Balancer's Soul (20 page)

Starting from both sides of his
shoulders, and crossing once all the way to wrap around his ribs
was a solid black
X
perfectly
centered on his sternum. It looked
like an incredible tattoo, but after a second, closer glance proved
it to not be a tattoo at all. Tattoos don’t leave the skin glossy
with melted scar tissue. The mark clearly had been seared onto the
flesh because Sarah has seen melted flesh before, but the shape,
design and application were too uniform. The
X
was perfect, showing it was done all at once,
but she didn’t know if it were intentional or not.

Not relieved that Connor’s eyes were closed,
Sarah stood up out of the seat, almost in a trance. She
unconsciously started walking up to where Connor stood. She
carefully touched the very center of his sternum, where the lines
crossed.

The lines were four fingers wide, from golden
tan skin to black mark and back to skin again. The skin no longer
revealed any sweat glands and seemed uniform. She touched the
center of his chest again, but this time with the palm of her right
hand, it felt almost like rubbing the surface of rubber. She looked
up at Connor and he continued wearing the expressionless mask and
eyes were still closed tightly, trying to remain oblivious to their
scrutiny. “Connor, please tell me what happened to have caused
this?” She asked softly and tenderly.

His eyes slowly opened to meet hers. Hazel
eyes looked almost like she wasn’t standing directly in front of
him; they were unfocused and somewhere else altogether. “Do you
remember when you met Granddaddy and he told you what he does for a
living?”

Remembering the day that she met Connor’s
family for the first time, she quickly remembered David’s story
about what he does. “Your grandfather is a metal worker or black
smith, right?”

“Exactly.” Sarah continued to stare into
those gentle hazel eyes as he recounted his story in a hollow tone.
“The accident that left this mark took place when I was fourteen
years old. That summer, I was working with my granddaddy at his
forge. I was hammering some metal rivets and support bars into the
correct shape while Granddaddy was quenching a cross-beam with his
specially blended black Ink. That is his trademark.” Connor looked
up and added this for her parents sake. “The metal was still red
hot and steaming of the ink when he put it on a drying rack to cool
and let the ink be absorbed.

“And then the secured bolts holding the rack
up on the wall suddenly broke loose from the ceiling. I still
haven’t figured out how it fell.” He cleared his throat to continue
with his story. “I was facing the wobbling cooling rack, but
Granddaddy’s back was to it. He and I were wearing ear plugs
because of my loud hammering so he didn’t sense the danger about to
drop on him. I knew he would not be able to hear me yell at him and
wouldn’t have been able to react quickly enough to dodge, even if
he had. Luckily, I reacted first and didn’t think about it. I ran
at him as quickly as I could and pushed him out of the way. Then
the half-ton cross-beam dropped. The hot cross-beam pinned me to
the ground instead of him.” Sarah shuddered just trying to imagine
the intensity of his pain and she laid her other palm on his
massive chest as he continued.

“I awoke about a week later in the hospital’s
PICU. As I became more lucid, I looked down and saw that my chest
was completely wrapped up in gauze. I still couldn’t move due to
the excruciating pain.” Sarah could only imagine what he went
through and the pain he had to endure. “Granddaddy, told me later
about what happened. I had third degree burns from where the
cross-beams incinerated my shirt and seared into my skin. The
quenching ink that my granddaddy used became like a permanent
tattoo as it permeated into my flesh. And the weight and force from
the beams that landed on me cracked five ribs and gave me a
hairline fracture on my sternum. If it were anyone else they
wouldn’t have survived the weight and searing heat. My granddaddy
told me ‘I’m so sorry son. You blacked out due to the pain being
too great.’ Because of the accident, I lost a year of school and
was held back, that’s why Kara and I are both seniors. After the
accident, I vowed to never be weak or slow for as long as I live,
and to always protect others who cannot do so themselves.”

