Similar things happened when she was near Gray, and now she knew why. They were Stellars. Of course they were going to feel connected to one another. Their very souls were connected. But she liked making her own choices. She didn’t need a couple of fused stars—or Celestials—making decisions about her love life for her like that.
Gray broke through the thick silence. “You seem as thoughtful and cryptic as ever.”
“Sorry.”
He chuckled. “No you’re not.”
“You’re right.”
Gray laughed again, giving Aurora a playful push and accidentally making her spill her cider on her pants.
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.” He quickly took the napkin wrapped around his cup and mopped up the hot liquid the waterproof armor hadn’t allowed to absorb.
The feel of Gray’s hand on her thigh made her reconsider her earlier thoughts, and she was violently pulled back to the tug-of-war that was her sexual appetite.
Thirty-Three
CHORD
Chord rose early, unable to sleep any longer. First stop was the little coffee shop with the amazing pastries.
“Will you be having your usual?” Aella asked him brightly.
“Always.”
She nodded and grabbed a mug stamped with the Etheria crest on the side. Chord went to the pastry case to ogle the desserts. Because let’s face it, breakfast pastries are just glorified desserts. Muffins? Cupcakes without frosting. He knew he should probably get eggs and toast or something with more nutritional value before a long day of training, but that was no fun. He was having difficulty getting past the fact that he was no longer on vacation.
His eyes roamed over the trays of scones, and his mind was instantly transported to Sev, which didn’t take much these days.
“Um, on second thought,” he said. “Could I, uh, also get a regular coffee with cream, please?”
“For Mr. Sevastion?” Aella asked with a knowing smile.
Chord drew back. “You angels are creepily aware of everything, you know.”
Aella’s laugh was reminiscent of wind chimes, and Chord wondered what he would be like after he died, when he was a full-blown angel and everything. He hoped the little pudge around his midsection would be gone. Priorities.
“Here is your peppermint latte and coffee with cream. Would you like a couple of scones?”
“You know me too well,” Chord said. “And I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
He grabbed the coffee and bag of scones—apple and cinnamon—and, instead of traveling up to the top deck, he took the glass elevator down to the library. Opening the heavy wooden doors, Chord peeked into the massive room filled with literature. As he’d suspected, Sev sat at one of the massive oaken tables surrounded by a towering city of books, his back rounded and head hovering over an open manuscript the size of a boulder.
He wondered if he was making Sev uncomfortable with his increased interest in him. For a moment he considered turning around and walking away, but decided he didn’t frankly care if he was annoying Sev. He was a Halo now. Taking chances was part of the job description.
“I thought I might find you here,” Chord said finally, his lip tugging up into something between a smirk and a smile. “I brought you some coffee and scones.”
“You know, we Brits do eat patisserie other than scones,” Sev said, sounding grateful for the hot beverage and food, nonetheless.
“You’re welcome.” Chord plopped down in the opposite seat and craned his neck to peer over the heaps of books. Exerting more energy than he would expect, he pushed two piles aside so he could see Sev, rather than the top of his head.
“Thank you.” Sev took a giant gulp of coffee. “I am very appreciative. I was just teasing you. Sometimes my humor is lost on people. I’m not particularly good at it.”
“No, you’re not,” Chord agreed with a chuckle. “But I minored in humor, so I’ll teach you.”
“They have minors for that in America?” Sev looked up at Chord. He’d only just realized that Sev had beautiful gray eyes—almost colorless, but not. He’d spent so much time staring at his ass and impressive back muscles that he hadn’t noticed. “I was joking again,” Sev added after a moment.
Chord realized he hadn’t said anything because he’d been studying the color of the Brit’s irises. “Sorry. I was distracted,” he admitted. He wasn’t sure why he was so candid with Sev. He was usually a pathological liar when it came to men. But not with Sev. He was tortuously honest.
“Distracted by what?”
“Your eye color,” Chord said, mentally smacking himself. You could have lied, his inner voice scolded. You could have told him you were thinking of training or it was too early for thinking or something. Not his eyes, you damned buffoon.
“Yes, they are rather strange, aren’t they?” Sev seemed unconcerned about the fact that Chord had just confessed he’d been staring into his eyes. “It’s almost as though they’ve been drained of color. Rather dull, really.”
“I disagree,” Chord murmured.
“Well, thank you. I can’t say I’ve ever received a compliment on my eyes before. In fact, I don’t think I’ve received as many compliments on my appearance as you’ve given me.”
Chord felt his cheeks flush and he cleared his throat. “So, uh, what’re you reading?”
Easily distracted by the topic of books, Sev said, “Well, I’m trying to find more information on demons, but I’m coming up somewhat short. I find it remarkably surprising that none of these angels have taken the time to compile information on the different breeds and types.”
“I know. It’s like they have better things to do or something,” Chord said.
“I recognize they are busy. Humans have compiled demonology books, though most seem to be wildly inaccurate. The demons I saw during the battle on the top deck looked nothing like the sketches they provide. It’s just a shame. We Halos know next to nothing about the creatures we are supposed to be fighting. A profile of sorts would be helpful. They could put a picture or drawing of the demon with a name and description of its abilities; it’s weaknesses.”
