by C. M. Owens
Jaslene stepped back, frowning. "That's impossible. No one has ever even been able to get a glimpse of Graven. We didn't even know he existed until the Verdans informed us. We'd been trying to see who was running the Dramus circle for centuries. Are you sure that's what you saw?"
I removed myself from the supportive embrace of Tallis as my strength returned just enough. "There was a large painting of him in the room where Yastine had me."
"Maybe it's a new power," Tallis said, thinking aloud.
Iris shook her head in disagreement. "She's supposed to have the same power as Isis, according to the prophecy. Isis had to come into contact with a power before she could mimic it. There's nothing in existence strong enough to see through bodyguards. Especially not the ones that are as powerful as the one's guarding Graven. Their power grows as he grows."
Isis? Ah, crap. Now I understood why they were so freakishly fascinated by me.
I couldn't believe they thought I was the descendent Isis promised them. I couldn't be the savior they'd been waiting centuries for. I couldn't be the one that was going to protect them all. I couldn't be that powerful.
I had been crushed into nearly nothing just a day ago. I couldn't be the one they needed to lead them into any kind of battle. I didn't even know how to use my powers yet. I didn't even know what my powers were, or how I was making them work. I had only accidentally used them. I wasn't ready to be this great warrior they had been waiting for. I wasn't ready to be responsible for their lives.
Tallis interrupted my silent panic attack as he glanced toward Aster, an odd smile forming on his lips.
"What if she didn't have to come into contact with the power?" Tallis asked.
Iris shook her head, her mind a million miles away as she spoke. "Isis couldn't drain anyone until the day she met a drainer. She had to feel the power to be able to use it."
Tallis smiled bigger, like he knew something we didn't. "I mean... What if she didn't have to come into contact with the power, just the essence of the power?" He pointed towards Aster's protruding belly before he continued. "I know the girl is going to be a seer. What if she can see through guards?"
Iris looked at him, staring blankly for a minute, before she replied, "I don't find it possible. It would shift the whole balance of power. Even bodyguards can't penetrate through the bodyguard powers."
Tallis walked over and stood close to Henry. "It makes perfect sense. Henry is half bodyguard, half witch. His two sides combined in a way that made him able to track Aria's scent through a bodyguard. Imagine a seer that is half bodyguard. Possibilities change."
All the talk about bodyguards forced my mind to wander for a second. I still had not told them about McKee and his family being traitors, and I needed to soon.
Iris sucked in a sharp breath.
"Unbelievable," she murmured in a reverent whisper. "This will be something for the books. We just tilted the scales in our favor for a change. Aria can see when they are coming and she and Henry can tell when they are close. This gives us an advantage, for the first time in ages."
I hadn't even had time to process their words when another vision hit me.
Lokan—him and his army. He knew I had transformed. I could see him working on a spell to destroy soul mates. He hated soul mates so badly that he had found a way to destroy the magic between them. All he needed was to find the center of magic. The only one to ever know where it was had been Isis, so he was searching blindly. He was looking for something else, too. I wasn't sure what exactly—It was all still fuzzy. I hadn't learned to control it, but I did see enough to know we were in trouble.
"What did you see this time?" Jaslene reached out to touch my arm. I suppose my horror must have shone on my face.
Swallowing hard, I murmured, "We have less than a month to prepare. Lokan knows I've changed. He's coming, and he won't be taking prisoners."
Chapter 17
Finally
Sometimes life is a series of disasters, so you work extra hard to enjoy the small moments when the storm is calm.
Tallis and I were heading back to my room, when Jaslene stopped us. "Aria, can I have a moment with you?"
Tallis went on up to the room, and I followed my mother to an isolated corner. "Is something wrong, Mom?" I asked, dreading the answer.
Why couldn't I just have one minute away from the chaos?
"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that this burden has been laid on you. But I also want you to know that I truly believe you can handle it. Isis chose you for a reason."
I really didn't want to think about all of this right now. My life was already complicated enough. I had just turned eighteen, and now I've had a prophecy thrust at my feet.
"I wish I knew why she chose me." Mom's eyes softened as she affectionately patted my cheek. Before she had the chance to try and come up with an answer, I asked her something I needed to learn. "How do you force a vision of the future? I want to see how the battle is going to go."
Her smile was that a mother gives a learning child. "It doesn't work that way, Aria. The future changes constantly based on the decisions we make. You can only see decisions and intentions usually. On occasion you can see a possible version of a future—if it is something that can be changed. Seers can also see the present, which is something you'll take a while to learn. Forcing visions takes decades of practice, and even then, you can only see so much."
"What good is it to see the present? How is that ever going to help anything?"
Jaslene laughed. "You'd be surprised at how handy such a thing can be. Seers use that ability to have eyes in the back of their heads, so to speak. You can see through walls, and know where everyone is all at once. That's how I always knew what your brothers and sisters were up to in the guardian village. I was the only one that could see them, of course, because of my link to them. I was never able to see you though. I knew you were going to be special, but I didn't know to what extent. In all my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have imagined this."