Connor finished with his story and
became still. Sarah began to silently cry for all the pain he has
endured and had bore alone for all these years. “I now understand a
little of your pain.” She reasoned with his secret and said “Is
this the reason you always wear dark long sleeves? Not only to show
off your Godly muscles, but to cover up your
X
as well? You think you’re a freak compared to
others?”

“That’s why.” Confirming her questions wasn’t
difficult for him now.

For no reason in particular she looked down
to the center of his chest which stood to her eye level and she
kissed the center of his sternum softly.

Moments later she looked up at him to see
that he became rigid. “Now that I know your secret, Connor, I can
tell you I’m in love with you as well.” His eyes began to burn with
happiness, love, passion and most of all relief. His mask had
vanished and she hoped to never see that haunting expression
again.

Connor slowly leaned down while she meet him
by standing on the tips of her toes. For the very first time they
kissed each other on the lips. His kiss seared through every cell
in her body, like molten lava in an unstoppable volcanic eruption.
Need and want streaked through her like never before. Her toes
started curling and her body went through rapture. Sarah reached
around his head and entwined her fingers in his sandy blonde hair
to deepen the experience. He returned the gesture by enfolding her
in his massive arms around her lower back and drew her closer. They
pressed into each other, almost melding together. Her first true
kiss felt more amazing than she dared dream, nearly shattering the
core of her whole existence. Her love and his were now in
harmony.

Every part of her ached to be with him from
her head all the way down to her toes and especially some parts
that wanted him to take her right then and there.

With everything going on in their personal
world Sarah heard an annoyed voice say “We are still in the room,
young lady.” Jack spoiled the mood.

Untangling her hands from around his head,
she turned around, remaining in Connor’s embrace. His arms were now
crossed under her breast and his hands held her ribs gently while
her back pressed to his abdomen. He looked down as she stared up at
him in relieved happiness.

Sarah chanced a glance towards her mother
several seconds later to see a joyful look in her golden eyes. She
was sparkling with pride as her hand pressed over her heart, but
she said nothing.

“Connor, will you be the mate of our precious
daughter?” Jack started getting impatient as he repeated his
question again.

Connor looked evenly at him. “I’m not going
to answer you.”

Before Jack could react or say anything,
Connor spun Sarah around to look at him, face to face. Getting down
on both of his knees, Connor looked her in the eye with another one
of his soul shattering gazes. “Sarah. Will you have me as your
mate, lover and husband for all eternity? Even with the large
deformity on my chest?”

Struck speechless at hearing those words, she
couldn’t say a word, but she instead showed him the reply. Sarah
tackled him to the floor and he landed on his back. She laid atop
him and kissed him passionately and fiercely. She didn’t care where
she was because only one thing mattered, after all these centuries
she found her mate.

When she let him speak again he moved a few
hairs out of her face and tucked them behind her ears. “Is that a
yes?” He then held up her chin to look at him still laying flat on
the floor.

“Yes! Forever, Connor. My answer is
Yes!” She could finally speak again.
“I
have never been happier in my whole life.”

As Conner and Sarah sat up, she looked around
the room to notice her parents. Jillian leaned her shoulder on
Jack’s ribs and he had his arm wrapped around his mate’s back. They
were both looking at them wearing a smile of congratulations. They
accepted him now as family.

Connor stood Sarah up as her mother could no
longer contain her excitement “Sarah, my dear, you have finally
found your mate. I’m so very proud.” Jillian walked away from Jack
and embraced her youngest in a rocking hug.

After an hour of talking about nothing in
particular, Connor’s shirt found its way back on again. Jillian
eventually asked “When are you going to do the final ceremony?
Tonight? A week? When?” She was wearing another perverted grin
again and Sarah flushed.

Connor rescued her again by saying “Jillian,
there are a few things I need to take care of before we go that
far.”

“What kind of things.” She was still
grinning.

“It is a secret!” He glanced at Sarah with a
wry smile.

“What secret?” Sarah asked suspiciously.
“You’re going to keep a secret from me now? Are you going to make a
habit out of this?”

“No, no. How about this then, it will be a
surprise.” Smiling her smile made her resolve falter. It always had
and now, always will.

