“Sometimes when you speak I hear the boy from Midvale.” I smiled at him and touched his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned his face into my hand.
“I will always be that boy. I just have a few more upgrades, that is all,” he laughed.
“Will we see each other again after this?” I asked him.
“One day I’m sure. We will be on the battlefield together.” He didn’t sound pleased with the realization but I suppose it was true.
“I hope to see you before that.” I put my arms around him and pulled him close. I could feel his heart pounding on the other side of his shirt.
Would I always have this effect on him? He said I would, but how much of that was true?
“I don’t want to do something that you will regret,” he said in my ear as I felt his hands slide up and down my back.
“I regretted everything at one time but I do not regret it anymore,” I said softly as his hands rested on my waist.
“You know what I mean, Dawn. Wesley is back. I knew the moment he returned you would no longer be mine.” His voice failed him for a second.
“Is that what this is about? Aaron are you sure you can no longer love?” I asked as his heart pounded in my ear.
“Gran told me that things were going to change once my body switched sides,” he said, heaving a sigh.
“I felt the contract break. Edmund said that it would. I don’t understand, Aaron. How much of what I have heard is truth and how much isn’t?” I wasn’t upset at all. I was simply remarking on the inconsistencies of the stories that I had been told. They, like all the others, seemed to evolve as time went on.
“The incubus blood in me stops all emotions concerning love. That is why I said in my dreams that I can feel it but when I’m awake it stops at some point.” He kissed the top of my head.
“That is why you were different in the dream,” I sighed.
“I thought you weren’t appreciative of me telling you that I loved you,” he said questioningly.
“I may not have felt the same but I still would like to think that it helped me get over the heartbreak.” I smiled to myself as his grip on me tightened.
“I’m glad to hear that. So what is going to happen with you and Wesley now?” he asked.
“I don’t know. There is still love there. There is also damage that will be hard to get around. Doesn’t help much that he is a mixture of so many bloodlines.” I groaned. “His eyes are always shifting.”
“Yeah, well, what do you expect after what happened to him?” Aaron laughed.
“I wasn’t expecting what I saw. I just do not know what is going to happen now. Mom and Dad want him to give his soul to Krista. It would bind him to her and not to me. Who knows how that will change his orientation?” I shrugged.
“I was there when they figured out the plan. The good news is that it will be done in a different manner. I believe they wanted to try the written contract as opposed to the sexual way.” I felt him stiffen when he said ‘sexual’.
“You know that me taking yours was by total accident,” I laughed.
“A well worth-it accident. If it had not have been for the connection, nobody would have known that my family was under attack that night.” He sounded grateful for the contract we had shared.
“Then again, maybe if there never had been a contract it wouldn’t have happened” I pointed out.
“I have a feeling it would have been sooner,” he corrected.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
I was enjoying just being in his arms again. How odd that I could not appreciate it when it was available to me whenever I wanted, but I did now. Knowing that I was the cause of what he became made the interactions between us all the more sweet.
“The creatures that were in my house were looking for my mother. They just so happened to come across me. I wasn’t attacked because I was your boyfriend. I was attacked because I was her son.” I pulled away from him and looked at him, dumbfounded.
“Seriously?” I asked, my pulse increasing.
“Yes. Seriously.” He laughed as I threw myself back into his arms and pressed my lips to his.
“So it isn’t my fault!” I squealed as he pulled me back to him and pressed his lips hard to mine.
The kiss deepened and became more intense. The thought of not having to hide what I was made things easier as our clothing began to litter the floor around us. This was probably the most intense experience that I had with Aaron. All inhibitions put to the side, no feelings of regret or hunger. It was simply a moment that we shared, no strings attached. I felt no guilt either. In a way, I suppose my body realized that he was not human.
Forty-five minutes later I laid in his arms, trying to catch my breath. He touched my face and slid his fingers softy down my side resting his hand on my bare hip.
“That was amazing,” I said as another wave of desire washed over me.
“That was nothing,” he said, pulling my body to his and nipping at my neck.
Round two was much longer.
***
“Are you two done yet?” I heard a persistent knock on the door and the sound of Marshall’s voice muffling a laugh.
We were already up and dressed when he decided to knock. I pulled my black hair up in a tie that I had found on the dresser. Straightening out my pajama top I looked at Aaron and smiled, satisfied. I already knew this was the last time I would be with him. So in a way, it was a farewell to everything that we shared.
“How much of that do you think they heard?” I asked, looking towards Aaron.
“Oh I’m sure they heard all of that. Surprised you didn’t burn the place down.” He smiled at me and I blushed.
“Great, I’m not going to hear the end of it,” I said, putting my face in my hands and looking at him through the cracks in my fingers.
“Don’t worry about them. They’re just jealous.” He giggled.
I laughed at him as he grabbed the side of my face and pressed his lips to mine one last time. We opened the bedroom door and walked out into the living room where everyone was staring at each other wide-eyed.
