Chapter Twenty-Two
T he sky is full of stars and sunshine. Half dark and half light… but that’s not right.
The sun has taken on the hue of blood, filling the world with a red-tinged eerie hue and the stars seem to glow a pulsing chalky white.
Lying on the ground in a heap of blood and tangled limbs is the face of the woman I love endlessly. Sythia’s cold, lifeless eyes stare into mine.
I hear ragged breathing and when I turn my head, I see my mother.
She too is covered in blood and dirt, but her injuries only appear superficial. She is smiling wickedly at me, with too sharp teeth.
No! No, this isn’t right. None of this is right.
“This is what will come to pass if you do not help her. Take your place or she is lost.”
The words don’t come from my mother’s mouth.
This is the voice that haunts my dreams…
Sitting up quickly, I suck in a deep breath while blinking to take in my surroundings.
As my vision adjusts, I remember where I am. I’m in a guest room at my grandmother’s home. Sythia’s room is right across the hall. The sun has not yet started to rise, but I know that it’s close. I continue looking around the room until I find my target. I have been suspecting this for days now, but its presence here confirms my suspicions.
Reaching over, I scoop up the large blue dragonfly that has chosen to follow Sythia and me. It flutters softly in my hand, which under the right circumstances would be kind of cute.
These are not those circumstances.
I do my best to glare at the creature. “Alright, I know all of these dreams must be coming from you. I just don’t understand why. Who are you?” The creature gently lifts off my hand and slowly heads to the door. Opening it, I watch as it heads right to Sythia’s door. I pause with my hand hovering above the handle when I realize that if I’m going to go in there, I had better be extra quiet about it.
Sonus Scutum
Whispering into the air surrounding me, I feel the protective shield snap into place before I carefully grasp the door handle and push it open. The dragonfly leaves its perch on the door to flutter inside. It moves slowly and circles the area above Sythia’s heart, then moves back to me and lands lightly on the place above my own heart.
Looking back at Sythia’s sleeping silhouette, a pang of longing passes through me. I want nothing more than to slide into that bed and scoop her into my arms.
Not just until the sun rises. I want her forever .
Startled at the sudden deep dive of my thoughts, I move quickly out her door, closing it quietly behind me. Snapping my eyes shut, I try to calm my wildly beating heart and take a few deep steadying breaths.
“I don’t know what you were trying to tell me, little creature.” I scoop it off my shirt and transfer it gently to the potted plant in the hallway. “I have a lot to get done, and no time for distractions. If you have a message, maybe pass it along straight next time instead of vague visions and confusing warnings.”
The dragonfly seems to deflate at my words, but it settles into the plant for a rest.
I dissipate the shield and absent-mindedly rub at the tiny ache in the center of my chest as I make my way toward the kitchen and my truest love.
Coffee…
We’ve been training for five days now, and I’m very happy with the rate that Sythia is learning. There have been a few hiccups, but thankfully we’ve managed to avoid another eyebrow incident.
Barely …
I only wish I had thought to include a shield around my junk yesterday when we were doing some training with what I like to refer to as “air punches.” Although… sore nuts are a million times better than the blue balls I now know she has the power of immediately inducing. I’m unable to suppress the shudder at the memory of her pheromones. I have never encountered anything like that before, and I hope to the Gods I never have to again. I may be a master of control, but that was just too much for me. I was seconds away from lunging at her and having my way with the little nymph. Hell, I was seconds away from needing a new pair of pants.
Sythia has managed to get a proper handle on her pheromones and has actually mastered control of her transportation and trisense magicks. Her air and fire abilities are coming along very nicely, and her blade skills are nearly as honed as mine. We haven’t been able to get her to use any water magicks, and she has made slight shifts into her changed form, but not a full-intentional shift… yet .
Although, I have noticed something... odd. There have been a few times when she’s gotten angry, that the light seems to dim or shift. I have a theory that I’d like to try today, but I know she is not going to be excited about it.
The solution? I just won’t tell her.
Bold? Yes.
Rude? Absolutely.
My style? Of course!
Stupid? I refuse to answer that...
