Destiny (The Chosen One Trilogy:Book Three) (31 page)

Damian smiled. “No need to get
angry. Here. I’ll give you the nudge. Get the feel of it and then
we’ll try with just yours again.” I nodded and he went through the
steps I had just performed. I felt his nudge, pulled it into mine
and wrapped it around me. I felt the telltale rush of magic flowing
through me, felt the ground disappear from under my feet then felt
another nudge slam into me. The ground reappeared under my feet and
I fell, grabbing for my swords as I rolled back to my feet. I
pushed my shields up, ready.

“My love, is that any way to
greet me after the kiss we shared?” A rock man with clear green
eyes walked toward me.

I swore under my breath. “Are
you always going to be a pain in my ass?”

He looked confused, or I assumed
it was confused; rock men don’t have a lot of facial expression.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“What I mean is, am I always
going to have to worry about you doing this?”

He shifted into a black
dragon, his ears flat to his head, his tail twitching.
Please don’t do that.

I frowned. “Do what?”

He shifted into a short man with
dark brown eyes and hair. “Your shield is pushing against me.”

“If you think I’m going to drop
my shields you must have lost a few brain cells during that kiss,
Ternach.”

It was his turn to frown. “I
lost something, but it wasn’t brain cells. Hayden, it is taking all
of my energy to keep us hidden at the moment, could you please stop
pushing against me with your shield.”

The way he said it made me pull
back on my nudge and I put my swords away.

“Thank you.”

I simply looked at him, unsure
of what I should say. He shifted into a Wedelve with green skin and
almost white hair. Since we seemed to be holding some sort of a
truce at the moment, I decided to ask him a question.

“What do you really look
like?”

“Oh, well, you know… everything
and nothing.”

I shook my head. “I mean, when
you first appeared, what were you? I think all of this shifting is
because you’re bored. What do you look like when you’re you?”

He shifted again and I
tried not to stare. Even though he’d been here since time began, he
only looked to be in his mid-thirties. He stood at about six foot
one. His hair was blacker than a raven’s wings and curled into his
eyes which were a green so light they seemed to glow. His face was
all clean lines, his shoulders and chest broad. I couldn’t help my
gaze as it followed the flat plane of his stomach, to his narrow
waist then down long legs that you just knew were hard with muscle
under his pants. ‘Built like a Greek god’ flashed through my mind.
I blushed.

“This is you? The real you?”

He nodded.

“Why in the world do you go
around looking like rock men and dragons when you look like
this?”

He shrugged. “What’s the point
of looking like this when I’m me?” He didn’t seem upset when he
said it, but I had to fight the urge to wrap my arms around him to
comfort him.

“What are you?” No one had ever
been able to tell me.

He shook his head. “I don’t
know. I awoke one day and I was the only thing here except for the
plants. I was never born, I was never young. I was always like
this. I never change, my hair never grows, and I never get old. I’m
just here.” He smiled and this time I saw a twinge of sadness in
his eyes. “I used to wonder what I was.” He took a step toward me
and stopped when I took a step back. “Don’t look so sad, my
love.”

“Stop calling me my love. I’m
not your love.”

“That is where you are wrong. I
may not be your love, but you are definitely mine. That’s alright.
I don’t mind.”

This new Ternach was throwing me
off my game. “What are you trying to do?”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“I see that. Why not?”

“I’m tired of fighting with you.
It was fun at first. I’d rather we just get along. I’ve come to
realize I would feel a lot of regret should I kill you.”

I frowned and my shields moved
up. He flinched and took a few steps back. “Hayden, please.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“It seems I may not be immortal
after all. Whatever it was you pushed into me has depleted my
energy levels unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I wasn’t lying. It is
taking everything I have just to keep us hidden so no one comes to
get you. I just wanted to talk. I promise I’ll return you to your
mate unharmed.”

I dropped my shields completely
and pulled the green waves in front of me. “Can I see?” He looked
uncertain but nodded. I started to walk toward him then stopped.
“What’s that?” My skin was tingling. His eyes widened and he sucked
in a breath.