“Well.” Mona started talking but stopped herself. She looked at me and shook her head back and forth. “Your father would not be pleased.”
“Nothing pleases my father,” I laughed as the others turned to look at me.
Krista gave me a weak smile and Kelly put her arms up in devil’s horns. I assumed that was her sign of approval.
“Good to see you back to normal,” Krista stuttered, looking over at Aaron and blushing. As far as I knew the girl was still pure even with her innocence ripped from her.
“Good to be back,” I said, smiling brightly at everyone.
“Well, we need to get back. You wasted most of the day back there,” Mona said, coughing as she stood up from her perch on the couch.
“Already?” I pouted.
“Yes, already.” Gran smiled at me and Aaron.
“Will I see you again?” I asked as the older woman put her arms around me and hugged me tightly.
“Of course. I will be out at the farm in the not-too-distant future. I have to redo some of the spells.” She winked at me.
“I cannot wait.” I smiled at her as she kissed me on the cheek.
“Aaron, can I see you for a second?” the woman asked, looking at him and smiling.
“Of course,” he said, looking at everyone. “Y’all go ahead to the limo. I will be out shortly.”
I gave him an odd look. Marshall grabbed my arm and pulled me outside before I could give an objection of any sort.
“Do I have to go back into that room?” I asked as he pushed me inside the limo.
“No. There is no need now that Prudence is gone,” Mona said, a hint of disapproval in her voice.
“Do I get to keep my car?” I asked her, thinking this could be the best time to ask.
“Of course. I had to make some minor alterations t
o the appearance but it didn’t cost me much. I know the right people.” She smiled finally which put me at ease. She was upset with me but not to the point that she wasn’t going to answer me. “I tied up all loose ends concerning your vehicle. It can no longer be traced back to Prudence.”
“That’s a plus. What did you do, purchase another Bentley and leave it busted up on the side of the road?” I asked, thinking I was making a joke.
“Yes, actually. I also made sure to spread blood all over the interior and leave your cellphone busted in the back seat,” she said with a straight face. I nearly fell over. She had actually killed me before she had me shot.
Part Two:
Giving In to Fate
Chapter Five: Home
“I’m going to miss you,” I said to Aaron as he walked me towards my father’s private jet.
“I’m going to miss you, too.” He hugged me tightly as the others boarded.
Wesley lingered at the door, staring for a bit before entering. I didn’t get a good look at his face, but my best guess would be he wasn’t very happy with me at that moment. Let me get this straight. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about him. I loved him, but I wasn’t healed. I still bled at the thought of him leaving me. I didn’t care if we ever got back together as long as Miranda didn’t have him to herself. It wasn’t as if I had moved on: I thought I had, with Adam, but that wound up being a mistake. In no way should I have had any guilt about what I had done the day before. What happened between me and Aaron was between us, and Wesley could just keep his nose out of it.
My father decided the best course was to have Wesley and Krista sign the contract on the way back to Harrisville. This would tie up strings in areas where strings dangled I suppose. If they did it thirty thousand feet in the air, Miranda was less likely to find Wesley and his soul’s owner. Since Krista was not me, and Miranda had no idea who she was, Dad felt it better for Krista to protect his most valuable item.
Through all the changes in his body and the amount of blood in his veins I wasn’t even sure if he had a soul left. Then, I remembered, his heart beat. No matter where you were from, a heartbeat said that you were alive, and hence you must have a soul. I knew it was for the best so I had no reason to object to the contract. As long as he was safe that was all that really mattered in the long run.
“So you never told me about your mother,” I said as he let me go.
“She’s a carrier, apparently,” he said, smiling at me. “You’re going to laugh when I tell you of what.”
“What’s that?” I raised an eyebrow and gave him a half smile.
“Fire. Heaven’s flame, as your mother called it.” He kissed me on the cheek as I stared at him. “I will email you soon. You need to get on your flight before they leave without you. Besides, Wesley keeps staring at us.”
“All right, I’m going.” I playfully punched him and he smiled.
I left Aaron standing on the runway, the early morning sunshine giving his skin a healthy glow. I gave him one last wave from the door and entered the jet, taking a seat next to Wesley. He looked better now that his eyes weren’t changing color every two seconds. They were the same brilliant blue as they were the day that I met him almost a year earlier.
“Did you say goodbye to your boyfriend?” he asked me with a hint of jealousy in his voice.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said flatly. This was not a conversation that I wanted to have with him.
“Sure looked like it.” His lips were a line as he looked at me.
“Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“There was a time you looked at me like that,” he said, turning his face away from me.
“There was a time when I was the only woman you were with,” I said, then instantly regretted letting the words come out.
My father appeared and saved us from what could have been a very heated discussion.
“Wesley?” my father asked, approaching us. He gave me a stern look then knelt in front of the boy beside me.
“Yes, Mr. Weathers?”
“It’s time,” he said simply, pointing towards the table at the tail of the plane.
