Daughter of a Monarch (10 page)

“I think I am.” I look at the ring. Tears fill my eyes. “This damn thing must hate me. It’s not working!” I wiggle my hand, hoping to shake some sense into the stupid piece of silver.

“What did you guys do to her?” Isaac asks as he walks over, looking at my disheveled appearance.

“More like what did she do to us? This one is tough.” Harim shakes his head at me. “It’s time for a break. Go get cleaned up. We’ll resume training tomorrow.”

“I think we should call in Tib. He helped Holly,” Cohen suggests.

“Or how about I just die? Because that’s my only other option.”

Everyone glares at me.

I shrug. “Well, it’s the truth, and I don’t think either of you are having fun almost dying.” I look toward the house. “I’m going to change clothes.”

They ignore me and start to discuss new techniques they’d try and who they can bring in to help. I’m not in the mood for the conversation, so I walk off. Isaac follows me.

“I thought you were going to get cleaned up,” he asks as we walk down the path toward Paradise.

“I will later.” I pick up my pace.

“Are you in a hurry?”

“Isaac, I’m not in the best mood right now.”

“Do you want me to leave you alone?”

I sneak a peek at him over my shoulder.

“Yes, please.”

He smiles. “Oh. Well, that’s unfortunate.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not leaving you alone.”

I like him being around. His presence comforts me, and I don’t feel so alone.

I walk onto the beach, with Isaac in tow, and head straight for the water. I turn my back to the waves and walk backwards until I’m thigh deep. When I feel a wave crash against my back, I fall into it and let it take me under. I come up and smile at Isaac who’s sitting in the sand watching me.

“Are you getting in?” I ask as I smooth out my hair.

“No. Just enjoying the view.” His lips curl into a mischievous grin.

My cheeks feel warm. “Oh.” I spend a few more minutes in the water before getting out and lying next to him in the sand.

“You’re dripping wet. Sand is going to stick to you really bad.”

I turn my head to look at him. I can feel water trickling down the side of my face from my hair. “I don’t know how to dry myself. I mean I could try, but I’d probably dry up the entire ocean in the process.”

“I can do it for you.”

“Will it hurt?”

He smirks. “Just a little,” he says in a teasing tone.

I close my eyes and wait. Within seconds, I’m completely dry.

“I wish I could do that.”

“You will if you learn balance. At least that’s what my dad says.”

I look at Isaac’s silver chain that hangs from around his neck. He wears it all the time, and I wonder if he just likes it or if it’s something special like our rings.

“What’s up with the chain?”

He touches it and looks down at it. “It was a gift from my mom.”

“But I thought your dad wasn’t married.” Mom told me that when she explained things to me.

“He’s not. He got my mom pregnant when they were younger. When I graduated, it was the first time I had seen her in years. It was a graduation gift. So, A, tell me…When you’re not wreaking havoc on everything in sight, what do you do for fun?”

I sit up and bring my knees to my chest. I shrug. “Read. Hang out with my cousins. I guess those two things don’t sound like that much fun, but they are for me. I don’t get to do anything else.”

“You’re lying.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Excuse me?”

He laughs, running his fingers through his dark hair. He looks up at me from the sand.

“You’re lying, A. You find more joy in rebelling and venturing off to new places. You should have seen your face in Paradise the night your mom caught you. That is where you find fun.”

I nudge his side with my toes. He laughs.

“I guess you’re right, Isaac.”

Rebelling equals fun. Reading equals peace. Cousins equal quality time with family, not exactly fun unless they are willing to get into trouble with me.

“What about you, flirty pants? What do you do for fun?”

He sits up. “Flirty pants?”

I nod. “Yup. So, what’s fun to you?”

“Pretty much everything. I don’t live a sheltered life like you. I like hanging out with my friends, going to parties.” He shrugs. “Life is fun.”

“I sort of hate you right now.”

I’m envious of his life. He was free to do whatever he pleased. Everyone here knew who he was, and he knew everyone. He has friends. Real ones that I’m sure his family didn’t pick for him.

“I know I’m sheltered, but I didn’t realize how sheltered I truly am until I found out that Terre doesn’t even know I exist.”

“How exactly do you hide a princess?”

I shrug.

We walk around the beach a little longer, not saying anything. Both lost in our own thoughts. I wonder what the future holds for me and my parents. It’s scary to let my mind conjure up all of the possible scenarios.

“My dad still loves your mom.”

“Where the fuck did that statement come from?”

“Fuck? Princess has a potty mouth.”

“Get over it. So, seriously, why did you just say that?”

“I was just thinking about it and thought you should know.”

