Bright Fire (Bright Fire Series Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter

26

To say that being in the same room as Alec after the scene I made is awkward is an understatement. I can feel him looking over at me, and I keep my face down at the map on the table, willing my face to not turn red. 

"So," Lyla chirps, oblivious to the tension thick in the air. "I haven’t had any luck on Hermes yet, but I think I may have found a potential location for the sirens." 

I sink into the chair next to me, "But it won’t really matter if we can’t find Hermes to smuggle us into the Underworld now will it?" I fight back my hysteria. "Sorry, I know you are trying." 

She continues unperturbed by my crabbiness, "as I was saying, you see here," she points at the map, "there have been 21 unexplained deaths over the last 60 years. What's more, is they were all men. Now it is the wilderness, so it may just be a coincidence, but it is worth checking out. Most of the deaths have been explained away as possible bear attacks or drownings, but I'm not so sure." 

"What is it?" 

"It's a mountain spring." 

I look at her skeptically. "I thought sirens hung out by the ocean luring sailors to their death." 

Alec speaks for the first time, not quite looking at me. "Some do, but that's not the only place they 'hang out' at. Sirens need to be near a body of water to survive. It could be an ocean, lake, even a pool if they were desperate enough." 

"So what are they like mermaids?" 

Cass speaks up, "Pretty much, but not the Disney princess version you're thinking of. Although they are where the stories comes from. You see, sirens can leave the water but it is only for short periods of time." 

"Why would they leave the water if the harp lures men to them?" 

"Your guess is as good as mine, boredom maybe." She shrugs. 

Alec says, "We'll go first thing in the morning." 

"I don't think that is a good idea." 

"Look Dell, I don't know what your issue is with me, but I am your guardian. It’s my job to protect you." He's finally looking at me, but his eyes are cold. 

I stammer, "I .. I don't have a problem with you. Endeis said you shouldn't go, that you would be in danger." 

I can tell he's taken aback by my concern. "Dell, danger is sort of in the job description." 

"He's right. Cass and I can't help you and you can't do it alone. Alec was trained for this; he's your best chance." 

I look at Lyla. "And if he dies? What chance do I have then?" 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." 

"That's not what I mean." I pinch the bridge of my nose. They are right. "OK, but you have to promise that if anything goes wrong, we bolt and come up with a new plan." 

"I agree, Alec." Cass looks at him. "Your safety is just as important as hers." 

"Fine." He stalks into the other room. 

I am shocked by his sudden exit. "What is his problem?" 

"I don't think he can handle rejection." Lyla snickers. 

"What? I didn’t…" But I did, didn't I? 

"He'll get over it." 

"Yeah, maybe I should go talk to him." 

"I don't think that would be wise tonight. You both need rest. Lyla, I think it's best if you go home and get some rest too." 

She puffs out her lower lip. "OK. See you tomorrow." 

Cass turns to me. "As for you, go on upstairs and get some rest." 

