Treasured Secrets (Coveted Saga #1) (The Coveted Saga) Page 17

Tears were pouring out faster than I could wipe them away. "Quit fighting! I don't care why you think I want you. I know why I want you. It's more than your immortality or our magic. And it's much more than some stupid link!

  "It's the way you smile when I talk. It's the way I feel when I'm sleeping beside you. It's the way I feel when you're waiting on me outside with coffee in the mornings. It's the way you stare me in the eyes, and I know you're the only person in the world for me. I was so sure you felt the same way."

  He wouldn't even look at me when he spoke again. I could hear him clearing his throat so as not to choke up.

  "I know it feels like that, but I know what I'm talking about. Your mind will change; the way you feel for me will change. It's going to kill me as it is. I don't want to make this any worse than it's already going to be. I've been so selfish by letting your human emotions affect me.

  "We're drawn to mortals, too, and the feelings they have. You can love and lose, and then love again. It's not that way for us. I've been around for many years. I was glad to feel free to care the way you did. Until you, I didn't even know how much I yearned to feel connected to someone - real or not. But if you waste the rest of your mortal life with me, you'll regret squandering the chance to be with whoever you choose while you can still choose.

  "The reason a soul mate bond is so strong is so that magic can carry on. It's not a bad thing once you've found it, but until you do, it's a lonely road. I can't let you give up your opportunity to choose while you still can. You'd never forgive me, and I'd never forgive myself."

  Tears flooded my face furiously now. It was almost hard to breathe. I felt as if I was going to hyperventilate. "I choose you. I choose everything about you. If you don't think I can love you later, then just let me love you now, because I do love you ."

  He had tears flickering on the edge of his eyelids, trying to fall. He wouldn't blink in order to keep them from doing so. "I can't do this to you. I care about you too much. I want things to stay the way they are. In my world, there is more to love than just love. You can't help it."

  I took a deep breath. I was hurt and mad. I was so confused and embarrassed. "They can't stay the same. I want you, and I just told you I love you. If you don't want me that way, then you should go."

  "Aria, please." His tone pleaded for me not to do this. I regretted ever saying anything.

  I lowered my voice, letting anger slither away to leave me alone with my pain and humiliation. "I can't right now. I can't pretend like I didn't just try to give you my heart completely. I can't pretend this isn't unimaginably painful. I can't pretend that it's easy to be with you right now. Just go, please. I need some time to process all of this."

  My voice was barely a whisper by the end. I couldn't look at him anymore. It hurt too much.

  "Aria, I never meant to hurt you. That's what I'm trying not to do."

  I put a hand in the air and turned my head away to stop him from talking. There was nothing he could say right now to make it okay that he wouldn't even consider that I might be his soul mate. I was just a dumb mortal to him. He was the dumb one though. I knew I was right. I just didn't have the strength to keep fighting at that moment.

  "I know you didn't mean to, but you did just hurt me. Please... go," I whispered.

  I turned around, facing away from him. Then I heard the swish of wind blowing out the window. I walked over to the same window and watched him drive away. He blazed out of the driveway. I could hear the squealing of tires for miles. At least I didn't have to worry about him dying in a car wreck.

  I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Arisianna?" It was Jaslene. "Honey, are you okay? I saw, and heard Tallis leave. What happened?"

  As she made her way over to me, I fought back the fresh onslaught of tears.

  "I told him I loved him and he didn't feel the same way. He said my mortal feelings clouded both of our minds. Then he proceeded to tell me I needed to enjoy the rest of the mortal time I have and love other people."

  I started sobbing uncontrollably as she sat down beside me on the bed and wrapped her arms around me. She kissed my head and began rocking me slightly, as a mother tends to do when her child is hurting.

  "Oh, honey, I was afraid of this. Tallis did the honorable thing. He's just looking out for you," she said. Her tone was deceitfully comforting, but her words cut through the already shredded pieces of my heart.

