by Todd, E. L.
Accacia felt Pia rub her face against her cheek, trying to dispel the melancholy that had stiffened her body. She had no memories of the island, but she knew her parents had been killed the same day. She felt the depression sink into her heart. “I didn’t realize.”
The slight breeze ruffled through the leaves of the trees, making them dance under the radiance of the sun. Accacia looked outside the window and watched the landscape for a moment then sighed deeply. Zyle reached out and clasped her hand, feeling her delicate skin under his calloused fingers. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry, too.” Accacia knew Zyle had lost his life partner in the flood, just as almost everyone else. She knew he lost his closest friend, her father, along with the other friends and family members he cared for. Accacia leaned her body into his, and he pressed his face into her neck, taking solstice in her presence. The pain that consumed his body had diminished, almost disappeared, since Accacia had come into his life. She made him feel whole and complete, like nothing else would ever cause him pain. As long as he had Accacia, everything would be okay. Every year this day was agonizing, and the memories on the island flooded his mind and crippled his heart, but this year was different. He knew Accacia chased away his depression. “I love you,” she said. They were the only words she could say to comfort him. Nothing else would matter.
“And I love you,” he whispered back. He pulled his face from her shoulder and looked into her eyes. They smoldered in dying embers as the sadness crept into her features. He knew she mourned for herself as well as his first life partner, who he had been committed to for one hundred years. “There will be a memorial service tonight at the Vidal Tree, the one that stands in the middle of the marketplace. We hold a vigil there every year, never forgetting what happened to our kin.”
“I would like to go,” she said.
“As would I.”
“Is it a ceremony?”
“No,” he said. “We stand under the beacons that light the trees, silently praying for the lost lives of our kin and their souls. There are no speeches, words or remembrance. We just stand together, thinking of our lost loved ones.” Zyle felt his heart catch in his throat when he thought of Cassandra. He still missed her, but not as much as he did before. Accacia completed him in a way she never did. He felt guilty for moving on, and he felt even worse knowing how much happier he was with Accacia than he ever was with her. Zyle loved Cassandra completely and was devoted to her and was happy with their time together, but it was nothing in comparison to his love for Accacia. She triumphed over everything.
Accacia caught his saddened expression. “What can I do?” she asked gently.
“You are already doing it.” He smiled. She kissed his cheeks and he closed his eyes at her touch, savoring the feel of her lips on him. He sighed as she ran her hands through his hair and down his face. Accacia pressed her mouth against his and kissed him gently, making him sigh involuntarily. She chased away the pain, overpowering the attention of his heart just as she always did.
Accacia pulled away and looked at him for a moment. Koku still rested on his shoulder and rubbed his face against Zyle’s cheek, comforting his best friend. Pia still chirped from her shoulder, but the couple was oblivious to both of them. They only had eyes for each other.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she whispered.
“There is nothing to say.”
“You never mention her.”
“I know you don’t want to hear about Cassandra, my former life partner. You read my journal—you know how much I loved her. I would never burden you with those feelings. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m your best friend, Zyle.” She kissed his lips then pulled away. “You can tell me anything. Even if you wanted to kill Koku because he was pestering you for more seeds, I would listen.”
Zyle laughed at her words. “Well, I think if Koku and I fought to the death, I would lose.”
“Yes, you probably would.” She smiled.
Koku nodded his head. Then, he nibbled on his ear harder than he normally did.
Zyle flinched at the bite. “Okay,” he said. “You made your point, Koku.”
Koku cooed in apology.
“Tell me.” Accacia encouraged him.
The room was silent for a moment before he spoke. Koku remained quiet on his shoulder, and only the breeze through the trees could be heard in the eave. Accacia waited patiently for him to speak, understanding how hard it was for him to discuss his former lover, his life partner for fifty years.
“I just—miss her. Cassandra didn’t deserve her fate. Just knowing she drowned to death—alone—makes me lose my mind. It shouldn’t have happened to her. I should have saved her. Until I met you, I wished I had died in her place. And now that I am so happy with you, I feel guilty. You are perfect for me in every way, completing the other half of my soul. I—I am overwhelmed with guilt at times.”
“Wouldn’t Cassandra want you to be happy?”
“Yes,” he said. “And I know she is happy for me.”
“What was she like?”
Zyle reached up and stroked Koku’s feathers before he spoke, accepting his apology for biting him. “She was—beautiful, caring, passionate, daring, sometimes argumentative,” he said with a smile. “Cassandra was an amazing woman. Henral and Portisha loved her as well. She and your mother were very close.”
Accacia nodded. “I’m sorry that you lost her, Zyle.”
He nodded. “Thank you. And I appreciate how understanding you are. I know that wasn’t easy to hear.”
“If she was important to you, then she is important to me as well. She deserves to be in your heart as much as I am, even if I am your soul mate.”
