalon with my
eyes, but I quickly lost him in the crowd. For a while I could
follow his trail of magic, but the overwhelming quantity of mixed
energies in the room made me lose that as well. I looked down into
my glass and swirled around the golden liquor, contemplating
another sip.

“
Well, well, well…. look who
it is,” A familiar English accent whispered into my ear with equal
parts menace and mischief. “What are you doing here?”

“
What do you mean? What are
you doing here?” I avoided his question and leaned back against the
bar. I took a miniscule drink from my cup, noticing Kiran had an
identical one in his hand.

“
Hmmmm….” Kiran’s eyes
drifted over my “mature” outfit and heat crept onto my face. “So
this is what Avalon had planned for you…. not very
exciting.”

“
Then why are you here?” I
asked again, realizing that although I hadn’t given him an answer,
I hoped he would give me one.

“
I have to be here; royal
duties and all,” he shot me a roguish look and took a long drink
from his tumbler. His usually clear blue eyes looked a little
duller than usual and I noticed black and blue bags under
them.

“
Must be tough to be king,”
I pretended to take an equally long drink.

“
Not king yet,” he said
simply. Kiran looked me over once again and I crossed my arms
self-consciously. He stepped closer, resting his hands on either
side of my body. I could smell the woodsy scent of liqueur mixed
with his sweet, almost herbal scent and the electricity picked up
strength through my veins.

“
So really, what are you
doing here?” I tried one more time, my voice trembling from Kiran’s
close proximity. His hands slid up my arms and he pulled me in
closer until our bodies were touching. Electricity almost
overpowered my senses and I forgot the rest of the world around
us.

“
This is where I conduct my
business, Eden. You are in my American office,” he smiled a little.
I wished I could look around the room once again, but I couldn’t
tear my eyes away from Kirans’. “Oh, Eden you’ve so much to learn,”
he smiled a little wider and leaned his face even closer to mine. I
was transfixed in his arms, completely unable to move. I was
certain he was about to kiss me and I closed my eyes in
anticipation. His grip tightened on my arms and I felt the heat
from his face; his sweet breath tickling my nose.

And then…. A throat cleared in my ear
and my eyes instantly popped open. Kiran's body stiffened next to
me and all intentions changed. Principal Saint and Talbott stood
there side by side, both sets of arms crossed, both men visibly
seething. I gathered myself and regained my senses quicker than I
thought possible.

23.

“
Damn it,” Kiran growled and
slammed his hand against the bar behind me. I jumped, startled by
his outburst of anger. He turned to face the interrupters, but did
not leave my side. “Can I help you gentlemen?” he asked through
gritted teeth.

“
Forgive us for the
interruption sir, but Ms. Matthews is not allowed in your private
club,” Principal Saint ended his sentence with a small bow. His
manner was respectful, almost subservient.

Outside of school, the roles were
reversed. Kiran was in command here, and Principal Saint must obey
Kiran’s orders. I may have had a hard time wrapping my mind around
the monarchy before tonight, but the facts of Kiran’s power were
clearly displayed in front of me. I was forced to understand the
role of the monarchy in my life now. My face flushed with
embarrassment, as I noticed all eyes in the enormous room focused
on us.

“
I granted her entrance,”
Kiran said softer, noticing the onlookers as well. His voice
however, was none the less menacing.

“
I’m sorry sir; by your
father’s order she is not allowed here,” Talbott interjected
himself and I couldn’t help but despise him a little
more.

“
Mr. St. Andrews is waiting
upstairs to take you home,” Principal Saint addressed me for the
first time and then angled his body as if to tell me I should leave
immediately. I began to move, but Kiran stopped me by putting his
hand on my waist.

“
There’s no need for that. I
was leaving anyways. I will take her home. Please tell Avalon, he
is free to go,” Kiran took me by the arm a bit roughly and began
walking towards the door.

“
Excuse me, Prince Kiran;
there is still business to attend to,” Talbott again interrupted,
but this time I could hear the small amount of trepidation in his
voice.

“
What business?” Kiran
growled quietly without even turning to look at him.

“
I am not at liberty to say
in front of.... her,” Talbott referenced me with a disdain that let
me know exactly how he felt.

“
Fine,” Kiran stood still
for a few seconds longer, but did not let go of my arm. He left his
back turned on Talbott and Principal Saint, apparently trying to
decide what to do next. I was too afraid of him to speak. I could
feel the heat of his anger swirling around us. The electricity
pulsed between my skin and his fingers wildly. “I will walk her to
the door,” before anyone else could object, he began walking again,
pulling me along beside him.

“
I’m sorry,” I stammered
out; not exactly sure why I was apologizing.

“
Don’t be. You did nothing
wrong,” he mumbled through gritted teeth.

He did not let go of my arm the entire
walk upstairs. I hurried along beside him as quickly as I could in
the shoes that I was wearing. Kiran rushed up the long flight of
stone stairs and through the long, brightly lit hallway. He did not
stop moving until we reached the door to the outside.

If I was surprised by his behavior
downstairs, I was even more surprised by his behavior on the way
back to the front door. But nothing could have prepared me for what
he did next.

Once we reached the door, I grabbed
for the handle, hoping to escape to the safety of car Avalon had
stolen. I was perplexed by Kiran’s behavior, but more than anything
I was humiliated by my exile from his private club. I wanted to put
this night behind me and crawl into a ball, forgetting about this
entire experience. Kiran however had a different idea of how to end
the night.

Although I reached for the door, Kiran
stopped me by grabbing me firmly around my waist. His hands were
hot against my skin, even through the material of my dress. He
pushed me roughly against the wall and pressed his body against
mine. One hand stayed on my hip, but the other he raised above my
head to plant firmly against the wall. The magic flared in my
blood, making it boil beneath my skin.

Kiran stared into my eyes for several
seconds looking for something I was not sure I possessed. The
intensity of his expression left me breathless and the closeness of
his magic made me dizzy. The electricity ran between us wildly,
igniting a lightning storm in my veins.

Suddenly, his lips were against mine,
and his hand was tangled in my hair. He kissed me hungrily,
pressing me against his body and wrapping me up in his magic. I
kissed him back as if I couldn't breathe without him. Every place
our bodies touched felt like a thousand degrees; he kissed me
passionately, leaving my mouth for only a second to kiss my neck
and jawline, but then he was back to my lips with even more
passion. I heard him sigh sweetly as though he had waited for this
kiss his for a very long time. Our magic connected with an almost
violent force and I fought to keep consciousness. Our souls were
united in that one moment, and I never wanted to leave
it.

Kiran’s sigh turned to misery as the
door at the end of the hallway slammed shut. Another magical entity
was present and our perfect kiss was forced to a close. Kiran was
across the hallway in milliseconds. He gave me one more intense
look of longing and then turned around to walk in the other
direction. I was left staring after him with swollen lips and messy
hair.

Principal Saint waited at the end of
the hallway for Kiran to approach and respectfully opened the door
for him to pass through. The door closed behind him with a loud
finality, leaving me to feel cold and alone. Kiran’s magic was no
more apart of mine; I felt drained and empty. Although my own magic
was still pulsing through my blood at a rapid rate, without Kiran’s
to set it on fire, it left me something to want.