“Good morning, Haleth,” Serac greeted politely as he walked into the dinning room, he smiled as he saw the pile of sweet pastries in front of me.

“Morning,” I replied, less politely, half a pastry in my mouth.

He just continued to smile, dark eyes starting to sparkle with amusement. He walked over to me then calmly took the plate and slid it out of reach.

“Hey! They’re mine,” I declared, reaching for them in vain, “Damn you!”

“Actually, honey, I paid for them so technically they’re mine.”

“You’re not even going to eat them,” I pointed out tersely, “You hardly eat anything just so you can look like a stick.”

“My, you are in a bad mood this morning. What’s wrong, honey? Did Gabriel steal your lover away?”

I crossed my arms, just managing not to pout, “I can understand he wants to try and talk Jay out of leaving the slayers but he didn’t have to take him out all day to do that.”

“Jay has been cooped up inside with you for weeks now. It will do him good to go out and have some fun, don’t be a baby about it.”

“He could have gone out with me anytime,” I huffed, eyeing my comfort food which was still annoyingly out of reach, “I like to have fun too.”

“But you don’t speak German and you prefer to stay inside and have sex all day.”

“Why are you taunting me?” I asked the elegant man, really not liking his smug attitude.

“I’m not, honey,” he told me gently and honestly as his smile faded, “I actually came to apologise for our little misunderstanding yesterday.”

“Really?” I was understandably sceptical.

“Yes. You thought I insulted your ability to kill things.”

“You said I wasn’t good enough to be one of your slayers.”

“Actually I didn’t,” Serac smiled and reached for one of the pastries himself, picking at it delicately. “I said I didn’t need one of your ability. Which is true but only because I think your skills are wasted as a slayer.”

“Really?” I was only a little less sceptical this time.

“Yes,” he paused to put another small piece of pastry in his mouth, making me wait for the rest of his answer. I didn’t mind that much, thinking of other things that mouth could do. “I was hoping since you aren’t busy today you would do me a little favour?”

“Were you now? And just what would that be?” I stood, stepping close to him, my eyes drifting to the half eaten pastry perched on his graceful fingers, “You going to finish that?”

“I suppose not,” he offered it to me absently, “I’d like you to come with me to the testing fa…cilit-y…” he trailed off, lips parted softly in bewilderment as I finished licking the last of the sweet coating off his slender fingers. When I was done I released his wrist, stepping back to give him space.

“Sure, why not,” I answered his question as if nothing unusual had happened, loving the glazed look in his eyes. “Are you alright, Lord Serac?” I asked innocently, feeling rather proud of myself.

Then the ice was back and he told me levelly, “That was inappropriate, Haleth. Behave like that again and you will not be welcome here.”

My face fell. Why was he being so harsh? I was certain he’d enjoyed the attention, could have sworn I’d even seen a light blush tinting his golden skin.

“Now come on,” he ordered, walking away. I followed numbly, very confused by my elegant host. One minute he was responding beautifully to my advances and the next he froze up, all hostile and haughty. Just what the hell was with him?

The small scattering of aboveground buildings didn’t look like much. We’d driven out of the city and to a rather desolate spot. I wasn’t sure this was the right place, surely it would look a little more impressive? Though I have to admit the massive fence surrounding the whole complex looked very secure, enough to daunt any potential trespasser. The guards at the gate just waved us through, recognising the fancy car and its driver immediately. I was curious about many things but Serac hadn’t said a word to me since we’d left home and I didn’t want to be the first one to talk. I honestly wasn’t sure if he was still pissed off at me or not. Identifying any of the ice lord’s emotions, if he had any, was no easy task.

He pulled into a garage, the door closing behind us. I reached for the handle but he hadn’t moved, the engine still running. He glanced at me, “Wait a minute.”

“What f-for…” I jumped as the floor beneath us shifted. I realised we were on a lift, the platform continuing to lower until I could no longer see the roof of the garage. After a few anxious minutes it came to a halt, another door opening to reveal a large parking garage. He parked in a reserved spot right by the elevator and we got out. As we waited for the elevator to come up he glanced at me, offering me a gentle smile.

“You’ve been very quiet.”

“I thought you’d want me to be,” I shrugged then shoved my hands in my pockets.

“I’m sorry, honey, I shouldn’t have threatened to kick you out,” he apologised sincerely, though his tone was still slightly icy, “But I am serious about not wanting you to pull anything like that again.”

“Fair enough.” I’d lay off for a little while but eventually I would have him. I guess I just had to be a little more subtle about it.

