Wraithsong (22 page)

“
Don’t worry, I will.” But
he doesn’t stop. He flips me onto my back and climbs on top of me,
his body pressing heavily against mine. I feel how strong he is and
I can feel his muscles move underneath his thin linen shirt beneath
my fingertips.

Can this be more heavenly?
Is this love? Or is it lust? All I know is that it feels right. His
hands make their way to my shoulders, and move to my back. He
gently pulls me closer. That makes my heart race even faster and I
let out a sigh. He kisses a trail down my neck and to my chest,
stopping at the edge of my shirt. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.
His hand continues down my waist and he grabs behind my leg,
pulling it up toward him.

“
Sonia, you are so
irresistible,” he says.

Suddenly, the doorbell
rings.

“
Don’t answer it,” I plead.
I weave my fingers through his soft blond hair and pull at it
gently. He lets out a laugh and comes in to kiss me again—deeply.
My lips part and he takes full advantage. His tongue makes its way
into my mouth, and I return his indulgence with great approval. His
kisses are wet and deep, his hands hungry. Continuing to kiss me,
he sits me up and pulls back.

“
Don’t answer the door,” I
say.

He looks at me, his eyes
sad, and then straightens out my hair. “This will be the only
time.”

“
What?”

“
Soon, you’ll
understand.”

“
No, I won’t,” I say, still
wanting him.

He kisses me again, like it
is the last time he ever will. His lips moving with tender emotion,
with repressed passion. Then all too soon, he’s on his feet and
answers the door.

The last time until when?
Forever? I don’t want that, or at least not at the moment. He left
me so high and so wanting; I don’t know how to come back down. With
my heart still racing, my knees still weak, I stagger to my feet. I
straighten my clothes and go into the guest bathroom to make sure I
look decent. My makeup looks fine, my clothes a little wrinkled,
but who cares. The virgin apprentice priest won’t know.

Back out in the living
room, I see Karl. I thought he would be wearing a black robe of
sorts, but instead, he’s wearing black suit pants and a light blue
button up shirt. His face, however, looks almost exactly like I
imagined it would. He has mousy-brown hair that’s slicked and
parted to the right and he’s extremely conservative-looking, and
about as un-sexy as they come. His nose is definitely the
centerpiece of his face, long, crooked and trollish. Don’t judge
him so harshly, I chastise myself.

“
Hi, I’m Sonia, nice to
meet you.” I stretch out my hand to greet Karl.

“
I’m Karl, good to meet you
too,” he says without a smile.

“
Let’s have a seat, shall
we?” Anthony says, gesturing to the couch we just made out on. I
smile a little, and think I see a smirk on Anthony’s still
more-red-than-usual lips.

Chapter 23

The clock reads 11:59 p.m.
I have no idea of what to expect the next minute of my life and for
the rest of my life. Life was so predictable before my dad died, so
stable and safe. After he died, so many things crumbled around me.
My mom wasn’t there for me emotionally, I stopped my ballet
lessons, and lately, everything has turned upside down. I peer over
at Karl, sitting on the couch, his back as erect as a board,
looking so innocent and completely unsuspecting of what is about to
happen to him. Anthony chose a perfect specimen. Karl doesn’t seem
to have a single sensual bone in his body.

“
So, Anthony tells me you
want to hear more about a clergyman’s life?” Karl says.

I nod and raise my eyebrows
as I paste on a smile. “Sure,” I say, patting Anthony on the knee,
a little harder than just a friendly pat.

“
Sonia just wants to find
out a little more about what you believe,” Anthony says.

“
I see,” Karl says, his
hands gripping his knees.

Twelve midnight hits. I’m
expecting an explosion, or a jolt, or something severe to happen,
but instead, a peaceful sensation overwhelms me, causing tingles to
make their way through my body, and goose bumps to speckle my skin.
Then, suddenly, I see something. Is that light coming from Karl? An
aura of subtle blues, pinks and greens radiate from his being. I
can understand everything about him, from why he went into the
ministry in the first place to all the fears and hopes that drive
him. When Karl was young, his drunkard father beat him and his
mother. Finally at thirteen, Karl stood up for his mother, and
instead of Karl and his mother being beaten up, Karl knocked his
father unconscious. After that he had run away. But instead of
turning out like his father, Karl committed himself to living a
peaceful life, and now he’s looking to use what he learned to help
others. Somehow I know that above all else, Karl yearns for peace
and to help others discover that peace also. In order to escape all
that he suffered, he knows he needs to give back what he had been
robbed of—a happy childhood.

“
Is everything all
right—Sonia?” Karl asks, looking behind him.

I didn’t realize that I’d
been staring at him. “Oh, sorry, no, I just…” I glance over at
Anthony, feeling my eyes widen.

“
She’s just very excited,
that’s all,” Anthony says. “But nervous, too. Please forgive her
for staring and making faces at you.” Anthony squeezes my
thigh.

Karl laughs awkwardly. “Of
course,” he says gracefully. “What questions do you have for
me?”

I’m at a loss for words
because I see so many beautiful things about him. I see how much he
loves his mother
and
father, and how he yearns to be loved in return and
unconditionally for who he is. I see his whole life flash before my
eyes, and feel nothing but compassion for him. It nearly brings me
to tears.

“
Sonia?” Anthony
prods.

I shake my head and try to
come up with a suitable question. “Do you believe that God loves
everyone no matter where they come from or what they do?” It’s the
best thing I can manage to come up with. Karl’s aura is so
beautiful and bright that I just
have
to look at it. Then, to my
great dismay, I find myself wanting to take possession of it—all of
it. I look over at Anthony again, my thoughts and heart wild with
desire for possession, but also riddled with guilt for having these
selfish desires.

