“How are your boy toys?” he sneers, and I shrug, not bothering to answer since he is in a bad mood, and I know it will only lead to us having more arguments.
I am tired of arguing, and I also don’t have the time to waste. Two things I have come to learn about Eziah in the last week. That he has a drinking problem and depends on his mood, depends on what sort of drunk he is. I have questioned him multiple times over the last couple of days about what is wrong, but he never tells me.
Or flat-out tells me it is none of my business. It is frustrating to see him clearly dealing with something, yet his walls are up. I can only help him if he lets me in. It feels like we have drifted apart. Both changed. Our bond feels like it shattered, which makes my heart squeeze with a dull ache. And when he is like this, he feels like he is a stranger to me.
He falls onto the couch and leans forward, placing the jewelry box we have been practicing trying to open, yet it isn’t the same. Kaif had sealed it shut with his magic for me the other night, but not even he is sure how Dominic sealed the coffin.
His only answer is that Dominic must have locked it so that only his magic can open it. Just fucking great! Magic I have no idea how to use. Not only that, but Kaif is also becoming wary of taking over. Kyan has been questioning him relentlessly, and I am at the point of seriously considering what I am willing to tell him.
I know eventually, I will have to accept and take Kyan’s wrath, but at the same time, I don’t want to hurt him if we can’t open it. I could never live with myself, knowing I gave him hope, just for it to end in failure and disappointment.
His suspicion has become so bad that Kyan lost it the other night when he woke up while I was snooping in the basement with Kaif. He forced control back, which scared the living daylights out of me. Especially when he grabbed me, demanding to know what I was doing down there. Kaif managed to force back control, and I managed to convince him he dreamed it.
However, I know that excuse won’t work again. I am pretty sure he knows I was lying to him through the bond. Shaking that thought away, I turn back to look at the Grimoires. I sigh. Noticing the symbols Eziah is talking about, I find the symbols and emblems make zero sense to me, either. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Eziah and I set to work trying to unlock the jewelry box and decipher the old language using google translate, which does not work. Going through different spells, the day passes by quickly, and by the end of the day, I am becoming exhausted; I manage to channel absolutely nothing. So I am not feeling very victorious…
Feeling defeated, I take a last look at the pages before me, slam the book shut, and heave a deep sigh. Magic is hard, and I’m not a witch, so the feeling of power isn’t the same to me when I don’t understand what I am feeling for. It requires concentration and natural ability I don’t have.
Eziah is half-tanked as he grabs another spell book. He snickers, laughing at me, and I shake my head. Whatever dude, stop pissing me off. I give him a look filled with annoyance.
“Okay, I will stop laughing. Try this one,” he says, squinting at the book. His energy is making me feel drunk. He can’t even walk straight, so I have no idea how he is able to read.
“Give it here and let me try reading it,” I tell him, reaching for the book. Eziah chuckles, pulling the book from my reach and hugging it. “I am a spell advisor. You is the spell caster,” he slurs, and I roll my eyes. With a huff, I sit back down next to the coffee table.
“So you need to channel your inner power,” Eziah says, and I shake my head.
“Just tell me the damn spell, Eziah, or give me the book,” I snap at him. I don’t have time for this shit!
Eziah slurs his words, and I get annoyed, intending to go home. He is wasting my time. “Wait, wait, Musculus sphincter ani,” he slurs.
“What? That doesn’t sound like a spell,” I tell him, reaching for the book, but he pulls it out of my reach.
“I’m advisor, you spell caster, now cast away,” he says, gesturing with his hands from me to himself as I glare at him.
“Time is ticking, and Jonah will be here to get you soon,” Eziah warns, and I shake my head. Sitting back down, I look at the jewelry box, holding it in my hands. “Musculus sphincter ani,” I murmur. Eziah laughs, and I glare at him. He has been fucking laughing at me for the past hour every time I try.
“With more enthusiasm and speaking it louder, I got a good feeling about this one,” he says excitedly, a mischievous look in his eye. I raise an eyebrow at him.
“Are you being stupid? Show me that,” I tell him.
“I know what I am doing. Maybe if you had listened better, you would have opened the damn box. Now, do your magic, and you let me do the translating,” Eziah tells me, giving me a stern look.
I grab the box, feeling for Dominic’s magic, and repeat the phrase “Musculus sphincter ani.”
“Louder, clearer, pronunciation, is that a word?” Eziah asks, frowning slightly.
“You fucking try then,” I snap at him, my irritation already rising, and he shakes his head.
“Do you want to open the box or not?” Eziah says, swigging from his bottle. Gone are his glasses, and now he is resorting to drinking straight from the bottle.
“Musculus sphincter ani,” I repeat, and still nothing.
“Are you sure you are saying that, correct? It sounds like some disease,” I tell him, and he snickers. I eye him suspiciously, but he raises an eyebrow at me.
“Now, would I waste your time? Your time is my damn time. Now try harder,” Eziah snaps.
Shaking my head, I keep repeating the spell; however, nothing happens. When Jonah walks in, he stands behind Eziah while I glare at the box having been set back on the table. The box moves on the table, and I gasp. My heart skips a beat. I am making some progress!
“See, try again,” Eziah snickers.