  My eyes narrowed with a rejuvenated sense of anger. "What?" I backed away, swatting at her hands when she reached for me. "How could you say that to me right now?"

  Her tone turned to explanatory as she tried to defend her poor choice of words. "Dear, I know you believe he's your soul mate. All of this has just been sprung on you too fast. You learned about your destiny in the most unconventional way. I'm sorry, but you haven't had the proper amount of time to really digest the overwhelming heaps of information you've had thrown at you. It's going to take some time, but you will understand. The chances of you finding your soul mate so fast are slim to none. The chances of you finding your soul mate before transformation are… Well, it's never happened before. It's an emotion the mortal mind is too fragile to fully comprehend."

  I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat, recoiling from her even more.

  "What about Aster, Gear, and Jay?" I barked. "Desmond may be fighting it, but he's still Ash's mate. Maybe our family has a need for their soul mates so quick."

  Jaslene grimaced, letting her guard down enough to show me secretiveness in her eyes.

  "Arisianna, dear... Geariandan and Astrianna are over a hundred years old. They were born a full century before you. Jaymondian and Ash are, however, the exception to the rule. Ayla has been searching for centuries though. The same goes for Desmond. And Ash is truly struggling in pain while he fights the emotions that even someone as old as he has difficulty understanding. It's not as simple as you believe it to be. I wish it was."

  I was still reeling from the first part of her revelation. Has my whole life been nothing but one enormous wad of lies?

  "Whoa. Gear and Aster are that old? Why am I just now finding that out? I have memories of them growing up with me. They were older, but I still remember them."

  I was starting to glare at her with absolute distrust. Everything... All of it... It was all a lie.

  She grimaced again. "Fabricated memories, mostly," she said, letting out a harsh breath when she saw the horror on my face. She sighed deeply before continuing. "When Gear and Aster would come to visit, they would bring a guard. They would also change their appearance to be younger. However, most memories were the concoction of a dreamer."

  My eyes grew wide. I felt like a rug had just been pulled out from underneath me and I was landing on a bed of jagged rocks. Everything had been turned upside-down.

  My voice echoed the betrayal I was feeling inside. "You have to be kidding. Memories of my brother and sister are fabricated? How could you?"

  She tried to touch me, but I knocked her hand away with disgust. She frowned slightly.

  "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't plan on having anymore children after Geariandan Astrianna. I told you about getting my tubes tied before getting pregnant with you, but it wasn't true. I went to a chanter, which is a magical doctor. He told me I wouldn't have anymore children, but directly after I had Jaymondian and then Ashiara the very next year. Then I went back to the chanter. Again he told me I wouldn't have any more children. Then you introduced yourself to me so late in the pregnancy that it nearly shocked me to death. I was trying to protect you, but now it seems as if I should have told you about your destiny sooner."

  "You think?" I scoffed sardonically, refusing to meet her gaze.

  She sighed. "I may have done this all wrong, but everything I did was for you. I thought I was doing what was best for you. Nothing like this has ever happened with your siblings."

  I just mumbled, "The road to hell was paved with good intentions."

  She groaned, desperate to find a way to clear her consci
ence, but I was done. I had no intentions of easing her guilt.

  She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Honey, you've had so much dropped on you so fast. Let's not press anything tonight. I think you need some rest. We'll talk in the morning. Give your emotions time to settle down. We shouldn't let anything get said that we might regret." She got up and headed to the door, hesitating before she fully retreated. "Good night."

  I didn't say anything. I just turned away. I listened as her footsteps disappeared down the stairs.

  Chapter 14

  Gas on the fire

  When your world falls apart, you can't always pick up the pieces by yourself.

  I woke up the next morning with tears still staining my eyes. My head was aching from the absurd amount I'd cried. I could hear people talking outside. I half hoped it was Tallis.

  I peeked out the window to see a younger guy. He was maybe twenty. He was huddled up with several members of our coven.

  I walked outside to find out what was going on. I wasn't really in the mood to deal with company, but I needed something, anything to take my mind off of Tallis.

