Balancer's Soul (38 page)

“Yes Mother, b…” Jillian suddenly
opened her arms and hugged the two of them at the same
time.

“Finally my daughter is whole and I
have a new son-in-law to annoy! Welcome to the family, Connor.” She
now sounded fully awake and filled with cheer.

When she let go and looked
at the two of them Connor changed her happiness into shock.
“Jillian, listen to me. Something is different
about the two of us after the contract was completed last
night.”

Her eyes went wide and her voice shook
in disbelief after realizing his lips didn’t move. “Yyy… you
shouldn’t be able to do that yet!” She looked down to Sarah. “Did
something go wrong?”

“Not that I knew of.” Sarah replied
while looking shyly at the ground.

“Jillian, that isn’t the only thing,
we need you to wake up Jack. We need to speak to the two of you.”
She nodded and ran back in the house quickly.

Sarah and Connor walked inside and sat
down on the sofa together. Connor heard Jillian in their room.
“Jack, you need to wake up; like right this instant. Jack! Wake
up!” he then heard him say “What’s the problem?” She said in her
shaky voice “Sarah and Connor went through with the ritual and
something is very different with them.” Connor heard Jack land on
the floor with a heavy thud. He must have jumped out of the bed.
Then he heard them walk quickly down the hallway with a seriousness
in the walk.

As Jack rounded the corner, he stood
shirtless and reveled that his muscles were more developed than
Connor previously knew. This man was indeed a powerful force to
look upon. All he wore were blue shorts, but everything about him
screamed Viking. He sounded worried when he asked “What is the
problem?”

Connor looked at his new
mate and said telepathically
“I think
first I should show him my speed and prove that this isn’t a
hoax.”

“I think we should both do
it together.”
Jillian now stood beside
Jack eyeing the two of them suspiciously.

Sarah and Connor used their newfound
speed to stand up and run to them. Connor stopped one inch from
into Jack and Sarah did the same to her mother. Both of their eyes
went wide. They stepped back involuntarily, recoiling from their
simple demonstration. Jack addressed the two of them, but looked at
Connor “How could you two move so fast? It has only been one
day.”

Connor entered his mind and
said
“That isn’t the only things that is
weird about us. We were hoping that you might know what makes the
two of us different.”

“I’m not sure I follow,
what else is different with the two of you.”
Jack thought back. Surprisingly Connor knew the touch came
from his father-in-law’s mind, but it no longer hurt to have him
inside his head. It was like feeling a subtle breeze rather than a
jackhammer.

Sarah cut in on their
conversation.
“Father, not only are we
fast and can read minds now, but we both feel a bond to each other.
The biggest concern we have is that we can talk to each other with
our minds even though we are mated.”

Both Jillian and Jacks jaw
dropped. After a minute of mental silence Jillian asked Connor
telepathically
“The two of you can
actually read each
other’s
minds?”

“Yes Jillian,
watch.”
he look down to Sarah’s achingly
mesmerizing green eyes.
“Sarah? How about
we let them show them how we used our bond yesterday?”

“What do you have in mind?”

He looked back at her parents reeling
in utter disbelief because he could feel them listening in on their
personal conversation simultaneously. “How about this, since you
two know that your bond works, you can split up and shadow us.
Jillian you and Sarah leave right now and run as fast as you can
and stop in twenty minutes. I will find you by using my bond to
Sarah only. To make it more difficult do your best to hide your
trail. After twenty minutes, I will follow and Jack will shadow me
to know that I’m not cheating by following your trail. Also we will
not talk to each other in any way.” He looked down at Sarah. “The
sooner we figure these things out the sooner we can know why we are
different.”

Sarah nodded, walked up to her still
frozen mother and pulled her into a run out the door; red robe and
all. Connor knew Sarah was running away because he could feel the
pull in his gut that she’s connected to.

Connor turned to the last person in
the room to say “Jack, get something to eat. You’re beginning to
look a little sick.” He made himself a small breakfast of toast and
coffee.

They waited in silence for nineteen
minutes.

Connor had another idea and pulled a
towel that came from their bathroom and held it out to Jack. “Will
you please blindfold my eyes so that you know that I’m not tracking
them by following a trail?” After the blindfold had been secured
over his eyes Connor started walking. He clearly remembered the
layout of Jack’s house so he walked casually out the front door
without stubbing a toe. Focusing on that feeling inside that proved
that their bond lived Connor felt the exact direction she waited at
and her mood. She wasn’t scared anymore, Sarah actually felt
jubilant.

“Jack, before we go; will you warn me
if I might run headfirst into a tree?” He smiled out in the
darkness of the towel.

“I will tell you if you do.” Jack’s
voice became guarded and Connor knew he was standing behind, about
four yards away and still reading his mind.

Connor took off in her direction as
fast as he could with his newfound speed, but slowed down to stay
safe. Jack’s footfalls were close by, only two yards behind, but it
gave away his position. It proved that he has inhuman speed as
well. Connor put his mind back on the task at hand.

Soon he knew Sarah stood just three
hundred feet ahead. Connor stopped sprinting and started walking.
He heard Jack slow and start walking beside him. “Connor, I
honestly haven’t a single clue as to what’s going on between the
two of you, but there is a test that I need to give you and Sarah
anyways. Hopefully it will shed some light on this
predicament.”

“I’m up for anything.” Then they heard
Jillian’s voice.

“Jack, how did it go on your end?” She
sounded hopeful. Connor felt him take off the blindfold and it took
a moment for his eyes to adjust to the morning sunlight. “He didn’t
cheat at all. He ran here completely blindfolded while I scanned
his mind for any falsehoods.”

