The Secret Trinity: Reign (Fae-Witch Trilogy, Book 3) (19 page)

Every second our friends sat there, speechless, felt like an eternity of awkward.  Kayla was finally the first one to speak.  “I was going ask where you two disappeared to last night and tell you that you missed all the fun, but obviously partying with us would have been a boring alternative.  How did this happen?”  Kayla asked, and everyone’s eyes darted over the outlines of our energy.  Clay and I intertwined and twisted into a bright aura of greens and gold, sparkling so bright that our skin had taken on a touch of luminous shimmer just below the surface.  That’s how it looked to me anyway.  I had no clue exactly what they were seeing, and I was curious.

“What do you see?”  I
asked, unable to help myself.

“It’s a bit hazy for me but something has definitely changed.  It’s like your energy is one and the same.  Grant, you want to take this one?”  Kayla asked Grant knowing a full blooded
Fae
would see it much easier than a Witch. 

“It’s...i
t’s beautiful,”
Grant said, almost getting cho
ked up as he looked at us, and Morgan patted his back smiling at what a sap he could be.

“How did it happen?”  Kayla asked again
.

“Um, let’s just say Clay said something last night that finally triggered my memory of our
sealment
.”  I said, not wanting to
give too many private details.

“Man, I still can’t believe this.  Wait until the Court sees you two.  They were all crazy gossips to begin with, and last night made it ten times worse.  It’s all anyone could talk about at the pubs.  Thanks for the heads up, by the way.”  Morgan said, raising her eyebrows accusingly at me for not telling them first before I blurted out to the entire Kingdom that Clay and I were
Soul Keepers.  I was glad we didn’t partake in the festivities.  With all of the gossip Morgan mentioned, I doubt it would have been much fun for Clay and m
e being under that microscope.

“I know, I know.  I definitely didn’t plan that.”  I said, g
iving a slow shrug and a sigh.

“I, for one, am glad you remember, and now that it’s all out in the open, we can talk about what really happened in the
Famorii
cave and how to stop it.”  Adam said, and I shot him a shut-the-hell-up look.

Clay sharply turned his head to look down at me, “What is he talking about?  What els
e happened in the
Famorii
cave?

“You didn’t tell him?”  Adam said accusingly, and everyone looked at me with their foreheads scrunched, wondering what I was ke
eping from them now.

“I didn’t want to spoil the moment,” I said, innocently batting my eyes looking up at Clay, but his eyes turned to slits and he shook his head.  That
wasn’t even close to working.

“I knew you were keeping something from me about your time there.  What is it?  Spit it out!”  Clay said, dropping his arm from my shoulder to face me.  He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

I pressed my lips tight and shot a glare at Adam, but he just shook his head at me in disbelief that I hadn’t
told him yet.

“Everything I told you about what Liam has done is true.  He’s using Black Magic to force an unnatural
sealment
with his
Fae
prisoners, and once they are sealed, he conducts a one-sided Binding Ceremony so their souls are physically bound to him.  After that he can draw from their energy for more power, giving Liam a m
agnitude of different
Fae
gifts,” I said
chewing
on my cheek with nervousness.

“We already knew that Ari, what else?”  Clay was getting more pissed off by the second. 

“Well...when I said that Liam never tried any magic on me before we escaped that wasn’t exactly true.  Liam and his Ashen Witches were also trying to turn me into one of his bounded, but first they had to break my
sealment
with you.  They ground through their “break-
sealment
”
spell on me for hours without success, and then spent days holding me captive while they tweaked the spell to perfection before trying again.  Fortunately, Adam busted us out before Liam and his Ashen Witches could use the new spell to break our
sealment
.  If Adam hadn’t saved me, Liam would
probably
have my power, and along wit
h his own, I imagine
Draí
ochta
c
ould be a graveyard right now.”  I explained all
of
this facing Clay before noticing the
looks in my peripheral vision.

“Is that how you found out who I was?”  Clay asked, his eyes showing some hurt, and I nodded solemnly, putting my eyes to the floor.  I wanted him to think that I had figured it out on my own, that I knew we had more than your average
love
.  Deep down I did know the truth all along, but I was in such denial about it.  No guy wanted to hear that it was my ex-boyfriend who played a part in getting us back to our
sealment
.

“Are you telling me that Liam has the spell we want to use on him in his possession and he plans to use it on you?”  Clay said through clenched teeth, and I looked up at him.

“I’m not one hundred percent positive, but yes, I believe he does know how to break
sealments
.”  I said, trying to ga
uge his expression.

“So all along you planned on going back to that devil’s lair, knowing that if he captures you, he will break our
sealment
and steal your soul.”  Clay’s voice was scary dark.

“Worst case scenario, yes, but at least if he’s successful, I can sp
are you from your Father’s fate,”
I said, my voice was shaking now.  Clay snorted a grunt, turned on his heels and held out his palm.  A pulse of golden light sent the wooden front door swinging open, slamming against the wall so hard I flinched, and Clay stormed out a second later.  I looked back at my brother and my friends hoping for some “he’s overreacting” support, but they stared at me shocked by this new information, and their expressions told me that they were totally on Clay’s side.  I threw my head back and shrieked with frustration before
running after Clay.

