Tears, Tani scoffed. He could not even wipe them away because Dante held his elbows, locked in a conduit spell. Shaking his head, he cursed under his breath and met Dante’s curious gaze.
“What else hurts?” Dante asked, still taking Tani’s pain.
The heavier wave of discomfort eased. Tani was finding it easier to wrestle his considerable power into staying locked within the prison the binding spell created using the gold cuffs on his wrists. Force his very life force to stay within the prison the Septum insisted he deserved for loving this man.
“I’m feeling better,” Tani said when Dante kept studying him with concern. “The pain is bearable now.”
“You’re crying.”
“I’m clearly not crying,” Tani said, despite his clumped lashes and the wet tear tracks running down his cheeks.
Dante studied his face for a moment and then smiled.
“Are you very happy I helped with the pain that it’s brought you to tears?” Dante asked when the pain he was taking in trickled into nothing.
Tani chuckled.
“You take yourself very seriously, Dante.”
“I should. No one else will if I don’t.”
Tani chuckled again and shook his head.
“Why do you wear these gold cuffs?” Dante asked. “Why can’t we find a way to remove them? This Cale is not your friend if he returns them on you knowing the damage they cause.”
Tani bit his bottom lip, his gaze dropping to the gold cuffs he had kept on for nine hundred years plus. There was a time the cuffs drove him mad. It was right after his sentencing. He could not be with Dante at the time, so he retreated to the forest where his Uncle Amu kept up their first home.
The first one hundred years were hell.
Uncle Amu once found him holding an axe wondering how he could cut the cuffs off to escape the crippling prison the Septum forced on him. Afraid Tani might genuinely lose his mind, Amu and Cale restrained him in a locked room in the forest for a decade. It took that long for him to accept his prison, accept his life force would remain locked away until Dante chose him.
Dante was the only one who could save him from the cuffs.
It was funny to hear him ask why Tani would wear them. If Tani rejected these cuffs, he would be dragged back to the Ekho Realm forever. He would never meet Dante again. The thought made him sick to the stomach.
What was a little pain?
“I told you when we met in the olive grove,” Tani said. “Why I have to wear these can’t be explained on our first meeting. We need to get to know each other more.”
“Does it mean you won’t disappear on me?” Dante asked, and Tani looked up to find Dante studying him. “I threatened to burn Cale’s suit to keep you with us earlier. If he comes back again, I’m afraid you’ll leave with him.”
“You threatened Cale’s suit?” Tani asked, grinning. “I know you’re of fire, but Cale values his bespoke suits. He is capable of holding a very deep grudge.”
Dante chuckled.
“Is he the god of calamities?” Dante asked.
Tani nodded.
“Why are you hanging out with such a sinister character?” Dante asked.
“He’s not so sinister,” Tani said. “Just because he presides over dark desires does not mean he is disagreeable.”
“Only an Ekho would think that way,” Dante said, squeezing Tani’s elbows. “We lowly humans are terrified of the god of calamities and his dark, dark eyes.”
“I suppose he is an acquired taste,” Tani said. “I’ve known Cale a long time. He’s been a companion when I didn’t know I needed one. You’ll find comfort in the unlikeliest of places.”
Dante frowned.
“Are you two—?” Dante asked, and then stopped, the lines between his brows deepening.
Tani hid a smile and returned his attention to the thin lines tying his arms to Dante.
“You should stop now,” Tani said. “I am no longer in pain. I can manage any that arises from a flare-up. The worst is over.”
“Are you sure?” Dante asked. “We can keep the connection on for a little longer.”
Tani met Dante’s brown eyes. How he wished they could keep touching like this, locked together. The memory of Dante’s family filled him. The images of two children, and Viola, their mother, living in the US slashed through him.
He let go of Dante’s arms and started to move back.
“Wait,” Dante said, frowning again. “Let me disconnect us, otherwise you’ll only hurt when you try to compensate for the loss of my power healing you.”
“Has anyone told you that you’re too overconfident in your abilities?” Tani asked.