We stepped into the elevator but we only went down one floor before stepping out again. I looked around curiously. It looked like any large office building foyer, an information desk on one side, several elevators and sliding doors on the other. Before we could even get to the desk however one of the doors opened and a tall woman in a white coat came rushing out. When she spotted us she slowed her pace, self-consciously straightening her hair and clothes.

“My lord, you should have told us you were coming by today,” she lowered her head in a nod of respect, her voice quivering slightly, “I haven’t had a chance to finish the reports for this month but…”

Serac smiled, removing his finger from her lips, “Relax, Alena. I’m not here to look at reports, and how many times have I told you to call me Serac?”

“I’m sorry, sir- Serac,” she blushed then finally seemed to notice me, “Oh, is this the man you are considering as your successor?”

Whoa, where did that come from? I shot Serac a surprised look but he was ignoring me, focused on the tall redhead.

“No, this is his boyfriend, Haleth Eala.”

I was shocked. Was Serac really considering making Jay his successor? Had he spoken to Jay about it? Surely not or my lover would have mentioned something, wouldn’t he have?

“Oh, Lucian’s son?” she looked me over with a friendly smile, seeming impressed, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alena, the head of weapons research here in Germany.”

“Weapons?” I couldn’t help perking up at that, “You design and test weapons here?”

“We do,” she turned her gaze back to Serac, “I think we’ve finally perfected the fire blade, would you like him to help us test it?”

“Only if he doesn’t mind,” Serac glanced at me, eyes sparkling. I grinned in response.

“Hell no! Just lead the way.”

I looked on with pure love in my heart. This was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. There was a whole row of Samurai swords along the wall, all of them finely crafted and magically enchanted. There were other weapons, of course, but I only had eyes for the swords. Alena noticed this with a laugh and moved past me to take one of them off the wall. She handed it to me, “You might like to play with this one first, as it’s the most stable of the elemental blades. I take it you haven’t used one before?”

“No, not really. I’ve only used swords with poison enchantments,” I slowly unsheathed the blade, noticing the blue tint along the metal and a fine design of sea serpents swimming up the sides. I whistled under my breath, “Man, this is a fine piece of work.”

“Isn’t it,” she smiled wistfully, “Lord Serac crafted and enchanted that one. It was the first water blade but it’s still the best. Not that the other makers haven’t tried to beat it, but there’s just a finesse to the Serpent’s work that no one else seems to be able to match.”

I studied the blade with new fondness, running my fingers carefully along the metal, not even able to feel the engraved serpents, “I didn’t know he did this kind of thing. I thought he was too important to actually make any of the weapons himself.”

“Oh, well he made that one a long time ago, when GSW was just growing. He does do special order pieces on rare occasions though they’re very pricy as I’m sure you can imagine.”

“Who buys things like that?” I asked curiously as I walked towards the testing area. Ashley had groaned and whined a hell of a lot when I’d wanted the poison blade, I couldn’t imagine how much a fully enchanted elemental blade would cost, let alone one crafted by one of the Mythics.

“Powerful coven leaders, occasionally angels or demons,” she gave a snort of disgust, “Anyone very rich and very powerful but with absolutely no idea of how to use a weapon of that level, let alone ever need to. They mostly end up hanging on walls or in trophy cases, just another mark of wealth.”

“Well that’s life, isn’t it?” I focused my eyes on the fine blade in my hands, swinging it experimentally in the air. I’d never felt more comfortable with a sword I’d just picked up before. It was as if the blade flowed from me, a neat extension of my body. I was about to ask how it worked when a mechanical opponent rose from the floor, moving to attack me. It was skilled as these things went, very impressively built actually, certainly good enough to test the sword on. As I started swinging the blade in defence the metal rippled a deep blue before slicing right through my opponent’s sword. I then continued to make short work of the robot, hoping they didn’t cost too much to fix. It was as effortless as slicing through water rather than padding and metal. I also found my moves flowing quicker and smoother, my technique improving noticeably. I’d had no idea an enchantment could do that and was vastly impressed.

“So, what do you think?” Alena asked as I reluctantly re-sheathed the blade and handed it back.

“It’s my dream sword,” I smiled wryly, “Should I ask how much its worth?”

“No, Haleth, you really shouldn’t,” she patted me on the shoulder consolingly, “At least you get to play with them. Now do you want to try out an air blade first or do you think you can handle the fire?”

“Let’s try the fire. I’m in the mood to scorch something.”

