Chapter 9 #2
He strides towards me. His tall frame eats up the distance; he must be over six feet tall; his shirt pulls tight over his muscles with each step he takes.
He has an elegant air about him that screams power.
“Then may I walk with you?” he asks me. An odd feeling of déjà vu sweeps over me, so strong that I don’t answer.
I could swear we’ve been here before. He stops just in front of me.
“I don’t bite.” He grins and those dimples almost make me wish he would bite me.
I take a deep breath, trying to ground myself.
It is absolutely insane to be feeling this much attraction to a man I met five minutes ago.
“Okay,” I managed to force out. “You can walk with me. I just need a moment.” I brush past him, pausing as a cheeky thought crosses my mind. I smile and look up to where his eyes are still hidden behind sunglasses. “How do you know I don’t bite?” I tease, making him chuckle.
“I’ll refrain from answering that,” he says, though his grin tells me he wishes he could.
I make my way back over to my grandfather, placing my hand on top of his gravestone and closing my eyes. “I love you, papa. Look after them all.” I feel a warm breeze pick up around me, making me smile. I glance over at the stranger as I say, “Yes, papa, I’ll be careful.”
Walking back over to the stranger, I hold my hand out.
“Hello. I’m Ari Jay. If you’re going to be walking with me, I think it’s a good idea we know each other’s names.
” I smile as he reaches out to take my hand.
His touch is warm, his skin soft, and a feeling of familiarity wraps around me.
I feel safe, like we’ve taken this walk my whole life. Why does it feel that way?
“I’m Gaelan Illis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He doesn’t let go. I’m surprised to find I don’t want him to.
We start walking side by side, our shoulders brushing every so often. It’s quiet with neither of us talking, but it’s nice. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stay that way as I can never remain silent for long.
“So, you were going to tell me how you knew my grandfather?”
He looks down at me. “We had some business; I was looking to buy something from him.” I feel my curiosity spike. I begin to wonder how old Gaelan is, since he doesn’t look that much older than me.
“What was it?”
He chuckles. “Still want to know it all, I see.”
I frown, confused. “Still?”
He looks taken aback. “Sorry, a slip of the tongue, I meant to say… That you wish to know it all.”
I look away, taken aback. Was I prying too much?
Before I can respond, he stops walking and reluctantly pulls his hand from mine.
“Ari, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound rude.
” He blows out a breath and continues, “You make me nervous.” Shocked, I glance up at him.
He looks away, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. Oh my god… he is nervous.
“It’s okay. People tell me all the time I’m too nosy,” I joke.
He leans in, his face a breath away from mine. The proximity threatens to send me into a tailspin. If he kisses me now, I think I might end up in a puddle at his feet… my panties are already damp with need.
“You’re not nosy. You can ask me anything you wish to my-” He stops himself. I lick my lips, wondering what he is going to say. “Ari.”
A wave of disappointment runs through me, and I have no idea why.
Ari is my name, for fuck sake, it’s not like he got it wrong.
I step back and resume walking. I’m not sure where we’re headed at this point, but I do know I can’t take him home.
Not only would my aunt have a fit, but I’m pretty sure the house wouldn’t let him in. So, I head towards the village church.
“So, did you buy what you needed? From my grandfather?”
“No, he didn’t have it, and he didn’t know where I could get one from.” His shoulder bumps mine.
“What was it?” I ask again. He hesitates, and something about that hesitation has warning bells going off in my mind.
“It was a book.” He says, his voice so low that I almost missed what he said.
“A book? What kind of book?”
He opens his mouth to answer me, but his phone rings.
He glances at the caller ID and sighs. “Sorry, I have to take this.” But as he turns away to answer, I catch what I think is a look of relief.
With his back to me, I can’t help but notice the shape of his body and how nice his firm, round ass looks in those pants he has on—I really need to get laid, if I’m just about ready to jump this man.
Maybe I should just bite the bullet and ask him out.
I mean, it doesn’t have to be weird, right?
My thoughts come crashing to a halt when he turns back to me. He’s taken off his sunglasses, and what I see has me frozen to the spot—the most perfect pair of blue eyes staring back at me, a very familiar pair of blue eyes.