“Everyone,” Dante said, winking at him.
“How do you walk around with that big head on your shoulders?”
“I’ve always had it, so it’s no trouble,” Dante said.
Tani huffed and watched as Dante slowly withdrew the power he extended to him, the conduits fading from Tani’s arms, unwrapping from around his elbows. They returned to Dante and Tani was free.
His first instinct was to shift back. He reminded his heart that he wasn’t here to get close to Dante but to save him from whatever killed him at thirty-six.
Tani gasped when Dante grabbed his right arm and stopped his getaway.
Dante leaned in too close, their faces an inch apart.
“Don’t teleport out of this house,” Dante said, smiling, his brown eyes filled with amusement and…something else.
“Why?” Tani asked, he’d been about to return to Elderwood.
He needed a bit of time away from Dante. A moment to gain back his balance after Dante handed him a small part of himself despite the chasm between them.
“Artri House is warded against Cale, and all Ekho coming ins and outs,” Dante said. “An ancestor of mine was obsessed with finding a way to either keep one of you in here or one of you out. We could never figure it out.”
Tani tried it anyway, closing his eyes, reaching for his dampened powers, hoping to travel a familiar path back home to the fortress. Instead of the warm energy of home responding and pulling him home, a black wall of nothing greeted his attempts.
He sighed and opened his eyes to find Dante studying him.
“You promised to stay and tell me more about why you’re here, Tani Ryuzo. Your ward is downstairs with my mother hoping you feel better soon. She cried when you were in pain. In any case, my mother has healing spells she can learn for other situations.”
“What are you trying to say?” Tani asked.
“You should stay here at Artri House,” Dante said, still holding Tani’s right arm. “I have questions—”
Tani scoffed.
“Because you have questions, you somehow feel you have the right to get answers right away,” Tani said.
“You did promise to stay in the olive grove,” Dante said, his grip tightening on Tani’s arm.
“I did,” Tani said with a slow nod. “But it was before I knew what it would take to cleanse your vineyard. This…,”
Tani used his free hand to point to them, sitting on a bed, half-naked hours after meeting for the first time. Dante having used a very intimate spell to save him.
“It’s-it’s more than I expected to give on our first meeting.”
“Okay,” Dante said, though he did not make a move to shift away or let go of Tani’s arm.
Their knees stayed pressed together. Tani took a deep breath and the scent of jasmine filled him up. It was torture. He broke their gaze and stared instead at Dante’s bare chest.
He didn’t remember when Dante had removed his t-shirt.
Tani curled his fingers into tight fists to stop himself from pressing his palms on Dante’s chest. To feel his warm skin, discover the sound of his heartbeat…
Tani closed his eyes, his nails digging into his palms.
“What do you need of me so that you can stay?” Dante asked in a low cajoling voice. “I’ll give it to you. Anything but you leaving.”
He pressed his palms on Tani’s face, using his thumbs to wipe away the lingering tears on Tani’s skin. Dante was not playing fair. Every part of him trembled at Dante’s touch, his caress. How long had it been since he had been touched like this?
Too long, Tani’s heart skipped with joy and he let out a shaky breath.
“Dante Arturo.”
“I like how you say my name. It sounds like an important discovery. Like your voice is making love to me.”
Tani shook his head, opening his eyes to meet serious brown eyes.
“You’re a shameless flirt,” Tani accused, making Dante smile.
“Please stay,” Dante said again, this time he begged.
Tani sighed and pulled Dante’s hands away.
“I need space. Leave me alone and go find Hera. Make her milk tea, not the Turkish-brewed blend, but her way. I need time to get my head together. Okay?”
“Okay,” Dante said. “Anything else?”
Tani closed his eyes testing out the black wall of nothing he was facing when he tried to leave
‘Can’t leave yet. He wants you to stay.’
It took him a minute to realize it was the manor itself forcing him to stay within its walls.
“Your house makes the rules according to what you want,” Tani said. “It’s choosing not to let me leave. Let it know Cale is important to me.”
