Jaded Jewels (The Coveted Saga #2)

by C. M. Owens

  She swallowed hard, needing a second to recompose herself. "I wonder how many breaches to our perimeter Taryn has made. There are probably trap doors all over the place. We need to do a full-scale inspection."

  I chimed in about something that was bothering me. "I wonder why she didn't bring more with her? Tonight was the perfect opportunity for a fully functional ambush. There would've been very little resistance if they had been carrying more with them."

  Tallis said, "She wasn't afraid of you. She knew everyone was going out. She knew you and I weren't staying together anymore. Fortunately, she had no clue about Amelia's existence. No one would have ever suspected her. She would have gotten away with it, and she would have been here, consoling the family."

  He frowned as he cast his gaze toward the floor.

  "She must not have known about the killer swimming pool either," Amelia chirped, trying to regain the lightness.

  Iris smiled. "No, we keep that a secret from almost everyone. Which, now, I guess the secret is probably out. However, it did serve its purpose, though I wasn't expecting it to have to protect you while in your mortal form. I'm surprised they attacked you while you were in the water actually. But then again, they didn't perceive either of you as a real threat."

  Allaysia walked over to me. "Aria and Amelia can stay with us until everything is fully checked. We haven't trusted guards in a long time, so our perimeters should be completely intact."

  Oh no. My stomach just flew into my mouth, and I was pretty sure every immortal in here heard my heart speed up.

  Iris nodded absently, her mind spinning in all different directions. "Thank you, Allaysia. That would be perfect, actually. It shouldn't take more than three or four weeks."

  Three or four weeks? They planned to make me live with Tallis for three or four weeks?

  Allaysia put her hands on my shoulders as she continued, seeming oblivious to my silent panic attack. "They are welcome at my house for as long as necessary. Henry is welcome, too. I know he has people looking for him as well. Tallis will be close, I assure you. He packs quite a punch."

  I giggled slightly as I thought of how they hadn't seen the pool house yet, and that helped alleviate the depth of dread I was facing. Tallis looked at me and tilted his head, a smile of curiosity and amusement playing on his lips. Then he realized what I was giggling about. He smiled shyly even as he flinched. I think he had almost forgotten about it.

  Iris looked at me, puzzled by my unexplained laughter. "What's so funny?"

  Tallis answered with hesitance and a bit of embarrassment. "I kind of… well, I sort of … I broke the pool room," he groaned. "Sorry in advance."

  Iris seemed amused and confused in the same expression. She led the way to the pool, and we followed at a leisurely pace—no one doing their freaky immortal speed stuff.

  Iris shivered when her eyes fell on Taryn's body. Then she looked at all of the destruction surrounding her.

  "Yes, he does pack quite a punch," she said softly, more to herself than anyone else.

  Then she smiled and took Allaysia and Jaslene's hand. They didn't say anything. They just stared and suddenly the glass lifted back up, defying gravity and numerous other laws of nature.

  It was like watching a jigsaw puzzle being put into place at a rapid speed, each piece going exactly where it fit. Then, with a flash of light, the room was just as it had been before the attack. No destruction, no shattered glass, no dead bodies. Speechless. Utterly speechless and awestruck—that was me. My mouth even fell open to prove it.

  After a while, numerous conversations and strategizing, Iris told me I needed to pack. My stomach churned at the thought.

  Tallis followed me to my room, looking out my far window the second he entered. He looked down to the pool that's pristine appearance betrayed the craziness of the night. With the evidence gone, it was almost as if it had all been one horrific dream.

  I joined him and gazed down as he was doing. "That's a long way down."

  He smiled as he stared at me, eyeing me in his saturated shirt. Some of the water had started dripping on him. I looked down and frowned, seeing the trails of water that were dripping on his shoes and shorts.

  "Oh, yeah, sorry... I guess, well... it's wet now."

  So stupid, I thought, wishing I could slap myself.

