“Thank you,” he said simply.
I frowned. “For what?”
“For taking my hand,” he smiled and leaned in, his lips brushed mine briefly and he kissed me. “My Goddess.”
He stood to his full height making me look up at him.
“Don’t leave,” I whispered.
He nodded apologetically. “I must. I should let you work and my presence is required at the village. I need to teach a class to the children.”
I smiled. “Maybe you can teach me someday.”
He curtsied and I rolled my eyes. “It would be an honor, My Goddess.”
I smacked his arm and he laughed. “How come I didn’t feel you arrive?”
The mischief returned to his eyes. “I used a cloaking spell to block my essence from you. I wanted to surprise you.”
I frowned. “Don’t do that. I like that I can feel you when you are near.”
“My apologies, my Goddess.
“Ok I had to come Linda, because you were killing me with the suspense,” Lia’s voiced suddenly reached me, making me jump on my chair. She was standing at the entrance to my cubicle, a couple of folders in her arms. “I grabbed the first files I could get my hands on, and told Felix I was going to make some copies. Come with me to the copy room so you can tell me everything.”
I froze. My eyes shifted to Cyn but he simply smiled and winked at me. I knew she couldn’t see him but I still worried.
“Are you ok Sweetie? You look like you just saw a ghost. All the color drained from your face and I think you are not breathing.”
Lia’s words brought me back to reality. Or whatever this was. My eyes returned to her and I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I got kind of dizzy there for a moment,” I lied. But I didn’t know what else to do. Cyn was just looking at her and wouldn’t move. He didn’t even attempt to leave. She came into my cubicle. Her eyes filled with worry. She placed the files on my desk and placed her hand on my neck. “Girl you are clammy and cold. Are you sick?” She asked while Cyn pressed his back to the partition to evade touching her. He still wasn’t leaving. Suddenly she stopped fussing over me. Her back straightened and she looked straight in Cyn’s direction.
Oh sweet mother of… Can she see him?
His body tensed, but he still didn’t leave.
“Ok Linda, don’t get scared but there is a presence here.” Lia said and turned to look at me.
“A presence?” I asked baffled.
She nodded and closed her eyes. “Yes, there is definitely a presence here. And it’s very strong,” she opened her eyes and looked at me again. “I think it might be a ghost… Maybe your Father. I’m not sure. But I can feel him. It’s definitely a strong energy. It feels like a male energy.”
I stared at her perplexed. How was she doing this?
“Just a sec. Let me try something.” She touched the stone bracelet on her wrist and focused on Cyn. I swear it seemed like she could see him. She was staring right at him. No. She was staring above his forehead.
“What are you doing?” I asked nervous.
She shushed me. “I’m trying to concentrate here,” a couple of minutes passed then she gasped.
My heart jumped to my throat and I think Cyn’s did too because we both had the same look on our faces.
“I can see it. I can see its aura,” is all she managed to say in her excitement.”
I looked at Cyn who frowned. “You can?” I asked letting my curiosity take over. “Which colors does it have?”
She smiled fascinated, her eyes almost sparkled from the sight, “it’s absolutely gorgeous, girl. It’s a rainbow. It has almost the full spectrum. I have never seen anything like this,” she paused continuing to observe it. “This is an ancient soul. Do you remember our conversation from our first lunch together? The older the soul, the more colors the Aura contains. Well, this one has…” she stopped and raised her finger in the air. She began to count. “Seven, this one has seven. Whoever this soul is, it is definitely a few centuries old.” She looked at me and smiled, “maybe it is one of your ancestors!”
I nodded absentmindedly.
She can see Cyn’s aura?
“Wow. This is truly mesmerizing to watch. My grandmother would have loved this. Anyway girl. His energy is very strong, but is not threatening. It’s loving, if that makes sense? And all of it radiates towards you. You have a protector here, whoever he might be.”
Cyn looked at me apparently accepting Lia’s presence and smiled. He seemed pleased by her assessment of him. I smiled too.
