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  As he heard Landen’s words, Drake’s eyes turned a shade darker. “You’d think that she’d only need you; that if you were her soulmate, you’d be able to satisfy her needs without the help of another man,” he said as his eyes stared through Dane.

  Marc began to rush at Drake, but Landen blocked his way. August stood, prepared to block Drake, but Drake didn’t move - he just smiled impishly.

  “Why are the two of you determined to give this darkness the anger it needs?” August said, looking back and forth between Marc and Drake.

  “I’m not angry; it just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Drake said, moving his hand to cover his flawless grin.

  Landen stood in front of Marc and stared at Drake. “I don’t care who I have to ask to protect her – I love her that much. If the time comes that I need you – if I have to watch her in your arms just to assure myself she’s safe – then I’ll endure it; in fact, I’d even beg you to do so...if you call that willpower, then I’d say that I do have more than you,” he said.

  I heard the truth in every single one of Landen’s words.” I love you,” I thought.

  Landen smiled as he heard my thoughts, then walked behind the couch I was sitting on and leaned over. I looked up, and he kissed my lips softly and thought, “I love you.” He then glanced at Drake and patted Dane on the shoulder and moved him closer to me before returning to the table where Perodine stood. I looked across the room at Drake to find him staring at me with eyes that were engulfed in pain.

  “Why am I here again?” Drake said into the room. “All of you fear that there’s something that could hurt me worse than this.”

  “Do you want that darkness to consume you again?” August asked Drake.

  “I don’t know what would be worse,” Drake answered.

  “The darkness – I promise,” August said, moving to Drake and letting his hand rest on Drake’s shoulder to comfort him.

  Drake turned to stare at the flames. The silent girl at Beth’s side stood; I could feel her intent of preparing dinner for us. I looked to the windows behind us; the sun was beginning to fall, signifying that the hour that Venus would test me was moving closer - faster than I thought.

  “August, maybe you should sleep again to see if you dream of Nyla,” Landen said.

  August looked up from Drake and nodded. Beth stood, making room for August to lie down. When he stretched out, I could feel his emotions of worry and anxiety hindering him from falling asleep. I moved away from Dane and sat on the floor beside August, and he reached his hand out for mine. Landen started to make his way to us, but I shook my head no.

  “Save your energy,” I thought, “I can do this.”

  Landen nodded and walked back to Perodine’s side, pushing Marc to follow him. They then took a seat at the table. I could feel Drake’s eyes on me, and I stared at him as I pushed a peace through August. At that moment, I wanted more than anything to bring a peace to Drake, but I knew that was impossible - and my intent was making Landen uneasy. I let my eyes fall to the floor and thought of Nyla and the rest of our family. I let everything I loved about them – particularly the peace I felt from having them in my life – come to me. August eventually submitted to my emotion and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  I moved back to Dane’s side and stared at August as he dreamed. I focused on his emotion, trying to prepare myself for what I’d do if I felt grief or fear. The minutes moved forward, and August’s peace relaxed me. I felt my eyes become heavy, and the calm of sleep came to me. As Landen picked me up, I was startled awake.

  “Shh...sleep...I’ll be there in a minute,” he thought.

  He carried me across the hall to the servant’s room, and Marc and Dane followed him. They leaned against the wall as Landen laid us across the small bed. A moment later, he calmed himself into a sleep. We rose next to our bodies. At the foot of our bed, we let our hands melt into one another. Marc was right: Landen’s aura had dimmed throughout the day; I knew he needed all the energy I could give him. It was just now dusk in Delen, and we both thought this would be the last time we’d be able to rest until my birth hour the next day at seven nineteen at night.

  I suppressed my fears about the safety of my family; in the back of my mind, I knew the only things I was relying on were my insight and the reassurance of Perodine’s words. I knew I wouldn’t find relief from my doubt until they all stood in front of me once again.

