Richard stepped in, “Long story short, we
called a truce. The war is over.”
After taking a second to process the
information, she said, “That’s good.” Her mind felt fuzzy. She
figured she would feel better after some coffee and food. The bacon
tasted so good she felt like she could eat a plate full. She downed
three cups of coffee.
Her mother was concerned. She reached over to
place a hand to Keegan’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”
Surprised, Keegan pulled away, wrinkling her
nose. “I feel fine just a little cold and still tired. Why is
everyone coddling me?”
“What is the last thing you remember about
yesterday?” Emerald asked her softly.
Keegan thought that was an odd question to
ask. Concentrating, she thought back. “I remember Donald almost
dying and you saved him. How is he?”
Taking a deep breath, her mother moved closer
and put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “There is something we
need to tell you.”
“Okay, what is going on and why is everyone
acting so strangely?”
“As we were walking away from the battle
after healing Donald, you were struck by an arrow.”
Snapping her head towards, her mother she
said, “I was what?”
“You have been unconscious for over
twenty-four hours. Keegan, the arrow went through your heart and
killed you.”
Keegan looked at her mother as if she had
lost her mind. “What in the world are you talking about? Dad, is
there something wrong with mom?”
Staring at her with a look that could only be
described as empathy, he said, “She is telling the truth. Anna’s
mother brought you back to life.”
Standing up quickly, Keegan knocked over the
chair, trying to wrap her mind around what they were saying. “You
can only be brought back from the dead with black magic. Are you
saying that Anna’s mother is a dark witch?”
“She is not a dark witch, but her grandmother
was and taught her spells. We are very grateful that you were given
a second chance at life.” Her father watched her carefully as if he
was afraid of her reaction.
“How long was I dead?” The sound of disbelief
was still there. She half expected them to tell her it was a
practical joke.
“Only a few moments or at least that is how
it seemed. Anna’s mother appeared and was chanting, and the next
thing we knew your eyes opened,” Richard told her, rubbing a hand
over his forehead without looking at her.
“Keegan, do you recall anything during the
time you were passed out?” Her mother was looking at her curiously
like she was some kind of science experiment. If Keegan hadn’t felt
so weird and out of sorts, she probably would have been mad.
“I had a dream. I was in a field of flowers,
I felt free and happy. A tiger was with me.”
Rourk flinched. “Keegan, do you really not
know who I am?”
She stared at him trying to feel a tinge of
recognition, but she felt nothing. He was cute though, that was for
sure.
“Should I know you?”
Rourk inhaled sharply closing his eyes he sat
back in the chair. “I am your chosen.”
“That’s impossible. We cannot meet our chosen
until we are 18.”
Emerald was deeply concerned. “Keegan, he is
telling the truth. Under unusual circumstances you met early. You
even spent a weekend with him at a cabin with your father and
I.”
Okay, this was getting weirder and weirder.
Maybe she was still dreaming. As if her parents would allow her to
spend a weekend with a guy. “I asked you how Donald was doing, and
no one has told me.”
Rourk got up and walked out of the tent. He
had to get out of there before he lost control. He felt like
throwing things and screaming at the top of his lungs. He wished
the battle was still on; he felt a deep need to destroy anything
and everything in his path.
Calm down,
he told himself.
Don’t let your emotions take control of
your mind
. He knew he had to take a step back.
Thaddeus walked out of the tent and joined
Rourk. He stood silently beside him, not knowing what to say.
***
They packed up their belongings and headed
back home. Normally, they would have stayed and traveled while they
were in Ireland, but they felt the need to get Keegan home. They
hoped that once she was back in her own environment she would feel
better.
Once back in her room, Keegan laid on her
bed, staring at the ceiling. It was too much to digest. She had
spent a weekend with a guy she didn’t remember? Looking over at her
camera laying innocuously on her desk, she jumped up. If she had
gone away for a weekend there had to be pictures. She scrolled
through her latest photos and what she saw made her feel sick to
her stomach. There were tons of photos of an apparently amazing
weekend that she had no memory of. She looked so happy. There were
several goofy ones of them where she must have used her self-timer
to take them. It was obvious they were crazy about each other. So
why couldn’t she remember him? Ever since she was a child she had
dreamed of meeting her chosen mate. She had woven fairy tales in
her head of how perfect their life would be.
When she looked at Rourk, she had felt
nothing. There was no connection or the chemistry she’d been
promised. The pictures were proof that there once were a lot of
feelings between them. She wondered if it was possible for it to
come back or if it was gone for good and what he must be feeling.
It had to be frustrating for him.
More than anything on Keegan’s mind, she
couldn’t stop wondering one thing:
Why did she keep thinking
about Donald?
Keegan unpacked her things, her mind on the
photos of the weekend she supposedly spent with Rourk. She wished
she could remember him and the weekend at the cabin from before the
trip to Ireland; a trip that had changed her life and erased her
memories of him. The two of them had looked so happy. So in love.
As she picked up the pile of dirty clothes to toss into the
laundry, a piece of paper fell out, drifting lazily to the
floor.
She stared at it a moment, an inoffensive
square of paper lying in the dusty evening sunshine. Curious, she
reached down and picked it up, her brow furrowed over her bright
blue-green eyes. She opened it, smoothing the creases, and read
Keegan, I am sorry I
could not spend your special day with you. I will make it up to
you. Forever Yours, Rourk
First the pictures and then the note;
undeniable proof that she did, at one time, have a relationship
with Rourk.
Keegan sighed, dropping the laundry to the
floor without a thought as she flopped onto her back on the bed.
Her pillow still smelled like her shampoo, despite the fact she had
been gone for just over a week. The cool October breeze ruffled the
sheer purple curtains at her window, making her shiver. She could
smell the pine trees from the forest. It was so good to be
home.
