17. Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
Emma, I spoke inside her soul. I could hear her anguish. She must have learned that Shad was in his final stages of soullessness. Finally he will no longer be a threat to my plans.
He is dying, the sadness that washed from her to me was suffocating.
I am so sorry.
I need—she paused, a break–will you come get me. I need to get out of here for a little while, she pleaded.
I will be there in a few minutes. How could I possibly deny her?
Victory, I had finally done it. There she was, coming to me for comfort; not to Ryker; not to her aunt; not to Ash—but to me.
Here, sweetness. I said through our melodies as I pulled up to her house.
She opened her front door, and I watched as she ran down the yard, yanked my car door open, and nearly dove inside. She sat there, crying beside me. I didn't know what to do for a crying woman. That was new to me.
“Emma, you are a mess,” I said, tugging her so that she would collapse into me.
I liked it very much when she leaned on me.
Perhaps, this will comfort her. I was completely surprised when she nuzzled my neck, pulling me closer to her.
It was like she needed me or else she was going to die.
There was nothing more I wanted but for her to be in my arms and for me to keep her safe.
“I am so sorry. I guess, I need your melody,” she said softly as she moved away from me, buckled her seatbelt, and faced forward.
I started the car. My heart was pounding with excitement.
“We need each other, Emma. I told you; we are connected.”
We drove in silence until we reached my house.
Kara and Aiden were told to stay away. All the others were already gone.
Emma sat on the couch, looking out the window as she pulled a throw blanket over her body.
I sat down beside her and was pleasantly surprised when she nestled in beside me, our melodies singing together.
I was finding it incredibly hard to think and to breathe. All my soul wanted was in my arms.
“Can we, I mean, do you think we could, watch a movie? I just want to think about something else,” she asked, breaking through my rushing thoughts.
Regretfully, I moved away from her to close the blinds and turn on the tv.
I flipped through movie options until I landed on a romantic comedy.
When I came to sit down beside her, she snuggled again against me.
It was a new feeling to have someone want to be near me like that, to want to touch me.
Of course, I wanted it, but being freely given something without asking or begging or planning was so different from what I was used to.
Although, had I not planned for her to fall for me?
Isn't this a result of my many plans and specific actions?
I thought. She looked up at me with those green eyes. No, I pushed that thought away.
“I was trying to, you know, lighten the mood. Love can do that,” I shrugged.
She smiled and pulled my arms around her, leaning her back against me, her head upon my chest. I exhaled deeply, reminding myself to breathe.
Was it a feeling of happiness? That lightness in my chest?
That warmth that flooded through my veins?
I liked happiness, joy—I loved it. I tried to contain myself as best I could during the movie.
She was so close to me, and victory was just around the corner.
She smelled like strawberries in a field, and I wanted one.
I kissed her hair, smelling her and wanting more than anything to get closer and really make her mine.
I wanted to take that note from her that Shad had placed inside of her, and then mark her.
I needed her. She looked back at me, and I smiled.
Her eyes were glossy and pained but she smiled back.
Eyes—a flash of memory—floated to me and I could not push them away this time.
They came up from the deep chasm inside of myself.
The vision, or dream, I had always seen of the blond-haired girl with those blue-green eyes, who had to be Emma, not anyone else, flashed before me, longer than before.
The girl was running, her face masked, her hair tied back and tucked into her black cloak with a small section of hair falling out.
I tried to focus more on the hair–it was blond, but also glowed in the moonlight.
Although her face was masked–I knew it was her because of those eyes, those flashing blue-green eyes, they looked turquoise as she ran through a field of glowing flowers and then into a forest. My heart was yanked toward her—wanted to reach out to her, but then the vision faded and I ached to follow after her.
I believed the maiden in my many visions was Emma after I met her.
With similar features of green eyes and blond hair; it only made sense, and furthered my belief that I was on the right path, and that the melody I had taken from my brother was, indeed, mine.
But as I stared into Emma’s eyes, they were not the same shade of green.
The truth of that nearly undid me–fear rolling through me and threatened to wreck all my plans.
A deep ache pierced my chest. I hated emotions; they made me so weak.
No matter. Maybe I had been wrong to think that girl in my visions was Emma.
I could admit that, but only this one time.
Perhaps she was an ancient placing some curse upon me–I would not confuse myself.
I would choose to believe Emma was the one I had always been searching for, and even if she had not been, I would make it so.
The Creator gives each of his creations free agency does he not? This was my choice.
I shook all uncertainty away. I knew who Emma was.
She will be the maiden of my visions. Light could affect eye color, appearing more greenish-blue than true green could simply be an effect of lighting.
Emma was the one, the girl I dreamed of, my song.
I will not let the weakness of my soul make me question what I already know.
I filed my uncertain emotions away inside myself even deeper than before, locking them away with iron chains.
I focused on Emma again, on what was happening between us.
This was about to be our moment. I could do it; there she was in my arms, our melodies swarming around us.
I leaned my head down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, testing to see if she would really let me.
She moved within my arms, just a little, and then looked directly at me.
She looked at me as if I were everything she wanted in all the worlds, and I wasn't sure that I could handle so much happiness.
I had been hurt over and over again. My life had been just one pain after another—but maybe, it was my chance, my fresh start—a new life with that girl.
I kissed the side of her mouth, cupping her face between my hands.
She seemed ready. I had given her plenty of time, and I had been patient enough. I wanted her lips.
I touched her lips with mine, still, ever so softly reading her melody as she accepted the kiss.
Nothing was amiss. I pulled back, looking at her closed eyes, her face ready for another.
I decided I was going to take what I wanted because she was giving it to me.
I crushed my lips to hers in slow yet feverishly demanding kisses.
I controlled her head and moved it to the side as I kissed her deeper and fuller, wanting her to fill in all the broken cracks inside of my soul with her light.
My hands found her hips, begging me to touch every single inch of her—we could meld together and become one forever.
I pulled her so that she lay nearly on top of me.
Her body, there, on top of mine made me think about so many things that I had tried not to think about—but I was going over them in my mind, and at the same time, I shielded them from Emma, trying not to scare her with the passion I was desirous to unleash upon her.
She returned the kisses, and I moved, pushing her back against the couch.
I didn't want to stop kissing her, and I was sure that I would die if I did.
That feeling, that joy and desire—I wanted to keep it.
I could—I could keep it if I took the note from her and marked her—she could be mine forever.
We could be together like this forever. I dug deep inside her soul, locating the note.
Her kisses became more demanding, themselves, and I became distracted from my task, and I kissed her harder.
I wanted more—needed more—wanted to touch, to taste, and to see all of her.
I splayed my fingers on her back and stomach, moving her shirt so that I could get better access—I needed more. The desires bubbled inside of me.
I don’t think so, she thought, letting me know that kissing was as far as it would go.
That was okay—I would exercise my patience once again.
It wouldn’t be easy, for I had tasted her, and I was addicted.
I laughed in response, only kissing her harder.
My hands traveled up her arms, and I felt something hard under her skin.
When I broke from our kiss to kiss her neck, I looked down and realized that the hard spot under the skin of her arm was probably a small tracking device.
I had seen similar trackers in different Terran colonies in my search for corrupted souls.
No doubt, the knight knew where she was right then.
I would have to remove that, eventually.
I lost my train of thought, however, as her hands started to travel to my chest.
She threaded her fingers under my shirt, and tugged it up. It was more culturally acceptable for a man to be without a shirt–even if on Terra that was not the case.