Treasured Secrets (Coveted Saga #1) (The Coveted Saga)

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Treasured Secrets (Coveted Saga #1) (The Coveted Saga) Page 19

by C. M. Owens


  Everett just nodded. "I can follow you if you're leaving."

  Jared looked at me and winked, and then he turned back to Everett. "Yeah we're leaving, but where I'm taking her is completely safe."

  Where was he planning to take me?

  Everett was about to walk away when Jared called back to him. "Don't tell any of her family she left early. Her mom would be upset. And please, don't tell Iris that I torched the place."

  Everett dropped a grin, shocking me more than Jared's pyrotechnics. I didn't know Everett even knew how to smile.

  "Understood. No problem." Then he jogged back toward the party.

  I rolled my eyes. "Why is he nice to you and not me? You might need to see if he hurt something after smiling for the first time ever."

  "I've saved his life once or twice, so he tends to fancy me a bit. He isn't as bad as he seems. I promise," he said, sounding playfully haughty.

  I shrugged. "I'll take your word for it."

  He shut my door and quickly joined me in the jeep. "I think you'll like the place I'm taking you a little better than you liked this place."

  I huffed. "It's not another party, is it?"

  He laughed somewhat. "No, it's a little dead where we're going."

  He placed heavy emphasis on the word "dead," which raised a few questions, but I just let it go. I was just grateful to be getting out of there.

  I cocked my head to the side. "I thought a bodyguard had to cover my scent. Where are we going?"

  He just smiled. "Trust me. I think you'll appreciate it. It's not too far, and it is heavily crested."

  We drove to a place that was just a little ways down the road from the party. Jared hopped out of the jeep and flashed to my side to open my door for me. I hesitated slightly before putting my hand in his.

  He noted my hesitation and spoke with reassurance. "Don't worry. Like I said, these grounds are very crested. You'll be perfectly safe here."

  I looked around at all the old statues. Everything glistened under the moonlight. Most every statue had a fighting stance, anger in their eyes, and a feel that demanded respect.

  There was only one that seemed to be at peace. It was a woman with one hand across her heart and one hand stretched out with the palm facing up. I wasn't sure where we were exactly or what all these idols stood for.

  Jared walked up and leaned against the tree beside the statue of the woman that kept calling for my attention. "It figures you'd head straight to this one."

  I raised an eyebrow at him curiously. "Why do you say that?"

  He put his hands in his pockets as his eyes held mine.

  "This is the statue of Isis. She was known for her compassion and mercy. So when they built the statue of her, they tried to incorporate that. It was why she was such a good leader for us. Despite her unimaginable depth of power, she was very modest and controlled. She never used force unless absolutely necessary. She believed in defending her family and herself, but she never set out to start a fight if it could be avoided."

  I took a step toward him, letting my eyes fall back to the tranquil statue for a moment, analyzing her with a different gaze. Then I turned back to him.

  "Isn't that the way all the good guys are?"

  He laughed slightly as he closed some of the distance between us. "No. Your grandmother is though. Dramus's followers have made a lot of us want revenge. I personally would love to see their ashes spread every chance I get."

  He started sitting down, and I felt warmth flowing to me despite the frigid air and snow all around. Before he got to the ground, all the snow around him melted and a beautiful green grass was revealed. Not only was the snow gone, the ground was also dry now.

  Okay... That was a little impressive.

  Then he patted the ground next to him for me to sit down.

  I did as he beckoned and sat down beside him. "Why do you seek revenge? What did they do?"

  He grimaced slightly upon hearing my question, making me feel guilty for asking. I was all too eager for knowledge. I sometimes forgot many of them had buried scars they didn't want to dredge up. I should have learned to tread lightly over someone's past after being with Tallis.

  Tallis. Just the thought of him made tears swell in my eyes. But I didn't want Jared or anyone else to know how much pain I was in. They'd all lecture me about links. I couldn't stand the hushed whispers of worry and dread as it was. One major breakdown and they'd call in a magical shrink.

