Entwined Secrets (8 page)

“Is that a long time for him?”

Sylvia nods. “About nine days longer than normal.”

“Oh,” I say with surprise.

“Yes. Oh indeed,” she echoes.

Sylvia lets that hang in the air for few seconds before continuing.

“Let there be no doubt: he’s staying put for you. Do you know how unique that makes you, Jess?”

I do now, and it leaves me a little stunned. I had no idea. Sylvia is beating around the bush, so I jump ahead in the conversation. Head straight for the heart of this matter. The directness of my actual age showing through.

“I care about your brother a lot, Sylvia, but I expected him to move on after our, well… after our first time together. He seemed like the type. Charming, but dashing. As in, ready to dash away at moments’ notice.”

“That’s actually a pretty accurate description of Mason. Normally, but not now.”

“Apparently. Well, let’s just say I didn’t have any expectations from the get-go, but he surprised me and stuck around.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Jess. I like that you’ve had this effect on him,” Sylvia says. “And it’s true. Who knows how long your relationship to Mason will last. I just wanted you to know how different Mason is acting… for you. It’s also the reason I asked if you’re happy here. To get a sense for how long you plan on sticking around.”

Candice and Saffron haven’t asked to know when I’m returning, but I can tell they’re eager to have me back. To gather the magic again, as is my role in the coven, siphoning the lust of men. Maiden to their Mother and Crone.

I haven’t been doing much work, content to keep my own company for a change, but then Mason showed up. Having him around has been bliss. And then today in the shower. All that bestial excitement. Just thinking about it gives me shivers. Mason was even concerned he went too far. Geez, I miss him already.

I must have spaced out for a moment, because Sylvia changes her tune completely.

“It’s none of my business, I know. I’m sorry for asking. It’s too early to predict what the future holds. But my brother has been a drifter for years. Having him around this long, even if he’s spending most of his time with you, has been a real treat. For me and Piper.”

That’s the most touching sentiment Sylvia has ever expressed. She genuinely misses her brother.

“I understand,” I tell her. “I can see why you’re invested. He’s your brother and you’d like to see him more.”

I reached out and grab one of Sylvia’s hands. It surprises her, but she doesn’t pull away.

“Let me say this, woman to woman. I’m not using him for sex. I’m not jerking him around, if that’s what you’re worried about. And I have no intention of breaking his heart. Yes, it’s been fast and furious, but it’s also been quality time, you know? Beyond that, you’re right, I don’t know where it’s going. That’s also up to Mason. For now I’m just willing to see how it plays out.”

Sylvia smiles at me and squeezes my hand.

“You surprise me, Jess. Don’t take this wrong way, but you’re very pragmatic for somebody so young. I admire that.”

Smile and nod, Jess. Just smile and nod. It’s meant as a compliment, after all.

“I know you’ve been privy to some of my more heated conversations during the past year,” Sylvia says. “Men call me a ballbuster. Well, most men. It’s a rare man who can handle being with a no-nonsense woman. It’s like they expect us to be flighty and then don’t know how to deal us when we aren’t. From what I can tell getting to know you these past three months, you seem to manage patience and pragmatism in equal measure. Certainly better than I balance the two.”

“I’ve adjusted over the years,” I say. “I wasn’t always pragmatic, but I am now. I used to simply be patient, but that’s a good way to get either overlooked or taken for granted.”

Sylvia thinks we’re strictly talking about men, but I mean my role in the coven.

“The way you talk, it sounds like you started dating quite young.”

Right, I have to be careful about that. Any time I mention years is problematic. It doesn’t match up with how I look.

“I did, and it was a steep learning curve,” I lie. “Near as I can tell, you learned the same lessons I did, Sylvia. Now you take what you want. You don’t wait around to see if what you want will conveniently fall into your lap. You’re a businesswoman. Not afraid to be forceful. And what’s more impressive? I realize now that you run this art studio in your spare time. In addition to your family business.”

“Can I tell you why I opened this place? It wasn’t for profit. I get returns on it, sure, but that wasn’t the main reason.”

This is getting more interesting by the moment. Sylvia is really opening up.

