I walk back and forth until my heart rate returns to its regular rythm and my body has cooled down. Then I do some leg and arm stretches, and when I’m done I take off my sweaty shirt, walk over to a grassy hill and lie down, looking up at the bluest sky I’ve seen in days.
Back in Agartha we could only go out at night, when there weren’t as many people around and the probability of accidentally exposing ourselves decreased significantly. To think I’ve been missing out on this beautiful sunlight all these years— I stop myself just in time. I can’t think about Agartha. Thinking about Agartha invariably leads to thinking about Kismet, and that’s the last thing I want on my mind.
The wind ruffles my hair, which has almost grown down to my shoulders, and feels cool on my sweat-drenched skin. I stay there, lying down on the soft grass and looking up at the clouds, my mind blank. I follow their changing shapes as the wind blows them through the sky.
After who knows how long, I take a deep breath, stand up, and walk back home.
I take a shower before lying down on my bed to read. It’s a crappy romance about this girl who’s in love with two boys that I bought on a whim a couple of days ago. I’m not into romance, but I’m also not opposed to trying new things.
My mistake.
The story is terrible, but I’ve become obsessive about having to finish a book once I start it, no matter how bad it is. Sometimes I wonder if this is some new form of masochism I’ve developed.
The hours pass quickly, and soon enough, day turns into night without much eventfulness, like it always does. I put the book down on the floor with fifty agonizing pages left to read, and look at my watch. It’s ten thirty, but I’m not sleepy at all. In fact, I’m restless. I want to see the witches again. And there’s really nothing stopping me except the little voice at the back of my head that’s afraid of me leaving my comfort zone.
After some deliberation, I get up, put my shoes back on, and walk out, taking off at a run towards the northern entrance of the forest, becoming just a shadow in the night. The neighborhood is quiet and dark, the only light coming from inside homes and the sidewalk’s flickering lampposts.
I fly through the town and run on the open road for about half an hour until I come up on the northern border of the deep, dark woods. I slow down, steadying my heart rate through my breath, and walk into the forest, calling the witches with my mind.
Virginia…Veronica...Isabella…
I wait for a few minutes, looking up at the night sky. It’s lit with stars and a silver waxing moon. After about fifteen minutes, just when I am about to reluctantly give up and go back home, the withces appear out of the shades under the trees.
They look exquisite underneath the moonlight, their hair flowing freely over the sheer dresses that barely cover their glowing bodies. I swallow, not knowing where to look. I’ve never seen women of such perfect beauty.
“Daniel, if it isn’t a pleasure.” Isabella says, extending her hand to me regally.
This time, I kiss her hand without hesitation. “The pleasure is mine.”
She purrs like a kitten.
“Are we able to assist you with anything in particular, love?” Veronica says in that low, sexy voice of hers. My eyes flicker down her dress for a second before focusing back on her face. I feel my heart pounding on my chest and my palms starting to sweat.
This is ridiculous, I think to myself. I’m twenty-two, not sixteen. I wipe my palms on my jeans and hope they don’t notice the effect their presence is having on me. But the truth is, I want them bad.
My eyes lock on Isabella’s, and she smiles. With a barely perceptible tilt of her head, she dismisses the other two women, no—goddesses. They turn their backs on us without so much as another glance and disappear into the night, leaving us alone in the woods under the silver light of the crescent moon.
Isabella inches closer to me and takes my hand in hers. Her skin is velvety smooth. She strokes my chest ever so lightly with her fingers. I’m trying as hard as I can to fight the urge to take her in my arms and make her mine right here, and right now.
“So tell me, love,” she says, pulling away and leading me deeper into the woods. We walk, hand in hand, and her bare feet make no sound as they touch the earth. “Why ever did you come?”
“I wanted to see you.”
