Derive (7 page)

“You were happy with him,” she stated firmly. “I saw it. He was with you in those visions. Did you not see him with you?”

I didn’t, and I didn’t want to tell her that because right now I wanted to be here and not worried about what could happen. So, I simply smiled. “You must be starving.”

I led her into the dining hall. Every head turned when we walked in that room. I wasn
’t sure if they were more surprised to see her or me there.

I kept my arm around her and a cold stare on Camlin as he lurked near the doors. Fury was in his dejected gaze. Every time he saw her or me laugh, each time he saw me lean in to take in her ivory scent, that fury glistened in his beady eyes.

My grandfather beckoned me across the room to his study doors. I went to tell him no, but then Seneca came to my side and urged me on, silently ensuring that she would stay with Skylynn.

Tarek was standing behind his desk with a long, beautiful wooden box before him.

“What is this?”

“It just arrived for you. Obviously, your parents have heard of this day
’s events.”

I felt my gut clench. It had been years since I had spoken to either of them. That was my will, not theirs. I had this insane idea that I needed to be free of my bonds before I approached them again.

Tarek handed me a letter that was written in my mother’s classic, deeply slanted style. I read the words over and over. She spoke of a dream she’d had of me the previous night, how the dream reminded her of a dream she’d had when she was just a girl. A fleeting vision.

My mother did not have the same gift as my grandfather and I, at least not in the same sense. She often dreamed of a past or woke with desires to do something immediately to change her course, or the courses of others.

My mother’s words said that she did not understand what was approaching but that she worried for me. That no matter what, she wanted me to have peace and she felt that I would see the end before the beginning. She urged me not to doubt my path, not to call on reason, but instead to do as my soul felt pulled to do.

I curiously opened the box; inside on a silk cloth was a violin. The wood gleamed, even in the low light of Tarek
’s study.

“That was hers, when she was just a girl,” he said with an admiring grin. I could see memories flooding the energy around him. “When she carried you and you grew from an infant to a boy, she played it to comfort you, to ease you into sleep.”

“Why did she give this to me?” I asked, feeling my heart pound, knowing without a doubt in some future this would be Skylynn’s instrument of choice.

“This is a marked gift, son. It is saturated in your energy, the innocent energy you had before you understood what was spoken over you. It carries who you are and where you came from. Your mother is trying to protect you.” I clenched my jaw, not understanding the silent message. “And she is wise, for she knows if the one you share your soul with is protected, then therefore you are as well.”

My eyes rose to meet his. “How revealing am I now? Do you know that it is taking everything I have not to rush this gift from this room and hand it to Skylynn, someone that was blind to me before this day?”

“Blind, but not truly absent. I cannot see your sacred moments, son. But heed my words: If she is cut from your soul and you have been here all this time, and just now this day she descends among us…one must wonder what lessons she was given, who took the time to guide her. One must understand that very few loves are intertwined such as thee. You are meant for greatness. So is she. And on your path to that point, you will fall in and out of glory. When you think you are at your weakest point, know that you are only growing stronger.”

I had no words for him. Only one nod.

“I will have this sent to your room. Perhaps now you would wish to show her how to feel this music.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice to return to Skylynn.

I found her staring at the small orchestra that played in the hall at the last meal of the day.

I reached for her hand. Her eyes grew wide with curiosity, not knowing what I wanted her to do. No one else was dancing, but I didn’t care.

In front of everyone, I knelt down and removed the heels on her feet once more, then gracefully pulled her to the floor.

There had to be at least two hundred others in the room, but as far as I was concerned there was not another soul in existence.

I placed her arm on my shoulder, pulled her waist to me, then clasped her hand. She smiled innocently up at me.

We moved to the music, stumbling on each other’s toes more than once. Instead of finding embarrassment in that, we laughed. Oh God, her laugh; it pulled at my soul. It was an act that I had not seen in those visions, one that I managed to create on my own, in this time. It gave me confidence that I could protect her from the torment I’d seen her endure.

Her eyes were gleaming. Songs went by before anyone decided to join us on the floor, and even when they did they kept their distance. I felt their stares, so did Skylynn, but we didn
’t care.

“I love this,” she said as she reached to touch my dimple, one that was more defined than the other.

“Do you?”

She grinned as a warm sound came from her throat. “When you play, when you feel the beat, you press your lips together and that dimple comes to life. It punctuates your emotion, your passion.”

A shy, flushed smile came to me. In those visions, playing the drums was a vice, a coping mechanism of sorts. Passion, that was felt when we held each other, when we surrendered ourselves to each other.

“What?” she asked with a smile, one that almost made me think she was reading my mind.

“My head is just not in the right place.”

She let her shoulders fall slightly. “Your mind takes you from where you are often?” she asked with a lifted brow.

“That, it does.”

