Page 16 of Behind Amber Eyes

I pocket the necklaces and look back up at him, forcing myself to look into his eyes, hoping I don’t drown. "Why are you doing this?” When he looks to the side, mouth slightly ajar in apprehension, I beg, “Please, just tell mesomething."

He swallows and holds my gaze for a long moment. "Amelia…" He says it softly and almost reverently, as if he's savoring each syllable.

His tone makes my stomach flip and heart speed up, that deep yearning from the first night returning full force.

He looks down, seemingly torn at what to say. Finally, he speaks, "Just know this: there is more to life than what the Society has to offer." He hesitates before reaching for my hand, forcing himself to look back at me.

It startles me when I don’t pull away, and again at how comfortable I am with his touch.

He continues, "If you will meet me again tomorrow night, I will tell you more. I promise. Now that you have the amulet, time is not so much of an issue, but I think there has been enough revelation for tonight. Just...take the night to process some of the things I've told you."

I look at him and utter without a second thought, "Yes." I blink at my quick reply. I gain some semblance of myself, and then realize what he's asked. Tomorrow night. There's something I have to do tomorrow night, but what is it?

Elliot.

Shit. I shake my head and drop his hand. "Sorry, no, I can't. I...sort of have plans. With my True Partner."

When I look back up at him, his eyes flash with emotion I can’t discern. He clears his throat and glances away, but nods. "Yes, of course. The following night, then."

I'm a bit confused at his reaction. I could almost call the flash jealousy, but that would make no sense. I brush off the thought and write it off as annoyance, maybe with our traditions. After all, they annoy me, too. "Ah, yeah. I should be able to do that. Same time?"

He smiles and nods. "Same time. Good night, Amelia."

I watch as he walks away, slowly blending in with the darkness, and I whisper, “Good night, Arman.”

~ ~·~ ~

Imake it through the protection field just in time for my spell to wear off, not that it necessarily matters anymore. Olivia doesn’t know that, though, and that’s evident by her fearful expression.

Olivia immediately rushes to me and pulls me into a hug. “Oh my god, Amelia, I thought you were toast.”

I catch my breath before responding, not able to stop the smile on my face. “Nope. Let’s sit down, though. I’mexhausted.” She’s about to protest, especially since the invisibility spell is about to wear off, but I pull out the necklaces and hand one to her. “It’ll allow us to stay out longer.”

She stills and looks it over apprehensively, but then slowly slides it over her head. I do the same, both of us blinking as we feel the shift in energy. She takes a seat next to me and stares at me with her eyebrows raised in surprise. “He gave these to you?”

I nod and fidget with the spell jar, feeling bashful. “Yeah. So that we don’t have to worry about time.”

One eyebrow shoots higher at that. “Wait, so does that mean you’re coming back?” She shakes her head quickly. “No, no, first tell me: what happened?! What was he like? Is he as scary as the Elders make them out to be? Also, how did he know to give you two necklaces?”

I blink at her onslaught of questions and then bite my lip, glancing toward the protection field. Even though I’m still upset that I didn’t get all the answers I wanted, the fear I used to feel has fully dissipated. “He’s not scary at all.Well,not in the sense that I fear him. He’s powerful, that’s for sure.” I could basically feel the power radiating off him, even though he did not demonstrate much. “I was curious about the necklaces, too. He said it was for you, so he knows you’re with me, but he didn’t question it further.” I cringe, feeling guilty to have exposed herso easily. “I’m sorry, Liv. I didn’t know he would know about you.”

She just waves it off. “It’s fine. I mean, if he knows about me and hasn’t killed me yet, I’m assuming that’s a good sign.” I can feel her studying me, trying to gauge my emotional state. “So, what does that mean? He gave you these necklaces, so I’m guessing you’ll be coming back?”

I start to play with my necklace again. Of course, I’m coming back. The more I reflect on the meeting, the more certain of this I am. There are still doubts, but most of those have to do with my family and friends. I don’t necessarily fear him anymore, at least to the extent I did before, but the less I fear him the more I fear the Elders and what they are capable of. Did they really get it this wrong about the Dark Elders, or was that done on purpose?

I realize that if I’m found out, I’ll be fine. That Arman willmake sureI’m fine. But could that mean trouble for my family? For Olivia?

Olivia and I chat for a while longer and I regale her with everything that happened. By the time we begin to head back home, it had been nearly another hour. I was hyperaware of when the first forty-five minutes was up, and I’m sure Olivia was much the same. When I could still feel the comfortable aura of invisibility, I allowed myself to relax for the rest of the time. Part of me is surprised that the necklaces worked as Arman said, but another part, adeeperpart, is not surprised at all.

Once I’m in my bed, anxiety begins to settle in as I remember tomorrow’s plans. How am I supposed to keep up this façade? There’s absolutely no way I’m telling Elliot anything, especially with the embarrassing way Arman makes me feel. I sigh and close my eyes, ready for a sleepless night.

Chapter 9

During training the next day, my mind is elsewhere. Leading a double life is becoming harder and harder, especially as I grow closer to Arman. I’m afraid to let my new necklace out of my sight, just as Arman said, so I’ve been keeping it around my neck, hidden under my shirt. I was nervous that the chain would still be visible, but when I looked in the mirror that morning, every time I glanced toward the necklace it was as if it was repelling me. That’s when I realized the necklace itself was also laced with invisibility, though clearly much more potent than my and Olivia’s haphazard spell.

As I think back to last night’s activities, I don’t notice that my father is about to sweep me off my feet with a well-placed kick.

“Oof!” I blink up at the ceiling, bewildered at the sudden turn of events.

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