“Who are you talking to?” I ask as we finally step outside.
“My car is this way,” he says, ignoring my question. “You can text your friend once you are there.”
I slip off my heels as soon as I am inside Niko’s luxurious sports car, my ankles sore from stumbling. He is next to me in seconds, revving it to life.
“What the hell was that back there?” I ask once we are speeding away from the scene.
“I’d like to know the same. How long have you been involved with the Light? Does Dorian know you’ve been seeing them? Who else knows? Answer me, dammit!” he yells, switching lanes and weaving between cars.
“Jesus! Will you slow down?!” I screech, grabbing ahold of the dashboard. “I haven’t been involved with them. That was the first time I have ever spoken to one that I know of, I swear.”
“What did she want?”
“Huh? Nothing. I wanted to talk to her but she refused. Seriously, Niko, slow the fuck down!”
Niko whips into an empty parking lot and throws the car into Park before smacking the steering wheel with his palms. “Fuck!” he shouts. When he turns towards me, I see that almost all the color has drained from his blue eyes. The sight would have scared me shitless if I hadn’t seen the same happen with Dorian.
“What’s wrong?” I whisper.
He lays his head back onto the headrest and lets his eyelids close, taking a few deep breaths to calm the storm brewing within. “Gabriella, that was too close. You can’t just run off whenever you feel like it. And then the Light girl…do you know what I would have done if things became hostile? And what my brother…”
“Hey,” I coo, reaching out to him. I let my hand rest on his, our bare skin igniting a sudden feeling of euphoria. Niko immediately relaxes, sighing his relief.
“What are you doing to me?” he whispers, turning his head to look at me with questioning eyes. I notice that they have returned to their beautiful blue color. He flips his palm towards mine and we intertwine our fingers.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully.
We sit in silence for a while, holding hands and enjoying the contact. It isn’t sexual- at least for me it’s not- yet there is an indescribable feeling of blissful companionship between us.
“What happened earlier,” Niko says quietly. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have tried with you. And I knew you were marked. It’s just…there’s an impulse. Something I can’t control. Like I am compelled to touch you in a way that I have never felt before.”
“I seem to have that effect,” I mutter. Me and my supernatural mojo. Pffft.
“I better get you home.”
Niko pulls his hand away reluctantly and puts the car in Drive. The feelings of fear and confusion begin to crawl their way back to the surface yet they are bearable. We ride in comfortable silence, and I hardly notice when Niko pulls up in front of my apartment.
“Your friend should be home soon. She’s safe.”
“Thank you.” I know not to question him. For some reason I can’t understand, I already trust him.
“So…friends, right?” Niko says, flashing his brilliant, cocky smile.
I shake my head and a giggle slips out. “Fine. We’re friends. Just stow your inner asshole and we’re good.”
“But you like my inner asshole,” he jibes.
I squint my eyes and wriggle my nose. “Ummm, maybe a little.” I let my hand touch his again and give him a genuine smile. “Thank you, Niko. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
“Goodnight, Gabs.”
“Goodnight, Niko.”
He doesn’t pull away until I am safely inside the apartment and dropping my heels beside the door. I go to the fridge and grab a bottle of water, downing its contents in just a few gulps. I’m already stripping out of my dress when I enter my bedroom and kick it across the room. Yet it doesn’t fall to the ground near my bathroom where I flicked it off with my foot. Instead someone catches it, someone that has been waiting for me, lurking in the dark shadows.
Chapter Twenty
“Dorian?” I say just above a whisper.
“Yes, little girl,” he replies, stepping into the stream of light coming from the hallway. The mere sight of him, the sound of his voice, nearly unravels me.
“What are you doing here?” I wrap my arms around my body, realizing I am wearing only a strapless bra and thong. I’m tempted to turn around and let him get an eyeful of my curves but my nerves override my boldness.
Dorian closes the distance between us, his eyes scanning the length of my body. Slowly, he brings his hands up and pulls my arms down to reveal my bare skin. He then gives me my favorite crooked smile in appreciation.
“I had to see you. I had to see for myself that you were safe.” He lets his fingers graze the pendant he gave me months ago, the pendant I have yet to take off. Then his hand travels down to the soft skin of my bare stomach, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps. “I’ve missed you…so much. I feel like I haven’t breathed since the last time I saw you.”
“Then why did you stay away?” I frown.
Dorian tilts his head to the side. “I thought that was what you wanted. I wanted to respect your wishes. You said you no longer wanted to be with me.”
“Yeah. I know, but…” I begin, feeling that familiar tightness in my chest whenever I think of what we had and lost. “I’ve missed you too. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop. It isn’t getting any easier.”
“So what do you want to do?” Dorian never takes his eyes off me. They roam my pouty lips, my neck, the swell of my cleavage, the flat softness of my belly. His gaze makes me feel desired and cherished.
I chew my lip to keep from saying what I really want: him. All of him. No sharing with Aurora or anyone else. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do. You made your choice. I wasn’t it.”
Dorian shakes his head and closes his eyes in frustration. “You were always my choice, Gabriella. You and only you. And you always will be. But I can’t turn my back on my obligations, especially when they could potentially save your life.”