  I stumbled outside, thanks to the threshold of the doorway sticking up too far. Gear walked up to take my hand, and pulled me toward the new member.

  "This clumsy girl is my youngest sister, Aria."

  How dare he act like nothing was wrong. I'd just found out he and Aster had been lying to me all these years. I didn't even know which memories were real or fake. It was painful.

  "I'm Jared Hunter," the guy said in his velvety Irish accent.

  Jared smiled at me as he reached out his hand to shake mine. His hair was very dark, and his eyes glistened with green and blue. He had a tall and muscular build, but not bulky muscle. Even though he was eye candy, I barely paid him attention.

  Then Gear spoke again in an excited gush. "Jared is one of the members of the light militia. He's going to be crashing here for a couple of days, or more. He's waiting on a few others to meet up with information. Jared and I go way back.”

  I rolled my eyes, thinking of how Jaslene had told me of Gear's real age. My voice was weak and strained when I tried to respond.

  "Where's he going to be staying? And what's the light militia?"

  Before Gear could answer my questions, Olivia called for him. "Gear, I need you to come help me set up a room for Jared please."

  Gear jogged off and Jared chuckled quietly. The subtly of Jared's accent was charming. His pretty eyes were disarming, but all I could think about was the jerk who ran off directly after I confessed my love.

  "I never would've thought Gear to be the housebroken type," he said through his chuckles.

  I could barely force a smirk. I'd always thought of Gear as being very mature, but it appeared I didn't know very much about him at all. I'm sure he was immature when he was actually younger.

  "I guess you must know him a little better."

  I crossed my arms in front of my chest in a slightly pouting manner. Jared touched my chin and pulled it up so that my eyes meet his. "It's always tough learning about who you are. You just need to make sure you don't waste your mortal time worrying about your immortal future. The real world can wait. I wish someone had told me that."

  I'd known him for a second and he was already giving me advice. I wanted to scream at him, tell him he didn't know a thing about me or what I was going through. I didn't though. Possibly because I was going numb.

  Under my breath, I grumbled, "I know. I just have a lot of other things on my mind. Gear's true age really doesn't bother me... I'm just overwhelmed by all the lies that I used to think were truths."

  He nodded, letting my words fully resonate. "I understand that. It took me a long time to adjust. Surprisingly enough, though, all of this will soon make more sense to you than the mortal stuff."

  I let out a slight laugh which felt oddly cathartic. "Right now, I don't think the immortal or the mortal stuff makes a whole lot of sense."

  "That's because you're stuck in the middle. Falling in love with an immortal didn't help things, I'm sure. That's the sort of thing that only complicates your emotions."

  I could feel my face burning red. Was I wearing a flashing sign that screamed heartbreak?

  "How do you know about that?"

  He looked as though he was unsure about whether or not he should say anymore. I stared expectantly, silently taking a stand to make him answer me.

  "Gear told me. He was telling me about all of the new information - and the new people hanging around - and it just... kind of... came up. It wasn't like he was blabbing about your private life or anything."

  I rolled my eyes, puffing somewhat childishly. "I'm sure he's relieved it didn't work out. He hasn't exactly been too thrilled about my closeness with Tallis."

  Jared just chuckled slightly, angering me a little. "No. He was very candid in his disapproval of someone being alone with his little sister so much. I've been friends with him for a long time and I still got the whole 'don't touch my baby sister' speech."

  I just shook my head, embarrassed and agitated at the same time. "That's just great."

  He laughed a little harder this time. "I've always been a bit of a rebel, though. I very rarely follow the rules without bending them a tad." Then he winked at me.

  I could feel myself blushing. As cute as he was - and as smooth as he was - I couldn't let myself be interested. It felt wrong. My heart belonged to Tallis, and even though he was done with me, I was still in love with him. It almost felt like I would be cheating if I acknowledged Jared's flirty tone.

