He exhaled, relieved to hear her say what his inner voice told him. “Maybe I should.”
She attempted to smile. “The Elders will help you decide.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “Angel was telling me about them. I’m not so sure I want to meet them. Khameel had once told me that they can call souls home.”
She laughed. “They are quite intimidating, but you will be fine. Hopefully,” she said and paused. He gave her a worried look, which made her laugh. “I’m just kidding.”
“If you say so,” he said and then looked down,
“So, you and Angel are spending time together,” she said and nudged his shoulder.
Rafe rolled his eyes. “Just one more thing in my life that I can’t make any sense of!”
“He’s a good guy, Rafe. Take your time in sorting things out. He won’t push you.”
“I know. It’s just that I don’t know my own thoughts and emotions anymore. How do I know what’s real when Dr. Kimp manipulated my mind for eighteen years?”
Sofia chewed on her left cheek for a moment, which made him smile. She did that sometimes when she spent time thinking seriously about something. “Well, take our relationship,” she said, making him groan. He hated thinking that he had once dated his half-sister, and that Damiana had programmed him to do so. “Hear me out,” she continued. “Were you ever really attracted to me, or did you just feel that asking me out was the right thing to do?”
He thought about her question. It had been something that he had wondered about many times during their relationship and had always dismissed the question when it had popped into his head. “I don’t know. I guess I just felt that it was time for us to be boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“Exactly! You never tried to make out with me or do anything sexual with me.”
“Thank God because knowing what we know now, that would have been gross,” he said and cringed at the thought.
“I agree,” she said and cringed with him, making them both laugh. “My point is that you were never attracted to me. Can you remember ever feeling attracted to anyone?”
Rafe reflected on his life and all the people he had met growing up. Angel’s face kept coming back to the forefront of his mind. He shook his head to push his thoughts away. “How do I know that Angel isn’t manipulating my emotions the way that Dr. Kimp manipulated my mind?”
Sofia smiled. “Angel wouldn’t do that. He’s honorable. Look, you don’t have to figure out your whole life now. Just don’t put up any walls. Let yourself feel whatever you feel. Just go with the flow.”
“Is that what you do with Ar’ch?” he asked. It came out a little possessively, but he didn’t mean it that way. He held no jealousy toward Ar’ch anymore; he felt genuine happiness that she had him in her life. He could see how much she loved him and how much he loved her.
She looked away, which made him feel bad. He almost apologized when she said, “You and Ar’ch are more alike than either of you will ever admit. To answer your question, yes, I embrace how I feel. I will always embrace love.”
Rafe looked out to the lake and said, “It’s peaceful here, isn’t it?” When she didn’t respond, he looked over to her and saw her smiling as if she were a million miles away. “What are you thinking?”
“I was just thinking of Liana and how you and Angel are indirectly linked through her. Your affinity is earth, and Angel’s is water. She made sure that I fell in love with the willow trees which need both water and earth to survive. And we all find this place peaceful.”
Rafe liked the connection that she had made between the three of them. “What about Ar’ch?”
Just then a breeze made the willow branches sway. Sofia looked at the branches and then at him and smiled. “We all need air to survive, don’t we?”
He recalled Valerie’s second prophecy. “The oracle told Valerie that the brothers would have to join forces in order to save you.”
“We all need one another, I guess,” she said and smiled.
“Well, I don’t know about all that, but it definitely sounds pretty.”
Sofia laughed and stood. “Come on, let’s head back before they send a search party for us.”
Rafe stood and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you for being here for me.”
“Always,” she said. “That’s what love is all about.”
-o-
Liana sat inside the gazebo, lost in her own thoughts. She heard laughter and looked over to the baby willows garden and saw Rafe and Sofia walking toward the house. She smiled and sighed. She felt great relief to see the two of them safe and happy after everything they had been through.
“It is good to see you smile again,” Nolan said.
Startled, she turned around and said, “Hello, Nolan.”
He looked over to where Rafe and Sofia were. “You raised them well.”
She shook her head, unable to accept the compliment. “I am so sorry for deceiving you all and for putting Rafe in harm’s way.”
He raised his hand to stop her from speaking. “It’s all in the past, Liana. We are not blameless. We should not have abandoned you.”
She looked down at her sundress. “I don’t blame you. All I’ve ever done is cause trouble.”
He sat next to her. “Nonsense. You raised Ar’ch to be who he is. You gave me Angel, who has been such a blessing. You gave life to Rafe, and you raised Sofia to love the Goddess.”
Liana looked toward the willows. She couldn’t handle the praise. She felt like such a failure and couldn’t understand why Nolan showed her such kindness. He followed her gaze.
“You have always loved willow trees,” he said.
She smiled. “I feel a kinship with them. Maybe it’s the Curatis in me, but I feel a connection to them, and they have always done right by me.”
“Like the portal that you created for Ar’ch and Angel?”
She nodded. “I was worried that I might have to escape at some point with Sofia and Rafe. I didn’t know if it would actually work.”
