by Quell T Fox
“Good point.”
“I am not sure how many times you have been reborn since I saw you last, more than once, since you are still very young right now, but it is not important. You could go on forever dying and being reborn without having been bonded. Once someone has gone through the Bonding Ceremony, they hit true immortality and gain their abilities. Each one of us is born with a different ability, however we all share one; we are all able to mask our true age. We can appear to be any age that we want. This gives us the opportunity to live what would seem like a normal human life, if that’s what we want. We can age daily as any other human would. Then, when our spouse would die, we could force ourselves to be reborn again. After bonding we can control how we come back. We choose the age and have full knowledge of everything that’s happened. Aside from that, we all have other smaller, unique abilities that we learn to control and strengthen through the academy. Are you following so far?”
“I think so.” I say while reaching for my drink. Well, this one’s done. Time for another. I stand and feel the alcohol starting to take effect. I walk to the counter and mix myself another drink. When I’m finished, I go back to my chair and get comfy. I have a feeling we will be here for a while.
“There is a list of rules to follow, in order to stay a true Immortalite. If we break any of these rules there are punishments. The worst being banishment. During a banishment you are stripped of your immortal bond and forced to be reborn to a family with no knowledge of who you are. This is what happened to you.” He says the last part quietly, looking down at the table. “The day after your ceremony. The day that…” He swallows and meets my eyes again. “the day that we were going to be married.”
Married? Me? That’s new.
“I was banished?” I ask skeptically, like, what the hell would I have done to have been banished? “Why?”
“Morgan.” He spits the name out, like it leaves a foul taste behind.
“Who the hell is Morgan?”
“Before we met, Morgan and I were promised to each other. It’s not something that has to be done, but some families like to keep good relationships with other families, and they do this by promising their children to be married off. My family happens to be one of the more prominent families in the Immortalite Society. Her and I grew up knowing that we would be married after her Bonding Ceremony, as she is three years younger than me. The same age as you.” He sighs and leans back into his chair. He scrubs his hands over his face for a moment and looks up at the ceiling.
“We met seven months before your Bonding Ceremony; the same day Morgan was to have hers. I fell head over heels in love with you, and you felt the same about me. Morgan was enraged by this, because she wanted my family name. She worried about what people thought of her, my name would put her at a higher standing. You were the complete opposite. It’s one of the things I loved most about you.” He gives a weak smile.
“Anyway, the highest crime that one can commit is murder. There is no tolerance for it, it’s automatic banishment. Morgan was so angry and jealous that she set you up. She killed a girl in the dorm you all shared, on the night of the ceremony. Her name was Sunny, she was such a sweet girl. Accepting of everyone. She was a year younger and had not been bonded yet. One of Morgan’s abilities is reality manipulation. She made sure people saw you leaving the room after it happened, not herself.”
“That’s kind of fucked up. Don’t people keep tabs on what abilities you all have? So things like that don’t happen.”
“Yes, they do. However, you don’t fully gain your abilities until after your Bonding Ceremony. You are tested when you start The Academy, and your abilities are brought to the forefront of your mind. You learn about them, and gain some control over them, but should not have full control until you’ve been bonded. Some abilities could kill the one in control, if they are not immortal yet. It’s a safeguard. It is extremely rare for an Immortalite to gain an ability before the Bonding Ceremony. Plus, most people feared Morgan and her family. Her family name was not of high standing, but it is an old name. One that comes from a long line of dark magic. A dark magic that we all thought to have been gone. No one wanted to believe that she was as powerful as she was. It’s the reason my family promised me to her, they were scared.” He looks up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes. He looks tired. So, very tired.
“But I thought you said it happened the night of the ceremony, so Morgan would have had her abilities.”
“Morgan pushed her ceremony to the following day. Told everyone that she was sick in bed that entire day. She had all ends covered.”
“Well, then. I’m not really sure what to say to that.” Taking another long sip of my drink.
“The next day the hunters came to get you. We were together at my house and they just took you. Threw you in jail until the hearing. They said I was an accomplice. That Sunny wanted to stop us from being together because she was in love with me, when really it was Morgan the entire time.
“It’s very important that you understand all of this and understand who and what you are. Now that you know this, you are a target. If…when Morgan finds out that you know, she will come find you again. We have to get you through the Bonding Ceremony so that you are safe. Then we must prove your innocents. The more knowledge you have of who you are, the more likely you are of popping up on the hunter’s radar as a rogue Immortalite and that would be bad news.”
I suck in a deep breath, holding it in for a moment. I let it out slowly, looking up to meet his eyes.
“I’m sorry. This is just a lot to take in. Tell me why I should believe you.”
Clearing his throat, he leans his forearms on the table, folding his hands together. He stays that way for a moment before looking up at me, his head cocked to the side. His hair, yet again with not a strand out of place. His eyes shadowed with a darkness that I can’t pinpoint.
