The Pull of Destiny (Undying Love, Book 2)

by Felicity Kross

  I agree with her. That’s the biggest thing that’s bothering me. Those were the actions of a Tasia I don’t know. I’m not saying she would never be able to kill anyone—especially under her now everyday circumstances. Still, I can’t believe she’d be able to do something like that without any sign or indication of remorse or hesitation. It’s just not who she is. She almost acted like a different person when she gave that werebeast an aconite pill. She didn’t even know he was for sure a werebeast.

  “What do you think Miguel, Sherri, and the other hunters are doing now?” I ask, changing the subject. It’s not my place to discuss what’s going on with Tasia beyond what we all know. My feelings on the subject are irrelevant.

  Blade sighs. “They probably went solo. I’m sure they’re still hunting, since that is the life they lead, but I haven’t heard anything from the EEA about members transferring to different branches or anything like that. I think it’s safe to say they left the EEA for good.”

  “Why is that?” I ask. “It’s not as if the EEA, the entire organization, has decided to work with angels as of yet.”

  Blade’s lips quirk into a small smile. “No, but do you really think they won’t end up siding with you angels? Those representatives, at least one representative per country that the EEA inhabits, should arrive here in about three days or less. If they all agree to assist the angels, to go along with this prophecy involving Tasia and getting rid of demons and monsters for good, then the angels really will have an army of humans on their side.” She folds her arms. “But if God knows all, and you’re an angel, you already know this is going to happen, don’t you?”

  I smile enigmatically. “Where’s Divya? I haven’t seen her today.”

  “She’s been spending all her time astral projecting,” Blade informs, a bite in her words. “I haven’t seen her either.”

  “Why’s she doing that?”

  Blade shrugs, but I can see the irritation clearly on her face. “At first she was doing it because she wanted to see what all the fuss was about when Arsen arrived here a couple days ago. She decided to follow Tasia and Cassius after the whole thing was settled. She tried to follow them to Ilenima. She couldn’t follow them after they reached a certain point at the base of a bridge in Wissahickon Valley Park, though. She said they just vanished into thin air. After she lost Tasia, she tried to locate Arsen again. I guess she saw him heading east. She’s been trying to locate him off and on ever since. She’s hardly even taking breaks at this point. She hasn’t had any luck yet, as far as I know. But she just won’t give up.”

  “I doubt it would be easy for her to find him,” I say.

  Blade shakes her head. “Who knows. She’s been absurdly tight-lipped about all of this.”

  Donovan slaps Blade on the back. “Try to cheer up, Commander. I’m sure she’ll talk to you when she’s ready.”

  Blade forcefully moves his hand away. “I don’t need comfort from you,” she informs. She turns her attention back onto me. “So did they really just vanish into thin air? I mean, Cassius and Tasia really went to some parallel world? It doesn’t exist on the same plane as ours?”

  “That’s right,” I say.

  Blade comments, “The spirit plane is like a different world—except not. It’s more like a different level of awareness, or so I’m told.”

  “Ilenima is more like a world within a world,” I say thoughtfully. “Here, in Terra, we can travel outside the world’s boundary and into outer space. In Ilenima, the sky has a limit.”

  “Really?” Blade asks with an eyebrow raised.

  “Of course, that’s only what I’ve been told. I can’t fly myself, so I’ve never tested the sky’s limit.”

  “Another world,” Donovan remarks. “Now that’s something I’d like to see. Think you can make that happen, Rynne?”

  I shake my head solemnly. “Sorry, Donovan, but I don’t have that kind of power.”

  “I sure would like to learn more about this Ilenima though,” Blade says aloud.

  “Maybe I can tell you more later, or Tasia could,” I say. “But right now I’d like to talk to Divya. Do you know where she is?”

  “She’s just hiding out in her room,” Blade informs. “Good luck talking to her. I’m not sure what you’re going to get out of her.”

  “We’ll see,” I agree. “If she’s somehow managed to keep tabs on Arsen, I’d like to know about it.”

  “Wouldn’t we all?” Blade mutters.

  I excuse myself and make my way to Divya’s room. Along with Blade, Divya is one of the most sought after people in this base. That’s why I know where her room is located. I’m pretty sure every hunter here knows.

  I knock on Divya’s door soon as I’m outside. She doesn’t answer. I’m almost certain she’s inside. I try jiggling the handle. It isn’t locked. Even though it’s rude, I decide to let myself in.

  Divya is sitting in a cross-legged position with her hands in a mudra on her thighs. She’s sitting deathly still. Her skin is sticky with sweat. Suddenly, she gasps and her eyes open.

  “Are you all right?” I ask her.

  Her eyes flicker back and forth for a moment before they settle on me. She offers a weak nod of her head.

  “I’ll get you some water,” I say.

  I make a quick run to the kitchen and fill a glass with water. Then I return to her room. She takes the glass of water gratefully and drinks it.

  “Feeling better?” I ask.

  She seems much more coherent now, though I sense hesitation in the air. She swirls her glass a few times, before draining the last of the water from it. She opens her mouth as if she’s ready to speak, but then she closes it again. She observes me closely, without blinking.