“Mine, too.”

“Where are you now?”

“In some future.”

“Tell me what it looks like,” I whispered into her ear, causing her to sigh in my arms and my body to tense. I was all too aware of every reaction her body gave mine.

Now she was the one blushing. “There is a balance.”

“What else?”

“Us. No worries. Just us.”

“Are we happy there?” I asked as I brushed my lips across her forehead.

I felt her hands clutch my back. “I
’m so happy that I strive to make sure no one feels what we had to endure. I protect them.
We
do.”

“You protect them because you
’re fierce, right? Because you are not going to let anyone hurt you? You’re a fighter, a stubborn, passionate fighter.”

“You
’re not trying to change me now, are you?” she said with a wry smile.

I pressed her against me. “I
’m trying to unveil you. I’m telling you that I never want anyone to take advantage of the innocence I see in you.” I leaned into her ear. “I want to be the only one that knows your innocence.”

I felt her body melt against mine and heard a near panting breath in response. I smiled into her hair. “I love how you feel my simplest words.”

The song shifted to one that only a violin played; the music made her skin hum. My first instinct to give her the gift my mother had given me had not wavered. This song only intensified that desire.

Once the song ended, I leaned into her ear. “I want to give you something…something that holds my innocence, that will protect you in my absence.”

Her skin blushed to the point where I no longer had to question where her gown began and her skin was hidden. That was when I realized how my words could have been misunderstood, especially since we had been teasing each other with words and lingering touches. I bit my lip before I spoke. “It’s a tangible gift, I swear.”

I could have sworn I saw disappointment in her eyes, which was my cue to get us out of the public eye before we managed to forget we were not alone.

I took her hand and began to lead her to the doorway. When we reached the hall, out of habit my gaze moved to the doorways that led to The Fall. Guilt for Cashton and his sister busted the haze of euphoria I had been hiding within. I’d been lost in Skylynn’s arms as they endured God knows what on that side.

“Go and check on them,” she whispered.

In such a short amount of time, she had already learned to read me. She knew I was cautious about having her near that Fall but that I felt my honor and duty calling me.

“I
’ll stand right here. I’ll wait.”

I hated this sensation, being pulled between two points. I knew where I wanted to be, what I wanted to do, but I could not suppress the guilt or worry.

“I’ll just be a moment. I only want an update from my men.” I brushed my lips across hers, hearing her sigh. “I can’t wait to give you the gift I have for you.” A shy smile was the only response she gave me.

I vanished from her side, appearing at the shore. Even through the night, this sea glowed, this Fall shined.

I walked the path of the crests that were in place, ensuring they were still intact.

Lorecan came to my side as I rose from Guardian
’s crest.

“There is still no sign of Cashton,” he said to me solemnly.

All along the shore, there were Allurest sitting in deep meditation. Their bodies may have been present, but their souls were soaring through this universe, trying to find one of our own.

“And his sister?”

“Witnesses are still lingering near her, closer now than ever.”

I clenched my jaw.

“That troubles you?” he asked, somewhat surprised.

Yep, it did. If they
’re that close, then they see a mounting tension. “Continue keeping watch. Tell whoever is on post tonight to move into meditation to aid the Allurest,” I ordered.

Lorecan smiled easily at me as his stare moved over me. “I don
’t think in my wildest dreams I would have ever imagined you with this much ease about you,” he said to me.

“Not at ease. Not until this is over.” I gave him a sharp nod and turned to leave.

I manifested at the doorway to the hall I’d left Skylynn in.

Rage consumed me then.

Chapter Six

She was against the wall, her arms back, her head to the side as if she could not bear to look forward. Camlin was leaning into her with a malicious scowl on his face. Before I could move there, a bolt of energy escaped her and flung him back; he hit the opposite wall with enough force to crack the marble, then all at once a ray of light opened and pulled him in.

I was already at her side, pulling her to me. She fought and struggled before she saw that it was me, then she began to shake; not crying, but on the verge.

The fierce noise, the sound of Camlin
’s roar as he vanished, had caused others to appear in the hall, a mix of Allurest and The Selected.

“What happened?” I said as I pulled her chin so that I could see into her eyes. “What did he say to you?” I seethed.

My fury only made her tremble.

“He, he said that he knew I was evil, that I was vile. He said that he was going to throw you into The Fall, that he was going to seal it and close you in forever. I would be his.”

She stared at the wall Camlin had vanished from. “I just wanted him away. That is all I thought. I didn’t mean to hurt him. I didn’t.”

I pulled her against my chest and rocked her from side to side.

Tarek had been called to the hall. One of the Allurest had reached through that line of light that was still lingering in the air, fading ever so slowly.

She never spoke to Tarek. She didn
’t have to; he could read her energy, what she assumed to be true.

