What the Heart Takes (20 page)

Her eyes moved toward the archway and into the empty dining room. He should have made it inside by now. He promised he would be right in when she and Dylan passed him on their way to the main house. But even then, she’d sensed something wrong with him. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. What few words he spoke were directed toward Dylan. The fire inside him smoldered just beneath the surface, nothing like when they’d stood on the back deck, face-to-face.

After the intense moment they shared, she thought things would change, thought he would stop fighting her on everything she said. She wished he would realize he needed to be close to her. If what he told her was true, that she was the source of his fire, it proved what she’d been saying all along. They needed to be in sync. He needed it as much as she did.

Footsteps drew her eyes back into the kitchen. Her mother approached the counter, coming to a stop beside her. Her mom grabbed the coffeepot from its warming plate. She tried to cover her yawn as she poured the dark liquid into her cup, but Heaven noticed anyway.

“You look tired, Mom. Did you not sleep well?”

“Honey, I haven’t slept well since the day you and your sisters were born. You’d be amazed at how little sleep you can survive on. Just wait until this little one gets here,” her mother chuckled, eyeing her tiny but well-rounded abdomen.

Heaven gazed at the clock on the coffee maker. Black digital numbers revealed the time. Eight-thirty a.m. It was hard to believe she’d slept for twenty hours. That didn’t include the two hours she’d snuck in before she’d awakened to Layne’s energy pulsing around her.

“I can’t believe I slept so long.”

“You were tired, sweetheart. You and the baby needed the rest. The trip home was hard on you. Thank God you left when you did.”

The words barely made it past her mother’s lips when Heaven noticed her eyes widen.

“What do you mean? Is something wrong?”

“No,” her mother chuckled again, waving off her comment as she stirred cream into her coffee. “I just meant that you’d still be traveling if you’d waited until the next day.”

Heaven forced herself to nod before taking a sip of her orange juice. Either she was turning into a paranoid person or her mother was hiding something. Given the fact that so many secrets had recently come to light, she assumed it was the latter.

She wanted to ask her mom more questions, but a swift surge of energy blazed through her, drawing her attention to the archway again. Layne stood underneath. His eyes landed on her before moving toward Dylan. Her husband was looking at him too, as was everyone else.

“It took you long enough,” Dylan said, moving his eyes back to the book.

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” Layne continued through the room. He ignored her when he passed, offering a smile to her mother instead. “The shower was a little…cold.”

“Oh, no,” her mom whispered, touching her hand to her head. “We forgot to turn on the hot water tank in the other bathroom. I’m sorry, Layne. Nicholas will get it fixed.”

Her father nodded, but Layne shook his head. “It’s okay. I think it helped wake me up.”

“Good,” Delia said as she stood from the table, motioning for Layne to join her. “You need to be alert. We have a lot to discuss.”

Layne walked toward her with cautious steps. The thump of his energy said he was just as anxious as Heaven to hear what she had to say. Yet he worried too. His responsibilities to her weighed on him. If he found out more, would he stick around and protect her? He didn’t want to be there. She knew that, knew the reason behind it was more than Faith’s presence. It was her presence too.

Once he reached the table, Delia motioned for her and her mother to join them. Her mother took slow steps across the floor until she sat beside Heaven’s father. He wrapped his arm around her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Pushing off the counter, Heaven tightened her grip on her glass and walked toward the table. Delia pointed to the spot she’d occupied beside Dylan. Heaven nodded and slid into the bench seat. The smile on Dylan’s face was welcoming, as was the heat of his body. But a greater amount of heat warmed her other side. Layne had sat beside her. She turned to look at him, noting how he hovered near the edge of the bench. It allowed a small amount of space to form between them. He still wouldn’t look her way.

Great. The awkwardness between them was increasing. It was the exact opposite of what they needed to do, but nothing she said would change his mind. He was determined to keep her at a distance.

Delia took the remaining seat beside Heaven’s parents. She stroked the rim of her coffee cup before meeting her son’s eyes. She gazed at him, then Heaven, and Layne last. “What we’re about to tell you is a lot to digest, but please don’t react to it. Keep an open mind.”

