??lie!?
Ana?s shriek drew Canaan to an abrupt halt just past the door of the large suite on the top floor of Hotel de la Paix. He dropped his bag when she threw herself at him, arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist.
He spoke in French, because Paris, and looked over the warlock?s shoulder to the other two people in the room. ?Didn?t Nash tell you I was coming??
?No, I didn?t,? responded the High Warlock in kind. Carson Nash sat perched in a high-back arm chair like a regal prince on a throne. A regal prince in his night clothes. Beside him sat Magdelies--Mags--in naught but a silk shift. Apparently no one had thought to ready themselves for the day.
Cane squeezed the woman in his arms as she littered his face and neck with kisses and tittered such rapid, quiet French that the Cajun just chuckled and waited for her to get over the shock of this surprise visit. ?How long has it been??
?Twenty-five years and some change, ?lie.? Mags flashed a reserved smile, but seemed to keep sending glances past him to the door.
?She isn?t here,? Cane told her softly and watched as the warlock lifted a bare shoulder in a shrug.
They were, all of them, beautiful creatures. Nash with his southern charm, sandy hair and wicked smile. Mags? porcelain skin, green eyes, and hair the most gorgeous shade of red. Ana, the brunette in Canaan?s arms, was a petite little thing that no one could deny. Conventional beauty had nothing on her kind spirit, affectionate displays and soft answers; a peace-maker and a friend to all she met.
Ana pressed a long, hard kiss to Canaan?s mouth and finally sat up to look at him properly. ?You look so tired.? Perfectly content to sit in his arms and pet his face, Ana was oblivious to the sly smiles Mags and Nash sent to one another behind her back.
Canaan ignored the other two warlocks. ?Neit?er ?a dem told?ja, did dey.?
?Told me what, ?lie?? Ana purred the words.
The Cajun sighed and put the little warlock down. Extracting his phone from his jacket pocket, Cane opened up a photo album and thrust the device into her hands before stepping around her to greet the others.
?Nash,? Cane nodded to the man, but moved to hug Mags first as she?d gotten up out of her chair already. The redhead received a hug a kiss to either cheek. Then she sat and opened her arms to the inbound Ana. He watched the two women cuddle up. Ana continued to scroll through the pictures--there were hundreds of them--and leaned to whisper something into the redhead?s ear. Cane turned to Nash.
The high warlock rose from the chair slowly and the two men embraced in silence for a long minute before they were interrupted by a quiet croon from Mags.
?You always manage to find such pretty colors, ?lie.? The redhead smiled, waiting until Canaan looked her way before nuzzling Ana?s cheek.
?What happened to the mundane?? An innocent question from Ana.
Cane?s gaze shifted from Mags to the brunette who had yet to look up from the phone?s screen. ?He died.? Nash touched his back and the Cajun?s shoulders sagged.
?They always do,? she sighed, still peering at the phone. Her head tipped dramatically to peer at the screen sideways, eyebrows lifting. ?I see you did not make the mistake of picking a mundane this time.?
?Oh my,? intoned Mags, head tipping to the side in a similar fashion.
?Are they sharp??
?What is he??
Canaan closed his eyes and his mouth at the same time, exhaling through his nose. Pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers, he hummed a short noise of irritation. Tipping his other hand, the Cajun gestured vaguely at the two women and looked up at Nash as if to say, ?do something about them?.
?Someone?s in a mood,? Mags sneered, but ceased ribbing the Cajun immediately when Nash?s stoney gaze cut her down.
?And to think I?d wondered why he didn?t bring the man.? Nash snatched the phone away from Ana, glanced at the screen briefly, and jerked his head toward the door.
Neither woman needed to be told twice. Ana rose out of Mags? lap immediately and flashed Cane an apologetic smile while scurrying to the door. The redhead sniffed indignantly and swept past the men with her nose in the air.
Canaan turned to follow them to the door, locking it behind them after they?d gone. He picked up his bag and turned to face the room once more to find Nash studying the phone?s screen intently.
?What?s his name??
Surprised, Cane didn?t answer right away. He moved to put his bag on the bed. A few moments later, his phone landed on the comforter next to it. Without a word, the Cajun scooped it up and slid the device into his back pocket.
