by A. C. Heller
What the hell is he talking about. I raise an eyebrow at him and ask the obvious.
“Feel what?”
“The incredible urge to take away my pain.”
That shuts me up. I had felt it, but I still don't fully understand what that means.
“I... I did feel it.”
Angelo nods and pulls me fully on top of him, sliding up his body until I'm nose to nose with him. His eyes go soft and his voice drops even lower, making him sound considerably more sexy then he usually does.
“The golden daughter will mend the broken warrior.”
I literally have no words. He takes my hand and presses my palm against the tattoo on his neck.
“Do you know what this means?”
Without even thinking I shake my head 'no'. I do know what it means but he's taken me completely off guard here.
“Warrior.”
Angelo's hands lift and slide into my hair. He crushes his mouth to mine in a kiss unlike any I've ever felt before. His tongue traces the seam of my lips and they instantly part almost of their own accord. That's when things get a little out of hand. As soon as his tongue meets mine, I find myself on my back, his muscular frame over mine. He settles himself between my legs as his kiss becomes hungry, desperate, and very fucking intense. My hands slide down his back and just as I'm about to reach his belt there is a knock at the door. Angelo curses under his breath and knifes off me.
Pressing my lips together I wordlessly note to myself that they're slightly sore but it’s a delicious feeling. Angelo rips the door open, he looks like he prepared to hurt whoever is on the other side but his demeanor changes as soon as he sees that it's Takeo on the other side. I can't hear their conversation but I clearly heard the word 'volatile'.
A minute later Angelo comes over to me. He presses a quick kiss to the top of my head and leaves without a word. What the hell is going on now? Takeo crooks his finger at me as if he expects me to come. I don't think so. Folding my arms across my chest I glare at him. Something flashes in his eyes but he merely shrugs one shoulder and saunters towards me, and before I know it he's planted his shoulder in my stomach and I'm draped over him heading out of my bedroom.
“Goddammit! Put me down!”
“As you wish.”
And as fast as I was up I find myself falling, landing on Takeo's bed. Okay, that's it. I've had enough of his shit. Climbing to my feet I glare at him. Now that I'm standing on his bed I'm actually a little taller then him. Brushing that idle thought aside, I let him have it.
“Okay! Enough! What the fuck is your problem? You grip me up, haul me around, then throw me out. If you don't want anything to do with me, then just stay the fuck away from me! Shit!”
Still fuming after my little outburst I watch as one side of his mouth lifts in a smirk. That bastard! But before I get a chance to lay into him again he cuts me off.
“First, as adorable as you are, you should really watch your mouth. Such foul words, very unladylike. Second, I will, as you said 'grip you up and haul you around' as long as you continue to behave the way you are. Third, don't assume things you don't understand. It makes you look foolish. And you, Miss. Leon, are my 'fucking problem'. And I gotta tell you, right now, that's a fucking problem.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Look you arrogant jerk, I don't know what game you think you're playing with me, but this shit isn't going to fly. I'm out of here.”
Feeling as though I struck the winning blow here I make it to the door and place my hand on the knob. But then it's gone, and I'm lifted straight into the air by two large hands at my waist. A scream of pure surprise leaves my throat but Takeo doesn't stop. He keeps moving until we're close to the bed again. Takeo throws me on to the mattress and remains standing at the foot of the bed. Crossing his arms across his chest in a 'try it' stance, he smirks at me once more.
“I hope you realize I can do this all night.”
Seriously, what do you say to that? Totally giving up on my side of the argument my shoulders sag in defeat as I make eye contact.
“Why am I in here, Takeo? What do you want?”
“This is where you will be staying until you're capable of fully controlling your abilities...”
Um…No. That's not gonna work.
“I'm not staying in here.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Then where are you staying?”
“In here, of course.”
“With me?”
“Unfortunately.”
Ugh! I can't stand him!
“This isn't gonna work. I'm not staying in here with you. I'd rather let the Sapient get me.”
Takeo narrows his eyes at me, and the vein ticking in his cheek tells me he's clenching his jaw, hard.
“Chasca. Lay down. Go to sleep, and for fuck’s sake, stop talking.”
I HATE HIM! Moving to the very edge of the bed I lay my head on the pillow and watch as he moves over to the thermostat and turns it all the way down. Oh god, this is going to suck for me. Takeo strips off his usual black t-shirt and throws it over the chair near his desk. He unbuckles his belt and his pants fall to the floor leaving him in only his boxers, and to everyone’s great surprise they're black.
Part of me wants to visually take in the sight before me, but I can't get past how much of a jerk he is. He slides into bed and pushes the covers down to his hips, trapping them in place with his big arms. Lying curled on my side away from him I stubbornly refuse to get under the blankets. There's probably about four feet between us and I have no intentions of crossing that line. Takeo reaches over and flicks the light off, leaving the room pitch black.