I gulped down a bottle of water, resting as Alena looked over the results of the test. It had taken longer than I’d thought, the blade having to be tested on different opponents in different environments. All of them provided by the massive testing facility, a much more impressive structure than the surface buildings would have you believe. When Serac had first invited me I’d thought it was out of pity because otherwise I would have been left at home with nothing to do. Now I knew better, I’d actually worked my arse off testing his new weapon. I had a feeling this was what he’d had in mind when he’d said my skills were wasted as a slayer. If he was thinking about offering me a job here I’d be hard pressed to refuse. Sure it was hard work but it was also damn fun, hacking and slashing soulless opponents without having to worry about anything but my technique and the sword in my hands.

“All the technical measurements look in order, Haleth,” Alena looked up from the screen, pleased, “Thanks for all your help.”

“No problem.”

“There is one more thing…”

“What?” I responded with a smile but inwardly I cringed, I was exhausted though I didn’t want to admit it.

She must have seen something in my expression because she patted my sweaty arm, “Nothing strenuous, Haleth. We merely need to sort out your payment.”

“Oh,” I shrugged, running a had through my hair, “There’s no need for that, I owe Serac a lot more than one day’s work.”

“Perhaps but he said you were to get something, so you will,” she stood, heading over to the swords on the wall, “Take your pick.”

I just stared at her, sure I’d misheard. Even the least impressive of the swords there was worth more than any weapon I’d ever owned, and not by a small amount either. She couldn’t seriously be offering me my choice of any there… the best sword there if I wanted it? No, there had to be a mistake.

“There’s no mistake, Haleth,” she smiled gently, motioning me over, “Lord Serac said you were to have the sword of your choice, and I don’t know about you but I have no intention of disobeying him.”

“But I couldn’t possibly…” I walked over, my eyes skimming over them all, though I already knew the one I wanted.

“Of course you can. Or is it that you can’t choose? Do you want to try some of them out?”

“No, it’s not that… It’s just well… I mean can I really have any one I want?”

“Yes. If you want the fire one that’s ok. It is a test piece but we have more being made already so there’s no need for us to keep it.”

“No thanks. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a powerful weapon, frighteningly so but it’s too flashy for me. There are too many flames and blasts. I’m more of a stealthy fighter. When you’re facing a pack of enemies the more you can kill before the others notice the better.”

She nodded in understanding, “So you want something smoother and quicker, something which complements your fighting technique.” She motioned to the one I wanted, “Go on then. It’s time someone used it.”

I still hesitated, seeing the longing in her eyes, “Are you sure, Alena? I don’t want to take away something you’re attached to…”

She laughed though there was bitterness to it, “It’s not the sword I care about.” She grabbed the serpent sword, handing it to me, “Take the sword, Haleth, it suits you well.”

I did, feeling the magic of the blade even through the sheath. Ignoring my utter excitement over actually owning such a fantastic weapon I focused on the sad woman before me, “You love him, don’t you?”

Her shoulders dropped as she looked away, “Am I so obvious?”

“A little bit. It’s in your body language when you are near him and your eyes when you talk about him. I’m just surprised he hasn’t noticed.”

“Oh, he knows,” she stated resentfully, “It didn’t concern him at all when we hardly saw each other but when he offered me a job he made it very clear nothing would ever happen between us. Oh he was nice enough about it, lovely eyes all sympathetic as he asked if I’d be able to work with him knowing we could never be more than friends.” She turned her gaze back to me, looking a bit sheepish, “I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t be talking to you about this, I hardly know you.”

“Maybe but I think I know how you feel, he really can be an ice prince when he wants,” I said with complete understanding.

“Yes, but at least you would have a chance with him if you wanted. All I have is an impenetrable wall between us.”

“Oh, come on, I’m sure you have just as much of a chance as me.”

She shook her head, her tone aggrieved when she spoke, “He doesn’t get involved with other Mythics. End of story. Oh, sure he’ll give himself to unranked elementalists, witches, angels, even demons on occasion but another Mythic, well that’s too inappropriate.”

“Wait…” I looked her over in a new light, “You’re a Mythic?”

“Yes,” her tone declared I should have already known that, “I’m the Phoenix.”

“Oh… But you’re working for the Serpent? I thought the four of you were all equal but you don’t treat Serac that way at all.”

“Equal in magical standing, Haleth, however in the ‘normal’ world he is far above me in social standing and wealth. I have to pay my bills just like everyone else and Lord Serac makes that very easy for me. Materially I have everything I’ve ever wanted and I do enjoy my job… So I have reason to be thankful and I really shouldn’t be bitching to you. No matter how kind and sympathetic you seem.”

