The Next Morning

Alex and I joined the party. He walked around with me pretty much attached at his hip. But Alex held my hand or had his arm around my waist the whole rest of the party.
Funny thing was no one said anything. Even Jace behaved. He gave me a hug and smiled and made jokes but never once whispered in my ear or propositioned me. Which was atypical for our relationship. Though I did catch him glancing at Alex and I wondered what had happened. It wasn’t curiosity or knowing him that was in his eyes, no it was fear.
But they left early as Naya was getting cranky, which meant Sage left with them. He’d pretty much stayed near the music after I’d started my play list. Every once in a while strange songs would play courtesy of my beloved geeky best friend.
Of all the people that I had expect to be last it was not my father and Margo. After a certain hour the party became college drinking and debauchery, but he and Margo sat on the couch drinking wine and talking while everyone else danced and drank and carried on.
Oddly enough it had been Rider and Laker who had shooed the last of the strangers out the door and turned off the music. The kids had all passed out hours ago and the boys had tenderly put them in their beds, Matt stayed with Hunter. Like me (and Hunter) Matt didn’t much care for people and socialization. He was more than happy to curl up with my son and sleep the rest of the night.
Even before guests were gone Alex would casually grab something and put it where it belonged. Never complained about things when they got broken, but just cleaned it up and threw it away and he felt better. That was my job but it seemed that we’d been sharing a little more now with our bond.
Another reason Alex was had touched me the whole night was the voices. With so many inhibitions gone, the voices were loud and I was hearing way more than I should. Alex’s shields helped me keep some of it out, but not enough. Which troubled Alex. It might be a case of uncontrollable – like his seeing the patterns but not seeing them.
I had another thought and wondered if the other person could block them, like I could keep my magic from flowing to Alex so badly and the same for him. I had a sneaky suspicion that was what had happened. Ant and Isabelle had been conveniently absent the whole night. They returned just as my father and Margo left. Kai hugged – hugged – Ant and thanked him. He gave Isabelle a wide smile and welcomed her to the family. Ryan on the other hand had been the life of the party – he pulled every girl who would normally fling themselves at me and entertained them. I was pretty sure he’d taken a few of them home and probably wouldn’t be back for several hours.
Alex and I slept in our own bed – though it wasn’t our bed – it wasn’t my bed. Strange places still made me restless. But I didn’t stray far I sat outside where Alex had waited for me and watched the sun come up. I dozed a little or I must have because before I knew it Alex was standing in the door frame. “Fuck time is it?” He groaned as he stretched. He hadn’t bothered to put a shirt on and stood in a pair of shorts that he’d not worn going to bed.
“6am I think.” I glanced down and was happy enough with my estimation that I didn’t correct the few minutes I was off.
“You’re up way too early,” he said.
“I never really went to sleep.”
Alex sighed. “We dreamed though.”
I nodded. “I dozed on and off.”
Alex rubbed his head and then his chin. “I must have had more than I thought to drink.”
“Can we talk?” I asked.
Alex frowned. “No good conversation ever starts that way.” But he sat down turning the chair to face me instead of looking out on to the beach. “What’s up Nox?”
“This new bond. What if you and I had more control over what we sent over it than we think.”
Alex was in my head so he was nodding as he picked up on those thoughts as well as what I said. He used it regularly so I didn’t talk to so much. And that I knew cause I could read him.
Alex frowned. “Okay, that’s not fair.”
“You do it to me all the time.” I chuckled.
He sighed, “I will do my best not to use your thoughts against you unless you say them out loud.”
“I don’t mind Alex. I’d rather have you in my head then not.”
He grinned at me. “You are such a bottom sometimes. Always so greedy with the me inside you thing, I swear.”
There was a groan from the other door. Ant stood wearing only a pair of very short shorts standing in the morning light. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to this.”
“Wearing clothes?” Alex asked.
“The sunlight.” He turned to look at us and smiled. “You two are talking about new powers right?”
Alex nodded. “Did you hear us?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m trying to keep the hunger back from you but it’s morning and I’m awake and I’m not starving.”
“You have two Chevalier and me bound to you in metaphysical ways, you might not be so hungry.”
“I’m ravenous.” Alex said.
“I’m hungry myself.”
“We are going to have to adjust to these new crossed powers.”
“Sharing powers is good,” Ant said.
“Except I hear voices I shouldn’t and I can’t keep them out. And Alex is seeing things he can’t see which makes everything off.”
Ant leaned on the wall separating the two areas of the private patios. “Can I try something? Though I’ll need some blood, my reserves are low – no breakfast.”
I looked at Alex to make sure it was alright, and he sighed but nodded. I lifted my wrist to Ant and he asked Alex, “You sure.”
“If you try to fuck him you don’t do it again, but yes, I’m sure.”
Ant took my arm in his cool hands and his fangs sank softly into my arm. There was no rush of lust or desire, just the prick of his fangs. Ant noticed too and stopped drinking letting my arm go. “Did I hurt you?”
I shook my head. “No. But there was nothing else either.” I chuckled. “Are you a full vampire now? Completely primeval?”
“I walk in daylight, control my bite, those were my only real differences.” Ant laughed. “I think the triumvirate bound is responsible. Magic is distributed better. Nox’s power isn’t overwhelming him. It can settle into us. Balance him.”
“The Ascendant to my knowledge has never been a split soul before. Aeryn was one of the First. Prometheus is said to have Aeryn’s energy – her soul.”
“Prometheus isn’t dead. I’ve met him,” I said looking to Alex with a smile.
“You what?”
“I met him. He’s been watching me my whole life. He sent Alex back to me.” I looked at Alex and frowned. “I think he broke us apart.”
“No, Jace did that.”
I shook my head. “To our eyes. But my father got hurt in a routine vampire hunt. He got overwhelmed and they ambushed him and one got hold of him, but only bit him didn’t kill him despite the numbers. My father can see the future, he’d have seen it. He’d have planned for it. Something else he couldn’t know or see had a finger in it. Kai always says that if I’m involved he has trouble seeing things.”
“Hunter doesn’t have that problem,” Ant said.
“Hunter is my son, he’s more like me than my father would be, in terms of magical powers. Genetically the same distance separates us, but the magic is vastly different.”
“He could teach you,” Ant said.
“I don’t want to learn from him. He’s an asshole,” I said getting up and walking into our room. I was hungry I needed to eat and the smell of bacon was coming from the kitchen – probably pancakes too.