“Like a video game book,” Chord offered enthusiastically. “I wonder if there are boss demons.”
Sev’s thick brows met. “I’m sorry?”
“Ha, um, nothing. I may very well be nerdier than you.”
Sev chortled. “Doubtful.”
“So, why don’t you write one?”
“Write what?”
“A book about demons.”
Sev brought his long-fingered hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner. “I suppose I could… Though I’m a terrible artist, really. I’ve spent years perfecting my sketches of dinosaurs. I’m not sure I could create images of demons that would be presentable in a proper book.”
“Well, Sevastion.” Chord leaned forward until his folded hands were just barely touching Sev’s arm. “I have some good news for you.”
Sev’s colorless eyes flashed up to his. “What’s that?”
“I am a fantastic artist.”
Thirty-Four
GRAY
Gray didn’t like Samuel.
And not just because he seemed to be spending more and more time with Aurora—well, yes, that was mostly it. Surely, he was breaking some sort of angel rule that forbade them to become romantically involved with their Halo students. Plus, without Aurora by Gray’s side, Brielle thought she would be a suitable replacement.
“How long are we going to be out here, do you think?” Brielle said to him after training one day, having caught up to Gray as he was both trying to escape her and get the mental image of Aurora and Samuel walking along the deck together out of his head.
“Out where?” Gray asked out of mere politeness.
“Out on the ocean in the middle of nowhere,” Brielle clarified. “It’s not as cold as it was before and I haven’t seen an iceberg for a few days, which must mean we’re traveling somewhere.”
He shoved his hands in his pock
ets and continued towards the elevators, Brielle keeping pace with him. “Yeah, I suppose it does.”
“Well, aren’t you worried about where they’re taking us?”
“They’re probably taking us to Arx Isle like they said.” Gray pressed the button to the elevator, hoping Brielle wouldn’t follow him onto it. But she did, of course.
“Well, yeah, I know that’s where we’re going, but what do you think it is exactly?”
“A mass of land surrounded by water, most likely,” Gray answered in a dry tone.
Brielle rolled her eyes. “You’re starting to sound like Aurora.”
He knew she meant it as an insult, but he took it as a compliment, just as she would have. They rode the elevator down to Gray’s floor, and he gratefully stepped off.
“Dinner is in the Glittering Galaxy tonight,” Brielle sang after him. “See you there!”
“Can’t wait,” Gray muttered.
He wasn’t sure why he was acting so ornery over the whole Aurora and Samuel situation. He was usually a fairly chipper person. But, at least recently, he hadn't had her constant negativity surrounding him to balance things out. Though, he hadn’t had that before he met her, either. Strange how quickly things—and people—could become habitual.
Gray entered his room in a fog, feeling out of sorts, but forcing himself to get over it. Aurora wasn’t his to claim and she was perfectly capable of choosing to spend time with whomever she wanted.
Pulling his drawer out with unnecessary force, Gray rifled through his clothes. He was almost to the bottom and would need to do laundry soon. He usually didn’t do laundry until the last possible moment—when he was down to his most uncomfortable shirt and pair of pants, which often didn’t match at all.
His fingers brushed against something cold and hard. Wrapping his hand around the object, he recovered a smooth, red stone. The muddled memory of finding the rock in his borrowed duffel bag reappeared, blearily, at the forefront of his mind. Discarding the stone on his dresser, he pulled on a pair of relatively nice dress pants and a green button-up shirt.
Sev showed up just before dinner and had only time enough to wash off quickly in the shower and throw on his usual dress pants and dinner jacket.
“Do you dress like that all of the time in London?” Gray questioned. He thought wearing a suit, of any sort, would grow tiresome and uncomfortable—this coming from a man who wore heavy firefighting gear on a daily basis.
“Every day,” Sev answered in an almost bored voice. “I’m a multi-faceted man, as you can tell.”
Gray laughed and swiped his crux off his dresser to place in its holster. The blade of the crux brushed the red stone sitting on the cold marble. A high-pitched squealing sound, like a fizzling firecracker, rang through the room. Then the rock shattered into a thousand tiny fragments before turning to black ash.
Gray looked from his crux to the splintered stone. “What the hell…”
“What on Earth was that?” Sev had drawn his own crux by instinct at the loud noise.
Gray blinked at the pile of ash on his dresser. “It was just this random stone I found in my bag. I figured the guy I borrowed it from left it in there or something.”
The gears in Sev’s mind appeared to be turning. “What sort of stone?”
“Small and red. Well, I guess it wasn’t red, exactly. The stone itself was black and looked like it had a red light glowing inside of it. Guess these Halo weapons are more powerful than I thought.”
“A black stone with a red glow,” Sev murmured to himself. Frowning, the Brit turned on his heel, strode to his bedside table, and opened the drawer there. Reaching his hand inside, he brought it out to reveal a replica of the stone Gray had just destroyed. “Did it look something like this?”
Gray’s head tilted to the side. “Exactly like that, actually. You had one too?”