As the Noctifer Witch, Forsythia should be able to manipulate magicks with all of the elements, as well as some specialties only possessed by her. Now, there is another legend that states the Noctifer Witch has the ability to bring on a false night, or false daylight, depending on the actual time of day. While this may not seem like a big deal, this false night would actually dampen the abilities of all other magickals. I think the dimming I keep witnessing is a speck of this ability. And if my dreams are any indication, this is a magick we will need in the coming battle.
So, now enter my genius plan... piss off Sythia to trigger her magick in a big way.
She is standing in the middle of the clearing of our training area and has a cloth tied to cover her eyes. She hates when we train with her blindfolded. For added irritation, I made her place tiny wads of fabric into her ears, to deter her hearing. I start a small spackling of rain, just for added measure. I can already hear her grumbling and muttering.
I prepare two small air blasts. One to knock into her shoulder directing her attention and making her think she missed deflecting it. Then the second will cut across the ground and trip her. If there is one thing I have learned about what really pisses her off, it’s falling.
Which is actually kind of ironic given that she seems to make tripping over invisible obstacles her life’s goal.
I send out the air blasts. She’s standing in a battle pose, and I try to hold back my pride when she successfully deflects the attack to her arm. The one sent to trip her hits home though, and she lands with a painful thud.
“Dammit, Blake!” she voices her irritation. There is no heat behind her words though. She knows we have to be aggressive with training. After all, the monster won’t fight fair either.
She braces her arms to stand up, but I send a quick gust to push her back down. Shifting my position quickly, I move to her right side. She only makes it to a crouching position this time before I knock her sideways. She rolls slightly and ends up with her back facing me, slightly hunched over and breathing through her anger.
So…I send a huge gust right between her legs that punches her straight in the sweet spot.
Unable to reign control of her limbs fast enough, she ends up going ass-over-head. A slight twitch in my boxers lets me know that her control is slipping. Also it would seem that my little nymph is a kinky girl.
I can’t fight the tempting thoughts or the smile that crosses my lips.
Time to up my game.
I let the rain fall in a steady stream and work a few wind gusts to knock her side to side as she gains her feet. A snarl creeps up on her lips and she plants her feet heavily in her fighting stance. I send a few small blasts toward her body and make them move around her. She instantly starts to squirm.
You see, I learned on day two of training that Sythia is a wee bit ticklish.
Just when she is about to shout at me again, I push her hard so that she lands face-first into a giant puddle. She wastes no time at all jumping to her feet and ripping the fabric from her face. She whirls in my direction and I see the fury in her eyes. My skin instantly breaks out in goosebumps.
Her rage is a little scary. And if I’m being totally honest here, it’s also giving me a bit of a hard-on.
She moves so quickly towards me that I only manage a small flinch a little before her eight-inch shorter frame manages to pluck me right off my feet like I weigh nothing at all. I’m not sure if her wings are out, but her eyes take on the ethereal golden glow like they had the night Ori died, and she has me immobilized a few inches off the ground. The sky begins to steadily dim and I try to focus on the changes, but it’s hard when I’m not able to move at all.
When the sky has turned an eerie dark, similar to a solar eclipse, she begins to speak. Only... in the creepiest turn of events, her mouth doesn’t move at all. “I don’t know what you are so angry about, but you will not take it out on me. You will not behave this way with me .“ Her voice is booming inside of my head and the tone commands my unwavering obedience.
Cold fear shoots down my spine.
I never had any doubt that Forsythia would be a force to behold, but this?
This is too much. It’s suffocating and terrifying, and I want nothing more than to follow her every command. My heart begins to ache and my hand wants to desperately reach out to her. I have no idea where these thoughts are coming from, but I can’t seem to control any of them. I don’t want to run away. I want to fall to the ground at her feet and beg for her forgiveness.
“Sythia,” I say calmly. “I’m sorry. I was trying to rile you up. I had a theory about one of your abilities and wanted to test it. Please set me down and we can talk about this.” The last of my words have barely left my mouth before a thump to my feet and the sky begins to quickly return to its full cloudless light.
She blinks at me a few times and scrunches her forehead. I didn’t mean to touch her, but my thumb moves to lightly stroke across her cheek. Her eyes flutter slightly at the tender contact. “That was amazing.” I manage to breathe out and I don’t even attempt to hide my awe. She deserves it. She deserves everything from me.