“Nothing.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

He frowned. “That’s me, but not
really. That’s how I’m feeling. I can’t explain it, that’s just the
way it is. I was able to shield you from it before, but now that
I’m weakened, I can’t.”

“You feel tingly?”

He nodded. “That’s how I feel
when I’m around you.” Something close to hunger flared in his eyes
and it was my turn to suck in a breath.

“Shit.”

“Yes, I do believe that sums it
up. I won’t touch you, Hayden. I promise.”

I hesitated.

“Don’t you think if I were to
try anything I would have done it by now? I’m not going to try to
kill you, or make you mine in any way. I promise not to touch
you.”

The problem I was having had
nothing to do with the fact that I thought he might touch me. The
issue I was struggling with was the fact that I wasn’t entirely
sure I didn’t want him to. It didn’t make sense. I was fated to
Jasper. There was no way I should have been having thoughts like
this about anyone but him.

Ternach stood awkwardly in front
of me, watching me as I thought through this new development. Our
eyes met and he swallowed hard.

“I think it would be best if I
sent you back now.”

“Why?”

“With my energy levels low, I
can’t control this.”

I didn’t ask what the this in
question was. Whatever energy he had was reacting to mine and the
air was so thick with his need that I let out a moan. He hugged his
arms to his chest.

“I’ll be in Paradin when you get
there, my love. I wanted to warn you not to go. That’s why I
brought you here. Stay away from Paradin. I won’t be able to help
you. Since our kiss I’m now bound to Braw because of the staff, but
only if you go after him. If you try to kill him, I’ll have to kill
you. I’m begging you, Hayden. Stay away.” He pushed his nudge with
a quick flick of his wrist and I felt the ground disappear. I
landed on my back in the middle of our campsite.

Everyone rushed to my side and Jasper pulled
me to his chest.

“By the moons, Hayden, what was that?”

“I have no idea.” I wasn’t lying. Absolutely
nothing that had just happened made sense.

You should tell him, my love.

I jumped at the voice in my head and looked
around for anyone who might strike me as Ternach. Jasper
growled.

“Where is he?”

“You heard him, too?” I looked around. “Did
anybody else hear that?”

Everyone shook their heads. I frowned. “Where
are you?” I kept glancing at everyone, trying to find the eyes that
were usually dead. But that wasn’t right anymore. I’d seen feelings
flashing in those eyes just moments ago.

Far enough away that no one will see me.

I caught my breath as my skin started to
tingle.

Though, not far enough, it would seem.
His voice was just a mumble in my head.
Hang on a
second.

Jasper was rubbing his arms. “What was
that?”

I took a deep breath. “That was Ternach. That
is how he feels.”

“He tingles?”

“When he’s around me he does.”

Jasper’s eyes widened and I could see him
thinking about how he should react to this information.

At the risk of sounding extremely mortal,
could we not talk about my newly found weaknesses in front of
everybody?

Jasper and I looked at each other. I
shrugged. “Something happened to him when I pushed the staff’s
energy into him.” I shivered at the feel of fingers on my arm. “You
need to get farther away, Ternach.”

Sorry.

“Alright. Let’s go talk to him and try to
figure this out.” He looked around. “You won’t try anything?”

I won’t. I’m not even sure I can. All I seem
able to manage at the moment is shield myself from Hayden, and even
that isn’t working well. Go east. I’m in a clearing with a large
Burrie tree in the middle of it.

“What about the tingling?” Jasper
frowned.

“I think I can shield from it. I’ll try not
to push against you, Ternach.”

Thank you, my love.

Jasper growled and I put a hand on his arm,
letting him feel how much I loved him. “He refuses to stop calling
me that, but we have bigger things to worry about, Hun. We’re not
going to go talk to him if you’re going to go there to defend my
honor. He won’t touch me. He’s promised.”

Jasper frowned. “After everything he’s done
to you, you trust him?”

The question took me by surprise. I could
feel Ternach in the back of my mind waiting to hear the answer. “I…
I guess I do.”

