by C. M. Owens
I rolled my eyes as I pulled back. "You wouldn't think I was so cute if I wasn't sitting on my hands right now. I would've probably already turned the room into ash, or blown out the whole third floor, or something else really bad by now."
He laughed harder as he lay back on the bed, motioning for me to join him. He spoke playfully. "It's a good thing that I'm an eternal. Your body is on fire. I'm glad I can't be hurt from the heat you're putting off right now."
I felt the blush creeping across my cheeks. It took me back to the night that Jared and I had gotten a little too close.
"Yeah, that's the blazer in me," I muttered dryly.
He laughed again. "It certainly is." Then he kissed me and tugged me closer as he softly rested his head on top of mine.
To distract myself from the... issues at hand, I asked him something that had been bugging me for a really long time. "So you and Elaina?"
He rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."
He laughed at my question as he stood up to grab the water he had carried up, giving me the chance to appreciate his perfectly toned body. I scowled at his back when I felt taunted. Look but don't touch, Aria, I thought. I huffed again.
He was smiling when he caught my gaze. I decided not to boost his ego even more, so I didn't acknowledge the fact I had just been busted.
"Oh yeah, you don't date in high school," I said, giving him my best sarcastic tone.
He tried unsuccessfully to stifle his new grin. "That's my old rule. I made an exception for you."
He leaned over and kissed me, then he grabbed some shorts and walked to the bathroom to change out of his jeans. The devil in me started to go push through the door and catch him off guard. But I didn't let the devil win.
"So, are links the reason you didn't date or were you just too cool for school?" I asked, again needing a distraction.
He tossed his jeans to the small desk in my room when he walked back in, and I shamelessly ran my eyes over his body as he made his way back toward me. He pretended not to notice, even though I saw his smirk.
"Yes and no. I just wasn't ever interested in anyone enough, before you obviously. Another thing that I didn't want to deal with was the emotional link. Desmond was always good about getting out before the link took effect, but I didn't want to chance getting sucked in.
"You were the first one to draw me in as a mortal while I was immortal. As it turns out, you'll be the last, too."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Is that your clever way of mentioning there was someone else under different circumstances?"
He gave me an of-course-I-have-don't-be-ridiculous look. It wasn't like I could say much. I still hadn't given him details on Jared, and I certainly didn't plan on doing it then.
"I've had experiences in the past. But everything I thought I knew about love changed the day I met you. Nothing in this world could ever compare to what I feel for you. No one could ever mean as much to me as you do. And nothing will ever change that."
All of my worry washed away with the smooth touch of his words. He pulled the covers down as he climbed into bed beside me. I kissed him again as I got out of bed to slip into something more comfortable myself.
After, making my selection, I headed to the bathroom to change. Smiling like a plotting vixen, I pulled on a thin pair of knit shorts that were barely long enough to hide things and a black spaghetti string shirt that dipped a little lower in the front.
Tallis's eyes widened when I walked back into the room, and then he narrowed them accusingly. "You aren't planning on making this easy for me, are you?"
The smug grin on my face refused to be banished. "You just said you wanted to wait. You didn't say I couldn't try," I said with as much innocence as I could muster.
He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. Then I continued, "Besides, it doesn't look like you're trying to make this easy on me either." I gestured toward his shirtless body.
His snickers continued as he stood up and walked over to his bag and pulled out a sleeveless shirt. After pulling it on, he motioned to his tattered shirt that I had ripped earlier.
"I was worried you would tear apart my entire wardrobe tonight."
I blushed feverishly and threw a pillow at him. He laughed as he caught it and tossed it on the bed. He quickly jumped back on the bed and lay facing me as he spoke in a playful tone. "Is that better?"
I frowned while exaggerating and exasperated sigh. "Not particularly."
He just smiled in a satisfactory way as he pulled me close and kissed me, teasing me more.
"We have all the time in the world," he said, grinning against my lips.
He broke off the kiss, and I snuggled into his side. It was then I realized how truly exhausted I was. In a moment, I was asleep, but even in my sleep I still worried about what the future held.
I would have to be ready. Everyone was depending on me. Everyone had been waiting on me. I knew in my heart I could not let them down, or I would lose everyone I loved—including Tallis. Just when I was starting to sleep peacefully, a flash came over my eyes.
A vision.
It was McKee and Yastine. They were chasing Iris and George. Iris and George had been unaware of the betrayal. My efforts to shield them from the family of traitors had left them vulnerable to an attack.
In a cold sweat, I jumped straight out of bed, scaring the hell out of Tallis as I did so.
He jumped to his feet in a defensive manner. His eyes scoured the room quickly before he turned to me.
"Aria, what's going on?" he whispered.
My reluctance to tell him about McKee was to keep him safe. Now I would just have to find a new way. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise you won't do anything. You have to trust me, and wait for the right time. You have to promise you won't leave me and do something rash. I can't be without you right now."
Confusion spread over his face, and he tensed beside me. "I'll promise you anything you want me to promise. I can't be without you either. Just tell me what's wrong."
