“I’m taking her to Rosario’s. They have the most choices for food, so I figured she’d like that. Then after dinner if she’s up for it, I wanted to take her to some of the shops in town.”
“Sounds like a perfect first date, and I think she’ll love it.” Mom said. “Just don’t stay out too late. Maybe since you’ll have spent the evening together, you won’t need to stay in her room tonight?”
“I apologize to both of you. I meant no disrespect. I should’ve asked you if it was okay.” Lucas said.
Now was probably a good time for me to step in. Poor guy didn’t need to be tortured by my parents.
“Will you two leave him alone? It’s not like I’m some fifteen-year-old going on her first date. I’m an adult, and he can visit my room anytime he wants.” I said.
I walked over to Lucas and he rewarded me with those dimples I loved so much.
“As long as he’s just visiting that’s fine with us.” Dad said.
I felt the burn of my cheeks turning ten shades of red and decided we’d had enough conversation tonight.
“I can’t believe you just said that.” I shook my head. “Lucas, I think we should be on our way now.”
I grabbed his hand and headed out the front door. The moment we stepped outside, the cool evening air hit my face and I instantly felt better. After a day of training and that little conversation, this night was exactly what I needed to relax.
“By the look on your face, I assume you want to walk to town?” Lucas asked.
“You would assume correct.” I leaned into his shoulder as we walked. “So, I had another message in my book from the Fates today. I read it after I came home.”
“What did they say?”
“That instead of three days, we need to leave within two days to go to the forest and that I’ll understand soon why I’ve been struggling.”
I really didn’t want to tell him I’d been struggling. I didn’t want to explain it and then sound selfish, but he needed to know.
“Why do you look so sad?” Lucas stopped and turned to me. “Talk to me and get it off your chest.”
“I just don’t want to do this.” I sighed heavily. “I miss my life in Portland that was so well planned and I knew exactly what was going to happen. I miss life being normal without magical surprises. If I could go home and not lose the memory of those closest to me, I might’ve already done it.”
Lucas didn’t say anything for several moments and I thought I had upset him. This wasn’t the conversation I’d wanted to have on our first date.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” I said. “Let’s forget about it and enjoy the evening.”
“No, I’m glad you said something. I was just thinking that if you truly weren’t happy and decided to go back to Earth with no magic or memories, that I’d go with you.” He smiled reassuringly. “You need to tell me if you decide to do something like that, because I’ll follow you Kali. I have nothing left here if you leave.”
Cheese and rice. I didn’t expect that kind of response from him. I figured he’d try to talk me out of thinking anything like that, not tell me he’d follow me. I didn’t think I could leave my parents and Jordan, but it was nice to know my options had changed.
Lucas pulled me closer to him and gave a sweet, quick kiss to my forehead.
“Let’s keep walking and get to dinner.” Lucas said. “I’m hoping we can finish dinner before it’s dark and I can show you some of my favorite places in town.”
We continued walking along the path to town. I was still amazed at how simple everything was here. There were no cars and no big production plants to pollute the air. People either walked or ported to where they needed to be and everyone was friendly and helped each other out.
All goods purchased and services offered were on a barter system, so there was no physical currency here. Everyone was equal and I loved that. If only Arvata was Utopia and there wasn’t evil lurking around waiting to ruin everything wonderful about it.
We arrived at the restaurant and were led to a table next to a window. I looked outside and was blown away. There was a beautiful meadow below us with yellow, red, orange and purple flowers covering every square inch. Surrounding the meadow were various-sized, moss-covered rocks and a small creek running behind it all.
“What a gorgeous view.” I said.
“Best view I’ve ever seen.” Lucas said without looking away from me.
I blushed and smiled back at him. He was making it entirely too easy to fall for him. I reached across the table and held his hand.
“Thank you.” I said. “So, what’s your favorite thing to do around here when you’re not working?”
“I do a lot of hiking, fishing and exploring.” Lucas said. “When we get back from the forest, I’ll take you to a place I found that I think you’ll love.”
“I’m sure I will.” I gave his hand a squeeze. “Do you keep the fish or let them go?”
“I keep them and bring them to restaurants in town like this one. Sometimes I’ll keep one or two for myself, but not often.” He laughed. “The people here can cook much better than I can.”
I loved to hear him laugh. He didn’t do it a lot and his deep throaty laugh made my stomach fill with flutters. I knew the bond was trying to pull us together, but I was certain if I’d met him back in Portland, I would’ve fallen for him regardless.
“So, besides those things, do you have family or friends here you hang out with often? I haven’t seen anyone but Oliver.”
Lucas’s whole demeanor changed when I asked that. His body became rigid and his eyes went a little dark. I reached out again with both hands and gave his arm a squeeze.
“We don’t have to talk about it,” I said quietly when he didn’t respond.
He let out a sigh and his eyes met mine. I could see the hurt that was within the depths and I couldn’t believe I had missed it before. My heart was breaking for him and I didn’t even know what had caused his pain.