“Piper showed talent as a painter from a very young age, but like most kids, she didn’t value her talent. I wanted her to see how good she was compared to other children. Having her come here does that. Now she loves painting, loses herself in it like you do. You’ve been an excellent role model, Jess. Not just that, you’re also an extremely good painter. I’ve seen the work you do to pass the time. Your technique puts painters three times your age to shame.”

I smile to myself. There’s a very good reason for that, but not one I’m about to share with Sylvia.

“Thank you. That’s kind,” I say.

“Which brings me back to Mason.”

Okay, this is more like the Sylvia I know. Right on point. She has never struck me as a woman who engages in idle chat for too long.

“I’d like to commission a painting from you. I’ll pay you for it, of course, but take all the time you need. In fact, the longer you take, the better. Work on it in your spare time. The thing is, and I’m ashamed to admit this, there’s an ulterior motive behind this commission. One that will become obvious the moment you start.”

This is getting weirder by the second. First Mason commissioned me to paint for him. Now his sister.

“What’s the painting?”

“
The Vision of Endymion
by Edward Poynter.”

Interesting choice. More modern than I typically emulate.

“I know this painting. The Greek goddess Artemis descends from the moon to give a young shepherd a vision. The shepherd is Endymion.”

Sylvia blinks in disbelief. “Um, yes. That’s it exactly. You haven’t painted it before, by any chance?”

“No, but I’m familiar with the work,” I say.

It’s the truth, but I’ve only studied it in passing. Still, I never forget a painting.

“Please don’t think poorly of me, Jess, but this painting? It’s like taking out insurance.”

“How’s that?” I ask.

“It’s Mason’s favorite painting. Once he sees you working on it, my brother is bound to stick around. He won’t be able to help myself, especially if you’re the one doing the painting.”

Now it’s my turn to blink in disbelief. Sylvia, you manipulative little minx.

“Can I think about it?” I ask.

Sylvia nods, but it’s clear she’s not ready to drop this matter.

“Of course, but can I ask you to think about it privately? I know that’s asking a lot.”

Yes it is. I don’t want to reject the idea out of hand, but only to be polite. I mean to reject the idea eventually, just after a short period of reflection.

“Well, here’s the thing. I do have reservations. If Mason has been sticking around longer than he usually does, I’m flattered. If I start working on this painting, and he sticks around like you say he will, it would undercut the authenticity of what we have, even a little. I don’t want that. The honesty between Mason and I is a large part of what I’m enjoy.

“I don’t mind saying that this puts me into an awkward position, Sylvia. If Mason wants to be with me, I’d like to think that it’s not because I tricked him into that decision… in any way.”

Sylvia can see that her idea is being poorly received. I’m not hiding it. She takes a moment to regroup her thoughts.

“Can I tell you something about my brother? Something that comes from knowing him all his life?”

“Sure.”

“Mason is afraid of endings. That’s why he moves on. He’s afraid of the day ending. Of the fire ending. He’s afraid that passion will end. So he leaves before it does. Before it has a chance to end. He leaves at the slightest whiff of change. You won’t see it coming. You won’t even know what you did. And he won’t tell you. He’ll simply be there one day and gone the next.”

I hear what Sylvia is saying, and perhaps it’s arrogant of me to think I’m special, but I am.

I was open-minded with Mason today in a way he wasn’t expecting. It felt like we passed a milestone together. He was afraid that I might be deeply disturbed by his feral side. I wasn’t in the least, and that was heartening to him.

I realize now that Mason was probably tiptoeing around his true sexual nature for the past seven days, but not this morning. Not when he cut loose. More importantly, I loved it. He was so surprised by that. If Mason abandoned other relationships in the past, I can guess at the reason.

He was too much for other women. They shrank away when he unleashed that part of himself. Mason would have taken that as rejection and left. That’s probably not something he would have shared with his sister, no matter how well they knew each other.

