Light It Up

[Disclaimer:This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.]

. . .

“This is why you should have waited for me to get here.”

“What was I suppose to do. Sit around while he passes out from agony. Sorry Eric I know you’re in tremendous pain and all but I’m really supposed to wait.” Sylis’s mocking tone made Eric flinch.

“You completely jeopardized both of your well beings.” The female voice grew louder. “I don’t know how much more irresponsible you can get. There is a reason that a third party does the bonding ceremony. It has to be precise.”

“Well just look at the results. We’re bonded. He’s alive and I’m just fine. Explain to me again how I fucked-“ Sylis stopped mid sentence as Eric entered the room, “Eric. I’m sorry if we woke up up.”

“No. It’s already-“ Eric paused for a long yawn, “What time is it?”

“It’s around ten.” The tall brunet smiled at Eric. She received a glare from Sylis.

“Listen, why don’t you go take a shower. I’m almost done with breakfast. We’ll talk when you’re cleaned up.”

Eric’s eyes narrowed, “So you both can argue some more.” Eric moved past Sylis and took a chair at the table. “Who are you anyway?” He stared at the woman who still pasted a patronizing smile across her lips.

“This is Lauren. She’s the trainer I mentioned last night.” Sylis muttered.

“We weren’t fighting. I was trying to express my concerns over your bonding.” Lauren spoke in an even calm tone.

“I didn’t say fighting I said arguing. I didn’t hear you expressing concerns just yelling at Sylis.” Eric spoke over the cup of coffee Sylis poured in front of him.

“Perhaps.” The lady rolled her eyes. “Nevertheless, there are concerns to be considered-”

“And they are?” Eric cut her off.

For a moment her eyes were wide at being cut off, they quickly smiled at Eric again, “I am concerned that perhaps your bonding did not go as planned.

“Yes it did.” Sylis interjected.

Continueing without addressing Sylis, Lauren spoke as if Sylis never had. “Typically a mentor would perform the ceremony, ensuring that the bonding was set tight but not too tight. After examining Sylis and the candles form the ceremony I believe that you both would have benefited from such guidance.”

Eric raised an eyebrow.

“She thinks the bond is too strong; we may have risked your chances of bonding with your others.” Sylis broke in, receiving an ugly scowl from his mentor.

“Others.” Eric nearly spit out his coffee.

Nodding Sylis continued you, “I told you. I’m your east. You still need to find your west, north and south to be complete.”

“And I need to find these people because…” Eric trailed off.

Sylis scoffed.

“You need to find your and their other bond mates because that is the only way to ensure both your and their safety.” Lauren explained

“Of we go then on a whirlwind adventure.” Eric rolled his eyes. “You honestly think I’m going to take your word for it with a vague explanation like that?”

Lauren looked to Sylis.

“It’s true. He didn’t even believe me until the power boost knocked him out a few times.”

“I still don’t believe you.” Eric said before a long drink of coffee.

“For someone who doesn’t believe anything you’ve been told you’re certainly taking all of this well.” Her smooth tone was as passive a ever but the way her lips turned slightly up at the corners betrayed her amusement.

“Listen Lady-“

“Lauren” She corrected.

“Lauren, I’m not some doe eyed kid that you can kidnap off the streets and convince that he’s fallen into wonka’s lab. I may have some psych problems but this isn’t anything compared to what I’m used to. I’m just waiting until I balance out and I can climb off this boat to Fantasy Island.”

A disapproving eye turned to Sylis. “Psyche problems.”

“It’s not what you think.” Sylis held up both his hands in defense. “Eric has been treated for seeing the threads of fate.

Her voice rose, “When you told me you found your bond mate, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“He is my bond mate.” Sylis conjoled, “He is just more powerful than I let on.”

Lauren stood up, “What mentor on this great green earth would dare put their charge in the hands of non service psychiatrists for the very thing that they are supposed to do! I want to speak with your tutor right this moment.” She handed her cell phone to Eric.

A confused glance from Eric had her spinning on her heels toward Sylis.

“He doesn’t have a mentor!” She growled.

Sylis took a couple steps back. “Did I fail to mention that as well.”

“Oh. You forgot to mention it alright. I can’t believe that you would lie to me!” Lauren accused, pointing one long finger at Sylis.

“It’s not so much that I lied as failed to inform.”

Lauren let out a scoff and sat back down.

“Come on. Don’t be like that. He’s my bond mate. I couldn’t very well tell you because you never would have helped me.”

“An untrained, completely oblivious Sprit Priest is not the match I had in mind for you.” Lauren spoke in her calm voice again. “I highly doubt that your parents would approve.”

Sylis stiffened at the mention. “I know very well what mother and father would say but that doesn’t change the facts. I have bonded with Eric. There is no undoing it now.”

“Which is the very reason you kept all this from me.” Lauren shot back.

“Guys. I’m still here you know.” Eric spoke from across the table.

Sylis sat down next to Eric and reached for the other boy’s hand. “What’s done is done. Now tell me what went wrong.”

For a moment, Eric considered pulling away from the other boys hand, but the warmth and comfort that seem to spread from their connection made him sigh and rest his head on the taller boys shoulder.

“This is exactly the problem.” Lauren pointed at the two boys. “The bond is too strong. It’s affecting your behavior. Eric is practically being drugged with your natural calmness and you’re becoming overly emotional. For the lord and lady’s sake stop petting him!” Lauren threw up her hands.

Looking down at his hand, Sylis realized she was right he’d been petting Eric’s arm with his free hand.

“Sylis. Your collar has no seam. It’s a good two and a half inches thick. His wrist restraint goes all the way to his elbow! Your connecting fiber is not a fiber but as thick as chain!” Lauren continued. “You two are channeling each other’s personalities.”