  He laughed lightly. "It's not that. I was just looking at how perfectly unharmed you are after all that." Then he frowned and resumed staring back down "You asked me to stay, and I didn't. I keep trying to keep you safe, but it keeps putting you in danger."

  I missed the happy, cocky, easy going Tallis. Brooding, guilt-ridden Tallis was growing old.

  "This wasn't your fault. At some point you have to quit blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. In case you haven't noticed, I tend to be a danger magnet. I went from this contently naive little jungle girl, to a witch-in-waiting that everyone wants to kill, or do whatever with my essence. At no point should any of this craziness land on your shoulders. You don't owe me anything, and I'm nothing to you. You can't take responsibility for my blood-related problems, or my pure bad luck."

  I walked over to my bed and pulled out a suitcase from underneath it. Then I started packing my clothes.

  My back was facing him, and I was hoping he'd just leave.

  "You are something to me Aria—something more important than I should say. I just can't risk hurting you again," he said sadly.

  Crap. Again we found ourselves thrown together, and I was making him feel worse than he already did.

  Turning to face him, I took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that. I just meant you don't owe me anything." I paused for a minute. I could hear voices coming from the living room. "Aster and Chris are here," I said, needing to shift the topic.

  He nodded. "Chris will be upset to learn one of his kind was the traitor. I'm glad Amelia was with you tonight. If she hadn't been…" He dropped his head, more guilt plaguing him.

  I refused to abed his useless guilt party.

  "Well, I haven't gotten to see Aster a whole lot since she found out she was pregnant. I'd like to see her before I leave for house arrest."

  I smiled and enjoyed his answering grin as it formed.

  "You will definitely be under lock and key," he teased. "I run a tight ship."

  He winked at me as he took my bag from my hand and carried it down the stairs for me.

  "Aria. Thank goodness you're okay," Aster gushed in relief as she threw her arms around me. But her protruding belly forced me bend unexpectedly and snapped me forward.

  Chris walked up with a guilty look on his face, interrupting our painful embrace—well, painful to me. What was it with all these immortals and their unwarranted guilt?

  "Aria, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

  "It's okay, Chris," I said while disentangling myself from Aster. "Not your fault."

  His guilt didn't seem alleviated, which was just annoying. It was funny to think about how I thought Chris was a bit of a jerk when I met him. Now he was just like one of my brothers.

  Ayla and Jay were snuggling on the couch—per the usual. Gear and Olivia were in the kitchen, holding each other. Everyone was so in love.

  Ash sat alone in a chair by the window as she stared out at Desmond running around in his panther form. More than likely he was checking for any other unwanted visitors.

  Henry and Amelia came walking down, hand in hand. Henry had both of their bags is his other hand.

  Aster leaned over to hug Amelia. I laughed as Amelia snapped forward as suddenly as I had, and I silently enjoyed her pained expression.

  "Thank you so much, Amelia. I'm glad you're in this family," Aster said, weeping.

  Pregnancy hormones were definitely a deterrent from childbearing. I'd seen Aster swing moods quicker than someone with a bipolar disorder.

  "Well, Tallis saved the both of us so I can't take all the credit."

  "I have to thank Tallis all the time. He probably gets
bored with it," Aster said while leaning back and wiping the tears from her face.

  Tallis laughed at Aster's joke. I just glared at her.

  "Don't let her get to you, Aria. I called her Dizz for a while," Gear chided as he walked toward us with his arm lazily tossed Olivia's shoulders.

  "Dizz?" I asked, puzzled. A few chuckles followed my question. Aster wasn't laughing though. She was too busy casting a murderous glare toward Gear. "As in disaster. Before she turned immortal, she was always in trouble."

  I thought to myself for a moment. Disaster; Dizz Aster. Oh I get it. Then I laughed as Aster hit him in the arm.

  I glanced at Tallis who was lost in thought, an intense expression on his face as he studied the vacant air in front of him. Did he just sniff the air?

  He looked toward Ayla. "Do you smell that?"