A few minutes turn into an hour as I lie there trying to fall asleep. It's freezing, I don't want to be where I am, or with who I am with. This entire situation is awful. Takeo has been silent the entire time and his breathing is even which leads me to believe he is already asleep. Propping my pillow up behind me, I sit up and stare into the blackness of the room. Then something strange happens.
Takeo is talking in his sleep. It's mumbled and I can't understand it. He starts to shift, like the dream is getting worse, but just as his body jerks, Squish jumps up on my lap scaring the hell out of me. Somehow I manage to not scream but Squish only passes from my lap to Takeo's chest. Once there, she lays down and begins purring. Which to my surprise, seems to have settled him. Takeo, settled by a tiny kitten. Wow...
Unwilling to allow my thoughts to truly process that I finally give up and slide under the blankets. Once I am warm, and toasty, my body relaxes and I drift off to asleep.
Chapter Eight
The alarm clock on the bedside table tells me it's after ten when I finally peel my eyes open. My eyelids are still heavy, and I know I could really go right back to sleep. But if I'm going to go back to sleep it's going to be in my own bed. Throwing back the covers I can't help but notice that it’s not freezing in here. Takeo must have turned the thermostat up. Thank god. No, he's still a jerk!
Usually when I wake up I'm wide awake and at least functional, but today I feel sluggish. Like I have zero energy. I can't explain it but I don't dwell on it either. Upon entering the kitchen I see everyone is already up and dressed unlike me. I didn't even bother. Still, my bed clothes are comfortable, so who cares if I'm practically in my underwear. Certainly not me.
Liza smiles at me and places a cup down at my spot at the table. She knows me so well, so I'm sure it's a cup of coffee with cream and extra sugar. What can I say? I like things sweet. The three boys are talking to a man I haven't seen before. If I had to guess, I would say they were giving him orders. The man only nods in response to them. His eyes shift in my direction for just long enough to catch me staring. Awkward.
They're all huddled around the bar in the kitchen, so I take my spot at the table. Slowly sipping my coffee I notice Aiden break away from the group. I'm unnaturally tired, so I rest my elbow on the table and lean my head on my hand. Periodically sippi
ng my coffee that I still hold in my other hand, I watch as Aiden takes a seat across from me and gives me a half smile. Uh oh. Aiden can't fake a smile to save his life. Something's not right.
“Tired?”
“Very. It's like I didn't even sleep.”
A slight frown appears on his face but he quickly removes it, as if realizing he shouldn't have let it appear in the first place. Hm. Interesting.
“So, are you still up for those tests I mentioned?”
“Sure... As long as you don't expect me to run a mile or something. I just don't have it in me.”
Aiden smiles at that.
“Don't worry. It won't be like that. Are you finished with your coffee?”
My cup was still in my hand the entire time. Tilting it to look inside, I notice that It was empty. Wow. I'm really out of it. Setting the cup down on the table, I unenthusiastically bring myself to my feet.
“Meh. I'm ready when you are.”
Aiden stands up and holds his hand out for me to take. I take his hand and we both head out of the kitchen. On our way out I notice Takeo scowling at the silent stranger I mentioned before, but the stranger’s eyes are on me, and something about it turns my blood cold.
Aiden and I enter the gym and continue walking into the locker room. I've never actually been in here. My room always seemed like the better option, but to my surprise he continues leading me through a door all the way in the back, and what I see shocks me.
The room is obviously used for medical purposes. I want to use the term med bay but I'm not sure that justifies this room. Aiden stops in front of a long padded table and gestures with his hand toward it.
“Hop on up and I'll be back in a few minutes.”
Using my arms I pull myself up and slide my butt onto the table, my hands coming to rest in my lap. I'm not sure what's going to happen but I am a tad bit nervous. I mean, who's really a fan of being poked and prodded? For science! I shout jokingly in my head. Ugh, I'm so lame.
As he said, Aiden returns a few minutes later, and It dawns on me that I've started feeling better. I must be finally waking up. Thank god! I hate feeling awful like that.
“Okay, Chasca. I'm going to conduct a few experiments. Some of them might not make sense to you but I'll do my best to explain as we go along. Alright?”
“Um…okay.”
I'm not as freaked out about the tests as I am that Aiden called me Chasca. He never does. Aiden places a black case on the table next to me and opens it. Inside there are several different items but he only removes one, and it's a rather menacing looking dagger. Though it does sort of look familiar.
“This is a Nephilim blade. Passed down through generations. It is unique because a Nephilim bonds with their weapons. That's what the engravings mean. However, this particular dagger belonged to someone who fought for a darker purpose. Which as I'm sure you can piece together, corrupted the blade. What I want to test is whether or not you are capable of withstanding the corruption this blade contains. But I'll be honest with you Chas, this isn't going to be painless.”