Nash sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at Canaan thoughtfully. ?This is the Canaan I saw a couple months ago.? He made a gesture to the whole of the man standing in front of him. ?Broody. Angry. Discontent. But those pictures are a completely different story.?
Too exhausted to play a game of wills, the Cajun climbed over his bag and threw himself face first into the pillows. ?Salvador,? was his belated, muffled reply.
?She told me you?re struggling.?
Cane pulled his face out of the depths of the sea of pillows and maneuvered himself to lie sideways across the bed to give Nash the respect he deserved by holding a face-to-face conversation. ?I am.?
?With?? The elder Warlock implored.
The Cajun thought for several moments, turning his eyes about the room before settling his gaze on Nash again. ?Balance. I?m deliriously happy when I?m wit? ?im.?
?And you?re a petulant child when you?re not.? Nash nodded and stroked his beard. ?He has other lovers.? He paused briefly to observe the Cajun?s reaction. ?You knew it going in, didn?t you??
Cane inhaled slowly and nodded.
So Nash went on. ?You have never had room for more than one. Are you hoping he?ll change?? The warlock?s breath hitched, looking curiously at the Cajun and he shook his head. ?No, you?re hoping you?ll change.? Silence grew between the men, both lost in thought.
?Some days I feel like ?m makin? strides. I don? even wish I?d met a different version ?a him. Da man he is now is da man I wanna be wit?. Sure, I have fleetin? moments, wishin? everyone would jes? disappear, dat I?d have him t?myself. But dat?s what I wanna change. Me. I don? wanna feel like dat. I wanna not give a fuck when he?s wit? someone else.?
?Change is not a bad thing, Canaan. If changing makes you a better person, then change is what you should strive for. But Cane,? Nash let the weight of his gaze settle on the man before continuing. ?You need to prepare yourself in the event that you can?t create a place for that square peg you?re trying to shove into your life. All you?ve known is circles. Maybe you could get that square peg to fit in a round hole, but it?s gonna hurt. And it?ll never feel right.?
Canaan tried to swallow back the sudden swell of emotion that threatened to choke him. ?I know,? he whispered, blinking rapidly. ?Dat?s why I need balance. I can? make ?im my whole life.? It terrified him to need the Spaniard so much.
?Mm.? The elder warlock squinted and shook his head. ?You can?t not give him your all. Would you want him holding back from you??
?Den what?m I supposed ta do??
Nash shrugged. ?I can?t answer that. I suspect you?re already doing everything you can. Take another lover yourself.? Cane pulled a face and Nash laughed. ?You do realize you?re ridiculous.?
?Dis ain? funny, Nash. It?s killin? me.?
?But why? Why?re you lettin? it? Maybe it?s because you played matrimony for so long, but you haven?t always been so conservative in your beliefs about sex. In fact, I remember...well, I don?t remember her name but I remember your arrangement.?
?Tess,? Cane frowned as the memories resurfaced. ?Dat was different.?
?Because neither of you loved your flings??
Cane grimaced and lifted a hand, pressing the heel of his palm to his forehead. ?I jes? need time. I?ll get used to it. An? in da meantime, I?ll find some balance. Put as much ?a myself into da ot?er areas of my life as I put inta him.?
The elder warlock studied the Cajun, wearing an unreadable expression. ?I want you happy. You thought you?d never find happiness after Jeremy, but you did. Just remember that you could do it again. There is always something out there. Somewhere. A lover, a friend, an adventure. Don?t keep trying to force a change unless it?s going to make you happy in every aspect of your life. You?re happy in those pictures, Canaan, but are you happy right now??
?Dat ain? fair, we...had a fight. Argument. ****, I don? even know what ta call it. It was stupid. I?d be fine if we didn? have dat hangin? over us.?
?Fine is not happy.?
?Fine is ?bout all I can manage righ? now. I need time, Nash. Maybe, I don? know...maybe I will start spendin? time wit? someone else. I have ta wonder if dat?s da only way I?ll ever understand it. I don? know. We?ll see. But I ain? givin? up on what he an? I got jes? ?cause it?s hard right now. I promised I?d try.?
Nash released a resigned breath at that. ?You and your promises.?
?I know, it?s like dey actually mean somet?in! It?s crazy.?
?Get some sleep. You look like you could use it. I?ll wake you up before dinner.?