“You trusted me once upon a time, with your life, quite literally. At your trial, you pleaded guilty. You told them that you did it and you worked alone. If we had both been found guilty then we both would have been banished. Even though I had been through my ceremony, the highest authority has the right to remove that bond and banish anyone that breaks a law worth the punishment. You told me that you trusted me to find you.” Letting out a sigh, he forces a smile.
Nodding my head, I take it all in. I take in everything he is saying to me. Is this true? Could this be possible? How am I supposed to believe this? My head tells me no way, there is no such thing. But there is this other part of me, a part that feels as if its home is the center of my being. My soul? Yeah, that. It’s telling me to trust him, urging me to believe everything he says.
Since the first day I met him, it’s felt as if there is an invisible string attached to us, both mentally and physically. Both of us on an end and now that I’ve been reeled in this close, it will not allow any slack to let me go back to what I once knew.
“How long have you been searching for me?”
“Little over a century.” He says with ease, shrugging a shoulder, trying to play it off like that isn’t a big deal. Like we’re simply chatting over the weather.
Wow, if that’s not loyalty then I don’t know what is. My center burns with need, either because this guy seems perfect and he wants me, or simply because of that smoky tone he uses when he tries to say something nonchalantly. I’m already starting to learn his tells, or maybe I’ve known them all along and now I am remembering.
“How did you find me now?”
“Hunters have an ability to set up something called a window. It is an invisible archway that they place all around the world to keep track of any new or rogue Immortalites. I was able to learn this ability and I have been placing windows in places I thought you might be, by instinct.”
“How did you know that I’d be here? I just moved here, and it was kind of a random thing.”
“I had a hunch that you would come back here.”
My mouth opens and closes a few tim
es, trying to speak words but they won’t seem to come out. Finally, I close my mouth, swallow, take a breath and try again.
“Come back?” I finally spit it out.
“We would sneak away to this area on the weekends. We had our first real date at the ice cream shop down the road.”
“Eva’s.”
Things are strangely starting to fit together. That must be why I’ve been both drawn to that place and freaked out by it, and probably why I zombie walked there.
“Yes, Eva’s. They’re root beer floats were your favorite. They’re famous for them you know.”
“So I’ve read.” I lean my head back and close my eyes because I need a moment to think. Not moving an inch, I ask my next questions. “What happens when someone like me goes through a window?”
“Everyone reacts differently, really. There are quite a few factors that come into play. For instance, how long it has been since you last had the knowledge of who you truly are, how many times you have been reborn, how powerful you are, things like that. The longer you go without it, the less it will affect you, but it will always alert the hunters. I had to be careful with placing them because if they found out that someone who was not a hunter, was setting up unauthorized windows, they’d be out looking for me, too. Everything we use our powers for, leaves a trace.” He clears his throat and takes a sip. “Some have flashbacks, some get sick, some get the feeling of déjà vu, many things can occur.” My eyes go wide before I realize what I’ve done, and he doesn’t miss a beat. A smirk sliding across his lips. “Have you been having odd dreams?”
My eyes narrow at him, “How did you know?”
“That’s the immortality inside of you trying to make you aware of what you are. Trying to help you to remember. The window acted as a sort of switch, that awoke the other part of you. Even if you do not know about that side of you, it is always there, trying to make itself known. That power does not like to be held back. Think of it as a kind of shadow, always with you but unable to do anything other than mimic your own moves, yet has a mind of it’s own. It must become quite frustrating, don’t you think? The Immortalite is trying to speak to you, but without a voice. Instead, it speaks to you through instinctual feelings.”
Raven jumps onto the table and settles down right in front of this stranger, purring and all. Odd. She’s afraid of everyone. He moves his hand from her head, down to her tail and she rolls her body into it. And then, this traitorous bitch has the audacity to roll over and allow him to rub her belly. No fucking way. Something occurs to me. I could be crazy, but now that I know he’s the one who has been in my house, maybe it isn’t that crazy after all.
“What is your name?”
He looks up from petting Raven.
“Jacob”
“Okay, Jacob. What is your ability?” I asked pointedly.
“I can influence animals.” His tone said it all, the smug look on his face wasn’t needed.
I knew it!
CHAPTER 12
“It was you.” I say it a little loud, I’m more excited than I should be, because this really isn’t a big deal, but damn do I love being right.
“I haven’t the faintest idea of what you mean.” His voice is filled with both cockiness and amusement, and he doesn’t try to hide it. Instead, he picks Raven up and puts her on his lap, grinning ear to ear. She curls into a ball and continues to purr. His bright earthy eyes meet mine, the cockiness turns into a burning fire, but it’s gone as soon as it showed. I clench my legs closed in reaction to the throbbing that is suddenly taking place down there.
My phone dings, startling me. I usually keep it on vibrate. Keeping my eyes on Jacob, I get up and walk towards my phone. Only looking away to enter the unlock code.
Andrew: Gonna stay through the weekend. Hoping for the funeral to be on Monday. Will keep you updated. XOXO.
How should I respond to that? I’m not sure how much I should put into it. Should I keep it short and simple, or should I add in the extra condolence stuff about Abe? I’m going back and forth between the two, lost in my thoughts, when I’m interrupted.
