Martin"s gentle touch stopped him. "No, pet. This has to be signed in your blood."
Blood?
"Don"t worry. I meant it when I said I wouldn"t hurt you, not ever, and this won"t even sting, not a bit.
The quill"s nib is so sharp you"ll never feel a thing." Martin nimbly turned the pen around and slid the pointed end into the thick blue vein on the back ofHarrison "s wrist.
d.a.m.ned if his lover wasn"t right. No pain.
Harrisonwatched in fascination as the nib came out dripping crimson. His blood, a drop or two of it, spattered the parchment in beautiful red dots.
Martin righted the pen and curledHarrison "s fingers around it. "Go on, if this is really what you want."
Harrisonhad made his choice, and he wouldn"t turn back now. He signed, his handwriting sloppy with the unfamiliar instrument but still recognizable as his name. As he worked, Martin stroked his other arm, murmuring what sounded like endearments in a languageHarrison couldn"t place. Maybe a tongue only Magicians knew.
Funny, in the humorous sense, how easy it was to accept such things now.
Martin eased the pen out ofHarrison "s grasp. He dipped the nib into his inkwell, coming out with more crimson fluid pearling at the tip. "My own blood," he explained. With quick, practiced strokes, he signed aboveHarrison "s scrawl. "There. We"re partners."
Harrisonfrowned. Two signatures? It seemed too easy. "That"s all?"
"All the legalities, at least for now. Poor man."My only love sprung from my only hate. Too early seen unknown, and known too late." I won"t let our arrangement turn into something you"ll regret. And believe me, I understand what a huge leap you"re taking. But I swear I"ll be there for you through thewhole journey."
Harrisonbent his head and breathed in the sweet cinnamon-vanilla scent of peace.
"Good pet," Martin purred. "Yes, you"re a good boy. You"ve done well, so well. More than I expected, more than I hoped for. There"s only one thing left." He stood, offeringHarrison a lift up. "I think you"ll like this. Maybe not as much as the s.e.x, but still, an eye-opener. Come with me. Follow my footsteps. I don"t have a leash for you yet, but although I could make one from magic, I"m going to trust you to do as I say."
Harrisonstood. Was this what people meant by saying they"d achieved Zen? Perfect nothingness?
"Yes," Martin answered, once again not needingHarrison "s thoughts to be spoken aloud. "In a way.
Come along."
"Where are we going?"
"First to clean up and then to the Heart of Amour Magique. The soul inside the body. He"ll like you."
"He?"
"Oh, yes. Definitely a he, or at least he"s a "he" with me. Don"t be afraid. It"s an honor, really. I"d have taken you anyway, but the Heart has let me know he wants me to bring you ASAP."
"Why?"
"I think he wants to see what he can make of you," Martin replied thoughtfully.
Harrisonfell silent, delighting in not questioning anything about Hearts and he"s and just obeying.
Harrisonfollowed where Martin led, unafraid and trusting. He knew now he always would, even to the gates of h.e.l.l and back.
Although he did wonder...Harrison knew whathe thought about the club. But what would the club think abouthim ?
Chapter Seven.
Hey, buddy. How"s it hangin"? You look different this time around. Not exactly an improvement, but you"ll do. Put "er there.
Harrisonstared at the floating diamond that appeared to be speaking inside his mind. In a heavy Southern accent.
Martin nudged him. "Don"t be rude, pet."
Harrisonblinked. "Er... h.e.l.lo?" He"d thought about this moment while he and Martin had showered in the Magician"s hidden, but wonderfully decadent, bathroom. Thought some more as they"d dressed,Harrison in his own unearthed soft-blue shirt and trousers, and Martin in his black T-shirt and black jeans.Harrisonhadn"t been sure what to expect the Heart of Amour Magique to look like. Truthfully, after the whirlwind he"d been spun through already, he was amazed he could think at all.
Giving in to Martin had been a blessed relief.Harrison felt lighter, happier, and yes, more peaceful.
Allowing himself to believe in magic again had made him giddy with glee.