“I hear what you’re saying. You love your brother. You want him to stick around. He’s family. You feel this commission will accomplish that. You have known him your entire life, after all. Trust me, I get where you’re coming from, I do. It’s more reliable than a dalliance with some girl that may or may not last, depending on how long I plan on sticking around. You want a sure thing. You want the girl and the painting in play. The thing is… I’m not a chess piece. If Mason wants to stick around, he will. I want that to be his choice.”

Okay, that was entirely too much wisdom out of the mouth of an eighteen-year-old girl, but I can’t help myself sometimes. It’s how I feel. I can tell Sylvia wasn’t expecting such an articulate response. I can see exactly what she’s trying to do here. Sylvia won’t underestimate me again after today.

“Fair enough. Then let me speak plainly. I don’t mean to dispel the romance of it all, but Mason wants you. Powerfully. I tell you this in confidence because he confided in me. You’re not some girl. He’s been waiting for somebody exactly like you to come along. The sedentary behavior he’s displaying now? It’s completely out of character for him.”

For all my toted wisdom, my heart starts to race after hearing those words. I swallow hard, but try to hide it. Does Mason really feel that way about me?

The girlish part of me wants to believe every word. I’ve never had this before, even after all my years on this planet. I’ve never actually had a relationship before that wasn’t about sex. These feelings I have for Mason are brand new. The desire to be possessed, owned by him alone… I’ve avoided such entanglements. Now I’m considering it, which is new territory for me.

Sylvia drives her point home: ”The painting wouldn’t taint his feelings for you, but it might do something else.”

“What’s that?” I ask.

“It would bring him back into the fold. Not only would he have the happiness of you in his life, but also his family. And more than that, it might even resurrect his interest in painting.”

I can definitely see that much being true. Especially after my morning with him. Mason clearly likes to paint. He can lose himself in the work to the exclusion of all else, even if it was only finger painting. He had focus and the instincts were all there. To find out now from his sister that he used to paint makes perfect sense.

“You told me something about yourself today, Jess, whether you realize it or not. I could hear the regret in your voice. You’ve been overlooked or taken for granted in some way, probably because, as you pointed out in me, you didn’t
take
what you wanted. You were
too
patient. So much that you almost lost whatever it was that you wanted.”

That’s actually surprisingly close to how I feel, but again, about my role in the coven. There’s more to me than just being a Maiden, than gathering magic. Mason has shown me that as well.

“I get that you have standards for authenticity,” Sylvia continues. “I admire it. You know that Mason is invested in you now. Not just because of what I’ve said today, but because of what I’m sure he’s told you as well. You know this. Don’t lose what you have with Mason by falling into old patterns, by hoping that things will magically work out.”

Sylvia’s right, but not in the way she thinks. If I go back to the coven, it can’t be like before. If I want to nurture a relationship, that has to be an option for me. I never regretted not having a relationship until I actually had one. The intimacy that’s engendered between two people through shared experiences is so much more satisfying than casual sex.

I’ve been patient with Candice and Saffron, following their guidance, letting them teach me at their own speed. They’ve given me so much—all the time in the world—but this is
my
lost time now. I can do whatever I want with it. They never forbade me from developing feelings for somebody—not explicitly, at any rate.

I know Candice and Saffron have plans for me. They’ve treated me well and I love them both dearly, but I’ve never had an experience like this before. A meaningful relationship, like I’m sure they’ve both had in their impossibly long lifetimes. Now that I am, I want it to be everything it can, but without guile.

Sylvia has managed to bring all of these desires to the surface for me, even if she did it unintentionally. So rather than shoot down her idea down, I have something else in mind.

“Okay, I’ll do it, but not as a commission. I don’t want money for this. That would definitely feel wrong. Also, it might not be the exact painting we talked about. It might be something else. We’ll see. I have an idea.”

I coast toward the front door on my bicycle. It’s been a long day, but not because of work. There’s a lot on my mind, my talk with Sylvia being foremost among them. She stopped pushing after I agreed to a version of her plan, albeit on my own terms.

I’m confident you’ll manage just fine
, she said.

I step off one pedal, swing my leg over the bike frame, and alight on the ground. Silent as a cat. I’m about to fish for my keys when Mason opens the bottom door, the one leading up a flight of stairs to my upstairs apartment.