by Felicia
I glared at her, “Scott.”
She reached out, patting my chest just above my heart. “Are you sure you don’t feel anything for this other boy?”
I opened my mouth to protest, but couldn’t. Realization smashed into me, almost knocking me over. I gasped.
“Tell me about him.”
“Aiden…you remember him? Well, that wasn’t really him. Some evil spirit was in him and he tried to kill us all. I ended up saving him, after the spirit left, when we were held captive. We spent a long time together Mom, he’s really nice. Then Juniper informed me he likes me, and I had no idea, and now I’m just so confused,” I said with a loud sigh.
She patted my back, wrapping her arm around me to pull me closer. “Welcome to life,” she said with a laugh.
“This isn’t funny,” I snarled at her.
“Oh, but it is. You’ll always have to make decisions, Olivia. Sometimes easy, sometimes not so easy. People will hurt you, and you will hurt them. But darling, this truly is life. And choosing who you love is one of the biggest choices in life. Don’t rush and make a mistake. Make sure you follow your heart, not who you think is in your heart. You’re young, there’s time.”
“Is there?” I asked. “With the curse, The Destroyers, and the council…do I have much of a life left?”
Tears brimmed in her eyes. Sniffling, she pulled me tightly to her. “I believe with all my soul you have a long, long life ahead of you.”
I clutched her to me, knowing this was almost the end of the dream. “Don’t go,” I pleaded.
“I have to. Trust in Abana,” she said before parting.
Aiden
“Aiden, I have to talk to you about something serious,” Olivia informed me, her eyes wide and puppy face looking. Her lip bent downwards, ever so slightly, making me want to kiss her more than I usually did. The light caught the green in her eyes during her gentle assessment of me. Sparkling and sad gemstones stared back at me.
“Talk,” I urged, reaching out to lay a hand on her arm in comfort. I caressed her skin, feeling it heat under my touch. I pulled my hand back, not sure why I was reacting so intensely to her today.
“You and Scott…I know why I saw both of you in the picture.”
“You do?” I questioned. Honestly, I was kind of scared of why we both were involved.
“You’re both destined to help me…but you have to work together, Aiden.”
Together. The word, the meaning, echoed in my mind. I couldn’t stand to even look at the guy and now we were expected to work together. “I don’t know about that, Liv….”
She reached out, clenching my hands in hers, sending tingles down my spine. “Look at me,” she demanded.
I moved my eyes from our intertwined hands to her pleading eyes. I watched her expectantly.
“This is life or death, Aiden. My life or death. Please.” A single tear escaped, sliding down her cheek.
I nodded, not even realizing what all I was agreeing to. All that mattered was Olivia surviving this. I didn’t realize just how bad it was, I didn’t think, but the expression she held told me it was bad.
“I talked to my mom again…and she said it’s the only way. The deer, Abana, will show us what to do and lead us to the council.”
“Liv…I don’t have powers anymore, what the heck?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll protect you. I’m getting better. I’ve been practicing with Sadie and Anna, quite a bit, actually.”
“What about…” I started.
She cut me off before I could finish. “The Crimson Calamitous won’t get near you. I hurt him once, I can do it again. Don’t worry about that. And no matter how much Scott…dislikes you, he won’t let something bad happen to you because it would hurt me.” She peered at me under large lashes. Every time she blinked, I was sure the wind would blow. Her eyes were brighter than usual, almost like they had a glow to them. “Just trust me, Aiden,” she begged, squeezing my hand.
I nodded again, getting lost in her eyes. All she had to do was give me the pleading look and I was putty in her hands. “Anything for you, Liv.” And I meant it.
Anything.
Scott
I couldn’t believe what Livvie was telling me. I was supposed to not only get along with, but work with Aiden. All because her mom seemed to think this deer appearing was a sign. I ran my fingers through my hair, sitting down across from her. She sat on the edge of Grandma’s couch, her hair ruffled and wild, her eyes red from the tears. Feeling guilty for only thinking of myself, I walked over, scooping her into my arms.
“I’m so sorry, love. Here I am only thinking of me and you have so much to worry about,” I cooed in her ear, smoothing her hair as she leaned into me.
“I’m so sorry, Scott. I know you can’t stand him, but this is what she said,” she sniffled. “Abana is supposedly the one that will lead me to safety.”
“Ok, so we follow her.”
Wiping her nose on the back of her hand, she peeked up at me from under her tear heavy lashes. Her nose was red, her cheeks tear stained. And yet, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on.
“Come on, let’s go get you something to drink. It’s ok, don’t worry. We’ll work together,” I promised her, squeezing her to me tightly. She nodded, falling into step with me.
###
After dropping Livvie off and guaranteeing Kyle would keep a close eye on her for the night, I returned to my research. It was now October, time was going too fast, the book moving too slow. I was close to the half-way point with no end in sight. I opened to page one thousand, picking up where I left off this morning before classes. I carefully studied each name, not once seeing someone with the last name Hart.