  “Is something troubling you?” I ask cautiously.

  “We fought a demon before,” she whispers. “A natural demon, as you call them. We were able to do it because we were prepared, and you were with us. I’m told there was a demon leading that attack on our base that night, too. I’m sure that fight was just as terrifying as what I saw. Demons are truly terrifying.”

  She hugs herself and shudders.

  “Are you saying you were able to find Arsen after all?” I ask, matching my voice to hers.

  “I have found him. I found him soon after the first time Cassius took Tasia away. I searched frantically for him, and I was somehow able to find his location all because I noticed he was traveling farther east. I followed him to an alcove on the East Coast. I had to take breaks in between, but he was still there when I went to check up on him again. This time I saw him confront another demon. They both shifted into these monstrous beasts without any human resemblance. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The elements, the world itself was fighting alongside them. In the end, Arsen ripped into this other beast, much larger than him, and he devoured his heart piece by piece.” Divya rubs her temples and groans. “I couldn’t watch anymore after that,” she says. “That’s when you came into my room.”

  “Div—”

  “Don’t say anything,” she says. “If you really love Tasia, you need to do everything in your power to protect her from these demons. I heard what her destiny is, but she can’t do it on her own. It is our fate to fight this evil. Not Tasia alone. We all need the support of each other. Humans and angels alike.”

  “I will do my best to protect her,” I assure.

  Divya closes her eyes and eases back into a cross-legged position with her hands in a mudra.

  “You should rest,” I say.

  “I have to do this,” she says. “I need to see these things with my own eyes. I need to understand the demon that is somehow connected to Tasia. This is what I can do to help protect her. I have to do this.”

  As much as I want to tell her that she’s done more than enough, I can’t bring myself to. Tasia is important to Divya. She’s important to me too, and I want her to have all the support she can get.

  I YAWN AND STRETCH in Cassius’s comfortable bed. Rays of the
sun greet me through the window and the frost crystals themselves. I spent all day yesterday with Cassius. He showed me a lot of things in the Crystal Oasis. We didn’t make it to the edge, to the cloud covering I could see beyond the province, but he told me there was no reason to. He said down below that covering is where demons live. He said he wouldn’t be showing me that. I’m okay with that though. Zenith is more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen before. Sleeping here is the best, too. I actually sleep the whole night when I sleep in this world. Maybe it’s because of Cassius’s comfortable bed.

  I slip out from under the covers. I’m not even reluctant to do that here. Being under the blankets is like being in a cozy cocoon, but it isn’t hard to leave that cocoon like it is in my world because it’s always the perfect temperature here.

  This time around Cassius had clothes in my size prepared for me. I start by taking off the white nightgown I was given, and replace it with a pair of shorts and a plain shirt. Now I look like the other angels—except I’m not half as beautiful as they are. It’s something I could easily feel bad about, but all the angels are friendly; I never feel that out of place even though I probably should.

  When I’m all ready for the day, I sit back on the bed. Cassius said an angel would come and bring me breakfast this morning, but he didn’t say when.

  I play with the crystals around my neck. They’ve changed my life a lot. I’ve done things I never thought I’d be able to do. I’ve kept my emotions in check in ways I never thought would be possible. These crystals are more powerful than anything I know.

  My black diamond is warm to my touch while my white diamond seems neutral at the moment, but I could swear my black diamond is telling me something. I feel a surge of energy in my chest. I want to see Cassius. I just saw him last night before I went to sleep, but I want to see him again. I feel like I need to.

  I look at my bare feet as I kick them out against the bed and they spring back against the mattress. I glance at the door several times, waiting for the angel that’s supposed to bring me breakfast, but it doesn’t look like they have any intention of coming anytime soon. My thoughts turn back to Cassius, and I decide I don’t want to wait any longer. There’s nothing for me to do here by myself anyway. I get off the bed and touch the frost crystal floor with my feet. Despite the frost crystals’ name, the floor isn’t cold. I guess in a way it is, but it isn’t unpleasant. It’s a refreshing coolness.

  I open the door quietly and peek around, looking left and right at opposite ends of the hall. I don’t see any angels around at the moment—not that it matters. I’m acting like I’m sneaking around and doing something I’m not supposed to, but Cassius has made it clear that I’m pretty much allowed to do whatever I want. He won’t mind that I left early.

  I walk through long winding corridors and pass by rooms and closed doors until I come to a set of large doors, similar to and not far from the entrance doors, to find them open. I have never been in this room before, but it looks like a medieval throne room—except for all the fantastical aspects, that is; I know medieval castles weren’t made out of frost crystals. There’s a red rug rolled out all the way from where the doors start to the throne itself. It’s a bit of a distance, but I can see Cassius standing on the steps there, discussing something with another angel dressed in robes like his.

  I decide to inch closer, taking quiet steps. They probably noticed I’m here by now. Angels have crazy senses like that. I’m trying to be quiet just because I don’t want to disturb them. They might be talking about something important.

  My black diamond grows hot against my chest the closer I get to Cassius. I have to take my crystals out from under my shirt to avoid getting burned. What is it about Cassius and this crystal?