“
Yes, He loves everyone,
but the question is whether or not we love Him, and if we’re
willing—” He continues to speak, but I don’t hear him.

“
You can do it,” Anthony
whispers, patting me gently on the knee. “Take what you see that’s
thwarting his progress.”

My hands are sweaty, and I
start to twitch, so I go to stand up, but Anthony holds me down.
Focus, Sonia, focus. What do I want from him? Oh, yeah,
prudishness, I think. No, not prudishness, self-restraint,
self-control, but not too much. Ten percent—no more. That sounds
like a good number to shoot for since that was what Anthony took
from the priest. I look over at Karl and concentrate fully on his
aura and what I want to appropriate. Self-restraint, self-control,
low sex-drive. No, no, not low-sex drive! Okay, think
only
about what I
want.

I look at Karl more
intently this time, and focus all my strength on self-control. Give
me ten percent of his self-control, I think. Then, as if by magic,
part of his aura separates from the rest of it and floats over to
me. It looks blue. I lean back when the aura comes close, afraid of
what it will do to me. The aura approaches slowly, causing my heart
to race, and when it finally merges with me, my mind absorbs the
power with a tingle.

Anthony looks at me. “Are
you all right?”

“
Yes,” I say, wondering if
he saw the floating aura too.

We both look over at Karl
who has stopped talking. “I feel great,” he says leaning back,
stretching his legs out, grabbing the armrests of the
chair.

I think I may actually have
done him a favor; he looks refreshed.

“
Try one more thing, like
temperance,” Anthony whispers when Karl isn’t looking at
us.

Does he think I need that?
I’ll go for another one, like…faith. Okay, focus. Ten percent
faith. I look at Karl, sitting much more relaxed now, and set my
intent. Another aura—white this time—separates from his and floats
over to me. I don’t lean back this time, but lean into it,
accepting the virtue when it comes. I feel strengthened and
empowered and can’t help but smile.

“
I said temperance,”
Anthony says and kicks me subtly.

“
I didn’t want temperance,”
I blast and rise to my feet with a jolt.

Karl looks
confused.

“
Sonia isn’t feeling so
great tonight, Karl. Can we reschedule for another night perhaps?”
Anthony says.

“
Sure. I have your number,
so I can call you back next week,” Karl says.

“
Sounds great.” Anthony
walks him to the door and comes back. “You’re going to need
temperance,” he says.

“
I liked faith better,” I
say. “The auras were different colors, did you see that? Is it
always like that?”

“
Yes,” Anthony says. “Now,
the trick is to find a person who has the qualities you want, but
they have them in so much excess that it would be better for them
if you appropriated some of it.”

“
I think Karl liked having
a little less…restraint,” I say and smile broadly.

Anthony laughs. “I think
so, too. Did you see how he relaxed after you appropriated
it?”

I nod.

“
So the question is, how do
you feel?”

“
Well, like me, I suppose,
but it was crazy, I actually saw his aura, and his entire life. Did
you know that his dad used to beat him and his mother, and that now
all he wants is to find peace?”

“
Yes, he’s a really good
guy.”

“
So I’ll see those kinds of
things in all humans?” What a beautiful gift.

Anthony nods. “You’ll get
used to it. Eventually, you won’t even notice it if you don’t
really focus on it.”

“
I felt such…compassion
toward him. I still do.”

“
It’s a humbling
experience. Our powers can be used for so much good.”

“
And evil,” I say,
remembering the overwhelming urges I felt to control him and take
possession of all his strengths, destroying him.

“
But you wouldn’t choose
that.” Anthony nears me.

I shake my head. “No,
especially since I have now appropriated self-control.” I step
closer to him. “Can I try something?”

“
Sure,” Anthony
says.

I interlace my fingers with
his. The electricity is still there—just as strong. I rise onto my
toes and lift my chin. Our lips almost touch and I notice how his
breath hitches. I want to kiss him, and I almost do, but I pretend
as if I feel nothing, brushing my lips feather lightly across his
lips. My attraction to him isn’t any less than before, and I pull
back, but I’m better able to resist him. The appropriation
worked.

“
All good?” he
asks.

“
Yes.” Instead of thinking
about him, I think about the loss of my humanity. I feel a little
sad, as if I have lost a companion that has been there to protect
me my entire life. I continue to hold on to Anthony’s hand a little
longer and our gaze lingers safely in each other’s.

“
Tomorrow, we’ll go
appropriate some more things you are in need of now that your
Huldra side is fully born, all right?” Anthony says.

“
Sounds like a plan.” I
really want Anthony to know that I still care for him, that the
spark is still there, but think it best that I wait with that
conversation until after things have settled down. Hopefully things
will settle down.

Chapter 24

At 3:00 o’clock in the
morning, Anthony wakes me up. His hand feels like a whisper on my
cheek. “I got the text and Maureen wants us to come
immediately.”

“
What, right now?” I rub my
eyes, trying to fully wake up.

“
Yes, let’s pack and get
going,” he says.

This all seems very strange
and it feels like I’m dreaming. Thinking about being transported
through the Portal of Blufire frightens me. Anthony leaves the room
and I force myself out of bed and take a quick shower. As soon as
I’m dressed, Anthony returns with a tray of bagels and
fruit.

“
I don’t know how long it
will be until we’ll have food again,” he says.

“
So how are we supposed to
win the battle against Maureen and Olaf with just the two of us?
Are the Lightálfars meeting us there?”

“
I don’t know,” he says,
spreading some jam on a bagel. He hands it to me.

I’m not really that
hungry—I’m too nervous to eat, but I take it anyway. “What do you
mean you don’t know?”