Page 219 of Interion

“There are two reservoirs. It's like wanting to move your right hand or choosing to wave with your left. You just think about wanting it and it happens. But you can only use one at a time, so if you feel like you're using a power and it's not your healing, it's because you're tapping into the other one without realizing it.”

Once again I searched for the power within me, something I sometimes did secretly while taking a bath, but nothing happened.

“I don't think I've ever used the second one. If I had, I would have noticed.”

“Keep trying, Kyller. If the Sonar said it exists, then it's there. Maybe it never appeared because you never needed to use it.” He seemed more excited than I was.

“Maybe.” I shrugged, but it bothered me. I stared at Zion and the table in front of us; it was strange talking to both of them but only seeing Zion.

“Serguei? Why don't you come in person to have breakfast with us?”

I shifted in my chair to compose myself.

“Is that an invitation?”

“Yes. You're Zion's father and now a friend to me. Come whenever you want—you'll always be welcome.”

Serguei was quiet for a while, probably suspicious of the invitation. I felt the subtle touch of his claws on my mental block and lowered it so he could read my thoughts. Across the table, Zion looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.

“Thank you for the invitation, Kyller. I'm glad to know it's sincere.” His tone returned to its usual excitement. “Rest assured, I'll show up one of these days.”

I smiled, feeling satisfied while Zion remained sulking in his chair. I reached out toward him, tracing his jaw with my fingertips. I felt such a need to touch him, even if it was just a gentle caress.

“I'll leave you two now. The king awaits me. But I ask that you don't do anything reckless again. And Zion, don't fool yourself into thinking you'll be able to hold back your instincts, because once a Drutes starts, she swallows you whole and there's nothing you wouldn't do to keep going. So don't risk it.”

I wished I had the shadow power to disappear from there. If I were Zion, I would have done exactly that.

“We get it, Serguei,” Zion murmured, annoyed.

“By the gods. When you were younger, I thought that when the time came, I'd have to warn you about contraceptive tonics or even condoms. Normal things that parents do, you know? I never thought I'd have to constantly remind you to keep it in your pants. I don't think any father is prepared for this.”

I crossed my arms on the table and lowered my head, trying to hide. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even hold back my laughter while my cheeks burned. For the first time, Zion also seemed at a loss for words.

“And Kyller?” Serguei called, and I lifted my face just to show I was listening, even though it didn't matter in our mental conversation. “When this agreement is canceled, the tonics and condoms apply to you too. I'm too young to be a grandfather.”

I wanted to die. Zion looked at me, holding back his laughter. It was the first time I'd seen him amused by something Serguei said.

“Serguei, I'm a doctor. You don't need to worry.” I lowered my head to hide my blush.

“I don't care, a teenage doctor is still a teenager.” Finally, I felt Serguei's presence leaving.

I looked at Zion and his face was red, holding back laughter. At the same moment, we both burst out laughing—at ourselves, at the embarrassment, and at Serguei reminding us of obvious things. Zion opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.

“For the love of the gods. Don't say anything. I don't think I can handle another conversation like that.”

I got up and collected the plates from the table, still reeling from everything I'd heard. Then Zion took me to work. When I entered the hospital, I was still thinking about the supposed prophecy of Serguei's lineage. If the power increased with each descendant, would Zion's children be even more powerful than him? Maybe one day I'd know. But what did all this mean? What would be the purpose of the Gods descending to have children with faerics? Nothing made sense.

Chapter 54

The days flew by and training grew more intense. Zion and I forced ourselves to keep our desires in check—something that became harder after the funeral. We’d created a routine, and if there was anything in the world I loved, aside from Kiara, it was routine. There was something comforting about waking up with a schedule, knowing exactly what came next. When you’ve had a childhood full of uncertainty, routines as solid as mountains are something you learn to treasure.

Whenever we could, Zion and I had breakfast together. Most days, I was already sitting at the counter waiting for him. It was my favorite spot for us to connect, and that daily dose of affection seemed to make us more addicted to each other. I liked the closeness. Serguei sometimes popped in mentally to say good morning and, like it or not, Zion was starting to get used to his father’s presence. The two of them argued, butted heads, and contradicted each other at every encounter. Some days I caught myself thinking Serguei picked fights just to have something to talk about with Zion—and somehow, that was progress. My partner didn’t see it that way, though.

The more I watched them interact, the more I understood each of their personalities—and the more I noticed the similarities. Zion seemed to try his hardest to be different from Serguei, and to do that, he often turned grumpy around his father. But when Serguei wasn’t around, the playful, sarcastic side took over. That’s when I saw Serguei in every feature: the crooked smile, the clever jokes, the way he drummed his fingers when nervous or worried. It was strange and satisfying at once. Strange because I’d begun to admire my father-in-law, and satisfying because I knew that despite both of them hiding their enormous hearts from the world, they didn’t hide them from me. It was a kind of bond I’d never had, and I quickly discovered that reciprocity was the best feeling in the world.

Within a month, I’d learned enough of the ten movements that Zion could increase his attack speed even more. Our training had reached a new level of intensity, and I noticed my body reacting to his movements before the strike was even halfway there. I knew he was holding back, but I felt proud just keeping up with the pace he set. I still hadn’t won a single match, and the safe words kept changing at his whim, provoking me in every way. Our days revolved around training—we took seriously what Serguei had said about preparing me for what the sonar predicted—but my main motivation was passing the test with a good grade, both to be freed from the agreement and to secure a position at the hospital.

During afternoon sessions, we continued with the obstacle course and weapons training. For weapons, I stuck to bow and arrow, though some students preferred heavier options like swords, axes, spears, and shields. I didn’t see the point—they were too heavy, outdated, and uncomfortable. Each student had already registered their weapon type for the test. Breno and Aish would use daggers, a set of three. Hiro and I chose the bow, which came with ten arrows, since we’d become excellent with it. The advantage was range and the number of shots we could take. The disadvantage was that arrows couldn’t cut, so if we killed an animal to eat, we’d have to figure out how to butcher it on our own—plus we couldn’t reuse arrows once they hit a target.