  As I knew he would eventually, Cassius looks right at me. There’s a tenderness in his eyes, and a soft smile on his lips. The angel he’s speaking with turns around to face me as well. I can’t discern his expression. It isn’t hostile or anything, but he doesn’t look friendly either. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him around here before.

  I’m just about to where they are when the angel says, “Thank you, Oracle. I’ll leave you to it then.”

  As soon as I’m in front of Cassius, the angel leaving offers me a smile as he walks down the red rug and exits the throne room.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t get lost,” Cassius remarks, bringing my attention back to him.

  “Same here,” I say. “Who was that angel you were talking to?”

  “He is one of the luminaries. Luminaries have similar duties to the oracle; however, they do not hear and receive God’s messages themselves. There is one luminary per highland province. They keep everything in running order and are in charge of the different demon cities that are part of their territory.”

  I recall seeing other masses of land that seemed to float on the clouds like this one when I looked out into the distance from the Crystal Oasis yesterday. He said the angels live on the lands I could see above the clouds and that demons live on the lands I couldn’t see below the clouds.

  I ask, “So are luminaries very powerful? How do they keep everything in order?”

  “They are powerful,” Cassius confirms, “but each luminary also has a crystal that helps expand and enhance their light, making it easier for them to keep peace. That luminary was having some trouble with his crystal, so I was tuning it for him.”

  “I must be a pain to be the only one who can tame crystals,” I remark.

  “It isn’t so bad,” he comments. “I am trying to teach luminaries how to tame crystals as well, but it’s a process that hasn’t shown great results so far. Still, I remain optimistic. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.”

  I look up at him in admiration. I feel like my heart is going to burst.

  “This world would be a real mess without you,” I say.

  He regards me thoughtfully as he says, “Perhaps.”

  I have this really powerful urge to hug him right now. I don’t know why. I just want to hug him. I resist the urge because I don’t want to spring something like that on him all of a sudden. I don’t even understand the feeling myself. My black diamond is so hot right now. I can feel it through the fabric of my shirt.

  “Cassius,” I say forlornly, “is something wrong with me?”

  “Explain what you mean,” he says tenderly.

  “Am I swayed easily? My emotions? Those feelings I’ve had for Arsen, I shouldn’t have had them. Sometimes it’s like I have no control over my feelings at all.”

  “There is a connection between you and Arsen. That is why he affects you so. However, you will overcome that. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

  “But what about now?”

  “Now?” he asks.

  “I feel like I have a connection to you, too,” I whisper, placing my hand gently over my black diamond to feel its heat on my hand.

  “Is that black diamond bothering you?” Cassius asks, as he watches my hand.

  I don’t know what to say. I don’t feel bothered exactly, just confused.

  “Give me your black diamond,” he says.

  I take off my necklace and I slip the black diamond off the silver chain, handing it to Cassius. Our fingers brush for only a moment, but as they make contact, I feel the diamond grow even hotter. I draw back in surprise. Cassius’s hand engulfs the crystal, apparently unaffected by the heat, and he slips the black diamond into a pocket in his robes.

  “Is the feeling still there?” he asks.

  I stand thoughtfully for a moment. My heart is beating normally again. I don’t have that strange urge to hug Cassius anymore, and I think I feel more like myself. Or maybe not like myself.

  I feel empty.

  “You’re right,” I say. “I don’t feel it anymore.”

  I look up at Cassius to see him purse his lips. The color in his eyes stalls, the always changing colors frozen on a muddied brown, and then he replies, “I can tune your white diamond further so that
it protects you from spirits the same way this black diamond does. That way you’ll only have one crystal to keep track of.”

  A rush of anxiety floods through my body and I blurt, “But these crystals belong together! We can’t separate them like that.”

  I clench my hands into fists. I don’t know why I said that. I’ve had this black diamond for years, and I just got that white diamond recently. However, I feel like they should never be separated.

  “I can’t stop you from feeling this… connection to me if you keep the black diamond,” Cassius says quietly.

  “Why not?” I ask.

  “The sensation you’re feeling comes from this black diamond,” he answers.

  “Why? Can’t you just modify it like the white one?”

  Cassius locks his gaze onto me, unblinking. “This black diamond does not belong to me.”

  I frown. “It seems to think otherwise. It seems to like you a lot.”

  He smiles, but it’s not the same smile that I’m used to. There’s something there. Maybe it’s in the way that his lips twitch slightly at the corners. Maybe it’s the way his eyes have dulled to a darker shade.

  “That diamond isn’t mine to modify. I am not the one who tamed it,” he says quietly.

  A flicker of understanding sparks inside my head. “Leo,” I say, having an epiphany. “This is the crystal Leo tamed.”

  “Yes. When you were being bombarded with spirits, I needed to get you a crystal as soon as possible. I didn’t have time to tame one myself, and only the endless compassion that is potent in this crystal was enough to save you.”

  “Even though it wasn’t made for me?”

  “Even though it wasn’t made for you.”

  “Did he tame it for someone specifically?” I ask.

  “It doesn’t matter. What matters is what he left inside of the crystal,” Cassius says as he walks by me and places a hand on my shoulder. “You must be hungry. Let’s get you some breakfast.”