Souls of Fire
Page 33
“That’s bullshit …,” Aaron said heatedly, “… how could you possibly know that?”
“Because that’s what it means to sell your soul to Darkness. You know you will not come back from it … it’s a bargain … an act of sacrifice … that you need to agree to completely willingly.
Darkness cannot take you over without your consent. It might have planted a seed inside of you, but it cannot become a part of you unless you let it.”
“Does that mean … she … sacrificed herself … for him?” Aaron asked, shaken. He could not believe it!
“Why would she do … why?” Aaron whispered, looking at Malcolm for answers.
“You must brace yourself for the possibility that … she was … in love with him,” Malcolm said cautiously, as though holding a potentially dangerous bomb that could go off at any second.
“How could she have been in love with him?” Aaron asked, his tone agitated, “She only just met him … she and I … we are … we were … it can’t be,” he uttered in a strangled voice as realization hit him, the truth behind Malcolm’s words starting to sink in.
Oh God, his father was right. She’d been in love with his brother. Why else would she have made such a sacrifice … There could be no other reason! Aaron felt shaken.
As for the second chance he’d been given to finally get to know his brother …
… he no longer desired it.
He could not get past the fact that Aidan had taken her away from him. Not only had he gotten her to fall in love with him … his life had cost Persephone her soul.
Persephone, Aaron’s thoughts wandered to the girl he had known … the one that was no more. How could you?
They’d … meant something to each other … he’d opened up to her … for the very first time in his life he’d become vulnerable … for her. And now she’d thrown away any future they might have had.
Even if they found a way to destroy the curse, and destiny no longer stood between them, they would not be together. Not because they would destroy the world … but because there was nothing left to love inside the hollow shell that wore Persephone’s face.
The woman he had fallen in love with was no longer there. She had thrown away everything … for the life of his brother.
She had betrayed him in more ways than one!
As Aaron’s eyes started to water, he swiftly turned away from his father. He wasn’t the type prone to tears. He usually was tough as nails and had only cried a few times throughout his life, mostly when he was a kid … and when he had found Adam lying lifeless on the floor of his study.
This was the very first time he felt like crying because of a woman. And he never would have thought it possible that he could ever feel this way about anyone, but he’d been wrong.
He’d torn down his walls, ready to commit to the woman he loved … and she’d thrown his love in his face … before she left him forever.
He could not even grieve for her loss.
Because he could not forgive her…
Aidan’s eyes might have been closed, but he’d been conscious throughout Malcolm and Aaron’s talk … and he’d heard every single word!
Moments before he’d overheard them talking, he’d come to and wondered where he was and what had happened. He’d been unable to remember anything after his failed attempt at saving them both from drowning.
He and Persephone had been completely surrounded by water. There’d been no way out … and he hadn’t been able to open the portal. He’d been at a loss to explain how he was even alive.
Then, he’d suddenly heard his brother and father talking about what had happened and decided not to let on that he was conscious.
He’d been certain they wouldn’t have spoken so openly had they known he was awake. And he really needed answers, needed to know what kind of miracle had saved his life.
Had he known what he was about to hear, he would have done anything to keep himself in the dark. The truth was excruciatingly hard to bear.
She had sacrificed herself … the purity of her soul … for him. How could she have done that? It made no sense!
Though his father thought Persephone must have been in love with him, Aidan could not believe it. Sure, there had been moments when he’d thought there was some kind of understanding between them … moments when they’d been really close … emotionally.
But he’d thought she was in love with his brother and, therefore, couldn’t care about him in such a way. He’d thought she was merely glad to have him around because she felt safer in his presence.
He’d saved her life more than once, after all. It hadn’t been that far-fetched to come to the conclusion that she might first and foremost seek his company to ensure her own protection.
But not once had she let on that she felt more for him, well, other than being physically attracted to him.
Could he have somehow missed it? Had she given any indication of actually having feelings for him? Aidan didn’t know what to believe anymore.
The fact of the matter was: despite her earlier allusions to the blackness within her tainted soul ― which had obviously been a considerable source of distress to her ― she’d willingly let herself be overcome by darkness … to save his life. Those were the irrefutable facts. Who sacrificed their soul for someone they didn’t care about?
Would he sacrifice something as valuable as his soul for someone he didn’t truly love, Aidan asked himself. The answer was very simple: he would not. But for someone he loved?
In a heartbeat … and without the slightest regret! That was the power of love.
Was that what she’d done? Had she loved him without his realizing it? Could she even have fallen in love with him in the brief time they had known each other?
Hadn’t he done exactly the same? They might have only met a short while ago, but they’d gotten closer in a small amount of time than other people did throughout half a lifetime.
They’d seen into each other’s souls. With all barriers down ― their essences naked and stripped of protection ― there had been nothing either of them could have held back.
Each of them had been able to see with perfect clarity exactly who the other was. That was more than normal couples ever got to experience.
Aidan’s heart ached for Persephone … for the beautiful soul she had lost to save his life. The weight of her sacrifice seemed to suggest that she had indeed loved him … did she still feel that way? Or was her heart forever frozen now?
If so, Aidan would never forgive himself. She had relied on him. It had been his duty to protect her … not the other way around. And when she had needed him the most, he’d failed her … and now she might be lost forever.
And it was entirely his fault!
Had he only been stronger…
Had he practiced magic more often…
Aidan couldn’t accept that she was lost. She must still be in there somewhere. The woman he cared about … had fallen in love with … must still exist.
Aidan had no choice but to believe that the beautiful light he’d beheld was somewhere inside her waiting to be reunited with the rest of her now darkened soul … that he could chase the darkness away and restore her essence.
If it cost him his very last breath, Aidan would do anything within his power to get her back … to redeem the woman who had given him everything … had given him life!
Not for one second would he believe she was truly gone.
Because if he did … if he gave up on her … he might as well have died in that tunnel!
Acknowledgments
I owe a great debt of gratitude to my sister, Jessica, and my parents, Ron and Sigi, for their invaluable feedback and support, and to my fiancé, Klaus, for enduring hours upon hours of going over tiny details with me in my quest to make this novel the best it can be.
A big thank you goes out to the artist Ravven for creating a truly stunning cover, and to the men and women behind Wikipedia for the substantial amount of work invested
in their page. Thank you for providing me with information critical to my story.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank the readers for giving my novel the time of day, and for joining me as I embark on this great adventure of publishing my very first novel, one which is very close to my heart. I hope you will enjoy it and come to love the characters and story as much as I do.
Thank you with all my heart,
Vanessa Black
About the author
Vanessa Black comes from a German-American background. Though she has lived in Germany for nearly all her life, she loves to read and write in English. She currently lives in West-Germany with her fiancé and their cat.