Stone of Fire: Vitarian Chronicles Volume 3 (Paperback)

Chapter 1

Bree’s cheek flared with a crimson handprint. I flexed my fingers, shaking off the numb tingle, and kicked over a box of towels. I Snatched the box cutter from the desk in a corner, then swiped the sharp tip across the line of tape securing another box. Neatly rolled and stacked inside were resistance bands of different shades, lengths, and widths. Doing the same to another box, I found rubber massage balls and blankets.
“Hmm.” I glanced sideways at Bree. “I suspected your yoga studio was just a ruse to spy on me. But then, why order all this if you weren’t planning to actually hold classes?”
Bree stared ahead silently.
I sighed and leaned against the edge of the desk. The gray-washed walls of the room were becoming suffocating. “I’m tired of playing games, Bree. It’s time to talk, or else—”
“I told you,” Bree whimpered. “I don’t know where Orien is, but—”
I held up a hand, cutting her off. “But you want to help me find him,” I finished for her. “Yes, so you’ve said. But why should I believe you? You’re the reason Orien has my ancestral ring, and—” I ground my teeth together, and the next words came out in a low rumble. “You’re the reason Lucas is dead.”
“No, no, no—” Bree shook her head and twisted beneath the rope that secured her to the metal folding chair.
Flames coiled from my fingertips.
“Please, Everly. I’m sorry about your boyfriend. I swear, I had nothing to do with what Orien did to him.”
“Sorry?” My nostrils flared.
Bree trembled. Her eyes grew wide as hissing flames drifted near her, and the scent of burnt hair filled the room.
“Do you know what it feels like to watch someone you love get murdered? Let me show you.”
I tightly gripped both of her arms, my fingers digging into her skin as I felt the throbbing ache of watching Lucas’s body fall lifeless to the ground, and channeled it into Bree. The immense sorrow of knowing I’d shattered his heart before my uncle had robbed him of his essence poured out of me and into Bree.
Tears flooded down Bree’s quivering cheeks. I felt a wave of satisfaction as her head snapped back and a loud wail escaped her.
“That’s what it feels like to watch someone you love become an empty shell of themselves, after someone strips away the essence of their being and buries a knife in their liver. And knowing, as you watch the life drain from their eyes, that it was all your fault.”
Bree’s head fell forward and bobbed with her groans. I released her arms and smoothed her platinum hair, then gripped her chin and tilted her head back up. Her green eyes shifted to meet mine, and I recognized all too well the pain she felt. I’d lived it these last few weeks. Unable to stand the stifling feeling for a second more, I backed away from Bree and waved my hand. The coiled flame responded to my command and wrapped itself around Bree, staying far enough away to keep from burning her further, but close enough for her to feel the searing heat of her prison.
“Remember.” My hand lingered on the doorknob. “Scream all you want. I’ve spelled this room, and no one will ever hear you.” I twisted the knob and turned my back on Bree’s strangled cries.
After closing the door, I slumped against it and sank to the floor, hands covering my face. I tried putting the cap back on the storm of emotions running rapidly inside me, but reliving the pain of watching Lucas’s life violently taken from him was too much. My body shook as salty tears streamed down my lips. Who was I becoming? Kidnapping and torture? I’m no different from Orien. The person Lucas had loved would never have done such things. But what other choice did I have? If I planned to find Orien and do what had to be done for the safety of my family, friends, and the entire Vitarian race, I had to embrace the part of myself that is like him. Anya’s premonition had been clear, and she hadn’t been wrong about losing someone I cared about that night. I clenched my fists tightly against my closed eyes, trying to suppress the tears and the image of Lucas’s body as his eyes stared lifeless and blood poured from his wound where Orien had stabbed him. I had to get out of here.
* * *
I pulled open the door to Neil’s place. The host Neil had recently hired glanced up and nodded. Unlike some of the others, this new guy didn’t feel the need to initiate idle chitchat, which I appreciated as I strode past him and slipped through the red velvet curtains. The sense of feeling lost immediately wrapped itself around me as I made my way through the sea of bodies.