“Why is that a bad thing?” Eric pondered outloud.

Lauren rolled her eyes. “The bond is meant to ground the Spirit Priest and lift up the Eastern Priest. By creating such a tight bond you have achieved this but you also have started to merge persons. Essentially rather than simply contrasting each other like the sun and moon you have essentially become one whole, like a yin yang.
Lauren continued. “You’re emotions are not just your own. Your thoughts are not just your thoughts. It’s dangerous. It means that if separated the results could turn out rather poorly for the both of you. I won’t even begin to discuss what this means if one of you gets hurt, lady and lord forbid.”

“So what do we do?” Sylis spoke in a voice that sounded much like his usual self.

Letting out a long sigh Lauren continued, “First of all you two need separation.” She held up her hand, “I’m not talking long distances or extended periods of time. Baby steps. Interact close but not next to each other. Hopefully with some distance and training we’ll be able to isolate your connection to each other and find ways for you both to control it. Sort of like opening and shutting a door between you.”

“Enough with the metaphors.” Eric rolled his eyes.

Ignoring him, Lauren pressed on. “Now tell me exactly what happened yesterday. Every little detail.”

Eric yawned and let himself doze on Sylis’s shoulder as Sylis told the long and annoying tale of all that transpired between them. Maybe there was something to what she said about him not quite being himself because before last night he never thought that Sylis’s skin was so smooth or that the gentle touch on his arm was so arousing and soothing.

Sylis looked down at the slumbering boy next to him and brushed his bangs back behind his ears.

“That is precisely the thing you shouldn’t be doing.” Lauren whispered.

“Shh… You’ll wake him.” Sylis chided. Carefully Sylis lifted the smaller man up in his arms and carried him to the couch. Sitting back against the arm of the couch he carefully positioned Eric’s head on his chest with the rest of him laid out on the couch and let the smaller man doze.

“Sylis. You can’t sleep with him like that.”

Shooting her a glare he hissed, “I’m not going to sleep. I’m just going to watch over him a bit. Now don’t wake him up.”

“You’re already becoming too protective of him.” Lauren warned.

“I know. But what am I supposed to do. You’ve spent years teaching me to listen to my instincts and obey what the Guardians of the East whisper into my ear. Now that I hear them more clearly them ever you want me to ignore them completely.” Sylis stroked Eric’s hair, enjoying the way it felt like silk beneath his fingertips.

“Not ignore, just think about before you act.”

“I can’t. Not when he needs me like this.” Sylis shook his head.

Lauren stared at the two boys on the couch, her eyes focusing on the protective way that Sylis’s arm wrapped across the boys chest and the gentle way he ran fingers through Eric’s hair. “You’ve always been a good student Sylis. So calm and collected. Charming when you wanted to be and brilliant always. I’ve never heard you raise your voice before today.” Lauren kneeled next to the boy. “You’ve never fought with me before today.”

“Maybe I should have.” Sylis nearly growled when Lauren attempted to touch Eric’s sleeping face.

Standing up, Lauren smoothed her clothing and headed to the nearby recliner. For a long while no one spoke.

“Did this happen because of what I am?” Sylis’s voice barely carried to Lauren it was so soft.

Lauren shook her head. “No. Other’s with your preferences have bonded and had no problems.”

“I shouldn’t have slept next to him last night.” Sylis continued.

“You shouldn’t be sleeping with him now.” Lauren rolled her eyes and held up a hand when Sylis opened his mouth to contradict. “I know you’re just protecting him.”

The silence came again. This time it seemed heavier as it settled over the room.

“Did you feel like this after you bonded?” Sylis pleaded.

A sigh came from Lauren but Sylis didn’t turn to see her face, “I wanted to protect the Spirit Priest yes, but I don’t think as strongly as you want to protect Eric. Your situation is…”

“Fucked up.” Sylis finished.

“No.” Lauren frowned, “Unique. Typically it is the Spirit Priest that seeks out his bond mates. Usually they are equipped to play the part of master. As they should be.”

“You agree with mother.” Sylis stated coldly, “We’re supposed to be pets.” Bitterness leaked from his tone.

“No not pets. Once I might have agreed with your mother on the subject, but not any longer. Since Marcus passed I met a great many other Spirit Priests that were not so… adamant about the relationship between the elements and the spirit priests.”

“Do you miss him?”

Lauren nodded. “As do your mother and father. I fear that you will miss Eric a great deal more than I will ever miss Marcus if something was to happen to him.”

“I don’t think so.”

Lauren looked up and found Sylis’s yellow green eyes penetrating her own. “Really?” She half laughed.

“You loved him.”

Sighing, Lauren stood, “Perhaps. But I survived his death. Lily did not. You’re parents were lucky to have each other when it all came down to it.” She grabbed her coat beside the door. “Be very careful Sylis. I know that you want to protect him, but there are a few things that I’ve learned. You can’t protect him from himself. And I fear that you won’t be able to keep yourself from him the way that I kept myself from Marcus.”

Sylis starred down at Eric’s sleeping face as the door clicked shut and locked behind Lauren. Perhaps she was right to think that he was in over his head and for a brief moment a grief that Sylis was certain wasn’t his own passed through him. Yes. She was right.

. . .

Please R&R.

. . .

Kylee- Glad to see you've visited more than one of my stories. Lol, funny how a little intellegence takes Sylis a long way in the relationship. Though at the moment he's not pleased with you examining his and eric's relationship... they had a long morning.

Vex- Glad to hear you're enjoying. Hope to see you again. *Waves*