Undeniably Chosen

by Shelly Crane

  Everyone stood that wasn’t standing already. Mom didn’t try to hide her tears this time. She and Dad hugged as they looked out at their people.

  “First things first,” Dad finally said and wiped under her eye. “We have a wedding to get ready for.”

  Everybody started whooping and clapping. Dad looked at me over the noise and expanse of our family, hugging my mother, knowing war was coming, but he looked so happy in that moment and so utterly devastated. And I knew it had nothing to do with the council. I’d never fought tears so hard before and still lost. I looked away from him because it was seriously killing me.

  Seth was in a bubble of his own, not really knowing how to process the fact that my family was willing to go to war to keep him. To fight for him.

  “That’s what family does for each other.” I grinned a little and shook my head. “We fight, we make up, and then we start wars on your behalf.” He chuckled a little, but it still wasn’t right. “Seth, you heard them. This was a long time coming. You saw what they did to Ashlyn and Richard with your own eyes. That wasn’t just the Watsons, though it was mostly them. The entire council sat back and let that happen, and they’ve been doing that forever. You’re not the cause; you’re just the catalyst. We’re the catalyst. You didn’t do this alone.”

  “I’ve never had anyone want to fight for me before.” He put his arms around my back and pulled me against him. “And now it’s happened twice in one day.”

  I let my hands rest on his chest over my heart and his that were picking up speed. “I think you better get used to it,” I whispered.

  When he leaned in to kiss me, I gasped at feeling how hot he was. It was fitting for my fireman to get that ability. It was fair. But it didn’t burn me. It was like I was immune to it or…drawn to it. Like I was made for it. Because I was.

  His fire could cancel out my ice, I could cool his burn, or we could both burn hot and be happy together in the ashes.

  _ _ _

  “Ava, get up,” he whispered in my ear.

  “Mmm?”

  “Come on, little bird. You can’t sleep the day away. Get up.”

  “The annoying part is supposed to come after we’re married,” I grumbled and tried to roll over.

  He chuckled and straddled me as he held my arms over my head. “Well this is certainly new.”

  “What?”

  “Having to coax you out of bed in an echo.” My eyes popped open. “Usually, you’re running to me, can’t wait to see me,” I surveyed the room to see we were at the palace, “but for some reason your mind wants to pretend it’s asleep instead of spending time with me.” He smirked. “I’m hurt.”

  “You can still do them?” I said in awe. He let my wrists go the first time I tried to move them. I cupped his neck. “I wondered…I mean, I thought when you got your other ability…”

  “I did, too.” He smiled. “And the thing is that they don’t know.” He laughed once. “The Watsons gave me this ability to destroy you with and now I’m going to turn around and use it on them. And they don’t even know I have it. It’s actually really poetic.”

  I pulled him down and hugged him around his neck. “Are you sure you’re okay with everything? I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”

  He leaned up and captured my mouth in a kiss that ended all arguments, with suction that left no worries, licking at my lip in ways that made me know in all ways that I was wanted, and his hand just above my knee, gripping me to him so I was consumed, tingling in my veins. He pulled back, licking his lip, touching mine in the process. Ah, it was the sweetest, sexiest thing.

  “This is the first time I’ve brought you here that you remembered me, you remembered our life, and you remembered that I asked you to marry me.” I bit my lip and couldn’t stop my smile or the goosebumps at the look he was giving me. “It’s daylight outside, we’ve got about seven hours in London, and you promised me a tour. I have a feeling when we come here for real next time, there won’t be much time for that.”

  He smoothed my cheek and tried to keep up the positivity, so I did, too. I was determined to. The Watsons and the council were about try to take a lot from us and ruin a lot of lives and change a lot of things. We had this time, we had now, and they were not taking this from us.

  I held his collar and kissed him again, harder and longer, loving the way his groans carried down into my throat and body, down into my very heart and soul where he belonged. My heart was made of pieces of him, he was imprinted on me, and my soul carried him with me everywhere I went.

  He pulled me to stand and it was then I noticed what I was wearing. I cocked my head. “Tights? Really?”

  His grin was cocky, adorable, and all male. “What else would I have put you in?” He wrapped his arms around me from behind as we made our way out the door. “Ah…those tights,” he groaned into my neck.

  I laughed so loud into the empty hallway, loving the little bit of power I seemed to have of him, loving that he found me beautiful and sexy because I thought he was so sexy and gorgeous, too, loving that he wanted me to show him London, and loving him so much that my heart literally ached and burned with it.

  I took him all over London and we did all the cheesy tourists things. We rode the boats, we took cab rides, we ate tons of food, we walked and talked and just…were. That was the point. It didn’t matter what was coming for us because I wasn’t about to step aside and let anyone take this away from me—my fairytale that I’d waited a lifetime for which had finally come true.

  We talked it over with Mom and Dad and everyone wanted to have the wedding that weekend. Seth was all for it. I smiled remembering. It was only five days away. I didn’t know what was going to happen after that. Honestly, I didn’t even want to go back to school. It felt pointless and it felt unsafe. But I knew that wasn’t going to fly with the Jacobson men.

