As he’s leaning in to kiss me, I’m yanked away.
“Nathan! Stop! Let me go,” I spit, jabbing my pointed finger at him. Going back to Roehl, I wrap an arm around his neck, feeling the coolness of his skin. I rest my free hand against his chest, feeling the softness of his muscles, unlike Nate’s is firm.
“I told you, she’d be mine.” Roehl glides his hand across my arm, and we’re free of any shock. His kiss against my cheek also doesn’t burn.
Playing with the thought of kissing him, I brush my thumb across his lips. Not yet ready to go that far, I kiss this side of his cheek where the body of the sun rests against his face.
His head turns, and our lips graze.
Roehl’s wrenched away from me, thrown on his back. He’s quickly back on his feet, charging toward Nathan. The men he came with stand back, not concerned with their tussle. They watch and wait. Nathan gets Roehl by his neck and tries to rip his head off.
“Nathan,” I shout. “Don’t!”
Roehl shoves Nathan, forcing him away.
I run between them with my back to Roehl and a hand thrown out toward Nathan. “Back off,” I threaten with a push that doesn’t move Nathan.
“Sparks,” he growls venomously with his skin tinted red, teeth sharp, and hair spiked. But it doesn’t intimidate me; his call is a peaceful request. “Don’t be influenced.” He reaches for me, and I swat his hand away. “It’s written Sparky, in the beat of your heart . . . In my chest.”
Roehl’s arms push around my waist. He kisses my cheek, lips smooth and air sweet. “Tell him to leave, Sparks. He’ll have no choice but to listen,” he whispers in my ear.
“Leave, Nathan. Get out of here. Go home,” I shoot off, shooing him.
“Good girl.” Roehl kisses the cuff of my ear. “I love you for that.”
I peek over my shoulder and then face him, full-bodied.
“C’mon. Let’s go home,” he tells me.
I nod, feeling a smile tug at the corners of my mouth.
“Told you, brother, she’d choose me,” Roehl taunts as we’re turning away.
“Sparky . . . don’t,” Nathan utters from behind me.
Roehl laughs, open-mouthed, with his sharp, golden teeth displayed. I stop to watch him, seeing his teeth dripping my blood with a faint memory of pain in my shoulder. Studying his eyes, taking in the feel of his hand, watching the moonlight dance against the sun on his face, and being this close to him feels wrong.
A heavy resentment for the man squirms in my stomach. Deranged memories of his flaws rise in my thoughts, and I grimace. Eyeing him and his humored laughter, I brush my thumb over his bottom lip. He calms, kissing it. With deep admiration, he gazes at me as if I were a trophy he’d just battled for and won.
Roehl leans forward for my kiss.
Drawing back, I smile, being that unattainable trophy. Resting my hand on his cheek, I say, “I will never choose you.” A gentle heat crowds my palm and connects with him. In the next instant, he bursts into ash, joining the dirt beneath my feet. Staring at the remnants, I step back to Nathan, almost missing the two men charging at me. I thrust out my hands, blasting a warp of fire at their heads. They drop, decapitated. I finish them off, blowing over my hands to set their bodies on fire.
Turning away, I leave back down the path. I stumble forward and exhale, feeling a weight lifted from me. My confusion fades without a desire or thought for Roehl tainting those that I have for Nathan. My knees weaken from the feeling of freedom that’s greater than oxygen and no longer having Roehl affecting me is such a liberation it brings tears to my eyes.
Nathan swoops me up in his arms and carries me as we walk. A smile lightens his once grief-stricken face. I throw my arms around his neck, and he adjusts me so I can wrap around him.
Back in his regular form, he drops to his knees. “I love you so fucking much, Sparky,” he promises. I let my knees fall to the ground, leaving my arms wrapped around his neck, allowing him to hold me until he’s ready to let go. “We had some bad shit happen to us today, but I need to bask in this moment for a second.”
His hold loosens, and I draw back to meet his eyes. “I know the feeling.”
Warm, orange-brown eyes gloss over as they stare into mine. His head falls against my shoulder, and I place mine beside his. There are no words for this moment. To feel relieved by my freedom but be burdened by losing two people we love. This moment in our life is bittersweet. Pain in our loss, pleasure in our triumph.