Zyle smiled at her. Accacia’s lack of jealousy of his love for Cassandra surprised him. When she discussed Aleco, he couldn’t be so objective. It bothered him when she mentioned him. Zyle had to remind himself that the situations were completely different. First of all, Aleco was still alive, and secondly, Accacia hadn’t been apart from him very long. Zyle had mourned Cassandra for twenty years before he moved on—he had much more time. And even though Accacia had only loved Zyle for a short period of time, he was confident in her love for him. He knew she loved him in a way she never loved Aleco. He was her soul mate—he triumphed over Aleco—dead or alive. “I loved Cassandra with my whole heart and I have since the day I met her, but now—I realize it is nothing in comparison to my feelings for you. I love you in a way that I never loved her.” Zyle looked into her eyes for a moment. “I want you to know how much I love you—you are everything to me. I will always protect you because I can’t stand the idea of losing you. I already lost Cassandra, and I will ensure that nothing ever happens to you. I would give my life in your defense.”
Accacia smiled at him. “I know,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. “I knew that without you telling me. I would give my life to protect you as well.”
“I don’t doubt that,” he said as he kissed her hand. Zyle pulled her toward him and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her to his chest. “I am always overcome with grief on this day—the anniversary of the death of Cassandra—and somehow you make me feel happy, joyful.”
She returned his embrace. “You have chased my pain away as well, Zyle.” They held each other for a moment, enjoying the feel of their hearts beating together, and they sat in silence for several minutes. Zyle couldn’t believe he had lived without her for so long. The past twenty years wouldn’t have been so torturous if she had been with him. The thoughts of suicide would never have occurred. He was happy that he got to spend the rest of eternity with his soul mate. No matter what happened he would never be apart from her.
The beacons glowed bright in the branches of the Vidal tree, shining down at the Asquithians that stood at the base of the stump. Some of the mourners were crying, openly weeping for the loss of their home and their lost loved ones. The entire population of the Asquithians surrounded the base of
the tree. Even Roxian was there. Zyle had allowed her to leave the prison in the Tower to mourn and pray to the Nature God. Zyle loathed Roxian completely, but he was a king now. He couldn’t punish her for her personal transgression. She had the right to mourn for her homeland as well.
Accacia looked up into the tree and admired the beauty of the beacons that lit their city. The Canu birds sat in the branches of the Vidal Tree, but they didn’t sing their usual song. They were silent. Zyle held her hand as they walked into the crowd. He wore the same clothes she had met him in. The black pants and Asquithian green shirt. They stopped behind the crowd of people gathered at the base and stood in silence. Accacia leaned into Zyle and kissed him on the cheek, silently comforting him. Talking was prohibited and was deemed disrespectful when they acknowledged the death of the island. Accacia kept her silence and wrapped her arm around his waist, feeling the contours of his body against her own. Zyle leaned down and kissed her forehead, displaying his love for her and acknowledging her comfort.
Accacia spotted Laura in the crowd. She wore her typical attire, the tan shorts and matching green top, and she stared up into the canopy of the tree. She didn’t seem upset or emotional at the gathering, but Accacia knew her stoic features meant nothing. Accacia suspected a wave of emotion was coursing through her, reaching her heart in a blast of pain. She wanted to comfort her aunt.
The stars covered the sky above their heads and added light to the forest floor. The warm air circled through Accacia’s hair and blew the strands from her shoulder, comforting her and her kin at the base of the tree. The moisture of the air clung to her skin and made it shine in the light of the tree. Accacia appraised the mourning features of her kin and her gaze fell on Roxian, who met her look with a smile. She was standing in between two warriors who were watching her movements, supervising her visit to the tree. The hate that coursed through Accacia’s body surprised her. She hadn’t felt the sensation in a long time. Roxian didn’t remove her gaze, clearly challenging her in a public place. She was getting under Accacia’s skin and she knew it. Accacia turned away and ignored her look. She didn’t know a woman could be so spiteful.
Zyle had his head bowed with his eyes closed, praying to the Nature God in silence. Accacia waited for him to finish before she disturbed him. She leaned into his ear until her lips were pressed against his skin. “I’m going to comfort Laura,” she whispered. Zyle nodded his understanding. He watched her walk away to Laura then returned his gaze to the tree, thinking about the loss of Cassandra.
The Asquithians moved slightly so Accacia could pass through the crowd, approaching her mentor a few feet away. When she reached Laura, she grabbed her hand and smiled at her, silently assuring her of her comfort. Laura smiled back, but Accacia could see the formation of tears in her eyes. She knew she missed her life partner.
Laura wrapped her arm around Accacia’s waist and let herself fall under the weight of despair, crying quietly with her niece by her side. She finally felt safe enough to weep. The warrior couldn’t keep her up strength and hold back her grief. She had lost so much. Her only comfort was Accacia, her only remaining relative.
She trembled under the weight of her tears, and Accacia tightened her hold on her aunt and gave into the despair as well. Accacia mourned the death of her parents, two people she had never known. She wished she could remember them. Zyle’s memory in his Soul Catcher was a blissful encounter, but Accacia wished she had her own memories. Experiences that she had shared with them. She even mourned for Cassandra. Accacia knew Zyle had been lonely in despair for the past twenty years. The idea of Zyle being in pain made her heart squeeze. She finally forced back the tears and blinked away her blurry vision, returning it to a normal sight. When she turned her gaze back to Zyle, her heart dropped.