  We let hours slip by. Marc and Dane had drifted into a peaceful sleep; we knew they needed their rest to gain strength as well. When Landen’s Aura had resumed its bright light and the line that connected us had grown stronger, he let his hands emerge from mine. As the sensation left me, I looked into his eyes; the blue was so perfect, and the eyes of his soul gleamed in the darkness. I could feel Landen’s resolve; he felt stronger and was ready to face what was still before us.

  “We’ll be OK,” he thought, smiling.

  I nodded and woke, and he opened his eyes next to me. I leaned up and let my lips rest on his, taking in his warmth and the emotion of being complete in his arms. He pulled me closer to him.

  Suddenly, the silent room filled with a dark roar. Dane and Marc woke instantly and stood over me and Landen. Landen sat slowly up and let his eyes move across the darkness. I couldn’t feel the emotion of anyone beyond us – but I could feel a presence. A chill ran down my spine, but Landen suppressed whatever fear he had and pulled me up to him. We moved slowly to the door, not turning our back on the room. Marc opened the door and stood at the threshold, ushering us out. Once we all reached the hallway, he slammed the door shut - then it suddenly began to rattle violently, and just stopped.

  Landen wrapped his arm around my shoulder and moved us into the study. Perodine was still at the table, studying the scrolls. August was asleep where we left him. Beth and Drake were stretched out on the other two couches, sound asleep. In the center of the room were three carts full of untouched food; the aroma reminded us that we’d only eaten once that day - and that meal had been interrupted by an astronomy lesson.

  As Landen and I stared in August’s direction, Marc and Dane made themselves a plate. His emotion was calm; near blissful. My eyes moved to Drake; he looked so innocent as he slept. My eyes searched carefully over his perfect features. His lips were turned into a slight grin; I wondered what he was dreaming.

  I felt Landen’s eyes on me and turned to look at him. He looked to Drake, then back to me.

  “It must be a good dream,” he said, explaining Drake’s emotion to me. I looked away, not wanting it to seem like I cared.

  I could see Marc shaking his head in disapproval. He hated having Drake this close; he saw him as a threat. I looked at Dane, who was looking back and forth between Marc and Landen, waiting for one of them to say or do something.

  “He won’t hurt her – that’s all that matters,” Landen said to Marc.

  I breathed out, pushing the tension I was feeling away from me. I walked to Landen’s side and buried my face in his chest. Landen wrapped his arms as tight as he could around me and let his head rest on mine.

  “He does love you – but it can’t compare to what I feel for you,” he thought.

  I heard the truth in Landen’s words, and a single tear fell from my eye. I squeezed him tighter.

  “It doesn’t matter that he does. I can’t love him back; you are the sole keeper of my heart,” I thought.

  He kissed the top of head and whispered, “I know.”

  The tension Marc was putting off fell, and I felt Dane relax a little. August began to stir. The four of us walked to the couch he was on and leaned over. In our eagerness to hear what August had to say, we’d managed to stir Beth and Drake. As he turned in his sleep, August’s eyes were still closed. Drake and Beth slowly sat up and waited with the rest of us for him to wake. Augusts’ eyelids fluttered, then opened. Startled to see us all leaning over him, he struggled to focus.

  “Well...?” Landen said.

>   August sat up slowly and looked around the room at all of us, then to Perodine - who was lost in her own world, looking over the scroll. “I didn’t dream of Nyla,” he said. “I did have a vivid dream of Preston and Libby standing in a white glow – as bright as the string. Before them, I saw a dark wall. Then Willow appeared; at her side were two others that looked just like her – and then they merged,“ he hesitated, then looked at me, “then everything turned red, like blood.”

  I swallowed, imagining his dream. I looked over my shoulder to Perodine; she was looking at me, and she let her eyes fall back to her notes. I turned back to August.

  “Were the children OK?” Beth asked, sliding down the couch she was on to get closer to August. He nodded.