I grabbed some decent clothes to change into, and he turned his back while I changed. I walked down the stairs, pulling my shirt down the rest of the way. I didn't want do this, especially not tonight.
I had to though. I had seen what happened if I didn't. Yastine was more powerful than I had known. She would crush Iris, and Iris was the center of our coven.
"Start calling everybody to get back over here. I will go assemble my family," I said shakily, causing Tallis to worry even more.
He resisted the urge to question me, and did as I asked. The night would be extended.
Chapter 18
A Family of Traitors
You can't be betrayed by anyone but the ones you trust.
"Tallis, stop!" I yelled, grabbing at his arm only to have him shake me off.
"No, Aria! You should have told me. I'm going to rip his throat out," he growled.
Desmond came to help me pull Tallis back, aiding me in keeping him from charging out.
"You promised me," I begged, watching his jaw tick as he warred with himself.
"You should have told me," he said again, anger clearly lacing each word.
"I couldn't. I was afraid you'd be stupid and go after him. They'll be waiting for that. And I'm sure as hell not ready to lose you."
Some of the fury slipped from his face as his eyes softened on mine. He tilted my head back, and lightly brushed his lips against mine.
"I won't go right now, but I will kill him eventually for this."
It wasn't very comforting, but it was something at least.
Iris sniffled, drawing our attention as Mom comforted her.
"His poor parents must be devastated. Champ and Melinda have always been so devoted to the light. I couldn't imagine having two children turn to the dark after so many years of service."
Others went to console the respected matriarch as she mourned the truth. I knew this next part was going to be even harder now.
"It wasn't just McKee," I said with a
shameful whisper as I averted my eyes.
I could feel everyone staring, waiting for me to elaborate.
"McKee's power was the only one I sensed," Henry said, as if to himself.
I was right to think he had already figured it out. But he was just as reluctant to tell as I was.
With a burdened sigh, I told them about McKee's parents, and the look of shock and hurt that crossed Iris's face made me hate myself in that moment. She loved them—all of them.
Everyone began talking amongst themselves again. Iris looked at me and shook her head. Her sobs let me know that her heart was breaking even more.
One of the members challenged my revelation, denial clearly clogging their frame of mind.
"If they have been traitors amongst us for so long, why didn't Graven already attack us? They could've just let him in."
Allaysia answered the question that I was unable to. "There are many reasons he hasn't attacked yet. My brother is smarter than my father ever was. That makes him even more dangerous. He learned from the mistakes that Dramus made. His mind is as brilliant as his heart is dark.
"Dramus stumbled upon the dark by accident. My brother chose it, and he has no mercy. He is too smart to attack without knowing everything. He most likely had McKee and his family watching for all the secrets the coven has. By now he knows every weakness of every individual in various different covens.
"This coven is one of the strongest ever known in the magical society, and by far the most connected. He knows every soul mate for every witch. He knows every inch of this house. Any and every secret shared with the traitors is now his information. He keeps learning new things, and testing everyone to learn more.
"Things such as the pool that saved Aria and Amelia the night Taryn attacked keeps him learning. When he feels he knows it all, he'll strike. Amelia's existence was a surprise, reminding him to take his time—take no chances.
"He is sending small attacks to learn more. Not to mention all of the mortal witches he has found through his spies. He's greedy, and he wants the most powerful essences. That's what they were giving him.
"Whatever he is searching for now will make him far more powerful than he is already. He won't take the chance of losing. He won't even take a chance of being weakened. If he's weakened, one of his followers may take advantage and knock him off his throne. Whatever he is looking for will make him invincible. If he finds it, we're all doomed."
Iris composed herself as she dried her tears. Still in disbelief, she spoke in a shaky tone. "This whole time I thought they left because they were so ashamed of their daughter's treason."
Henry draped a protective arm lovingly around Amelia as he said, "They left so that Amelia didn't have the chance to see through them. Once they learned of her existence, they used Taryn as an excuse to stay away."
Iris stuck her hand to her chest. "George and I were supposed to meet with them tomorrow."
My body went stiff. My vision had shown them dying. I didn't realize it would be the next day.
I was so relieved that I had told them the truth, and sick at how close death was. "That is what prompted me to tell you tonight. I had a vision of them—" I stopped when tears stormed my face.
Tallis walked up and put his arms around me, now understanding why I had been so shaken up when I woke up.
Then Ash spoke in a quizzically. "Didn't Amelia see Taryn and McKee in school? Why didn't she get a read on them then?"
Desmond answered that question for everyone. "She can only feel mortal feelings. At least until she transforms. She was blinded to their true intentions until she bonded with Aria. She still can't see problems into the magical realm, but after she bonded with Aria, she could see them more clearly. She could feel their desire to do harm. It was just lucky for them that they weren't around her after that."
Amelia spoke up this time. "I felt the attraction from McKee to Aria, because it was his strongest feeling. I didn't see him much again after Aria and I became friends. He kept his distance because he was jealous of Tallis. I felt the mutual attraction between Aria and Tallis. I felt Taryn was fake, but I thought it was high school stuff. The day at the pool, I felt the desire she had to kill Aria. I saw pure hatred in her heart."