Swallowing hard I nod my head. I don't really want to do this but Aiden seems to think it’s necessary. So, if for nothing else, I'll do it for him. He holds out his hand as if showing me, his palm is up and open. Doing as I saw him do I lift my trembling hand and hold it out to him palm up. Aiden gently places the dagger into my hand. As he does this, I notice for the first time that he is wearing gloves. That can't be a good sign for things to come. I'm snapped back to what's happening when I see the engravings on the dagger pulse in a radiant blue light. It's almost beautiful.
The blue light surrounds my hand and pulses several more times. I keep waiting for the pain to come but it never does. The light dims until it is replaced by a subtle golden glow. Looking up at Aiden I see that he is staring at me, mouth open, a look of pure shock on his face.
“Did... I do something wrong?”
Aiden snaps out of his shock and shakes his head once. He takes the dagger from me and places it back into the case. He grabs my hand and starts inspecting it, as if he expects there to be a gaping hole, but I'm fine. He glances up at me and then back at my hand.
“How did you do that? I've never, NEVER, seen that dagger react to anyone like that.”
“I didn't do anything, I swear! I just waited for it to start hurting, but it never did. Then it did the light up, flashy thing and then stopped.”
“Flashy-thing? You...what? That's... It's not... Hold on.”
Aiden closes the case and turns and damn near sprints from the room. A moment later he returns with Angelo on his heels. Aiden turns to Angelo and points to his sword.
“Yours, give her yours.”
“What? Have you lost your shit? I'm not letting her touch it.”
“Trust me, Angelo. Fucking do it.”
Angelo doesn't move, he just stares at Aiden as if he truly believes he's lost his shit. Aiden snatches up the dagger I just held and slaps the hilt into my palm. Angelo's eyes widen and he steps forward but Aiden stops him with a hand at his chest.
“No. Watch!”
Just as it happened before the engravings flash blue, but this time the shift to the subtle golden glow is much quicker. Angelo's hands had been gripping Aiden's arm, ready to move it from his chest, but as he sees this his arms fall limp at his sides.
“You've got to be fucking shitting me...”
“Right?”
Both men are staring at me now and it's starting to freak me out. I turn to the side and put the dagger back where I saw Aiden take it from.
“Um, guys? Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?”
“In a second. We need to try something else first.”
Angelo nods and unsheathes his sword. He holds the blade in his hand and has the hilt pointed towards me. The engravings are an intense blue, shimmering against the metallic surface. Reaching out I take the hilt into my hand. Once in my hand the engravings flare brightly, and the blades literally pulses. It feels like it’s trying to break free of my grasp. It scares me and I nearly drop it. Somehow I manage to hold on to it, and I notice the engravings at the tip of the blade start to shift between the radiant blue and the golden glow. The blade pulses again in my hand but I bring my other hand to the hilt and hold it as tightly as I can.
The golden glow travels the length of the blade, filling in all of the engravings to only be pushed back by the radiant blue. Gritting my teeth, I find myself rooting for the golden glow to overtake the blue. It's a possessive, empowering feeling but before I can actually enjoy it Angelo snatches the blade from me and re-sheathes it.
A look passes between Aiden and Angelo and Aiden nods. Angelo turns and starts digging through a cabinet, for what I have no idea. Aiden takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, all the while still staring at me. He pulls a chair up and sits in front of me, his elbows resting on his knees. I'm starting to realize this is the macho man 'we're about to have a serious talk' position.
“In life there is good and evil. Light and dark, yin and yang. A natural order, a balance, and this is true in all aspects of life. That's what these colors mean. The blue you saw tells you that the wielder's soul is corrupted. The darker the color, the more corrupted the soul. Simple right? Now, the golden light you saw. That, my sweet, is you.”
“That sounds a lot like auras. I read about them once.”
Aiden smiles and nods his head.
“Very good. It is a lot like auras, but everyone cannot read auras, so when the Nephilim weapons were forged they were engraved with, well I suppose you could call it a curse. The curse shows the wielder’s true colors if you will. Your light is golden because you remain pure.”
This instantly makes me think back to church as a kid, and all I can think is, I'm so not pure.
“Aiden that can't be true. I'm not... uh. You know, I'm not untouched and I curse a lot.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. Angelo steps over to us smiling at what I just said. He hands Aid
en a hand mirror and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Don't believe everything you hear is sunday school, Chas. The soul can only be corrupted by true malice. Like killing someone, or betraying someone, but it isn't simply the act, it's the acceptance. Choosing to do such things will change a person. Just as one’s purity is something only someone can choose to sacrifice.”
Aiden holds up the mirror and I'm taken back at what I see, my eyes are no longer their usual light green. They are a bright, shimmering shade of green that I can only compare to an emerald. I must look like I'm about to freak out because a moment later I feel Angelo's hand come to rest on my shoulder.
“It's alright, Sweetheart. That's your light shining through. It happens when you use your abilities too, you just never had a mirror handy before. Kinda cool, isn't it?”