Souls of Fire
Page 23
“Ouch,” I yelped in panic and dismay, “you’re hurting me. Let go.”
The guard ― Aidan ― had suddenly come running at me out of the blue, yanked me off my chair and thrown me against the wall where he now stood pinning me against the cold stone bricks, his hands at my throat.
“Shut up, witch!” he yelled at me, his face inches from mine. His features were distorted with rage and hate. The face I had come to love, the face he had stolen from Aaron, gazing at me now with so much hatred, I couldn’t bear it. And although I knew perfectly well that this was not Aaron, the sight of his likeness looking at me in that way was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
“Don’t think you can emotionally blackmail your way out of this by showing me tears. That won’t work on me. I know who you are ― what you are. You are the foulest creature I have ever beheld. And whatever it is you were trying back there … don’t!
I can snap your neck quicker than you can access that power of yours, not that you know how, by what I’ve heard. And the only reason you’re still breathing, is that Malcolm wants you alive. If it was my call, you’d already be dead!” he spat.
“So kill me,” I whispered, the tears now falling freely from my brimming eyes.
“What did you say?” he asked gripping me even stronger around the neck as if to challenge me to repeat the words he must have understood the first time.
“You heard me,” I answered with as much strength as I could muster, seeing as he was nearly crushing my windpipe and it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe.
It seemed he had not expected me to say anything even remotely of the sort, and was now standing there looking at me intently, trying to figure out what my end game was and what on earth I could gain from such a stunt.
I didn’t want to die! I had my whole life in front of me, I had things I wanted to do, to experience, places I wanted to see, a whole lifetime worth of memories I wanted to make and cherish.
But right at that moment I was just so tired … so tired of it all. I had just learned that the man I had fallen for could never be with me. I couldn’t marry him, couldn’t have his children, couldn’t build a life with him … I couldn’t even sleep with him to begin with, for crying out loud! And if I ever found someone else, he would have to put up with me living with Aaron, because otherwise I would die of ‘de-Aaronation’.
And I would constantly have to live with the never ending lust I could never give into. Plus, I would continually have to look over my shoulder because there would probably always be some members of the Haven that would rather see me dead ― like the one gripping my throat just then.
My life had become a farce. In the space of a heartbeat … everything I had ever dreamt about, hoped for, ruined. Even if I could learn to use my power to find a way out of this mess … I probably wouldn’t be worth loving or saving anymore. Who would want a creature of darkness … a foul, cursed creature?
I was just so tired of it all … tired of running … tired of fighting. In a moment of weakness, and born out of frustration and emotional and physical exhaustion, I decided to let go. I couldn’t stop him anyway. If he wanted to kill me, he would.
Looking into his eyes once more, and drinking in the features I loved ― now that his face wasn’t contorted with rage he looked just like Aaron ― I finally closed my sorrowful eyes, hot tears rolling down my cheeks, and waited for him to decide my fate.
I stood completely still, not moving a muscle, my senses heightened. Though from the outside my body might seem tranquil surrendering to him, I felt very much afraid that he might actually kill me.
My stomach was in knots, and my body was starting to tremble. I tried with all my might to will my mind at ease so that I could concentrate and connect with Aaron through our bond, to feel him one last time, but all I could sense was the pressure of Aidan’s fingers around my neck, wavering in strength as though he was unsure what to do. Concentrating hard, I at last was able to calm myself enough to call out to Aaron.
I could actually feel our consciousness’ connect, but at the same instant energy flowed through the hands at my throat, sending an electric current through my body that made me cry out in surprise and shock.
My eyes flew open. By the stunned look on Aidan’s face, I could tell he had felt the same jolt. It seemed I had not only connected with Aaron. I closed my eyes again and sensed Aidan’s awareness streaming toward my own.
Oh hell no! I thought wildly. What the fuck is going on here?
“That’s what I’d like to know!” Aidan growled, the grasp on my neck tightening slightly. My eyes darted to Aidan. His eyes were momentarily closed which meant he might not have realized that I hadn’t spoken aloud.
Unable to stop my mind from forming thoughts, I couldn’t help but think: Oh my God, he can read my thoughts! How is that possible? Does he know? Maybe he doesn’t realize that I hadn’t spoken aloud.
At this his eyes flew open, their dark blue depths a mirror of my own confusion and disbelief.
I tried to read his mind, but unlike Aaron, whose general mood I had at one time or another been able to make out by sensing bits and pieces, it seemed Aidan was impossible to read. The problem was: he seemed to be reading me just fine!
By the calculating look in his eyes, I could tell he was coming up with some kind of plan to confirm his suspicions about what had just happened.
It occurred to me that he would already know he could read my mind if he had listened to my thoughts while I stood here looking at him, for random notions had been chasing through my mind this whole time. If he needed to confirm his ability of reading me, maybe he couldn’t just catch any thought.
Maybe there had to be a big emotional response from me as well so that he could catch it. If that was the case, then all I had to do was not let my emotions play into his hands, and remain calm and collected. I could do this, I had to! After all, who would want someone finding out they had the ability to read one’s thoughts. That was just plain creepy!