I don't feel like sleeping after my nap in the car, but I agree.

~~~~

I
lay in my bed, and I'm overwhelmed with every emotion known to man all at once. It's all I can do not to get sick. That's always my problem. When I feel, I really feel. The emotion winning at the moment is guilt. Guilt for not saving my parents, guilt for rejecting Alec, it seems every time I turn around I'm hurting someone I care about. 

I need to look at this logically. The guilt about my parents, I can't fix. So I shove that aside. The guilt for Alec, well, that I can fix, but I don't know how. I don't even know how he feels about me. I can guess, but I've been wrong before. The way he looks at me sometimes like he only sees me, then it's gone like I'm just a job is confusing. 

I want to talk to him about it, but I don't know how. What am I supposed to say?
‘Hey, by the way, when you get all dreamy eyed does it mean you like me?
’ Not likely. I flop over onto my back and let out a frustrated sigh. I just want to turn my brain off.  

"You're supposed to be resting." I am glad to see he’s not still mad at me.

My hand flies to my mouth to stifle a scream. Alec is smirking at me from my doorway. "What are you doing here? If Cass sees you, she's gonna freak." 

"I can't sleep and figured I'd check up on you." 

Dang, why did he have to be so charming sometimes? Sorting my feelings would be easier if he were a jerk. "Oh."

He strides right in as if that was an invitation and plops on my bed. I sit here for a minute running my fingers along the swirly pattern of the bedspread. The silence is almost tangible, and I can't stand it. We need to talk, but I don't know what to say. 

He decides to start first. "So, what was up with you earlier?" 

I wish he could have picked an easier question. I hesitate and then the dam inside me breaks. Everything comes spilling out. "Seriously?" I yell and work to keep my voice low, so I don't wake Cass. "You can't possibly be that naïve. You are all over the place. One minute you're making dreamy eyes at me the next you’re cold. I can't keep up, and it's frustrating because I can't tell how you feel about me or how I feel about you. I mean I think I like you but I can't be sure it's not the whole savior thing. On top of that, I don't want to like you, but every time you get remotely close to me my hands get sweaty, and my stomach does that stupid fluttery thing. Do you have any idea how hard it is to focus on what you're doing when your heart is tries beating its way out of your chest?" 

"Yes." He says it like he's confessing a sin. 

"Wait, what?" 

"Yes I know how that feels. You can't possibly be that naïve." He grins, stealing my line. "From the moment I first saw you I've had that problem." 

I let out a slow breath and try to calm my nerves before I speak. "Ok… Well, I'm not sure it's a good idea to go there. I mean, isn't that like a conflict of interest?" 

"Not really, destiny can't be a conflict of interest." 

"What?" 

"Destiny. You know that thing that's supposed to control your future." 

Wow, Lyla is right, he is self-aggrandizing. "I know what destiny is thank you very much. My question is directed at the fact that you assume we are destined to be together." 

"I don't assume, I
know
. Think about it, I'm your guardian for life. How do you think another man would feel with you always having me around? Guardians get matched with their soulmates." 

"That's not true, my father married my mother and she was mortal." 

"And?" 

"And he had no reason to be her guardian. So there is a hole in your theory." 

"I hate to break it to you, but your dad did start off being your mother's guardian, you were assigned to him after that. He was the only guardian to have two charges." He speaks of my father as if he is his idol. 

"Why was he assigned to her?"

"That I can't tell you, my guess is she knew something or performed a service for someone. Either way your father was her guardian as well as yours. Although I didn't envy the fact that he would outlive his soulmate. It's rare for a guardian to be assigned to a mortal, for obvious reasons." 

"Wow, so you are immortal?" 

"Yes, it’s kind of in the protect you your whole life clause." 

"You said you were full-blooded human."

"I am, but immortality is given to those who become Terentia."

Knowing this doesn't help at all. In fact, it's the opposite. Sure now I know why I feel the way about him, but it means I don't have a choice. 

"Stop over analyzing this, I would not have told you if you hadn't told me how you felt. I would've let you come to it in your own time." His smile is soft and sweet. Not a smirk but genuine caring. 

"It doesn't change the fact that my feelings are decided by someone else." I flop backward and lay on my pillow staring at the ceiling. 

"It's not quite like that. Yes, we are destined to be together, no destiny doesn't force you to feel the way you do. It's complicated but trust me, our feelings are our own." 

"This is just too much."

"Which part?" 

"All of it. I feel like my life went from normal to jacked up in the blink of an eye. I’m only human, yah know?"

"Actually…" 

"Don’t even say it. It’s a figure of speech." I elbow him in the ribs, which makes him crack up. 

"See you can’t even keep your hands off me." He waggles his eyebrows. 

My face turns beet red, so there isn’t much for me to say. 

"Come here." He spreads his arms out, and I just stare at him. "I’m not going to bite you, jeez, I just want to help you relax. I have honorable intentions, I promise." He crosses his heart. I roll my eyes and lay my head on his shoulder. "Shhh, just try to sleep, let your mind sort through everything." He rubs my hair on my temple like my mother would when I was sick. It’s comforting and within minutes, I fall asleep.

Chapter

27

"What is going on in here!" I jerk awake to see Cass’s furious face. I pull off of Alec, who is still snoring away. It’s bright outside my window.
Crap
why didn’t I think about Cass? She strides over and smacks him so hard across the face he falls off the bed. 

"What the… Cass why did you smack me? What is it with you women and smacking me?" He rubs his red cheek. 

"Because you deserve it! Why are you in her bed?" 

"Woah, Woah, wait a minute. Nothing happened, I swear, Dell back me up here." He looks at me and for the first time I see fear in his eyes. 

I bust out laughing so hard I double over.  

"This isn’t funny young lady." I look at Cass’s serious face and enter a whole new round of laughing fits. 

"I think she might be cracking up. Should we call a doctor or something?" Alec’s worried expression isn’t helping matters. 

I work on taking deep breaths, In. Out. In. Out. "Alec, you should have seen your face. It was hysterical. You looked petrified." 

"Do you mind explaining what is going on here?" Cass doesn’t look as serious as she did before, but I know she means business. 

"It’s not what you think. I wasn’t able to sleep, and Alec came to check up on me." 

"And?" 

"And what?" 

"And how did he end up in your bed with you?" 

"Oh that, well, we were just talking about," I hesitate. Does she know about our situation?

Alec steps in. "We were talking about our destiny and why she should stop beating herself up for finding me so wildly handsome." His cockiness is returning. 

Cass shoots him a sharp look I didn’t think she was capable of making. 

"Seriously Cass, nothing happened, I promise. We were really just talking and yes he explained the whole guardian soulmate thing. I didn’t take it so well so he tried to comfort me, and I fell asleep." 

She relaxes and before she walks out she states calmly, "Just so the both of you know, that will never happen again." 

"What. Just. Happened?" Alec’s shock returns after she closes the door.  

"I’m pretty sure she just forbade us to sleep together." I start giggling again. What’s happening to me? 

His face turns into a wide smile. "For now." 

The statement shocks me into reality. "We should go down there; we have work to do." 

Still grinning from ear to ear he agrees.

