187
“You have a lovely home Henry,” Camila said with a smile.
“I have you to thank for that.” He paused as he had an epiphany. He looked her in the eye as he took her hands in his. “I have you to thank for so much more.”
“Oh! Ah, well… I– you–” Camila stumbled with her words as her face heated up. Marisa burst into giggles as she watched her mother become tongue-tied. Camila shot her an annoyed look. When Henry’s lips pressed against her cheek, she gasped and blinked at him as an unfamiliar emotion surged in her chest. She smiled and couldn’t stop. “Thank you, Henry.”
Marisa was still grinning at her mother’s bewilderment when Henry took her hands in his next. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him cautiously.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org: ©.
“I believe you may have some inkling how grateful I am that you were there when I first started at VRL and for how you came to my rescue again and again. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you at my side,” he said sincerely and watched Marisa’s mouth open and close with no sound.
Camila snorted, seeing her daughter caught in the same sincerity trap. She watched Marisa lock up when Henry leaned in and gave her cheek a sweet kiss and felt a sympathetic tug in her own heart. She didn’t know what that feeling was. She also didn’t know what it was about Henry that drew her so strongly. Succubi didn’t form long term relationships with anyone. They just weren’t wired to have the emotional capacity.
Yet, there was something about him, aside from the wonderful energy he gave her. That was just food for a Succubus like herself. She and Marisa had both gone to clubs recently and brought home healthy men for a tumble in the sheets and to feed from them. It was a relief to know they could still feel charged from regular Human men. Still, she preferred Henry, and it wasn’t just for his energy.
She puzzled over that as she and Marisa slipped on their sandals and stepped out into the hall.
Siobhan was smiling up at him. “You are such a sweetie, Henry!”
She threw her arms around him and squeezed. He hugged her with equal vigor.
She tilted her face back to look him in the eye. “I need to speak to you on Monday. Think you can set aside thirty minutes for me before lunch?”
“Sure–Mmmm!”
Once more, Siobhan kissed him fiercely then rushed out after her ride.
Henry leaned out his door to see the brunette jump into the elevator with a grin on her face.
He went back inside and closed the door as he touched his lips. He realized they were getting a lot of use tonight.
He ducked into the washroom and cleaned off a few smudges of lipstick.
A few deep breaths, and he was ready to join the others. He met Roy and Mary in the hall, putting their boots back on. He opened the door for them and got and gave another kiss on the cheek to Mary.
Once he returned to the living room, he saw the only remaining guests were residents of the building. Kali and Sandy stood by the windows, enjoying the view with a wine glass in their hands. Michelle and Dayshia were by the island, helping Tish pack up the leftovers. Yuko and Jun were sitting on a couch across the coffee table from Mahati, who was by herself. He settled down next to the lawyer and gave her another smile. He knew he might be acting a little silly, but what she’d done to Queen Mab felt so good, he couldn’t stop smiling at her. Mahati was returning his smile, so she didn’t seem to mind.
He suddenly felt the cushions on his other side drop as someone thumped down next to him, too close. He turned to see Yuko staring up at him from under her bangs. Her eyes were glassy as if she was moments away from crying. She was also breathing a little fast.
“Are you okay, Yuko–”
“Why do you smile at the cold-blooded one all night and not me?” Yuko blurted, the scent of wine heavy on her breath. “Who is she to you?” Her voice was becoming sharp.
Henry’s eyebrows went up, and he glanced over at Jun, who was watching her sister in concern. He looked back and saw a tear run down Yuko’s cheek. Henry automatically lifted his hand to wipe it away.
“No! You mustn’t touch her tears!” Jun exclaimed, but Henry just smiled at her as he cupped Yuko’s cheek.
“It’s okay. We discovered I’m immune to her tears,” he said gently. Then Yuko was climbing onto his lap to kiss him.
She was so insistent; Henry couldn’t brace himself and tumbled backward. He felt something soft under his back, but he couldn’t see past Yuko’s silky hair, which was surrounding his head. Her lips were pressed against his, and he instinctively kissed her in return. That just made her more aggressive, and her tongue came into play.
He tried to push her off, but his hands on her body just made her moan and squirm.
“GET–GET OFF!” Mahati yelled as she dropped her glamor and pushed the couple from her lap.
