by C. A. Bleu
She missed the forest, having her forest around her, enveloping her. She missed her mother and her grandmother. She even missed Lilith. Zara sulked back to her bed, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall, again. Reaching over her pillow, she carefully opened the old books Marie had shown her in the basement; feeling once again grateful she had thought to ask Aaron to go downstairs and get them before they left.
Zara had spent the past few days reading about her family history. There was so much information in these books, they should be locked up somewhere safe instead of lying around in her room. The books were filled with stories from her ancestors, directions for developing and controlling certain powers and even pictures of the Trinity women. Zara learned a lot from the books, but she had not practiced at all since her grandmother’s death. She feared her powers even though she knew she needed to let that fear go.
Since their arrival in Abingdon, Zara had spent most of her days in her bedroom, leaving only to go to a small local coffee shop downstairs below their apartment in the evenings. Sitting back in a corner booth she would silently observe the others; watching the way they interacted, feeling an ache in her heart.
Zara’s grief and loneliness were a shroud around her. She had not summoned her mother or grandmother, nor did she plan to. They seemed so happy at their reunion and she had no intention of interrupting them. Occasionally Zara felt a tremor of power from within, beckoning her, but she refused to let herself go near it. Aaron had given her space, but Zara could tell she was spiraling down. Deep inside she knew there was a well of power simmering, waiting to be awakened, but she had no intention of letting it out anytime soon.
Carefully closing the book, Zara stood, resigned to going downstairs again for fear that she would instead decide to stay hidden forever. The reassuring scents of coffee and cinnamon hit her before she reached the handle of the coffee shop door. Walking in, she heard the bell chime over her head alerting the staff to another customer. A quick glance toward the corner booth, her corner booth, she was relieved that it was empty. With sagging shoulders, she made her way over there, but something about the place felt different, the hairs on the back of her neck rose and tingled, putting her on alert.
Settling into her seat, she casually scanned the area, but nothing seemed to be out of place. A waiter, feeling sorry for her, brought over her drink. He had seen her come in the past few nights and knew she had ordered the same thing each time. The waiter frowned, taking in her slumped shoulders, flat expression, bags under her eyes, she had depressed and lonely written all over her. As he set down her coffee, she ignored the look of pity he tried to hide. Allowing the hot mug to warm her cold fingers, she relaxed into her seat.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something felt different, off somehow. Looking around discretely, nothing seemed to catch her attention. Taking a soothing drink of her hot decaf caramel latte, she noticed a man at the counter turn in search of a seat in the small café. He seemed to consume the air around him as he slowly headed in her direction.
Busy taking in the sight of his tall, dark muscled physique, she didn’t notice that he was heading to the empty seat across from her. Distracted by his lean, strong frame and black T-shirt that hugged his muscled biceps, she jumped when he cleared his throat just a couple feet from her. Blinking, she glanced up and when their eyes met, they held a connection a moment longer than necessary. An odd sensation pulsed through her veins as her senses came alive. Guilty at having been caught staring, her cheeks heated and she looked away quickly. She could see from the corner of her eye that he was still standing there, waiting.
“Excuse me, the place is pretty full, do you mind if I sit with you?” the man asked with a strong deep voice and a slight accent that she couldn’t quite place, though she thought it may have been an English accent. He moved with graceful confidence, already sitting down without waiting for her answer.
His deep penetrating voice seeped into her bones, catching her off guard. Zara stared in disbelief with her mouth gaping open as he settled in across from her. Squaring her shoulders and sitting up straighter, she pulled herself together.
“I’m sorry, no, you cannot sit here,” she said with an assertiveness she didn’t quite feel.
He looked around and smirked at her. “What’s the problem, are you expecting company?” he said with a cocky raised eyebrow, taking in her lackluster appearance.
Her hair was a mess of red tangles, she had not showered today, did she even shower yesterday? Her old faded green T-shirt was wrinkled where she’d been lying in bed most of the day.
Was she being ridiculous? Maybe it had been too long since she had interacted with anyone else, in particular someone tall, dark and mysterious that seemed to disarm her completely. She could use a little company instead of another night alone wallowing in her self-pity. Pulling her light jacket a little tighter together she tried to hide the wrinkled shirt underneath.
“You’re right, I’m sorry, what’s your name?” she said, resigned to meet this stranger. At least her senses seemed to have relaxed, a little, but her stomach was in knots.
“I’m Dimitri, and you?” he said with his piercing crystal blue eyes that peeked through thick long dark eyelashes, holding her captive as he took a drink, steam rising and curling in front of him as he sipped.
He reached his hand across the table, a more formal introduction. She stared, contemplating, before reaching out to shake his hand. As soon as their skin touched an electric current spread from her fingertips, shooting up her arm. Dimitri pulled his hand back quickly, it seemed he may have felt the same current as well. She watched in curious fascination as he coughed and discretely rubbed his hand, he had felt it too.
He took another sip of his drink. What was that? he thought to himself, trying to make sense of the electric current that just shot up his arm. Mesmerized by the golden amber gaze across from him, he tried to find his composure. What was he doing here? He wasn’t sure how he was going to pull this off. Sitting up straighter he tried to pull himself together, why was he so effected by this girl? Unsure of what to say next, he set his coffee back down and looked around the café.
