Blood Oath (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book Two) (32 page)

"Rubbish," she spat. "She’s the one; she just has not welcomed her destiny. But she must before it is too late. Goddess Ananke says that her will is strong, but she holds on to things that prevent her from moving forward to her destiny." She smoothed his hair lovingly. "I will help her see her path, but you must assist. After all, we both have a vested interest in her success, no?"

His fists tightened by his side. "Have you heard anything that I just said?" He threw his hands in the air with frustration. "The only vested interest that I have is the
Elementi
Conclaves’ survival, but that is it. The
Eternals
and
Normals
can perish, as far as I’m concerned. Maybe the destruction of this world is just what we need, like a clean slate. Then we will have no need to continue this ugly dance of pretending that our strenuous relationship with the
Eternals
is working. Or have to turn a blind eye to the fact that they pretend to be our allies but plot our destruction behind our backs. We don’t need them, and we don’t need her."

Her eyes narrowed icily. "Well thank goodness that it’s not up to just you. The Royal Conclaves have made the decision, and as discussed, you will fulfill your duty to us and to the Akasha."

He was shaking with anger. "Fina, you take my love and respect for you way too far. I am the Fire Prince, and I will not be ordered around like some sniveling
Normal
. I rule all those around me, including you. And the answer is no."

The air around her became misty and humid, red-hot-poker colored wisps angrily swirled around her like a dust storm in the desert. Bright flecks of fire danced within the wisps as faceless voices whimpered and howled in protest.

"And it would be good for you to remember, Fire Prince, that it is only by the grace of Victor and me that you are even breathing." She poked him in the chest angrily. "We keep away the enemies that seek to destroy the Fire Conclave. We deflect the whispers that say that you will never be ready to rule the Fire Conclave. We stop the assassins who wait in the shadows to kill you in your sleep." She smiled cruelly, distorting her beautiful face. "So please don’t forget all the sacrifices that we and others make—Fire Prince," she spat nastily.

The fire wisps hissed with mouths baring teeth and ready to strike him. His black wisps hovered with anticipation, relishing a fight. Fights between him and Fina were never good and always ended with destruction. This time, he backed down first, swallowing his pride and anger. The black wisps whimpered with disappointment, then disappeared into thin air.

He loved his sister, and he knew that she made sacrifices—maybe too many for him. And sometimes his temper made him forget the importance of her support. He quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, sending a burst of cold, calming energy through her body. She closed her eyes and swallowed deeply. Her body relaxed, and the fire wisps that had hovered angrily before disappearing into thin air.

"Drago, please don’t make me choose between you and the Fire Conclave. Just do what has been ordered by the conclaves."

He started to argue with her, but stopped cold when her eyes narrowed with displeasure.

"Fine, I’ll follow the conclaves’ orders." He smiled with malice. "But don’t forget all of my stipulations. And all of them must be fulfilled, or the deal is off." He spat, "And you better find a way to get her over here fast, so that she can start
Elementi
Warrior training."

She looked away, smiling coldly. "Leave that to me. Just do your duty, little brother, and do not fail. Remember, our lives depend on your success or failure."

chapter

SEVENTEEN

I walked quickly
across the courtyard, breathing in the fresh night air calmingly, slowing my pace as I walked toward the gardens instead of going back to the dorms. Something about the gardens seemed so welcoming, and the more I walked, the calmer I became. I found myself standing in Grandma Celeste’s favorite spot, so I sat down quickly. I now understood why this spot was so special. At night, it was dark and secluded, giving me the full view of the lush gardens.

I leaned against the thicket of flowers and vines, relishing the peace and the aromatic scent of roses. Then I suddenly heard the approaching mumbling in the darkness. My eyes narrowed, searching through the darkness, spotting the approaching figures, and I hoped that they couldn’t see me as I held my breath.

I didn’t recognize them because the darkness of the night enveloped them, but as my eyes adjusted to the pitch-black, I could clearly see that it was a guy and girl strolling through the gardens. The girl suddenly stopped, reaching up on her toes to kiss him passionately. She eagerly leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him, but puzzlingly, he just stood there, frozen, not responding to her at all. Then I heard a guttural sound that erupted from his throat as he lifted her up, kissing her back passionately. They leaned against the tree, going at each other like crazed people.

I scooted back nervously, feeling like a pervert because I couldn’t escape without being seen. So, I just sat there, paralyzed, watching some serious and embarrassing PDA, when I heard the crunching of branches and leaves as someone walked up behind me. Panicking, I looked around frantically.

"Relax, it’s just me."

I sagged with relief; it was Justice standing behind me with his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, looking at me suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered frantically.

He looked at me suspiciously. "I’m taking a long walk to clear my mind. What are you doing here?"

I looked at him with embarrassment, pointing to the couple kissing against the tree. "I’m stuck here, and I can’t leave without being seen by them."

His eyes narrowed, and then his face hardened. "Jeez, get a room, why don’t you?" He sat down quietly beside me.

"They just appeared out of nowhere and started going at each other, but I can’t make out who they are."

He laughed coldly. "Chaos and Thallo."

"Really?"

I focused my gaze, and he was right. It was them. My heart squeezed momentarily. "I guess the rumors were true after all. They are together."

His gray eyes quickly searched my face. "That won’t last long. Chaos never keeps them for long. He’s too obsessed with climbing the
Ares
ladder to be saddled with a girlfriend. Well, on second thought, it’s Thallo that we’re talking about, and she’s has been hunting him for a while, and everyone knows, what Thallo wants, Thallo gets," he responded bitterly.

My eyes narrowed at the pure bitterness that laced his voice. "You sure know a lot about Chaos."