Female vocals swept across the crowd, carried by heavy guitar licks and drumbeats that rattled the walls. Flashing lights made it impossible to focus on any one thing. I turned my attention toward the bar and pushed my way to the front of the crowd.
The bartender spotted me and poured me a double of evernescence. I drained it in an instant and set it down for a refill.
I ran my finger across the vapor that floated atop the glowing lavender liquid. Images of Bree wrapped in flames filled my mind. My fingers tightened around the glass. Why should I feel guilty? She may not have held the knife that had taken Lucas’s life, but she was just as responsible for Lucas’s death as Orien was. If she hadn’t taken my ancestral ring, Lucas might have made it out of that tunnel alive.
My teeth ground together as I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories. The haunting memory of Lucas’s agonized grunt and the sound of his body hitting the ground would forever stay with me. I should never have taken the ring from its hiding place at Felix’s cabin. Then Bree wouldn’t have followed me and found it. Was I really just blaming her for my own guilt?
No! I tossed the contents of the glass to the back of my throat, barely tasting the floral notes that tingled across my tongue. Bree made her choice to help Orien, and now she has to pay the price.
The bartender glanced nervously at me as I slammed the glass down. He carried the bottle of evernescence toward my glass, but I shook my head, already feeling the potent effects of the magic infused in the drink.
The music pulsed through me as I made my way among the dancers. I swayed back and forth, welcoming the crush of bodies against mine as I lost myself to the feeling of weightlessness.
When slender fingers wove through mine and warm breath brushed my cheek, I smiled to myself.
“I’ve missed you, love.”
I bent my head back in reply, and soft lips trailed over my ear and down my neck.
Memories of another person threatened to flood my mind, but I pushed them away and spun. My fingers wove through her dark waves before I pulled her face toward mine, ready to forget everything outside this moment.
“Kamara.” Our mouths collided, and the intoxicating scent of her enveloped me. The sweet taste of her tongue filled my mouth as she met my reckless desire with her own.
She pulled back, and her dark skin shimmered with a golden dust. “There’s a full-moon party in the woods. You game?” She gripped my waist, her nails digging through my clothing.
I drew her mouth back to mine, then breathed, “Let’s go.”
We finished our dance before making our way out of the building. I followed behind Kamara’s car. Her glowing red taillights blurred as she sped around the dark, twisting road. I let my foot off the gas when her blinker flashed ahead, and she slowed, turning onto an unmarked dirt road that led into the forest.
Night swallowed us as we parked among the towering trees that cast shadows everywhere. Cool air rippled across my skin, and I lifted my hair into the breeze, letting it fan the back of my neck.
“We can walk the rest of the way,” Kamara said, and she wrapped her fingers around mine.
A dusting of pine needles covered the forest floor and filled the air with a fresh scent. Their bright green color glowed under the luminous full moon that lit our way as we trekked deeper into the forest. Mud squished under my black boots, and fallen twigs snapped as we climbed through damp, dense foliage.
We hiked for about a mile when music and laughter echoed in the distance. Between the trees ahead, sparks of red and orange danced and flickered, illuminating the surroundings.
Kamara sped up. “Come on.” She pulled me alongside.
We broke through a line of trees and emerged into a circular clearing. The sparks we’d seen from a distance belonged to a raging bonfire. About thirty people surrounded the fire. Some were dancing in pairs or small groups. Others sat on logs, making out.
Eyes glanced sideways at me, some curious, others indifferent. My shoulders went rigid as I trailed a hostile vibration to the one it belonged to.
I spotted a small group pricking their fingertips and feeding drops of blood to each other. A pair of dark brown eyes glowered at me. Their owner’s tongue darted out and licked the rest of the blood off the finger she was fondling. The guy attached to it noticed me watching them and winked over the girl’s flaxen head. The girl lifted her face and drew her brows down into a furrow. “What’s she doing here?” Her question sounded more like an accusation.
Kamara grasped my hand. “I invited her. If you have a problem, you and your blood fiends can leave.”
I kept a steady gaze on the girl while taming the heat burning at my fingertips.