  I missed him though. I physically ached to be with him. Having Jared take my mind off things for a night was nice, but the hole in my heart was too vast for a small Band-Aid to cover. I didn't need closure. I needed him back. It was agonizing to not have anyone understand.

  As a nervous habit, I started messing with my fingernails, wishing I could take my suspended question back. After a few moments of awkward, extended silence, he finally answered me, much to my surprise.

  "Well, for starters, they destroyed most of my first coven," he said softly, his eyes focused on the ground.

  I gasped, but I quickly covered my mouth. I wasn't expecting that. I waited patiently to see if he'd elaborate, and after a few more passing minutes of silence, he did.

  "We were on a scouting mission. My sister had just come back from the guardianship. We'd told her of who she was to become, and we were trying to keep her protected. We were also keeping an eye on the surrounding area for any unwanted trespassers. We did a poor job of spotting anything out of the ordinary that day.

  "We were ambushed. My sister had gone to town with my mother and a few bodyguards. They awaited her arrival in front of the gates of our home. We fought the ambush, trying our best to get back to my home before they could get to my sister, but they killed my father right in front of me. They forced me to watch as they held me down and showed him no mercy.

  "I don't know what happened, but something inside of me snapped, forcing me to lose control, and suddenly, my magic surged in a way that has never happened since. I sent a blue blaze from my hands and destroyed ten of their best fighters in a matter of seconds."

  I heard the unmistakable pain in his voice as he told the story. As an instinct, I started to reach for him, to comfort him, but I withdrew before I ever made it too close. I tucked my hands in closer to my body, unsure of what to say or do.

  I decided to shift the topic in a different, lighter direction. "What's a blue blaze?"

  He moved in closer, almost too close. He had one arm just centimeters from my back as it propped him up. His other hand lay across his lap.

  "It's ancient magic. Most haven't seen it since the age of Isis. I don't know how I was able to do it, and like I said, I've never been able to do it since. It's the strongest blaze there could ever possibly be. It burns a thousand times hotter than the average blazer's fire. It was the strongest and most powerful I've ever felt in my life. Believe me, I wish I knew how I did it. I've tried recreating it a thousand times at least with no luck."

  I reached over and grabbed his hand that was laying in his lap, finally succumbing to my desire to comfort. I wasn't sure if I should say anything else about it, but at the same time, I didn't want him to think I didn't care.

  "What happened to your sister?"

  He stared at my hand that was holding his and he rubbed my fingertips with his thumb, casually caressing them as he became lost in thought - lost in his memories.

  "After I went super blaze, the other essence thieves ran away. We raced back to the house. They were in the process of draining her essence when I killed the one doing it. The others took out the dark ring left at the house. My mother died trying to protect my sister. My sister lived though, and now she's a very powerful electric."

  He stood to his feet abruptly, startling me a little, and then helped me up. He walked me over to two statues - a man and a woman in a fighting stance.

  The man was a blazer who looked to have fire radiating from his hands. The woman was a flooder with water circling above her head. He spoke very softly as h
e stared intensely at the two statutes.

  "This is my mother and my father. Any follower of the light who is killed and can't be buried has a statue built here. It's a way to remember their sacrifice and a way to be close to them. I often come here when I need guidance. It's the only way I can be close to my parents. Oddly enough, I even find myself asking them questions or telling them how well we're doing. I want them to know their sacrifices weren't in vain. I want them to know my sister and I are alive everyday because of them and what they gave up."

  I put my hand on his shoulder, aiming for comfort again. "I'm really sorry. I can't imagine what you've gone through."

  It sounded so cliché to say such a thing, but it was all I had handy. I wasn't expecting this heavy conversation to come raining down. He was so amazingly honest. It was refreshing.