I grab Nathan’s head, lifting it so our eyes can meet. “You’ve gotten really big.”
He smiles, lifting us from the ground. “I didn’t notice.”
I hook my arm around his and let him reel me into his side. “You have. You’re huge in that form of yours.”
He breathes. “You want to go back to the house or stay outside?”
“We may run into people if we go back in, let’s stroll. My emotions are clashing. I’m heavy and light and prefer just us.”
“Cool. Let’s go to the beach.”
Olar and Lana cross our path. “You two okay?” Olar asks.
Nathan shrugs. “I can’t say. Yes, and no.”
“I’m sorry about what happened.”
“Don’t be,” Nathan remarks. His feelings toward Olar are a little off, wanting to, but not wanting to blame him for what happened. I feel the same way. We can’t blame Olar for wanting to save his mate, but we were in the clear, had him and could’ve run right out the door. The five of us could’ve escaped with our lives, but we had to stay there longer, allowing our enemies to catch up with us. It’s not his fault. It’s no one’s fault, but we could’ve, maybe, found another way to get his mate. “Yep, Sparks, that’s how I’m trying to avoid thinking,” Nathan says, looking down at me from the corner of his eyes.
I wince. “I just made it worse?”
He chuckles. “It’s okay.” He tugs me closer, and I lay my head to his side as we stroll. I know I can’t, but I still try to relieve him, wanting his happy to overrule his misery.
“You mind if we join you?” Olar asks.
“Feel free,” Nathan says, sweeping his hand out in front of himself.
The four of us stroll silently to the beach. We settle in the sand, some feet from the water. The moon dances on its surface to the sound of the rustling trees. I flick my gaze to the sky where the moon rests stationary. As it should. It’s lonely up there tonight. Half-full and without a star in sight. Almost like this moment in my life. But when I shift my gaze down to the night sky in the water, it’s joyous; glistening lights dancing with the excited moon. Also like this moment in my life. But up there, in the still firmament, it’s apologetic.
Hey, I know you may blame me for what happened, and I’m sorry I got us into this mess. But I’m grateful you risked your lives to save my mate and me, Olar intrudes on the silence of my mind. “I’d like to introduce you,” he says to Lana, then looks at us, making sure it’s okay.
I lean over to shake her hand. “Hi, Lana. I’m Tracey. Nathan’s my mate. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for choosing our cousin.”
Nathan kisses my temple. “That sounded good, Sparks.” He nods once at Lana. “Wassup, thanks for choosing my cousin.”
“Hi. Thank you for saving us.” Her voice is high and squeaky, and if I have to listen to it frequently, it’ll get a little irritating. She’s a few inches shorter than Olar, petite but curvy, and her bob is matted. Her exotic skin-tone is paling, and her cheeks pinch when she smiles. It’s probably been months since she’s seen sun light. Her ragged clothes and dirty nails show she’s been a prisoner for some time.
I give her a final smile of acceptance and turn my attention back to the water. A relieving breath rushes out of my lungs and cools my throat. I’ve been holding that in since the day Roehl took a bite out of my shoulder. Leaning against Nathan, I try to manage my thoughts.
“You okay, Tracey?” Lana asks. Her large eyes twinkle and sweeping eyelashes fan her cheeks as she blinks.<
br />
“I am. You?” I ask kindly, not wanting to be standoffish because I’m in a sour mood.
She nods, flashing a jubilant grin. “I never thought I’d feel this good.”
“It’s good to be happy.”
“You’re right.” She breaks our eye contact and looks to the left. “I want to apologize for your loss tonight.”
“I appreciate that, but it was no one’s fault. Messed up stuff happens.” I blink and see Glen and Scott smiling in the kitchen. I force my eyes open. Their smiles will haunt me forever. “I hope they’ll remain happy together.” I huff a laugh, remembering Glen’s voice cutting into my thoughts. I was so freaking excited over her finally accepting our family. I wanted to enjoy that with her, celebrate with her, and thank her for accepting us and choosing Scott. I wanted to hug her and squeeze her so tightly she’d complain. But we’ll never get that. Kegic. . . He stole my goodbye.
“Excuse me, Lana. Nate, give me a few minutes,” I say, standing.
