“Well I…well, no but…”
“And did you really think that bearing the weight of these decisions was going to be easy to live with, knowing it was for the rest of his days?”
“I…no of course not but…”
“No! No they were not. I even admit myself that up until I finally knew why I could not understand the level of love needed in making them but make no mistake Keira, that was exactly what it took.” On hearing this I fell back a step unable to believe his words.
“What…what do you mean?” I asked on a whispered breath. Vincent looked away from me and looked down at the ground as if needing to compose himself before speaking again.
“Answer me something, Keira, you were angry at my brother when hearing why he came back here, were you not?”
“Yes I was because he didn’t come back here for me…he…he came back because of Alex.” I said straightening my back and clenching my fists at my sides.
“See that’s where you’re right but also very, very wrong.” He looked back up and then turned to me again to take in my defensive stance. He shook his head in what looked like frustration and then hit me with the painful truth.
“So you’re angry at that but tell me, how painful would it have been for you to know that Dom knew of you and this Alex but did nothing… simply because he didn’t care.” At this my shoulders slumped and I bit my lip as all that he said hit its mark with deadly accuracy. Thinking this would have indeed been far, far worse. Him knowing about us and doing…nothing, God but that thought alone nearly brought me to my knees!
I had spent so much time being pissed at Draven that I didn’t think for even a minute what him acting this way really meant. How I would have felt if he had done nothing, reacting as if he didn’t care but he hadn’t done that now had he? No, he had acted in the complete opposite. So that could only mean one thing…
“He…he still cares for me?” I said shocked that I could even make the words pass through my lips. Vincent’s lips quirked into a small smile before saying,
“But of course he does. There is not a being alive that would not act that way unless there was love driving their actions.”
“But if he still cares then why doesn’t he just try and get me back…why has it taken this long for him to…?”
“Don’t do that to yourself, sweetheart.” He interrupted quickly.
“Do what?”
“Hope for what he can’t allow to happen.” He finished sadly.
“So that’s it! He breaks my heart for reasons I will never know and you not only tell me his own heart is breaking from his decision but also that he can never do anything to fix it!?” This time it was Vincent’s turn to sigh and clench his gloved fists.
“That’s what I am telling you.” I sucked in a sharp breath surprised at what I should have been ready for.
“So that’s it for us…there’s…there’s no use fighting anymore is there?” I tried to get it out without letting the tears fall but what was the use, they were already streaming down my face in an angry flow that I hadn’t even realised until now.
“Oh, Keira… haven’t you realised it by now…?” He waited for me to look back up at him and when I did he held out his hand to me. I ran to him as I had no strength in me to fight against my need for his comfort. He held me to him and I looked up to see him looking directly at the cave I knew was hidden there. And when looking there I saw we were no longer alone as Ava was seen circling overhead watching us, making me wonder if Draven could also see us?
These thoughts evaporated when he finished with the most important statement of all,
“…You don’t have it in you to ever stop fighting for him.” And I answered him the only way I knew how…
With the truth.
“I know.”
We were now on our way back with me as before, clutching onto Vincent as we sped down empty roads. We didn’t have much more to say to each other after that, as what else was there to say. It was obvious the pain Vincent endured watching his brother walk this lonely path that the Oracle had sent him down. It was also obvious that no matter what either of us said or did, that he would continue to walk it even if there was no point to the destination at the end.
This was what I just needed to accept. Even if what Vincent had said made me face the truth. That I would never really stop fighting for him but the difference was that sometimes even as we continue to fight the good fight it didn’t mean that the war hadn’t already long since been lost. I didn’t say this to Vincent but I didn’t need to. All he needed to do was look at it written there, etched deep in my anguish of someone already beaten. But he surprised me. The last thing he did was look back to the cave one last time and say,
“You know of the truth untold but now… well, now I think it is time for his own truth to be found.” And without explaining it fully he took my hand and led me back to his bike.
It was as if nothing more needed to be said. And as I held on it gave my mind plenty to think about as I watched the road unravel ahead. It was time to be honest with myself and finally let go of the past. I had been hurting for so long now it was easier to feel bitter than to hold on to hope. It was easier to be angry at Draven than wonder too deeply what his own feelings could be. But really, where did any of that get me? It didn’t make me feel better, if anything it made me feel worse. And my cutting words to him, that nobody would deny he deserved on some level, but what did they really achieve? They just ended up hurting someone I loved and that wasn’t what I wanted.
I think I could safely say that he knew how much he had wounded me and for reasons, it was obvious I would never find out, he felt like he had no other choice to make. So why make him suffer more? No, from now on I wasn’t going to do that to him. I was going to let go of the past year and look to the hard reality of a future that didn’t include him and me ever being together again. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t still be friends now, could it? Well, I was definitely going to give it a try because Vincent was right, I wasn’t going to give up on him.
I didn’t have it in me.
These tangled thoughts brought me all the way to our destination and I frowned when I saw it wasn’t the one I had been expecting.
