Page 59 of Treasured Secrets
We were interrupted as Anesta walked up, speaking with uncertainty in her voice. "Aria? Chris said you needed me." Her eyes caught sight of my battered body. Fury and surprise rang out in her tone. "What the hell happened?"
"A group of guys jumped me, beat me up pretty badly. Tallis stopped them before one of them cut my face up."
Tallis flinched. I guess he hadn't even noticed what was going on when he threw himself into the fight. He just knew I was a bloody mess on the ground.
Anesta shook her head in disbelief. "Filthy mongrels. They should be turned to ashes for this."
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her side." Tallis put his head down in shame.
Anesta had been cruel to the whole Verdan family since the alliance. I was surprised when she didn't take the opportunity to kick him while he was down.
"You can't watch her every second of every day. You left her in the very capable hands of Aster. How were you to know her baby would make introductions tonight? You've barely left Aria's side for more than an hour or two at a time for the past few months. You haven't hurt her or taken advantage of her, and it seems like you're always saving her. You shouldn't feel guilty for this. Not to mention, she'll be just fine in a couple of minutes. This is the easy stuff. Mortals are too weak to make a mess I can't clean up quickly."
I smiled as they exchanged a silent promise of truce. Anesta was finally accepting the Verdan's. Or at least Tallis anyway. She looked down at me.
"All right. I need to know where you hurt the most. I need to start with the worst pain."
I pointed to my stomach and spoke through gritted teeth. "I think my ribs are broken."
I saw Tallis's face distort. He realized I'd been in pain the whole time he'd been holding me. "Why didn't you say something?" he asked, his tone swelling with misery.
"Because you would've just felt worse."
I forced a smile as Anesta put her hands on my sides. My ribs moved inside my body. It hurt for a moment longer, but then I could breath easily without the sharp pains. Next she put her hands on my knees. I watched in disbelief as my skin that had been ripped apart suddenly closed back together right in front of my eyes. It looked like nothing had happened. Then she did my hands, my lip, and my bruised face. When she finished, she hugged me and I thanked her.
I looked at Tallis, who was still beating himself up. I looked down at my body as I spoke with ease now. "See? Now the only things messed up are my clothes. I need to go change."
He stood up and wrapped an arm around me. We went upstairs, away from the multitudes of people.
When we got to my room, I put on some new clothes. He had his back turned to me, staring out the window. I threw on a pair of yoga style pants and a tank top. I walked over to where he was standing and wrapped my arms around him.
"You like that window, don't you?"
"I just like making sure you're safe, even though I didn't do so good tonight."
"Don't start that again." I paused for a minute. "Anesta seems to be coming around. That's good."
"She's not so bad. She's just in pain." His eyes started looking down toward the floor as he talked to me.
"Why is she in pain?" I was puzzled by his statement.
"Anesta has been looking for centuries for her soul mate. She's been waiting and longing for her other half. She's never looked outside the realm of witches. Then she learns that bodyguards and witches can also be mates. So she expands her search into the guards as well. Then she finds out about Allaysia and Edmond, and realizes that she's been so closed-minded for centuries. She's been looking for a witch instead of looking for magic. It's disheartening because now she worries that she has already missed her chance. There's so many more places to look as well."
"Oh. I hadn't thought about that." It would be lonely to be alone for centuries. I thought for a moment. "I think you… I think we're soul mates."
I didn't intend to blurt it out so boldly, or awkwardly. I was becoming increasingly horrible with timing and words.
He hugged me. He didn't seem surprised by my statement. I started pulling his face down toward mine, but he caught my arms and stopped me. I was a little hurt, but mostly confused.
"I'm sorry. I guess I thought you felt the same way." I felt my voice cracking and heard its uneven tones.
He grimaced slightly. "I care for you, but this is dangerous."
I tilted my head. "Why is this dangerous?"
He sighed loudly and walked away from me. "Everyone thinks that Dramus was this crazy lunatic that sat in a dungeon and looked for a way to drain an essence. That's not how it happened though. He was just trying to kiss a witch and found himself inhaling her. That sort of thing doesn't happen like that for the other dark ones. They have to try to inhale. That could very possibly happen to me, considering I share his blood."
I shook my head. "That's crazy. You're nothing like him. You're pure and light. I can't see it, but I can feel it."