“It can’t be…” I whisper, unable to look away. He grins as he walks closer, and my whole-body melts. His dark hair contrasts with his blue eyes, dimples standing out against his sun-kissed skin. No human can be this gorgeous.
“I have to go, I’m afraid. Business calls,” he says, his tone regretful.
“Have we met before?” I blurt out. He studies me for a moment, as if trying to find the right words.
He lifts his hand and strokes my cheek. “I could never forget a beautiful face like yours.”
His words are laced with an emotion that I can’t place. He doesn’t say anything else, his eyes darting all over my face, as if memorizing and relearning it all at the same time.
“Who are you?” I whisper, making him smile sadly.
“I have to go to Arianna.” The sound of my full name coming out of his mouth is like a light caress.
He leans forward and kisses my cheek, making it tingle where his lips had been; the same tingle I'd felt in the cemetery. It was him by the tree. The knowledge hits me with a certainty I can’t explain.
He pulls back, heading to a black car on the corner.
I shake my head to try and clear my thoughts—how the hell had he known my full name?
“Gaelan? Wait!” I shout out.
A man exits the car and opens the door for him. They share a look. Who is this man? Did he really know my grandfather? Gaelan offers me a soft smile.
“You have my number Ari. Call me any time.” I look down and realize I’m holding a business card. “Until we meet again… my Rose”
I look up in time to see him shut the car door. The car is gone within seconds. I take a couple of steps without thinking before I stop myself. I can’t run after a car, I’m not that crazy. I glance back down at the card. He called me Rose. No one but…
I gasp. It can’t be... My dream man always calls me his Rose.
But that’s not possible. Is it? I put the card in my pocket and turn, heading back towards the cottage.
Maybe I need to talk to my aunt about this, I think to myself.
I’ve never told anyone about my dreams, or about the guy in them.
He was mine, my secret—and I hadn’t ever wanted to share him.
But now, having met Gealan, I might need to share.
He could be a warlock, or a daemon even…
One thing is for sure, though… until I know more about him and my dreams, I won’t be calling him.
I crest the hill at the end of our road and a cold feeling rushes through my body.
I pause, trying to place it. I scan the street but it’s still.
A little too still. Slowly, I approach the cottage gate.
To the naked eye, nothing looks out of place.
But to the magical one? The plants aren’t moving to greet me.
There’s nothing magical in the way they sway with the wind.
Fear starts to overtake me as I open the gate.
But it pushes back against me, slamming shut.
I pull my hand away fast and look at the cottage—it doesn’t want me going in.
I close my eyes and pull in a deep breath, and let the magic of my family run through my body.
I’ve not done this in a very long time, but right now I need to be a Jay—grounded in my family’s bravery and strength.
Lifting my hands, I let the power build, clenching them together before I open them, letting it rush from my body. “Falsitatis.”
Giveaway.
A breeze picks up around me before it slams the gate open. I run past the flowers and push the front door open with a bang.
I skitter to a halt in the doorway, listening. Something is definitely wrong. My aunt should’ve been shouting at me by now for letting the door slam open like that.
It’s so still.
Fisting my hands, I take a few cautious steps down the hallway.
“Aunt May?” I call out, trying to tamp down whatever I’m feeling that tells me she’s not going to answer.
The photos on the wall are all askew, and a few even have smashed glass spilling out from the frames.
Still hearing nothing, I move into the kitchen and freeze when I see the drawers and cupboards thrown open—all of the contents strewn across the floor as if someone was searching for something.
The windows are smashed; curtains snagged on the jagged edges of glass.
But what gives me pause is all the blood
I press my hand against my lips to stifle my scream. I turn to run, but a moan stops me. My head snaps to the side, and I see my aunt’s feet sticking out from underneath the upturned table. “Removere et leva.” Remove and lift. I say, speaking the words as quietly as I can.
I lift my hand, my powers pulse over my skin, making my fingers tingle.. Gold light emanates around me, then flashes forward, wraps around the table, before sending it flying across the room. It smashes into the wall, sending fragments of wood and glass to crash to the floor.
“Aunt May?” My voice wobbles, the words almost catching as I move towards her. The puddle of blood spreading from her prone form has a pit of utter despair opening in my gut.