prompt: I can keep a secret

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So I actually started writing this yesterday, for yabamena and "finished it" today. That's in quotes because haha this scene isn't even done, much less the story as a whole.

"Sahir? Can you show me what it is you do?"

Sahir went very still and didn't respond for a long time. He turned, slowly and fixed me with that golden-brown stare of his. "What?"

Something about the way he looked at me made me defensive. "I just wanted to see. You never really do anything in front of me. I don't even know what makes your abilities different from reapers' and--"

"You actually want to see this?" He looked genuinely surprised; I suspected that no one else had ever asked him that before. That wouldn't be very surprising considering how most people kept their distance. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I said firmly, crossing my arms under my chest. To his credit, Sahir kept his gaze on my face.

He stood up slowly, all lines and angles, still flipping that coin over his fingers like he always did. He was never without that thing. "All right," he agreed easily.

"Wait," I said and stepped closer. "I mean, I want to see what you can really do. So long as it's not going to get you in trouble," I added dropping my voice.

The coin stopped between his middle and ring fingers and his eyes darkened, almost to the same shade of brown as my own.

"And before you ask, yes, I'm sure." I lifted my chin.

"That wasn't what I was going to ask," he replied coming closer. He stared down at me and reached out, handing me the silver coin. "You'll need to hold onto this."

Confused, I unfolded my arms and took the coin. "Why?"

"Protection. Listen, Pan, I can't- I mean if they find out..."

This time I reached out and laid my hand on his arm. He looked a little surprised at my touch and i thought his skin reddened a little. "I can keep a secret."

He relaxed visibly and I wondered when it was that Sahir had started to trust me. "Stay right where you are and don't move. I need to draw a circle and if you step out of it, that coin won't be enough." He knelt and whipped a knife out of what seemed like nowhere, and drew a wide circle around us, leaving about one inch of it open. Then he drew some symbols I didn't recognize or understand at all, murmuring softly to himself as he did. "Remember," he said over his shoulder, "whatever happens don't leave the circle." He twirled the knife in his hand and then very quickly and deftly, sliced open his arm.

I couldn't help the protest that left my lips at that but he just responded, "Blood activates the circle. Be glad you're with someone who prefers to use his own." He dribbled his blood into that open inch of space, filling it, and suddenly I felt something snap into place. I didn't know how to describe the sensation, and I didn't try because he was saying something else I didn't understand. At the same time, the circle started glowing a deep dark red and the coin in my hand grew warm.

I glanced at Sahir then and very nearly stepped back. It was only his warning about the circle's protection that stayed me. His eyes were glowing the same deep red as the circle,a nd I don't just mean the irises. His whole eye, even the whites, both of them had gone that eerie color and it was making the hairs on my arms rise. Even the curls on my head felt like they were frizzing, and they don't need help to do that.

The thing he called up made it pretty clear why he'd insisted on protection. The glow of his eyes faded, though the one of the circle remained. It was only when I managed to pull my gaze away from the … thing and look at Sahir that I saw the expression of surprise on his own features.

Whatever it was he'd tried to summon, he hadn't gotten what he'd bargained for.

I have a better idea where this particular scene and some overall character development is going now.