“What are you talking about?” I take a step back, hoping to gain some clarity with the space.
Dorian leads me to my bed where we sit down at the foot. “It means that by me marrying Aurora, my father has agreed to step down. I will be king, Gabriella. He has ruled for over 4oo years and finally I have the opportunity to right some of his wrongs.”
I blink, stunned at his confession. “Is that what you want? To be king?” I am all too aware that I am half naked and pull my comforter around me. That’s about enough eye candy for him.
“It’s necessary if I am to try to keep you alive.”
I shift my body towards his to assess his expression. As always, he gives nothing away. “So what if I choose the Light. Will you still try to protect me?”
Dorian nods. “Yes. Because it’s the right thing to do. Even if you never speak to me again. Even if the Light wages war against us with you on their side.”
I let out an exasperated huff. “I never asked you to do that, Dorian. I never asked for any of this. The bond, the mark…hell, I never even asked you to pop into my life and turn it upside down! Do you know the mess you have created in all this?”
“You know I did it for you. I did it for-”
“Right, right! You did it for us!” I cut him off before he finishes the thought. “Dammit, Dorian! What happens if the rumor of your curse is true? What if you were only spelled to love me? Your father could break that spell and freakin’ kill me. Then what? Huh? What happens then?”
Dorian stares at me blankly, giving nothing away. I can’t even be sure he’s breathing.
“Answer me, dammit! What happens if he breaks the curse?” I demand with a vicious glare.
Finally, he sighs and puts his face in his hands, rubbing the growing stubble. “You die, little girl,” he whispers. “And I acquire your power.”
His words resonate in my clouded head, roaring louder and
louder until I have no other choice but to acknowledge them. “What?! Do you see what you have done?” I shout scrambling to my feet. “This was the plan all along, wasn’t it? You knew about the curse and you knew bonding me would keep me under your thumb! You want my power just as much as your sadistic fuck of a father!”
“No!” he growls, on his feet in a flash. He towers over me, his seething sneer causing my anger to falter for just a second. “I am nothing like him! And you know good and damn well that I don’t want that!”
“How do I know that? How can I ever trust you again? You are following right in his footsteps. You keep doing this shit, Dorian! Stop trying to dictate what’s best for me! You do not own me!” I dig a finger into his hard chest to drive my point home.
The air around us hums with tension as we exchange threatening stares, neither one of us willing to back down. And I won’t; I won’t let him have his way with me. Whether or not his intentions were good, he can’t own me. I’m not his to control. There may have been a time when I would have been complacent with solely being his, a time when his love was all I needed to survive. A time when I tried so hard to be good enough for him that I had become someone I didn’t recognize. But that time has come and gone.
The sound of the front door opening breaks our heated trance and I am thankful for the disturbance. “You should go,” I whisper.
Dorian looks down at the floor, his shoulders falling in defeat. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes. At least for now. I need time to think,” I force myself to say. As much as I long for his touch, I know it will only make things harder for me in the future. I can’t have all of him and I’ve never been the type to share.
Dorian steps forward and presses his lips to my forehead, pouring life into my numbed body. He lingers for just a moment longer than usual and I feel him inhale. Yes, he needs me just as much as I need him. Then just as Morgan steps into my room, he’s gone.
“Oh shit, Gabs, sorry,” she stammers, seeing my nearly naked frame. “I was just so worried about you! Girl, what the hell happened?”
I make my way to the dresser, pulling out a pair of pajamas. “I don’t know. I was in the bathroom when I heard the screams. Niko gave me a ride home since it was nearly impossible to find you in that chaos.”
Morgan nods, a frown creasing the space between her worried, brown eyes. “I heard a girl was murdered. Like at the mall that one time. We got out of there just as the cops and paramedics showed up. It’s a massive clusterfuck over there.”
“Yeah.” I busy myself with pulling my shirt over my head, avoiding eye contact. I don’t want her to see the guilt painted on my face.
“What are the odds of this happening again? It’s like trouble is following us,” she says quietly, her eyes unfocused.
Not us. Me.
I know I could never be totally honest with Morgan. I guess, in a way, I’m no better than Dorian. Maybe his omissions really were for my protection. And maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to get over the lies and the secrets and forgive him. Especially since I have a few secrets of my own.
***
I am only too anxious to take my lunch break the next day at work and speed down to the coffee shop on Union. I pull up five minutes early and settle into a table in the corner of the empty café with a large latte, too nervous and excited to eat anything. After checking my watch for the hundredth time and downing my hot brew, I realize that the Light Enchantress isn’t going to show. She must have just said she would to appease me. Either that or last night’s scare changed her mind. With a disappointed huff, I gather my things and rummage through my purse to retrieve my keys.
“You really should be more aware of your surroundings, Gabriella.”
My head snaps up and my hands reflexively form hard fists. My surprised eyes narrow with question. “You came.”
“Yes. I’ve been here the entire time,” she smiles tightly.
I tear my eyes from the radiant woman and glance around the café. I could have sworn no one else was in here. In fact, other than the barista, it has been completely empty for the past hour.
