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"Don't do that again Beckham," she seethes.
I just shrug nonchalantly at her. Definitely not making any promises there.
"We have to keep trying to interfere with the dreams He's planting in her mind. If it goes on for too long, she'll lose the ability to know what's real and not real. She could be lost to us forever."
I sit up at that comment. "Why haven't you said anything?" I snap at her.
"Because this ismyjob to protect her. She's my responsibility. I'm the one who broke my promise to her. I have to save her," she says in a tear ridden voice, jabbing herself harshly in the chest before bursting into tears.
We all look at her incredulously. Mason walks over and awkwardly pats her on her shoulder. Damon and I just settle back into our seats. Mason crouches down next to where she's sobbing on her knees.
"You don't have to do it alone anymore," he says in a weary voice. "We would all give our lives for her. Just let us help."
The hard knot of jealousy in my chest loosens just a little bit. If nothing else, the other two men sitting in this circle would do anything for Eva, and I can't help but feel grateful that they are here with me on this journey. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm not sure that I could rescue her alone. With them by my side though, along with Lexi I grudgingly admit, I'm confident that it will happen.
Lexi's cries lesson and she finally nods her head and promises to include us from now on. We finally all turn in for the night, resolute to resume our mission at first light once again.
Chapter 10
Eva
"You have to concentrate," Aiden tells me the next week, as if I've been day dreaming the whole time we have been working on my powers over the last few weeks. We've been in the glen since after breakfast once again. Aiden has regaled me with stories about how my line of queens has the strongest affinity for the earth. I'm starting to feel like that isn't true.
I turn away from him and wipe sweat from my brow. All of a sudden, I'm hit from behind with what feels like fire. I give a small shriek and turn around, trying to bat away the imaginary flames that seem to be coursing over my body. The burning sensation all of a sudden stops, and I see Aiden standing there with a smirk on his face, small black flames dancing around his hands.
"What's wrong, My Princess? Feeling a little hot?" he asks in a condescending tone. For some reason his use of the term "princess" enrages me, and I can feel a swell of power rising inside of me. Without thinking I hold out my hand and thick vines shoot out of the ground and start to wrap around Aiden's body, so fast that he's completely ensnared before he can take a step. They start to squeeze him tighter and tighter until there's actually a hint of panic in his eyes. I want to see him suffer. I want to…
"Eva," he calls out urgently, and I snap back to the present where I'm horrified to see that Aiden is turning a slight shade of blue as the vines clinch him tighter and tighter. Relying on instinct I wave my hand again and the vines immediately disintegrate. Aiden falls to his knees gasping for breath and I rush over to him to make sure he's okay. What in the world got into me?
My alarm lessons however when I see that in between gasps he's laughing. He looks up at me.
"I knew you could do it!" he says, so proudly you would think that I had just solved world hunger instead of almost strangling him to death. He slowly stands up and shakes himself off. "Again," he says, and black flames appear again in his hands.
For some reason, my powers come easier after that, but only ones that are destructive. We play around with different things and I amuse myself a few times with calling on storm clouds to douse Aiden with water to extinguish his ever-present flames. Through it all he gets more and more excited. I feel empowered, something that I haven't ever felt in my life.
We finally stop because of a meeting that Aiden needs to attend. He takes my hand as we walk and surprising myself, I let him. Becoming comfortable with him hasn't been that difficult. I've always felt alone in the world and have often kept myself separated from others. It's nice to feel like I belong somewhere, to understand that there's a reason why I felt like an outcast among others. Aiden stops to point out a small, furry creature that has crept out of the tree line. Its large eyes and brilliant purple colored fur remind me of the Furby toy that kids were obsessed with for a time. It hops over to us. I tentatively hold out my hand after Aiden assures me that thekrimgaas he calls it, is perfectly harmless. It sniffs my hand suspiciously and then hops right onto it. I laugh delightedly as it makes a high-pitched whistling sound and then nestles into my neck.I stroke its soft, downy- like fur while Aiden tells me about thekrimgashe owned as a child.