  So we’d have to be extra careful. We’d have to let the other clans that we knew were our allies know what was going on as soon as possible, and we’d have to hope beyond hope that all the misery Ashlyn went through wasn’t in vain, and that she was put here for a purpose. To send us on the right path and lead Mom on the right course. Mom’s purpose was just as bold and valiant as Ashlyn’s and we all believed.

  Now we just had to put the action behind that belief and if that meant war, then so be it.

  I took Seth’s hand and tugged him through all the people, how they even got here I didn’t know, but they acted normal, and they pretended like they were happy to be in our dream and be in London. And that was good enough for me. When we got back to the palace terrace, I just stood there and looked at the city we had spent all day exploring. It was still daylight and the sun was still high in the sky. It was so neat how there were no rules there. Too bad it couldn’t be that way for real life.

  He engulfed me in his arms from behind and nibbled the side of my neck. I gripped his hair and leaned back against him.

  “What’s gotten into you today?” I whispered because that’s all I could manage.

  He was so…happy. And giddy. And something was different. Yesterday we told our family that we were getting married and then our people declared war on us. Two very different sides of a coin. But tonight, he was acting as if none of this bothered him at all.

  “I can’t just be happy to be here with you?” he asked into the skin under my ear.

  I let my head fall back and closed my eyes. “Yes.”

  He laughed. “That’s it? You’re not going to pry any further, just stopping there?”

  “As long as you keep biting my neck like that,” I said, barely breathing any longer.

  He turned me to face him, his smile so happy. That’s when I realized that I was right. Something had happened. I fisted his collar. “What is it? What happened?”

  “Everything.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and let his fingers follow it down my shoulder. “You happened and I got everything I wanted all in one second. How does that happen?” he said quietly and I k
new it was rhetorical, so I said nothing.

  I let him talk and just listened, soaking in every word, every detail of our new life and story, loving his ministrations and touch, whether they calmed me or not. His fingers moved to smooth down my arms and back up, over and over, and it was then I realized that the weather had been perfect. I hadn’t even thought about a sweater until that moment when I realized I was sleeveless. He gulped as he watched his fingers move over my skin.

  He chuckled a little. “I was so scared before I came over to see you that first night. Scared out of my damn mind. I’d only ever been told that the Jacobsons were terrible people who had done awful things, with the sole purpose of destroying everything they were and everyone, right down to the children who had done nothing to them. And then you happened.” He smiled, still watching his fingers caress my skin. The combination was so heady that I shivered as goosebumps raced across my shoulders and down my arms. His smile grew as he continued on. “I always thought that they were full of crap, that the stories were more fiction than non, and in that moment I knew—because there was no way in hell someone as sweet and beautiful as you were could be a villain. I realized I’d been playing the villain all along, right beside ‘em. And when I realized that you were mine, that you’d been given to me to protect, to keep safe and happy,” he shook his head, “I knew I had to do whatever it took to make sure you knew I understood that I’d never deserve you, but I would never stop trying to be worthy of you.”

  “Seth,” I breathed.

  “And then everything fell apart. You hated me.” His face showed how painful that time was. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them, moving his hand up to my other side, letting his hand reach down and take mine, pulling it up between us where he stroked my tattoo with his thumb, still watching his movements. That thumb… I gulped. “And then we slowly started to get past that and it was…the best thing in the world to watch you let those pieces fall away. It might sound weird, but I think I actually preferred it this way to you just falling and trusting the bond.” He laced our fingers and finally looked up to meet my eyes, blue colliding with brown, and sparks ignited. “We know that we earned this and it just makes me that much more appreciative of it. I know what I’ve got here and, yeah, it’s magical. But it’s real, too.” I took a shuddering breath. He kept lacing and unlacing our fingers. “And now, I’ve got my girl, she’s going to marry me, I’ve got this family that’s willing to fight for me, and I’ve…almost got my dream job.”

  I tilted my head. “What…”

  “When you were in the shower tonight, I got a call.” He smiled and it was the one he’d been wearing all night. “I told them I can’t be a firefighter. I told the chief I had to leave that night after the fire. He thought I was just being a pansy, afraid to get married and risk myself. So…he said I could take the fire investigator job at the station if I wanted it. It’s not the same thing.” He chuckled. “Not by a longshot. I won’t be fighting fires, but I’ll be with the guys and helping them. And that’s as close as I could have imagined.”

  I still couldn’t help the little slice of guilt that crept up. I tried to smile. “Is this what—”

  “I can see it on your face, sweetheart. Have you not seen how happy I’ve been tonight?” His smile really was ridiculous. “I never thought it would work out to the point where my life was almost perfect.” Both of his warm hands came up and cupped my face. “You did this. You did this for me. If you hadn’t been running late that day, I wouldn’t be the happiest man in the world right now.” I couldn’t hold it in any longer after that. He wiped under my eyes with his thumbs, but continued his assault. “I love you more than I thought I’d ever love anyone.” He put his forehead to mine. “I can’t wait to be Mr. Jacobson.”

  I laughed through my tears and went on my tiptoes to reach him, grabbing his collar for leverage.

  “Those sounds like wedding vows.”