I shrugged my shoulders. "I still don't understand exactly how I'm using my magic. It just sort of happens."
Her smile only grew. "That's what makes you so powerful. The magic just flows through you differently than I've ever seen. You're more special than you realize. What you see as a handicap, is actually something truly amazing. You'll be just fine, my dear."
She kissed my head and walked away. I turned to walk up the stairs, unsure of my future.
I took a deep breath before turning the knob on my door. When I stepped into the room, I found Tallis staring at the gifts Jared brought me from his travels. He was holding the four-leaf clover.
He turned and smiled at me. "What's this?"
I squirmed uncomfortably as I said, "It was a gift for my birthday."
He frowned as he looked back down. "I'm sorry I missed your birthday." Then he looked at the bottles and the tea leaves. He smiled as though he was amused. "Odd gifts."
I grinned fondly, thinking of how cool they all were. "The four-leaf clover is from Ireland."
He laughed. "Oh. The luck of the Irish is on your side, then." He put the clover back on the stand and picked up the sand. "Who got you all of these?"
Ah, crap. Couldn't we just have this conversation tomorrow? This was the last thing I wanted to discuss tonight.
"A friend. He's part of the militia, so he brought me pieces of the world that I can't see just yet."
His lips almost disappeared into a thin line. "He? Did he mean anything to you?" he asked tightly.
I didn't know how to respond to that, and I didn't want to lie. But I also didn't want to ruin this on our first night as more than we have been.
"He was just a friend to me, but he felt more for me than I did him. I told him I could only ever be his friend because of how much I love you."
That was true enough.
He smiled and flashed to me, taking my breath with a kiss I hadn't expected. "I love you," he said against my lips, forcing me to smile during our kiss.
I didn't want to be distracted right now, or sour the moment, but the words were leaving before I could stop them.
"I'm worried I won't be ready."
He didn't say anything right away. Instead, he pushed me down to my bed and covered my body with his as he slowly kissed away my dread, making me feel as though I could do anything in the world at that moment.
I could finally kiss him, and I never wanted to stop.
Gear, Alvin, George, and Jay weren't too crazy about him staying in my room now that we could be together. Passion was intense between soul mates—but it's painful to separate them after they've both accepted the bond. Our connection was far more intense than I had been expecting, I thought as his tongue played with mine.
I had thought our connection was amazing when I was mortal, but now... wow. I was so much younger than my siblings had been, though, and it was eating my father and brothers alive. They knew what would eventually happen.
They had all huffed and puffed the rest of the night. My dad, Alvin, had even let out a groan as I told them goodnight.
At least everyone loved Tallis.
Tallis grinned as he broke our kiss, prompting me to pout over the lost contact.
"We'll work hard, starting soon. Training will be intense. We'll work from sun up until bedtime—only stopping to eat."
I kissed him, smiling foolishly while our lips touched, and then pulled back. "Only to eat? What about this?" I kissed him again, delighting in his smile.
"We will have to sneak this"—He leaned back in to kiss me quickly, and then pulled back enough to speak—"in when we can. It's going to be hard to be newfound soul mates, and train for a battle. But we have to prioritize, and your safety is more important than anything else.
His dark hair swept his brow, and his beautiful face finally seemed at peace—no more guilt or inner war going on. His blue eyes pierced me to my core, staring at me with more honesty than he'd been able to give since I met him. And this was real. Not a dream.
I couldn't help but sound so excited and relieved all at once as I spoke to him. "This is perfect. You don't know how painful it was to feel like you had found someone else." I felt a tear escape from my eye as I continued. "Yastine could have crushed me into oblivion and it still wouldn't have hurt me as much."
He shook his head. "Aria, You don't know how much that hurts me to hear you say something like that. I am so sorry. I didn't mean to make you think that.
"I went in search for a way for us to be together; not for another person to be with. I knew there had to be a reason my link wasn't breaking. It shouldn't have been getting stronger when I was away from you, but it was. I felt like I was dying every second I was gone from you. I only felt peace when I was by your side. But that peace was always obstructed by guilt.
"There was nothing I could do to break our link. I loved you. I mean I really loved you. That shouldn't have been possible. I knew it shouldn't have been possible unless you were my soul mate, but that was supposed to be impossible.
"I didn't want to give you false hope, so I lied. I knew Amelia would be able to tell I was lying, and she'd probably tell you what I was really doing. I didn't want to hurt you even worse if there was no way for us to be together. So I wrote a letter and lied to you in order to protect you. It was all I could do, or so I thought. Looking back, I should have just taken you with me. I didn't realize how strongly you could feel for a person when you were still mortal. I thought I was feeling it more intensely than you, but I was wrong. You felt it as much as I did.
"I was afraid to answer your calls, because Amelia is always close to you, projecting. I didn't answer anyone's calls until I found the answers to our problem. I didn't want to hurt you, and as it turns out, I hurt you even worse by doing so. I'm sorry I put you through that."
He stood up and moved toward the window. I smiled as I followed behind him, unable to keep my hands to myself. It was so hard to talk when all I wanted to do was get lost in us, but some things needed to be said. Though this conversation had steered the wrong way.
