The Vaga (16 page)

I smile and shuffle forward. ‘I could cast a truth spell that would show me who you are. It would allow me to know the answers to my questions within a few minutes. But I would need your permission first.’

Trepidation and doubt flash across his face. ‘That would mean I would have to reveal…’

‘Everything,’ we say in unison.

His jaw muscle clenches and he moves away from me, standing up and brushing off his pants. He looks out across the parkland as if thinking about what that would mean.

‘It’s the only way, Julian. I can’t trust you if I don’t know you.’

His head swivels to look at me, and again I catch my breath. ‘On one condition.’

‘What would that be?’ I ask dubiously.

His body moves closer to mine and the air around us intensifies. ‘You go out on a date with me. A real date too, not one where we’re dodging ancient creatures or having to battle for our lives.’

A laugh escapes me. He’s got a point. It would be nice to actually go out on a date. I’ve never been on one before. Twenty years old and never been on a date. Sounds like something you’d see on one of those trashy magazines titled “Virgins Really Do Exist”.

Crossing my arms across my chest I say, ‘Fine. So do we have a deal?’ I hold out my hand.

Looking down at my outstretched hand he smiles and then grabs it in a firm shake. ‘Deal.’

‘Good. Then let’s get started.’ I move behind the park bench, making sure Phoebe is still fast asleep before I gesture for Julian to take a seat in front of me.

As he gets comfortable I notice that his body is tense. His fists clench repeatedly as he breathes in and out. I can understand his nerves. I don’t think I’d like people snooping around inside my memories either.

I touch his shoulder. ‘Are you ready?’

He nods, and then his hand flicks out quickly, falling on top of mine. ‘Just…please know that some things you may see were who I
used
to be. That’s not who I am now.’

‘Okay…’ I say hesitantly.

His fingers lightly graze my skin as he pulls away and he takes another long breath. I ask Magi to keep an eye out and she takes up a sentinel position around us.

Placing each palm on either side of his head I slow my breathing, and when I feel ready I close my eyes. ‘Som ben ratha na, domen seemara. Marana beenath bundata mena.’

My essence flows into Julian’s mind and I release the questions that I’ve been holding on to. They make their way through the synapses in his brain, and then all of a sudden I am bombarded with images, conversations, and memories—both private and intimate, where they tell the story of who Julian is.

Flashes of his childhood show me that he was orphaned at a young age, both parents killed in a plane accident. He was taken in by his father’s best friend—an image of his face flashing through my mind. But wait…back up, I know that face. Where do I know it from?

The memories keep coming fast and I can’t hold onto the image any longer. I see Julian training—his body moving at lightning speed against his opponent, causing him to deflect all of Julian’s powerful blows. He is focused on only one thing…winning. I then see him fighting other opponents, but these aren’t in an arena, these are in the real world. I see him in dark alleys and abandoned warehouses, entering buildings and ending the lives of those he was assigned to kill. They appeared human, but they all possessed some sort of power or magic—creatures and beings that are unexplainable in the human world. I don’t know if any of them were innocent, but Julian doesn’t question his orders. He is the perfect soldier.

Julian is then standing before a raised dais, where seven robed men are seated. As they look upon him, giving him his next assignment, I know that these men must be the Dominus’ of his order. Fast forward and Julian is standing behind a building, it’s the school, he’s watching me with Phoebe and I throw my head back to laugh at something she’s said and I feel Julian stiffen. He pulls away from the wall, his emotions fighting his purpose. He doesn’t understand what is happening, but he was trained for this and so he must fulfill his goal.
Kill the threat
,
kill the girl
.

Then he’s facing off against me in the grove, his emotions are screaming at him to stop but he took an oath to his order and he must abide by it, no matter what the cost. The scene plays out, but this time I can see what he saw and the image of me—powerful, terrifying, and filled with ancient power, permeates my mind and body.

Fast forward over the last few years and Julian has changed. He no longer abides by the order, but instead listens to his heart. He watches over me, making sure I’m safe. He moves when I move and feels what I feel. His blood is now tied to me and he feels the pull like an electromagnetic pulse. I see him receiving calls from someone named only as C. One image shows him looking down at his phone, a text message from C highlighted against the screen.

Keep her safe. She is too important. Beware of our enemies. Stay true my son.

I’m zapped back to reality and my legs threaten to give way. I hold myself steady against the backrest and quickly search for Magi. She’s circling the park around us and it seems I’ve only been gone a moment. Julian is still out, but he’ll come around soon.

Coming out of his mind I now know two things for certain. One, the Puritans are more knowledgeable and lethal than I had previously thought. They have pockets of soldiers everywhere, all over the world, willing to do their bidding. They take out anyone and anything that they deem threatening or unnatural, and the truth of it makes me sick. I was arrogant to think they were primarily concerned with my family. We were a major threat to their order, but we weren’t the only ones they were targeting.

The second thing is, I know that Julian was telling the truth. He really does care for me, and from his memories I could almost be certain that he…loves me?

A nauseating wave of emotion threatens to engulf me and I mumble a settling spell to calm the tide. This is so crazy!
But don’t you love him as well
? No…I mean yes…maybe. I don’t know. Is it possible to love someone you’ve never known before?

Stories have been circling for centuries about the possibility of people being star-crossed lovers, soulmates, two halves of a whole. It was Aristotle that said, “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies”.

I never really believed these stories, as I always felt that relationships needed to be a realistic commitment made by two people. Although, not having ever met my father, and Mum never having another relationship since before I was born, doesn’t make me an expert on the subject.

Julian’s eyes open. ‘Is everything okay?’ he mumbles.

I nod, unable to speak.

