The Healer: A Young Adult Romantic Fantasy (The Healer Series Book 1) (34 page)

I lifted my arms to embrace him and noticed my kimono had changed from white to red. I looked into his eyes, a question forming on my lips, but he seemed ecstatic by the change. He looked over my shoulder and stared into the dense forest from which I’d come. I turned around and saw Victor. The devastated expression on his face made my heart feel as if it was being ripped apart. I didn’t understand why he was so sad, but I moved toward him, determined to find out. Before I could reach him, a nekomata emerged from the forest to my right and came at me with its sword raised high.

Chapter Eighteen

I sat up in bed fully awake with my heart pounding and my breath coming in short gasps. I couldn’t remember what I’d been dreaming about, but based on my elevated blood pressure it must have been one awesome nightmare. I looked across the room to see if I’d disturbed Angie. I should’ve known better than to worry. There wasn’t a noise on earth that was capable of waking Angie up before she was good and ready.

“Bad dream?” a soft voice said from behind me.

If I hadn’t been sitting down I’m sure I would’ve fallen over.

I looked behind me toward the window and saw Tie’s silhouette outlined in the white moonlight. He sat in the window seat with one leg on the ground and the other bent close to his chest, his hand resting lazily on top of his knee. His easy looking manner and the fact he’d managed to startle me left me feeling totally irritated with him.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked shortly.

“I was checking up on you, sweetheart. Victor and I are taking turns keeping watch over you while everyone sleeps. No need to thank me. You’re entirely welcome.” His teasing tone never wavered.

“Is it necessary you be in here to do it? Can’t you just open the door, look in, and get lost?” I gave him my best you-don’t-have-any-effect-on-me-whatsoever look.

Tie leaned his head back against the wall. I couldn’t see his facial expression very clearly, but I was pretty sure he was giving me one of his infuriating grins. Everything I did and said was amusing to him.

“Why are you always so ready to pick a fight with me?” he asked. “You’re much more mild-mannered with Victor.” He said Victor’s name like it was a curse word.

I stood up and walked over to the window seat, looking down at him so I could read his face a little easier.

“What is the deal between you two?” I asked, deciding to play dumb. “When we were attacked by that nekomata you guys were comrades in arms. You seemed willing enough to look out for each other then, but at any other given time you’re throwing out these weird verbal digs. Makes me think you two are unwilling allies in all of this.”

I held my breath, waiting to see if I could get Tie’s side of the story.

His face became a blank mask. He didn’t look away from me, but he didn’t give me much to go on either.

I sat down inside the window seat directly in front of him, stubbornly refusing to leave until he answered my questions. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to let me know I was amusing him again.

“Your personality is exactly as I remembered,” he finally offered.

“You’ve said that before. I take it we were friends in my first life?” I considered the brief memory I’d had of kissing him. I sincerely hoped it was a memory, anyway.

“You really don’t remember a thing about me do you?” His gaze never wavered and his eyes pleaded for me to have some spark of recognition.

“Were we friends?” I repeated.

His eyes darkened and his fists clenched at his sides. “We were definitely friends, Hope.” It came out barely above a whisper.

“And I knew you were a deity?”

“Not at first, but then you weren’t very forthcoming with some rather important information either.”

“You sound angry.”

“I am angry, dammit.” He lowered his voice when Angie made a startled snorting sound in her sleep. “I am angry. I know it’s wrong of me to want this, to want… he sighed in defeat. “After everything we went through—after what I did—I guess I hoped you would recognize me somehow. Feel some kind of pull or attachment to me.”

I did feel that. I had already experienced all of that, but those emotions were wrong, apparently. I was supposed to harbor feelings for Victor. Not that I had any intention of allowing some obscure prophecy to dictate my love life. Tie’s gaze probed my face for a reaction. Like I was really going to throw myself at him just because I was interested. I didn’t remember the time we spent together so I wasn’t about to tell him the truth when it came to my feelings, especially when I wasn’t clear about his intentions.

“I suppose you expect that reaction from all of the girls you meet,” I said..

He smirked at that and leaned back all the way against the wall. The soft moonlight caressed the contours of his beautiful face.

“Well, most girls are completely enamored with the god of love and marriage. They can’t help themselves. In all fairness to them, I am a rather attractive individual.”

That got a derisive chuckle out of me.“I don’t understand. Women who meet you fall in love with you?”

“Not necessarily. As the god of love I’m made to look like the epitome of what a lover should look like. I’m the one that guides women to their soul mates. Stands to reason I’m one hot looking deity myself, don’t you think?” He raised his eyebrows at me daring me to contradict him. “You, however, have always intrigued me. You’re constantly giving me attitude.”

“You thought I’d be totally enamored when I saw you?”

“Yes, though part of that has to do with what happened in the past.”

“What
did
happen?” There was no way to mistake my impatience at that point.

I think Tie must have realized he was saying too much. His mouth closed into a thin line, and he folded his arms across his chest.

“Look, Hope, if you remember the past, then great. You certainly have every right to know what happened to you, and what you’re really up against here.” He lifted his hand to my cheek rubbing his thumb softly along my cheek bone. His expression when he looked at me was sad and wistful.

I wanted to lean into him. I wanted to keep this side of Tie, this open, honest part of him, all to myself. It ended all too soon, however. The softness in his look hardened, and he pulled back his hand like I’d burned it.

“I can’t explain any of this to you, though. It’s not my job. It’s dear old Vicky’s. My job involves uniting two people meant for each other. That’s it. That’s all I’ll ever do.” He sounded depressed just thinking about it.