She laughs, and her green, mysterious eyes shine in the dark, like a cat’s. We tread through the trees until we reach a small lake. The moon reflects off the water’s surface, lighting up the surrounding rocks and trees. Isabella lets go of my hand and turns around to face me, her back to the water. Slowly, she lifts off her dress and lets it fall softly to the ground.
She looks at me, a small, shy smile on her lips, and I look at her, taking in every exquisite inch. Then I take off my clothes and throw them to the side, and take a step towards her. She takes a few steps back into the water, luring me in. I follow her into the lake until the water is up to my neck, my feet walking over smooth, cold pebbles and stones.
When I reach her, I grab her by her smooth, small waist and push into her, pressing her back against a boulder by the side of the lake. She moans and closes her eyes, arching backwards.
I lose myself in her skin, her breath, her scent.
I lose myself in the water, forgetting everything but this moment, and how beautiful Isabella looks under the moonlight.
-*-
“You know, I could make you immortal, truly immortal, Sun-Child.” Isabella says. I’m sitting naked against a tree trunk with Isabella’s white back against my chest and my arms around her smooth waist. I should feel cold, but Isabella’s presence sends currents of warmth through my body. Also, the trunk of the tree on my back feels strangely comfortable, like a pillow, even thought it’s covered in gnarled knots.
Hers is powerful magic.
“What do you mean?” I say, relaxed.
“The Daughters of the Moon can live forever,” she says. “And so can their partners, if we choose to give them that gift.”
I say nothing, and she continues. “It’s rare, but you do hear about the occasional warlock living out his days with his witch, together under the gentle cover of the night.”
I sigh. “I barely know you, Isabella.” She stiffens.
“There is so much more I could show you,” she whispers. “So much you don’t yet know.” She runs her fingers up and down my arms, slowly, hypnotizingly.
“Isabella…” I say after a while. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She turns around to face me, her green cat-like eyes slightly narrowed. “Are you in love with someone?” She asks bluntly, taking me by surprise.
I think about what to answer her. “Yes.” I say, deciding to go with the truth. “I’m still in love with my exgirlfriend.”
She nods and smiles sadly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
For a moment I get the impression she was trying to work some kind of magic on me. “It’s okay.”
“What’s she like?” She asks, her voice barely a whisper, her arms folding around her knees.
She is small and skinny and has fiery-red hair and amber eyes the color of a lion’s mane. She is nothing like you. And she was my entire life.
“She was stubborn.” I say. “Like me. Very smart. And strong. We were very alike.”
Isabella nods. She doesn’t say anything. Maybe it’s her silence that makes me want to continue speaking.
“But she was also nicer than me. Less aggresive. Quieter.” I say. “We understood each other, knew when to leave each other alone, stuff like that.”
“You were happy.”
I nod, allowing myself to let some memories from my time with her resurface in my mind. The ring of her voice, the way her eyes crinkled at the edges when she laughed. The touch of her hands.
“You were with her for a very long time.” Isabella says, bringing me back to the present moment. She says it like a statement, instead of a question.
“Six years.” I say. “Is it that obvi
ous?”
She smiles sweetly, turning around and leaning back into me. “Yes.”
I snuggle into the tree trunk and hug her into me, smelling her hair, feeling the warmth of her skin. Closing my eyes, I inhale and exhale deeply, savoring the intimacy of simply being with another person, until slowly the song of crickets, and a warm breeze, lulls me to sleep.
-*-
I wake up alone the next morning with the first rays of dawn. I look around for Isabella, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Taking a deep breath, I get up and stretch a little, pausing to observe myself.
I feel good.
Lighter, somehow.
I relieve myself in the bushes, put my clothes back on, and slowly make my way out of the woods.
Enemy Territory
After taking a shower, eating some expired granola bars I found inside my disturbingly empty fridge, and brushing my teeth, I walk to work, soaking up as much of the sun as I can.
There is nothing I want more right now than to lie on the side of a grassy hill on the park, like I did yesterday, and stare at the blue sky and the white, drifting clouds for hours on end. But Morris’s Sport Shop and my duty await me, so I suck it up and make my way to the town plaza.