“I don’t have any living family,” Lucas said. “It was just my parents and I, and they were killed during the Dark Spirit War. Arvata lost a lot of good people during that time period.”
My chest was tight with worry and disbelief. I could see how much their deaths still plagued him and I wanted nothing more than to take that pain away from him. A few tears trailed down my face and Lucas reached up to wipe them up.
“Don’t cry for me,” He said. “The loss of my parents will always hurt, but I’ve learned everything happens for a reason. The day they died, I was with your parents, protecting them. If I hadn’t been there for them, we could have lost your parents and then you’d never have been born. I would have been alone forever.”
“Thank you,” I said.
When my mom said Lucas had sacrificed much for our family, I didn’t understand what that meant until now. I can only imagine the guilt he had felt for protecting my family instead of his.
The waiter arrived then, ending the conversation and we ordered dinner. When food arrived, I decided dinner was not the right thing to call it. This was a feast and I could barely put a dent in it.
“You said to order the sampler if I couldn’t choose.” I rolled my eyes. “This is not a sampler.”
“Just try a bite of everything so next time we come, you’ll know what you want to order.” Lucas said.
I did as he suggested and then immediately regretted it afterwards. Lucas helped me from my chair when we were done and I groaned from the effort it took to get up. I was stuffed, but I did find a few favorites so his plan worked.
“Are you going to be able to make it if we take a stroll through town?” Lucas smiled.
“I think so. I need to walk off the million calories I just consumed anyway.” I grabbed his arm for support as we walked out the door. “The grilled salmon and bacon wrapped chicken were my favorites.”
We turned right toward the main part of town. People were milling about with smiles on their faces. Everyone here dressed similar to pe
ople back home, but I still felt like I was in a different time. People were not this nice and genuine on Earth.
“Let’s head in here.” Lucas said.
He took me into a small boutique with trinkets hanging from every wall and surface. I was surrounded by so many things, I wasn’t sure where to start.
“Look around and see if you find anything you like.” He said. “I fixed the owner’s porch a while back, so we can get whatever we want.”
I went to the first aisle and it was full of hand-carved items ranging from spoons to large jewelry boxes. Whoever made these put a lot of effort and passion into their job.
The second aisle had glass items. There were fine crystals to large punch bowls. What had caught my eye though was a hand-blown glass ball. The ornament swirled with blues and greens and sparkled like the stars. I had to have this.
I picked the ball up and turned to Lucas to show him.
“Good choice.” He said. “Reminds me of Earth. Do you want to keep looking while I have the owner wrap it up?”
“Sure,” I said. “Then let’s head back toward home. I’m going to be in a food coma soon from dinner.”
I walked through a couple more aisles before Lucas made it back. He handed me the box the glass ball had been wrapped in, complete with a red bow on top.
We continued walking down the same street and I saw a few more shops I’d be coming back to check out with Jordan and Mom.
The moon had come out before we made it home and the stars were so bright here. The night sky was midnight blue instead of the black I was used to and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. I took a moment to look up and appreciate the beauty of it all when we got back to my house.
“Thank you for this.” I lifted the box. “And for tonight, I had a really good time.”
Lucas’s hand caressed my face and I leaned into it. He was so gentle and treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
“You’re welcome. I’d be happy to have nights like this anytime you’d like.”
Lucas leaned in and I hoped I wasn’t about to get another kiss to the forehead. While I appreciated him taking things slow, my body and heart were craving just a bit more tonight and for once my head wanted the same things.
I leaned forward ever so slightly and that was all he needed to know I was okay with more.
Lucas’s lips met mine and they were soft, yet firm. His hand tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss. I gripped his shirt with my free hand to help keep me standing while my knees trembled. He pulled back all too soon and smiled at me.
“I should let you get some sleep. We have another long day tomorrow.” Lucas said. “I’ll meet you here in the morning and we can go with Jordan and Kane to training again.”
I wasn’t ready for the night to be over and I definitely didn’t want to think about training again, but he was right, I did need sleep.
“I really want you to come in and stay a little longer.” I said with a pout.
“We’ll have more nights like this when Arvata is back to normal, I promise.” He leaned in and kissed me one more time. It was equally as amazing as the first time but also too quick. “Sleep well blue eyes. I’ll see you in the morning.”
And just like that he was gone, but that was one hell of an exit. I couldn’t wait for more nights like this. I thanked the Fates for deciding he was right for me and me for him.
Chapter Seven
I woke up early the next morning and headed downstairs to find my mom. I needed some quality mother, daughter time. I found her curled up on the couch, reading a book.
“Morning, Mom.” I said. “Mind if I join you?”
She put her book on the side table and patted the seat next to her.
“Of course not, sweet girl.” Mom smiled. “You’re up earlier than I expected.”
“I went to bed early,” I laughed. “The place we ate at put me in a food coma. The date was a lot of fun, though.”
“I’m very happy for you and having you in Arvata fills my heart with so much joy.” Mom said. “I just hope that you’re truly happy.”