A snort resonated from Layne’s direction. “Is it too early to start drinking?”

Delia offered him a smile, but it was Dylan who responded. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

Shaking her head at both, Delia stifled a laugh. “Yes, it’s too early, but I’m glad you two are in a better mood. Hold on to every positive thing in your life, like your friendship. If there is ever a time to reconcile, it’s now. Heaven needs both of you and you both need her.”

Dylan and Layne swapped glances before their eyes made it to Heaven, though Layne’s didn’t linger for long.

It was Delia who drew his eyes back to the table. She ran her finger over the book in the center, pushing it closed. “Soulmates have existed for millenniums. Our history is so old we don’t have any record of when it began. We do know that we were created to keep the balance between good and evil. That’s why we were given abilities, to help combat the evil. We’re born in threes, or trinities. Two fortunate pairs, one unfortunate.”

“I still don’t understand why we have to have an unfortunate pair.”

The comment came from Dylan, which didn’t surprise Heaven. The fear of them being the unfortunate pair lingered in his mind, even after their discussion the day before. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t questioned it a time or two, especially with the pull she felt toward Layne, the way it encompassed her like it did at present.

“We’ve told you this before,” his mother began. “There must be an unfortunate pair to keep the balance. If not, the world would be perfect. It’s not meant to be, so the unfortunate pair provides enough chaos to keep that from happening.”

Heaven heard her mother clear her throat. “The energy we provide in this world fades over time, but it never goes away. Those who follow the dark path found a way to tap into that energy. They use it to shift the balance, gaining evil an upper hand. When evil starts to overtake the good, a Supreme Trinity is created.”

“And that’s what we are, a Supreme Trinity?” Heaven stared into her husband’s eyes as she asked the question. The pulse of his energy enveloped her, soothing her apprehension. He was starting to act like himself again, though she still worried over his earlier behavior.

Her attention drifted back to their parents, but it was her mother-in-law who nodded. Trying to keep every detail connected began to take its toll on Heaven, and they were only beginning this conversation. She’d rather have the CliffsNotes on their family history, because making sense of it all grew difficult. It didn’t help that the constant push and pull of Dylan’s and Layne’s energy made her head swim.

A brief pause of Delia’s voice alleviated the buzzing in her head. Yet the second her mother-in-law replaced her cup on the table, the tingling returned.

“Supreme soulmates are able to put the world back in balance, though the road to get there isn’t easy. It’s hard enough on regular trinities,” she paused, motioning her hand between herself and Heaven’s parents, “but a Supreme Trinity encounters bigger trials.”

The warmth of Dylan’s hand heated hers as he joined them under the table.

“Why?”

“Trials bring fortunate soulmates together. They make mistakes, but through these mistakes they learn how much they need each other. Their bond strengthens, their love grows deeper, and the balance begins to shift back to where it needs to be.”

Heaven shuddered at the thought of what trials she and Dylan would face. They’d already faced a few that came close to tearing them apart. Yet despite the pain they’d endured during those instances, she loved him more than ever—sensed the same in his soul. Still, something said their trials were far from over. How many more would they face before the balance shifted back?

Dylan must have noticed her trembling. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. She lost herself in his spicy scent, allowing it to soothe the uneasiness growing in her soul.

He gave her a kiss on her temple then redirected his attention to his mother. “You mentioned something about a prophecy, that it’s the reason my dad wants to kill Heaven.”

“The prophecy speaks of the Supreme Trinity and their return, which happened to be the year you and Heaven were born. Your father knew about the prophecy and how the Supremes would bring back the balance. He also knew that the Supremes would have the ability to bring back those who have fallen from the path of light.”

“I don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head as his eyes flitted between his mother and Heaven’s parents. “Why did he think it would be us? We can’t be the only soulmates born that year.”

“You weren’t,” her mother added, reopening the book in front of her. She swept through several pages, finally stopping on one. “There are thousands of soulmates born every twenty-second year. However, the prophecy says the Supremes will be born to the eldest houses. Our families belong to those houses.”