“Thanks girlie, that is good to know.”
“Ok so are you going to follow me or what? I need chisme Linda.”
I frowned. “Chis… what?” I tried to ask what it meant but I couldn’t even pronounce the word.
She chuckled. “Chisme, it means gossip. Come on, let’s go,” she said grabbing my arm and dragging me away.
I prayed that Cyn left or stayed behind, but when I looked over my shoulder I saw him following us.
Great. Just great.
We went into the copy room and Cyn entered it too. I wondered for a moment if he needed to use it to leave. Then I saw his brilliant smile.
“I thought you had to leave,” I whispered as low as I could while Lia walked to one of the machines and opened it.
“Sorry I didn’t hear you. What was that?” Lia asked and I turned to look at her.
“Nothing, I was talking to myself. You know how I am. Crazy!”
She chuckled. “And I love that about you girl. You are super fun.”
“I thought you wished for me to stay, my Goddess,” He answered and smiled wide.
I wished I could hit him again.
Is he seriously going to stay while I tell Lia what happened last night?
“Come on girl, dish,” she said placing the papers in the machine.
I looked at her, then at Cyn. I found him placing his elbows on the closest machine and waiting for me to begin my story. I sighed. I’d deal with him tonight. Right now I needed to find a way to talk to Lia.
“Well, uhm. He picked me up, at the house and we went to a public park. To talk.”
Ok that wasn’t so bad.
“We sat under these beautiful Cherry blossom trees and…”
“Cherry Blossoms, really? Which park is that?” She asked turning around and giving me her full attention.
Crapola. I suck at this.
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure. He was driving and I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“Aww, I would have loved to go there too. Anyway go on,” she said turning around to continue with the copies.
“Well we sat there and there were all these beautiful fallen blossoms carpeting the ground. It was absolutely amazing. They were so soft under my feet. And…”
“You took your shoes off at a public park?” She asked turning around again and putting her hand on her hip.”
I scrambled for something to say. “Well, we were on the grass side and my shoes were bothering me,” she nodded and continued making the copies. “So the wind blew and the flowers took off into the air like they were floating. We were both standing there in the middle and the flowers and petals just seemed to fly around us.”
“Wow how romantic,” she said looking at me briefly then returned to her task.
I looked at Cyn and rolled my eyes. He was looking at me with a huge smile, his chin was propped on the heels of his hands and he was paying full attention to my story. All he needed was popcorn.
“Yes it was.” I answered.
“Then she licked my dimple,” Cyn kindly added.
“Then I licked…” what? I was going to kill him. He laughed and I gave him a look that promised retribution.
“You licked him?” She asked turning again to look at me surprised. “Well look at you girl. I knew you were passionate, but you are a little freaky too.”
Cyn’s laugh filled the air and I tried my best not to strangle him.
“That is not
what I was going to say silly,” I said chuckling. This story was going horribly wrong. “Then he kissed me. The end.”
“He kissed you?” She squealed and grabbed my hands leaving the machine alone with the papers falling everywhere. “Oh my god, tell me everything. How was it? Does he know how to kiss? Is he a gentle kisser or an ‘I got to have you right now’ kind of kisser? Tongue or no tongue? Oh, and on a scale of one to ten, one being The Joker and ten being Bruce Wayne, how hot was the kiss?”
We laughed. “It was Clark Kent hot. Sorry I prefer guys with glasses. I have a thing for nerds.”
She placed her finger on her lips, pretending to think about it. “I’ll allow it.” We laughed again. “I mean, who doesn’t have a thing for Superman? He looks so fine in anything he wears. That suit and tie of his… And the blue tights and that cape. Mmm, talk about delicious. I mean, come to mama.” We chuckled. I loved her humor.
I nodded, “I know right? I love a man in a suit.”
“Oh shoot!’ she said seeing the papers all over the floor and started to pick them up.