“Err…Vincent, why are we back here?” I asked as he shut down his bike. He kicked down the stand and looked over his shoulder to wink at me.
“No time like the present to start turning over that new leaf of yours.” He said smirking.
“You were listening?!” I screeched in panic.
“Honey, your mind was screaming at me so loud I could hear you over the engine.” I groaned as I realised my mistake. It seemed like all that time I spent guarding my mind in front of Draven, that when I was no longer in his presence my exhausted brain just flopped down in front of the telly, to put her feet up and let any bugger in!
“Great.” I responded dryly making Vincent laugh.
“We don’t even know that I will still be welcome after…” At this Vincent burst out laughing stopping me in my tracks. He was still chuckling as he pulled me off his bike and walked me back towards the building…
Back to Afterlife.
“I don’t think we need to worry about that.” He said nodding ahead of him and my eyes followed to find Draven stood there waiting and leaning against the stone wall next to a side door that Vincent used as our exit earlier. I would like to have said I was cool as a cucumber but with a faltered step that nearly made me trip over myself and my face no doubt sporting an attractive puffiness from crying, well… that cool wasn’t even in the building to start with, let alone given the chance to go flying out the window!
The closer we got the more my palms began to sweat praying I wasn’t about to walk back into a showdown. I noticed he had changed out of his suit and to say the sight of him didn’t affect me would have sent me straight to Hell as a sinner. He now had his strong long legs encased in faded denim that moulded to him in a way that you couldn’t help but notice the size o
f his powerful thighs. Christ but even the slight rips at his knees that showed that slither of skin made my girly parts tingle.
My eyes shamelessly did an all body scan and when I reached his chest my mouth went dry. Well, I was only human! But come on, the sight was just too unfair for words. He wore a tight, long sleeved t-shirt that was a dark grey with a design etched on the front that was the back end of some vintage car.
It was rare to see Draven wearing anything that allowed you a glimpse into his personality other than his power suits that screamed an authoritative, ‘don’t mess with me, or I will crush you’. So it brought a small smile to my lips just seeing that rough pencil drawing of a car I couldn’t place, sitting there across his chest. Oh, and the muscles I saw outlined under the material certainly helped that smile form!
What had he been doing all this time, bench pressing trees and running up mountains with log cabins on his back?! I mean the guy had what looked like a friggin eight pack beneath that shirt and I am pretty sure I only counted six the last time I saw it. And I didn’t even want to get started on those arms, not if I wanted to be able to form words that weren’t just a series of grunts and bumbling murmurs.
“Keira, you’re bac…”
“I’m sorry!” I blurted out before he could finish. He closed both his eyes for a few seconds longer than a blink and shook his head slightly, as if clearing his mind of an action he wanted to follow through on. He then flashed his brother a look, communicating something between them that only family blood would pick up on.
“Well, as always it’s been eventful, Beautiful but best I leave you two to it…remember what I said, Keira.” He whispered this last part by my ear as he gave me a half hug goodbye. I nodded and whispered a,
“Thank you” back before letting him go. He winked down at me in more affection than just being cheeky and I gave him a little shy smile before he turned back to his brother. As he walked past Draven he grabbed his arm and held him immobile for a second. And what he said next both shocked me and filled me with such peace it made my heart soar for a few blissful beats.
“Thank you for bringing her back to me, Brother.” Vincent lowered his head in a sign of deep respect and then clasped Draven on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“As I always will do, Brother.” And then he left us alone, making me jump when the heavy door slammed behind him. I giggled nervously, trying to ease the tension at how frazzled my nerves were.
“Uhh…so what now?” I asked after a minute of awkward silence that was most likely only fifteen seconds.
“Now…? Well, I think now we could both do with a drink, don’t you?” He said and I smiled, feeling the last of my tension leave me, being replaced with relief. He held out his hand to me and said,
“Shall we?” And like my body was made of metal, I went to the magnet that was Draven, instantly feeling the tingles wrack my body at his touch. If he noticed me shudder then he didn’t say anything and I was more than thankful for it.
We walked back through his fortress and when we turned a way I hadn’t been before I frowned looking back behind us.
“I hope you don’t mind but Sophia kind of had something planned for you.” He asked me softly whilst pulling me along with him. Didn’t he realise that when he spoke to me like that it felt like his fingertips were running tantalisingly along my spine and I would have done anything he asked?
“Okay,” I said feeling the heat in my cheeks at how breathy it sounded. He simply grinned down at me and then looked ahead, allowing me a chance to mouth the words ‘Oh my God’ to the floor. I had to wonder if there would ever be a time when Draven and I weren’t playing cat and mouse on a rollercoaster that was our lives. One minute we were screaming at each other and the next…well, the next was far more dangerous. The next was us holding hands and speaking in beautifully soft words combined with gentle forbidden touches. Like what his thumb was doing right now, rubbing delicious little slow circles over my index finger that was the equivalent of putting me under a spell. It was beautifully torturous.