Standing here, covered in mud, scratches, and bruises, with her hair a wild tangle of mess... she is fucking glorious. My eyes catch on the small swell of her lips and I can’t stop myself.
Not that I would even bother to try. Something pulling me painfully toward her, to the point where I feel like I might actually die without her. I close the space between us and place a tender kiss on her lips. Instantly there is a tugging sensation in my chest again, and I can think of nothing more than how much I need her.
Tilting my head, I deepen our kiss. She presses her front against mine and a tiny moan vibrates across our lips. Before I can wrap my hands around her and refuse to let go, Sythia jumps back with a sharp intake of breath. When I see her, I barely manage to stop myself from doing the same. She is fully shifted. Her tail is swishing this way and that, and her wings fluttering ever so softly behind her.
But it’s her eyes that threaten to take my breath away. The deep golden of her iris has taken over her entire eye, and her pupils have elongated making them appear feline in quality.
She is beautiful all of the time... but like this?
I have never seen something so perfect in my entire life.
The tugging sensation blooms in my chest again, and suddenly the realization snaps into me like a boomerang finally returning home. The feeling is almost painful, and yet somehow so freeing. So very right .
When I catch myself touching the spot where I feel the pull, I watch her hand do the same.
Oh shit...
The tug in my chest is my soul calling to hers. Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed to be blessed by the Gods like this, and the feeling nearly brings tears to my eyes.
Forsythia is my soul-bonded mate.
Her fingers touch her lips and her eyes begin to fill with tears. She looks at me with fear in her eyes, but deep in the pools of her gaze is a hunger that matches my own. I take a step towards her but she immediately transports before I get a chance to touch her.
I blink like a fool at the spot she was standing in and try to untangle my thoughts. I need to talk to her. She probably has no clue what is going on. I scrub my hands down my face and hope that someone at least taught her about mate bonds, or better yet, what the fuck a soul bond is.
I’m trying very hard not to speak ill of the dead, but I wish they wouldn’t have been so damn selfish with their time spent with her. I understand why Ellie and Ori kept some things from her, but Sythia deserved to learn the truth about life from a place of love and understanding. Not from the deathbed of a loved one.
Turning around, I almost take a step forward when I hear a snapping branch behind me. I freeze and listen carefully. I was so hung up on everything happening with Sythia, I hadn’t even registered the fact that all the normal sounds of the forest are now missing.
No birds chirping or ground creatures scurrying in the bushes. Just a deafening silence.
SNAP!
Hearing another twig breaking under someone’s foot, I lower myself to a crouching position. When I touch the ground, the hairs on my arms stand up. A clear sign that someone is about to cast. I duck behind a trunk just as a fireball whizzes past my head.
“We aren’t here for you, half-breed,” the voice says, ringing inside my own head. Familiar to me and yet, I can’t place it. “We will leave you and your village alone. Just give us the princess.”
The voice holds no emotion, sounding almost robotic. Although I have never heard them before today, I have no doubt that the voice belongs to the same asshole that helped the Creatori escape, burned down an entire section of forest, and murdered Sythia’s familiar.
My lip quirks up in a snarl and I move around the trunk to face my new foe. My eyes track three of them, moving in perfect tandem. Their faces are covered in hoods, but I was so young the last time I was in a demon village that I doubt I would recognize them anymore. “I’m not just going to let you take her. And if you want to get to the village, you’re going to have to get through me first.”
The voice in my head chuckles, but there is no humor in it. “I will gladly end you the way your mother should have when she birthed such an abomination.” I feel more signatures and know that there are more than just these three in front of me.
Fuck! I knew I was outnumbered, but this is bad.
Too bad this fucker knows just how to push my buttons. At the mention of my mother, my anger burns white hot, and I smile wickedly. Maybe with the extra dose of adrenalin and crazy on my side, I won’t die.
“You just say the sweetest things. Why don’t you and your buddies go fuck yourselves?”
I have my blades in my hands in an instant thanks to my rune work.
It has taken me far too long to realize exactly what Forsythia means to me.
I’m not giving her up now without one fucking hell of a fight.