She lifted her chin, ignoring Kamara and speaking to me. “Don’t think you’re better than us. The council may have declared you queen, but Siobhan was our real queen. You’re just some girl who was born on Earth. You might have the blood of the royal Ever line, but you’ll never be a true Vitarian.”
Her words dug deep. The Vitarians would never accept me as their queen, and this girl was proof.
Kamara marched forward, but I kept a tight hold on her hand and held her back.
“Let me handle this.” I took my steps slowly as I neared the girl and her group.
She tried to mask her apprehension by sneering as I approached, but the black mist of her fear seeped into her aura as I released a tiny flame from my fingertip.
“There’s something familiar about you.” My gaze narrowed as I examined her pale hair and dark eyes.
She scooted back as I inched closer.
“Her name is Greer. She’s kin to Siobhan,” Kamara said from behind.
“Ahh.” I smiled at the girl. “That’s it! I see the resemblance.” I bent down, so I was at eye level with her, and a flash of the same fear I’d seen in Siobhan that night on the beach shadowed Greer’s expression. The fire festering inside me eased, but I still had to teach this girl a lesson.
“The same envy festers inside you. You better be careful, Greer”—the fire swirled higher from my fingertip—“or you might end up following in Siobhan’s footsteps, and we both know how things ended for her.”
Her eyes pinched into slits as mine raked over her, but she said nothing as she stared at the fire that responded to my silent command. “You know what it means to be the heir of Oria, Greer?”
The music died down as others drew near.
Her friends inched away, showing their lack of loyalty, while Greer sat frozen, still trying to hide her fear.
“I can take power without belittling myself in”—I flicked my eyes at her bleeding finger—“your pathetic bloodletting ceremony.”
When her eyes grew wide at my insinuation, I blew out the flame coiling from my fingertip and laughed as I stood. “Don’t worry, Greer. I’m not interested in you and your friends.”
“Blood junkies,” Kamara hissed. “They’re addicted to getting high off the exchange.” Kamara’s lips lifted into a devious smile. “It is forbidden. And … you are queen.” A sparkle glinted in her sharp ebony eyes.
With a shrug, I absentmindedly traced my finger along the delicate texture of her arm. “I don’t think I’d be welcome at many more gatherings if I started enforcing ancient laws.”
“True.” Kamara giggled, tossing her long, dark curls over her shoulder. “But it was awesome watching you put Greer in her place. Her entire clan thinks themselves superior to the rest of us.”
Someone turned the music back up, and a dark, haunting violin note swept over us, followed by a dramatic series of guitar chords laced with feminine vocals. The crowd erupted with shouts to turn it up louder as they dispersed back to their groups. Even as the party regained some of its earlier enthusiasm, an anxious energy lingered that was hard to ignore.
“Maybe I should go. I seem to make everyone nervous.”
Kamara shook her head. “Nonsense! They just don’t know you. You’re a mystery to them. The queen who was born on Earth. Oria’s chosen heir. Our people are learning of you, and they don’t know if they should fear you or love you or both.”
“Neither! I just want to be like everyone else.” I swung my hand out in an arch.
A patient smile tugged at the corners of Kamara’s lips, revealing her dimpled chin. “You’ll never be just like everyone else, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.” Kamara grabbed my arm, and flashes of burnt orange and shadowed trees twisted across my vision as she twirled me into the group that was dancing around the fire. She laughed and howled up at the moon. Her skin glistened with a sheen of sweat, and she lifted the sides of her long skirt up past her knees and shook her wild curls in the wind.
As the tension melted from my shoulders, I loosened the elastic band that had held my hair back during our hike up here. Brisk air fluttered through my long waves, and I threw my head back and let the sound tear from my lungs as I joined Kamara.
Others began howling at the moon, until the entire crowd had joined in, and the forest filled with wild energy. Bodies swarmed around us as we merged with the other dancers. In that brief moment, I savored the rare feeling of belonging.
Someone passed Kamara a leather pouch, and she dipped her hand inside. Her fingers came out covered in a shimmering gold dust. She looked at me with questioning eyes as she cautiously reached out her hand. I nodded, and she ran her dust-covered fingers down my arms, covering them in long streaks. Under the moonlight, my skin shimmered gold, and I became lightheaded as the ever resin entered my bloodstream. Kamara handed me the pouch, and I performed the same procedure on her.
