Eternal

“My dear Nyakesh, the months have definitely been kind to you,” he stated with an appreciative smile, which she returned very easily.

She then pulled him into her arms and embraced him tightly, before pulling away, but keeping her arm firmly around his waist.

I couldn’t stop myself from staring at where her arm was placed and it made them both laugh heartily.

“Just because we are ex-lovers, does not mean we cannot be close, I am no threat to anyone who may have interest in my lovely Marcus,” she said with true affection in her voice and eyes and it made me wonder what could have possibly come between them.

“Nyakesh, I would like you to meet Unya, she’s the one I asked you about in regards to the Oracle’s true prophecy.”

Her eyes widened slightly but quickly returned to a complacent expression before she held out her hand for me to shake. I took it firmly before she placed her hand on my forearm and indicated for me to do the same, informing me, that this was how their group greeted one another.

“I am willing to train you Unya, any friend of Marcus is a friend of ours, but I cannot stress the importance of secrecy when it comes to us, especially in regards to that Lawson you occasionally associate with.”

I released her arms and stepped back, immediately going on the defence. “I would never betray Marcus; I value his friendship too much to ever do something as foolish as that. As for Lawson, he seems to have disappeared from my very small circle of associates which is why I am here.”

“I did not intend to insult you Unya, but if our existence should be revealed to Hades then we would all be in grave danger. We would fail in our mission before we even got a chance to get started.”

I told her I could understand that, but I had as much trust for her as she did for me, which appeared to be very little.

Marcus took hold of my hand and led me over to the training area, he helped me pick out a training sword before leading me to the middle of the dirt area.

A man came to stand before me with a similar weapon to my own, before charging at me and knocking the sword straight out of my grip with one swift hit.

“She has no training with a sword, look at her stance and her grip. How can you ask me to work with ‘this?’ He asked rather derogatorily, indicating towards myself.

“Jaxon stop whinging, if she is truly the one that Hades seeks, then we need her on our side. She could prove to be detrimental to our plans. So, train her until the sword becomes as natural to her as her own appendages are.”

He gave me a disapproving look, before taking a step back and then began his instructions on the correct stance for me to take. How I should hold the sword and how to parry and strike, we continued to practice for the next three hours, before he threw his sword down and marched over to where Nyakesh and Marcus stood.

I knew I wasn’t fluent in sword fighting, but I did not believe I deserved the attitude he was firing at me. Add his treatment to my hangover and I was growing thoroughly aggravated. I tried to calm myself down but couldn’t stop the flame that grew in my palm and spread up my arm across my shoulders and chest and travelled down my other arm.

The three stopped conversing when they noticed what was happening and Nyakesh started shouting for someone, panic clear in her voice.

The fire was dripping off my fingertips and striking the ground as it circled around me and started to grow and caress my legs. I stared straight at Marcus, who was trying not to smile, seeming to forget how dangerous this situation was becoming.

My body was now completely aflame when a figure of fire ran straight towards me. I couldn’t make out any tell-tale signs of who this creature was, but I knew it was female and had the most striking orange eyes I had ever seen. She reached for my hand and shielded me from the ever growing crowd’s view. The fire gradually began to dissipate as she drew the flame into herself, making her glow brighter and brighter with every passing second and Marcus was on hand to pass me a long jacket that would shield my now naked body from view.

Just because I did not burn, did not mean my clothes were as lucky.

The figure of fire smiled at me before retreating and returning to wherever she had come from.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Lawson

I had avoided everyone I ever associated with when I had come face to face with Lilianna, I couldn’t wipe her face from my mind or stop the anger from building within me.

Kat had tried unsuccessfully to get me to talk to her, but I refused to leave my room.

I could not come to grips with the fact that Lilianna had somehow survived but had not come for me. She allowed me to believe she had died that night, living in utter turmoil over her demise. Not once had she tried to get word to me of her miraculous recovery, all this time I had spent mourning her loss and never allowing myself to move on had apparently all been in vain.

I was still lost in my own thoughts when Kat decided to break one of the few rules we had ever placed when we decided to live together, and that was shifting into the other’s room.

“Enough is enough Lawson, I have been shielding calls from Unya on your behalf, and you don’t even have the decency to tell me why. Well no more, either you tell me what happened that night when you returned covered in first degree burns and soot or I’ll give her an all access pass into your life.”

“Do not threaten me Kat, it will not end well, that I can promise you.”

“This is my place, I have allowed you to stay here out of the kindness of my heart and obviously misplaced loyalty, now repay me the courtesy and tell me what happened.”