“We should never, ever, ever, ever underestimate that girl,” Allie said softly.
~~~
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Three weeks later
Allie heard Aidan’s light step on her balcony below. She put the finishing touches on the new mural she was painting in her studio at the top of her tower. She didn’t spend as much time there as she originally thought she would when they first moved to Kelleys Island, but it was still one of her favorite places to brood.
“I’m up here,” she called.
“Are you hiding up here doing homework, Lex?” His boots a familiar echo on the stairs. “We’re still on winter break for another week.” Aidan flopped down on a chair and thumbed through the portfolio she’d been working on all afternoon. Things were finally starting to calm down in the weeks since Ming’s death and Quinn’s return. Life was taking on a new normal, as it always did whenever things changed.
“We only have a few months until high school is over. I’ve been accepted to most of my top-pick schools, but I still have to apply to the art programs. Portfolio reviews will be due in a few weeks and I have to be ready.”
“Have you decided where you want to go?”
“I’d like to go to Kent State, but it’s an hour away and I’m not sure I want to deal with the constant driving back and forth for training. It will probably be easiest if Sasha and I go to the same school so we can just train there.”
“Um … I have some news. I’m pretty excited about it. Can we go sit downstairs?”
“Uh-oh, this sounds ominous.” Allie wiped her hands and followed him down the narrow steps to her room below.
“Come here, babe.” He pulled her down on his lap as they sat in her armchair near the tall windows by the balcony.
“Aidan you’re scaring me. I can’t tell what you’re thinking.” Ever since she’d bonded with Darius, Aidan had kept his feelings about it carefully guarded. She didn’t like being shut out. It made her feel ten times worse about all the months she’d locked him out. She vowed never to do it again.
“I’m leaving, Lex.”
“What? When?” Panic rose in her chest. This had always been her deepest fear. Since the moment they met, she’d resisted loving him because she knew she would just lose him.
“It’s just for a few months.”
“Okay.” She nodded, feeling the tightness in her chest relax enough so she could breathe.
“Where are you going?”
“Germany.” He smiled. “Mom and Dad never wanted to let me go to the Music Conservatory there. At least not before I finished high school. But they’ve recently agreed to a compromise. I was accepted into their introductory program for musically gifted teens. I’ll finish high school there while I get an amazing start to my college education. Then I’ll come back here at the end of the summer and continue at Oberlin in the fall so we can be close.”
“That’s eight months,” Allie whispered. So much could happen in eight months.
“It will fly by. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Allie nodded, trying to smile for his sake. She knew he wanted this more than anything and she wasn’t going to stand in his way.
“I’ll come see you this summer,” she managed through a tight smile.
“Yes, I want you to spend the whole summer with me, Lex. This won’t be so bad if we have that to look forward to.”
“I’ll miss you.” She clasped his hands. “But I’m really excited for you too.”
“I knew you would understand.” He hugged her close and Allie sank into him, laying her head on his shoulder. The late afternoon sun streamed through the window as he absently ran his fingers through her hair.
“How long until you leave?” she finally said.
“Tomorrow.” His voice faltered. “I just found out I was accepted for next semester.”
Allie curled her arms around him tightly as if she could hold him here by sheer physical will. There was something he wasn’t telling her. Like he was trying to spare her feelings. She wiped furiously at the tears that slipped down her cheeks. She would not be selfish. This was his dream.
“I’m proud of you, Aidan. I want you to go there and soak it all in. Don’t worry about me.” Her words weren’t quite as believable, considering the way her chin trembled and her voice warbled and she wasn't even sure he could discern her words as English.
“I love you, Allie. That will never change. No matter where I go, no matter what I do. I will always come back to you. Nothing will ever part us for long.”
Allie nodded, trying not to choke on the tears burning her eyes and throat.
“Take this time to be with Darius.”
She gave him a baffled look.
“Not like that, Lex.” He rolled his eyes. “Take this time to focus on the amazing connection you two have. I know how confused you are right now.” He laced his fingers through hers. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you pull a disappearing act whenever we’re all in the same room together.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just awkward. My mortal brain can’t deal.”
“Well, with me gone, it will be easier for you to come to terms with this relationship, to let it develop naturally. I understand it better now. I know how much you mean to each other and I know it’s all very innocent. Dad let me see some of his memories of your mom so I could really feel how difficult it was for them in the beginning.”
“You saw her?” Gregg had never shown Allie any of his memories of her mother and she’d never asked. She wasn’t ready for that yet.
“Yes. She was incredible. You look a lot like her, but you’re very different. You're more like your father. I saw how important it was for my dad and your mom to spend some time exploring what the Syntrophos bond really meant for them. As much as I hate to admit it, you and Darius need that too. A few months is probably not nearly enough time, but it’s a start. And it’s the longest I can fathom being away from you.”
It was a good plan. It meant so much to Allie that he was trying so hard to understand and accept her connection with Darius.