  I almost got sick to my stomach. Another breath sucker? I couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary, but that didn't mean anything because his sense of smell was stronger than mine.

  "Is it a dramian?" I asked, wishing my voice hadn't cracked.

  Ayla stood to her feet, her eyes closing as she inhaled deeply.

  "No it's an essence—a faint one. It's almost masked," she said distractedly.

  Her eyes opened and she looked around the room, as Tallis cocked his head to the side and smiled.

  "It’s a seer," he said with a large smile.

  "Oh, Mom is downstairs," Aster replied casually.

  Tallis continued smiling at her, intriguing me. Now Ayla was staring at Aster, too.

  "Yes, it is a seer. A seer who will have a problem being sniffed out."

  "What are you two talking about?"

  Aster was getting uncomfortable from their intense stares. I found it amusing to watch her squirm for a change.

  "Your little girl is going to be a seer," Tallis said with his growing grin.

  Aster hadn't been able to go to the doctor. It's apparently too dangerous with her body being invincible and all. If they tried to give her a shot, the needle would bend. If they wanted to check her reflexes, then she might just kick them through a wall. So she had been unable to find out the gender of her baby.

  None of the chanters—magical doctors—had been able to see her. They wouldn't have been much help with the baby anyhow. They could mostly just perform procedures to help change the body in some way, and they were there to deliver the babies. They were part of a village called the charmers, and they masked magical babies when they were first born.

  Sonograms didn't work on pregnant witches either. Because our bodies course with so much magic, the sonogram machine would short circuit, or possibly blow up before she could see the baby. No one was willing to find out the consequences.

  "A little girl? How do you know?" she asked with a rasp voice full of shock.

  Tears swelled in her eyes as she grabbed the hand of a stunned and somewhat tearful Chris.

  "I can smell it through her essence. His is different, though. I haven't ever smelled one like his. He'll have a new power."

  Alya's smile widened as she nodded to confirm her brother's words. But everyone else was confused, not following their silent conversation or cryptic comments.

  "He?" Aster squeaked.

  "Twins?" Chris said, sounding suddenly excited and terrified at the same time.

  "Yes. Twins. Something I've never heard of in the magical world," Tallis confirmed.

  Aster half smiled, but then she frowned as she replied, "That means I'm going to get twice as big."

  Chris leaned over and kissed her stomach and then kissed her. Aster wiped away her tears before she attempted to speak again.

  "Thank you, Tallis." She hugged him, snapping him forward so unexpectedly and forcefully that it knocked the breath out of him. Tallis just laughed softly when he drew in a harsh breath.

  Aster wiped another tear as she added, "I guess I will tell you thank you tonight after all."

  I hugged her again and Ash joined us.

  Ash rubbed Aster's belly. "A seer and an unknown. Welcome to the family, little ones."

  Mom came up, and we told her the news. She was hugging Aster when suddenly she stepped back. Her eyes were still—staring into space. Physically she was still here, but it was as if the rest of her had checked out.

  Her words came out hollow, as though she was talking to us through a tunnel. "I see him—Lokan. I know who he is and why he didn't hurt Aria."

  Life returned to her eyes as she sucked in a sharp breath. Fear creased her brow as she tightened her lips. "We have to get everyone that we know we can trust and go to the Verdan's home. I don't trust these walls right now."

  Chapter 9

  Family Secrets

  Even saints have secrets, because no family is perfect.

  We all arrived at the Verdan estate eager to learn about what Jaslene had seen. I was scared and excited. I had never witnessed her power for myself until tonight.

  Somehow I had ended up in Tallis's car, and he was opening the door for me before I could get my hand on the handle. Then he did something he hadn't done in months; he grabbed my hand.

  I'm sure it was a reflex from the several months we had spent together. He didn't pull away as he had been doing though. I tried not to make any sudden moves, treating him like a skittish animal. I was sure he didn't even realize what he was doing, and I didn't want to startle him.

  He walked at my pace while the others flashed by us to get inside. Everyone was gathered in the great room by the time we made it in.

