I feel this edge of his power pulling me, it’s not the same heat that dares me to take from Ollie, but more of a dark promise of something urging me to take the tendrils of shadow into myself.
“I couldn’t see you,” Ares confesses, pulling his face back to look down at me. My hands trail around to his front. I open my eyes and am surprised how clearly I can see him. I watch my fingers trace over his skin, fascinated with the inky tendrils I see reaching for me. A thick band coils up my finger and around my wrist.
I can actually see his ability, it doesn’t manifest the way Ollie’s does with fire, but in actual shadows. How come I’ve never seen this before? I expect a light show of sparks to begin any second as I begin to feel his power running over my skin.
My heads falls back. His power is deep and vast, there is a darkness to it, but there’s also something else: an awareness—of him, of myself, of everything around me. Oh, goodness! Is this how he feels all the time, full to the brim? As his power flows through me, my mind expands to include more of the house. I can feel Mia down the hall, the edges of her mind open to me, and I know that she’s getting ready for bed, that Ares is on her mind.
Pulling away from her, I find myself searching through the house with a speed that isn’t possible. Three sparks of light call me to the room I left a little while ago. Ollie’s light burns a bright orange, almost as though he’s bathed in a glow from a bonfire. The light surrounding Dante fluctuates, going from a gold to silver, sometimes swirling together. Milo is dimmer, his light pale compared to the others, but he glows a faint green.
I feel the pressure of Ares’s head when it lands on my shoulder, bringing me back to this moment. “Oh, my God. What just happened? Was that real?” I know it was, but I have to ask anyway. Ares grunts in response, his breath hot on my neck. Is he tired? I feel like I could bounce off the walls, I’m so keyed up. “I thought I was the human sparkler… how did that happen?”
“No clue. What’d it feel like to you?” Ares nuzzles behind my ear, and I feel his whiskers tickling the sensitive spot where my shoulder meets my neck.
“It felt…it felt…big. Like anything I could think of would be possible,” I stammer, not knowing how to articulate what it felt like. “I could feel you. I feel like I could have crawled inside your head and known your every thought. Is that what it’s like for you?”
“No, not all the time. I’ve learned to control it. And some people have a natural barrier.” Ares takes my hand, pulling me toward the bed. My vision isn’t as clear as it was when I was sharing his power, but it’s better than it was before.
“What did it feel like for you? Were you with me? Did you see what I saw?” I can’t keep the excitement from my voice as I climb into bed.
“I don’t know, it’s never happened before. I think I was—or could have been—with you, but I was also here. I could feel you on my skin, all over me, inside me. Turn over.” I do it without thought, curling my knees up. Ares scoots in behind me, wiggling his arm under my head.
“Did you see Milo? Why was he so dim?”
Ares grumbles, “Later.” His other arm snakes over my waist, securing me to him.
My body relaxes against his. “Why are you so tired?” I whisper into the darkness.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night,” he answers on a sigh.
“Why? Did you stay up with Mia? What were you guys doing?” I try to sound causal, but probably fail.
“I took her to the kitchen. We had a drink, but she still didn’t want to sleep alone.” My body stiffens. Did he sleep with her, did he hold her like he holds me? “Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” he orders. “I sat with her until she was finally ready to go to bed. By that time, I was already too awake to go back to sleep, not to mention there was someone in my spot.” I feel the blunt ends of Ares teeth as he nips my shoulder. “I got a few things done