The farther away he got from Martin"s chambers, however, the clearer his head became. With clarity came doubt. He believed, yes, but what specifically had he opened himself to believing in? Giving up facts and figures was easy to do, but what did he have to cling to afterward?Harrison had a naturally inquiring mind. He had questions, and he wanted answers.
Martin was both riddle and solution. A man he barely knew but to whomHarrison had signed away his life. Martin and magic. Legerdemain and whips and chains, that"s what Magician"s pets were made of.
IfHarrison didn"t think too hard about what he"d done, he could still float on the balloon.
The trouble was, he couldn"t seem to stop thinking once he"d started. a.n.a.lyzing. Doubting. His experiences still felt right, but now it had begun to bother him, how he"d tossed everything he"d believed in and striven after most of his lifetime straight out the window.
A tangled mess, that"s what he was.Am I fickle, flighty, stoned, or just plain stupid?Harrison wondered wearily.
At least he wasn"t uncomfortable. The Heart of Amour Magique was located in a nicely appointed room full of honey-colored wood and manly-yet-country decor. The Heart glowed at him like lights on a Christmas tree, like visible laughter, but nothing more. The Heart had spoken, and now he waited forHarrison to make the next move.
Great, sure. But what exactlywasHarrison supposed to do? Shaking hands was pretty much out.
Martin pokedHarrison in his side, provoking a flash memory of the puzzling Lily and her constant prodding. "Harrison..." he warned.
"What?"Harrison snapped. The anger felt wrong, so he quickly amended it. "What, Master?"
"Say something else to the Heart. Make nice. The Heart is older than recorded history, so trust me, this is a big-time honor. I could count on one hand and still have fingers left over the number of people currently alive who"ve seen the Heart, much less talked to him."
Harrisonstruggled to understand. "If I just knew what you were talking about. This is the Heart of Amour Magique. I understand the t.i.tle, but I don"t know what the t.i.tlemeans . And how can this talk?"
He gestured to the vast diamond replica of a human-like heart, albeit one distorted by an extra aorta here, a few added valves there, and silvery-running veins that made him dizzy. "How does it work?"
Jeez, questions, questions. Harry, you"re so tense I can hear your backbone creaking. Martin, just how tight was he wound up before you got a hold of him?
"It"s ancient, right? Why does it have aDeep South accent?"Harrison blurted.
Not "it."Me."He," if you need to cla.s.sify. Don"t call me just plain "Heart," though. That"s girly.
"Wouldn"t dream of it."Harrison hesitated. He wavered between thinking he"d truly gone nuts, imagininga jeweled sculpture was talking to him, and accepting, just as he had done with everything else Martin had offered. "I still don"t understand."
Not many people do, kid.
"I"m not a kid."
Oh, excuseme.You"re what, thirty-something? s.h.i.t, then, forgive me, sage elder. You know everything, O Holy Wise. Gah. Sorry for breathing .
"You breathe? No. Wait."Harrison tried to marshal his thoughts. Hard to do as they kept slipping away into the tangle of his confusion. "You"re misunderstanding me. I don"t know everything. You couldn"t be further from the truth. I can hardly make sense of anything. Not Martin. Not what we did in his chambers. Not why I feel the way I feel. None of this approaches the logical."
"Which is part of the reason I brought you here soon after the Heart asked to see you," Martin said quietly. "I thought you might start struggling again. You have two basic natures,Harrison . Believer.
Non-believer. You give in, and then doubt creeps back. The two sides are at war within you."
The Heart cackled.
He"s not just whistlin"Dixie. Harry, c"mere, son. No, come on, I won"t bite. Honest to Pete.
Harrisonglanced at Martin. Martin still took his breath away, so golden and perfect from the tips of his disheveled blond hair down to his toes. The only man he"d ever known who had pretty feet.
Huh. Painted toenails. Purple, of course.
"Harrison." Martin winked at him with his brown eye, leaving the blue one open and guileless. Warm.
Kindly. Like Thyne"s eyes had been once-upon-a-long-ago time. "Go on, pet. Don"t keep the Heart waiting."
Let him take his time, Martin. He"s been through a ton of s.h.i.t tonight. Give the man a chance to cope.