  He smiled down at me. "The Corpus family took us in after my parents' deaths. Iris was going to invite my sister and me to join her coven, but the Corpus family needed us more. They had a couple of blinders and a few weaker blazers. I knew we would have better protection with your grandmother, but I felt like my family would have wanted me to go somewhere where I was needed more. The heads of the families asked me to be a part of the militia later on, and the rest is history. Although now, I almost wish I had chosen Iris's coven. I would've gotten to spend a lot more time with you."

  I could feel the red burning on my cheeks while I dropped my hand from his shoulder. "Ha, ha, ha. I can assure you I'm nothing fantastic."

  He squinted his eyes at me and smirked slightly as he spoke with fiery intensity. "On the contrary, Aria, you're fascinating. You're so different from anyone I've ever known. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

  Now I knew he could most certainly see me blushing. I pushed him slightly in a playful manner. “You're smooth. Definitely smooth."

  He laughed. "You haven't even seen my A game yet."

  I shook my head, accidentally giggling. Then he grabbed a hold of my waist and pulled me toward him. "I'm serious though. You're so different from everyone I've ever known. I've never felt so... compelled to be around someone the way I am you. I don't know how to even explain what I'm feeling. I don't know how to explain how truly mesmerizing I've found you since the moment I met you. It's certainly new to me. And I don't mind feeling this way either."

  No. No. I couldn't do this. I loved Tallis. He was an insensitive jerk who didn't answer my calls or even bother to send a message, but I loved him. He didn't love me and we'd never be together, according to him, but I couldn't just give up. I knew he was meant to be with me.

  I knew Jared was being serious, but I was trying to lighten the mood as I awkwardly joked, "Well, I can see you're starting to bring out your A game now."

  I started to wriggle out of his grip as I chuckled nervously, but he didn't back away, nor did he laugh.

  He put a hand against the side of my face and caressed my cheek, letting his heated touch stroke me all the way through my skin. He started coming in closer, and all I could think about was Tallis, how it felt like a betrayal.

  It took all my strength not to wail out, sob until I choked on my emotion, but I refrained. I even managed to hold back the sniffle that almost escaped.

  I didn't want Jared to be my first kiss. I wanted my first kiss to be with Tallis, but at the same time, I did feel some freaky connection with Jared. Was I just vulnerable? Or was I simply pathetic?

  In all actuality, Tallis didn't want me. Jared did. Why couldn't I move past the one who ripped my heart out?

  My head was riddled with confusion and worry. I knew it would only hurt him, but I couldn't in good conscience kiss him, even if it would spare him. I couldn't lead him on when I knew I was in love with Tallis.

  Still, it would be so much easier to be with Jared. He wasn't fighting his feelings for me. Life apparently didn't wish to be easy.

  Knots tightened in my stomach. I dreaded to end our intimate moment that had only just started. I worried he wouldn't understand.

  "Jared... I can't do this." I put my hand on his chest and started pushing him away gently. "I'm so sorry."

  I wanted to say more. I wanted to explain things better. I didn't want to hurt him, but it was just so hard to find the words, especially when I was strangling on my unshed tears. All the pain I had been ignoring was starting to crash down on me, begging me to let it flow out. I could do it though.

  I was angry, hurt, and tortured, left to fall to pieces, but I hadn't really allowed myself to do such a thing. It was trying to catch up with me, but not here. Not now. I couldn't let it.

  He backed away slowly with a look that let me know I had just ripped his heart out. It seemed like all I had done lately was hurt people. I had hurt McKee, confused Tallis, and now I was hurting Jared. I was such a mess, and I was dragging everyone down with me. Toxic. That's what I was.

  I could hear the pain from my abrupt rejection in his voice when he quietly said, "I'll call Everett and tell him we're about to leave. Then I'll take you home."

  He walked away from me quickly and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

  "Jared, I am sorry. I didn't mean to… Please forgive me."

  He ignored me, continued on as if I hadn't said anything at all. A lone tear trickled down my cheek, and I wiped it away. I barely knew Jared, but he was acting as though I had just destroyed him. Had he linked to me, too? I hated this new life and all of its screwed up rules and consequences.

