Page 32

Chris bounced on the balls of his feet as he scanned the ingredients in Ben’s potion room, happy to brew a series of base potions as a start to his business. The idea was one of a few he was contemplating, and Ben was happy to share his love of cauldron-stirring. First, he would start by making the potions needed for the hall, and then he would begin to offer his skills wider, Ben promising to recommend him to his friends and associates. He selected several ingredients and returned to the main lab, almost dropping one of the pots as he saw Simon waiting for him.

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting you,” he said. “Did I forget you were coming?”

He liked Simon, even without his wings he was pretty, and clever too.

“No one knows I’m here, and I will leave it to you in case you feel others need to know.”

Chris frowned, that was an odd thing to say. “I don’t understand. Why would you think I wouldn’t want people to know you were here?”

Simon picked up the sprig of lavender. “I suppose because the nature of the conversation we will have might not be something you wish to share.”

Chris huffed. “Are you all right? You’re being a bit odd.”

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know why I’m here?”

“I’m not pretending. As nice as it is to see you, I don’t know why you thought to visit, or why I would be concerned that you are.” Simon was a vampire fae so pre-determined to be on the odd side.

“I performed your bond, Chris. I have seen you, I got to peek behind your magnificent mask.” Simon smiled. “Does Jack know?”

He placed the rest of the pots on the bench. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating.”

“You are masking your magic, and not just a little bit. It might be on the light side, but there’s a lot of it.”

Chris tutted. “Oh, that. Of course Jack knows. But I don’t see the level of my magic as anyone else’s business. I’ve got a fair amount of juice, but my intention is not to use it for anything bad.”

“Right, given your previous descent, what would happen if someone were to hurt Jack?”

The pot in front of him shattered. “Shit,” he said, waving a hand to tidy up the mess he’d caused.

“My point exactly.”

“I would stop anyone from hurting him, I will protect him. He is mine.”

“But what if you can’t? From what I know, Jack is not the sort to sit at home and play safe. You may have to accept he could get injured or worse during the work he does.”

Chris knew Jack was the man he was because of the experiences he had made, and he wouldn’t be able to curtail him once he was fully recovered. But he had not thought about the risk. “I will find a way to go with him. He is not alone like he used to be.”

“Chris, you cannot be everywhere. What if something happens to Jack and you react like you did before?”

“That was different. I was already more in the dark than light, there’s nothing to say I wouldn’t have gone further even if Dillin hadn’t been killed.”

Simon pinned him with a stare that made Chris flinch. “You know Jack isn’t Dillin?”

“What?” He hadn’t expected that question.

“Jack is not a reincarnation of Dillin. I saw images of Dillin when I bonded you to Jack. Both of them black-haired and magical. It would not be unexpected if you’d latch onto Jack for familiarity.”

“No! I am not a fool.” He felt a flash of anger, white-hot but controllable. “I had feelings for Jack before my memories returned, at most, you could say I have a type, but Jack is different. Perfect. Yes, I loved Dillin. My grief when he was murdered pulled me further into the dark, but that does not mean Jack is his replacement. Jack is Jack.”

Simon’s magic rippled through him, and Chris couldn’t have stopped him if he’d tried. “What are you doing?” Chris demanded.

“I had to make sure you weren’t hiding from me.”

He was annoyed, Simon was here demanding things and making accusations. “If you were so concerned I was hiding dark magic, why did you let Jack bind himself to me?”

“Because he wished it, and he is strong and can influence you. But you should know that I made the bond, I can severe it if needed.”

Chris didn’t think that was possible, but someone of Simon’s power could do things that might not even be thought of. “It will not be needed. You stand there as if you are some great crusader, a noble knight protector, but your magic is darker than mine. What would you do if someone hurt your Robin?”

Simon laughed, it was mirthless and his eyes cold. “The same as you would if it were Jack. Which is I am here to challenge you, I know what you could be capable of, because it is the same as me.”

“Then maybe I should be the one to threaten you.”

“Y’know, you probably should. You might be one of the few who could stop me if I were to lose my way.”

Chris stared at him, and a realisation hit him. Simon had come to test him, although this wasn’t just about him and Jack, but Simon beginning to understand the level of his own magic. “It sounds like we should agree to watch each other.”

“I knew you were brighter than you looked.”

“Oi!”

Simon transfigured the lavender he was holding into a piece of jewellery, the leaves jade set in gold and amethyst for the flowers, and he created a second and handed one to Chris. “A token of our agreement.”

Chris took the lavender. “All right. I don’t see why you couldn’t have just asked rather than play your game.”

“I wasn’t playing.”

Simon opened a portal. “Don’t be a stranger, Chris.”

Then he was gone and Chris wasn’t sure what to do. He should tell Jack, but no one else, just like he reckoned Simon would only tell Robin. He stared at the lavender as it caught the light, not a hint of dark hidden in its reflection, and Chris smiled.