Ana?s shriek drew Canaan to an abrupt halt just past the door of the large suite on the top floor of Hotel de la Paix. He dropped his bag when she threw herself at him, arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist.
He spoke in French, because Paris, and looked over the warlock?s shoulder to the other two people in the room. ?Didn?t Nash tell you I was coming??
?No, I didn?t,? responded the High Warlock in kind. Carson Nash sat perched in a high-back arm chair like a regal prince on a throne. A regal prince in his night clothes. Beside him sat Magdelies--Mags--in naught but a silk shift. Apparently no one had thought to ready themselves for the day.
Cane squeezed the woman in his arms as she littered his face and neck with kisses and tittered such rapid, quiet French that the Cajun just chuckled and waited for her to get over the shock of this surprise visit. ?How long has it been??
?Twenty-five years and some change, ?lie.? Mags flashed a reserved smile, but seemed to keep sending glances past him to the door.
?She isn?t here,? Cane told her softly and watched as the warlock lifted a bare shoulder in a shrug.
They were, all of them, beautiful creatures. Nash with his southern charm, sandy hair and wicked smile. Mags? porcelain skin, green eyes, and hair the most gorgeous shade of red. Ana, the brunette in Canaan?s arms, was a petite little thing that no one could deny. Conventional beauty had nothing on her kind spirit, affectionate displays and soft answers; a peace-maker and a friend to all she met.
Ana pressed a long, hard kiss to Canaan?s mouth and finally sat up to look at him properly. ?You look so tired.? Perfectly content to sit in his arms and pet his face, Ana was oblivious to the sly smiles Mags and Nash sent to one another behind her back.
Canaan ignored the other two warlocks. ?Neit?er ?a dem told?ja, did dey.?
?Told me what, ?lie?? Ana purred the words.
The Cajun sighed and put the little warlock down. Extracting his phone from his jacket pocket, Cane opened up a photo album and thrust the device into her hands before stepping around her to greet the others.
?Nash,? Cane nodded to the man, but moved to hug Mags first as she?d gotten up out of her chair already. The redhead received a hug a kiss to either cheek. Then she sat and opened her arms to the inbound Ana. He watched the two women cuddle up. Ana continued to scroll through the pictures--there were hundreds of them--and leaned to whisper something into the redhead?s ear. Cane turned to Nash.
The high warlock rose from the chair slowly and the two men embraced in silence for a long minute before they were interrupted by a quiet croon from Mags.
?You always manage to find such pretty colors, ?lie.? The redhead smiled, waiting until Canaan looked her way before nuzzling Ana?s cheek.
?What happened to the mundane?? An innocent question from Ana.
Cane?s gaze shifted from Mags to the brunette who had yet to look up from the phone?s screen. ?He died.? Nash touched his back and the Cajun?s shoulders sagged.
?They always do,? she sighed, still peering at the phone. Her head tipped dramatically to peer at the screen sideways, eyebrows lifting. ?I see you did not make the mistake of picking a mundane this time.?
?Oh my,? intoned Mags, head tipping to the side in a similar fashion.
?Are they sharp??
?What is he??
Canaan closed his eyes and his mouth at the same time, exhaling through his nose. Pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers, he hummed a short noise of irritation. Tipping his other hand, the Cajun gestured vaguely at the two women and looked up at Nash as if to say, ?do something about them?.
?Someone?s in a mood,? Mags sneered, but ceased ribbing the Cajun immediately when Nash?s stoney gaze cut her down.
?And to think I?d wondered why he didn?t bring the man.? Nash snatched the phone away from Ana, glanced at the screen briefly, and jerked his head toward the door.
Neither woman needed to be told twice. Ana rose out of Mags? lap immediately and flashed Cane an apologetic smile while scurrying to the door. The redhead sniffed indignantly and swept past the men with her nose in the air.
Canaan turned to follow them to the door, locking it behind them after they?d gone. He picked up his bag and turned to face the room once more to find Nash studying the phone?s screen intently.
?What?s his name??
Surprised, Cane didn?t answer right away. He moved to put his bag on the bed. A few moments later, his phone landed on the comforter next to it. Without a word, the Cajun scooped it up and slid the device into his back pocket.
