Seventy

Mason groans, and I turn only to see him push himself up and prop himself on his elbows, " It's not as bad as it looks," He winces, and pushes himself to sit up on the floor.

I'm relieved but also a tad mad and curious as to how he ended up in this state.

" What happened?" I ask as I pick up the supplies, place them on the floor, and take a moment to have a better look at him in the dim candlelight.

He is right though, is not as bad as it looks.

" Most of it is not even mine," He points at his shirt, and gives me a slanted smirk.

" I bumped into some of your brother's bloodhounds. Aaron and Jacqueline took everyone to safety, except one," His brows pinch for a moment before sorrow washes over both of us. Why now? There have been plenty of opportunities over the years to put a dagger through my chest and end it all.

" Why now Mason?" I ask aloud and Mason gives me a puzzled look.

" She has had plenty of opportunities to kill me. Why now? She must've known of my brother's existence for quite some time, so why now?" I'm blindly guessing as to what influenced Enid's decision to pick my brother's side. Because right now, that's what it looks like.

He heaves a dejected sigh," I wish I would know," His eyes find mine, and I nod and begin to clean the wounds. There are a few, but none fatal. He has lost a fair amount of blood but he will survive.

" Our problem is Shay," I hate to admit it but since his powers have evolved and he is no longer bound to Graham, has become a problem.

Mason sighs as I begin to tear his clothes and begin to bandage the one on his arm," He uses electricity to teleport. His abilities allow him to manipulate the electrical charge in the air. And let's face it, he has become pretty proficient at it," I move to the next one, pressing the damp cloth onto his wound a little too hard and he jerks away.

" Sorry," I mumble as I remove my hand but Mason doesn't say anything to that so I continue, " We need to deal with him. We need to remove him," Not the best choice of words. I don't want Shay dead just out of the equation. His presence incumbent and a wild card, his ability to move at the speed of light from one place to another makes it difficult to deal with my brother. And I know for a fact that he relies heavily on Shay.

" Any ideas ?" Mason asks, and I stop what I'm doing to look at him while I think of a solution. One that would guarantee us a levelled playing field.

The problem is that my knowledge of physics is pretty basic but I know someone who would love to contribute.

" Kind of, " I say quietly and reprise mending the wound on his leg, with a little more urgency.

" I'm impressed. The answer was right in front of me. I wonder how I didn't see it," Mason quips, and I can't help but poke him in the ribs. He chuckles and gently wraps his long fingers around my wrist.

" I missed you," He whispers, the golden glow of the candle reflects in his blue eyes making them look like the sea at sunset.

" And I you," It's the truth, one that I haven't really allowed myself to admit. Through thick and thin he stuck by me and I don't know if anyone would have done the same. It took me a long time to understand and realise that, but now that I'm here, the doubt that has lingered, and slowly corroded my faith in him with each trial we've faced together or apart has finally dissolved. Hopefully never to be felt again.

" We should finish patching you up," I smile at him, and break the silence that has fallen over us.

Nodding he takes the strip of bandage out of my hand, and finishes up. I rise to my feet and look around the room to see if there is anything we might need to take with us.

Mason follows, hobbling on his feet a little until he finds his balance and then, slides into a seat.

Rummaging through the chest I pull out a change of clothes and throw it on the table while I look to see if there is anything else in the chest worth taking.

It's pretty empty with the exception of a rhombic deep blue jewel, encased in something that looks exactly like the metal the seals were made from.

Picking it up off the bottom of the chest, I turn it towards the light to have a better look at it.

" Mase," I say calmly and he looks over his shoulder and sighs.

Before I even have a chance to slip off into a sea of uncertainty," Insurance policy. Micah didn't know what the seals of Yaruun looked like. So, I kept the jewel as a precaution, in case something went awry," He extends his hand and I place the jewel in his hand, he lets it go and falls onto the floor.

" One day, Canim. You'll have to learn to trust my judgement," He pulls me to him as he shuffles in the chair to face me. Sliding between his open legs, he lets go of my hand and grabs my waist.

" I've had plenty of opportunities to do away with you. I figured out what happened with my mother the same night of the spring ball. I can't change the past and I can't change what Anika, Hector and everyone else has done. But what I can do is to honour my mother's sacrifice, and to live a full life," He sighs and drops his head onto my stomach, " Preferably with the one I love, for as long as I can," It is not a good time to cry but tears slip down my cheeks unbidden. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulls me closer and I close my eyes, thread my fingers through his bloodied hair, and hug him back.