Page 61 of The Discovered
I looked back up at the stars, feeling so conflicted that I physically felt pulled in all different directions—and it was excruciating. Even in my universal ocean, that which connected me to everyone and everything, I felt utterly alone.
Chapter18
When I snapped back into the present moment, the sun was just starting to descend in the sky. Dried tears stained my cheeks, and my fingers were numb, even inside my gloves.
I wasn’t sure how to approach Daelon after all that I had just seen. Did I tell him about the uncovered piece of his childhood? I figured considering the lengths he went to avoid talking about it, combined with our current tension, it was best to leave it be for now.
While I hadn’t received the clarity I needed, my inward journey had at least grounded me in a reminder of the bigger picture. Daelon and I were connected. And seeing him in those heartbreaking moments only cemented that fact. I surmised from my vision and given his talk of parallel pasts and common enemies, that his parents were likely killed by the same people that mine were. He told me in bed that I gave him hope, and that I reminded him of where and who he came from. That was just too similar to all that I’d seen in visions and had been told by my mothers about my purpose. He was a part of this overarching puzzle. I just had to figure out how.
I decided that despite my lingering frustrations, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt for as long as I could.
I only hoped that this was the right course of action, and my judgement wasn’t being clouded by my feelings for him. All I had right now was the mysterious, murky guidance of my universal power. I needed to listen to what my mothers always told me:
Trust your intuition, Áine.
At this point, my intuition leaned in Daelon’s favor.
I pressed my hands down on either side of the soft, plaid blanket, releasing the energy of the protective circle. I watched as the white fire extinguished gradually along the perimeter, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.
I got up slowly, dizzy from all the psychic exertion. It was like I was walking on a cloud, not quite reacclimated back to physical reality.
As I walked back to the house, I ran through a hundred different scenarios of what to say to Daelon, but none of them seemed right. My feelings for him were overshadowed by something bigger than us both. After all I had just seen, I couldn’t help but feel the decisive force of fate resting on my shoulders—like I was a cog in the machine of a grand plan I had yet to uncover.
When I made it up the stairs, I found him sitting back in one of the patio chairs, facing a lit firepit. His body relaxed as I approached and took a seat next to him, my stomach fluttering as he set his intense gaze on me.
“Any transformative insights?” he asked, his features guarded.
You don’t even know the half of it.
“Yes, actually,” I said, considering my next words carefully. “I saw more about who I am, in that ocean, and I… There’s something so much bigger than us at play.”
“I know,” he said, staring off at the setting sun.
I watched him carefully, but his features were still unreadable. “I know that something happened to my mothers’ people—tomypeople—and I know it’s connected to what happened to my mothers, and to why I was born. I know that I was born from magick. Powerful magick,” I said, speaking aloud the web of truth I already knew.
Daelon stared at me fiercely as something unknown flashed in his eyes.
“They hid me on Earth until the time was right for me to return. They hid me fromhim, I assume, and whoever else took part in the cruelty that cast a shadow over this realm.”
I faltered, remembering the scared young Daelon running through the streets. I saw a brief flicker of that fear in his eyes now.
“And even though I still don’t know how or what I’m going to do to fulfill my purpose, I know thatI will fulfill it. No matter what it takes.” I kept my voice level and strong. The fire beside us rose higher in the air.
“I will do whatever I can to help,” Daelon said. “Even if you don’t understand my methods,” he added, almost wistfully.
Well, he was right about that. “I will believe you until you give me a reason not to, at which point I will figure everything out myself,” I said, an edge to my voice now.
I knew the threatening tone would bother Daelon, anger passing through his features right on cue. I didn’t want to challenge him.But I had to.
He regained his composure quickly, but I didn’t miss the moment of anxiety swimming in his dark brown eyes. I didn’t need clairsentience to tell me what he was afraid of.
I sighed, but then pushed up and crawled into his lap. It caught him off guard, his body stiffening at first before snaking his arms around me.
“I don’t want to lose you,” he said as a rare vulnerability seeped into his words.
“I don’t want to lose you either.”
He kissed my forehead then brushed a strand of hair from my face.