“I just wish you weren’t leaving so soon.” Allie sighed. “We still have tonight, don’t we?”
“Yes, Lex. We still have tonight.” Aidan’s lips brushed hers and she pulled him close. Saying goodbye was going to break her heart.
Did you forget we still have this?
Allie burst out laughing. Yeah, I kinda forgot this still works with an ocean between us.
As long as we have this, I will never be more than a thought away. “We’re just going to have to figure out the time difference,” Aidan said.
“Well, we’ve gotten better at blocking each other, so it shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll just miss this.” Allie sighed, running her palms along his shoulders.
“That is the really crappy part. But let’s not think about that tonight. I’d like to commit to memory every single inch of you.” Aidan dragged her up from the armchair.
Allie smiled as he swept her up in his arms. They could survive this short separation. But as she gazed up at him, tracing the lines of his face with her fingertips, Allie saw what they faced and there was nothing she could do about it. He didn't know it yet, but Aidan was going to cut her out of his life and permanently block her from his mind. This wouldn’t be months. This would be years.
Allie's heart shattered into a million pieces as they said their goodbyes.
~~~
EPILOGUE
Four Months Later
Allie left the crypt in disgust, marching down the hall to the stone stairs leading up to the common room.
“She is the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met! It’s like arguing with a pile of bricks!”
“Allie, your sister is making progress,” Liam called from behind.
Allie whirled around irritably. “You call that progress? Did you hear what she just said to me?”
“Slow progress.” Liam smiled. “You do seem to bring out the wo
rst in her.”
“How can you stand spending so much time down here with that awful woman?”
“Have you asked Quinn about his experiences with Livia?”
Her real name was Alivia, the name their parents gave her, but she did not care for it … at all. They’d all learned really quickly not to use it in her presence.
“No. He’s doing so much better now. He’s hashed everything out with his teachers so many times, I think he’s needed us to just … let him be. I haven’t wanted to push him.”
“You should ask him. He can give you a lot of insight into how she’s become the woman she is. She isn’t all bad. There is a spark of goodness in her.”
“I doubt it.”
“Tiny spark.” Liam gestured with his thumb and forefinger.
“She just makes me so crazy, and she’s so mean. I know you guys think she can be rehabilitated or whatever, but I don’t think it’s working. And I don’t know how long we can just keep her locked up like this. Eventually her father is going to come looking for her.”
“Sisters fight, little one. It’s only natural that you two would butt heads.”
“You’re my brother; you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“About that.…” He rubbed at the blond stubble on his face. He’d been down here for days this time.
“What?” Allie eyed him curiously as he led her far away from Livia’s rather posh cell. Liam had transformed the cell to a full apartment with every convenience Livia could possible need.
“There’s a reason I’m the one working with her, little one,” he said softly.
“What is it?”
“She’s … my Complement.”
“What?” Allie's mouth hung open in surprise. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” He smiled.
“I’m … sorry she’s such a bitch.”
“I think we can help her with that. She’s our family, Allie. We have to show her she doesn’t have to be the person her father made. She has a chance to become the woman she would have been if your family hadn’t been torn apart. It’s our duty to give her that chance.”
“She doesn’t know, does she?”
“She isn’t ready to see me yet. But she will be ready one day and I intend to give her the opportunity to learn who she really is before then.”
“You two … you just don’t match.” Allie shuddered. “I don’t see it.”
“Me neither, to be honest.” He laughed. “But I’ve been working with her enough to know that carefully placed facade she wears is not the real Livia. She just needs time. And a few more cracks in the armor.”
“So we really were meant to be brother and sister, huh?” Allie said. “Brother-in-law.” She elbowed him playfully.
“It seems that way. That’s probably why you are immune to me. Livia is too; she just doesn’t know it yet. Only the blood sister of my Complement would be strong enough to be immune to my poison.”
“So it looks like we really are stuck with her now.” Allie saw the worry in Liam’s eyes. For all his talk of giving her a chance, she knew he wasn’t convinced Livia was worth it.
“I had a vision of her. During my Awakening. I didn’t understand it then, but I saw this delightful version of her.” She gestured back at the prison behind her. “And I saw another version of her too. With you and Kahlynn. At the time I hadn’t met you so I didn’t know who the tall blond guy was with the beautiful daughter.”
“What was that Livia like?”
“Happy. Smiling. Not threatening to ‘rip every strand of my ridiculous hair from my head and hang me with it.’”
“See, there’s hope for even the meanest of mean girls.”
“It was the distant future, Liam.”
“I can handle it.” He pulled her into a headlock and dropped a kiss on top of her head.
“Liam,” Allie growled. He really was obnoxious sometimes.
“Thanks for giving me that promise to hang on to.”
“Love you, big bro.”
“Love you too, little one. Now I believe Gregg is waiting for you in the yard. You still have some training to get through before you’re done for the day.”