Cheerful shouts erupted as someone threw a handful of the gold dust into the fire. Flames shot high into the sky, streaking across my vision. I glanced around the full clearing and saw that everyone had become covered in the glowing gold resin made from ever trees on Aenoas-Vita. Its psychedelic effects kicked in, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Halos of color bloomed before my eyes. I stumbled as my mental shield slipped and auras burst into existence all around me.
My stomach churned, and my vision blurred with an unsettling feeling. Someone pressed a bottle into my hands, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I chugged the herbal liquid.
Vibrations drew near me, but I pushed them away as I forced my shield back into place, and the cloud of colors faded.
“You okay, love?” Kamara’s voice echoed in my ears.
“Yeah.” A flash of silver caught my eye, and my gaze flicked to the side. A blade was being passed around, and each person who handled it cut themselves and offered drops of their blood to the flames.
When the blade made it to Kamara, she sliced her hand. “It’s a releasing ceremony,” she explained, and she flung her blood into the writhing fire. The flames accepted her offering with a hiss. She held the handle out to me.
My fingertips brushed the smooth silver handle. “How does it work?”
She stroked my arm and spoke softly. “I forget you know so little of our traditions.” Kamara tilted her head back and glanced up at the sky. “It’s the last full-moon cycle before the winter solstice. When the moon reaches its peak, we start the spell, and the power of the moon may draw from you that which haunts you emotionally.”
I met her dark stare. “For good?” My fingers trembled.
“It doesn’t have to be.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Zacharia! The stones.” She reached out her arm and motioned with her hand.
I’d met Zacharia several times at the club. He was a part of Kamara’s crew and her cousin. He had the same deep brown skin and almond-shaped eyes as Kamara.
“Hey, Everly.” His perfectly full lips lifted into a smile as he held out a leather pouch to Kamara that looked weightier than the one that carried the gold ever dust.
Kamara’s hand came out of the pouch holding a familiar milky-white stone that was filled with specks of color. Air caught in my lungs, and I took a step back. My heart rate quickened as memories flooded my mind: images of me cutting the ever stone from the dead Shimera, of watching the light dim in the stone as Lucas’s life faded away, of using my magic to siphon Darion’s life force into the stone to save him from Orien.
My eyes tightened, and my jaw twitched. “What are you doing with those?”
Kamara’s brow furrowed as she studied my reaction. I hadn’t shared with her much about my past, so she didn’t know what had happened to Lucas or the role the ever stone had played.
I latched onto her aura, observing her vibrations carefully as she spoke. I no longer restricted the use of my magic or naively trusted others, like I had in the past.
“You know what this stone is?” Kamara asked.
I nodded. “And why do you have them?” My left hand instinctively tightened its grasp on the blade handle, while my right thumb twisted the onyx ring on my right forefinger.
The light blue, brown, vibrant yellow, and rich magenta of her aura made no major shifts, and her vibrations remained fluid as she answered my question truthfully. “My clan has used these stones for generations for different spells and rituals. We collect them from a cave on our land. People use them for safeguarding the emotions attached to the energy they choose to release during the ceremony, in case they change their mind. Or if you decide to destroy the stone, you will lose your emotions forever.”
My shoulders relaxed. “These stones can be dangerous and used for harmful magic.”
Kamara’s expression softened as she stepped closer to me. “I’ll heed your warning.” Her breath tickled my ear as she whispered. “You never speak of your feelings, but I know they torture you. You can distance yourself from them and keep them safe in here.” She ran her fingers over the stone she held, then brushed her soft lips against mine as she tucked the stone into my hand. “It’s your choice. Participation in the ceremony is completely optional.” She handed the pouch back to Zacharia, who circled the party with it, handing out stones to those who wanted them.
