Unraveling Emily (Valla Series Book 1)
Page 36
“Morgan asked me to bring your food and medicine up,” he says, unmoving.
“I’ll take it,” Ben offers.
“Wait! Ben, can I have a minute alone with Patrick?”
Ben turns wary eyes to me. “I don’t like him. And I don’t trust him.”
“I know, but he’s the reason I’m here. He brought me back to you. Without him—”
“He’s also the reason your dad is in critical condition and you almost died!” Ben interrupts.
“And if he were anyone else, I would be dead! He risked his life to save me and I’m not asking you to like him, but I need you to understand he’s a part of my life.”
Ben is silent for a moment. “Okay,” he surrenders, leaning forward to kiss me. “I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit.”
“Thank you.”
His fingers leave mine as he walks away. He maneuvers around Patrick, making firm eye contact on his way out. Patrick remains in the doorway, his eyes reflecting on a bitter memory.
“Patrick?” His shoulders jerk, startled by my voice. His eyes finally meet mine. “Come here.”
He moves to the nightstand, hands shaking as he sets down the things Morgan promised. He pulls away, but I catch his arm, pleading, “Talk to me.” I pull him in for a hug, and his body collapses onto mine.
“Emily,” he breathes, the anguish overwhelming him.
“I’m okay. I’m right here.”
“You weren’t supposed to do it alone.” He lifts his head. “What were you thinking?
“You! I was thinking about you! I was protecting you and all the other people I care about.”
“How can you say that after what I did? Emily, why would anyone want to protect me? Especially you?”
“It was wrong what Sky did to you. And I couldn’t let him hurt you again. I couldn’t let him use you as a weapon against me, and that’s exactly what he would’ve done.”
“You could’ve died! It makes no sense you didn’t.”
“I wasn’t alone. When I was in Sky’s mind, I had help. He could’ve overpowered me if it wasn’t for my mom’s belief in me. With her strength and guidance, I was able to awaken the other spirits. They reminded me of the Olvasho powers and somehow awakened the fire energy inside of me. I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out without the help of your mom and dad.”
“My dad?”
I see the flash of disappointment before he hides the emotion, but I realize I just dashed his hopes of finding his father alive. “I’m sorry, Patrick.”
“I’m sorry about Mark. I tried to keep him out of it, but Sky wanted him and I . . .” The anguish is clear in his voice. “You have to understand you were my top priority. You weren’t ready to face Sky and your dad bought us more time. Had I asked Mark, he would’ve volunteered.”
“My dad’s going to be okay because of you. If it weren’t for you, we would both be dead.”
He pushes himself up to sit next to me on the bed. “I am far from a hero, Emily. My uncle and Ben are right to hate me. I’m the one who got you into this.”
“My biological father got me into this. You suffered because of what Sky did to you. Your mom saved my life, and you got caught in the crossfire. Patrick, I don’t blame you for what happened to me, and your mom wanted me to tell you she doesn’t blame you for what happened to her. None of this was your fault. You need to stop torturing yourself for Sky’s actions. He was planning to kill you when your usefulness ran out. He used you, Patrick, and you did what you had to do to survive. The others don’t understand what you’ve been through. I’ve seen what happened to you, and I still can’t comprehend it, but it’s important you never let someone else decide who you are.”
“I owe you my life,” he vows.
“I don’t want your life, just your friendship . . . and some answers. Patrick, when I was fighting with Sky . . . What happened in that building? Those men were dead.”
He hesitates, and I know the answer.
“I killed them,” I whisper with tears gathering in my eyes.
“They killed each other. Your Valla blood awakened while you were fighting. Remember the story I told you about Valla’s sisters experiencing Valla’s emotions? Everyone in that building believed they were fighting for their lives.”
“I killed them,” I breathe, horrified.
“You made us violent, but it was our choice on how we handled that violence.”
“I’m a monster.”
“Remember, Sky was the monster! He was the reason for all the hostility. We were fighting a war, and there are casualties in war.”
I can’t breathe. “It’s my fault, Patrick.”
“Just like you told me, Emily, none of this is your fault. Sky would’ve killed every person in there once they fulfilled their usefulness. By defeating Sky, you saved countless lives and freed all the souls he held captive. Emily, there is not an Olvasho alive who could fault you for the things you did.”
“And what about Tom? What did he do to me? I thought you were more powerful than him. Why could he heal me when you couldn’t?”
“As you know, all Olvasho have the ability to heal, but some have stronger healing capabilities than others. Tom and my mom were raised as healers. Because the Isa bloodline has a soothing aquatic feel, healers are more prominent in our lineage.”
“Wait. You’ve already lost me. What do you mean by aquatic feel?”
“Haven’t you noticed when you’re in my mind. It feels like—”
“Like I’m diving into an ocean.” I finish his thought.
“Yeah, kind of.”
“Sky didn’t feel like that.”
“No, I suppose he wouldn’t. The Leona bloodline feels like the summer breeze,” he explains.
“Sky’s mind was cold and windy.”
“Sky was a sadistic bastard!”
“So, Valla feels like fire?” I ask.
