Discern (37 page)

“I do understand,” he exhaled. “That is why I’m determined to show the book to the others, regardless of when Alec decides we should.”

“You won’t succeed by going this alone.”

“I can’t wait around for Alec to figure this out. He’s much too cautious. He lacks true leadership skills. He’s more interested in harmony,” he glowered.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, but harmony won’t save your kind in this situation.”

I was beginning to doubt anything would save either of our kinds. Throughout my entire life, it never dawned on me that I would ever be at the helm of such a dire situation. I wasn’t clear if Andrew was really concerned about saving my kind for my sake or was his insistence on showing the book to his siblings only to save his. His dislike for Alec was unnerving, he seemed like the type to take his time and think things through, which is exactly what we needed.

My thoughts wandered back in history, wondering what role Alec played. “Who was he?” I asked.

“Alec?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Ancient
Greece
.”

“Apollo,” he smirked. “God of harmony, music and light. Not much of a fighter then, and definitely not now.”

“And you were the God of war,” I muttered.

“Yes, I was, but no one else wanted that role, so I took it and did my job well,” he said stiffly.

“Just as you’re doing now.”

“The only job I plan on doing well is taking care of you. Haley, never again will I cause mass harm to mortals,” he promised, as he lightly pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “I love you too much to disappoint you.”

It was the first time he had ever spoken the word ‘love.’ I could feel my cheeks blush as I too felt the same. Everything about this day was bittersweet, from the discussion of destroying mankind to now confessing his love.

“I love you, too,” I said, keeping my head down. The words were so easy and yet hard to speak, both at the same time. This twisted feeling was agonizing.

He slowly lifted my chin upward, forcing our eyes to meet. “No matter what I’ve done in my past, please remember that these were just roles I played. Even though I may have been filled with hatred after your death, there was always a part of me that yearned to be good, and only your soul brings that out in me,” he whispered.

I, too, understood how someone could make you feel things you never had before, and how those feelings could make you go against everything you ever held dear, because it no longer seemed important. I closed my eyes and the floor beneath me disappeared. “Where are we going?” I asked, looking into his eyes.

“To your house,” he smiled.

“Why?” I asked anxiously, fearing our time for the evening was at an end.

“To keep both of us safe.”

“What about my dad?”

“I’ll make sure he’s busy with Evelyn this evening.”

“Ugh,” I pouted.

“What?”

“I don’t want to think about my dad’s love life.”

“Evelyn’s good for him.”

“How’s that?”

“She looks out for his best interests, and you have to admit she’s very patient.”

“Those might be admiral qualities in some, but in her case, that isn’t true.”

“And why not?”

“Any old fool can be patient, if they believe their reward is large enough,” I challenged.

“Not true.”

“And why not?” I asked.

“Fools cannot be patient, no matter what the prize. Only a cunning con artist can achieve their goal with patience,” he grinned. “And Evelyn is no con artist.”

His tone was unsettling as he spoke those words. Chills ran down my arms. “Are you a cunning con artist?”

The grin immediately fell from his face. “Is that a real question?” he asked, clearly irritated.

“Yes.”

“I don’t need patience to receive my reward. I can easily take it whenever I please.”

His response was disturbing. It only sent more questions and concerns swirling through my mind. Continuing down this path of discussion was undesirable. His abilities allowed him to do as he pleased, and I was aware of this fact. But after today, I did not wish to hear any more about his deceptive abilities. I immediately changed the subject.

“Is it safe for my father to be far from home?”

His expression seemed relieved that I no longer kept pressing or accusing him for the moment. “He’s safer away for now. When the time comes, he’ll need to stay in the house.”

“Okay,” I agreed. The tension was still thick.

He set the book in my lap. “Close your eyes,” he whispered.

He gently placed me on my bed. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to travel the normal human way again,” I grinned, hoping to clear the air.

“It can be frustrating,” he agreed.

“Slow isn’t always bad,” I said, making small talk.

“No, some things are better when you take the time and really enjoy them,” he smiled, brushing the back of his hand against my cheek.

The sparks tickled my body. “True,” I whispered, enjoying the feeling.

His hand retracted from my face, leaving only a trace of the electricity behind for a few seconds. The once amber glow of his irises returned to green. “I’ll be back in a flash. I’m going to make sure your father’s safe and away from here,” he winked and vanished.

My head was aching from everything that happened today. I had almost forgotten about the argument that had ensued between my father and I earlier today. Everything, including the argument, seemed trivial compared to the possibility that the human race would soon be destroyed. Even the interesting fact of my power to ward off Alec’s abilities seemed inconsequential. Less than a year wasn’t a long time, no matter which world you lived in—mortal or immortal.

Regardless of how big those concerns were; others entered my mind—the realization that Andrew and I would be alone together tonight in my bedroom. My worries of keeping my virtue until marriage were beginning to seem childish. Andrew and I would probably never marry, and I doubted ever feeling this way for anyone else.

I wondered if my mother were still alive, how she would have handled all of this information. I imagined she would somehow see the good in all of this—which I wasn’t sure existed—but knowing her, there would probably be a silver lining. I’m not even sure I would have shared all of this with her, fearing she would get herself killed trying to intervene.

Just as he disappeared into thin air when he left, he reappeared. “Your father will be staying at his friend’s this evening,” Andrew smiled.