Tani opened his eyes in time to see Dante give him a fierce scowl. The second one was in reference to Cale.
“Why is the god of calamity important to you?” Dante asked, his expression turning cold, hard.
“We don’t know each other well yet for me to give you an answer,” Tani said.
“I dream about you,” Dante said, surprising Tani.
Ha, this is a new one, Tani thought. Why would Dante dream of him?
“They are old dreams, older than should be possible. Three lifetimes now, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth century. I don’t know if the dreams are real.”
“Is this how you knew I was Ryuzo?” Tani asked, surprised by this development.
“Yes,” Dante said. “In them, we—we were…we are…”
Tani studied Dante for a moment, and then because he was not ready to find out what kind of dreams Dante was having, he smiled and clasped Dante’s hands.
“Go take care of Hera for me. She worries when she thinks I’m in trouble. Give me some time, and let Cale in.”
Dante sighed and let go of Tani’s hands. He got off the bed and stretched his arms over his head.
Tani tried and failed not to stare at the effortless movement of muscles as Dante stretched. He wished he could run his hands over Dante’s back, feel him respond to his touch; trace his fingers on the perfect line down his spine. Press a kiss on the nape of Dante’s neck.
Tani looked away when Dante caught him staring.
Dante bent down and picked up his t-shirt with a slow grin.
“What would you like to eat?” Dante asked, wearing his t-shirt. “I’m a decent cook. You must be hungry after all the energy you’ve expended today.”
“Hera will know,” Tani said.
“You defer to her a lot,” Dante said with a small frown. “She’s important to you.”
When Tani only nodded, Dante’s frown disappeared.
“Then, I’ll check on her and make sure she knows you’re doing better.”
“Thank you,” Tani said, and pointed to the door. “Please close the door when you go out.”
“So bossy,” Dante said, pausing to study Tani. “All you’ve done is told me what to do.”
“You said all I had to do was say what I wanted. Will you do it or not?” Tani asked.
“I’m going,” Dante said. “I like your bossiness. Might want you to do it more. Except in my bedroom. I’ll want to take over then. I promise you won’t regret it.”
Tani scowled at Dante.
Dante grinned and winked at him as he left the guest room. He made sure to close the door with a distinct click.
Tani let out a soft breath, the scent of Jasmine dissipating from the room, letting Tani know how far Dante was. He waited three minutes until Dante was going down the stairs to let out the cough he had been holding in his chest.
Scrambling off the bed, Tani hurried to the open door near the entrance into the room and was grateful to find a fully equipped washroom. He leaned over the sink and coughed out a mouthful of blood.
“Uncle Amu,” Tani said, willing the manor to let his uncle into the room.
When Amu did not appear, Tani sighed and closed his eyes, focusing on the dark wall cutting him off from Amu and Cale.
“Dante can’t help me. I need help stabilizing the power balance inside me. It has to be an Ekho doing it.”
‘I’ll bring one to the manor.’
One moment Tani was rinsing out his mouth in the sink, washing away blood, the next Kinon, the god of fire, stood behind him.
“You—,” Tani started, surprise on his face.
“Artri called,” Kinon said, with a quick grin. “Sneaky lordling. I see you’ve discovered one of my secrets.”
Tani wanted to ask more but the energy inside him punched at his veins. He coughed again, his mouth filling with blood. The blood he coughed up was a result of internal damage caused by his revolting powers. He needed an Ekho to help him regulate the meager energy inside him, remind his system it no longer needed to compensate for the massive amount of power now locked away.
Cale usually helped, or Uncle Amu. But now—
Kinon gave Tani a critical glance, then placed his hands on Tani’s shoulders and made him turn to the mirror. Tani spat out the blood into the sink, turning on the water to wash it away.
“What are you doing here?” Tani asked, shocked to meet one of the Septum in Dante’s house.
“The manor called me,” Kinon said, sliding his palms over Tani’s shoulders to his back. “Stop talking and take in a deep breath.”