“Some things never change.” She heaved a big sigh and headed up to the common room to grab a snack before she had to meet Gregg for her daily torture.
~~~
The yard was a little different now. When Ming Lao died, some of her contributions to the underground began to whither and fade. Her gift of manipulating earth meant she’d done an extensive amount of work to the underground, but after the first few days, something changed. The balance was restored and new life was breathed into everything Ming Lao ever touched. It was her daughter. Ming’s blood flowed through Chloe and as long as she lived, a piece of Ming Lao remained with them. Through Chloe’s connection with her mother, she was able to stop the underground from completely crumbling. But part of the yard flooded. Jin was able to control the extent of the flooding through his gift, and Chloe was able to seal off the breach that caused the flooding. But it resulted in a new lake along the border of the yard. They’d set up a small pavilion there with tables and an outdoor kitchen.
Allie headed there now. It was her new favorite spot and she was sure Gregg would be waiting there for her. But he wasn’t alone.
“Navid?” She halted. It was him. She started to run, happy to finally see him in the real world. She hadn’t heard from him in all the months since he’d left her to help Quinn and she'd started to fear something had happened to him.
“You’re really here?” She ran into his open arms. They still had issues and so much to learn about each other, but for now she was thrilled to see him.
“You knew?” Gregg gasped as the father and daughter reunited.
“You knew?” Allie gasped right back at him.
“I was told you couldn't know.” Gregg folded his arms across his chest, turning to glare at his long-time friend.
“And I was told you couldn't know,” Allie said. “I’ve known him as Navid all my life.”
“It seems your father has been up to your mother’s old tricks.” Gregg shook his head.
“It had to be that way,” Navid said. “We needed you both to act carefully these last months. It wasn’t the right time to tell you. I’m so sorry for the deception.”
“Why are you here?” Allie asked. Surely Navid wouldn’t risk showing up in person unless it was important.
“We must talk about your new gift, Allie.”
No one had mentioned it after that night. She hadn’t wanted to talk about it and everyone in the know followed her lead. The irrational anger vanished the moment she released it, using it and her “gift” to save Aidan.
“Seems more like a curse.” She hung her head, staring at her nails.
“Let’s sit.” Navid gestured at the picnic tables under the shade of the pavilion.
Allie settled down opposite her father, picking at a knot in the wood. Sometimes she thought she’d imagined the whole thing, or that it was a one-time phenomenon she’d managed to do, but would probably never be able to repeat. She had no idea how she’d done what she did and she never wanted to try it again.
“You have a very powerful and very dangerous gift, my daughter.” Navid took her hands in his, urging her to look at him. “It is a gift you’ve inherited from me. Those closest to me once called me the Judge, Jury and Executioner. Not many know I can sense a criminal’s character, weigh that character against his crimes, and determine if he or she should be punished. My brand of punishment sends the guilty Immortal into a comatose state for a length of time fitting the crimes committed.”
Allie’s ability allowed her to do the same thing. Except her brand of punishment was a mortal death. Her victims would live out their lives with the constant fear of death looming over them.
“I don’t want this.” Allie felt hot tears welling in her eyes. “It’s too dangerous. If I lost it like that again … if I hurt someone I love.…”
“It doesn’t work that way, Allie. The innocent do not deserve your judgment. You will never be able to turn your rage on those you love. It isn’t in your power or your nature to judge the innocent. You will only be able to call on this power when you have the truest need for it. When the recipient has been given every possible chance to redeem themselves and yet they still choose the wrong path. It is beyond your ability to accidentally hurt anyone with this gift.”
“Are you sure?” She wanted to believe him, but she was so scared she would lose control and lash out at those around her.
“Positive.” Navid squeezed her hand. “This gift is dangerous for you, Allie. It doesn’t make you dangerous to others. But others will not see it that way. No one must know what you are capable of. No one outside of your most trusted circle can ever know. There is a possible future scenario your mother saw for you. Someone close to you may betray you to the Coalition. We cannot let that happen.”
“We will continue to protect her,” Gregg said. “Liam, Darius, and I are the only ones who know. She may want to confide in Aidan at some point—I think he was too out of it to really understand what happened. But other than that, no one else will be told. At least not until she is Proven.”
“Once she is Proven, she will be better equipped to protect herself,” Navid agreed.
“I don’t want to live in a bubble until then,” Allie said. “I want to go to college and train with my friends.”
“You can still do those things, sweetheart. But you will always need to be guarded,” Navid said. “We cannot assume that no one saw what you did to save Aidan. If one of Livia’s people witnessed the event, you are not safe. Those who do not know you will believe you should be controlled. We cannot allow that. Under any circumstances.”
“Your life can continue on as usual,” Gregg added, “but we must move forward with extreme caution.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if someone just took this gift from me?” She wanted nothing more than to be rid of it.
Immortals of Indriell- The Collection Page 84