“Thank the Goddess that it did,” he said. She nodded and smiled and then became sad. “What’s wrong?”
“I fear the war. I worry about all of them, and I wish I had the power to help them stay safe. I wish I could fight alongside them, but I’m just a Curatis.”
Nolan took her hand in his. She tried to stay relaxed, but it had been life years since another Diasodz had shown her affection. “You kept them safe so that they could fulfill the prophecy. Now, it is up to them to do their parts. Valerie and I will be with them as will the rest of the Altorus class. We will not let anything happen to our children.”
She nodded. “I know. I have full faith in you.”
Nolan sat a little straighter. “Then stay strong and believe that the Goddess will protect us.”
Liana relaxed and smiled. “The Goddess has not let me down yet.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
After her morning swim with Angel, Sofia showered and searched for Ar’ch. He hadn’t been in the library or the rec room, so she decided to check the training center. By chance, she took the stairs, and as she descended, she looked outside to catch a glimpse of the golden willow tree, except it wasn’t the willow tree that caught her eye. It was Ar’ch, who sat on top of the property’s barrier wall.
She skipped down the steps and walked quietly over to the wall. He had his back toward her, so he couldn’t see her approaching, which gave her the perfect opportunity to admire him. She thought back to when she had first met him and how she could not fathom how someone with his amount of sexiness could be interested in someone as ordinary as she. It turned out that she wasn’t so ordinary after all, and she felt more blessed every day that the Goddess had chosen her for him to love.
When she arrived at the wall, she looked up and said, “A penny for your thoughts.”
Ar’ch turned around and smiled at her, which completely melted her heart. Using his skill, he lifted her into the air and sat her right beside him. Afte
r she felt safely seated, she leaned over, kissed Ar’ch, and whispered, “Hi.”
“Hi,” he whispered back.
Sofia thought about the last time they had sat there. They had been so awkward with each other. He was in his self-pity mode, and she had been convinced that he didn’t like her. They had agreed to stop having attitude with each other and take a chance at being friends. She inwardly laughed at how ridiculous they had both been back then and how much time they had wasted. Thank the Goddess that those days were in the past.
“So, whatcha thinking about?”
He looked past the lake to their golden willow tree. She followed his gaze and smiled. She remembered the first time he had taken her there in one of her dreams. She thought of the time he had taken her there in person. She remembered her shyness and his desire to lather her with lotion. She recalled their make-out session in the water and how overheated she had become. What she wouldn’t give for another visit to their tree! She looked at him to see if his thoughts matched hers and frowned. His expression was not what she was expecting.
“Ar’ch, talk to me.”
He looked at her with sadness in his eyes. “When you were gone, our beautiful, golden willow’s leaves began to fade to silver and then the branches started to fall apart. I knew that it was somehow connected to you, and then Cybil confirmed it. She told me that if you died, the tree would die with you. She said that we were running out of time to save you. I was going out of my mind.”
“Shhh,” she said and kissed him. She couldn’t believe that her life was tied to the tree, but it somehow comforted her. “I’m here. I’m safe. You saved me, and our willow is golden and shining brightly for all to see.”
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. “If anything ever happened to you...” She sighed and looked out at the lake. She hated the thought of the willow dying if she died; she thought of what a loss it would be to this world if that tree were no longer there. Ar’ch released his hold on her and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
Sofia had hoped to have a cute, little romantic moment on top of the wall, but she couldn’t shut off her mind. She tried to push her thoughts away or just ignore them, but they were being stubborn. She thought of just keeping them to herself, but they had just promised each other that there would be no more secrets between them. She just needed to spit it out and get it over with.
“What if I fail everyone? What if I’m not the savior for the Diasodz?”
“But you are.”
“But what if I’m not? Please, Ar’ch, just play devil’s advocate with me.”
He shook his head. “The devil doesn’t have an advocate.”
She rolled her eyes. “I am the daughter of the king and queen of the Raizyns. What if I am meant to be their savior? If Damiana controls me, promise me that you will kill me before I hurt any of you.”
“Stop. Just stop. She will not control you. You are strong enough to defeat her.” He kissed her. “You will defeat her, and I will be right at your side. We all will.”
She shook her head. “I’m a youngling, Ar’ch. I cannot disobey a direct order.”
He kissed her and pulled her into his embrace again. “Enough of that. The Elders will show you that I am right.”
Sofia could not live with herself if she caused the deaths of the ones whom she loved. She let him hold her and sent up a prayer to the Goddess to give him the strength to let her go if her fears came true. She hoped that the Goddess was listening.
-o-
Harmony washed the lunch dishes in a daze. When Martin came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, she immediately tensed up, so he began massaging her shoulders until she relaxed. She had gotten used to her role as a demon. There were some downfalls, the biggest one being that she had to denounce her Goddess, though she secretly still believed in Her. She also lost her beautiful, ebony skin; it had turned a dark gray. And her light brown eyes with orange specks were now an orangey yellow. But at least she no longer lived in that cell. At least she had the freedom to walk about the property and be by herself when she completed her duties. And at least, Mel was free, or was she?