A thought struck her, and she leapt to her
feet, rushing to her desk to grab her phone. It was laying in the
square of light from her bendy desk lamp, between her camera and a
couple of school books. She quickly scrolled through the list of
contacts and was annoyed to find Rourk’s number was not on it.
Strange.
Why
wouldn’t they have texted if they’d already met?
Before she could talk herself out of it, she
sent her father a text and asked for Rourk’s number.
***
Rourk was miserable.
He hadn’t bothered turning on the lights in
his austere bedroom before he fell onto the bed, not even taking
time to remove his boots. Staring at the ceiling with his hands
under his head, Rourk couldn’t stop thinking about Keegan.
The battle in the fight for his kind was over
but it seemed yet another had only just begun. He couldn’t possibly
accept the fact that his relationship with his Chosen was over
before it really began. There was no one else for him. Keegan was
the only one.
He had to win her back.
Running his options through his head, he
realized there were only two. He could do nothing and hope Keegan’s
feelings for him would return without any prompting, or he could
take the human route and try to win her affections. He was not one
to sit around and do nothing so obviously it had to be option
two.
His phone went off on the nightstand and he
reached over to grab it, flipping it open. It was a text from
Keegan:
I’m sorry I
don’t remember you. I was looking at my photos and it looks like we
had a gr8 weekend.
Rourk sat up in bed, staring at the screen
that held her message. His heart beat just a bit faster as he
wracked his brain for the right words. The fact she had reached out
to him first gave him hope.
Finally, he texted back:
It was the best weekend of my life.
Would you like to go on a date this weekend?
Her response was almost instantaneous.
A date? What did you
have in mind?
Rourk dropped his phone to the bed and
groaned, shoving both hands through his hair as he stood. Glancing
around his room, he hoped for sudden inspiration, trying to think
of something to say that didn’t sound lame. He paced a couple
steps, hating how awkward he felt. It had been much easier when the
bond was there and no thought was required. But he knew anything
worthwhile took effort, and Keegan was worth it.
He walked back and away from the bed three
times before he finally picked up his phone and tapped out his
response:
I know
it’s not original, but how does dinner and a movie
sound?
Almost as soon as it left his screen, she
answered:
GR8 :
)
I’ll pick you up Friday at 6. Goodnight.
Night.
Texting was going to take some getting used
to. Rourk wondered how she texted so much and so fast. Before the
great battle, when he was watching her to keep her safe, she was
always attached to her phone. In his opinion, picking up the phone
and having an actual conversation would be easier.
The things you do for love,
he
thought, grinning.
He could do this. After all, he was a fierce
battle warrior.
***
Back in her room, Keegan laid her phone back
down with a smile.
This could be fun; after all, he was
cute.
***
It was strange for her to go back to school
after so much had happened. She had battled and she had
died
!
How does a girl go
back to normal after that?
Walking through the front doors of the school
felt surreal. Her classmates mingled at their lockers, chatting and
laughing like average students and Keegan felt so disconnected. She
was nearly positive they’d never taken part in a battle or watched
men and women die in the fight for their race.
They had never killed others to save
themselves.
Keegan’s brother, Thaddeus, had filled her in
on the outcome of the battle, so she was aware now that many of her
friends were also creatures of the light. They weren’t elves, but
they weren’t human either. She wasn’t sure if she felt relieved by
that fact or upset. She had liked thinking she was the only special
one among all the humans.
Walking down the fluorescent-lit hall, Keegan
felt as if everyone was staring at her, but she convinced herself
it was all in her head. She was self-conscious, absently smoothing
her auburn hair and tugging at the hem of her school skirt as she
tried to be invisible. When she got to her locker, she was happy to
see things looked as they always did and for the first time since
she arrived at school, she felt like herself.
Lauren, Anna, and Katie were gathered, books
in hand while they gossiped, and the boys were messing around as
usual. Keegan couldn’t help but steal a glance at Donald as she
walked by, and noticed his eyes were on her as well. They both
laughed and looked away, Keegan’s face flushing. Was it just her
imagination or had he gotten even hotter since she saw him last? He
was tall and lean with a runners build, and his orange hair was
just so cute standing up all over the place, the craziness
punctuated by the fact his white Oxford shirt wasn’t buttoned
right. His eyes were a crazy blue. What was she thinking?
Forget about Donald,
he’s not even interested in you.
Keegan had managed to run late for school. No
sooner than she had opened her mouth to greet her friends, the bell
was ringing to signal the start of classes. “We’ll talk later,”
Anna told her as Keegan pouted. Her best friend was rocking her
individuality with a purple and lime green striped scarf over her
school sweater, and white tights with purple polka dots. Her
pretty, oval face was perfectly made up with shimmery lavender eye
shadow and pale pink lip gloss, her cat-like eyes lined with
silver. Keegan leaned to give her a quick hug before she ran off to
class.
“It’s good to see you,” Lauren agreed,
squeezing Keegan’s arm affectionately. Keegan noticed her friend
had gotten her long, dark hair cut; not much, but just noticeable
to where her curls landed a little higher on her torso. She was in
her cheerleading uniform, her long legs still tanned from the
summer. “We’ll meet you at lunch.” Katie gave her a shy wave as
they headed away.
Homeroom passed in a blur. Mrs. Harris had to
repeat her name three times at the beginning of class during
attendance. The student seated next to her, a slight girl with
mocha-colored skin and huge, dark eyes, had to elbow Keegan to wake
her from her thoughts.
Donald cornered her in the hall before first
period so they could talk in private. “I never got a chance to
thank you for saving my life,” he said. He looked down as if he
were embarrassed, the toe of one of his Chucks scuffing the
floor.