I gripped the stone and stared into the roaring fire, but all I saw were the blue-green eyes that stalked my heart and haunted my dreams. Each night, I dreamed of our last moment together, when I had left him staring after me with a broken heart. A battle still raged inside me to set things right and tell Arden my true feelings for him. But I had done what was necessary. Death hunted my loved ones. My father … Lucas … I glanced at Kamara as a carefree laugh rippled from her beautiful mouth while she conversed comfortably with other Vitarians. A tightness formed in my temples as worry settled into my bones. I hadn’t meant to spend as much time with her as I had. If Orien thought she meant anything to me, her life could be in danger. I twisted the point of the blade into my palm.
What happened to Lucas was my fault. If it hadn’t been for my feelings for Arden, things could have turned out differently. Lucas wouldn’t have left my apartment upset that night after we broke up, and the shifter wouldn’t have taken him.
While Orien may have been the one to end Lucas’s life, I couldn’t help but feel responsible, knowing that my betrayal had armed him. Trying to shut off my feelings for Arden was like trying to stop the rain from falling - it was impossible. His presence had infiltrated every fiber of my being, and my unwavering love for him persisted, even as I sought solace in the arms of Kamara, just like I had with Lucas after I’d received Arden’s letter. I had to do something. My feelings were impeding focusing on the only thing that should matter: finding Orien and killing him once and for all, before he could hurt anyone else and accomplish the destruction he planned for all of Aenoas-Vita.
I turned the knife and sliced through the existing wounds on both of my palms. When my blood sizzled against the flames, my resolution hardened. Distancing myself from my emotions was for the best for everyone.
Kamara’s voice echoed across the fire. “It’s time,” she called out over the crowd. The others quickly joined her chants until everyone had circled the mounting fire. My voice vibrated deep inside my chest as I recited the words Kamara chanted.
Sparks of blue and white light shot out of the flames. The moon’s light brightened and shifted overhead as if it only shone down on us.
My breath quickened and my heart raced as images flashed before me: The first time I met Arden, when he came into my mom’s café, and I instantly felt drawn to him. The flutters that had consumed me when our eyes had met moved through me now and drifted away in a glowing wisp of light. My first training session with Arden in the forest, and the way I’d ached to touch him when he’d smiled mischievously after I’d propelled him into a tree. Our first kiss, when every touch had sent waves of desire coursing through me. All I wanted was him. With each passing moment, my heart pounded louder, echoing the intensity of the feelings that consumed me. Shivers raced down my spine as I thought of how it felt to be wrapped in his embrace, wanting nothing more than to say the words he longed to hear, even as I’d told him the lie that weighed heavily on my heart. The crushing ache I’d felt every day of his absence since he’d returned to Aenoas-Vita, believing those untruthful words that had torn us apart for good. It was all fading with the bolts of light traveling away from me and entering the ever stone I held.
My chest rattled as someone began beating a drum. They circled the crowd, pounding their fist harder and harder against the instrument while the chanting grew louder. The sound reverberated among us, and an explosion burst from the fire.
Cheers erupted all around. I wiped my wet cheeks and glanced at the stone cradled in my palm. It glowed bright and burned hot with my trapped emotions. I drew in a sharp breath and realized I felt … good. The heavy weight that had burdened me for weeks was nothing more than a dull ache—not entirely gone, but easily ignored.
My head tilted back, and I closed my eyes under the luminous glow of the moon. As the crowd burst into uproarious laughter and deafening howls, the surrounding air seemed to vibrate with an electrifying energy.
Kamara came to me and cupped her soft hands over mine. “If you want to reclaim what you put inside”—she squeezed my hands over the stone—“return the stone to the flames at the new moon before the spring equinox, or the energy inside will be lost for good. If you destroy the stone before then, you will not be able to retrieve what you released.”
I shrugged and pulled my hand away. “I don’t want it back.” With my arm raised high, I prepared to pitch the ever stone into the roaring fire, still crackling with remnants of powerful magic.
“No!” Kamara caught my fist. “Give it time until you’re sure. If you destroy the stone now, there’s no going back.” She lowered my arm and extracted the glowing rock from my fist and slid it into my pocket. “What’s the harm in holding onto it? If you do nothing before the equinox, then your emotions are gone for good, anyway.”
Someone turned the music back on.