“Boyfriend?”
His unexpected voice causes me to jump, my heart skips a beat for the umpteenth time today. Why am I so jumpy? I’m never like this.
I don’t have to turn around to know that he’s right behind me, I can feel him. His energy radiates from him like a hooker’s perfume.
“Yes, actually. Is that a problem?” I turn to face him, taking a step back and crossing my arms over my chest. I don’t trust myself being that close to him. The longer we spend together, the more my body reacts to him and the harder it’s becoming to not ravage him.
“Not for me. “
What is that supposed to mean?
“He’s the one that’s going to be heart broken when you leave.”
“Who said I was leaving?” I purse my lips, slightly taken aback by his candor.
“Once you’ve realized that all I have said is true, when you realize that you can trust me, you will come to me and you will give me all of you. We will be together again.” His voice does things to me. Things that should not be happening, since I really do have a boyfriend and all. His voice, deep, yet soft and soothing, full of arrogance and confidence. Yet, he’s polite and refined. Just enough of everything, he’s like the perfect recipe.
Nothing pops into my head to give back to him. What does one say to something like that? Making my way back to the table, I pick up my drink, and finish it.
“Uh huh.” My voice betraying me and coming out in only a crackled whisper. “What are we supposed to do now?” I say, putting a little more oomph into it, not wanting him to see how weak I feel right now, and making sure to change the subject at the same time.
He moves towards me, stopping about half a foot away. No sense of personal space. Not complaining, the way I feel right now, I’d give my left foot for him to get closer. He moves closer, as if he can read my thoughts. Can he? My skin fills with goosebumps as his scent invades my nose. Taking a step back, I realize that I can’t because the table is there. My lower back hits the edge of it, I place both hands behind me, resting them on the table. I need all the help I can get to hold myself up. If it was possible to melt, it would actually be happening to me in this moment.
His scent, his voice, the hair…those eyes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he were a vampire. If he sparkles in the sun though, I’m done. That’s just too much. Do Immortalites have similar powers like that? Or is it just me being insanely attracted to this guy?
He is nothing that I have ever liked before, but right now he is everything that I want. The want in me is becoming unbearable. I am really upset that I didn’t get to take that bath, and right now it’s not about the water part, it’s the other thing that I was looking forward to doing. Maybe if I’d taken care of that earlier, I wouldn’t be acting like this right now. I wonder if I could take off to the bathroom quickly…the way I’m feeling right now, it would not take long at all.
I want to believe him. I want to be a part of this, of him. The feeling of wanting to trust him is growing and making a home in the front of my mind. I feel it running through my veins, I feel it in my chest. I want more of him. I need it. There is something pulling me to him, like a magnet. Something that I can’t explain.
I think I’m going to do it; I think that I am going to choose to believe him.
Tucking my hair behind my ear, he lets his finger brush down my cheek ever so slightly. Only stopping when he reaches my lips, his thumb rubbing back and forth over my bottom lip. I think I just let out a moan, but wow, I don’t even care. My eyes are closed, my lips have parted. The feeling of belonging washes over me. A feeling that is too unfamiliar to me, but do I love it. This feeling is like nothing I have ever felt before. The feeling of belonging to something, to someone.
What is he doing to me?
His lips are millimeters away from mine and I almost move in to kiss him, but I can’t move. I am so caught
up in him that I am frozen in place, reveling in the electricity running over my skin as he brushes his fingers over different places; my face, my arms, my hip. His breath has the slightest hint of mint and I wish more than anything that he would kiss me. I have no idea if I would be able to kiss him back, but something tells me that I would, and that it would be the most passionate kiss of my life. His hand moves to my hair, combing his fingers through my waves. I open my eyes to his heated gaze. My heartbeat quickens, the fluttering in my stomach grows stronger. I want him right down to my core. My legs tighten, and I move my hand to his chest. I want to pull him closer; I want to taste his lips and feel his need. I want to feel his fingers run over my skin and touch me in places that I shouldn’t be thinking about. It takes everything in me to not do that, though. I push him away, for the second time today.
“Is this some kind of trick?” Emphasizing the last word, but the whole thing comes out a bit rougher than I’d anticipated, trying to make up for my voice not working earlier.
“I beg your pardon?” He looks confused, genuinely confused.
“This. All of this.” I make a large circle with my hand, encompassing him and I.
“How do you do this to me? Is this like another one of your abilities or something? I don’t just swoon over random guys I meet. What are you doing to me?”
His eyes soften and a playful smile teases his lips.
“Asha, even if I could influence humans, I would never do that to you. Clearly, I don’t have to. What you’re feeling is the bond we had…have. It is strong, very strong. Yours recognizes me and it is trying to tell you that this is the path you should take. You should never fight your instincts. I am telling you this, however, I know that you are aware of this already. You can feel it.” He takes his finger and gently taps it over my heart a few times. Taking a step back, he crosses his arms.