Instead of arguing, Jasper just shook his
head and kissed me. “I suppose you wouldn’t be you if you thought
otherwise. I, on the other hand, am not as forgiving. If it looks
like you’ll try anything at all, Ternach, you’re dead.” I took his
hand and we started to walk east.

“How long have we been walking?”

Jasper smiled. “About fifteen minutes.”

I can hear you. You’re almost here.

We entered a clearing that held a large tree.
The trunk of the tree was such a dark brown it almost looked black
and its leaves were a darker version of the Burrie’s teal colored
skin.

Stay there and I’ll come out.

Now that we were here, I was starting to
wonder if I truly did trust him. I took a deep breath to calm
myself.

Don’t be nervous, my love.

“Great. Another one who can feel what I’m
feeling. This just gets better and better.”

“Why do you think he can feel you?”

“I don’t know. It has something to do with
the kiss. It’s almost like we bonded or something.” Ternach stepped
into the clearing. My eyes met his and both of us sucked in a
breath. Jasper growled.

I pulled up my shields. The instant my energy
touched Ternach’s the air filled with feeling. “Shit.”

Ternach groaned. He was on his knees, his
head in his hands, his eyes closed. “Drop your shield, Hayden.
Please!”

“By the moons, Shlova, listen to the
man!”

I glanced down at Jasper who was in the same
position as Ternach. I dropped my shields. Jasper fought to stand,
then decided to sit, pulling his knees up and placing his head in
his arms. I reached over to put a hand on his shoulder and he
flinched away from me.

“Don’t touch me. It is taking everything I
have right now, Hayden, and I don’t think I’ll be able to stop
myself if you touch me.” He was shaking, all of his muscles
tight.

“Stop from doing what?”

Jasper took a deep breath but didn’t
answer.

I looked to where Ternach had adopted the
same position as my mate. He raised his head and my heart started
to beat faster in my chest. The look in his pale green eyes wasn’t
hard to recognize. I felt my body tighten at the look, and not in a
bad way.

Jasper groaned. I tore my gaze away from
Ternach’s and found myself caught in Jasper’s sky blue eyes. The
look in them shocked me. There was no anger, fear, or jealousy even
though I knew he’d felt my reaction to the other man in the
clearing. He swallowed hard, his eyes the mirror images of
Ternach’s. The heat started low in my belly, the hairs on my arms
rose as a breeze brushed over them, and suddenly, my body was
starving.

Jasper twitched. “You need to leave now,
Shlova.” His voice was thick with need. My body reacted to it. I
wanted to rub myself against him, to feel his hands and lips run
over me.

Ternach groaned. “My love, you need to stop
feeling. Now.” His eyes caught mine and suddenly I was wondering
how his hands would feel on my body, how his lips would taste if I
were to run my tongue over them. Both of the men moaned.

“Hayden, please.” I wasn’t sure if Jasper was
begging me to leave, or asking my permission to take me right
there.

“Hayden, go!” Ternach was clutching his knees
to his chest. He sounded so normal, so human that it took me a
moment to react. I took a couple of steps toward the edge of the
clearing and stopped.

“If I go, what happens when we get too close
a week from now, or when we get to Paradin. Do you two really want
to be stuck in the middle of a battle when the only thing you can
think of is screwing me?” I wasn’t sure if it was me talking or the
heat in me that wanted to be taken care of.

The two of them were quiet. I took a deep
breath and thought about what I was suggesting we do. Even if one
of them took me into the woods, we were too closely linked for the
third person to not be involved even if just in thoughts. The
thought of a threesome had never really done anything for me. The
thought of this one, however, made me groan in anticipation. The
air was still full of sparks and heat. It was a miracle I hadn’t
stripped at least one of them naked by now.

Ternach groaned. “Hayden, if he doesn’t take
you now, I will. By the moons Jasper, this is all her. She’s
reacting to my magic, but what she’s projecting is how she feels
about you. Give her what she wants before I can’t stop myself.”

Jasper shook his head as if to clear it and
looked at the other man. “She doesn’t want you?”

“I’m fairly sure our link is just through our
magic. She’s projecting, but because our energies are linked, it’s
amplified.” He took a deep breath. “I think.”