Path Of The Broken

21. Subtlety-4

They rolled apart, spent. Alex took a breath and chuckled. For the first time in a long time, he was calm and happy in his headspace. The power threaded around both him and Isabella, yet he didn’t feel over powered by it. He just let it be.

“Thank you, Isabella. I haven’t felt this good…” Alex stopped abruptly and chuckled. “Well, in a long time.”

Isabella rolled over onto her side to look at him, a smile on her lips. Alex found himself distracted by the sight of her. He couldn’t resist reaching out one arm, gently snaking it around her slim waist and pulling her closer, lightly kissing down the side of her neck. He knew the thrill of pleasure went through her since she shared the feeling with him.

“You can’t possibly be ready to back up already, Alex.” Her elegant eyebrow rose and she laughed with him before contently lying in his arms as his hands gently stroked her body.

“I like feeling the thrills of pleasure in your body. Learning what you like. I’ll stop if you want me to.” Alex was earnest, although he hoped that she didn’t want him to stop.

He was rewarded with her lazy laugh. “Not to put a dampener on things, Alex, but we should talk about it. Our display was hardly subtle last night.”

Alex smiled, shaking his head. “Subtle or otherwise, it wouldn’t matter. I’d be surprised if reports about you being in my company haven’t already made it back to the palace.”

“But we were discreet, or we were before last night.” Isabella’s cheeks flamed red.

“Being seen with me, discreet or otherwise, doesn’t make a difference. I’m sorry, Isabella, I should have thought to warn you of the consequences of being in my world.”

“It’s me who should be sorry. You’re only newly transitioned, and I know the confusion that can cause.” Isabella laced her fingers in his long dark hair at the back of his head and pulled him down to meet his lips with her own.

They lay for a while, content in each other’s arms, before Alex chuckled softly.

“You know, it occurs to me you know just about everything about me, but other than you being from Ilarith and of the Elder, I know very little about you.” That would cause some issues since he knew his brother would ask for details before too long.

“What do you want to know?” Isabella looked at him, not seeming worried in the slightest.

“You were born in Ilarith?” Alex shifted, settling them both a little more comfortably with the pillows piled up behind them.

“No, I… I was from around here before Vallantia was Vallantia. It was a long time ago.” Isabella shuddered in his arms.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Alex pressed his lips against her forehead, sensing a wave of distress from her as she thought about the past.

“Only a few began to emerge with true power back then, closer to what we now think of as Kin. My master was such a one.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “Your master?”

“Mmm… He was cruel with powers that no one else had. People were scared of him. He was the war chief of this whole area. He observed me playing with the other girls in my village and took me as one of his bed slaves.”

Alex felt his breath catch in his throat as images and feelings flashed in his mind from Isabella as she spoke.

“I’m sorry.” Alex hugged her, his mind whirling.

She shook her head and drew closer to him, seeking comfort in his arms as she continued in a soft voice.

“He always took what he wanted, people, food, even if it was just to let it spoil while the villagers starved. It was his undoing in the end. There was an uprising. My brother had just come into his own power and used the resulting mayhem from the rebellion to take me from him. We fled far away to escape my master. I was scared for a long time that he’d come for me again. The place we ended up is now known as Ilarith. My brother found out years later that many people died during the uprising but they were free of that evil and in its place Vallantia was born.”

They lay in silence as Alex struggled to process what she’d told him.

“Now you are of the Elder and nobody’s slave.” He kissed her gently, pleased when she responded. “What happened to your brother? Is he alive and still in Ilarith?”

Isabella suddenly laughed, her mood lightening. “You know my brother, you’ve met. It’s Damien.”

Alex realised as soon as she said it that he should have known or guessed, particularly since he already knew that Jess had gone to Damien. That had prompted the man to send Isabella to check on him.

“I will understand if you don’t want to be pulled into my world, Isabella. If you’d rather we just met each other here or elsewhere, then that is what we will do. If you’d rather never see me again… well, I’ll be miserable because I do really like you, but I will abide by your wishes.”

Alex turned his head to see Isabella smiling at him. She pulled him to her, kissing him, leaving no doubt at all in his mind that she at least wanted to be with him.