“Yes, although, I’m curious. You have mixed blood. Sky seemed to think you may have inherited the gifts of wind from your Leona heritage along with the flames from Valla.”
“I felt both in my fight with Sky.”
“So, as I was saying, my mom and uncle were raised as healers. They have abilities I never learned. My mother was going to teach me when I was old enough, but she died too soon. When Sky took over my training, he had no interest in healing, so I don’t fully understand what Tom did to make you better. He said you were nearly unreachable like you had cocooned your thoughts into the recesses of your mind. You were unconscious for hours before Tom could break through your psyche. It was taxing on him, but he brought you back to us.”
“So where is he now and how is he?”
“He’s resting. It took its toll on him mentally and physically. He should be back on his feet by morning. You should take your medicine, and I bet your soup is getting cold.”
“What is today?” I ask as he hands me the medicine and a glass of water.
“It’s really early, but technically it’s Monday, August sixth.”
“Happy birthday, Patrick! Sorry, this isn’t how you should be spending your birthday.”
“I’m alive for my twenty-first birthday. That in itself is a miracle.” He stands up to leave. “Now eat, and I’ll send Ben back in.”
His eyes look less barren, his aura a tinge brighter as he walks out of the room. I stroke Maggie’s head and grab the bowl of soup taking a tentative bite. I hear Ben arguing with Patrick downstairs. My heart feels warm knowing Ben still cares enough to fight and Patrick is strong enough to take what’s thrown at him. Maybe my life can have some semblance of normal after all. I relax, knowing my world is going to be okay.
thirty-six
Fine hairs rise on the back of Lathe’s neck, and a niggling in his head implores him to be more cautious today. She’s agitated. She’s been agitated a lot lately. The breeze traveling down the sealed corridor is a telltale sign something has happened to upset her.
Even in her craziest moments, the
re is some sanity begging to seep through the ramblings of a mad woman. She was sane once with the rare and exceptional gift of foreseeing the future. Held in the highest esteem among the Olvasho, she was strong and lovely without a care in the world before her innocence was ripped away from her. She was barely older than Lathe is now when Sky ruined her. Now she lashes out at the others. They would feel more comfortable with her dead, but Lathe won’t allow any more harm to come to her. For as long as he can remember in his twenty-two years of life, it’s always been his responsibility to watch over her.
He pulls the hood from his head and reaches to unlatch the intricate lock system. Tornado-like winds lash at him as he enters. Over the years he’s managed to securely fasten everything to the floor and walls. It minimizes damage when she gets in one of her moods.
“Mother?” Lathe calls into the dark room. “Mother, it’s too dark in here. May I have some light to see you?”
“I see it! I see it!” She jumps from the shadows and grabs his shoulders. Her glassy, unseeing eyes are fixed on him while her untamed hair lashes in the wind.
“What do you see?”
“There is so much darkness in the space we breathe. So much darkness!”
“Allow me to turn on the light, Mother.”
“No! The darkness. We must hide in the darkness. We will stay in the shadows until it passes.”
“Until what passes?”
“The oxygen will burn in her lungs and breathe new life, a new life no man can control. The fire will burn. And she will be stronger than the demon slain. The demon is dead, but the blood will rise again. The demon will come to life! We will suffocate in the darkness until she falls!”
“What are you talking about? Who is she?”
“She has defeated your father. And like a phoenix, she will rise from the ashes and be reborn stronger than before!”
“No one can defeat my father!”
“It is already done. The prisoners have been set free. Sky is dead.”
“But how? No one is capable of conquering his power.”
His mother spins away and the lights in the room flicker to life. The strong winds cease and Lathe notices she’s wearing her snow boots with her nightgown again. She crouches in a ball on the floor appearing feeble despite her potential. Her body vibrates with fear. In a shaky voice, she says, “Come sit with me, my son. We will hide here in the light so the darkness cannot reach us.”
“Mother, who did this? What did you see?”
Terrified eyes look up at him. “Your father’s blood runs through her veins. She is your sister, but her demon blood reigns. She will fight it, but she cannot win. Valla will rise again!
Acknowledgements
Thank you to all of you who helped me complete this book. I am so grateful for your support throughout the whole process.
To my mom, thank you for always encouraging me to write and being my very biased number one fan. You are amazing.
A special thanks to Mary Catherine Kline. Without your incredible patience and your brilliant ideas, this book would never have reached its potential. Even through the difficult parts, you always remain so positive and encouraging. I cherish all the hours we spend working together.
A huge thank you to all the ladies who have been with me from the beginning, cheering me on. To Melissa Dirienzo, Heather Coates, Brenda Perkins, Sarah Ware, and Sara Wilson, I appreciate you more than you know! Thank you for enduring my endless questions and giving me your honest feedback. You ladies are awesome! To Melissa, sorry for all the exclamation points!
To my husband, thank you for supporting my passion for writing, putting up with my ridiculous writing habits, and patiently listening to me read you hundreds of pages out of order. Thank you for showing me love so powerful, it bleeds into every story I write.
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Continue Emily’s story in Descendant of Valla, the second book in the Valla Series.
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