I glanced at Krista. She looked nervous. This would be her first claim and more than likely not the last one. If this world was going to go up in smoke, it was going to require a lot of catch and release when it came to souls.
“Yes, Sir,” Wesley said, glancing at me for a second before getting up to follow him to the table.
I stood and trailed behind them, taking a seat next to my mother. Take-off had been quick and, due to the amount of magic that my parents carried, we had made it to thirty thousand feet within the blink of an eye.
“Why didn’t Shawn come?” I asked her as Krista and Wesley took seats across from each other.
“I had to leave him behind to care for things. We may have left Helen and Rose in charge but I needed someone who would let us know if everything went to hell.” My mother looked tense.
“I suppose that would make sense. I just know he said he would be coming with you,” I sighed as Dad placed a sheet of paper on the table and looked between Krista and Wesley.
“It was a last-minute choice.” My mom smiled at me then motioned for me to be quiet.
I turned my attention to the table. They looked uncomfortable, sitting on opposite sides with the contract between them. I was almost sure that they were going to back out at the last minute. Still, I knew that, when it came to the four of us, Krista was the best choice for the job. It did make me wonder, though. Would she be there for him when the nightmares took over? Would she hold him and tell him that it was all a dream? Would she feel every emotion in his body and be drawn to him because of it?
“This contract, written in Krista’s blood, will bind you, Wesley, to her by your soul. If you are to pass into another world, your soul will become the property of Krista so that she can decide the direction your soul takes.” My father placed his finger on the single sheet of parchment between the two of them. “The only way this contract is binding is if you willingly give your soul to her. The written contract is harder to break than the one you had with Dawn as it is completed by blood and not by emotion. Do you agree with the terms of the contract?”
“Yes,” Wesley said, locking eyes with Krista.
She smiled slightly and darted her eyes to mine. I wasn’t sure if she was looking for my approval but I have her a half-hearted smile and a nod. I might not have understood what my parents were doing but I couldn’t think of anyone better than Krista to guard Wesley’s soul.
“Krista, do you agree to the terms?” My father asked, pulling her from her daze. She looked at him, confused.
“Yes. Yes, I agree.” Her voice cracked.
“To make this a binding contract, please pierce your finger and sign the contract in your own blood.” My father handed Wesley a needle and looked at Krista. “If the contract works as it should, the world will cease to spin. Most likely you will hear a high-pitched scream as the contract with Miranda is broken.”
Wesley took the needle and let the blood pool on his index finger before placing it on the paper. For the first time I saw a claim take control. Krista’s eyes went white, then black, her hands flew to her ears, and she let out this horrific scream as she threw her head backwards. Wesley jumped and his head shot around. His eyes bore into mine, confusion written all over his face. This wasn’t how it had gone down with me. Mine had been melodic, only lasting a mere minute before it was over.
For five minutes Krista screamed until her eyes turned normal and she fell face-first onto the table, knocked out cold. I ran around to check for a pulse and sighed when I found it to be strong.
“Well, that was different,” my father said, staring at the girl.
“You’re telling me. I’ve gone through this four times now and hers was by far the scariest,” Wesley said, glancing at me again.
“Like I
said, this was different than the other times.” My father also glanced at me and frowned. I knew he disapproved of my method.
“This one looks more painful. So Miranda has no ties to me anymore?” Wesley asked. I could see his pulse throbbing in his neck.
“No ties, no connections. All she will know is the location of the claim. That was why I chose the air. This way she will be nowhere near Harrisville when she comes to look for you.” My father seemed somewhat pleased with his plan.
“You think it’s going to work?” I asked, running my fingers through Krista’s hair. She had to wake up at some point.
“How the hell am I supposed to know? Twenty years ago, claiming was nothing more than a simple handshake and a debonair smile.” His lips twitched and I knew he was lying.
“What’s done is done, Dawn. Let’s see how everything pans out before we jump to conclusions,” Wesley said, taking a seat back where he was originally.
“I agree,” I said, looking at him and frowning.
***
The plane landed an hour and a half later. We were ushered from the jet to the helicopter by several of my father’s staff. It took a whole ten minutes as we lugged everything from one aircraft to the other. I heaved a heavy sigh as I buckled myself up and looked at my parents standing on the tarmac.
“We have a few things to do while we are here. You three need to get back to the house. Do not tell anyone where Marshall came from. I do not want people losing their minds over this,” my mother instructed, glancing at the five of us.
“We will be back at the house shortly after dark,” my father interjected.
“Marshall can take Adam’s old room,” my mother said, wringing her hands together.
“Where’s Adam?” I asked. Nobody had told me anything about him other than that he remembered everything.
“He moved to the second barn last week. He couldn’t stand being next to your room anymore.” My father stumbled over his words, knowing that they would hit me hard.
“Oh,” I said, hurt. I had apparently caused more damage than I had anticipated.
The Wardens Boxed Set Page 85