  At least a dozen changers had arrived after Edmond called with the news. No bodyguards had been invited other than Chris. Iris had hated hurting her long-time friends, but Allaysia was adamant in her stand, understandably so. And considering the events that had transpired earlier that night, most of them didn't argue or even act upset.

  McKee and his family had spoken to Iris in private about Taryn's betrayal. Iris said they were shocked and heartbroken. They wouldn't even speak to any of us. Most likely they were feeling a great deal of shame. They wouldn't even come in the house.

  They had stood in a far corner of the yard, and told Iris they would love her and guard her from a distance. Iris had cried while speaking to them and when telling us about their decision to leave the coven. This whole ordeal had ruined centuries worth of trust and friendship.

  Jaslene looked around to see that everyone was there, and her eyes settled on me for a second. That dread was there.

  "This is confidential. No one outside of this room is to know."

  Everyone nodded in agreement. Jaslene took a deep breath. "I didn't see the future, but I saw the past."

  Everyone began whispering between gasps. I leaned over to Tallis who was still holding my hand.

  "Seers also see the past?" I asked quietly.

  Jaslene paused to let the room settle down from the whispers of disbelief. Apparently I wasn't the only one surprised.

  "Your mother can. She's the only one I know that can. I heard about it a few years ago. I told you your family was powerful."

  I leaned back into him as he let go of my hand and stretched his arm around me. Fire coursed through my body as it had so many times from his touch. His eyes were fixed on my mother as she patiently waited on the room to calm.

  I saw Ayla focusing her magic, hurrying the process along. She was calming the room for Jaslene. Even I felt a peace fall over me—calming and soothing.

  Once everyone was quiet again, Jaslene continued. "I saw Lokan centuries ago as a mortal. He was never a witch. He made himself immortal through magic."

  Ayla's calmed atmosphere suddenly disappeared as fear erupted throughout the room and people began questioning that possibility.

  "Impossible!" one man objected.

  "Mortals haven't been able to harness magic since the time of Isis. Magic has become too strong. Most of the mortals lost their power during the new dawn of magic," a lady yelled out.

  "Most of the mortals? What happened to the res
t?" I asked Tallis.

  Tallis glanced at me for a second, and it seemed like he didn't want to answer my question. "I really don't know. It's not something they talk about. I don't question things such as that. When my mother and father say they can't discuss it, I let it go. They would tell me if it was I needed to know."

  I tried not to roll my eyes. You could tell that he was certainly born in a different era than I was. In my generation, you always questioned your parents.

  "So no one talks about it, and you aren't the least bit curious?"

  He chuckled, and the vibrations seemed to travel under my skin, distracting me to the point I forgot what we were talking about.

  "I didn't say I wasn't curious. I just said I trusted them to inform me of anything I needed to know. It's not like them to keep something from me, so I have to trust they are omitting it for good reasons."

  This time I did roll my eyes. "You are a better son than I am a daughter."

  He laughed under his breath. "I'm just older and wiser, I suppose."

  I shook my head. "Older maybe, but I think that someone wiser would have been questioning that sort of information being omitted."

  He snickered again, amused by me. I could see Ayla focusing her eyes around the room. I felt the rush of calm spread again. People began sitting back down and getting quiet once more. Jaslene hesitated to speak. Her reluctance was almost tangible.

  "I've been searching my visions for Lokan ever since he left his scent in Arisianna's room. I was finally able to force it. I've followed him closely in my visions. I've only gotten bits and pieces into the future, nothing coherent enough to really know what he's up to. I decided to look into his past.

  "It has taken sometime to look into his past. He's been around for some time now, and he's been heavily guarded for centuries. He's even more guarded now. I finally found a time when he was not guarded, though.

  "He's older than Allaysia or Iris. His magic is far stronger than it should be for a true mortal soul. Merlin was the only mortal to maintain power and immortality in the light circle. We know what happened to the rest of them. However, one apparently found a way to stay in the immortal world without the side effects that the others suffered."