She gave me her famous mom look that said she’d know if I lied and I thought about her words before I responded. I wasn’t unhappy, but I did miss home in Portland. I knew that I could make Arvata my home as well and it slowly was becoming so, but it came with responsibilities I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
“I am happy,” I said. “I just don’t want to be the person who goes into the forest. I don’t want to fail.”
That was my biggest fear. Failing. I didn’t understand what the Fates knew that made them think I was the girl for the job. Why did Strix choose me? I knew very little about Arvata so far, but I knew enough that it would crush me if I failed to protect it.
“Come here, sweet girl.” Mom pulled me into her arms. “The only way you can fail is by giving up. The Fates wouldn’t have asked this of you if they didn’t know you were capable of it.”
She was right. I’d definitely fail if I gave up and walked away now. I could walk away with Lucas and not have any guilt because I wouldn’t remember, but that wasn’t who I was. I needed that reminder to help me push forward.
“Thank you, Mom.” I leaned back. “As always, you’re right. I’m trying to trust that everything will work out and make sense soon, but it’s hard. I couldn’t imagine walking away now and never seeing you and Dad again.”
“What about Lucas?” She asked. “How’s that going?”
“Everything with him is really great. Last night he told me that if I choose to leave, he’d come with me.” I smiled and felt my face warm. “He’s making it too easy to fall for him sooner rather than later.”
“Lucas spent two hundred years alone,” Mom smiled. “He knows what he wants and he’s not going to let you get away. I know it might feel rushed to you but for him it’s been a long time coming.”
“The thing is, none of it feels rushed to me. When I’m with Lucas, everything feels complete. I don’t think it was love at first sight, but he’s more important to me than I thought was possible this soon.”
“I was the same way with your father.” Mom had a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered. “He swept me off my feet from the first meeting and I never looked back. I knew in my heart, he’d be the only one who could make me weak in the knees.”
I was glad to hear I wasn’t the only one that happened to. I didn’t know what I’d do without my mom around for these kinds of talks. There was no way I could leave Arvata for good. I was going to find a way to be who the Fates thought I could be. I was going to save my new home and my family.
***
Soon after my chat with my mom, the eight of us met for training again. For the first half of the morning, we practiced with the orbs. I was finally able to crack the barrel but still not the impact it should’ve been. Then we moved on to shields and barriers.
Shields were pretty easy but barriers, not so much. This was harder because the barriers weren’t visible to us. We had to push our magic outside of our bodies and use the full force of it to break the barrier. My magic still wasn’t as strong as the others, but I could at least find the barriers.
“Jordan, why don’t you link with Kali and see if that will enhance her magic enough to break the barrier?” Lucas suggested.
“How do we link?” I asked.
“With enough practice, you can link mentally,” Lucas said. “For today, join hands and push magic into each other through your hands.”
Jordan walked over to me with a devious look on her face.
“You ready for me to help make you a badass?” She asked.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand. Jordan was enjoying this entirely way too much.
“One of these days,” I said. “I’m going to figure all of this out and show you what a badass I can be on my own.”
I stuck my tongue out at her because I was mature like that and started to push my magic into her hand like Lucas had said. There was a slow t
rickle on my end and when Jordan started pushing her magic into mine, I staggered back and almost let go.
There was a raging river of magic flowing through me now. Jordan was incredibly strong and I realized I had maybe a quarter of the power she held. Thankfully, she was coming with us, because I knew I couldn’t do this on my own.
Just as we were about to push the merged magic out to break the barrier, my chest had a sharp stabbing pain in it. I sucked in a breath and tried to ignore it, but as our magic continued to merge the pain increased.
“I can’t do it.” I cried out and let go of Jordan’s hand. “Did you feel that pain Jordan?”
“I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.” She said. “I could tell your magic wasn’t as strong as it should be but that was it.”
Before we could discuss it further one of the Elders joined us in the training area.
“Your presence is requested with the Elders,” Abram said. “Can you follow me and join us please?”
“Of course,” Lucas said.
We called the others over to us and the eight of us followed Abram to the town hall. It was a large white building with pillars out front and large double doors for the entrance. The ceilings were tall with paintings that were hundreds of years old, if not thousands.
All town meetings were held in the front part of the building, but our meeting would be behind closed doors to avoid any eavesdroppers. The people of Arvata had been speculating at what was happening, but nothing had been disclosed yet for some reason.
Strix choose the moment right before we walked into the building to fly down and land on my should. I hadn’t seen much of him lately, so I was glad he was here. I whispered hello to him and kept walking while rubbing his back. Everyone else was used to him now just appearing when he felt like it.
“Welcome Guardians, thank you for meeting with us today.” Mathias greeted us and his stare lingered for a moment on Strix.
Mathias acted as head of the Elders. He was on the shorter side with balding gray hair. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown and wrinkles covered most of his face.
“Please follow me to the meeting room and we’ll get started,” Mathias said. “There’s not a lot of time left.”
To the Falls Page 6