"Oh, I know him real well being that he’s my older brother."

That’s why Justice looked so familiar; he reminded her of a younger Chaos.

"Wow, that’s a whole lot to live up to, huh?"

"More than you know." He settled back comfortably. "Well, since I’m here, I might as all well enjoy the show. Maybe I’ll pick up some good pointers to use on the ladies" he smirked, winking at me.

I gave him a menacing look. "If you touch me, I’ll break your arms."

He laughed mockingly. "Who said I was talking about you, first leveler?"

I bristled. And continued to look at Chaos and Thallo engrossed in kissing. "Seriously, this is so wrong. We’re actually sitting here watching them make out."

He scoffed, "What do you want us to do? We can’t move without getting caught. So, like I said, sit back and enjoy the show."

I rolled my eyes with exasperation. He was right. If they got caught by Thallo and Chaos, it would look totally disgusting, like they were deliberately spying on them. At least this way they would be bound to finish real soon and no one would be the wiser. Or at least I hoped.

Thallo laughed, grabbing Chaos’s hair roughly. "Come on now. Stop the games, Chaos. This is inevitable."

He swooped down and kissed her neck roughly.

I cleared my suddenly dry throat uncomfortably. Chaos stopped cold, peering through the darkness like an eagle. His mouth suddenly tightened, and I immediately knew that he saw us. Thallo was so busy groping him that she didn’t even notice our exchange.

I held my breath as Chaos stared at me piercingly.

"Don’t look now, but I think we’ve just been spotted," Justice whispered loudly.

While I was quietly plotting my escape, Justice just sat there indifferently. "We’ve got to run," I replied with a panicked voice.

His gray eyes narrowed. "Why? He’s already spotted us, so there’s no sense in running. Anyway, I have nothing to run for; I’m just sitting here with a very pretty first leveler, enjoying the scenery."

"Uh, what? Are you crazy?" My voice squeaked.

Chaos pushed Thallo aside, striding over to the middle of the garden. "Okay, you two, out!" he barked.

Justice smirked, "Seems like Chaos is a little bit angry. Shall we go see what his problem is?" He jumped up and strode over to Chaos nonchalantly.

I looked at him with annoyance.
What’s wrong with him? He thinks that this is some sort of game.

Chaos looked at me angrily. "I know that’s you, Gabrielle. Get over here."

I bristled. How dare he bark orders at me like I did something wrong when it was him and Thallo practically pawing each other like animals in the wild?

I strode out, walking over him to him angrily. When I reached him, Thallo was standing by his side, looking at me curiously, and Justice…well, he was standing there with a not-too-innocent look on his face. And Chaos was absolutely thunderous as a muscle in his jaw flexed.

Chaos’s eyes narrowed as he looked from Justice to me. "What were you two doing back there?" he asked frostily.

I almost cringed at the coldness in his tone. "What?" I looked at him, confused.

He scoffed, giving me a look of disgust. "I think the question was clear, Gabi. What…were…you…doing back there?" His tone was icy cold.

"Huh?"

I was scratching my head on this one when Justice gave me the sexiest smile ever. I looked over at Chaos, who was so angry that he was actually shaking. That’s when I put it together; my eyes opened with realization.

"Oh!" He actually thought that Justice and I were making out in the dark. "I know that you are not accusing me of anything."

Then Justice did the unthinkable. He pulled me into an embrace, rubbing his hand along my back slowly. "We have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, Gabi." He winked at me playfully.

I just stood there in shock.

Chaos’s eyes flashed angrily. "Both of you should be more concerned with training instead of doing God knows what back there. I advise you both to get back to your rooms right now."

The tone of his voice spurred me to action. I pushed Justice away, giving him a look that could kill. "First of all, don’t talk to me like that. We weren’t the ones out here practically ripping each other’s clothes off in the middle the garden like some hard-up teens." I scrunched my nose up with disgust as I looked at Thallo pointedly. "By the way, Thallo, way skanky."

A laugh escaped from Justice, but was cut off by Thallo’s deadly glare.

I continued. "Second, I’ll go back to my room when I’m good and ready."

His eyes narrowed, and I realized a little too late that I triggered something ugly in him. Chaos moved so fast, barely a blur, as he caught me in his hands, cupping my neck like I was some sort of disobedient puppy. "Don’t disobey me, Gabi. Just don’t go there, not now," he snarled.

I was frozen with shock as he forced me to look into his now-coal-black eyes. Why was he so angry? I didn’t even have time to respond before I was whipped out of his hands in another blur of movement by Justice as he shoved me behind him protectively.

Chaos growled.

Justice stood firm. "I wouldn’t do that if I was you," he said, giving Chaos a look like he was ready to pounce and rip his throat out. "You’re taking this Guardian thing a little too seriously, Chaos, by getting all emotional like some jealous boyfriend."

Chaos and Justice squared off angrily, raring to fight.

Chaos growled. His eyes were deadly. "Don’t do this, Justice. Don’t put her in the middle of something that’s just between you and me." A muscle in his jaw pulsed.

I stepped out from behind Justice, shivering, but not from the cold. They both looked feral, deadly. It was like a whole different side of them had been revealed, and this side scared the bejesus out of me.

Justice laughed coldly. "Brother, you know that Gabi has everything to do with this, with us; our destiny is locked, and it’s all because of her." He looked over at me with eyes black as coal, almost soulless.

I actually stepped further away from him with confusion. The sheer power that emanated from him cast a shimmering net of energy around me that was sapping my body, making me nauseatingly weak.

Chaos leapt at Justice, grabbing him by the throat. "Stop it, Justice. Leave her alone. You don’t have to answer to the call of the
Taint
."