Nash sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at Canaan thoughtfully. ?This is the Canaan I saw a couple months ago.? He made a gesture to the whole of the man standing in front of him. ?Broody. Angry. Discontent. But those pictures are a completely different story.?
Too exhausted to play a game of wills, the Cajun climbed over his bag and threw himself face first into the pillows. ?Salvador,? was his belated, muffled reply.
?She told me you?re struggling.?
Cane pulled his face out of the depths of the sea of pillows and maneuvered himself to lie sideways across the bed to give Nash the respect he deserved by holding a face-to-face conversation. ?I am.?
?With?? The elder Warlock implored.
The Cajun thought for several moments, turning his eyes about the room before settling his gaze on Nash again. ?Balance. I?m deliriously happy when I?m wit? ?im.?
?And you?re a petulant child when you?re not.? Nash nodded and stroked his beard. ?He has other lovers.? He paused briefly to observe the Cajun?s reaction. ?You knew it going in, didn?t you??
Cane inhaled slowly and nodded.
So Nash went on. ?You have never had room for more than one. Are you hoping he?ll change?? The warlock?s breath hitched, looking curiously at the Cajun and he shook his head. ?No, you?re hoping you?ll change.? Silence grew between the men, both lost in thought.
?Some days I feel like ?m makin? strides. I don? even wish I?d met a different version ?a him. Da man he is now is da man I wanna be wit?. Sure, I have fleetin? moments, wishin? everyone would jes? disappear, dat I?d have him t?myself. But dat?s what I wanna change. Me. I don? wanna feel like dat. I wanna not give a fuck when he?s wit? someone else.?
?Change is not a bad thing, Canaan. If changing makes you a better person, then change is what you should strive for. But Cane,? Nash let the weight of his gaze settle on the man before continuing. ?You need to prepare yourself in the event that you can?t create a place for that square peg you?re trying to shove into your life. All you?ve known is circles. Maybe you could get that square peg to fit in a round hole, but it?s gonna hurt. And it?ll never feel right.?
Canaan tried to swallow back the sudden swell of emotion that threatened to choke him. ?I know,? he whispered, blinking rapidly. ?Dat?s why I need balance. I can? make ?im my whole life.? It terrified him to need the Spaniard so much.
?Mm.? The elder warlock squinted and shook his head. ?You can?t not give him your all. Would you want him holding back from you??
?Den what?m I supposed ta do??
Nash shrugged. ?I can?t answer that. I suspect you?re already doing everything you can. Take another lover yourself.? Cane pulled a face and Nash laughed. ?You do realize you?re ridiculous.?
?Dis ain? funny, Nash. It?s killin? me.?
?But why? Why?re you lettin? it? Maybe it?s because you played matrimony for so long, but you haven?t always been so conservative in your beliefs about sex. In fact, I remember...well, I don?t remember her name but I remember your arrangement.?
?Tess,? Cane frowned as the memories resurfaced. ?Dat was different.?
?Because neither of you loved your flings??
Cane grimaced and lifted a hand, pressing the heel of his palm to his forehead. ?I jes? need time. I?ll get used to it. An? in da meantime, I?ll find some balance. Put as much ?a myself into da ot?er areas of my life as I put inta him.?
The elder warlock studied the Cajun, wearing an unreadable expression. ?I want you happy. You thought you?d never find happiness after Jeremy, but you did. Just remember that you could do it again. There is always something out there. Somewhere. A lover, a friend, an adventure. Don?t keep trying to force a change unless it?s going to make you happy in every aspect of your life. You?re happy in those pictures, Canaan, but are you happy right now??
?Dat ain? fair, we...had a fight. Argument. ****, I don? even know what ta call it. It was stupid. I?d be fine if we didn? have dat hangin? over us.?
?Fine is not happy.?
?Fine is ?bout all I can manage righ? now. I need time, Nash. Maybe, I don? know...maybe I will start spendin? time wit? someone else. I have ta wonder if dat?s da only way I?ll ever understand it. I don? know. We?ll see. But I ain? givin? up on what he an? I got jes? ?cause it?s hard right now. I promised I?d try.?
Nash released a resigned breath at that. ?You and your promises.?
?I know, it?s like dey actually mean somet?in! It?s crazy.?
?Get some sleep. You look like you could use it. I?ll wake you up before dinner.?