  Drake stood up and stared at the ground. Landen leaned against the back of the couch and stared into the distance. “We have to find that knife,” he said under his breath.

  Drake looked up quickly. “What knife?”

  Suddenly, I could feel Perodine’s emotions elevate out of control. I turned to look at her and saw that she’d stood abruptly and was staring at the doorway. My gaze followed hers; Alamos stood in the threshold of the door. His hands were full of books, and behind him a young man was standing with more books. Alamos and Perodine were locked in a stare as if they were in a world of their own. I looked up at Landen, trying to judge Alamos’s emotion through him - but he was a void to me as well. As his eyes searched over Alamos, Landen tilted his head curiously, and I knew that whatever he was feeling - he was having a hard time believing it.

  “The one that cut the cord separating the woman I love from our daughter,” Alamos said, answering Drake’s question.

  The entire room froze; it was as if Perodine’s butterflies were consuming us all. A truth was being told to us for the first time: Alamos was my first father – not Donalt.

  Alamos moved his eyes to me and searched carefully over my face. Dane leaned protectively in my direction, and Landen just stared forward. Drake walked slowly around the couch, looking from Alamos to me. “You wait until now to tell me this?” he said, crossing his arms.

  Alamos looked back at Perodine, who was still frozen in place. He then walked slowly to the table she was standing behind and laid down the books he was carrying. The young man behind him walked swiftly to the table and set the books down that he was carrying, then looked up at Alamos. Alamos nodded, and the young man left the room.

  “I take it you haven’t spent the remainder of the day divulging your secrets,” Alamos said, staring at Perodine.

  She took in a deep breath, then broke her stare with Alamos and looked across the room at me; I knew the stunned look on my face tore into her. She looked back at Alamos. “Why should I have wasted my time, my dear? I knew you would find great pleasure in divulging them yourself,” she said in a placid tone.

  “There’s more?” Drake questioned.

  Alamos looked at Drake, then to me. “Your mother and I have been fighting this demon for longer than any of your lives,” he said.

  Drake shook his head from side to side, then looked at Landen to see how he was taking all of this. Landen was calm; it was as if he were relieved to know that in my first life I wasn’t connected to the demon inside of Donalt. Landen pulled me to him, and I leaned into his body, shielding myself in his energy. I knew from Perodine’s swarming emotions that I wouldn’t be prepared for what she’d kept from me.

  “Why don’t we start from the beginning?” Landen said, tightening his arms around me.

  August and Beth stood and walked around the couch. Dane stood on one side of me, and Landen and Marc stood on the other. We all were staring at Alamos, who sighed and looked back at Perodine. She nodded and looked away; it was easy to feel she now found it difficult to look into Alamos’ eyes.

  “When Esterious was an infant, it was much like it is today,” Alamos began. “The only difference was that until adulthood, there wasn’t a division of class. At the age of eighteen, your position for the rest of your life was chosen for you. It could be anything from a farmer to a member of the court. Like most young adults, we didn’t always wait for a role to be given before we fell in love with someone,” As his eyes moved to Perodine, she turned her back, hiding her face from all of us. Alamos stared at her for a second before looking back at all of us.

  “Not waiting was a foolish thing to do; there was no way of knowing if you’d be separated from the one you found. We just didn’t care; we couldn’t control the way we felt about one another. We kept it a secret from everyone. We feared that if any of the elders knew we’d fallen in love with each other before our fate was decided, they’d separate us on purpose as a form of punishment.” Alamos stopped, then pulled out a chair at the table and sat down before he began again.

  “When the day came that our fate would be decided, my worst fears were confirmed. Because Perodine was the most beautiful woman of her age, she was given to Donalt, a young ruler who’d just assumed the throne – and I...I was assigned to be his priest. I had to stand before them and join the woman I loved with Donalt. I had to listen to him tell me how much he loved her, and that the stars above had given him a precious gift.”