Examining the stone more closely, Sev held it at eye level, turning it slowly in his fingertips. “I assumed I’d accidentally placed it in my bag while packing. I have many stones and fossils and things lying around my flat, you see. But for you to have an identical stone in a bag you don’t even own, well, that’s a rather suspicious coincidence.”
“On this ship…there is no such thing as coincidence,” Gray said as Sev slipped the blazing stone into his pocket, away from his crux.
AURORA
Aurora and Samuel walked shoulder to shoulder along the railing of the ship in familiar silence. She had practiced with the bow and arrow all day during training and, by the end, felt a bit more confident with it. Though she still sort of hated it. She wasn’t Katniss. Or Legolas.
“I’ll admit this is pleasantly light compared to some of those heavy-ass swords.” Aurora held up the bow. "I think I still like the dagger better, though. It’s light and easier to keep in a holster. This thing is bulky as hell.”
Samuel’s gaze cut sideways at her. “Has anyone ever told you that you are a particularly eloquent being?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a sarcastic ass?” Aurora retorted, making Samuel laugh.
“No, actually.”
“Well, you’re a sarcastic ass,” Aurora said. “And now you have. But, it’s okay because I, too, am a sarcastic ass.”
“The difference is: I’m sure someone has told you this.”
“Several people,” admitted Aurora.
Samuel’s shoulder brushed up against hers generating an electric current to involuntarily course through her. She took a step to the right as they continued onward and looked out over the ocean to distract herself. The waves were a clearer and brighter blue than they’d been a few days ago. The wind was no longer bitingly cold, and the glaciers and mountains of ice had long since disappeared.
“Where is Arx Isle exactly?”
“No location any human would recognize,” Samuel answered cryptically.
“When will we get there?”
“Time is relative on Etheria.”
Aurora’s right brow arched. “What does that mean?”
“It means the physical rules of Earth are not the same on this ship. For instance, it would likely astonish you to find that, though you’ve been here for days, it’s only been seconds in the real world.”
Aurora stopped walking. “Seconds? Shut up.”
Samuel stopped a few paces ahead of her. “That’s a rude thing to say to an angel,” he said in mock astonishment.
“Not when you hit me with information like that. Are you being serious?”
Samuel rested an elbow on the ship railing, looking out at the horizon, eyes shining in the sunlight. “Do I really seem like such an untrustworthy person that you’d think I would lie about such things?” he said without looking at her.
“On the contrary,” Aurora murmured. “Sometimes I feel like you’re the only trustworthy person here.”
Samuel was silent for a moment and then shifted his body, so the sun bathed his entire face. Folding his arms, he leaned forward, resting them on the silver bar as he closed his eyes. Aurora moved to stand beside him, making sure to keep at least a foot between them, so they made no physical contact.
His eyes opened to slits, and he turned his head to look at her. The breath caught in her chest at this seemingly innocent gesture, and she scolded her body for behaving like a stupid teenager with a crush.
“You and Gray seem different than when I first met you two,” Samuel mused.
Aurora glanced down at the choppy, cerulean seawater. “That’s random.”
“Nothing is random.” Samuel stared out at the ocean. “And you’re avoiding the question.”
“That wasn’t a question. That was a statement.” Samuel snorted and shook his head wearily. Aurora continued, “We aren’t different, really… I am. When I found out we were Stellars, I guess I distanced myself from him. I didn’t even want to train with him or use our powers together or anything. But then a demon’s stinger stabbed him during the battle the other day, and I realized I was acting selfishly. S
o, I told him my story—well, most of it, anyway—and ever since then, I’ve felt extremely vulnerable and exposed to him. I liked it better before, when I was just some dark and twisty girl with secrets and ironclad walls and nerves of steel. Besides, I don’t like the thought of the universe deciding who I should love.”
Samuel cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”
“Because our Celestials decided to go and fuse together and make us Stellars and all,” she bitterly remarked.
“That doesn’t mean you have to love each other.”
“It doesn’t?” Aurora felt a sense of relief lighten her core. “I thought it meant we’re soul mates…or whatever.”
“Well, yes, but not in the way humans think of it. Stellars don’t have to be romantically involved. They don’t even have to like one another. True, most Stellars who are fortunate enough to meet do fall in love. But they don’t have to. They simply share a connection like no one else. A powerful, even deadly connection. I assume you know what happens if one of you perishes.”
“The other dies,” Aurora stated dully. “Yeah, I know.”
“So, don’t love him if you don’t want to. But protect him as well as yourself. For both of your sakes.”
The concern with which he said this made Aurora look up at him, surprised to see his crystal eyes were already on her. “Why do you care so much?”
“I think you know why by now.”
She thought she knew too, but wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Or maybe she did.
Samuel moved in closer to her, his cool breath caressing her face. His lips were inches from hers. She could feel them tingling in anticipation. But, at the same time, something in the pit of her stomach jerked violently back, pulling her away from Samuel.
“I can’t,” she breathed. Samuel’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing to stop her moving in retrograde. “I have to go.”
Feeling a mixture of regret and relief, Aurora walked swiftly in the opposite direction, leaving behind the only man who knew exactly why she was running away.
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