He moves off the chair and is in front of me so quickly that I don’t even have time to blink. He reaches out and grabs onto me. ‘Elena, are you alright? What did you see?’

I take in his features and know that what I saw was real, which means that what is happening between Julian and I is also real, and I’d be naive to think otherwise. I do love him, as mentally unstable as that sounds, and I know he loves me.

Isis’ essence explodes with happiness within me and then Julian loosens his grip and takes a step backwards, his eyes widening in surprise.

The itchiness that spreads across my skin lets me know that I’m glowing again, and as I look down I see swirls of golden-white light flickering all over my body.

‘Uh…should I take that as a good thing?’ he asks.

I smile. ‘You could say that.’

His lips curve upwards and his eyes shine like stars. ‘So you saw how I felt? I mean, how I truly felt?’

I nod. ‘Yes.’

‘And you’re okay with it? All of it?’

Am I? No, not
all
of it. How could I be when the history that my family have suffered was at the hands of his kind? But was that his fault? His memories flood my mind and I know that he has suffered great loss as well. Is it his fault he was forced into a life where he didn’t have much of a choice?

‘I’m not going to lie and say that everything’s okay, Julian, because it’s not,’ I say. ‘There has been so much damage done that I don’t know if we can just forget about it.’

He nods and thrusts his hands into his pockets.

‘But that doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to try and move past it.’ He looks at me hopefully and I’m surprised at the depth of his feelings. ‘Maybe we can just…start over?’ I shrug.

He smiles then and my stomach does a flip. I have a feeling that he hasn’t had a life where he smiled a whole lot.

‘Deal.’ He thrusts out his hand and I grin stupidly as we shake.

Magi comes walking back towards us and my eyes are drawn to Phoebe, still lying comatose on the park bench.

I frown. ‘Hold up a minute. How are you and Phoebe still alive after what happened?’ I ask wiggling my finger back and forth between them.

He rolls his eyes. ‘She finally asks!’ he says dramatically.

He then proceeds to tell me about their conversation and the amount of foul language that was used—all of it from Phoebe. I find myself having to hold back laughter when he explains that between Phoebe’s rants and questions she would also randomly lash out at him, hitting him at intervals on the arm when she felt like it. My laughter came bubbling out of me at some point and before we knew it we were both laughing. Sure, it was at Phoebe’s expense, but it was also out of relief.

He shrugs his shoulders. ‘So I think she may have understood some of it. I can’t blame her for being upset with me, and I don’t expect her to forgive me, but hopefully she knew I was being sincere when I apologised.’

‘So what was the defining factor?’ I ask, curious as to how Phoebe could sit within close proximity to him after he kidnapped her four years ago.

He throws me a bashful look and it makes his large frame seem smaller. ‘I told her how I felt about you.’

I balk at that. ‘What?! You told her? Geez, Julian, you may have wanted to run that by me first.’

He scoffs. ‘Really? You wouldn’t have believed me. Plus, it was the only way Phoebe was going to listen to anything I had to say.’

He has a point. Right now she is in full blown love mode so maybe he picked the right language to get through to her.

Oh crap. Sam!

‘Uh…that reminds me, before she wakes up I think it would be better if I brought Sam back. He would have had time to heal by now.’

His hands go up in surprise. ‘Whoa, slow down.
Heal
? You haven’t even told me what happened yet. And where do you need to bring him back from?’

Shaking my head I say, ‘I can’t explain that right now.’

‘Hang on. I just let you fiddle inside my brain where you saw things no one else has ever known and you won’t even tell me about why you disappeared? Is this how this is going to be? You calling all the shots?’ Frustration lines his voice.

My back bristles, but I know he’s somewhat right. It isn’t fair to keep these secrets from him, especially after what he just let me do.

‘Okay I’ll tell you, but can you help me first?’

He narrows his gaze. ‘What do you need me to do?’

‘Just put her down there,’ I say pointing to the beaten up corner lounge in Sam’s room.

Julian lays Phoebe down gently, and by the drool that is trickling out of her mouth I think we have a bit more time before she comes out of it. The odd glances we received on the way here from other students is sure to come back and bite me, but I didn’t have a choice.

‘Now what?’ he asks rubbing the drool off his arm distastefully.

I bite my lip to stop me from laughing at his comical expression. ‘Now I have to teleport out and bring Sam back.’

Julian looks like he wants to say something, but then changes his mind.

‘I won’t be long. Can you stay and keep an eye on Phoebe?’

He stands up straighter. ‘Of course.’

‘Thank you.’ I bend down to Magi and say, ‘Maybe I’ll go on my own this time, Mags. It might help me to conserve some energy.’ She licks my face in response and I pat her head lovingly.

I give Julian another glance before standing up and teleporting out.

Being back in the swamp, it feels like I never left. I immediately teleported back to the teepee, and without hesitation I step inside quietly. Sam is sitting up, and apart from a few bruises he looks okay.

‘I was wondering when you’d return,’ he says through gritted teeth as he tries to stand.

I move towards him, grabbing onto his arm. ‘Let me help you.’

His eyes wander over my face before he accepts my offer. ‘Thanks.’ He winces as he maneuvers his body upright.

‘You’re still hurt?’

He smiles. ‘Just the left over parts of me.’

I let go of his arm and take in his bare chest. Thankfully his bottom half is covered with a fresh pair of jeans.

‘Uh…you couldn’t find any shirts?’ I ask, trying to avoid looking at his toned body.

He smirks and as his chestnut infused eyes flicker, I swear I catch a glimpse of the cougar within them.

‘Ever hear the American Indian saying, he who wants to be one with the earth must first strip himself of all worldly possessions?’

‘No, but is that true?’