Discern (26 page)

“Is it not?” he frowned.

“Yes, of course,” I said nervously. I was unsure of what immortals considered comfortable, but surely this could not be it.

“I’m joking.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“I normally leave my car at the house, but I’m concerned they’re watching my place, so tonight I’ll hide it here,” he explained as he parked his car down the hill from the burnt down building.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“To a special place,” he smiled.

“Not down here, right?”

“No, the place we’re going we can’t travel to by conventional methods.”

“So how do we get there?” I asked confused.

“Trust me, there’s no way of explaining it, you’ll just have to experience it.”

He swiftly disappeared from his seat and my door swung open. I had never seen him move so fast before. I assumed it was one of his many abilities. Although, I had only witnessed one of them, which was his astounding strength, I was certain that I would be privy to many more now that we had declared our feelings for one another.

He gently pressed my body against his as he stared in to my eyes. “Take a deep breath, close your eyes and relax,” he instructed softly.

Obeying wasn’t hard as I enjoyed every minute of this closeness. I felt a sudden jolt and my head began swirling, slamming into his chest. My stomach felt queasy, and a sudden rush of cold air hit the sides of my face.

Before I could adjust to this feeling, it abruptly stopped. I stood frozen. I kept my eyes closed, afraid of what I might see.

“You can open your eyes,” he whispered in to my ear.

I glanced around trying to gauge if the old burned down gas station was anywhere near. There was a subtle light glowing off of his skin, but it only allowed me to see him clearly, not where we stood. “Where are we?” I finally asked.

“
Spain
.”

“No, really?” I asked in disbelief.

“We’re really in
Spain
.”

There was a slight temperature difference from where I stood now and
Boulder
. The air seemed a bit thinner, but nothing I had not experience before while hiking up the
Rockies
with my parents. “How?”

“We traveled here,” he said with a slight smile.

“No way!”

“I tell you that I’m immortal and consume human souls, but standing here in
Spain
gets the response of ‘no way,’ he chuckled loudly.

“True,” I agreed, still trying to process everything.

He reached down, slowly running his fingers through the ends of my hair. “Don’t worry, it’ll take both of us time to get used to this.”

“What do you have to get used to?”

“Being near you once again,” he said softly, continuing to run his fingers through my hair.

The word again along with my presence had come up before, which I had noted, but I still was unclear on the meaning of it. “Again?”

“I have so much more to share with you,” he said, running his thumb across my bottom lip.

I was positive I only knew about one-tenth of the total truth, but I had never met him before, so the word again, seemed out of place. “I’m ready to hear it all,” I said, attempting to sound courageous.

“Let’s go inside,” he smiled, motioning toward the blackness just to the side of us.

“Go inside where?”

With a snap of his finger, one single porch light instantly came on, followed by a few lights shining behind the clear glass windowpanes. “Oh my!” I gasped.

There stood a strikingly large house covered in gray stone and lavish marble fountains just a few feet from us. There were too many windows to count, as I scanned the house up and down and from side to side. There were at least three balconies, one supported by a covered gazebo with a large golden statue, situated right in the middle.

“Is it to your liking?” he asked, staring intently, waiting for my reaction.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, admiring the house.

“This is where I come to escape the everyday monotony.”

“Is it yours?” I asked, redirecting my gaze from the house to him.

“Yes.”

“It looks like a castle,” I remarked.

“I just kept building on to it, undecided where I was going with this project.”

“Well, from what I can see, you did a wonderful job,” I smiled. “Why
Spain
?” I asked, wondering if it held some special meaning for him.

“It’s the place where I buried my hopes and dreams,” he sighed heavily.

“Why would you build a house somewhere so painful?”

“It was a bittersweet place, but no longer.” He gazed in to my eyes.

“I’m missing something, aren’t I?”

“I’ll explain everything tonight,” he reassured. “I know this is all difficult for you to take in, so if anything is too overwhelming, let me know.”

 
“I’ll get used to it.” I had to sound strong, so he would not worry.

“Remember I can’t read your mind, but I can sense your emotions,” he reminded. “Take all the time you need to adjust.”

“Time,” I murmured. Time was always an issue.

“All the time you need,” he whispered back, lightly pressing his warm lips to my forehead.

He placed my hand in his and we began a slow stroll to the door. “I bet it’s even more beautiful inside.”

“Not compared to the vision of you,” he grinned.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I,” he said intensely. “But it’s not too shabby,” he shrugged.

He slowly turned the handle of the wooden front door. The aroma of gardenias scented the air. Thoughts of my mother quickly filled my mind. The smell was similar to her perfume, bringing a sense of calm to any worries.

A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling of the marble-floored foyer, giving way to a three-story high staircase. My eyes ran along the walls, admiring all the beautiful paintings framed by either gold or bronzed encasings. I imagined even the wealthiest kings’ castles were not this well decorated.

“Wow,” I gasped. It was all I could manage to say.

“A little excessive, but when time and money are at your disposal, it’s easy to get carried away.”

I knew time was an endless source, but I hadn’t given much thought to the monetary aspect. “Money is no issue for you?”

“Not really,” he said nonchalantly.

“I see.”