She let out a relieved sigh. “It was
the same with Sarah. I monitored her mind and she didn’t even
attempt to contact him the first time.”

“Welcome back. Did you have
any trouble finding
your
mate
?”
Sarah stepped around a tree, smiling directly at
him.

“It wasn’t too bad. I only had to be
told sixteen times ‘Tree!’” and Sarah laughed.

She walked up to her father “Only
sixteen? Father why didn’t you let him run into at least one?” she
was being playful this morning. He’s never seen her interact with
anyone like she currently did now. Connor smiled, knowing she had
finally peeked out of her shell for the first time and this is the
result.

“I wanted to, but you would have been
angry if he was injured.” Jack stated with a smile.

“Only just a little bit.” She held up
her index finger and thumb to illustrate the extent. It wasn’t
much.

Everyone started laughing
for no reason. Jillian looked at him “Connor, will you tell us
about the lifelong contract you two preformed? What happened
exactly
?” He told
Jillian almost everything about yesterday. “She glowed… She reached
into both of our chests… was green and mine was a hazel color… she
put them together… Electricity shot through me… Being encased while
the one big orb dissolved…” and so on.

“Well Sarah, I knew that you would do
everything right!” She sounded smug and pat Sarah’s back as we
walked back to their house. “I have an idea about the situation,
but nothing like this has happened in our histories, as far as I
know.”

“What’s your theory, My Love?” Jack
asked and they all listened.

“Sarah did everything exactly right,
She romped him on top so she had room to move freely, just like I
did to you seven centuries ago. While we waited, she showed me
mentally every aspect of her first romp. From Connor’s words, she
didn’t imagine any of what I saw. But we never thought to take into
consideration our new son-in-law.” And everyone stopped to look at
him.

“That makes sense.” Jack tilted his head.

“What did
I
do wrong?” Connor
sounded worried, but only for Sarah’s sake. The last thing he ever
wanted was to place Sarah in an unfavorable predicament.

“Nothing you did was wrong, Child. You
let her take the lead in your first mating.” Jillian started. “We
simply forgot to factor in how strong you were before even becoming
a Balancer. Your talents were well beyond most others your age,
even for a human. Also how strong and guarded your mind was as
well.”

“Mother, what does that have to do
with us?” Sarah pleaded for an answer.

“
Everything
.” She looked back at
Connor. “Our abilities work with three things. (A) Physical
strength. (B) Mental strength and knowledge. (C) Instinct.” She
took a deep breath. “Connor, your body was already extremely
powerful. When you fused your souls into one, the power didn’t need
to strengthen your core. It had no use to build your frame anymore
so it increased your energy reserves. And it made your bonds come
into being, far sooner than usual.

“Your mind was very developed as it
was. It took a lot of power to block your thoughts from us,
especially just as a human. The energy didn’t need to develop your
brain much so it made you have the ability to read minds and think
faster so much earlier. Yet I haven’t a clue as to why you two can
read each other’s mind so don’t ask me that. That much I
envy.

“The energy given off from the soul’s
fusion first enhances your body, then your mind, and finally the
instinct. When we use our abilities, they are governed by all three
working together in unison. Being an outdoorsman your instinct was
honed to a fine point, like a predator. Humans have very little
instinct these days, but you, Connor, are a natural.

“Humans used to call us witches,
wizards, demons, conjurers, devils and so on. The books have it
wrong though, there are no words, spells or sayings that allow us
to do the things we can do. Not even emotions affects how our
powers work.” She looked at Jack for a second opinion. He nodded in
agreement.

“Well what about me? How am I so much
faster and stronger now?” Sarah asked her mother calmly.

“That might be easier to explain. It’s
because your mate is so strong himself.” Jillian looked at him
again with warm eyes. “You’re a Balancer. Strength is shared. I do
not believe there is anything to worry about.” She turned to Jack.
“I believe we should do those tests on them.”

“What kind of tests?” Connor asked
Jack.

As they continued walking back he said
“We need to do an affinity test!”

***

“What’s an affinity test?” Connor
asked as Sarah grabbed his hand, finally feeling relief about why
they were so very different as mates; compared to others of their
kind that is.

Sarah looked up at him to explain what
it meant. “An Affinity test is to see what element you can use.
Since we became one, my affinity might have changed. That is not
uncommon. Most Balancers can only use one specific element per
mate. But my sister Amber’s mate can use two.”

Jillian chipped in. “My element is
Liquid, where before mating it was Terra. Here let me show you a
glimpse of what I am capable of.” Connor stopped his next question
and she looked at her mother as she held her arm straight and
turned her palm up. Sarah actually felt her mother gathering energy
within her. This is a new sensation too. She’s never felt someone
gathering their power before.

“Connor, what she’s doing
is calling upon her body’s energy reserves and focusing it to her
hand.”
Connor nodded then the sensation
changed. “
Connor, now she is using her
mind to focus on her element.”
He nodded
again, and then the air began to move. “
Now she is collecting the water vapor in the air and pulling
it to her hand.”

“I can see… That is
amazing!!!”
Connor thought
loudly.

Jillian held a ball of rotating water
only an inch above her hand. It flowed and moved like a clear water
balloon that’s been thrown. She took her other hand and tossed it
at Connor. He put up his hands to catch it, but it lost cohesion
and soaked his shirt. “I don’t care if I am wet. That was amazing,
Jillian!”

Jillian bowed for the praise she
received. “Thank you. Now Connor, the morning I called you over to
my home for the first time, to have you and Sarah return, I
disturbed the moisture in your room to swirl to get your
attention…”