Balancer's Soul (27 page)

“How did you know I was doing a surprise?” He
asked before thinking.

“Well Sarah’s sister Jillian said that you
have been up to something, but I figured out that it’s for Sarah
myself.” She released her hug and stepped back to look at him. She
was looking very happy.

Connor sighed because he couldn’t ever lie
directly to his little sister. Keeping information away and secret,
that was simple. “Yes, everything that I planned is complete. After
I clean up, I’m going to go see Sarah. I might not come home
tonight so not to worry. Don’t freak. I will show you what I made
tomorrow.” Smiling at her, she beamed with satisfaction.

“Connor, is that you?” Connor entered the
lively laundry room before he stepped into the shower. “Hi Mom,
sorry, but I can’t stay and chat. I have to get going before it
gets too dark out. I just wanted you to know that I’m finished and
I will show you and everyone tomorrow what I have been up to. If
you want another update call Grandma like you’ve done every day in
secret.” She smiled, knowing she was caught. Connor hugged her and
went into the bathroom to get ready and look presentable.

Before leaving the house Connor grabbed
Sarah’s gift from the duffle bag. Wearing a black sleeved shirt and
brown jeans along with hiking boots and Tool, he walked across the
yard and into Sarah’s.

Upon the fated arrival Connor knocked on the
garage door. “Coming… who is it?” Jillian called from inside.
Opening the door she instantly recognized who it was. Knowing a
similar personality he watched as she started to loudly say
“CONNO…” He threw his right hand over her mouth to stop her from
spoiling everything. Her eyes widened from shock.

Connor whispered to her “Jillian, please do
not speak too loudly. Is my Princess here?”

Taking his hand away slowly she spoke softly
“It is great to see you again, Connor. Yes my daughter is here.”
Jillian turned away to say under her breath “She is going to be
sooo surprised.” She giggled and went inside and he followed
graciously after closing the door.

***

As Sarah sat silently and graded the
week’s worth of papers in the living room, with the papers spread
into different stacks, the door was knocked upon. Jillian was the
closest and she checked the door because Sarah’s work occupied her.
Hearing weird sounds from her mother wasn’t anything out of the
ordinary so she ignored it. Two sets of people entering the living
room alerted her that the visitor had come in and Sarah sat the
paper that she was grading down to see who had come over.
“It’s probably Kara again. No matter
what
I try I cannot seem to separate
them at all.”

Looking up, her heart nearly flew out of her
chest.

Blocking a good portion of the hallway stood
Connor, smiling her favorite private smile with those unique hazel
eyes saying ‘I’m home.’ His sandy blonde hair was still wet from a
recent shower and brushed back. His body looked slightly larger
than before, if that’s even feasible. Is her mind playing tricks
again? He still favored those dark clothes while wearing his
accessory Tool on his hip. Both of his hands were behind his
back.

“Connor?” she asked weakly, unsure if it was
a figment of her imagination.

“Hello Princess, I missed you.” That was all
she needed, just to hear his deep masculine voice.

Practically running out of the seat,
Sarah leaped up and threw her arms around his neck in a desperate
need to know if he was real. Her feet dangled inches above the
ground as one of his arms held her in place. She said “I missed you
so much.” Looking at his handsome face Sarah leaned in and kissed
him.
“Yes. It really is you Connor. I love
you.”
After he sat her on her feet again she stepped
back to look up at his handsome features. His presence was as
commanding as ever, but he seemed calm. “What has been more
important than spending time with me?”

“Getting excited are we?” He smiled wider,
making her melt.

“She’s been driving us crazy while you’ve
been away. Her thoughts get too loud at times. And I too want to
know what you’ve been cooking up myself.” Jillian announced from
the sofa. She had her arms crossed playfully under her breasts.

Jack walked into the living room, probably
from hearing the excitement and instantly saw Connor. He smiled
saying “How is it?”

Connor replied in the same tone “Perfect!”
her father nodded in understanding. Before she could say
anything…

“You know what he’s been up to!?” Jillian
looked perturbed about being left out of the loop. Especially
knowing that Jack knew something she didn’t.

