11-29-2018, 12:06 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-29-2018, 01:26 AM by Aiden Finnegan.)
Aiden spluttered as Jaxen wove through images and words with a certain panache. The missing pages themselves flashed on the screen and Aiden strained his eyes to make out the words or even some of the images, but to no avail. Familiar symbols were present here and there, nothing that would divine the contents of the pages. How had Jaxen obtained the images if he didn’t actually possess them? Then again, he was a hacker…
As the words continued to pour forth from their host, the pieces of the puzzle started to click together. Jaxen was the thief of said pages and sought to recovered whatever mythical artifacts lay detailed on the parchment. A treasure hunt indeed.
There was a knock at the door and Sage quickly took on a presumably fake smile, encouraging Aiden to pursue this adventure. He stared back at his hacker boyfriend and pursed his lips. Sage didn’t even imply that he would accompany Aiden, should Aiden have agreed to Jaxen’s proposition. Did he not want to go? Was Sage tiring of Aiden already? True, it hadn’t even been a month since the pair had gotten together, but things were going well between them, and Aiden truly did want to see where this would go. The two might marry one day, in the far future, Aiden could at least see it as a possibility... Although he had no intentions of proposing to Sage anytime soon. It was still way, way too early to even consider that… He did have to consider it a little though, the whole point of dating was to find your true love, was it not? Aiden had already sowed his 'wild oats' in his twenties, but he was in his thirties now. It was time to get serious about the future, and he did not relish the thought of abandoning any possibilities of a 'happily ever after', not even for ‘treasure.’
Oh, it tempted Aiden so. He didn’t even know what these supposed treasures could end up being. Thoughts of the Flaming Spear of Lugh and the Cauldron of Brigid danced dangerously around his mind. That was pure fancy, of course… But what if it wasn’t? Here he was wielding magic like the characters in his stories, anything was possible. Why not romanticize this a little? If Aiden accepted this offer, he would be going on an adventure- an actual adventure- the experience alone would be fuel for many more books to come, not to mention that it was a fucking adventure. Just like the books, comics, video games, and movies he had devoured growing up.
Aiden cleared his throat and turned his attention on Jaxen.
“Let me guess… You have the stolen pages, and if that’s the case what treasures are we seeking? I am very rich, and judging by your dwelling so are you. I doubt you’re after some gold coins like a pirate of old… And since you’re asking me, a man you just met, that must mean you need another Channeler’s help in the task. A dangerous task, I assume again. What kind of danger, Jaxen? The Atharim? Or is the CCD after this?”
So many questions Aiden had for the man, but he kept his tongue focused on the most important ones, cutting straight to the point. He would agree to nothing if the man danced around the answers. Aiden would know everything about this adventure if he was contemplating agreeing to any of this… Which left the other matter at hand: Sage. Without waiting for Jaxen’s answer, Aiden downed the last of his drink and turned his head over to his boyfriend, chewing on his bottom lip before speaking.
“And if I say yes to this, that would all but doom our relationship. We just started this, Sage. I like you. A lot. I won’t ask you to wait for me. I can’t just waltz into your life and then walk out a week or two later asking you to be patient… It’s not right… But I don’t want to let you go just yet…”
Aiden chewed his lip a moment more, brows furrowing, and cheeks heating.
“If I say yes to this… would you come with me?”
He wasn’t going to ask Jaxen’s permission for Sage’s presence on this trip. Sage was a requirement for Aiden to make the journey… If Sage agreed to it at least. If he didn’t… Well, Aiden wasn’t sure what he would do.
As the words continued to pour forth from their host, the pieces of the puzzle started to click together. Jaxen was the thief of said pages and sought to recovered whatever mythical artifacts lay detailed on the parchment. A treasure hunt indeed.
There was a knock at the door and Sage quickly took on a presumably fake smile, encouraging Aiden to pursue this adventure. He stared back at his hacker boyfriend and pursed his lips. Sage didn’t even imply that he would accompany Aiden, should Aiden have agreed to Jaxen’s proposition. Did he not want to go? Was Sage tiring of Aiden already? True, it hadn’t even been a month since the pair had gotten together, but things were going well between them, and Aiden truly did want to see where this would go. The two might marry one day, in the far future, Aiden could at least see it as a possibility... Although he had no intentions of proposing to Sage anytime soon. It was still way, way too early to even consider that… He did have to consider it a little though, the whole point of dating was to find your true love, was it not? Aiden had already sowed his 'wild oats' in his twenties, but he was in his thirties now. It was time to get serious about the future, and he did not relish the thought of abandoning any possibilities of a 'happily ever after', not even for ‘treasure.’
Oh, it tempted Aiden so. He didn’t even know what these supposed treasures could end up being. Thoughts of the Flaming Spear of Lugh and the Cauldron of Brigid danced dangerously around his mind. That was pure fancy, of course… But what if it wasn’t? Here he was wielding magic like the characters in his stories, anything was possible. Why not romanticize this a little? If Aiden accepted this offer, he would be going on an adventure- an actual adventure- the experience alone would be fuel for many more books to come, not to mention that it was a fucking adventure. Just like the books, comics, video games, and movies he had devoured growing up.
Aiden cleared his throat and turned his attention on Jaxen.
“Let me guess… You have the stolen pages, and if that’s the case what treasures are we seeking? I am very rich, and judging by your dwelling so are you. I doubt you’re after some gold coins like a pirate of old… And since you’re asking me, a man you just met, that must mean you need another Channeler’s help in the task. A dangerous task, I assume again. What kind of danger, Jaxen? The Atharim? Or is the CCD after this?”
So many questions Aiden had for the man, but he kept his tongue focused on the most important ones, cutting straight to the point. He would agree to nothing if the man danced around the answers. Aiden would know everything about this adventure if he was contemplating agreeing to any of this… Which left the other matter at hand: Sage. Without waiting for Jaxen’s answer, Aiden downed the last of his drink and turned his head over to his boyfriend, chewing on his bottom lip before speaking.
“And if I say yes to this, that would all but doom our relationship. We just started this, Sage. I like you. A lot. I won’t ask you to wait for me. I can’t just waltz into your life and then walk out a week or two later asking you to be patient… It’s not right… But I don’t want to let you go just yet…”
Aiden chewed his lip a moment more, brows furrowing, and cheeks heating.
“If I say yes to this… would you come with me?”
He wasn’t going to ask Jaxen’s permission for Sage’s presence on this trip. Sage was a requirement for Aiden to make the journey… If Sage agreed to it at least. If he didn’t… Well, Aiden wasn’t sure what he would do.
Russian Dolls and Broken Gods, a new Fantasy novel by best-selling author, Aiden Finnegan, out this December! Preorder online and instore today!