  Everett was there within minutes. He walked up to where I was sitting, though I barely acknowledged his approach. The tears had finally started falling in a pattern. Hot and heavy drops flowed down my cheeks with no regard for my dignity.

  "I just spoke to Jared, and he asked me to take you home. He said he had to go meet up with some of the militia," Everett said, sounding as gruff as usual.

  I fought back the urge to roll my eyes as I wiped away my tears. "Of course he did."

  I stood up in an aggravated manner and watched as Jared squealed out of the drive. I was so sick of all the drama.

  We rode in silence for a while, an awkward, uncomfortable silence. Everett was the one to finally slice through the barrier of quiet.

  "Are you okay? Jared didn't go into too much detail."

  I huffed slightly. The last thing I felt like doing was confiding in Everett of all people.

  "I created more drama, yet again. Shocking, I know. I think I'm broken or something. I don't know how this keeps happening."

  So much for not confiding in him.

  Even in the dark car, I could see the confusion that riddled his face. "What keeps happening?"

  I destroy everything I touch.

  "Somehow I led him on, and I shouldn't have. I think I hurt him worse than I did McKee." He slightly nodded, seeming indifferent to my screwed up confession. Then I rolled my eyes again. "You must think I'm terrible."

  He shook his head, stoic in expression. "Not at all. You're just human... for now. It's much, much too easy to link to you. Things get messy when you're still mortal and aware of the immortal world. Especially with you."

  My neck tried to snap when I whipped around to face him, suspicion oozing from my eyes. "Why do you say it like that? Especially with me?"

  He shrugged, still seeming as expressionless. "Your essence is too strong. It's much stronger than it should be, and much stronger than what most of us are accustomed to dealing with. It draws them in like bears to honey. That's one of the reasons I've made a very strong attempt to distance myself. You'll get the hang of things. I promise."

  "Do you think Jared linked to me?" I ask, my voice meek.

  He lets out a scattered, hesitant breath, refusing to even glance my way. He already confirmed my fear just with the amount of time it took him to gather an answer, trying his best to cushion the burden.

  "I know he did," he said at last, not bothering to dress it up the way I thought he would, leaving it as raw and terrible as I knew it was. "He linked faster than usual, meaning you're
stronger than I thought."

  "I still don't understand links," I grumbled, gripping my head.

  "They're complicated. Links start when you're mortal, but the end varies. Sometimes the links are severed when you turn immortal, sometimes a great deal of time and distance can break a link, and sometimes it's not broken until one of you find your soul mate. It depends on the individual and the power they come from."

  My hair tangled in my hands as I gripped it. Considering where I came from, that meant McKee and Jared would both be stuck on me until I turned immortal and proved to the whole freaking world Tallis was my soul mate. My siblings were all in their twenties when they turned. I was sure I would be, too. That was a long time to wait.

  "Aria, you can't dwell on it. We all know how easy it is to fall into. If it happens, we deal with it. It's not like it's you're the first one to go through this. Jared's a big boy. He left because he knew he needed to distance himself before he got... crazier."

  I almost laughed, but it was one of pure exhaustion and misery. He smiled, offering me silent encouragement with his softer than usual eyes. It was the first time he had ever been nice to me. Though it was a strained attempt, I smiled at him as we pulled down the drive to Iris's house.

  "Thanks for the ride," I said through a sigh while climbing out of the car.

  He smiled back, rolling down the passenger side window as I shut the door.

  "No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

  He backed up and pulled back out of the driveway. Gear was waiting outside with a quizzical look.

  "Where's Jared?" he asked, raising his arms in confusion.

  I could hear the irritation return to my tone with just the mention of his name. "He said he had to go meet up with some of the militia. I'm sure it'll be a while before we see him again."

  Gear tilted his head to the side, still perplexed. "That's odd. They aren't supposed to meet for another couple of days. The next mission they're going on is going to be very dangerous. They were supposed to rest their magic and their minds."

 

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