  The London sun warmed us for another minute as he kissed me senseless before he took me home to my dark room where I knew I was safe with him. We’d be married in a few days. He would be mine.

  I couldn’t wait for him to be Mr. Jacobson either.

  As we settled into the covers for the first time, because we were engaged now, he laid on his back and pulled me to him, putting my head on his chest. I sighed so contented, realizing this was how he’d slept on me before. Gosh, it was comfortable. He chuckled.

  “The best part?” he whispered against my temple. “I got to listen to your heartbeat all night long.” He tapped his chest. “Feeling it and hearing are two different things.”

  I turned my head a little and pressed my ear to his heart. I could hear his and mine beating together there, different rhythms, different patterns, but still always coming back around together every few beats. It was like beautiful music—our heartbeats. He was right.

  “It’s beautiful,” I told him and let my eyes drift up to meet his. The room had enough light to make out his face in the dark. “The way we were chosen for each other, the way our worlds are woven, the way our hearts are beating in our chests together, so perfectly but still so out of synch.” I smiled and wiped the one tear that fell. “I’m so scared of what’s coming for our people and yet I’m so utterly happy in this moment and all the ones coming after it that I can barely breathe,” I breathed the words.

  He let his knuckles graze my cheek. “One day at a time, Ava. When we have to deal with war, then we will, and I’ll be right there to protect you. Right now?” I heard a little growl come from his throat. “All I want to do is lie in this bed with you, listen to your heartbeat as you sleep, and dare someone to come through that door before we’re ready to leave.”

  I found myself laughing softly. I bit my lip, seeing his eyes move to it.

  “It’s my turn,” I told him and laid my head on his chest, settling in against him, my head right over his and my heart, letting my arm swing up to his neck.

  He chuckled into my hair and tugged the covers around us. “Ah, I love you,” he groaned as he gripped me to him.

  “I love you more,” I whispered.

  “This again.”

  “Just give up.”

  He nuzzled my neck. “A lifetime of fighting about this sounds so enticing.”

  We had just drifted off when the door burst open. Seth’s thoughts automatically assumed the worst and he threw me behind him, still on our knees. It was actually pretty impressive.

  “Wha…Rodney? What the hell, man?”

  I peeked around his arm, ready to strangle him. He held up his hands in defense.

  “Dude, it’s almost noon. Why are you still in bed?”

  “I don’t have school,” I ticked off on my finger. Seth held me back with his arm around my waist. I think he knew I would commit murder if I reached my sibling. “I almost died. I got engaged and want to be alone with my fiancé,” I ticked off with my finger again.

  “Ew,” Rodney said and rolled his eyes, “now you’re just trying to gross me out.”

  “Yesterday we declared freaking war on our people,” I finished softly, losing steam. I sagged and Seth took my wrist in his fingers. I was learning it was his customary move to comfort me.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “So that makes you wanna sleep all day?”

  “Seth took me to London last night,” I explained and yawned. I swung my hand at him and laid back down. “So we’re tired. We were there all night. Get out, cretin.”

  “You know, I’ve always wanted to go to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, but Mom and Dad would never let me go.” He sighed.

  “Rodney, please.”

  “They said it wasn’t safe or something. Which is just a bunch of bull. Kids go there for spring break and stuff all the time.”

  “Rodney,” Seth tried. He laid down beside me and sighed. “Come on, man, have mercy.”

  “Was it fun? In London? What did you guys do? Was it your first time? Did you take him to see—”

  “Rodney!” I y
elled.

  “I could be your tour guide next time if you obviously don’t even remember if you have a good time.”

  Seth sat up. “I’ll take you to Cabo. Out.”

  I couldn’t see him, but I could hear that little grin. Cretin. “Thanks, bro!”

  “Out!” Seth yelled and laid back down. “Wow,” he said and chuckled as he pulled me back to his chest, the exact spot I had been before. “We just got hustled.”

  I sighed and rubbed my leg against Seth’s. “I have a feeling it won’t be the last time either.”

  Seth laughed as he kissed my forehead. “If this is our life and our problems? Then I don’t think we have much to worry about.”

  But one day we would.

  He reached down and raised my chin on his chest. “One day at a time, remember?”

  I smiled, deciding he was right. The Watsons don’t get to win. “One day at a time.”

  With my significant’s heartbeat in my ear, his lips on mine, and his palm sending anything but calming tingles as it coasted down my arm to lace with my fingers, I knew that I was right where I was supposed to be. And how many people could say that and truly mean it?

  His heart beat more loudly in my chest with every passing minute, and I knew that mine was as loud as a kick drum for him. Our hearts made music together, just like we made our way in this new Virtuoso world we didn’t fit in. Oil and water were never supposed to mix and go together, and spoiler alert, Romeo and Juliet didn’t live happily ever after in the end if you remember correctly, but somehow, we were making this work.

  I knew I was going to get my happily ending, the one I always dreamed about, the one I was always promised.

  But more than that?

  I was forged in fire with the man who was literally of my dreams. This wasn’t some fairytale, but it felt like one, and I couldn’t wait to see how our story ended.

  No matter what, I knew it would be happily…ever… after.

  Epilogue