Jaslene groaned as she clutched her head. "This whole time I thought McKee was heartbroken because of you wanting Tallis. I trusted him, and I even felt sorry for him."
Dad walked up and put his arms around his wife in a consoling manner as he addressed me. I could hear him fighting back tears as he spoke. "I don't know how he went from caring about you to trying to kill you."
Tallis flinched again in hearing the words kill you. His jaw clenched audibly, and I struggled with what to do. I knew this was going to make the situation even worse, but I felt it necessary to explain everything.
So I did. I told them all about McKee's plan for me and him to be together, and I was fairly positive that Tallis could have blown up half the world in that moment.
Selesha walked up with her head bowed in shame, speaking before Tallis could react. "I'm so sorry, Aria. Had I known… I should've known."
She flinched when Jay spoke to her. "Selesha, you can't blame yourself for this. None of us knew, and we all trusted them. So many times we should've caught on. The day Aria was saved by Tallis, we should've known. McKee and Taryn shouldn't have even been rattled by that wreck. Aria was out there for a while without any kind of protection. They weren't expecting her to survive."
"I wasn't supposed to be killed," I added. "All of them had orders to take me back to their lair. The plan was always to let McKee try to force me into becoming his soul mate."
Tallis cracked his fingers and neck as he fought back the urge to blow something up. Then Aster spoke up. "How are they choosing their own soul mates?"
I shrugged my shoulders as I answered. "They didn't go into details. At the time I didn't think of asking either."
Surviving was my main prerogative at that point.
Allaysia chimed in. "I wish I could say I was surprised."
Anesta approached. "What does that mean? You knew that they could do such a thing?"
Her tone was more worried than accusatory; however, Edmond walked up to stand beside his wife protectively.
Allaysia shook her head. "I didn't know that my brother had succeeded. I didn't think that it would ever actually be possible. My father had worked on it for centuries. He never succeeded though. He wanted to choose someone more powerful than my mother to be his ideal soul mate. He never knew of her true power of course. He found blinding to be beneath him, and he wanted someone with a more coveted power—ironically enough, considering the power my mother actually had. Magic had forced him to be with Allora, so he was trying to circumvent magic. I never dreamt Graven would succeed where my father had failed. However, as I mentioned earlier, he is smarter than Dramus was."
Everyone began speaking in hushed tones. Now everyone worried even more.
Feeling brave, I added, "I think Graven knows the strength of a bodyguard with a witch. In my vision, he allowed Yastine and McKee to join together as soul mates."
Allaysia shook her head in disbelief. "He must know. He has always believed that strength was derived from purity. Witches with witches, bodyguards with bodyguards, and changers with changers. He has never accepted the cross-breeding of the different magical beings. He must know of the power that it holds now—even if we're just learning.
"It will take him a while to build an army from that. We need to find a way to destroy him while we have the upper hand. He may have figured out a way to control soul mate selection, but that has left him weaker than us for the moment. We have allowed magic to continue on in its natural selection. It has rewarded us for our trust by giving us such gifts as my children who can't be seen or smelled, as well as Henry, and now Aster's unborn seer."
Aster rubbed her stomach in a motherly and affectionate manner. I worried that if we didn't do something soon, my niece and nephew wouldn't have a c
hance to be properly introduced into the magical world. I felt myself growing stronger out of necessity.
"What do we do?" I asked softly.
Allaysia bowed her head, letting her breath out in a harsh exhale. "We kill my brother. We find his weaknesses, and we take him down by any means necessary. The natural selection of soul mates makes us different in another way, too. It strengthens our powers in a more magnified way than his people choosing as they wish. They're not as connected with each other as we are. I had felt tension and mistrust between the dark soul mates that we've fought before in the past. Now I know why."
Iris stepped up with George. George was holding her hand as he spoke. "We will have to find what he seeks before he finds it, while also training Aria in her new powers. We'll have to take shifts, and each person will have set tasks and goals to reach daily. We'll defeat him to ensure the sanctity of magic."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Tears were starting to come to my eyes now. Henry hugged Amelia tighter. Then Iris spoke up.
"Tonight we rest. We'll have several obstacles to overcome everyday. The marriage and unity of the soul mates newly found should have to be hurried along. The marriage bonds you together in a way that will deepen your magical capabilities and strengthen your powers. The stronger the bonds, the better our chances."
It seemed like she directed that more toward Jay, Ayla, Desmond and Ash than Tallis and me. I watched as Selesha tried to hurriedly wipe away some escaped tears discreetly. Everyone agreed with Iris by nodding.
Everyone broke up into small packs, everyone trying to their own devise a plan of action for the morning. Then little by little, they all dispersed. Iris approached me solemnly. "Thank you, Arisianna. I know how hard it was for you to tell us that. You saved many lives tonight, and made us aware of so much more. Now we have a better idea of what we're up against."
I felt the tears start to come out slowly. "I know how hard this was for you to hear, Grandma."