The Heart"s words were kindly, but his tone proposed a wicked dare.
"No."Harrison straightened. "I"ve never been afraid of a challenge."
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Indignity went a long way toward bowling over fear. "I beg your pardon?"
You"ve never been afraid, challenge or no challenge? Horse b.a.l.l.s. You"ve spent most of your life afraid. But, hey, I"m not putting you down for being scared. Bravery isn"t what most people think.
Real courage isn"t jumping in with both feet and not giving a d.a.m.n if you fly or fall. It"s being afraid but not sitting on your a.s.s and doing nothing. Intrepid means you"re scared as f.u.c.k, but you act anyway, doing what you think is right. Good for you on that, son, even if you were wrong as t.i.ts on a boar hog for the most part.
Harrisoncouldn"t decide if he was enraged or flattered. "You"re confusing me," he said flatly. Yeah, I get that from a lot of people.
"No. You"re really befuddling me. Let me start with my most pressing question. You and Martin both say you"re the Heart of Amour Magique. Extrapolating from the t.i.tle, and given a belief in magic -- which, besides everything else, since you"re talking inside my mind, I can"t discredit -- unless I really have gone crazy, that is."Harrison paused. "I haven"t, have I?"
Nope.
The Heart sounded downright chipper.
Don"t fret, son. I"ve known my share of loony tunes. You"re not even close.
"Rea.s.suring, coming from a supposedly ancient ent.i.ty who sounds like his real name should be Billy Bob."
A jolt of electricity arced out from the Heart to zapHarrison in the chest. Awhoof of air escaped him as he found himself knocked on his rump.
His ears ringing,Harrison struggled upright. "What did you do that for?"
Call it a warning. d.a.m.n, you of all people should know better than to take things at face value.
Now youarebeing stupid. And rude. Believer, non-believer, both have questions, and they don"t spout off without thinking first .
"That doesn"t apply to a great deal of the "believers" I"ve encountered in my studies,"Harrison muttered.
The Heart snorted.Okay, can"t deny that"s fair. But there"s a fine line between what I"m calling a "believer" and sheep who don"t really believe in anything, least of all themselves, so they grab at any pa.s.sing straw. What I call a believer is someone who"s seen real magic and accepts the fact of its existence .
"What about fortune-tellers and mediums and psychics?"
Just like the rest of humanity. Some? Total fakes. Others? Believers by the right definition. Like I said, a fine line. Takes practice to figure out who"s who, but I"ve been around a while. I can sort the sheep from the goats.
"He really can," Martin murmured. "And more. When he found me, I was locked in the Tower for practicing Black Arts, scheduled for execution and pretty p.i.s.sed off about the whole thing. All I knew was I had power. I could see a little way into the future -- just glimpses every now and then, nothing really useful and not at all like I"m able to use the Third Eye now -- I could move things with a thought, and I didn"t know how to keep my big fat mouth shut. At least I was able to keep--" He shut his mouth with a snap.
"Keep what? Andthe Tower? You don"t sound British."
"I"m also a few centuries old, and I haven"t been back to Old Blighty since Amour Magique-as-it-was-then left." "As it was?"
"You think this place was a techno pit back in Ye Olden Days?"
"Well, no, I suppose not. Hmm. I never saw you move anything telekinetically."
"Gotta keep some tricks up my sleeve. Otherwise, what do I have to impress you with later?"Harrison felt a small thrill of excitement at Martin"s words. "Outside of s.e.x, that is." Martin hooded his eyelids.
"And, pet, as they say, you ain"t seen nothin" yet."
The growing enthusiasm built inHarrison "s groin. "I"ll hold you to that."
"I"ll hold you tome ."
I"ll hold you both down like beetles pinned on a card if you don"t knock off the lovey-dovey and listen to me. I"ve got a few things to say, and then you can get back to boinking each other blind and stupid.
Martin looked abashed. "Sorry." He proddedHarrison .
"My apologies."
Hmph. Okay, then. Most of this is forHarrison. Come a little closer, and put your hands on my sides.
"Martin?"