“Well, I don’t want to know.”

“I asked my dad if he thought they’d ever get back together, and he said no. He said too much time had passed. He said he promised himself to let her go.”

“You don’t know how to shut up, do you?” I stop walking and place my hands on my hips.

“No, not really.” He laughs. “Just because he loves your mom doesn’t mean he’d act on it.”

“That’d be wise. Besides, it would be awkward being your sister.” I shudder at the thought.

“Why?”

I smile. “You know why.”

He leans against a tree. “But I want to hear you say it.”

It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what is transpiring between us. From the moment we first saw each other in Paradise, there was an attraction.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel, Isaac. Right now isn’t the time to get involved with me. I know you said you didn’t care, but I do.”

“You can’t persuade me to not get involved with you by trying to instill fear in me. It won’t work, because it’s much scarier imagining not seeing where this could go between us.”

“But I can say no. I can distance myself from you.” But I don’t want to. I need someone like him right now. I need a friend who can be here for me.

“You could, but do you want to?”

I stare at him for a few seconds before responding. “No,” I say quietly as I pick at my nails.

“Then that settles it.”

“Settles what?”

“Our relationship status.”

“And what would that be?”

“Insanely complicated, borderline nonexistent, and hopefully a possibility.”

I shrug. “Being hopeful for anything seems like a waste of time right now, Isaac.”

“To you, maybe.”

I look at him, unsure of what to say. Isaac isn’t the type to give up. If he wants something, he goes after it. Even if I argue with him, I won’t win.

“We’ll see. That’s the best answer I can give you.”

He chuckles. “That’s better than no.”

I shrug again.

I UNBLOCK DAD’S
voice and brace myself for the headache from hell. I have to talk to him.

Daddy?

A?

I’m sorry I’ve been blocking you. I just thought it’d be for the best. I’m sorry.

Come home.

You know I can’t. It’s complicated.

A, my army is ready to destroy Gaia to bring you home.

I won’t let you do that. I won’t risk you or anyone else I care about getting hurt. I’m okay here. How’s Mom?

Going crazy, wondering how you are.

Reassure her that I’m fine and safer here than I would be there. My abilities are more out of control than they ever have been. Uncle Harim thinks it’s because I’m getting older and being in Gaia has strengthened them. He and Cohen are teaching me control. Well, they are trying to anyway.

Dad is silent for a moment.

A, I’m sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to hide you. I thought I was doing the right thing. Instead, I’ve put you at risk.

It isn’t okay, and I won’t say it is just to make him feel better. But I don’t want him to feel worse than he already does.

I just hope we can figure something out, so I can see you and Mom again.

I love you, A. And I promise, we will figure something out.

Love you, too.

I eat lunch then go out back to train with Uncle Harim and Cohen. However, I don’t see them anywhere. Instead, Isaac is sitting on a bench. He stands and smiles.

I pull the hair band off my wrist and pull my hair into a ponytail.

“Where’s my Uncle and your dad?”

“They’re taking the day off. You were too much for them yesterday.”

I laugh. “And you’re here because?”

“I’m training you.”

I raise a brow. “Isaac, you saw what I did to them.”

“And I’m younger than they are.”

“Why does that matter?” I notice he has on shoes.

“Because. We age depending on how much of our abilities we use. That’s why you don’t see us going around using them all of the time. And different things cause different amounts of aging. Tib will explain all of that to you. Anyway, Dad and your Uncle used a lot of power yesterday to keep you from killing them. It took years off their life.”

“Oh my god! I didn’t know, or I wouldn’t have let them do that!”

He laughs it off and shrugs. “No problem. It’ll be a very long time before they go anywhere.”

I nod, but I still feel horrible. “All right, but there’s no way I’m going to train and allow you to take years off your life to teach me control.”

“If someone doesn’t teach you control, your own life will be cut short because of your inability to center your abilities. Every time your abilities go crazy, years are taken off your life. ”

“I’m more concerned about the safety of others than my own. It’s fine; I’ll train myself.”

“Like hell you will! And drop the savior bullshit, A. If any of us were that concerned about our lives, we wouldn’t offer to help.”

Next thing I know, Isaac catches me off guard and forces power toward me. I’m thrown to the ground. I retaliate quickly and shield myself. He breaks the shield with ease, and I can feel his magic burning against my skin. I hiss in pain and clench my teeth.

Isaac starts sending lawn furniture in my direction. I crouch down in the grass and remember what Uncle Harim and Cohen told me. “
Always be aware of your surroundings, and use everything to your advantage. Everything is at your will. You can manipulate everything, even time if you try hard enough.”