Zara discretely rubbed her hands together under the table, still shocked at the jolt of electricity from his touch. She stared at the perfectly chiseled face across from her with its short scruffy goatee, looking around the café. It took her a moment to realize his eyes had come back to her. Struggling to find words, her mouth had suddenly gone dry. His short dark hair appeared to be damp as if he had just hopped out of the shower and she was startled by a strange urge to run her fingers through it. Suddenly, she realized he was still staring at her, she knew he was waiting for her name.
“Um, I’m Zara, actually, I have to go,” she said as she gathered her drink and headed out the front door, mug and all. She would bring it back later.
What is wrong with you? she thought to herself, shaking her head as she rounded the corner to go up the stairs to her apartment. She didn’t know why she ran out, but she had been through too much recently, there was no room left for anything else. Surprised to find that it felt like a switch had been flipped inside her, Zara burst through the apartment door so fast Aaron jumped from his chair. She had been moving at a snail’s pace for several days with zero motivation. Suddenly she felt energized, with a reminder deep inside of her purpose and her family. They had died for her and she was letting them down.
“Zara, what’s going on? Is everything okay?” Aaron asked, looking behind her and out the window to make sure she wasn’t followed.
“Yes, Aaron, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m just ready to start working on my powers again, I can’t just sit around here forever.”
It felt like a weight lifted around him, he didn’t want to push her, but he had begun to worry. He turned the TV off where he had been watching a news report of another recent terrorist attack. It seemed there had been so much bad news lately.
“What can I do?” he said,
ready to help in any way.
“Nothing Aaron, I think I need to do this on my own.” Seeing him deflate, she added, “But I will let you know when I need you. The books from the house have taught me a lot. I just need more practice.”
Walking toward her room, she reflected on the news story on the TV that had caught her eye, it seemed there had been another recent attack, a bombing in a crowded train station. How sad, she thought to herself, as she wondered if attacks like that would ever come to an end. Zara marched down the short hallway to her room, fueled by this unexpected awakening. Shutting the door behind her, she realized she was also trying to slam the door on the image of those crystal ice-blue penetrating eyes. She felt as if he could see straight through her, all her secrets.
‘Well that didn’t go well,’ Dimitri thought to himself, slowly drinking his coffee. Staring toward the door, he wondered what he’d done wrong. It had been a while since he tried to really talk to anyone, he must be worse than he realized. When he had turned around at the counter and found Zara already sitting in the booth it caught him off guard, she must have come in while he was ordering. She was earlier than she had been the past two nights. He had planned to be sitting in her seat before she arrived. Her eyes, he could not get them out of his head.
Thinking back to the moment she looked up at him, her angelic face seared in his mind. It was a wonder he was able to say anything at all the way his heart raced. What was it about her? Flexing his fingers, he stared at his hand, wondering about the shock of current he felt. It was like a bolt of electricity went through his body the minute they touched. Digging in his pocket, he stood, leaving money on the table before heading down the street to the room he had rented. It had a good view of her apartment, but in a small town like Abingdon it wouldn’t take long before he drew too much attention.
Chapter 14
Their small apartment had become overrun with beautiful plants and flowers from what had begun as one small plant on the kitchen table. For the past week, Zara had been working hard both physically and mentally. Aaron noticed she seemed to have more control as he watched her manipulate the elements around her. She was getting stronger and gaining confidence.
Practicing the meditations Marie taught her as well as some new ones she had found in the Trinity books, Zara seemed more grounded. She and Aaron had moved the sparse furniture around to have enough room to spar to help keep her in shape. Aaron was careful not to push her too hard for fear of spiking her anger. He was keenly aware that although she was doing well, she had not faced the threat of emotions that could tempt her to lose control again.
While they trained, even in close quarters, Aaron could feel the hum of energy coming from Zara. It was growing day by day and she seemed different, focused. During one heated exercise working on her defenses, Aaron had thrown a knife in her direction, which she stopped in midair, shocking both of them. He took the opportunity to tell her more about Erebus. Most of the terrible events that made the news were caused by Erebus. Controlling people with his mind, putting thoughts and images into their heads, making them turn on one another, were just some of the things he was capable of. Wars, terrorist attacks, murder, it all stemmed from him.
Only two of Aaron’s most trusted Trinity Protectors came with them to Abingdon. He chose them specifically and felt safe knowing that Erebus would have no idea where they were. Zara was always under surveillance though, just to be careful. There had been nothing unusual reported to him recently other than an odd encounter the other night at the café downstairs where a man had asked to sit with her. Aaron had to accept that Zara was young and beautiful, it was only a matter of time before someone took notice of her. He was confident Zara would not give anyone a second thought, she never had before, and he was sure at a time like this Zara would keep her focus. Though, he knew he would have to intervene if it happened again.