The push from the thick coils of muscle was a little too forceful. Henry and Yuko landed on the coffee table, a sturdy piece of hardwood furniture that easily withstood the impact. The glassware, wine glasses and whiskey tumblers, and the dishes resting on its surface were another matter. The shove and Henry’s pained gasp from the broken glass stabbing into his back were enough to distract Yuko from her need for Henry. She pulled back and saw he was hurt, and Mahati was standing on her coils, glaring at her.
Her wine-addled senses told her here was the real enemy keeping her from happiness. She leapt back from the tall Nāga and moved her hands together as she recited the words. Multicolored tails flashed into sight behind her.
Mahati’s danger sense was flaring. This crazed drunkard was going to use a spell against her, inside the building!?! She automatically summoned her own magic and wove the energies into a weapon of her own. It was a race to launch their spell first.
Henry felt every hair on his body stand on end as the energies flashed into being. His eyes snapped open, and he could see Mahati bringing her left and right hands together. He dropped his glamor and used his Satyr strength to leap from the table, arms stretched wide to scoop Yuko to his chest as he sailed over the facing couch, dragging Jun with them as he went.
Yuko’s spell collapsed against Henry’s chest and sent the three of them tumbling in opposite directions. Yuko and Jun were immediately stunned unconscious.
Mahati’s powerful counterspell cut through the air towards the spot Yuko had been standing a split second before. Instead, it slammed into the shield surrounding Tish as she leapt into its path. She glared at the Nāga as the deadly energies fizzled out, spitting sparks left and right, lighting up the shields Dayshia and Sandy used to protect Michelle and Kali.
“No MAGIC ATTACKS in my HOME!” Tish snapped.
“I-I was defending myself! The drunk Kitsune was trying to kill me!” Mahati insisted.
Tish quickly walked over to see how Henry was doing. He was dazed by the blast, but his back was a bloody mess. The glass had cut deeply into his back muscles. “Shit, he’s going to need medical attention.”
Henry struggled to stay conscious. It was so hard, but he needed to heal. He felt himself reaching for the ring and its link to the Global Overlay Spell. A sweet gurgle bubbled through his mind, and the power came, faster and faster until the room began to glow.
Mahati gasped as she felt the magic building. She recognized the green light as the Fae’s Global Overlay Spell. “What? What’s happening?”
Sandy looked out the window and saw the sky above the building was beginning to glow. “I’ve seen this before! It’s the Aurora Borealis!” Her head whipped around as she looked incredulously at Henry. “It’s Henry? He’s causing this?!?”
“It’s the Fae’s healing magic,” Mahati explained as she watched Henry. She moved closer to him and saw his body was glowing with the energy, but he wasn’t healing. “He can pull the magic to him, but he can’t use it?” she guessed, and the others nodded.
Sandy suddenly worried about how badly he was hurt if this was happening.
Tish looked over to Dayshia. “You’re training to be a surgeon. Can you help him?”
Dayshia turned her eyes to Tish. “What? This is magic! I’m not a wielder!” She looked to Mahati. “Why don’t you do it?”
“I might be able to use the magic, but I’m not a healer,” Mahati said, then looked to Dayshia. “If you’re prepared to use your skills, I can back your efforts with magic.”
Dayshia still looked hesitant, but Tish and Sandy were begging with their eyes. When Jun made sounds like she was coming around, they all looked to Yuko, but she was still unconscious.
“Keep an eye on that one!” Mahati said, pointing to Yuko. Kesini immediately wrapped herself around the Kitsune.
“How– what am I supposed to do?” Dayshia said as she knelt next to Henry. She dropped her glamor and used her vision to peer beneath his skin. She found multiple glass shards left in his muscle tissue.
“You are a healer. Envision how you would normally heal him. I will provide your actions with the magic required to complete the actions your will defines,” Mahati explained.
Dayshia nodded distractedly. She hadn’t performed any surgeries on her own before, but she knew how to do it from witnessing so many. She reached out her hands over Henry’s back.
When Mahati touched her back with all four of her hands, Dayshia squeaked in fright as she knew the giant scary snake was right behind her.
Michelle was suddenly on Henry’s other side, looking into her friend’s eyes. “You can do this! We all have faith in you!”
Dayshia looked around and saw the smiles on the faces around her. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. When she opened them again, she envisioned being in a surgical suite standing next to her patient. She held out her palm and quietly asked for forceps. She felt the gentle pressure of something pressing into her palm. Dayshia was surprised to see the green light in the shape of the surgical tool in her hand. She pushed her doubts aside and used the tweezer shaped implement and her enhanced vision to go after the glass fragments.