“Yes Father, How. Long. Have. You. Known?”
Sarah sounded a little steely herself. Both mother and daughter
were teaming up against him.

“A few weeks.” Connor said, standing behind
everyone. “He caught me in the act and I asked him not to tell
either of you.” He sounded sorry while looking pleadingly at Sarah,
but she was kidding around. He looked at her father again.
“Tomorrow, I will bring everyone to see it.” He then looked at her
mother. “Jillian, please don’t bug him, I want you to be just as
surprised as well.”

Jillian nodded in both respect and in
annoyance to the restriction he placed. Her facial expression
changed to questioning and curious as she leaned over to her side.
“Connor, what do you have behind your back?”

Sarah turned to look at her Connor. “I almost
forgot.” He pulled a wooden box from around his back “Princess, I
made this for you.” He then handed the box into her opened
hands.

“What is it?” He only smiled and
waited. As she opened the box with reverence Sarah spotted a
circular piece of metal. It looked like silver with black crosses
weaving around the ring. It was beautiful. She lifted it up out of
the box to feel its weight.
“It is heavy is
this solid silver…and these marks they look like…”
“Connor, are these marks like the ones on your chest?” She
touched his covered chest, where the branded mark laid underneath.
“It’s beautiful, you made this for me?”

“Yes I did. I wanted to have a little part of
you with me, as I would like for you to carry a symbol of me.”
Connor lifted his left sleeve up his arm to reveal an armlet fitted
perfectly to his massive arm. Touching it after she sat down the
box and still holding the ring he said “I made that anklet for you
with my personal secret and I made this with your mark.” Upon
closer inspection Sarah recognized the circled star and the symbols
etched inside.

“A pentagram, how does a pentagram
remind you of me?”
“How could it be a
reminder? And how could he even know…”

“Jillian said Balancers can control the
elements and I did some research. I realized that there are five
basic elements; Fire, Liquid, Terra, Pressure and Metal. This
pentagram is a representation of the delicate balance of the five
elements. Since I’m in love with a Balancer, I thought it fitting
to wear a symbol of your power, Princess.” Her jaw kept slacking
into an O.

Jack actually laughed, forcing everyone to
look at him. “Connor my boy, I can’t believe how you keep
surprising this family.” He still chuckled oddly.

“What do you mean by that?” he spoke in a
guarded voice.

Jillian answered in her mate’s place by
cutting him off with a sharp stare. “Connor, that is the crest of
the Balancers. The pentagram is our banner, but those symbols
aren’t. How did you come to understand it? That is a serious breach
in our laws if you can compare the five to the elements.”

“My instincts just told me that it felt
right.” Connor said calmly. Jillian and Jack exchanged a quick
smile and pointed glance before he said “It doesn’t really matter.”
Connor turned to look at his love. “Sarah, before we go, will you
sit down for a moment please?”

As she sat down she asked “Where are we going
to go?” He snatched the ring out of her hand and kneeled down in
front of her. Lucky she was wearing shorts and not a skirt because
he lifted her leg straight and slipped the ring over her foot and
it rested comfortably on the ankle. “A perfect fit. How did you
know the size of my ankle…Wait before you left you grabbed my ankle
to measure it, right?” He smiled in conformation. Not only did the
anklet fit perfectly, it was perfect because her fiancé made it.
She recognized his hand from his wooden works. Sarah spun her ankle
in the air letting the light reflect off of the jewelry’s perfect
shine.

Connor stood and held out his hand “Now it’s
time for you to see your real surprise. Bring a change of clothes
with you ok.” Sarah looked doubtfully at him, but she walked to her
bedroom, leaving him in the quiet living room with her parents. As
she walked back into the room with a small bag of clothes, Connor
looked at her parents. “We will be away all night. I will come and
get you tomorrow around noon and show you what I have been up to.”
They nodded and Connor took her hand, entwining his fingers. It was
like he never left. As they exited the front door she said “I
missed holding your hand.”