A thousand questions on his tongue, Tani pushed them aside and complied with Kinon’s request.
Kinon’s palms warmed on his back, the heat seeping deep under his skin, rolling through Tani restoring balance, and healing damaged pathways. The walls on the cage holding Tani’s power solidified and sealed.
The pressure weighing on Tani’s shoulders eased and he took in an easier breath.
“Cale returns the cuffs with too much force,” Kinon said, dropping his hands away from Tani’s back. “Call for me the next time you need to remove them.”
“Will you answer?” Tani asked, shocked Kinon would offer.
“Why would I refuse, little lordling?” Kinon asked.
Tani frowned, looking at Kinon through the mirror.
“You—”
“Before you accuse me of being callous, remember I live in my domain most of the time. Pushing you to choose your people is what I should do as a member of the Septum,” Kinon said. “As a fellow Ekho, an individual with my own beliefs, I retain a healthy sympathy for the less fortunate.”
Tani scoffed.
“In which reality do I qualify as less fortunate?”
“This one,” Kinon said, moving to lean on the sink counter on Tani’s left side.
Unlike Cale who had assimilated into the human culture, Kinon dressed in the Ekho Realm traditions. That or Artri House had called on him from his domain.
Now that was an interesting connection to explore, Tani frowned. His gaze lingered on the red sleeveless long loose shirt Kinon wore, the edges of the open collar embroidered with thin gold lines. He wore dark trousers that disappeared into red boots with gold studs. The cuff clasped around his left bicep was carved with ekho realm symbols. It was similar to the cuffs on Tani’s wrists, though Tani doubted it served the same purpose.
Tani looked into Kinon’s crimson eyes and his frown deepened when he read pity.
“You’re meant for a greater purpose,” Kinon said, shaking his head. “I would like to see you help your father guard the Septum’s balance. Live the life you deserve in the Citadel. Your blood unites two powerful clans in our Ekho Realm.”
“I am living a life I have chosen,” Tani said, looking away from Kinon. Hating the pity in Kinon’s eyes because it meant the Septum saw him as a failure, a deviant. “I do not need nor want your pity, god of fire.”
“Mortal life is fleeting, child,” Kinon said. “One blink of an eye in the face of the thousands of millennia we live. Your obsession with this one will fill you with pain for a moment after he’s gone. The pain will fade and you will forget. I look forward to talking to you then.”
“Why is Artri House calling you?” Tani asked.
Kinon chuckled.
“Such a deadly question, you deflect a topic with skill, little lordling. I am not ready to give you those answers.”
Tani’s gaze narrowed at him.
“You’re the reason Dante is so powerful,” Tani said. “You’ve interfered with a lineage.”
“My interference is not for you to judge,” Kinon said. “All you need to know is that Artri House is under my care. Cale is not welcome in my domain. If you want to see him, step outside in the courtyard or call him to Elderwood. You’ll need clothes after you clean up. I’ve left some on the bed for you. Take care of yourself, Tani. None of us enjoy hearing you are in pain.”
Kinon left as fast as he appeared.
Tani cursed under his breath and turned on the sink. He took in several deep breaths, fighting for control. His anger rose at Kinon’s comments about his higher purpose. What right did the Septum have to judge his small purpose?
It was his life, his millennias of loneliness if Dante left him again. Not theirs.
Tani cupped his hands under the water and splashed his face, cooling his temper. His thoughts lingered on Kinon and the members of the Septum. They all thought him insane. As though one could direct their heart in love.
Closing his eyes, his mind’s eye filled with Dante. How he’d looked sitting on the bed with him, helping him with the pain. The sound of his voice as he begged Tani to stay. The presence of the small part of Dante filled a small part of the emptiness inside him.
Insane or not, his choice was worth having Kinon call him a fool, Tani decided. He would rather be a fool than never have known Dante.
Taking in a calming breath, Tani glanced at the spacious glass stall on his left and decided he needed a shower. Warm water cascading over him always washed away his doubts and stress.
****
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