Aidan slowly released his grip on me, his hands carefully gliding over my skin away from my neck until they left my body altogether. I moved away from the wall at my back, coughing in great lungs full of air now that I could. I guessed I probably had marks on my neck from where he had held me so tightly.
He was just standing there looking at me, his arms hanging leisurely at his sides. Was he trying to lure me into a false sense of security right before attacking me again, I wondered? Would he charge me and ram my body into the wall behind me to make me feel pain?
He seemed to be weighing his options, and had obviously not yet decided on a specific course of action. As I stood watching, a strange resolve stole over his features. Whatever he was going to do, it seemed he would dislike it just as much as I would.
Very slowly, Aidan started to move in on me. I inched backward away from him as he advanced. With every step he took, I took one as well. Whatever he was going to do to me, I was sure it would hurt like hell.
Suddenly, there was nowhere left to retreat to. My back had come up against the cold stone wall, and I started shivering from the cold and out of sheer nerves. Vowing not to lose my cool, I took a moment to try and calm down.
Aidan had walked right up to me, invading my personal space, and now stood mere inches from me. I cringed inwardly, squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head away preparing for the blow ― physically I had no chance in hell against this boulder of a man, his powerful muscles straining against the black leather of his uniform.
There was nowhere to run and nothing I could do to stop him. All I could do was try to remain calm … I could do this, I had to…
Aidan’s hands reached for me and pulled my arms behind my back, where he one-handedly held both of my wrists in an iron-like grip.
His other hand was suddenly at my jaw, his large hand slowly turning my face toward his. What was he doing, I wondered completely nonplussed? Was he going to stare me down until I broke and turned into a frightened heap on
the floor?
I found myself face to face with the same blue eyes as Aaron’s, the ones I almost always got lost in and decided not to take any chances. Squeezing my eyes tightly shut, I waited and hoped he would move on and think of a new tactic.
“Open your eyes,” a voice sounded softly in my ears, a gentle, soothing voice … Aaron’s voice. Against all sane reasoning, I was suddenly filled with hope of Aaron having found me to rescue me; I opened my eyes, only to find myself staring at Aidan ― and Aidan only.
So, they had the same voice as well!
I was confused … the gentleness in his voice had gotten my attention; it was too much like Aaron’s. I couldn’t help but gaze into his eyes. As I did, I could see something brewing in them.
Aidan was looking at me intently, his gaze wandering up and down my body, finally coming to rest on my lips. Looking deeply into my eyes again, he moved even closer. His breath was mingling with mine, he was so close.
Oh fuck, he’s going to kiss me, I thought, wildly panicked, my stomach fluttering nervously while my heart pounded frantically against my chest.
“Come on, stop the swearing,” Aidan said calmly, moving away from me with a satisfied look on his face. It seemed he had gotten the response he had been looking for.
“Relax, honey,” he continued in a mocking tone, “I’m not going to kiss you. To be perfectly honest, I think I’d rather die.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” I couldn’t help but growl in answer.
In one quick movement he had me up against the wall again, crushing my body against the bare stone.
“You’re feisty,” he rumbled, “Now; tell me, why can I hear your thoughts? And how come I get the distinct impression that this doesn’t surprise you?”
“I have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about,” I responded calmly, “personally, I think you’re crazy.”
“I know that you know that I can read your thoughts. Just as I know that you were trying to keep it a secret from me. And we both know that I just proved it, so you might as well come out and admit it. Or are you merely going to stand there and pretend that I didn’t outmaneuver you? Are you sure that’s how you want to play it?”
“I’m not playing anything,” I responded evenly, “and as for the voices inside your head, I’m sure there are pills for that,” I added, mentally patting myself on the back for remaining calm and collected. Which turned out to be a huge mistake, as Aidan suddenly seemed decided on making me admit it at all cost.
“Remember, honey, you asked for it,” Aidan said smugly, grabbing me and forcefully pulling my body into his, one arm around my waist, the other firmly at the back of my head, ready to get a more heated response this time. My struggles to break free were in vain. Just like Aaron, he was incredibly strong, and much more than I could handle.
His lips were inches from mine when the door to the office burst open once more and Aidan and I were magically separated and pinned to opposite walls, unable to move.
“Whatever you do, my boy, do not kiss her!” Malcolm warned Aidan, throwing him a serious look to emphasize the importance of what he had just said, as if Aidan’s life depended on it.
Apparently grasping the seriousness of Malcolm’s declaration, Aidan gave him a nod to let him know he understood. Malcolm calmly surveyed us, apparently trying to decide what to do with us.
“What’s going on?” I heard Aaron shouting from inside the sitting room. It seemed he had followed Malcolm to his office, or maybe he had followed our bond as I had reached out to him. As he entered the office his eyes found me and then moved quickly over Aidan.
He was about to address Malcolm when he suddenly did a double-take, his eyes flying back to Aidan, who looked just as shocked as Aaron himself.
“I repeat: what the fuck is going on?” Aaron shouted at Malcolm, unable to contain himself.
“It is not a repetition if you add ‘the fuck’,” Malcolm stated drily.