I craved to be as close to him as physically possible. I was ready to explore every intimate detail about him, and nothing excited me more. It was so much harder to snap myself out of my trances now. My hands traveled up his back and around his arms to his chest.
"I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I was trying to tell you how much I love you, and have loved you since day one. I'm glad the drama is over and we can just be together. I can't wait to get started."
I smiled suggestively, and he pulled me to him, bringing his mouth back down to mine. Our lips brushed lightly before fitting together in a fiery hot kiss that left me trembling in his arms. I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything, and a thrill shot through me.
My whole body started throbbing with uncontrollable desire as his hands slowly traveled up my back. My sense of touch had been amplified as well, something I considered an added bonus now that there was nothing holding us back.
I could feel every inch of his body that was touching mine with such vivid clarity. It was surreal and tantalizing, exciting and terrifying, but most importantly, it made me feel complete. I couldn't get close enough.
I tried to tug at his shirt, but under my unexpected strength, the shirt ripped in half and fell from his body, prompting a throaty chuckle to escape from him.
I couldn't laugh when I felt his ripples and muscles exposed to my touch. I wanted every inch of him touching me. His sexy noises let me know that he wanted me as badly as I wanted him.
He grabbed me just at my thighs and pulled my legs up to wrap them around his waist. His strong hands gripped me, holding me tighter. And I welcomed the feel of desire.
He pushed me against the wall, cracking the sheetrock. I didn't flinch. My new immortal body was completely unaffected by the force.
I continued to kiss him as my fingers dug into his back a little more, needing his every breath to become mine. I couldn't help but grin when he tossed me to the bed, coming to join me quickly.
I grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him back down to me. He was so irresistible, and he was enjoying toying with me.
My insecurities were gone now. I felt even more intoxicated by his mouthwatering beauty. We had been designed to fit together in perfect harmony. I knew that tonight was going to be the most magical night of my life.
He raised up slightly pulling his lips away from mine just a few inches. "I love you, Aria, and I will for eternity. You've been the only thing missing from my life, and now I never want to be away from you again. I need you, and I refuse to be without you. I just hope you're ready for that."
Ready for that? I wasn't ready to be the "chosen" descendent of Isis. I wasn't ready for war with Graven or Lokan. I wasn't ready to be an immortal—or an eternal, as they called them. But I was definitely ready for anything as far as Tallis was concerned.
My kiss turned hungry, and I was swept away with his talented tongue, loving how his hands felt on my sides, but ready for so much more. I kept pushing my body closer to his, hoping he'd lose a little control.
"I'm more than ready, and I never want to be away from you either," I whispered in a breathy rasp.
Our kiss resumed, and we poured everything we had into it. I flipped him over, putting me on top of his body, but he only laughed as he flipped me to be on my back again as he settled his body between my legs.
He moved my hair to the side as he smiled down at me. "I don't ever have to leave you again. Now it's official; I belong to you and only you. I always have. Even if I didn't know it yet."
This was it. This was the moment I'd been waiting for since the day I realized I loved him.
"I belong to you, too. I always will."
He started slowly kissing me again, until the fire set back in. Then he pulled back abruptly, and I wanted to scream in frustration.
"What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to sound as wounded as I felt.
He
didn't say anything for a minute. He seemed to be gathering himself, possibly cursing himself for reasons unbeknownst to me.
"Not tonight," he said through strain.
What? Why? What the hell was wrong this time?
I rattled my brain for anything I might have done wrong, but I was drawing a blank.
"Did I do something wrong? Do you not want me that way?"
He smiled as he touched my cheek. "Oh, that's definitely not what's going on right now. I'm physically hurting to be with you. I just want it to be perfect. This isn't perfect."
I didn't know what he meant exactly. My self-conscious insecurities cloaked me as I mulled over his words. Not perfect.
Considering this was the first time I'd ever been in this situation to this extent, I was sure I seemed inexperienced. That sucked.
"I'll get better. I have just never kissed anyone before you. Just tell me what to do differently. Tonight is the first real kiss I've had with you—if you don't count the first kiss that ended suddenly when I started feeling like I was stuck in a furnace."
He flinched as he thought back to that night, but I stared expectantly, not willing to accept a no.
"That's not what I meant. Baby, you're perfect in every way. I love that I'm the first guy you kissed. I'm talking about the setting and the atmosphere."
I arched my eyebrow skeptically. "You don't like my house?"
He laughed—a sound that usually made me smile under other circumstances. "No, I like it here. I meant that I don't want to be in your room at your grandma's house, while the rest of your family sits downstairs with their super-hearing. It would be disrespectful for one, and it would be a wasted opportunity to make this special. I think we should wait until the time is right, and everything is perfect. I want the epic moment for us. We deserve it. I really think we would regret it if we rushed it."
I never knew patience could be such a terrible quality in a person.
"Okay," I grumbled, annoyed and irritated. "I'll do my best."
His grin was adorable, even if it was mocking me, but I refused to let it infect me. "You're cute when you're frustrated." He kissed me softly, smiling against my lips.