“What did she see?” I asked him with a nod to the Allurest that was still inspecting the now all but faded ray of light.

Tarek looked down in his fatherly way at Skylynn. “She sent him home.”

A sinful smile emerged on my lips, one that matched that of everyone in that hall. Karma. I loved Karma. Skylynn didn
’t do anything that we had not all thought of doing ourselves.

“I
’m sure he will begin his journey back to us soon. I have no doubt that by that time, this confusion will be settled. Secured.”

Meaning I would have Skylynn hidden with the Falcons by then. The Hermetic would be fools to oppose them. Yet, I knew anger rarely revealed a clear path to the foolish.

“Rest now,” Tarek said with a nod to me to move on.

It was the first time he had ever dismissed me. The first time I
’d wanted to be dismissed.

My only response to him was vanishing from his side with Skylynn in my arms.

The second she realized we were in my quarters, she let a sigh out. “He’s going to hurt you,” she said as she reached for my face. “He’s going to imprison you over there.”

“He is not foolish enough—or brave enough—to try. I promise.”

She didn’t believe me. I knew why. She had seen the path before her, the effects before the cause. She was searching for the cause, and you always find what you are searching for. No doubt, in her mind Camlin was who she thought would divide us.

“It won
’t happen that way. I won’t let it. The Falcons will keep you safe.”

“It
’s not me I’m worried about. It’s you. It’s this twisted idea that you have that you must destroy your twin. I know it’s false.”

I looked away, not wanting to fight that thought out. I could not undo the intent that had been branded into me for so long. Not that easily.

“Aden, I swear to you, I recognize all of the energy on that shore. The guitars, the crest you keep checking, all of them. I recognized them because in those visions they were with us. In those visions, I saw an image of you that did not carry your energy—it was standing next to yours. Even on that stage, it was standing with you. That man that gave me those visions meant it, we are a solution; to what I don’t know, but every fiber in my soul is telling me that you have been plotted against, you have been tricked, and that boy, the one that said those awful things, will ensure that you remain fooled. He will use any weakness he can to stop what is already set in motion.”

“Camlin is weak, a parasite, an angry little man that only knows how to stomp his foot when he
’s angry.”

“He
’s more than that. I know he is. I felt evil in those visions. I felt evil attack me in those waters, but I swear to you he is colder than all of them. He’s death.”

I reached to caress her face. “He will not hurt me. Even if he managed to get past my men, my grandfather, I could take him down without a thought. I
’m not boasting. I’m just telling you that the Hermetic Realm does not practice the mysticism we use here. They rarely use vim to move them, to protect them. He is unpracticed in the strengths that are instilled in me, the ones that rush through my veins by birthright.”

I smiled shyly as I moved closer to her and gently let the back of my hand glide down her arm. “Besides, nothing can stop a man who is fighting for someone he can
’t live without.”

“Can
’t you see? He already has,” she whispered as she slowly let her eyes fall to my lips.

“I see a past that has not happened, one that we will change.”

I took in a sharp breath, telling myself to stop my caress of her skin. I wanted to give her that gift. I wanted her to see that even those that I had been estranged from felt her coming, felt this bond.

My eyes searched my quarters, looking for that box. I moved away from her, searching from room to room. I was certain that Tarek had forgotten to send the box up until I spotted it on my bed. I playfully shook my head as I thought of him surely smiling when he told whomever where to place this.

Right as I picked it up and turned to go back to the sitting room, I felt Skylynn’s energy spill into the air. My body tensed all at once as I realized how alone we were, how compromising this situation could be. I cleared my throat and told my body to behave as I turned to face her.

Her gaze fell to my hands, to the box that seemed to vibrate with raw energy.

I smiled shyly, then set it back down on my bed and opened the latches.

“My mother, she does not see words as I do, but she dreams. Her dreams often predict a path, a direction, or even a source of protection.” I cleared my throat. “This was hers. She played this as she carried me, when I was just a child.”

Skylynn had gracefully approached the bed; her eyes were wide, her lips trembling. In her energy, I could see her recalling the images she had witnessed before. She saw herself playing an instrument just like this.

I gently picked it up and placed it in her hands. She closed her eyes for a second, breathed in, and without a glance she said,
“My emerald love, worry for not, for the music whispers your sacred path and eases the soul’s struggles.”
She then turned it over and traced her hands over an inscription.

Skylynn spoke those words as if she had read them a thousand times over. I read them to myself over and over, trying to remember if I had ever seen this small, nearly hidden text before. I hadn
’t. I knew I hadn’t. You could clearly see that the inscription was far newer than the instrument itself.

My mother
’s words. I was her emerald love; that was what she said as she traced my eyes each night when I was a boy.