His body gently nudged mine, and I followed his lead, moving forward. The marble floors continued in to every room we explored. Gold, platinum and bronze accents adorned everything.

Large pillars lined the opening of a grand kitchen. I slowly ran my finger over the smooth countertop, stopping only to gaze at the unusual cabinet knobs.

“Every knob is pure twenty-four carat gold set with diamonds,” he said.

“Is everything real gold?”

“Yes, everything was handcrafted.”

“Wow, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Do you like my ridiculously absurd tastes?” he asked sarcastically.

“Everything is absolutely gorgeous, how could I not?” I smiled.

“I built it for you,” he whispered.

“I’m pretty sure that isn’t possible.”

“I did, but I never imagined you’d actually see it,” he breathed, as he cupped my hands, pulling me closer to his body.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“I’ll explain shortly,” he said. “But first, I apologize for not offering you something to drink,” he winked, attempting to lighten the mood.

He slowly released his grip and glided toward the opposing wall, opening the refrigerator. He held the door open wide as I made my way over.

“Take whatever you like.”

The fridge was filled with a variety of beverages and fruits. I quickly remembered his lack of a human diet. “All this for me?” I joked.

“Actually, yes,” he admitted.

“Really?”

“I had to do something to pass the time earlier today. I went to the grocery store, which was an unusual experience, and bought everything I thought you would like, in hopes that you would even come here with me,” he said, not looking at me directly.

I smiled, knowing he had actually worried that I wouldn’t be interested in him. “I thought only I was feeling that way,” I blushed.

“No, you make me nervous,” he said softly.

“Why?”

“I’ve spent many centuries trying to heal from the pain of your loss, and I’m not prepared to handle that pain a second time,” he sighed.

I was still lost. “Are you going to explain?”

His body shifted, as he began to walk toward the entry of the kitchen. I grabbed a soda and followed him into the sitting area. He lowered his body and took a seat. I joined him, sitting down on the soft cashmere sofa.

“Are you going to answer my question?” I asked, while pulling open the tab of the can, hearing the loud pop and feeling the mist of liquid lightly spray my chin.

“Yes.”

His lips pressed together, forming a hard line, as he tried to summon the nerve to explain. “For several centuries, we lived amongst mortals but never really engaged in conversation with them. Their only purpose was to serve as sustenance. We kept to ourselves, which created some unhealthy relationships amongst us.”

“Have you always appeared human like?”

“Oh, yes, we’ve always been similar to mortals in our appearance.”

“Please go on, I’m sorry for the interruption,” I apologized.

He softly cleared his throat, which seemed so human. “We formed intimate relationships with one another. At first it suited all of us, but we grew tired of one another, so we began to have intimate relationships with mortals, which created much jealousy and hatred within our group. Mortals were simple and naïve. We craved their world. For some of us, mortals were more desirable than our own kind. This caused a rift amongst us.”

“Were you not brother and sister?” I interrupted, almost horrified at his apparent accounts of incest.

“In the mortal sense of the word, yes, but some of us do not share the same mother or father, so technically, no. We should‘ve kept our relationships as siblings. Our bond would’ve never been broken had we done so.”

“Do you prefer your own kind?”

“No, I don’t, and at first, any mortal woman would do. I craved the softness of their skin, the smell of their hair and the warmth of their entirety,” he said remembering back. “I took as many lovers as I possibly could.” His eyes shamefully searched my face.

I tapped my finger on the couch, irritated with the thought of his intimacy with so many women. “I see,” I said uncomfortably.

“Please be patient, my story does have a point. I’m in no means gloating about all of my conquests.”

I nodded in agreement, heavy with jealousy.

“We soon discovered that we could procreate with mortals, which caused even more issues. There were half mortal-immortal children running wild. We had no idea of their abilities. Some aged, some didn’t. Some had similar abilities to ours and some did not.”

“Did you have children with one another?”

“No. Our parents aborted any pregnancies that occurred between us…and once they discovered our half mortal children, they destroyed any future pregnancies.”

“What happened to all the half mortal children?”

“They were eventually destroyed by our creator, leaving only the thirteen of us once again.”

“Sorry, I forgot you had already mentioned that.”

“No need to apologize, you’ve been through so much. I can’t expect you to retain every detail,” he said, continuing to keep his distance.

We hadn’t touched since we sat down. I instinctively reached out for his hand. His hand cupped mine and we both smiled at one another. “Please go on.”

“We continued to take mortal lovers and simply erased their memories, which created yet another issue,” he sighed heavily.

I refrained from asking.

“It was when we gained a real sense of our power that we began playing roles in history. This eventually created mass confusion, and mortals grew dependent upon us. I ultimately grew tired of their constant begging, pleading and wishing for things. My ability to spend time with them was coming to an end. I found myself craving their destruction. I only wanted the taste and feel of their souls. Perhaps now you can understand why Ares, I, was filled with such hatred and rage. It was more than just a role, it was truly how I felt,” he admitted shamefully.

“Do you still feel that way?” I asked cautiously.

“No.”

“That’s good,” I sighed with relief.

“Haley, even if I still hated mortals, you wouldn’t be one of them.”

“I’m not sure if that’s comforting or not.”

“There’s still more to the story, and then you’ll understand,” he assured.