“Is he okay?” I asked, wondering what his mental state was like after our fight. I had heard my phone ringing and incoming messages beeping all afternoon and evening, but I had no desire to answer with everything else going on around me.

“I won’t lie. He’d probably be in better spirits if he knew how his daughter was doing,” he mentioned cautiously.

“I’ll deal with him tomorrow.”

He casually sat down beside me on the bed, careful not to disturb my space. His expression was sullen, as he appeared to be wary of my disposition with this whole situation. “How are you feeling?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I frowned.

“I would guess not so well.”

“I don’t exactly feel like jumping up and down with joy.” The frown remained.

“I didn’t expect that you would.”

I wanted to scream at him, but at the same time I wanted to snuggle up to his warm body and hear him confess his love for me. I was both heartbroken and in love at the same time. I kept my focus away from his face, as I feared I would fall back in to a trance and be too willing to forgive and forget.

“Tell me more about her,” he said.

“Who?” I looked up, forgetting my pledge not to look at him so soon.

“Your mother, what was she like?”

“There’s no one word that can describe her,” I said, feeling the tears well up. “She was beautiful, eccentric, loving, patient, compassionate and positive. Everything a perfect mother could be,” I sighed heavily, wiping the tears from my face. “But most of all, she made me feel safe. I never feared anything—until she died. I never felt safe again—until I met you.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you. I can and will keep you safe, and your abilities seem to make certain of this.”

“We don’t know if that’s completely true until I meet them all,” I disagreed.

“I know it’s true.”

“We’ll see.”

“How did she really die?”

 
His question sent chills down my spine.

Although, he couldn’t read minds, my soul must be revealing the truth. “A car accident.”

“Yes, but why was she out so late?” he pressed.

“How did you know that?” I asked shocked, as I had never mentioned this detail.

“I did a little research while I was out.”

“Just now?” I asked. He had only been gone for maybe five minutes.

“It only took a second to secure your father’s place for the evening.”

“I forget sometimes how fast you travel.”

“I wanted to see if there was any possibility that one of my kind interfered in her death,” he said apprehensively.

“What?”

“Your mother had possession of a very important book, and there’s a possibility that she could’ve been contacted because of this.” His explanation was very soft and careful so as not to upset my fragile state any further.

“I doubt her death had anything to do with your kind.”

“I’m sorry I brought it up. We don’t have to speak of it any further.”

I looked up and saw the expression on his face. “No, you should know the truth. Maybe it’ll give you insight in to my frame of mind.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said softly, as he ran his finger along the back of my hand.

I sat there for a moment enjoying the sparks. I inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly. “I had the perfect life and mother. Every night before bedtime she’d come into my room and tell me how I was the best thing that ever happened to her. She would comment on how lost she was before she saw my precious face the day I was born. We did everything together…” I stopped, trying to gain my composure.

His hand lightly touched mine again. My focus was on the doorframe, where she stood every night and sang before she would make her way over to my bed and kiss me softly on the forehead.

“My mother’s relationship with me was exactly the same relationship that she had with her mother. I never imagined there was such a vicious secret hidden within our family—a secret so wicked— that it would eventually take my mother’s life,” I sighed heavily.

I would occasionally glance over at Andrew as he sat there patiently waiting in between my pauses, with his lips forming a straight line.

“My grandmother passed away when I was sixteen. My mother was deeply saddened with this loss, but it was only a few weeks before she snapped out of it and returned to her normal, positive state of mind. We went on with life as usual, until my grandfather’s death a little over a year later,” I said, closing my eyes as I remembered back to that day.

“After her father’s death, my mother began having nightmares about her childhood. She never really discussed them with me, but after her death, my father eventually told me about them. Memories of my mother’s sister had resurfaced—a sister that neither my father nor I had ever heard of before.”

“Your mother never mentioned her sister?” Andrew asked skeptically, interrupting my recollection.

“No.”

“Sorry, go on,” he apologized.

I continued. “Her sister was younger by two years and her name was Caroline. She suspiciously passed away at a very young age. Apparently, my mother’s nightmares were revealing the truth behind it all—her father, my grandfather, had accidentally killed Caroline and not only covered up any evidence of her death, but her entire existence. This was obviously very disturbing.”

Andrew’s stare was intense. I saw his lips move, but only heard a whisper that was barely audible. If I had asked what he said, I would get sidetracked again and not finish my story, so I continued.

“My mother’s demeanor changed instantly after his death. She began taking prescription sleeping pills and was never awake in the mornings before I went to school. When I’d return home, she’d be sitting at the dining room table counting out her pills. By the time Thanksgiving of my senior year rolled around, she was on painkillers and tranquilizers, in addition to sleeping pills. I guess those eventually lost their potency, because she turned to illegal drugs. She’d be out until three or four in the morning—that’s usually when I heard the garage door open—and she’d come into the house, loudly slamming doors and cabinets.”

 
“I’d watch my father rush out of his room and down the stairs through a little crack in my door. He was just glad that she’d made it home. He never asked her to stop doing any of this or offered her help. He feared she would leave him, but I knew she wouldn’t. Who else would give her the money for her drug habit or allow this kind of behavior? I’d beg her to get help, and she’d just start laughing in my face and tell me that I didn’t know the pain she was going through. She even called me a spoiled brat who destroyed her life.”