King of the Underworld by RJ Kane

Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Two

Sephie

I felt Andrei gently shake me. “Spider monkey, it’s time for your acupuncture.” I didn’t realize I had

fallen asleep while we were talking. I was still tired from Adrik keeping me up too late the night before,

plus having to deal with Giana unexpectedly, I must’ve just passed out. Andrei was warm enough that I

was sound asleep when the acupuncturist got there.

I rubbed my eyes, still not completely awake. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but thank you for

keeping me warm,” I said.

“You only fall asleep when you really need it, spider monkey. You’ve had to deal with a lot. I’m glad you

got a quick nap,” Andrei said.

Ivan walked in with the acupuncturist as I stood up from the couch, stretching. The acupuncturist

looked at me, then looked at Ivan. “You should’ve called me sooner,” she said, almost chastising him.

He looked down at her, surprised by her reaction. He looked to me, somewhat worried. She walked to

me, taking my hand and leading me to one of the spare bedrooms. Poor Ivan just stood there, still

stunned as we disappeared into the bedroom.

“It’s not Ivan’s fault. He’s the one that suggested we call you again,” I said. She looked up at me while

she unpacked her bag, a large smile on her face.

“Sometimes I like to give Ivan a hard time. It keeps him on his toes,” she said, laughing. “But I can tell

you’re carrying more than you need to right now.” She took my hand, pressing on the spot that Ivan and

Adrik use when I have a headache. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked

at me, “How are things with your boyfriend?” she asked.

“Good. Really good,” I said. I could feel my cheeks flush as I thought about the night before.

She smiled slyly at me. “You two are very good for each other. But you’re unbalanced. He’s avoiding a

piece of him, which is making it grow stronger in you. You’re strong, Sephie, which is why it hasn’t

caused a huge problem yet. It will, though, if you, let it go on too long.”

I chewed on my bottom lip while I digested her words. “He’s worried I’ll love him less,” I said. I knew

she was talking about his darker side. “He thinks he’s a monster because of it. They all do, if I’m being

honest. I don’t know the right words to say to

them.”

As she got started stabbing me, as Andrei would say, she said, “monsters choose evil for evil’s sake. I

don’t know your boyfriend, but I know Ivan. Ivan is not a monster. There’s a difference between a

dangerous man and a monster. A dangerous man has looked in the face of evil and chosen to be good.

A dangerous man knows he has a large capacity for evil, but he chooses to control that side of him.

Ivan is dangerous. I’m thinking your boyfriend is also dangerous.”

I nodded my head in agreement. “He’s been fighting that side of him that is needed to take care of the

situation we’re facing at the moment, because he’s worried that it will change my opinion of him.”

“Will it?”

“Not in the least. I love him. All of him,” I said.

She was quiet as she continued stabbing me. She finally looked at me watching her. “I can talk to him.

He listened to me last time. It’s obvious he wants to do what is best for you. By him avoiding that side

of himself, he’s transferring it to you. You can control it now, but it will ultimately become too much for

you to bear. You two have a special relationship. It’s been getting more so, hasn’t it? More Intimate?”

she asked.

I couldn’t help the smile on toy face, I didn’t even need to answer. She saw the look on my face and

knew the answer. “It will be

more so once he restores balance,” she said. She had finished placing the needles where they needed

to go. She patted my arm. saying. “I will go tell Ivan I need to see your boyfriend. I’ll be right back.” She

left me to my own thoughts about how much more intimacy I could handle. In addition to being able to

feel each other’s anger, we were starting to feel other emotions just as strongly. Mostly when it comes

to s ex, but I was noticing it other times now too. It seemed like I would notice these things first, then

Adrik would be able to feel the same thing soon after. While I’d been able to essentially read his mind

from the beginning, he was now beginning to be capable of doing the same to me.

My mind wandered to the dream I had where my dad had told me that Adrik and I were always meant

to find each other. Were we able to do these things because we’d spent so many lifetimes together or

was this the first lifetime we’d discovered the ability to do it? I wasn’t sure I would ever get the answer

to that question, but it made me smile to think about falling in love with him over and over again. I knew

what we had was special and there wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t incredibly grateful for it.

We finished the session. Just as we walked out of the spare bedroom, Adrik walked through the

penthouse looking for me. He had a wide smile across his face as his eyes landed on mine. He closed

the distance between us quickly. “You feel better, solnishko,” he said as he pulled me to him. He kissed

my cheek, leaning down to my car to add, “I could feel it too.” His smile widened once more when he

stood up and saw the look of surprise on my face. He pushed a curl from my face. “You look lighter

again.”

I giggled. “You do too. There’s some weird acupuncture by osmosis going on here.”

The acupuncturist took the opportunity to motion us back into the spare bedroom. “I can offer some

insight into that. Please,” she said, motioning us to the room.

Adrik grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine as we followed her into the bedroom. Adrik was

curious once she closed the door. He looked from me to her, a sly grin on his face. “You offered

valuable insight last time. I can’t deny I’m very curious to hear what you have to offer this time.”

She smiled at him. “You two are very special. A bond like yours comes around very rarely.” She looked

at both of us, a serious look on her face. “You realize this isn’t the first lifetime you’ve spent together,

right?” I smiled, nodding my head. Adrik just put his arm around me, pulling me to him. She smiled at

both of us. “I told you last time that you each find balance within the other. In Chinese medicine we call

it the yin and the yang. There are parts of each in the other, but one is more masculine while the other

is feminine. Together, you find balance.” She looked directly at Adrik, even more serious than before.

“Right now, you’re fighting your masculine, which is causing it to show up more in Sephie. She’s very

strong, so she’s been able to handle it, but it won’t always be this way. It will eventually cause

problems.” She held her hand out, asking for his hand. He placed his hand in hers. She pressed on the

same spot between his thumb and forefinger that she had pressed on me while she closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, she looked more determined and slightly surprised. “She’s stronger than I

thought. You’re very strong, but she’s able to handle it.”

“What do you mean? Are you talking about my anger?” Adrik asked.

“Yes, that’s part of it. Anger can be very useful when used correctly. Your anger is only a piece of it,

though. That part of you that wants to protect her is very strong, but you’re fighting the very thing that

will resolve your problems. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t need to know what’s going on, but it’s

big. It’s only going to get bigger the longer you keep trying to suppress the side of you that can take

care of it. Sephie told me earlier that you’re worried you’re a monster because of it. I will tell you the

same thing I told her. The same thing I’ve told Ivan, too, for the record. There is a difference between

being a monster and being dangerous. A dangerous man knows how capable of evil acts he truly is,

but he accepts that part of himself and chooses good. A monster will give in to the evil side of himself

every time. You’re incredibly strong. You’ve already fa ced more evil in your short life than most will in

their entire lives. Your hesitancy to use that side of you, even though you’re using it for good, will

continue to upset the balance you two find in each other.”

He looked at me, his eyes were now wide with worry. She laughed. “You’re not hurting her. She can

handie It. Have you ever tried to ignore an emotion before?” she asked. He nodded his head. “Have

you noticed how that emotion never really goes away? It just gets bigger. Or sometimes it will appear to

have gone away, but it always comes back as something else and ten

times worse. This is what’s happening now. But because of the bond you two share, she’s showing you

what you’re ignoring.”

She looked at me. “You’ve had more anger lately, haven’t you?” I nodded my head. “But you’ve also

been getting cold more?” I nodded again. She thought for a moment. “Can you calm his anger when it

happens?”