“It’s fine, Alena. I-”

“No, it’s not,” she waved my words off, heading towards the exit, “It’s getting late, Haleth. I need to take you back to our boss.”

I felt like I should say something but had no idea what. It seemed very cruel of Serac to reject the woman for something she couldn’t help. Soon it was too late however and we were travelling back up to the first floor, my new sword clutched tightly in my grasp. Now I wasn’t even certain I should have picked it, after all it had been made by a man with a frozen heart.

“You’re being very quiet again,” Serac commented absently as he drove us home. Still I said nothing and he eventually glanced at me, “Didn’t you enjoy yourself today, Hal?”

“Yeah, for most of it I did,” I answered after a brief hesitation, looking at the road in front of us rather than the icy man next to me. “Alena was pleased with the results. I was glad I could help her out.”

“Well good.”

“If you’re thinking of offering me a job, forget it, ice prince. There’s no way I’m going to work for a man like you, no matter how good the job is.”

“Oh, really? And why is that?” he asked idly, my spiteful words not worrying him at all.

“I’ve seen the way you treat your employees. Cold hearted bastard,” I kept my voice level but my words must have gotten to him because he pulled off the road, stopping the car.

He turned to look me over, dark eyes icy, “And what exactly is wrong with the way I treat my employees, Haleth?”

“You just don’t give a shit about anyone’s feelings do you, ice prince? Would it really kill you to go out on a date with Alena? She’s beautiful and clever, better than many you’ve fucked I’m sure.”

“You’re out of line,” Serac told me carefully, eyes actually darkening with anger.

“Yeah and you’re a heartless prick, what’s your point?”

For a moment the tension held as we glared at each other. Then he sighed, breaking eye contact, “One day you might want to learn to think for at least a second before throwing out careless insults.”

“Why? So I can be as cold and analytical as you?” I crossed my arms, still glaring, “You’re a real piece of work, ice prince. Oh, sure you make it seem like you’re approachable, touchable but the moment anyone tries to get close you freeze up and calmly tell them to ‘fuck off’, not in those words, of course, no you’re too correct and proper for that kind of language. But let me tell you something, icicle, the rejection hurts the same no matter how you phrase it.”

He was still for a long time, gazing off into the distance. When he spoke it was very quietly, almost a whisper, “I see. Now are you speaking of me rejecting the lover of my dearest friend or the woman who would destroy both of us if we got that close? Well, Haleth? Are you angry for you or Alena?”

I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it again, confused. My anger gone I simply asked, “What do you mean destroy you both?”

“She’s the Phoenix,” he replied, as if that should clear everything up.

“Yeah, I know, so?”

He sighed again, turning to face me, voice still soft, “The Mythics are sorcerers who are so in tune with their elements they become them, at least in essence. That’s how we live so long because we’re not really human anymore but creatures of magic.”

“So?” I pushed for a better explanation, still very confused.

“She’s the Phoenix. I’m the Serpent. Fire and water, Haleth. Just what happens when you mix those two?”

“Umm… steam?”

The third sigh came, “They cancel each other out, rather violently. When you join with someone intimately magic mixes. There’s no way of avoiding it and, with elementalists as powerful as Alena and I, no way of stopping it either. My magic would kill her and hers would probably kill me too.”

“Oh.”

“I made it clear to Alena that I wasn’t going to risk either of us like that when I first employed her. It was her choice to take the job and it’s her choice not to move on and find herself someone more suitable.” That said he drove the car back onto the road, continuing the journey silently. To say I felt bad would be an understatement.

“Well… umm, the way she spoke… I’m not sure she does understand the situation. She still seems to think you could get together if you changed your mind.”

“I will talk to her again then, to clear things up,” he commented absently, his voice seeming to be a little strained.

“I’m sorry,” I smiled, trying to lighten the mood, “It’s a good thing I can’t upset you, right?” He didn’t respond to my words and I had the painful realisation that I could upset him and I had. “Ok, so I do need to learn to think before throwing out insults. Maybe you could help me with that, you always seem to know the right things to say?” Again my only response was tense silence and I searched desperately for something to break it. “Thanks a lot for the sword, by the way, Serac. Do you want to know which one I picked?”

“No.”

“What? You don’t want to know how much you paid me for one day of work?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light, “I’m afraid you got ripped off but I couldn’t take any of the cheaper ones I…”

He’d pulled up the moment we got through the gate, opening his door and stepping out to walk the rest of the way to the house. I stayed seated in the car, watching as he stalked away.

“I really fucked up.”