“What troubles you?” Martin asked her.
“Mel,” she said. “We haven’t seen or heard from her in weeks. What if something horrible has happened to her?”
Still massaging her shoulders, he said, “I’m sure she is fine. In fact, we think she teamed up with the Diasodz. She probably had a part in stealing our prince and princess away from us.”
She stopped washing the dishes and turned around to face him, smiling. “That does sound like something Mel would do. She always loved Rafe and Sofia. She would move heaven and earth to protect them.”
He kissed her and whispered, “Hide that smile, dear. Our queen would not react kindly to it.”
She huffed. “What do I care? If our daughter is safe, I could care less about what happens to me. In fact, I am happy that witch’s plans are falling apart.”
He looked around to make sure that no one else had heard her. “Her plans had a hiccup. That is all. She is still in complete control.”
Harmony pulled away from him and turned her attention back to the dishes. She hated his loyalty to Damiana. She had to admit that she loved being back in his arms; she had never stopped loving him. But she absolutely detested any time he praised that horrible excuse for a woman. “How can you say that?”
“Because Damiana has full control over our savior.”
She stopped washing the plate in her hands. “If Mel is with the savior, and Damiana has control over Sofia, then our daughter is in trouble.”
She felt his arms around her shoulders again. “Then, we must focus on pleasing Damiana and hope that she has mercy on our daughter.”
“If anything happens to Mel, I could not live with myself,” she said.
Martin pulled her toward him, and she leaned her back against his chest. “We will keep her safe, Harmony. We will find a way.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. She wanted his embrace to erase her fears, but even he did not have that kind of power. She sent a silent prayer to the Goddess. She knew she had no right to do so after giving her soul to Lucifer, but she also knew that Damiana would never spare her daughter. The only one who could save her daughter now was the very one that Harmony had abandoned. I know that I’ve betrayed You, but if You have the heart and compassion that I believe that You have, then please keep my daughter safe from harm.
-o-
Hand in hand, Sofia and Ar’ch walked back into the house. They were heading to the rec room when they ran into Nolan. Sofia did not like the look on Nolan’s face and tensed up. Something had happened while they had been outside.
Nolan smiled, but she noticed that it did not reach his eyes. “The Elders have summoned you all to a meeting tomorrow morning.”
Ar’ch nodded. “I’ll tell the others,” he said.
Even Ar’ch seemed to take on a serious tone. She took a deep breath. She couldn’t hide the worry that she felt. The Elders held her fate in their hands.
Nolan hugged her. “You have nothing to fear, Sofia.”
She took a deep breath and embraced his acceptance and love. “Thank you, Nolan.” Not for the first time, she wondered why she couldn’t have been given a father as wonderful and loving as Nolan.
“We all love you, dear. And you are safe.”
“I know. I just worry for Rafe,” she lied. She saw Ar’ch look at her and knew that he saw through her omission. He winked at her, letting her know that he wasn’t going to call her on it in front of his father. She released the breath she had been holding.
“Rafe will be fine, Sofia. You shall see.”
Nolan released her, and she smiled. “From your mouth to the Goddess’ ears,” she said, causing them both to laugh. They found her words to be cute, but she was serious. She really hoped the Goddess was listening.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Upon hearing a knock on the door,
Rafe opened it to find Angel standing there. “Are you ready?” he asked.
Rafe pointed to his outfit. “Am I dressed okay?” He wore a pair of white, linen pants and a white, linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up a quarter of the way. He had on brown sandals, but he worried that they weren’t formal enough. He hadn’t had to wear any specific clothing to visit the oracle, but the Elders had a dress code, and he wanted to make sure that he impressed them.
Angel smiled and said, “You’re perfect,” and then cleared his throat. “That is the right attire.”
Rafe took a deep breath to release his stress and nodded. “Let’s get this over with,” he said and followed Angel.
“You need not be afraid.”
He pressed his lips together and thought, Easy for you to say. “I am Drake’s son,” he said aloud.
“And Sofia is his daughter. When the Elders thought that Sofia was you, they embraced her.”
“That is because she is their savior. I am nothing.”
Angel stopped walking and turned to face him. “Do not let me ever hear you say that again. You are very important, and you are loved,” he said and then paused. He took a step back and said, “You brought our savior back home to us.”
“After I stole her.”
Angel smiled. “Well, there is that,” he said and laughed. “Look, Rafe, we can dwell on the past, or we can live in this moment and embrace all of the good that surrounds us.”
“Why are you always so happy?” Rafe asked. He had never seen him in a bad mood. Even with the threat of war, even with the fear that they could all die, he still seemed upbeat.
Angel just shrugged and started walking again. When Rafe walked with him, he said, “I am blessed with the affinity to water and can control emotions. Plus, I choose happiness. You don’t need my skill to do that. You just have to make a conscious decision to be happy.” Rafe frowned at him, so he added, “Or I can infuse you with so much happiness that you have rainbows shooting out of your ears.”
The One Awakened Page 16