The seconds, minutes, and hours flew by. Sadie joined me sometime in the early a.m. She often came to relieve me, knowing I couldn’t stop. She took over when the names blurred so much I couldn’t tell one from the other. I rested my head against the cool metal of the working table as she studied the volume.
I was drifting off when I heard her gasp, a sob catching in her throat. I jumped to my feet, not completely coherent. Stumbling over, I dropped to my knees beside her. “What, Sadie? Are you ok?”
She looked up at me, her eyes as wide as saucers. She looked like she may be in shock. She didn’t speak, only pointed to the page in front of her. I scooted the book in front of me, giving her a long look before finding out what she discovered.
At the top of the page, “Devlin Hart” was in large, bold letters. The name was trimmed in gold, suggesting he was an important figure in the sorcerer world. I looked through each name, the list long and tiring. Near the bottom, I saw a name that made my heart stop. There was a man with the last name Whitehead.
Livvie’s last name.
Shaking my head, I forced myself to continue. Three spaces down, her name was etched onto the paper. Elegant and beautifully written, the name tore my heart out of my chest.
My love, my Livvie, was Devlin’s descendant.
Olivia
I rolled over, surprised to see Aiden standing at the edge of my bed. I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Aiden! You scared me,” I exclaimed, clutching my heart.
He looked at me, his blue eyes swimming in emotion. He appeared torn, but I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t know how else to make him and Scott cooperate. If this was about that, I would have to call in Juniper for reinforcement. I pulled myself into a sitting position, covering my body from his view.
“What’s going on? What time is it?” I questioned.
He only stared at me. “Olivia…I…”
I watched him. Something was wrong. He was acting strange.
“Is Anna ok? Sadie? Are you ok?” I was panicking at this point.
He shook his head, “Nothing like that is wrong.”
“Then what is it?” I said, edging closer.
His eyes widened, glancing down to my lips and my exposed chest. I wore only a camisole to bed with shorts, and I knew it showed more th
an it should. In my defense, I wasn’t expecting him to show up. His gaze lifted back to my eyes. Something new was there…a longing? An understanding? I wasn’t sure. Before I could speak, he inched closer.
My breath caught in my throat. His hand reached out, caressing my cheek. His fingers were rough, callused, and sent chills down my spine. My eyes widened in anticipation. Whatever he was doing, it couldn’t be good.
He inched closer, the desire evident on his face. I pulled back, “Aiden…”
He lifted a finger to shush me, then leaned in to lock his lips with mine. I sat there, unmoving, as he tried to kiss me. My hands found his chest and pushed him away, ensuring that just as quickly as it began, it was over. We broke apart, his eyes wide in confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself before any sound came out. He stood, leaning to brush his thumb across my cheek and was out the door.
“I’m so sorry, Olivia,” he whispered as he parted.
I don’t know how long I sat there, knees to chest, staring into space. Aiden had kissed me. Yes, he was attractive. Yes, he was my friend, but nothing more would ever come from our relationship with each other. I stood, my mind reeling with how to tell Scott, or if I even should. It was harmless. It meant nothing. I wandered over to the window seat, looking down to study the nature surrounding my house. A scream escaped when I realized what was happening.
Aiden
I ran from her house, kicking myself for kissing her. I was attracted to her, but she was taken. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself get so caught up in my feelings and let that happen. I walked to the woods, sitting in the shade of the trees. She would have to forgive me. She was my best friend. There was no other option. A rustling behind me made my heart quicken.
“Olivia, I truly am so sor—“ I started, turning around to meet her. Only, it wasn’t her. Standing just inches from my body was the reason for my nightmares. The reason I’d met all of these people in the first place. The reason I’d almost died last summer.
“What are you doing here?” I spat at him, standing quickly and bracing myself for battle.
“I could have sworn I left you to die,” he chuckled, a deep, evil sound coming from him.
“Well, it didn’t work.”
“Too bad, guess I’ll have to try again,” he said, a smirk appearing on his face.
His face…the dark hair…the dark eyes…he reminded me of someone. Before I could contemplate it more, Olivia let out a scream from her house, and the light faded to black.
About the Author
The Vessel is my second novel, and I absolutely loved writing it!! These characters are a part of me, and I love telling their stories. I hope you enjoyed it. Please, come by one of my pages and say hi. I really love connecting with readers. J
www.feliciatatum.com
www.facebook.com/feliciatatumwriter
www.twitter.com/sassybrunette55
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my baby girl for inspiring me to do my best every day. I love you, Amelia Shae! Thank you to my family and friends for being there for me, listening to me rant and rave, and the like. Thanks to Jeanie Creech for editing this novel and loving it! Samantha Bagood…still love you, girl! Love my cover? Contact her! Www.coverpub.samanthabagood.com
Stay tuned for the third book in the series….
Devlin’s Descendant