He nods, and I head away from them. I need to be by myself for a minute, to work through my feelings alone. The entire situation could have gone so differently. My thoughts during the rescue weren’t my own; I could only concentrate on focusing. Staying alerted for my safety, selfishly, only worrying about Nathan and me. I knew it wasn’t going to end well when I saw that man’s arm around her neck. It was as Natalia said, they only act. He didn’t hesitate to take the life of my friends. He was so fast. He couldn’t have thought before he acted.
I look down at my feet, and jump back to not step on a baby turtle trying to make its way to the water. A few of them scurry over the sand. A smaller one trails off, and I bend down and push its little shell back in line. I know I’m not supposed to help, but something may come along when it gets lost and eat it, stealing its life too. It follows back in line with its siblings, and they safely pass me to the water.
I smile. Life is full of wonderful and heartbreaking surprises. I stand here, happy for myself, and yet sad for my friend. But I stand here alone. For the first time in a long time I’ve walked over ten feet away from someone who’s needed to keep an eye on me, and it feels good to not have someone looking over my shoulder, or me fearing Roehl’s going to come along and woo me with his Nathan influence. It feels even better to have control of myself.
Glen would be happy.
“Ugh!” It’s over, Glen . . . “It’s all finally over!” I whisper. “No more crazy ass Papa Nathan and no more Roehl. We can really be happy and free now.” Turning to walk back to the trio, I avert my gaze back to the moon. Two bright stars have appeared near it. They tease and taunt the bright pearl by twinkling and glimmering. I stop and stare, vision blurring from burning tears. “I’m sorry, GeGe. I never wanted this. I can’t say I wish we never chose them, but I can say I wish things were different—easier . . . Lighter. I can say I wish we made different decisions and that I’d relive our last day together over and over again if we could.” A feeling of freedom settles in me, and I wipe the cold tear from my cheek. “I hate that something bad needed to happen for something good to follow. I hate that that something bad had to be losing you.” I cough a sob, forcing a smile through my tears. “You were my best friend,” I whisper, hearing her last laugh. “And I am really going to freaking miss you. I’ll never forget you. I promise, GeGe. I’m freaking ecstatic you’re happy. I’ll love you forever.” Bringing my palms to my lips, I kiss their centers. Willing them to form two orbs of fire, I lightly blow them off. The lightening colored spheres dance as they float up to the sky, reflecting over the water. Once high enough, they burst into two fireworks. Pink and blue. “You two make sure you save a spot up there for Nathan and me. I’ll see you later.”
I pivot but halt. Nathan’s at my side. His thumbs swipe across my eyes and down my cheeks. “Okay?” he asks.
“Okay,” I assure. I lean my head against Nathan’s chest and watch the rest of the flames from the fireworks sizzle away.
Autumn Leaves by Ed Sheeran plays in my mind, and fills me with a comfort in knowing, though the light’s left her eyes, and just hours ago would be the last time I saw her, she’s okay.
With my small goodbye, the pressure from the pain isn’t as bad. It’s not going to be the same, and I’ll always miss her, but it’ll get a little easier with every breath, and a little better with every day.
“That was nice,” Nathan says.
I knit my brows.
“That firework thing.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I nod. “I didn’t know that would happen.”
“It was cool that it did. She would’ve loved it.”
I sniff and hold back the tears. “She loved it,” I utter, looking back at the two stars.
“You ready to go in, break the news and listen to Olar introduce Lana to the family?”
Shrugging, I utter, “Sure. Who’s doing the talking?”
“Olar.” Nathan clears his throat. “I can’t say it with the strength I need to yet.”
I slip my hand under his shirt, rubbing his back. “I understand. Let’s get this over with.”
The four of us head back to the house. Lana steals small glances at me, and I catch Olar nod to her from my periphery. “Tracey, are you human?” she blurts.
Disregarding her contemplative stare, I say, “Yes.”
“I asked because of your ability.”
“I, umm, inherited it.”
“Oh. That’s a pretty cool ability you’ve inherited.”
“Thank you, I think.”
