RITBS June Short Story

Wincing over the possibilities, I ducked past Lucien's reaching arm, eerily frozen in space. Then, reluctantly, I turned my back on the guys to look up at the man in the tux. Damn, he looked good in a tux. It was such a shame. Most alarming was the fact that he'd managed to control four powerful beings at once without mussing his hair or his tie. So much for that normal life I wanted. And suddenly I was just pissed. "Honestly, is no one normal in this world? And does nobody use doors anymore? Stroll casually into a room with a hi and how are you? And what's for dinner, honey? All I ever wanted was a normal guy to love and build a life with.

"But noo-oooo. You all have to posture and float and glow and grow hairy or fangy or scaly or feathered and breathe fire or suck blood or change shape or . . ."

"That's not true. At least, it wasn't always true of me. I used to be the kind of man you wanted. I swear you could have loved me once." Mark, who'd drifted lower during my tirade, gently set his feet on the ground, looking absurdly normal all of a sudden. His expression had relaxed into the familiar, easier lines of a smile I used to treasure. The man I'd dated. Thought I'd dated? Everything was clear one moment and the next . . . memories shattered and dispersed, only to reform and begin the disturbing cycle again. What was real? "Raven, you would have adored the me I used to be. I think you still could."

"Think so?" I eyed his fingertips, which seemed to be spewing little sparks, and grew conscious of the weight of additional weapons I'd strapped to my calf and thigh. "I have my doubts." And maybe I always had. What other bride wore weapons to her own wedding?

Following my gaze to his hands, Mark fisted them but couldn't completely squelch their glow, now that his secret was out. He raised his gaze to meet mine, and I could see the frustration in his eyes. "I wasn't always this way. I swear I wasn't. I'd tried so hard to blend in, steer clear of his life, but I couldn't. He was just so strong. I couldn't resist any longer, once he'd amped up his powers through alliances with the Others. I swear I would fight this evil if I could."

"So fight it. And look for another bride while you're at it. I don't marry liars. Or wizards. Something about evil, spell-casting pond scum just doesn't shout romantic groom to me. Even if said pond scum looks devastating in a tux." And apparently I just wasn't meant to be happy. With anyone.

"I can't, honey. I'm powerful, but not even I can fight magic that strong and twisted." And his gaze, so adored once -- or not? -- grew more compelling. It seemed to draw me, pulling my feet to step closer to him. "At least, not alone. With you by my side, I stand a chance. I've set a trap for him -- a trap you can help me spring, if you're willing and if you're strong enough to face what's within yourself. I'd intended to talk to you after our wedding, but I can see now that it can't wait. They showed you the letter, didn't they?"

I didn't answer, but he didn't seem to require one.

"That's part of the trap. My father salivates for more power and he thinks I'm offering it to him in order to gain his favor. He suspects nothing and grows reckless in his greed. He'll make mistakes. You know why? Because he doesn't know about you, my love." Mark smiled, and his face seemed alight with anticipation. Even lusty. Strange how Mark had never seemed lusty before. Could have been a problem, actually. I sort of liked lusty.

"Raven, don't you see the truth yet? Your powers are so great. Greater than you know, greater than these four know." He lowered his voice, until it seemed to seep into my very pores, drenching my mind and lending me new strength. My nerve endings seemed to zing with it. Spark with it. Seductive power. I could be like him. Like the Others. More powerful than all of them. "You have Other powers," Mark whispered, "waiting to be discovered and refined and leveraged."

"Raven, no!" The words seemed wrenched from Lucien. Real words? Words he spoke into my mind? Or just my own words? It didn't matter. It all seemed so foggy anyway. The only clarity was in Mark's eyes. They seemed to slice through uncertainty and sharpen my thinking, my beliefs, my strength. Reality was suddenly more real.

"They didn't tell you this, did they? Your precious Lucien and the others kept the truth and strength of your powers from you. They all sensed it -- and left me to tell you of it. Who's the liar now?"

I felt, more than heard, struggling emotions and muffled voices behind me. Silent protests audible only via an emotional bond. These four, so close to me, would betray me?

No, not-- I shook my head, feeling sluggish again. Frowning, concentrating, I tried to disperse the fog on my own. "I--"

Mark drew closer, the glow seeming to emanate from deep within him now. A virile, almost sexual passion consumed him and reached greedily for me until I could focus on nothing else. Something inside of me wanted nothing more than to reach back, to embrace that passion and let it consume me as well.

"Ally with me." Mark breathed the words, power slicing through every syllable. "I swear we can do more side by side than each can do individually. We can overthrow my father and his evil ways. Sorcery was never intended for evil. It was warped by those who misuse power. But we can make it pure again. I need you to make that happen, Raven. You are the key to the future." He was so close now, his breath mingling with mine, his heartbeat almost audible as it raced along in tandem with mine. "Join with me and you can help me rid the world of this evil. Or . . . deny me and look the other way as evil destroys all. Which will it be?"

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