The more her mother talked, the more Heaven’s head buzzed. The fate of the world lay in the hands of the Supremes, which meant it lay in her hands, if what they were saying was true. “How do you know it’s me and not Hope or Faith?”

“For two reasons,” her mom interjected, “Supremes are normally the firstborn. It was also predicted that Nate’s son would marry the most powerful Seeker our kind has ever known. They would have the greatest love of all, a love powerful enough to save mankind, but a love that powerful draws misery.”

“What kind of misery?” Layne’s voice filled the air this time. He kept his focus on her mom, even when Dylan glanced his way. His energy pulsed with confusion, but mostly, fear.

“No one knows for sure,” she answered, her eyes lowering to her lap. “It’s different for every trinity, but whatever it is, it will cause them a great amount of grief.”

The words affected Layne the way Heaven feared they would. His heart, once beating a normal rhythm, shifted to a fast-paced thump. Guilt consumed him, guilt that had him coming to his feet, putting plenty of distance between them.

“I guess I have my work cut out for me,” he mumbled, trying to hide how much the news bothered him.

“Yes, Layne, you do.” Her mother watched him move across the floor, “But you wouldn’t have been born into this role if you didn’t have the ability to keep Heaven safe. Do not doubt yourself.”

Layne snorted, mumbling something about it being easier said than done. The heels of his boots clicked against the floor as he made his way toward the counter. He wasn’t coming back to the table, not anytime soon. The moment he passed the coffeepot, he pressed his hands over the sink and leaned his weight on his arms. His eyes focused on the window in front of him.

It was as Heaven feared. This new information proved too much for him. He had plenty of reasons to abandon her and his duties. Could a Keeper leave his Seeker? Nate left her mother, but he didn’t have a choice. Layne did. If he chose to leave her, would he be okay, or would he follow in Nate’s footsteps?

She pulled her eyes from him, casting them in Delia’s direction. She wanted to ask her mother-in-law those same questions, but Dylan didn’t give her a chance. He held her close and gazed at her as if it were the last time he’d ever see her. All the worry and confusion building in his soul resonated in his sigh when he faced their parents again.

  “So why does my dad want Heaven dead? What will her death accomplish?”

“Besides satisfying a sick vendetta?” Her father grumbled the words, gaining her mother’s attention. She curled her fingers around his arm, stroking a small section with her thumb. They didn’t say anything else. They didn’t need to when they could have their own
private
conversation.

Delia offered her a tight-lipped smile then shifted her attention to Dylan. The weight of her ex-husband’s actions would always weigh on her mind. Yet Heaven sensed a twinge of guilt as well. “Heaven’s death will keep chaos prevailing. If she is gone, the power of your love is gone. There will be nothing to save mankind from the destruction The Fallen cause.”

“What is The Fallen?” he asked.

“Not a what, but who. The Fallen are the Seekers and Keepers who turn to the dark path. Those of us who remain on the path of light are known as Oracles. As a whole, we are known as The Psi.”

“So The Fallen want me dead because I will shift the balance back to good?”

“The higher-ranking Fallen do,” Delia nodded, averting her eyes to the book on the table. “You’re not like other Seekers, Heaven. You’re a beacon of light and energy. With the amount of energy you possess, souls are drawn to you. It’s why The Fallen have a hard time resisting you. Their souls still yearn for the good that is in your energy. They get a rush from it.” She flipped through the pages of the book, at least a hundred of them, before she stopped and pressed her finger on one. “I believe you are what is known as an Igniter. You not only feel energy and read energy, you increase the energy of those around you. This explains why you have Clairsentience. All Igniters have at least two of the ‘clair’ abilities—clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, clairtangency, and clairempathy. We know you definitely have clairempathy, thanks to my son.”

“Wait a second,” Dylan said, as his hand warmed the skin just below Heaven’s navel. “You also said the baby is clairvoyant. Does that mean it will be an Igniter?”

“No. Igniters haven’t walked the earth in millennia. They are the most rare of all Seekers. The likelihood of two appearing within the same century is impossible.”