I risked a look at Cyn and saw him frowning. He was looking at his clothes with a pensive look. I cringed. Now I felt bad. For a split second I forgot he was there. He might have taken that the wrong way.
“What is this, Carrot curls? Are you throwing a party in the copy room?” Felix’s voice boomed when he came through the door.
Lia and I tensed. For what I could see, so did Cyn.
“How come I wasn’t invited?” He added. “The three of us at a party. Things could get interesting.”
Ugh. Why did he have to be so annoying?
From the corner of my eye I noticed the muscles on Cyn’s arms flex. I looked at him. He was standing close to Felix. He was taller than him. His fists clenched and unclenched as if he was trying to hold himself back from punching him.
What the hell is going on?
“I just came to make a few copies for your meetings today with the Johnson and the Roberts families. I mentioned to you I would, just a few minutes ago. Bri happened to be making copies too.” She said handing me some of the papers she had picked up. I took them. “Is there anything extra you need me to take care of for you, Felix?” Lia answered clearly bothered by him. But my focus was on Cyn.
“No, there is nothing I need other than you two working instead of chitchatting in here,” He added smiling sarcastically. Lia and I looked at each other but didn’t respond. I briefly considered letting Cyn punch him.
Cyn stepped closer to Felix and something told me things could get ugly. I walked to the machine near the door and stood next to Cyn. I placed my hand on the copier, right behind him so that I was touching his back. Immediately the energy stirred and became alive in me. It warmed and turned into the overwhelming peace I had experienced last night. It began to flow through me and transfer to him. It was mind-blowing. He placed his hand on the small of my back. The touch increased the energy flow. He stepped back and took a deep breath. His shoulders relaxed but I could still see some tension on his face. He did not like Felix one bit. I didn’t blame him.
“Ok sweetie, I’ll see you at lunch,” I said looking at Lia. I needed to break this little gathering or I wasn’t sure what would happen.
“Of course. See you later, Linda.” She answered immediately and turned towards the copier arranging the papers in her file.
I spun and left the copy room. Cyn followed me closely. I walked to my cubicle and placed the pages Lia gave me on my desk then continued to the ladies’ restroom. The hiss of the stupid motion camera followed me. It was so not the right time for this. I turned to it and shot daggers at it.
Ugh that damn thing is so annoying! I wish it would burn down or something.
The hissing stopped and the camera short-circuited. Electrical sparks flew from it then it fell limply from the melted cable.
What on earth?
I turned to look at Cyn and his eyes were shooting daggers at it too. He had done something to it. I guess I wasn’t the only one annoyed by it. But I knew my excitement would be short lived. They’d probably replace it right away. I swung the door of the restroom open and walked in. Thankfully it was empty. I bent over checking the bottom of the stalls just to make sure. There was no one there. I waited for him to enter and closed the door. I locked it. Without saying a word, Cyn threw the stones in the air and reached for my hand as the portal opened. We crossed over to the Cherry Blossom clearing.
“What is happening Cyn, why are you…”
He turned to face me and the look in his eyes stopped me. There was anger and distress but most of all, there was fear.
“You must stay away from that man. You must cease going to that place immediately. It is not safe.”
“Wait, what do you m…”
“You are not to return there, Bri. I forbid it!”
He what?
I sighed, he was worse than Grandpa. “Cyn, what do you mean I can’t return there? That is my office. My job. I have to be there. You don’t need to worry about Felix, he’s a dimwit but I ignore him. I barely see him anyway. I promise. It’s fine.”
He shook his head adamantly and stepped closer holding my hands.
“No you misunderstand, Bri. His essence… I have not felt that in a long time. He is not a good man. You must cease going there.”
I held his hands tightly. “I know. Lia told me to stay away from him too, his Father and uncle as well, and to just do my Job. She doesn’t like them either, but this is my Job Cyn. I can’t leave it. He’s a dimwit. I wouldn’t worry much about him. Sometimes in life you have to put up with people you don’t like in order to do what you love.” I stepped closer and placed my hands on his chest. His arms wrapped around me and I felt the calming energy flow through me to him. I placed my cheek over his heart and took a deep breath. The thundering inside his chest began to slow down and I was grateful. Lia was right. He was a protector.