I didn
’t know what emotion to clasp onto at that moment. Fear wanted to emerge, excitement was a close second, but more than anything bliss was in the air. Each moment that I moved forward with this girl, logic found the proof it craved. No, it was not logical that she knew what was written there, that my mother knew to send this, that this instrument had somehow brought us even closer in this moment of time, yet it seemed to offer proof.

“Play for me,” I whispered as I moved her long, lavender hair off her shoulder and kissed the tender skin of her nape. She let out a sultry sigh.

“I don’t know how,” she responded in a whisper.

I stood behind her and carefully placed the instrument to her shoulder, the bow in her other hand.

“You do,” I said as my hands moved to glide down her sides. I could feel the flame of her skin under that silk, and it was driving me mad to have this much control around her. To not claim her as mine, forever mine.

Just as I brushed my lips across her shoulder, she began to play. At first, the sound was crude; loud, then near silent.

“This is a part of your soul that I would never want to forget. This is what I know will give you strength, will give you the courage to stand up for yourself…it will be your companion if there is ever to be an absence from me.”

As I spoke, her body lost all of its tension and she began to play. She played with the skill of an artist that had thirsted over this passion for more time than could be remembered.

I moved to stand before her, to watch her command this sound. Her eyes were closed, her lips just barely apart, her body moving to the sound as if they were one.

I was envious of that music, of how close it was to her, how at one with her it seemed to be. I found myself easing onto the edge of the bed, lost in the trance of her.

Songs later, she let the bow moan across the strings once more before she opened her eyes and found me staring at her. She swallowed nervously as she lowered the instrument.

“How do you feel?” I asked in a husky voice.

“Connected.”

I grinned, and her eyes moved to the more predominant dimple of mine.

She carefully placed the violin in the case beside me. I reached for her arm, letting my thumb caress her wrist ever so slowly.

“Do you trust me?” I asked, surprised at how broken and deep my voice sounded.

“You are the only one I trust.”

I pulled her to me and gently laid her down. My fingertips traced her beautiful face. “Out of all those visions we saw today, I never saw us surrender ourselves to each other.”

Her brow creased. The very first images had shown us locked in passion, a passion that was so heated that it stirred my body just thinking about it. She didn’t understand what I was saying, and I had no idea how to explain it.

“I never saw our souls intertwine, I never saw us merge as one…our energy collide.”

Her eyes grew wider.

Lust was for the flesh. It was for lovers, too, but soul-to-soul was for those that were made of one; it is a practice that binds souls. If the souls are not indeed made of one, the act will feel empty, barely mock the sensation of meditating. But if they are one, there is not a word to describe the sensation felt in the mind, body, and soul.

Or so I’ve been told.

This act empowers the souls. It reunites them. It is felt long after the souls divide once again.

I wasn’t asking her to do this because I wanted proof she was mine; she knew that. I was asking her to let us do this so I would never be away from her, not completely. I could logically argue that we needed to do this in case we did part, but there was no logic in this desire of mine. I wanted to feel her soul against mine, to truly become one with her.

I feathered my lips across her cheek, feeling her lashes brush against my face. “We can wait,” I whispered.

Her chest rose and fell softly. “Lead me there.”

She lay utterly still beside me, relaxing her mind.

“Fall deep into your mind, so deep that you feel only your soul, so that it will rise. Let go, surrender to the pull.”

Part of my everyday routine was deep meditation, twice a day on the spot from where I would one day leave. I knew how to fall back quickly. I knew how to let go. I knew how to raise my soul from my body, my essence, and I could do so within moments. So, I had time to usher her into this deep state.

My fingertips started at the crown of her head, gently tracing every angelic feature of her face. They slid down and innocently explored her. Though it was tempting, I yielded from turning this into an experience of the flesh; there would be time for that later. I only lightly brushed her chest, her thighs. I knew when she didn’t blush that she was drifting, that my touch was calming her. Long moments went by, moments I used to know her body as well as I knew her lips. All at once, I felt her gaze just behind me. Her soul had risen from her vessel.

I laid back and stared up at her, at the glow around her. She was a vision, so enticing that I wished I had calmed my mind long before that moment. I knew my stare was hungry, that my body did not want to be put to rest so my soul could rise. It wanted her as much as the rest of me.

She glided toward me and crawled alongside me. When her fingertips started at my brow, when I felt her energy in its raw form against my skin, a deep groan that no willpower in the universe could hold back escaped my throat. I raised my chin and bowed my back. Next to me, her body, deep in meditation, sighed.

Her fingertips traced my eyes, caressed my lips, moved to my chest, my arms, exploring me just as diligently as I explored her. She moved at a slow, sensual pace, one that would lead you to believe that we had an eternity to lose ourselves inside each other.

I closed my eyes and fought with my body, finally winning. My soul rose, and the first vision I saw was her soul exploring my body. Her eyes were filled with a sense of wonder, devotion, and the same hunger I felt.