Because of Clay’s super speed, he was long gone before I got outside of Grant and Morgan’s house.  I shrieked again, frustrated by this whole situation before closing my eyes to
trace
him.  I concentrated on my pulse, thinking about every shade of blue in his eyes and my heart found him easily.  I could feel his anger and frustration, and it surpassed mine by a landslide.  He was at the cottage, pacing back and forth like a madman.  I took a deep breath and teleported to our living room, unsure of what to expect.  He looked up when
I appeared and stopped pacing.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” Clay said bitterly at my
tracing
him, while pointing at the
front door, his silent requ
est for me to leave.

“I’m not leaving, Clay.  I want to talk about this.”  I said,
crossing my arms in defiance.

“What’s there to talk about?  The
love of my life wants to run off, destroy her soul, and risk
her entire Kingdom on the slim chance that i
t would protect me!”  Clay said,
throwing his hands up in the air.

“That’s not true!  I want to save our people and their souls from Liam.  I meant what I said last night during my Crowning.  And yes, if I get killed in the process, I would feel better knowing you wouldn’t wither away once I’m gone!  So I’m sorry for being such a horrible Soul Keeper who hides huge secrets from you because I want to protect you.”  I said, throwing my hands up too.

Clay walked up to me forcefully and stopped so abruptly in front of me, I almost took a step back, but I managed to hold my ground.  He grabbed my shoulders and kissed me hard.  I was so su
rprised
when he pulled away I was completely breathless. 

“That’s not why I’m angry, Ari.  I’m angry because you are the sweetest most selfless being on earth, and I am too damn in love with a martyr set on making my job to protect her impossible.”  Clay’s voice matched the intensity of his eyes, and I furrowed my brow not sure if I should be flattered or offended.

“It’s not your job to protect me anymore.”  It was the only defense I could think of, and his grip on my shoulders tightened.

“Yes.  
It.
  
Is.”
 
He stated each word as a single sentence, as if the urgency of his voice would make it true.  There was no use fighting Clay
on this.  I would always put his safety before my own, just like he wanted to put mine
before his.  It was clear when it came to this issue neither of us would ever budge.  Clay took my hand and led me to the couch.  He sat down and I followed, unsure of where to go from here.  He looked at the fire.  His mind seemed in a far off place.  I couldn’t understand the emotions flooding my senses all of a sudden, and then I realized they weren’t mine, they were his.  I was filled the pain, terror, and helplessness all at once.  It tore at my insides and it was...devastating.  Clay squared his shoulders to face me on the couch and t
he painful jabs began to fade.

“Did you feel that, Ari?”  Clay asked resting his hand on top of mine, and I nodded, rendered speechless by the terror that
just ripped through my heart.

“What you were feeling just now was just a glimpse
of what was happening to me while
you were Liam’s prisoner.  I knew something wasn’t right about your story because I felt the pain you were enduring.  That, along with having no clue where you were or what was happening to you, I was out of my mind.  I would go to defense meetings crippled with pain, begging my Father to form a search and rescue.  We combed the island for days but his cloak on your location was too strong.  I couldn’t pinpoint
you,
only endure the pain with you from afar.  At night I would excuse myself so I could smash boulders an
d up
root trees, just to feel an ounce of control.”  Clay rubbed his thumb over my hand, and I brought the other hand up to my mouth
,
horrified at the thought of him enduring that for any length of time.

“And now to know that the excruciating pain I was feeling was Liam trying to break us… I am going to tell you something, and I want you to try and really hear me, Ari.  I would rather live my Father’s fate a thousand times over than go through that again, for even a second.  I wish
you could see your soul the way I do, because then you would truly know that I would gladly take that fate if it meant I was still connected to you.”  Clay’s voice was dead serious, and it made me shudder.  He was looking at me in that penetrating way where I knew he could see past my eyes right into my heart.  I was locked into his stare in awe of his energy and how it lit the room.

“Promise me you’ll never forget how your soul looks through my eyes.  Please promise you’ll hold onto it, no matter what the cost.” Clay held both my hands and stared deeper into my eyes.  My heart rate picked up as a weird trance took over my body, and I felt numb, all I could feel was my heartbeat.  I was swimming in Clay’s Caribbean Sea, dipping down into the refreshing and calming water when I saw the sparks begin to catch the light behind his eyes.  They coated me with an indescribable sensation, rivaling even the most epic feelings of love.  It wasn’t love, it was life, pure and whole in its form, connecting its soul to every living thing it saw, tasted, and touched.  I gasped, completely taken over by this feeling, flooded with its beauty.  Is this what Clay saw when he looked at my soul?  Clay blinked rapidly and shook his hair out like he too was lost in a trance.

“Promise?”
  Clay asked again.  I wanted to do anything but agree to this, because in his
mind the cost was his life, yet
how can you say no to a man w
ho sees you that way?

“I promise,” I croa
ked out, still overcome with emotion.  I looked up to the ceiling and rubbed the back of my neck, trying to work out the stress.

“You know, you’re more like your Father than you think.  Say something heart wrenching and touching first, to catch me off guard, then you sneak in the promise request.”  I was
thinking of King Bryan, when
we met in his office not long
ago and he pulled a similar move.

Clay laughed and kissed my forehead, “He will be happy to know that I picked up at least a few of his traits along the way.  Come
on,
let’s go bac
k to Grant’s house before I’m
tempted t
o cash in on that shower
you owe me.”  Clay said,
taking my hand to help me up.

“I don’t recall agreeing to any such thing,”
I said standing up.

“Come on.  You can admit it now.  You without a doubt wanted to take me
up on my proposition last week,
”
Clay said with a cocky smirk.