I reach the shop fifteen minutes later.
“Hello, sir,” I say to my boss, Billy Morris, as I make my way to the counter.
He barely glances up from the newspaper he’s reading. “How’s life treating you?”
“Not too shabby.” I say, trying to make my tone as friendly as possible.
He grunts. “I have to tackle some paperwork,” he murmurs before rolling up his newspaper under his armpit and walking to his office at the back of the store. He doesn’t fool me. I can hear the TV through the closed door. But my thoughts soon drift elsewhere. Morris is so commonplace, I usually forget him a few minutes after he leaves my sight.
I sit behind the counter, look out the window and fantasize about being in the park. The minutes pass and I settle into a deep stillness, the thoughts in my mind fading into the background.
Suddenly the door opens, and a guy I’ve never seen around town before walks into the shop.
“Hey,” he says. “What’s up?”
“Hi.” I say, clearing my throat. “Can I help you with anything?”
His eyes flash down to my name-tag for a second. “Daniel Mabe,” he says, laughing to himself.
I raise an eyebrow. “What’s so funny about my name?”
“Oh, sorry,” he says. “It just reminds me of someone.”
I stand up a little straighter and look him in the eye. “Who?”
“Hmm…what?” The stranger says, looking up from some sneakers he was ogling. “Oh, nobody, bro. It’s a name only known in certain circles.” He winks at me.
I study him. He has black, wavy hair and olive skin. He couldn’t be more than a few years older than me. His eyes are blue, which means he can’t be a Sun-Child. But he’s tall and muscular and looks very strong… and then it hits me.
This guy could be an Immortal. And if he is, he might have heard of Daniel Maze.
Thanks so much, Morgana… I think to myself. I always knew the fake name was sloppy. And now there’s a chance I could get killed because of it.
The stranger suddenly pauses and turns around to face me, narrowing his eyes. I immediately know I’ve made a mistake. I’ve looked at him for too long. I discreetly turn my head right and scratch my neck, feigning boredom.
Maybe I’m being paranoid. Maybe he’s just a regular dude and I’m getting all worked up about nothing. I look at him briefly and find him leaning on the counter, arms crossed, sizing me up just like I did to him a minute ago.
“Or maybe you would know.” He says, his voice in a lower register than before, a small smile plastered on his face.
I narrow my eyes. “Maybe.” I say, non-commital. But my muscles tense, preparing for a full-blown fight.
“I’m going to go for broke here and just say what’s on my mind.” He say, a strange glimmer in his eyes that could have been mistaken for mischief. “Are you him?” He blurts out.
“Who?” I say, not losing a beat. I don’t move an inch, and never take my eyes off him.
He chuckles under his breath. “Daniel Maze.”
My fingers twitch involuntarily, and I wince at the sound of my own name coming out of his mouth. His eyes widen. Shit.
Busted…
“It really is you.” He says, sounding amazed. I take a few steps back, my senses on high alert. He raises his forearms away from the counter and I tense, lifting my arms up for combat.
He looks at me for a second and then smiles. “Relax, man,” he says. “I have no intentions of fighting you.”
I narrow my eyes at him and slowly lower my arms, glancing back to Morris’s office for a second. The TV is so loud there’s no way my boss has heard anything.
“How can I trust you?” I say. “You’re my enemy.”
“Believe me when I tell you I’m not your enemy,” he says, the sides of his mouth going up in a crooked smile. “At least not right now.”
I scan him again. He’s relaxed, his stance even lazy. This isn’t a guy willing to start a fight. In complete contrast with me, in full combat position.
“What’s your name?” I ask him, relaxing a little.
“Shane Kostopolous.”
“Greek?”
“Hm.” He affirms.
I lower my arms. “What do you want, then?”