“I served you coffee,” she says, reading the confusion etched on my face.
“Come again?” That can’t be right. The girl behind the counter was plain looking- drab even- with flat brown hair and lifeless eyes. I remember thinking how miserable she looked. I glance over at the counter but there’s no one there.
The beautiful woman chuckles, her voice sounding like the tinkling of harmonious bells. “You need to realize how incredibly easy it is for us to change our appearance. You need to learn to see those around you. To see your own kind.” She waves a hand in front of her face, transforming her soft, feminine features into the bored barista’s.
“Holy shit!” I shriek, nearly flipping backwards in my chair.
“Focus, Gabriella. You need to learn to see with more than just your eyes. Let the magic within you guide your sight.”
“Why?” I ask, trying to steel my rapid beating heart.
“Because you are living in a world of illusions. All this,” she waves her hand, “is an illusion. This world full of pain, depravity, immorality and violence is all an illusion. As is your human life.”
“But I have no power. Not until I ascend,” I say casting my eyes down, as if I am ashamed of the notion of being remotely human.
“Can you truly believe that? Do you feel powerless?” she runs a hand through the flat, brown hair masking her golden locks.
My eyes quickly snap to hers. “No.”
“Ever wonder why? Considering you haven’t ascended yet?”
I look down at my empty disposable cup. “I thought it was because of my involvement. With him.” I can’t say anymore. Not without revealing who and what Dorian truly is, though I’m certain she knows exactly who I mean.
“Ah,” she says nodding, leaning back in her seat. “The Dark One. Yes, that does contribute to it. But not all. Have you ever felt uneasy or paranoid when danger was near? Like maybe something within you was telling you to flee?”
I gaze at her knowing smile with shocked hazel eyes. “Yes. The mall... Breckenridge… the salon.”
“All times when a threat was prevalent.” She sits up straight and reaches her hand towards mine, tentatively inching it closer and closer before stopping it just centimeters from contact. “We never abandoned you, Gabriella. Our absence from your life was only so you could make your decision objectively without feeling any pressure. Though the Dark deem it necessary to play games with your heart to lure you.”
“So it was you? The Light?” Suddenly my throat is bone dry, causing my weak voice to crack.
“Yes,” she smiles, making even the dull mirage seem attractive. “So now, I want you to strip away the illusion before you and see me. You can do it; you’ve done it before. You just have to stop looking as a human and embrace the sight that is already strong within you.”
The sight. What Donna has. What intensified when my mother, Natalia, healed her when she was attacked by the Dark. The gift of knowing and accepting the supernatural.
I nod and look intently at the Enchantress, willing myself to see past the façade of muddy brown eyes and pale skin. My skin heats as I concentrate and tiny beads of sweat form on my forehead. Bit by bit, the vision before me dissipates. Brown hair turns into a blonde radiance; brown eyes morph into golden honey. Filtering rays of sunlight glint against her perfect complexion making her skin shimmer brilliantly. An impulsive gasp falls from my mouth as I take in the beauty before me.
“I…I see you,” I say just above a whisper.
She smiles. “Yes. And I see you. The question is- do you see yourself?”
A small frown flashes across my features and I lean back in my chair. “What do you mean?”
“Do you see what you are meant to be? What your true destiny is? How imperative your existence is to this world and beyond?”
Her words slice through my stoic guise and I feel the threa
t of fresh tears at the rims of my eyes. Seeing that I have no answer to her questions, she continues. “Gabriella, you were not meant to be on the arm of a Dark One. Your destiny is not to be an accessory or a play thing. Don’t let your human desires dissuade you from achieving your true purpose. We have been waiting for you for centuries. Your time has come.”
I’m rendered speechless as the tears spill down my flush cheeks. This is it. My destiny. What I was created for. What my parents- the people who loved me so much yet never even got the chance to meet me- were sacrificed for. All this time, I had been trying to be good enough for Dorian, hoping that I could be worthy of his affections. I’ve never felt like I was truly Somebody. Yet this ethereal being before me is telling me- showing me- that I was made to be phenomenal. And something within me is dying to claw itself out, ready to prove to her and everyone else that I can do it. I can surpass all their expectations. I can be great.
“I must go, Gabriella,” she smiles. “But we are never far. You are never alone.”
“Will I see you again?”
She nods. “When you need to.”
“How will I know?” I ask with a hint of desperation. I don’t want her to leave. I need to know more. “I don’t even know your name.”
The Light Enchantress stands and looks down at me adoringly. “Solara.”
Then she’s gone. And I am no longer in my seat. I’m not even in the coffee shop. I am back in my car, facing an empty lot where the coffee shop was just seconds before. I can’t even begin to understand what just occurred here. But I’m not afraid. I’m not worried in the least. I am filled with an inexplicable peace that carries me through the rest of my day, reviving the parts of me that were broken and battered.
When I arrive home that evening, to my surprise, Dorian is waiting for me, furiously pacing back and forth in my bedroom. I don’t even have the chance to ask what he’s doing here or demand he leave before he is in my face, grasping my shoulders.