Connor stopped, spun to look at her and
then bent down to steal a kiss. “I missed kissing you far more,
Princess.” She became breathless and felt her pulse racing in her
ear.
“I too missed your mind melting kisses
as well.”

As he led her towards the woods Sarah finally
asked “Where on Earth are you taking me?” He didn’t say a word.

For the next fifteen minutes they cut through
the woods as the light from the sun started to fade. Sarah smelled
something wonderful, floral and delicate. A rare treat after
smelling the usual scent of woods. He stopped her before she
stepped any further and put his hands around her eyes.

He stood behind her and made it
impossible to see beyond the blinds, created his largely cupped
hands. “Princess,
this
is your
real surprise. Keep walking and I’ll safely guide you.” As he led
her forward a few steps she found that she was stepping on a lot of
soft grass. A trickling stream of flowing water filled her hearing
while songbirds filled the air with their music, letting all know
it was getting time to sleep. And her sense of smell became
overwhelmed in a very pleasant way. Elegant and fragrant flowers
assaulted the sense in a pleasing way.

“This is your real present! Welcome to our
new home, Princess.” He took his hands away to reveal the
surprise.

As Sarah opened her eyes, she dropped her bag
of clothes and gasped.

In front of her laid a beautiful clearing
with a crystal clear stream off to the western edge of the
property. A cottage stood nearly in the center of the space, it was
well built with a spinning water wheel. Surrounding the house were
many flowers that included lilies, honeysuckle, roses, jasmine and
several other beautiful smells that she couldn’t quite place at the
moment. Even a brick chimney stuck out from the roof in an
aesthetically pleasing way.

Breathless, Sarah slowly turned to look a
Connor as he watched her intently. “Our Home?” She said again,
making sure she heard him right.

“Yes,
our
home. I built this for us by myself. This was
what I was planning and took the month to build. Do you like it,
Princess?”

Sarah began saying under her breathless
breath “Our home… Our home… he built a home to live with me…” She
finally looked back up at him as he revealed only hopeful eyes. “Of
course I love
Our Home
! I love
you, Connor. More than you realize.” And she jumped up, entwining
her fingers in his hair and kissed him longer than they’ve ever
kissed thus far.

“It’s getting dark. Would you like to see the
inside?” She nodded enthusiastically and picked up her bag before
entering her new home with, Connor.

At the entryway, she looked up at the eve and
saw a plank of wood nailed to it with the carving of an ancient
weight scale. One shaped with a beam that is supported freely in
the center and has two pans of equal weight suspended from its
ends. “That’s subtle even for a Balancer.” She said, being a little
sarcastic.

Connor followed her eyes to the eve. “I
thought you would get a kick out of it.” She simply shook her head
while looking down.

Suddenly she felt weightless and Sarah looked
up to see that Connor scooped her up into his powerful arms. Her
bag fell into the center of her stomach as her arms instinctively
encircled around Connor’s neck. “What’s going on, Connor?” she
began to feel scared.

“As your man, isn’t it customary to cross the
threshold with you in my arms?” Her mind said you’re taking things
too far, but her body had other ideas and held him closer. Taking
that as a ‘Yes’ Connor walked her inside the new home. He sat her
down in the old style kitchen with a few new modern conveniences.
As she stood and walked to the refrigerator Connor turned on the
lights.

“Connor, how do we have electricity all the
way out here?”

“The water wheel powers the lights, hot and
cold water and the refrigerator. It is a closed system so we have
just enough power to do all of this.” He spread his arms showing
the entire room. “Oh, and we’re able to power a few small
electronics.”

The kitchen was fully stocked. “Did you also
make this furniture?”

“Yes I did. Just wait until you see the
bed!”

Sarah’s face instantly flared. “B…e…d?” she
stuttered “But…”

He smiled “Don’t worry we still have one week
of school before we can go that far, remember?” She nodded, still
afraid of how her voice might sound. Connor walked up and
encircling his arms around her. “I love you, Sarah.” He kissed her
gently and her eyes started to mist. He leaned back and looked at
her when he sensed the change. “What’s wrong?”