Just to be safe, Aaron had asked Carson, one of the Trinity Protectors, to check into the guy from the café. Carson reported that everything came back clear, no red flags that he could find. Though he was new to town, likely passing through, nothing threatening or unusual was in his background check. Dimitri was his name and Carson assured Aaron that he seemed harmless.
The following morning, Aaron had to run out and take care of a couple things, he did not want to leave Zara alone, so he called Carson to come over. Zara was doing so well, but he knew she was still very vulnerable, both from herself and outside attack. He had asked Carson to stand guard while he was out, he would only be gone a couple hours. When Carson arrived, Zara was still asleep, and Aaron hoped to return before she awoke.
Zara rolled over exhaling a long groaning stretch, she awoke feeling caged and restless. The past week she had not left the apartment, she needed to get out. Ignoring the small voice inside teasing her that she was avoiding a run-in with the man from the coffee shop, she sleepily made her way into the living room.
Surprised to find Carson reading the newspaper, she cleared her throat and said, “Um, good morning.” Zara had only seen him a few times over the years and had just met him officially the night of her birthday. She didn’t realize he had come to Abingdon as well.
“Good morning Zara, I hope you slept well,” Carson said in a sweet southern accent.
After a quick breakfast of one of her favorites, maple and brown sugar oatmeal, Zara casually asked Carson if she could head out for a run. Expecting the usual overprotectiveness she had always gotten from Aaron over the years she was ready to fight for a moment of freedom.
“I will not go far, I just have to get out, get some air. Please Carson,” she begged.
“Okay, but Aaron will be back in an hour or two. You have to be back here before he returns, do not go too far.”
Surprised at how easy that was, Zara ran excitedly down the hall to her room to change clothes while Carson looked out the window, exhaling a deep sigh. With pain-filled eyes, he regretfully took out his phone and sent a message. He hated this betrayal, but he had no choice. Within a few minutes, Zara was thanking him and bouncing out the front door. Closing his eyes he felt the weight of his betrayal, but Erebus had him now. With the information Erebus had on him and his family he could not risk going against him.
Zara took off at a slow jog through the small town to a nearby trail she had noticed when they arrived, it was just past the last line of shops. As she left the town behind, she immediately began to relax, letting her muscles and lungs work through the trail and rugged terrain. It wasn’t like the forest she loved at home, but it still felt invigorating. Moving deeper into the woods she felt a surge of energy, a need for release. Pushing herself harder, her lungs burned as it had now been at least two weeks since she had run with any kind of intensity.
Zara ran faster and faster away from the pain, away from her loss. She found herself at the top of the trail when she bent over to catch her breath. With her energy spent for the moment, she groaned in frustration, realizing those crystal blue eyes were still seared in the back of her mind. Walking over to a nearby railing, a lookout high above Abingdon, she felt her grief begin to well up inside her. Grateful no one else was around, she found a small release in letting her trapped tears fall.
After receiving the text, Dimitri raced, hoping to run into Zara. Stepping out of the building where he had rented a room, he saw her. Down the street, going off the sidewalk and heading toward the woods. Following her onto the trail, he was surprised to find he actually could not catch her. She was fast, faster than he would have imagined. He pushed and pushed, but although he was in excellent shape there was no way he was going to catch her. Stopping to watch her, he was in awe as she disappeared up into the mountain before he continued to work his way up after her.
Approaching a clearing near the top, he noticed signs for a tourist overlook. Stepping behind the cover of a large tree while catching his breath, he looked for her. Still breathing hard, he found her near the railing of the overlook. Dimitri peeked from behind the tree and it was as
if he was seeing her for the first time. Not with the eyes of a killer on a mission, but with new unarmed eyes, he saw her. He watched in surprise and listened to her wounded soul bathing in tears. Something called to him, urged him, to step out from behind the cover of the tree and move a few steps in her direction.
Zara had been staring at her Trinity Ring, lost in her moment of grief, reflecting on the details of the past few weeks. She had been careful not to call on her mother or grandmother knowing she needed this time alone. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood, her senses suddenly alert, a sign of warning. A small breeze picked up near her, it was like the forest was giving her a signal, trying to tell her something.
Spinning around she took a small quick step backward until her lower back was touching the railing. Shock and fear ran through her, along with something else she couldn’t quite place as she saw those eyes, his eyes, assessing her. It was the man from the café, and it was as if he stared right into her soul and knew her secrets. Of course, there was no way he knew anything about her, but Zara could not help the feeling inside her that he knew her more than anyone.
“Hi, Zara, wasn’t it?” he said as he casually strolled right up to her. “Sorry if I scared you off last night, I’m not used to meeting new people. I think I’m out of practice.”
He cocked one eyebrow up as if this revelation surprised him. Standing next to her at the railing, so close he almost bumped her shoulder, looking out over the small town below. The panoramic view breathtaking in the background.
Watching as a bead of sweat dripped from his brow, Zara stared, taking in his appearance. His silky, dark skin shined over the prominent muscles bulging from his tight short-sleeve shirt, it distracted her. Shaking her head, angry at her thoughts, she squared her shoulders. Standing up tall to her full height gave her added strength she didn’t quite feel. Even though she was five feet ten inches tall he still towered over her.