Aaron just stood there in mutinous silence, waiting for an answer. When it didn’t seem that Malcolm would come up with one fast enough to satisfy him, Aaron continued, “Who is that, and why does he look exactly like me?”
“It’s complicated,” Malcolm sighed.
“I’ll show you complicated if you don’t give me an answer right now.” Though the threat carried no real weight due to the fact that Aaron didn’t stand a chance against Malcolm’s powers, Malcolm seemed to decide that Aaron wouldn’t take anything less than the truth for an answer, and that it might just be easier to come clean now.
Chapter 13 * Broken Truths
“Aidan,” Malcolm said, his head indicating the figure clad in black leather, “is my son.”
“Why does he look like me?” Aaron asked enraged, his voice an angry growl. He seemed to think Malcolm had something to do with Aidan’s appearance, had cast some kind of spell.
“Is it magic? Did you do this?” Aaron continued heatedly.
“Yes and no,” Malcolm answered, “no, it is not magic, and yes, I did this. He has my genetic material, after all.”
“I don’t understand,” Aaron said slowly, the tone of his voice had suddenly changed from angry to worried and had taken on a slight trembling quality, as if he very much dreaded the explanation that would follow.
“Aaron,” Malcolm said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, “you have my eyes and your mother’s smile, boy.”
I remembered sitting in the office underground and looking into Malcolm’s eyes. I had thought they looked familiar, but had immediately dismissed the notion because I couldn’t remember ever having met him. But I had indeed seen those eyes before. They were Aaron’s eyes.
“No,” Aaron said, his voice mirroring the anguish he was undoubtedly feeling, as everything he had ever believed went up in smoke and landed at his feet in heaps of ashes ― broken truths, “you can’t be my father … my father is dead … my parents died …,” he belied Malcolm’s words, though I, and probably Malcolm and Aidan as well, could tell he actually believed him, even if he was unwilling to admit it.
“I have a brother?” Aidan suddenly shouted at Malcolm, “I have a brother, and you never thought to mention it?”
“Aaron is your twin-brother,” Malcolm answered, his voice low and filled with regret. “I’m sorry I had to keep this from you, but I had my reasons.”
“What reasons could you possibly have to separate twins?” I asked, my tone incredulous. “Everybody knows you don’t separate twins!”
“I did not separate them,” Malcolm answered calmly, “though I do admit that I could have reunited our family years ago, and chose not to. Though I had my reasons, I did indeed keep them separated. But never think that it was an easy decision. Nothing is ever only black or white … and things are complicated.”
“If I hear ‘complicated’ one more time, I don’t know what I’ll do,” Aaron threatened, his anger getting the best of him. He seemed ready to throttle someone; that someone looked suspiciously like Malcolm.
“You were taken from us,” Malcolm said softly, looking into Aaron’s eyes as if to gauge his reaction.
“It was my fault,” Malcolm continued, “I knew of the curse, I had spent half a lifetime studying it and the dark magic at its core; I had conducted every kind of research … finally I had stumbled upon the very real and frightening possibility that my own sons could be connected to this horrible destiny.
I didn’t want to believe it … refused to acknowledge the truth behind my findings. I chose to ignore reality, following other leads instead.
To my detriment, other scholars among my people followed the trail leading to my flesh and blood. At the time this happened, I was not the leader of the Haven, and things were done differently then. Many believed the only way to save the world was to meticulously hunt down and kill those connected with the curse.
Many years ago there had been one other instance where someone cursed was born. She was, indeed, the first reincarnation of Morrigan.
But it seemed the leader of the Haven at that time did not believe the curse could ever be undone, and instead decided to hunt down all those who were destined to bring about its conclusion.
When Morrigan was eight years old, the Haven managed to find her. They abducted her and took her to a secret gathering in a chamber underground, where they killed her during a ritual.
What they hadn’t known, was that Adam Wright was at that gathering. He had secretly snuck in among our family and had witnessed the gruesome murder of an innocent child.
When my own people found out about my sons’ possible future involvement with the destruction of our world, they decided to take measures into their hands once more and eliminate the threat. They came for my boys in the middle of the night, unaware that I had chosen that night to go hunting in the woods around the castle.
As earlier hunting trips had shown that it was impossible for you boys to be together without fighting, I alternately left one of you behind with your mother.
The night they came, I had taken Aidan with me and left you behind.
They tore you from your screaming mother’s arms; in a last desperate attempt to defend you and herself against the men threatening you, your mother accessed powers of such a dark and powerful nature, that she was unable to control them … they burned her from the inside out and left nothing but ashes in their wake.”
At this, Malcolm needed a moment to get his trembling voice under control. It seemed, even after all these years, he was having a difficult time talking about that night and his wife’s sudden death. I could only imagine what Aaron and Aidan were feeling right then.
“They took you to the same place they had killed the girl many years before. But before they could put an end to your life, Adam, who had made it his life’s mission to find out everything he possibly could about our society, and to stop future murders of the kind he had witnessed, got to you in an unguarded moment and managed to remove you and the Grimoire from their clutches.