~~~~

Downstairs
Cass is cooking breakfast. She isn’t scowling anymore, but her usual glow is gone. I wave Alec away into the front of the store so I can talk to Cass alone. She doesn’t look up, but she knows I’m here. "Cass?" No response. "Cass, don’t shut me out, will you tell me what is wrong?" 

She lets out a long breath and her shoulders hunch. "I swore to your dad that I would protect you, and I can't even keep a boy out of your bed. What does that say about my abilities as your godparent?" 

I did not see this coming. The woman of pure confidence and poise has self-doubt. I feel like I stepped into an alternate universe. "Cass it wasn’t like that." 

"I know, I know." 

"Besides, it’s not like I had just any boy in my bed. Apparently I had my soulmate with me. Did you know?" 

It isn’t an accusation, but she’s wary as she answers me. "Yes, but Alec and I felt that if we told you it would persuade your emotions rather than you coming to them yourself." 

"What should I do?" 

"About Alec, nothing, he cares about you and you care about him. Don’t try to deny it, I have eyes, even if my extra senses didn’t help me out." 

"You saw this happening?" 

"Not exactly, I can sense emotions in the air. When you two are in the same room together I almost have to walk out when they get too heavy." She turns to me and points the spatula at my chest. "Just because you two are destined to be together does not give you the right to go gallivanting off into the sunset before you turn eighteen you know." 

"Cass, I love you." It’s the first time I say it to her, and I honestly mean it. This woman took me into her home, looks out for me, and cares about me just as much as my parents did. She helps make all the craziness around me bearable. I pull her in for a tight hug.  

She clears her throat. "You still can’t sleep with your boyfriend." 

"He’s not my boyfriend." 

"Yet." 

I pull back, give her a mock glare and then smile. "I’m going to head up front and see what he has planned. Let me know when breakfast is done." 

Once I hit the hallway, Cass says, "I love you too."