“I would want to buy these beautiful Nike sneakers you have on sale,” he says, pointing to the pair of tennis shoes he was ogling a moment ago. “But unfortunately they’re too expensive for my budget right now. So now what I want is to have lunch with you.” He smiles.
“Fat chance.” I say, without missing a beat. “Like I said, you’re my enemy.”
“Like I said, not right now.” He drums his fingers on the counter, showing the first signs of impatience. “So what do you say? There’s this diner just around the corner that serves these delicious cuban sandwiches.”
I stare at him. “Why do you want to have lunch with me?”
He chuckles. “Jesus, boy. You’re tougher to crack than a girl playing hard to get.”
“It’s a valid question.” I say, voice hard.
His eyes flash and his voice lowers. “Why don’t you meet me at the park at noon and find out.”
“How ‘bout I don’t.” I say, staring straight into his eyes. “I’m not caving to some bullshit demand from a guy I’ve never met.”
He shrugs. “Fine.” He says, that smile spreading back into his features. He turns around and walks out of the shop. Before the door closes behind him, he looks back at me and says, “I’ll be at the park at 12 o’clock. If you’re not there in fifteen minutes you’ll never see me again, that’s a promise.” Then the door clangs shut, and I watch him walk away.
That bastard.
He never answered my question.
-*-
I walk over to the park once my morning shift is over and look around. I spot Shane sitting on one of the benches, holding two sandwiches in his hand. I tap him on the shoulder from behind.
He turns around and hands me one of the sandwiches. “You came.” He says, but he doesn’t sound surprised.
“Against my better judment.” I murmur, sitting down next to him. He hands me one of the sandwhiches. I unroll it, take a big bite, and swallow. “Pretty good.” I say.
“Told you.” He bites into his own sandwich, closes his eyes, and nods. “It’s like my taste buds are cuming.”
“What do you want?” I say, losing my apetite.
“I guess we’re not going to beat around the bush.”
“Nope.” I forget his rather nasty comment and take another bite.
“All right then.” He says between mouthfuls. “To show you my good faith and balance the scales between us, I’m going to reveal something about myself to you.” I raise an eyebrow. “You know,” He continues, “Sin
ce I found out your real identity and all.”
“All right then.” I say, staring at him. “I’m not so sure I’m interested, but a little information could always prove useful somehow.”
“I’m not just any Immortal.” He says. “I’m actually an Immortal leader.”
Yes, of course he is. Because only in my life does an Immortal leader accidentally wander into Morris’s Sport Shop in one of the most remote towns of the United States. “Aren’t you too young for that?”
He doesn’t look to be much older than Benedict. Younger, perhaps, but definetely older than me.
“What can I say?’ He flashes a smile. “I’m good at what I do.”
“How did you find me?” I ask simply. I’m not freaking out. If he wanted me dead, he would’ve tried to kill me already. They may not have eyes that light up like the sun, but they do have superhuman strength and speed.
He swallows another bite of his sandwich before he answers me. “I wasn’t looking for you when I walked in that sports shop.” He says. “I was actually just looking for some new sneakers, which let me tell you, are way overpriced anywhere you go. But let’s not go off on a tangent.”
“Yeah, let’s not.” I say, slightly amused.
“I wouldn’t even have known you were you if it you hadn’t acted all weird and nervous, and if it weren’t for that fake name.” He continues. “Which is total crap, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“It wasn’t my choice of name.” I say, sighing.
He looks at me, curious.
“What is an Immortal leader doing here, exactly?” I say, seeking to divert the attention back to him.
He raises an eyebrow. “Why should I tell you?”
So he doesn’t take the bait. I shrug. “As long as you don’t mess with me, I don’t really care.”
“I’m still in awe that I found you.” He gives his head a little shake, unbelieving.
“Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?” I ask him sharply. He raises his hands in appeasement, holding his half-eaten sandwich in one of them.
The Sun Child (The Sun Child Saga Book 1) Page 12