  Alamos looked over his shoulder at Perodine; I could see her trembling. Beth walked to her side and let her hand rest on her back.

  “I was prepared to continue our love affair, not caring if it meant death if we were ever caught – but somehow Donalt reached her and convinced her that he loved her. Perodine asked me to leave her alone; of course, loving her, I did as I was asked and served at Donalt’s side, advising him on his every move. Years passed, then Perodine was with child. She carried the baby boy to full term, but he never took a first breath. She waited year before she tried again. This time, the baby didn’t reach its second trimester. The grief almost killed her. Donalt blamed himself. The two of them divided. Perodine moved to this side of the palace, and Donalt to the other.” Alamos looked to the shadows of the room, then at each of us before he began again.

  “I remember leaving Donalt alone for a few weeks...I thought he needed time to himself. When I approached him again, he wasn’t the man I knew before. The look in his eyes was cold, dark; I feared the grief had taken him over. I tried to counsel him. When I said Perodine’s name, he looked at me as if he had no idea who I was talking about; all he wanted to talk about was his followers. He thought they weren’t giving him enough. He complained that they were too happy. He began to take their privileges away. The positions from that point on were never appointed to the court; they were all of manual labor. I sent word through another priest to Perodine, telling her that Donalt needed her - but I knew I wouldn’t be able to send her into his arms again.” He looked back at Perodine, who had laid her head on Beth’s shoulder. He then looked at the ground and continued.

  “She listened to me and went to him. Months went by, and nothing changed; Donalt just grew darker more determined to bring devastation to his kingdom. When I couldn’t bear it any longer, I came to Perodine one night.” Alamos looked around the room, taking in the memory. “I found her here, crying, lonely. She wanted more than anything to be a mother, to feel an unconditional love. She’d tried over and over again with the man Donalt was, only to leave his arms feeling cold and used. In my time as a priest, I’d been taught the beauty of the stars above; I knew that there were influences in the stars that could protect any child Perodine wanted to conceive. I had the observatory built next to her room,” he said, looking to the doorway that led to it.

  “As I taught her the magic of the stars, the passion between us was reignited – and she asked me to father her child. At that moment, I felt like my life did have a purpose. I submitted to her request, and we planned everything perfectly – even the time that Perodine would go to Donalt. We knew that in order to protect our lives, he must think the child was his. We couldn’t have imagined, though, that we’d conceive a child as great as Aliyanna,” he said, moving his eyes to me. I felt my stomach turning an
d my heart racing, and Landen tightened his hold on me, sending a peaceful emotion through me.

  “Perodine waited until Aliyanna was three months old before she presented her to Donalt. I was standing at his side. To say the least, he was shocked; he had his doubts. Perodine took our daughter back to her wing, only emerging when she was forced to for social occasions. Donalt turned to me; he said he didn’t trust the child, that its purpose was to destroy him. He had me and three other priests construct her birth chart, then move them forward in time throughout her life. I led the project and carefully omitted anything that would allude to the fact that Perodine and I had conceived Aliyanna.” Alamos let his eyes fall to the table to the scroll before him. He then folded his hands, and his dark eyes seemed to echo a pain he was feeling.

  “As I moved my daughter’s chart forward, I saw not one amazing life - but several. I saw her moving people; not only restoring Esterious to the way it was – but better than it could ever have hoped to be. I simply told Donalt that she’d have a good life, that the man she loved would rule his throne well after his final days. I’d hoped that would be enough to calm him – but it wasn’t; he was enraged. He sealed the wing that Perodine was in and said that his daughter was the most valuable thing in the kingdom and that every man that would seek her – would seek to kill him. His resolution was to choose the man for her. He found a young boy, Alazar; the child was an evil little person. He found pleasure in not only tormenting other children, but anything that had a heartbeat. I tried to steer Donalt in another direction, but he said, ‘A man such as he will be will keep my daughter in the place she needs to be.’”