Two Princes In Panama

Chapter 17: Myles

The drain of combat magic was something you had to train yourself for. My siblings could do magic at the same level consistently without pause. I had not used both of my top tier spells concurrently since I was fifteen learning basic survival skills.

The Twin Serpent spell was one I inherited from my maternal grandmother. It required someone with skill in enhancement and water manipulation. I had to pressurize water around me while solidifying it. My grandmother could cut through metal like it was butter I had only worked up to cutting stone when actively training.

What I forgot was the drain the spell took on the mind and body. After the meeting and cooking the meal since I refused to miss my turn, I wanted nothing more than to lie down.

Standing at the kitchen sink, I washed the remnants of my baked ravioli from the casserole dish and watched it go down the drain. I wrinkled my fingers from the prolonged submersion in warm water and had the faintest scent of grapefruit from the dish soap. After placing the dish in the dishwasher, I looked around the empty kitchen. I leaned on the counter to relieve the pressure on my legs.

I was not alone in the dim kitchen since I could sense Bernardo in the hallway. I was not the world's best sensor, but after spending so much time with him I could tell where he was within a mile range. I wondered why he was waiting out of my field of view. All day he seemed like he had something to say and it was odd that he hadn't. He spoke at me whenever he wanted without hesitation. I was barely maintaining my silent treatment since the ambush, since we were working in tandem, so there was no reason for him to stall.

"Is there something you need?" I tired of him hiding from me after merely a few moments of silence. I could hear him clear his throat before he moved into view.

"Sorry I was thinking about what I needed to say to you, Didn't want to end up putting my foot in my mouth," he said. His voice was deep and rumbling, a quality it took after an interminable day.

That's a welcomed change. "Okay," I said.

"Sorry, I just wanted to give you the apology you deserve if you let me," he said. He looked at me to say something before continuing.

"We've been down this road and it hasn't taken us anywhere," I said. I leaned more of my weight on the counter as he moved closer.

"I understand. I know that I haven't gone about this the right way, but I want you to know that I am actually sorry about what I did to you." He paused and looked me in the eyes to see if I was still paying attention. "I've fucked you over many times since we met. For one, I asked you to change genders for my benefit, which isn't a decent thing to do. I realize that I offended you with a suggestion made for sex. We had and still haven't built a relationship where that request would even have legs to stand on. I've threatened you multiple times and for that I am sorry. I know my word doesn't mean much, but I promise I will never put my hands on you out of anger again. There is no situation where you would do that to me and I should never do it to you."

"Okay," I nodded.

"I'm not finished. I have to admit that before we met, I looked you up and decided before even saying hello, how you were as a person. I thought you were weak without taking into account why you do the things you do, and you are a complex person. I did us both a disservice to you and myself and caused hostility in a place where it didn't need to exist," he said, still keeping my gaze.

"The thing I'm sorry for the most is bringing a woman into our home. It was a childish act done to hurt you. I didn't care about the consequences of my actions. I know I only did it to you because you wouldn't allow me to control you. I'm sorry for not being sorry until you stopped talking to me. I want you to understand that I am sorry for not valuing you as a human being and not giving you the chance to show me who you were. I hope you can accept my apology and know that I will do everything I can to never make you feel bad again."