“You love being there?” He asked a bit more calmed.
“Not yet. But I will once I start getting cases. I just need to keep my head down and work in whatever they give me in the meantime,” my eyes looked for his. He was still anxious. “It’s ok. I barely see him in the office. I never deal with him. I will be fine. Please don’t worry,” I cupped his cheek, and he turned his head kissing my palm. He took my other hand and lifted them both, placing them in his hair. I smiled and let my fingers curl around his soft strands holding him tight. I pulled him towards me at the same time he leaned in and kissed me.
CHAPTER 12. ENTICING
CYNWRIG
During the lesson with the children my mind kept going back to my Goddess. I was concerned about her. I wanted to trust her judgment but I was certain of what I felt. It had been centuries since I had encountered that kind of energy and I could not allow anything to happen to her. Now that I had found her, if I were to lose her it would be my undoing. I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind from the thought. Everything would be alright. I would make it so. My thoughts shifted and my mind began replaying the moments we had spent together. I smiled and for the first time in a long time I felt it coming from deep inside me. It was a true smile. One caused by genuinely felt joy. I lifted my gaze when the children walked away towards their parents and huts. I still sat on the ground smiling like a… How would she say it? A dimwit. I laughed and got up wiping my trousers. The action brought me back to her comment.
“I love a man in a suit.”
I gazed down at my garments. My linen shirt and trousers were modest but it was what I had always worn. There was nothing wrong with them. My eyes lifted to search the area. The men around the village all wore similar garments. I supposed, even though it was normal for me it was not what she was accustomed to. I sighed and headed towards my hut. I closed the door behind me and walked to my trunk opening it. I pulled few things out and took a carefully wrapped package from the bottom. I walked away from the trunk and placed it on the table. I pulled at the string and unfolded th
e cloth. Taking a deep breath, I carefully regarded my warrior suit. I had not looked upon it since I renounced to my title as Laochra Ceannaire. The leather looked aged and dry. There were scars throughout and the strings that held the vest together were worn and broken. It reflected the years that had past. The years my mortal body did not. It was but a shadow of what it had once been. As warriors our suits were our life. We wore them proud of who we were and what it meant to be in it. The last time I wore this suit I had been ashamed of what I was. However, being with my Goddess, made me feel closer to the man I had been, so many centuries ago. Could I wear the suit once more?
My hand traveled over the leather feeling its scars and cracks as if it were the ones I carried. More appeared under my touch. I closed my eyes.
“Bheith arís mar a bhí sé aon uair amháin”— Be as it once was.
I opened my eyes and observed it while the glow from my hands transfer to it. The light moved over it, shimmering and transforming it. The leather became thick and sturdy once more. Smooth and polished like the day it was first worn by me. The scars and tears were gone. My fingers followed the lines and curves of our clan symbol that was engraved on the back panel. I smiled and extended the vest and trousers onto the table.
I knocked on Eisha’s door and my brother answered. He had a huge smile on his face and I wondered what kind of trouble he was planning.
“Hello Brother,” I said and walked in, not asking anything else. I feared the answer.
“Hey Bro,” he said in a singing tone.
I turned back startled the moment I realized what he was smiling about. “What have you done,” I asked staring at his head.
“I got a hair-cut. Do you like it?”
“But where has your hair gone?” I asked incredulous. My brother’s long tresses had vanished. Instead the sides of his head were shaved so short, I could see his scalp. He turned so I could observe it well. The top of his hair was still long, although it did not maintain its original length. It had volume towards the front, but was brushed back neatly. A small black band held it tightly. I had to admit, it was a shock to see the change. However, it did suit his personality. He was wearing another pair of jeans and a black, extremely tight, t-shirt. I shook my head taking a deep breath.
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