I set it down and watch as it hops back into the woods, looking back at us once before disappearing from view. I turn and see that Aiden is looking down at me with an unreadable, intense look in his eye. He takes a step closer to me and leans in. I can feel the soft heat of his breath on my face. His eyes close and I know that he's about to kiss me. I close my eyes as well, surprised at how comfortable I feel at the moment with the thought of him kissing me.
"Eva, wake up,"shouts a familiar voice inside my head. My eyes fly open and my surroundings seem to flicker. For a moment I see a dark, moss covered stone room with what looks like shackles attached to the walls. I can smell the stench of stale air and human suffering. Before I can fully grasp my surroundings I'm back with Aiden's lips hovering right over mine. I take a step back, shaken. Aiden looks disappointed but recovers quickly. He reaches out to touch my face.
"My apologies, I was being presumptuous," he says humbly.
"Just a bit too fast for me," I tell him, attempting to cover for the fact that I am clearly going crazy. The clearing that Aiden brought me to couldn't be farther from a prison. That gorgeous lavender colored sky is perfectly clear, there's not a hint of a cloud. There's a soft breeze blowing through my hair, keeping me cool despite the warm day. Everywhere I look it's green and beautiful. As I study my surroundings a flicker of unease passes through me, it's so perfect...almost too perfect. I shake it off when I look up and see Aiden's proud, smiling face. I take his outstretched hand once again as we walk back to the castle.
We part ways once we get inside, him to hurry off to his meeting, and me to get cleaned up after my training. The hot water feels good on my muscles. I can't remember ever working so hard. Using magic takes not just a physical toll on you, but an emotional toll as well. Aiden explained that the most powerful magic comes from deep inside of you, from where your intentions actually lie. Maybe that's what's wrong with me. I can't stir up that warm feeling that created all of the roses because I'm using the wrong emotions. I'm just not sure what emotions exactly that I'm looking for.
The solitude of my shower brings my mind back to the image I saw earlier, and the voice I heard. When I think about the voice my head starts to radiate with pain, like I'm developing a migraine. I dry off and head to bed without eating and without taking the sleeping tonic once again.
I've been locked in my room with a spelled padlock. I'm sure I could escape if I needed to but I'm enjoying the fact that I'm by myself and able to practice my powers without prying eyes. I'm working on controlling the movement and direction of vines that I have summoned when I hear the scratching on my open window that signals someone is trying to climb in. I give a small cry and the vines I've been working with shoot out from me, immediately encircling the intruder until it appears that there's a person sized cocoon laying on my floor, faint muffling sounds emanating from inside of it.
I carefully inch over to the vine covered creature and pull down one of the vines so I can see the face of whoever I've captured. I give a small gasp when piercing blue eyes the color of a starry night sky appear. They twinkle at me with amusement despite their predicament, and I quickly start tearing at the vines to free the incubus who has somehow made his way into my room, completely forgetting the magic that I could use to free him much faster.
"Hello, Your Majesty," he says in a mocking tone after most of him is freed. He nonchalantly starts to pull the remaining vines from around his legs as if this is an everyday occurrence and I haven't just almost smothered him to death.
The sound of his voice stirs my soul, just as it did last night. He's stunning in the light streaming in from my window, even with the lashes marking his body from the vines. He's wearing a shirt this morning, but my stomach still feels like it's doing somersaults from how gorgeous he is. My people are known for their beauty but he and Beckham surpass anything I have ever seen. My heart gives an involuntary lurch thinking of Beckham. I wonder if he's moved on from me. The selfish, dark part inside of me hopes that he will never stop loving me as I will never stop loving him. I turn from the incubus, my soul suddenly aching at the reminder that I'm doomed to always be separated from those I love the most.
"My Queen," he says again, right behind me. I can feel the overwhelming heat from his body and I shiver involuntarily.