I couldn’t help the next words that left my lips. “What if you fall in love with one of your subjects?” Tie’s face took on a hard edge.

“It’s happened before, a very long time ago, and I actually cared enough to believe in it. Twice.” A muscle in his jaw started twitching.

Twice?

Victor had only mentioned one woman, not two.

“Who were they?”

Tie took a deep breath through the nose and stared at me again with that look that begged me to remember something, anything at all. He must have realized that I hadn’t the foggiest idea of who these women were.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I lost them both, and there was very little I could do about it.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. I was frustrated that Tie had avoided mentioning Edana specifically or the other girl for that matter.

“I’m sorry. I honestly can’t imagine anyone not leaping at the opportunity to be with you.”

His eyes widened at that, and he leaned forward, grabbing my hand in his. The intense excitement building within him made me wonder what he could possibly be so excited about.

“Do you really mean that, Hope? Do you…” he swallowed hard, “…feel anything at all when you’re near me?”

His behavior confused me. He said we were once friends, but acted as if he’d been expecting more than a friendly reaction out of me.

I hastily backpedaled. “I’m just saying you’re a handsome guy, you’re kind, funny and selfless. I mean, you’re willing to throw yourself between your friends and a blade from the underworld.” I shrugged. “What’s not to like?”

Do I have to sound so lame?

I registered the brief disappointment on Tie’s face, but he covered it with more indifference.

“A glowing recommendation.” He released my hand, and I was sorry for the aborted contact.

What was I supposed to say? Hey, I’ve known you less than a day, but I never want to be without you again? It sounded crazy and left me vulnerable and exposed. There was no way to know what his reaction might be, and I was more than a little out of my element. I decided to change the subject since I didn’t have a firm grasp on what we were specifically talking about anyway.

“So do you always use a cherry blossom to make people fall in love with each other?”

“I don’t force what isn’t there. The blossom won’t join a couple together if love doesn’t already exist, but for the most part, yes, I use cherry blossoms to bind people to one another. There was one occasion in particular that stands out to me, but I can’t talk about it until you remember.”

I was sick of his cryptic remarks. It was all one big tease.

My annoyance showed in my next comment. “So you intend on binding me to Victor without giving me a choice in the matter?”

“Well, you certainly don’t seem to mind his company. I’d just be unearthing the love that’s destined to exist between the two of you.” he remarked snidely.

“What are you talking about? I’m not in love with Victor.” I told myself to calm down. No need to get defensive.

“I didn’t say you were in love with him. I’m just saying that was one heck of a kiss.”

Pompous, arrogant deity! As if I asked for that kiss. Though I did ask for the last one.

I threw my hands in the air and walked back to my bed. “At least Victor doesn’t think he’s god’s gift to women.”

I heard a grunt come from Tie’s general direction and decided I wasn’t done with him yet. I turned around to face his arrogant frame.

“You, however, seem to think rather highly of yourself, believing you can force me to love whoever you want. Messing with my choices as if you had the right. You’re so full of yourself, you probably think you could get me to fall in love with
you
.”

I was baiting him. I knew it was stupid, but he was so good at unnerving me. I wanted to unnerve him a little, but from what I could discern in the faint moonlight, it was having the opposite effect. His cocky smile continued growing as he stood up and shortened the distance between us.

“Perhaps we should put your little theory to the test.” His voice sounded dangerous.

I should’ve backed down and stepped away from him. It was obvious he knew something I didn’t. Instead of putting a little space between us I inched myself forward until my face was just a few centimeters from his.

“Bring it,” I challenged.

His smug smile seemed to get brighter the longer I stood there in front of him refusing to back down.

He took a step back, breaking the intense moment between us and tapped his finger on his chin as if he were pondering something very serious.

“But I have no intention of forcing anything. We’ll take the longer route, and get to know one another all over again. I’ve never used any of my own romantic ideas for myself. I’ve always been too busy getting other people together.” He sounded slightly bitter. “But a challenge has been issued and you’ve accepted. Victor won’t like it one bit, but it looks like we’re officially courting.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the warrior god’s explosive reaction.

He sounded so delighted with himself I had to laugh.

“Courting? You really are ancient aren’t you? It sounds a little old fashioned to me.”

“Does it?” He regained that half step and then some, getting closer to me and studying me with his beautiful blue eyes. They didn’t seem as icy as they had before. “I think the old fashioned way of doing things is really what a woman wants. Chivalry. Gentlemanly behavior. Chicks seem to dig it.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his light-hearted remark.

“I’m not just a chick. I’m an intelligent, independent woman who’s not easily swayed by a pretty face.”
I am so swayed by that pretty face.
“And if you intend to court me rather than hand me a cherry blossom and be done with it then you’re going to have to figure out how to worm you way into my affections. Good luck with that.”

Tie’s lighthearted mood seemed to dampen with my comment. The ice in his eyes returned, and a dangerous glint stealthily crept into them.

“I think I may have just the thing to start off this courting challenge,” he said.

Before I could get a grip on his mood swing, Tie slowly produced from behind his back, a flower. It was completely black to the point of looking charcoal. It seemed to pulsate with its own life-like energy, and even though I knew I had nothing to fear from Tie, I was afraid of this. Despite the danger I sensed, I wanted to reach out and examine its dark beauty. I hesitantly reached my hand forward to touch it, but then I pulled back. Tie managed to look disappointed and relieved all at the same time. He was so confusing. I just couldn’t read him, but this was Tie’s game, and I wasn’t about to slip up.