  We walked back to the house quietly until we got to the porch. Then I blurted out the question I had asked Gear before Olivia had summoned him.

  "What is the light militia?"

  He smirked. "We're a group that tracks down and kills the smaller groups of essence thieves who are trying to make their way into the Dramus circle. I hear nowadays there's actually another Craymon running the show."

  I nodded. "Dramus had a son." I didn't want to talk about Dramus or any of his mignons, so I shifted the conversation back to him. "So, you have to risk your life all the time? Sounds a little like you enjoy danger."

  He let out a laugh before responding. "I'm not an adrenaline junkie or anything, but I owe the bas... I mean, creeps... some payback. I feel a great deal of release when I fight. And it's cheaper than therapy."

  He snickered a bit to lighten the seriousness of the conversation.

  I sensed there was more to his story than what he was telling. It seemed as though he was holding back painful memories. I didn't want to press the issue. Truth be known, I just wanted to go to rest my mind.

  Being away from Tallis for even this short amount of time was making me miserable. I just wanted to check out from the real world for a while.

  Olivia poked her head out of the door. "Jared, we have your room ready."

  Jared smiled at me as he winked flirtatiously. "So, are we roommates, or am I having to stay down the hall?"

  I blushed again, but before I could say anything, Gear was throwing a blob of water at Jared's head. It almost looked like a clear water balloon as it smacked him right in the face. Then I could hear Gear speaking in a scolding tone.

  "I told you - hands off!"

  Jared wiped his face as he teased, "I knew you were listening. It was just a little joke."

  Gear and Olivia laughed from the inside the house, while I tried to drown in humiliation.

  I woke up burning up. I glanced over to look at the clock. It was two o'clock in the morning. I huffed in aggravation.

  Everyone in the house was immortal, so they often forgot that a mortal needs temperature control.

  I got up and walked downstairs to adjust the thermostat. They must've thought that since it was winter I would need it set on eighty-two degrees. I lowered it to seventy-two, and then I looked outside.

  There was snow on the ground. I'd never seen so much snow until this year. It was so beautiful the way the moon
glistened off the surface of the fluffy white blanket. Then I saw bright colors erupting from around the corner of the house.

  I threw on my boots and my jacket, and then I ran outside to investigate. As I rounded the corner, I saw Jared. He stood out there, shirtless, as he blasted streaks of fire across the yard. It seemed to be so effortless for him. The fire that blazed from his hands just seemed to be an extension of him. I could see him swaying back and forth as he kept his eyes focused forward, enjoying the heady power rush.

  "Can't sleep, Aria?" he asked in nearly a whisper, startling me.

  I didn't even know he knew I was there. I was slightly embarrassed now that he knew I was watching him.

  "It was really hot inside, so I got up and saw lights flashing. My curiosity got the better of me."

  The fire suddenly disappeared from his hands and he turned to face me. His lean sculpted body reminded me so much of Tallis's. His pants hung low on his waist, and he had a menacing grin when he became aware of my foolish, unintentional gawking.

  "Sorry. Immortals forget the most comfortable temperature when there hasn't been a mortal around for a while." Then he smiled at me even cockier then he already was. "You want to come here for a minute?"

  My head snapped up suddenly, and I quit drooling like an idiot. "What?" I squeaked, squirming awkwardly.

  "Easy, girl," he said softly, trying not to laugh at my skittish reaction. "I was just asking if you wanted to feel the magic. Come here. Trust me."

  Trust him? I didn't know him.

  He smiled at me as he stuck his hand out, gesturing for me to take it. I was confused by what he was proposing, but I warily put my hand in his hand and mumbled, "Okay."

  He pulled me into his arms swiftly, making my breath catch in my throat, and put my back against his chest. I could feel the heat radiating from his body to mine. It wasn't as fiery as Tallis's touch, but things were definitely heating up.

  His voice was so soft that it was almost seductive. "Just breathe as I breathe. Inhale as I do, and exhale as I do."