“I just cannot say no to that smile of yours.
Can I help with anything you’re planning?” Sarah asked truthfully
while wringing her hands nervously. Connor grabbed her ankle and
immediately let go, in response to her words.

Then his brow furrowed just before his head
whipped in a new direction. “Jillian, get out of my head! I didn’t
give you permission.”

Jillian laughed, saying “You’re right, sorry
about that.”

Connor took a long look at Sarah and kept
smiling. He was thinking about something and it seemed important.
“Sarah, I will be back for you, but this will take me a month or
so.”

“You’re leaving me?” Her insecurity set in
instantly.

“Yes, but I am also going to take time off
from school. Don’t worry, it will be worth it. You’ll love what I
have planned for you. So if anyone asks where I am just tell them
that I’m out touring different colleges. Ok?”

“Ok.” Sarah said, smiling the best she
could.

He leaned in and kissed her lips again. She
wanted so much more than that, but he pulled away to say “I love
you, Princess. I’ll be back just as soon as I can.” Connor turned
to her parents, who still sat together on the loveseat. “Please
keep an eye on her while I’m away.”

“Will do, Connor.” Jillian actually saluted
him.

“You have my word.” Jack never breaks his
word when he spoke in that tone.

Connor stood and left the Branderson house
without another word. “Don’t worry, Sarah.” She looked at her
father who spoke “Whatever he is up to, I know now that he is a
good young man. He has my blessing.”

***

After waving farewell to Sarah and her
parents, Connor stepped outside their house and looked across the
street. In the driveway were two familiar vehicles. His mother’s
car parked in the garage which meant that she and Kara returned,
and Mark’s jeep sat parked on the grass.

Crossing the street, his mind ran
wild.
“I finally know what Sarah and her
family are, Balancers. Not only are they immortal, but they can
also control nature. Should I inform Mom and Kara that I showed
Sarah my secret? How about actually being engaged? Kara would get a
kick out of that or maybe she’d be too stunned to react. I can
spend eternity with a woman who accepts me wholly. How can I tell
Kara let alone Mom that I’m leaving for a month, without any
notice? Well I’d better just get it over with.”

Opening the front door of his house, Connor
spotted Kara and Mark sitting very close together on the leather
sofa, watching a movie. Then he had a revelation that since he
asked Mark to watch Kara that night, he became quite close to
Connor’s sister. He smiled inwardly.

Kara wore a bright pink blouse that fit
quite
snug
and also decided to
wear long white shorts. Mark and his spiky jet black hair and
silvery eyes wore an aquamarine t-shirt and blue jeans.

They were both watching TV when they spotted
Connor at the front door. Kara shot up off the couch and closed the
distance in an instant. “Brother, where have you been?” Mark was
still seated on the sofa and watching the scene of siblings
intently.

“I just met Sarah’s sister, Jillian and
her father, Jack.” Connor began laughing on the inside.
“Sister…ha she is going to be my future demented
mother-in-law.”

“You what?!” Kara shrieked. “Brother, that
man is mean!”

Staying calm was his only option with her.
“Kara, he is Sarah’s father and after we talked, he seemed quite
decent to be around. When he isn’t drinking that is. Now that his
family is together he isn’t frightened for his daughter’s
safety.”

She studied his face carefully. “Ok Brother.
I’ll keep an open mind, but only because you said so.” She stepped
away and sat down next to Mark again.

“Connor, I could use your assistance!” Jenny
called from the kitchen.

“Coming!” Walking into the kitchen he noticed
many of grocery bags on the kitchen counter. Since he’s the tallest
in the family, he took the hint.

Putting the last of the cereal boxes into the
top cabinet, Jenny asked “I heard you talking about being over at
Sarah’s place.” She gave him a wry grin and said “Did you enjoy
going over there?”

Connor replied “Yes I did and I enjoyed
meeting her family as well.” He kept his tone of voice even so she
wouldn’t be able to discern his excitement.