Royal Games

Chapter 58

"Thank you for coming after me earlier." I tell Isaac. We are back at his house, eating large bowls of pasta in his bedroom. I didn't want to sit through a meal with his family and pretend to be okay.

"I wanted to let you handle it yourself. But the longer you were gone, the more worried I got."

"After the fight, I had to find Liam and Marco. It all took time." I explain.

"I know." Isaac replies quietly. He pauses. "You never explained what happened to Liam."

Right. I've told him about Marco being drugged and Liam injured. But I haven't said in what ways he was injured.

"Broken bones. Swelling and bruises. And a nasty brand across his chest." I wince. "It looked like it had been burned with magic fire." Magic fire is known for being volatile; it only takes a momentary lapse in the wielder's concentration for it to take on a life of its own. And it can burn any colour except for the regular reds and oranges.

"How could you tell?"

"The colouring. Natural heat doesn't turn veins black."

Isaac cringes. "He won't heal then, will he." It's more statement than question. "A wound from magic fire doesn't ever fully heal."

No. It doesn't. Meaning Liam will be stuck with the word 'traitor' scrawled across his flesh for the rest of his life. And it's all because I dragged him into helping me. No. I chastise myself. It was his own choice to help me, and he chose to go further than he needed to.

"I don't think I'll ever fully heal." I mutter. The cuts on my body from Darcey's sword are already starting to fade. But the mental blows she threw are going to scar.

Isaac's spoon clanks as he drops it into his bowl. He wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close. "Look at me." He says it so softly, so gently, that I can't help but look. "You were strong. And smart. And brave. And so many other things today. You could've taken the easy path and let me handle everything. Instead, you decided to do the difficult thing and returned victorious. Don't forget your own strength."

"If having blood on my hands is the result of my strength, I don't want it."

"She forced you into a position where It was either you or her. That makes it self-defence, no matter how it played out. You're still a good person, Alyssa." Isaac reassures me, before leaning in to kiss my cheek. "And I still love you."

"I love you too." I reply. Closing my eyes, I rest my head on his shoulder. "Can you just... hold me tonight?" My mind still needs time to process everything, but I don't want to be alone. I'm scared of what might happen if I'm left alone with my thoughts.

Isaac removes his arm, causing me to panic that I've said the wrong thing. It's a relief when I realise he's only clearing our bowls away. He seems to sense that I don't want him disappearing from the room, so he places them on his desk. A simple spell has us both in our pyjamas. I'm grateful to him because I wouldn't have wanted to leave the room, even to change out of the sullied outfit I pressume is now neatly folded on my bed where my pyjamas were.

I climb under the covers of Isaac's bed, and he joins me moments later. He wraps his arms protectively around my waist, pulling my back into his chest. Then he slings a feathery wing over my body. Knowing how guarded angels are over who gets to touch their wings, I savour the sensation of them. It would be impossible for us to be any closer physically. And mentally I feel like we're getting closer all the time.

"Your wings are like soft blanket." I muse, snuggling into them.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Why do you keep them hidden all the time, even when there aren't any humans around?"

"How often do you remove your own glamour?" He answers my question with a question, but I have to admit he's got a point. "When you live on Earth, you simply get used to living as a human."

"But you must get so restless being earth-bound. Wings are entirely different to claws and unusual colouring. Surely there are times when you just get the urge to go flying."

Isaac sighs. "Sometimes. But I grew up accustomed to using cars rather than wings to get around. However much I enjoy it, flying isn't second nature to me the way it is for Topian angels."

A comfortable silence descends between us. It doesn't take long for my mind to wander back to the horrors of the day, ruining the slight peace I've found.

"Tell me something." I say to break the silence. "Anything to take my mind off it all."

Isaac doesn't reply. Seconds tick by. Then it happens.

I startle as Isaac begins to sing. This isn't at all what I expected to come from him when he opened his mouth. His voice is harmonious and dreamy. His song pulses not only through me ears, but through my heart. My soul. I'm sure I've never heard his beautiful song before, and yet it feels so familiar.

Idly, I stroke a finger down his wings. He shivers under my touch, but his song doesn't falter.

My eyelids grow heavy. My finger slows its strokes. My racing thoughts ebb away.

Until only a single thought crashes through me. A thought I don't question, but I know instinctively to be true. A thought that has somehow been there all along, but has been buried until this instant. A thought that relaxes me, but will make me giddy in the morning when I'm not so tired.

"My soulmate." I whisper.

As I drift off to sleep, I'm unsure whether or not Isaac continues singing, but his lullaby echoes in my ears.