I caught Kamara’s hand as she extracted it from my pocket. “Dance with me,” I said, and pulled her slender body against mine. Her laugh was infectious, and within moments, we were both giggling and twirling each other around until the forest spun in circles.
Intoxicated by magic, we danced until sweat soaked our hair and ran down our skin. Our bodies collided in a dizzy tumble, our lips crashing together, and we fell to the ground in a tangled embrace, the world fading into a blur.
* * *
The sun cracked through the early-morning sky in a rippling blaze of garnet. I leaned against my car, hesitant to go inside my quiet apartment, as my body still vibrated with the energy of the party. My gaze drifted to the moving shadows cast by the tall trees bordering the outer fields. The pointed treetops and branches swayed and thrashed in the night breeze as if they suffered from my same restless state.
My fingers dipped into my pocket and brushed the stone that vibrated with a precious piece of life. I trembled as the charged energy inside the stone beckoned me, as though it yearned to return to its source. I tore my hand from my pocket and turned for my apartment.
Tiny pebbles crunched softly under my feet as I slowly neared my deck. I’d sensed the energy of the shadowed figure sitting alone and knew he quietly watched me approach.
“What are you doing here, Darion?”
Silver eyes stalked my movements as I took each step with apprehension. He whispered, but his words held a harsh undertone. “What have you done, sister?”
I stood against the railing and shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Darion jumped up. “Don’t give me that crap. The curse woke me in the middle of the night.” He grabbed both of my arms and studied me. “This is more than just turning your emotions off.” He snatched his hands away and wiped them down his black jeans, smearing gold handprints on the front of his legs. His face turned up to the sky. “You were at a releasing ceremony?”
“So what? I had to do something about my feelings for Arden. I can’t love him! It’s a betrayal of Lucas’s memory. And you know what, brother? It feels damn good to be rid of those imprisoning feelings. All they did was hold me back, and now I’m free to focus all my energy on finding Orien.” I paced away from Darion and slumped down into the chair he’d vacated.
Darion ran his hands through his black hair. “What happened to Lucas was a tragedy, but you have to stop blaming yourself, Ev. You didn’t kill him; Orien did. And punishing yourself won’t change anything. Lucas wouldn’t want you destroying the most vital part of yourself because you think you owe it to him. You knew him. He would want you to have love in your life.”
“It’s too late for that.” I pressed back against the chair, wishing Darion would just leave me alone. “All that matters now is that I find Orien. As long as he’s free, everyone we care about is in danger.”
Darion shook his head. “You don’t think I know that? But you’re going down a dark path, Ev. You know as well as I that playing God with others’ emotions or your own can do no good. Please tell me you kept them safe.”
I cast my gaze down, ashamed to admit that I hadn’t dared to destroy my feelings for good after Kamara’s warning.
Darion sighed heavily. “Well, at least we can restore them. Give me the stone.”
I stared at his outstretched hand incredulously. “No! I don’t want them back, Darion. I like the freedom of not being bound by constant love and longing for someone I can’t be with. You have no idea. You have Molly, and there’s nothing keeping you apart.”
“Give me the damn stone, Everly.” Darion arched over me.
I shot up out of the chair and forced Darion back. “This has nothing to do with you. What I do with my own emotions is none of your business.” My skin burned hot, and I tightened my abdominal muscles to keep the fire at bay. Since that night in the cave with Orien, controlling it became harder.
Darion’s eyes glowed as he struggled with his own rising temper. “It has everything to do with me. Orien wants my power as much as he wants yours. And you’ve been making reckless decisions for weeks. You’re not in this alone, Ev, and I have more than myself to think about now.”
Darion turned. A splinter of wood cracked as he gripped the railing, and for a moment, I thought he might tear the top board off.
I took a cautious step toward him. “What are you talking about? What aren’t you telling me?”
The croaking of frogs hiding among the plants below the balcony filled the silence while I anxiously awaited Darion’s response. The earlier strip of garnet that ran across the sky was now adorned with billowing tendrils of orange and yellow.
Darion turned to look at me. His expression softened with his words. “Molly’s pregnant.”