Lana is pretty cool. We just met her at the wrong time. If times were different and she’d come around, I’d be happier about her and Olar. I hope they can’t tell.
sweet sorrow
“Good evening. Thanks for making yourselves available.” Roseland surveys the room. His inquisitive gaze falls on Nathan.
Nathan stands. “Olar will be speaking for me tonight,” he mildly informs. “Excuse me.” He sits, grabbing my hand. The fingers of his left hand slide between my right’s, and he latches on to me as if I was his gravity.
Olar stands, and Lana jumps to her feet, fisting the back of Olar’s shirt so tightly it wrinkles. “Let me introduce you first,” he whispers to her. “Then you’ll join me.” She takes her seat. Everyone’s dead silent, awaiting Olar’s reveal. Breathing, he studies the pensive expressions resting on the faces of his family. He takes a bit to gather his words and then drawls out, “I want to say that I’ve found my mate.” His hand waves behind him, motioning for Lana to stand. “Her name’s Lana, and she’s chosen me. She was kept prisoner where I’d been captured. We rescued her tonight.” Lana pats his shoulder and sits. A heavy sigh slumps Olar’s shoulders. “As we were escaping, we lost two of our family members who are missing tonight. The ones responsible have been taken care of. But that, in no way, makes up for the loss of life.” He sits.
I appreciate that he’s brief and unlike his usual stories, he leaves out the details.
Nathan stands, tugging my arm. I knit my brows as I rise at his side, confused about what we’ve decided to share. “We have an update on an ongoing issue that’s presented itself as an inconvenience in our lives.” He looks for me to finish.
Oh, right . . . “Roehl’s no longer a problem. We—” I shake my head, correcting, “I was able to fight against his influence, choosing Nathan and ending him.” I exhale heavily as an even greater weight lifts off my shoulders when I say it out loud.
Natalia snatches me in her arms. I didn’t see her cross the floor to get here, and I have to calm my racing heart. “This is excellent news.” She releases me and hugs her son. “I’m thrilled to hear this, you two.” Breaking away from him, she takes our hands and squeezes them. “I’m happy for you both. And, Tracey, I’m sure it brings a great relief to you.” Her saying so, and her understanding and guidance through this situation makes me believe she’s been through the same thing.
I muster a smile for her. “It does.”
Nathan and I sit, and Natalia go
es back to her seat across from us.
“It’s not only a release for Tracey, but a release for me as well,” Taylor announces. “Thank you for this, Tracey.” She remains standing, awaiting my acknowledgment.
Averting my gaze away from her, I find new faces smiling at me.
Nathan leans forward, pointing in their direction. “That’s Valence.” Valence waves. “And next to him is his sister Valerie. They’ll be staying the summer here too.” Valerie waves excitedly. I return the gesture.
Roseland stands, forcing Taylor to take her seat. “As we all know, it’s going to get a little crowded around here. Please, no parties or crazy guests, try to keep it quiet and respect everyone’s privacy. Hopefully, we won’t have to have another family meeting for a while.” He grumbles, rubbing his hand over his buzzed head. His wife, Ann, gives him an encouraging pat on the back.
The room begins to empty. Little Nathan plops down on the couch, squeezing between Nathan and me. I’m forced over, brushing against Lana’s ice cold arm.
“Sorry,” I mumble, rubbing my frost-bitten shoulder. “You’re freezing. Want my sweater?”
She shakes her head. “I know. It’s a thing I can’t get rid of. I’m used to it, but thank you. What happens now?”
“You go enjoy your time with Olar.”
She excitedly jumps in her seat as she faces Olar. He nods at her, and they hurry from the great room, hand in hand.
I narrow my eyes at Little Nathan. “What’s up with you?”
“Same thing I’m wondering.” Nathan shoves him to stand, then pulls me back to his side.
“Come on, bro.” Little Nathan lowers his voice for only us to hear. “You have to know I had nothing to do with that.” We’ve kept the Cindy incident just between the three of us. There are something’s we don’t need to trouble everyone with. “You have to forgive me by now. I’m sorry it happened. I’d never do anything to you or Tracey.”
Nathan waves his hands dismissively. “I know, bro. I’m over it. I need Sparks near me right now though. To keep it down.”
Brazen: A Dark Paranormal Romance (The Sephlem Trials Book 2) Page 36