Roxian was standing beside Zyle, and they were looking at each other. No words were shared, but they stared at each other. Neither one of them removed their gaze. Accacia felt the anger rise in her throat when she recalled Roxian’s advance on her life partner. She felt the jealousy course in her veins. She saw Roxian reach out to grab Zyle’s hand, but he pulled it away from her reach.
Accacia left her aunt’s side and marched back through the crowd, maneuvering through the Asquithians with the speed of lightning. She didn’t understand the unbridled anger that coursed through her body. She knew Zyle would never return her affection, but the idea drove her insane anyway. Zyle looked up when she reached him, and his eyes widened in fear. He didn’t know what was going to happen. Roxian ignored Accacia altogether and continued to look at Zyle like he belonged to her exclusively.
The sight of them so close together made Accacia furious. They were at a public ceremony that honored the loss of their homeland and all Roxian wanted was to seduce Zyle. It was completely inappropriate. Accacia grabbed Zyle’s face and kissed him passionately just to prove her point; Zyle was hers. She pulled away and grabbed his hand, leading him away from Roxian and toward Laura, who she left standing alone in the gathering. Zyle followed behind her and hugged Laura when he reached her, silently comforting her. Accacia looked over at Roxian, but she continued to smile at her, unaffected by her obvious display of affection. Accacia looked away and focused her thoughts on why they were here. To mourn the loss of their kin.
The three of them walked back to their eave down the dirt road in the forest. Laura said nothing as they headed home in the darkness. The warrior was at a loss for words. Even after all this time, she still missed her life partner. Laura was happy that Zyle had found Accacia. He no longer had to live under the weight of grief.
Accacia and Zyle hugged Laura before they walked up the stairs to their home high in the treetops. Zyle and Accacia hadn’t discussed what happened with Roxian. Zyle knew Accacia would say something as soon as they were alone.
They walked into the bedroom and Accacia tore off her clothes before she climbed into bed. She was exhausted from the cacophony of emotions from the evening. They ranged from crazed jealousy to overwhelming loss. Zyle pulled back the sheet and came into bed beside her. He waited for her to speak. Zyle knew she was furious. The emotions emitting from her body declared her unbridled rage.
“I love you,” he said. “Please remember that.”
Accacia looked out the window and sighed. She knew how emotional she was being over the situation. It was unnecessary. “You’re right, Zyle. I apologize.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Accacia. That isn’t what I meant. Just remember that I don’t want her—just you.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his chest. She cuddled next to him and felt his beating heart with her palm. “She lost Cassandra too. Roxian is just lonely, Accacia. She wasn’t trying to press her advantage.”
“It didn’t look that way.”
“Well, I wouldn’t lie to you, Accacia.” Her eyes softened at his words. She knew he never would. “I hate her, Accacia. I want nothing to do with her. My hatred for her came into being long before she tried to kill you—now it is potent. I want nothing to do with her. I made an exception tonight—because of Cassandra. I’m sorry that I upset you.”
Accacia wrapped her arm around his neck and pressed her forehead against his. “I’m sorry, Zyle. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. When I saw her—I—just felt so angry. It won’t happen again.”
“I completely understand. You don’t have to say any more.”
“I just hope I didn’t embarrass you.”
“Are you joking?” he asked. “Look at you, Accacia. How could you ever embarrass me? You are just claiming your territory—I don’t mind in the least. In fact, you should do it more often.”
“So every time I see you speak to a woman I should overreact?” she asked with a laugh.
“Whatever gets you to kiss me.” He smiled. “Or do other things, for that matter.”
Accacia grabbed his face and kissed him, pulling him on top of her. She reached under the sheets and stroked him gently, arousing him instantly. Zyle inserted himself
within her and melted at his connection with her, feeling her intimately. Accacia grabbed his hips and pulled him further inside of her as she moaned. Zyle could feel her soul within his own as he joined his body with hers. It was an odd sensation, one that always felt novel. Accacia felt his soul within hers as well, and her body shook at the feeling, overcome with the pleasure of their interaction. She gripped his back as he rocked inside of her, and whispered his name as he made love to her, overwhelmed with emotions erupting in her body. Accacia felt her climax more than once as she felt him within her, and she couldn’t stop herself from gasping. Zyle thrust inside of her. “I love you, Accacia,” he whispered to her.
“I love you, Zyle.”
Her affectionate words made him crumble within her, and he gripped her hips as he lost himself to her, emptying his entire contents within her body. Zyle enjoyed her possessiveness of him and it made him feel more aroused than ever. He whispered her name as he lost himself to her. She grabbed his face and kissed him gently. Zyle lied down beside her and enveloped her into his arms. “I am yours for eternity, Accacia.”
Zyle looked over at Accacia, waiting for her to respond to his words, but she was already asleep.
Canu
49
Accacia and Zyle were having breakfast the next morning when Laura came to visit. “Good morning.” She smiled as she walked through the doorless entrance.
Accacia rose from the table and walked to the kitchen counter. “Would you like some breakfast, Laura?”
“Yes, please.”
The three sat down to eat. Accacia had baked banana walnut bread and prepared a side of mango slices. Laura swallowed her bread before she spoke.