I had a single moment of guilt thinking about Alex and wondering if this could be considered as cheating. I really hoped not as I thought if me and Draven really could get beyond our turbulent past then I doubted we could ever have the kind of friendship that didn’t include touching. It just didn’t seem possible to me and with the way Draven was acting it didn’t seem like it was possible for him either.
We soon came to a winding staircase that was quite narrow and he held the door open for me.
“After you my…” He started to say his pet name for me and then had to clear his throat after stopping himself. I felt bad for him so said,
“I would say age before beauty but you’re like a beautiful old man, so where does that leave me?” The smile he gave me was just as I had described him…beautiful.
“That leaves the beautiful girl before me going first so this old man can catch her if she falls.” And there it was, a perfect answer formed by a pair of perfect lips smirking down at me.
“Oh boy, you are goooood.” I said stretching out the end when taking the first steep steps up. Draven waited for it to bring us to the same height and then leaned in so his lips were at my ear.
“I certainly never remember any complaints.” He purred and I stupidly inhaled a good amount of his intoxicating scent, amplifying his sexual words tenfold. It nearly rendered me incapable of using my legs but when his hands gripped my sides in a possessive hold, they nearly gave out altogether.
“Let’s get that drink should we?” He whispered and gave me a little push to get me moving again, not taking his hands from my waist. I quickly found myself torn between running up the steps to get away from his deviously tempting touch and falling backwards just so he could catch me. In the end I just walked to the top feeling the sexual tension tick up a notch with every step we took. I turned round at one point, not being able to resist any longer and found him staring at my behind as though my cheeks were jiggling in time to some cheesy disco beat that had him hypnotised.
I cleared my throat and he knew he had been caught, making him for once be the one to bite his lip. And if that sinful bad boy grin was anything to go by then it was in no doubt to help hold in his laughter.
When we finally got to the top, he artfully slid passed me, making sure that there wasn’t an inch between our bodies. I had to look away as the feeling was nearly overwhelming. His hand on my side became an arm around my back, whilst his other hand reached for the door. The move caused my breasts to press up against his hard stomach muscles, having nowhere else to go and if I turned my head to face him, I would have ended up brushing my nose against his defined pecs.
There was no way in Hell he wasn’t doing this on purpose and I let out a frustrated growl letting him know I was on to him and whatever precarious game he was playing.
“Just being a gentleman,” he said full of humour and letting the door swing open. I huffed and walked out of his hold, which was something I wanted to do about as much as piercing my tongue with a rusty nail!
“Smooth,” I hummed with a smile and patted his chest trying to give the appearance of confidence to mask my pounding heart as I went past.
“I do try,” he replied close to my back and I was glad he didn’t see me biting my lip for…oh I don’t know, the gazillionth time tonight! I felt his hand at the small of my back putting a nice amount of pressure there as he led me forward which was clearly not needed, as what Sophia had planned was there right in front of us.
“It’s stunning,” I said taking in the gorgeous rooftop garden that was illuminated by what looked like thousands of tiny fairy lights. They were wrapped around everything, from tall sculpted ferns and wrought iron furniture legs to arched wooden pillars that also made the frame for the deep crimson canopy that was stretched above its massive hexagon shape.
“I am glad you like it and it’s about time you two stopped arguing and joined us.” Sophia said from inside the A
rabian night scene, looking like a royal Goddess being worshiped by a silent Zagan. They both lay lounged out on a sofa that put them floor level and their backs were leaning against massive stuffed tube shape cushions that were covered in shiny satin material, with different shades of rich red stripes. Small carved tables were also dotted about and large square scatter pillows were strategically placed around the fire pit in the centre. There was also an elaborate carved stone chimney above it that gave the canopy a classic Moroccan tent shape at its centre.
The summer air was alive with the scent of exotic flowers that I had no doubt were only able to grow in this part of the world thanks to a little supernatural mojo sent their way. I could only sympathise as I knew exactly what the Dravens favour of mojo could do to a soul.
“Helpful as always, Sophia.” Draven said leading me through the twinkling arch and into the sensual space that screamed ‘not a good idea!’
“I do try,” she said mimicking what Draven had said to me and smiling that cat like grin over her glass. This made Zagan smirk at her like she was both his entire world and a woman he wanted to bend over his knee and spank. Ok, no more thoughts like that in this place or more importantly being in the same building as Draven…or maybe even the same state… Yep, that might be safer!
“Ah now, I definitely want to know what that blush is all about?!” Sophia said excitedly clapping her hands. I rolled my eyes trying to play it cool but of course it didn’t help when I heard Draven murmur,
“You and I both.”
“So I guess Zagan is the only one that’s going to behave, is that it?” I asked raising my eyebrow at first Draven and then down at his sister.
“Not if I can help it.” Sophia said turning to Zagan and he winked at her after she flicked his hood up revealing a little more of his pale but handsome face. I couldn’t help smile at the sight of them both but this was short lived as I let out a yelp in shock as Draven fell backwards, taking me with him.
The Pentagram Child: Part 1 (Afterlife Saga Book 5) Page 12