“What?” It was my turn to crack splinters in the railing as I thought of the ramification of Darion’s news.
Darion placed his hand on top of mine. “With twins.”
I stared up at my brother. A mix of emotions circulated through me. I ignored the pinch of jealousy that needled its way into my thoughts. “I’m going to be an aunt. How could you let this happen?”
Creases rippled across Darion’s forehead. “Thanks for the support. I’m happy, despite it not being planned and the timing couldn’t be worse. I love Molly. We’re getting married.”
A lump surged up the back of my throat. I had to turn away from Darion before he saw the anguish I guarded. “Wow,” I croaked. “I’m happy for you both. I really am.” A deep ache settled within me. “Does Mom know?” I glanced over at the main house.
“She does, and she’s ecstatic, but we’re all scared of the implications. Orien needs the blood of Ever twins, and we’re not the only ones anymore.” His hands rubbed the back of my shoulders. “I need you to come back to us before you do something you can’t take back.”
I stiffened and shrugged Darion’s hands away as I turned to face him. “You think I’m a danger to your babies?”
Darion’s eyes widened. “That’s not—”
“Really? You know what? I’m tired, and it’s time for you to leave.”
He took a step toward me. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. Please. Just think about what I said, and don’t make any hasty decisions.”
“Go, Darion.”
I walked into my apartment and closed the door. As Darion’s footsteps gradually disappeared, I sank down onto the floor. How could he think I’d ever do anything to put his and Molly’s babies at risk? Clasping the pulsing stone in my pocket, I felt a rush of emotions. Darion was right, and he had reason to worry. We both knew what Orien was capable of, but was it reckless to want to unburden myself from being tethered to feelings that I couldn’t and wouldn’t allow myself to express?
I sighed and pulled the ever stone from my pocket and watched the tiny bolts of electricity ripple across its surface with the energy I’d put inside it.
What does it matter if I don’t have these feelings anymore? Arden’s gone, and he believes I don’t love him, and for all I know, he’s already moved on.
A light shone within the stone as I thought of Arden. The surface warmed and vibrated against my palm when his image filled my mind.
The way his eyes sparkled with the blue of the deepest ocean waters when he was happy and content brought a smile to my lips. But they hadn’t been that color when I’d left him staring after me that night in the woods.
My chest ached as I remembered the pain that had filled the fiery pools of emerald when I’d ripped out his heart with my words.
“Ouch!” Heat seared my palm, and I turned my hand over, letting the ever stone fall to the floor. As the stone dimmed, so did the ache in my chest, and I realized that contact with the stone kept me connected to my emotions.
I pushed myself to standing and pulled my sleeve over my hand before retrieving the stone. The barrier helped some, but as long as the stone remained near me, I felt the connection to the emotions I yearned to escape.
Indecision tore at me as I cradled the stone in my sleeve and glanced around the dark room. A lonely silence engulfed the apartment, making me feel detached in the rooms that were once home. Now they were just spaces formed by walls, decorated with items that no longer held meaning for me. I went to the kitchen, filled a glass with water, and noticed someone had taken care of the dishes I had left piled in the sink yesterday morning and wiped down the counters.
Thanks, Mom.
Guilt tugged at my insides. Instead of living up to the prophecy of being a leader, I had become a source of worry for my family. Time to make a change, beginning with this. I snatched the hand towel from the counter and wrapped it over the stone. Without the constant weight of these emotions, I could focus on what I needed to do to protect my family.
I stumbled into the bedroom, my legs throbbing with pain from hours of dancing, and collapsed onto the bed. Luna stirred from her curled-up position on the opposite side of the mattress. She rolled over, her eyes drifting open with curiosity.
“Sorry, girl.” I smoothed her long, pointed ears.
Her snout opened with a deep yawn, and she plopped a heavy paw on my lap. I bent down and kissed her furry forehead. “Go back to sleep, girl.”
I leaned back and sank my head into my pillow, not having the energy to bother changing or even lift the covers and climb under. Rolling over to my side, I yanked open the drawer to the bedside table, tossed the wrapped stone inside, and slammed the drawer shut. I’d figure out what to do with the stone later.