Mortal Obligation (10 page)

Her stomach began to churn, and she tried to redirect her thoughts. She stood up and stretched. Her shoulders were tense, and she had a slight headache building behind her eyes. She needed to move and to think about anything other than immortals. Otherwise she was going to be sick in front of everyone.

Sophie seemed to understand. “Why don't I give you the tour, Ree? Let you see the house and get some food. It should be daybreak in a few hours. Then you will all be able to go back to the mainland and get your things. I’ve readied rooms for everyone.”

“Whoa, readied rooms? Are you saying  we have to stay here?” Weylin asked, incredulous.

“If you want to learn how to control your powers, then yes.” Diakos walked to the door and motioned for them to follow her.

“We have lives. Family, school, and friends. We can't just disappear,” Paden said irritably.

“I can help with the parents and the school, to some extent. Tell your friends you have a job, tell them you're sick.  Tell them whatever you have to, but make sure you are back here on this island before nightfall. You may be immortal, but if you are injured too severely you can die. You have much to learn if you want to survive – if you want the
planet
to survive.”  She said nothing else on the matter, just led the others to large, well-appointed rooms. Ree was hard-pressed to not be amazed at the opulence of the home.  It seemed to go on forever. Dark wood floors ran through the house. Arches and pillars formed the entryway into every room. There was even a servants’ wing. Though she didn't see any servants, she knew someone must take care of this large estate.

Finally, Sophie led her into a huge kitchen. Along the back wall, there was an eight-burner stove and stainless steel appliances. All of the woodwork, including the large center island, was beautiful dark wood that seemed to almost glow. Sophie walked over to a large double cabinet and opened the door to reveal an industrial-sized refrigerator and freezer. She grabbed a pint of ice cream and smiled at Ree sheepishly.

“My guilty pleasure.” She motioned for Ree to take a closer peek into the fridge. “What would you like?”

There were a lot of things to choose from, but she went for the basic sandwich. She grabbed some turkey and cheese, then dug around for some mayonnaise. Sophie pointed at some bread on a rack in the corner and Ree grabbed the pumpernickel. After throwing the ingredients together, she sat down on a stool across from her boss and took a large bite. She ate for a few minutes in silence. Glad to be filling her stomach, which had become almost unbearably empty as she had toured the house, she finally started to feel a hesitant sense of calm. Sophie got up and went to the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of water. She slid one over to Ree, who smiled in thanks.

“So. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions.” Sophie scooped more chunky chocolate ice cream onto her spoon.

“Yeah. That may be the understatement of the year.” Ree spoke around a mouthful of turkey and cheese. “More like a million questions. So many questions you may not ever be able to answer all of them.”

Sophie sighed. “Shoot.”

Something in her expression triggered a different set of questions in Ree. Unsure of where to even begin, she went with the one at the front of her mind. “How many times have you done this?” She gestured between them. “Sat across from someone and explained the most unlikely, unrealistic story to ever be told?”

The older woman raised an eyebrow in amusement. “That’s where you want to start? If that is what you want, then . . . four times. Four times, including you.”

Ree pursed her lips. “And how many battles have been fought? How many have we won?”

Sophie’s expression became a little more serious. “From what I am led to believe, there have been exactly one hundred battles. One hundred Alastrianas before you.”  She set her spoon down and looked  Ree directly in the eyes. “And out of those one hundred battles, we have won exactly half.”

The turkey sandwich seemed to stick in her throat, so Ree took a gulp of water. “And what was the set number of battles agreed upon?”

“One hundred and one.” Her voice was completely deadpan, and Sophie sat very still, waiting for Ree’s reaction.

The room spun for a moment as Ree considered exactly what that meant for her friends and herself. She shoved the plate away from her as her stomach lurched. Sweat broke out on her forehead as she tried to keep it together.
Don’t freak out, don’t freak out
, she told herself. It didn’t work. She ran to the sink and lost everything she had just eaten. Once the dry heaves stopped, she ran the water to clean up and splashed her face. She stood there bracing herself over the sink and took several deep, unsteady breaths.

Sophie said nothing as Ree reined in her emotions, she simply watched her patiently and ate her ice cream. Once Ree was certain she wouldn't be sick anymore, she went back to her stool and took a sip of water.

“So.” Her voice was hoarse and wavered a little. Ree took another sip of water before continuing. “We're the tie-breaker. It's been this close all along. We're balanced on the edge of becoming the slaves of monsters, and we're the team the gods send to tip the scales. Okay, no pressure.” Ree rubbed her palms against the cool granite and decided to plow through. “Moving on. What makes this group so special? Other than the extra Guardians?”

“That is something that will become apparent as you progress. You will all learn from each other. Grow together.”

“That’s pretty evasive,” Ree pointed out. But Sophie merely shrugged and motioned for her to keep going. “Okay. We’ll come back to that later. How about me? Why me?” She tried a different angle.

Sophie swallowed her ice cream before answering. “You, because of your gifts. Because of your family. Because you have it in you to win.”

“Shouldn't all Alastrianas have it in them to win? And couldn't it just as easily have been someone else in my family? I have a cousin my age. Or my aunt? She’s always been gifted with something extra.”

“Each Alastriana was picked to counter what the gods thought the Dark Ones were planning. It had to be you, not your aunt or cousin. And for this, it was obvious to the gods it was to be you. In a way, the Dark Ones picked you themselves.”

Ree grimaced   and said, “Picked me? How is that?”

Sophie stood and went to put her spoon in the sink and throw the empty ice cream container away. “I think that’s enough for tonight. I will take you back to your room so that you can get a few more hours of sleep before going back to the mainland.”

“But…” Ree protested.

“You said you had too many questions for me to answer. In that case, we certainly will not be able to answer them in a single night. So why don't you get some sleep and we will talk again after you get back.”

Ree heard the finality in her tone, and knew she wouldn’t get any more information out of her. Irritatingly enough, while following behind the tall woman, she couldn't help yawning several times. She was still tired. And she really did need some sleep, though she doubted she would be able to stop her mind from racing.

Sophie bid her good night and Ree pushed through the large arched door to her room. The lights were turned down low, heavy curtains were pulled to block any light from the window and there was a dainty nightgown, robe, and slippers laid out on her bed. Ree looked around the room suspiciously. She hadn’t seen anyone but her friends and Sophie in the house. She felt funny about putting on someone else’s clothes, so she moved them onto the chair next to the side table. She stripped down to her undershirt and underwear before gratefully sliding into the bed. She had to give it to Sophie; this was the nicest bed she had ever slept in. As her eyes grew heavy, she wondered if her parents would be worried she hadn't come home. Lately they seemed to be so lost in themselves they probably didn't even notice. That was her last thought as she rolled over and sleep claimed her.

Someone tapped on her door before opening it and walking in. Startled, she sat up and groped along the bed stand for something to protect herself with. A really good-looking guy was striding across the room carrying a breakfast tray. He was tall, with thick, dark brown hair that swept across his forehead. He had an amused smirk on his face as he noted her reaction. When she met his blue eyes, she froze. He wasn't just good looking, he was drop-dead gorgeous. But she was struck by more than his appearance; she felt utterly confused by the sense of familiarity that washed over her.  His expression was mocking, but there was something very intense floating in the back of his eyes. He purposefully gave her a long once-over, making her realize that she was sitting there in bed in nothing but her tank top and underclothes.

“Good morning, Alastriana. I trust you slept well last night?” He set the tray down on the night stand and then sat in the chair next to the bed. “Are you planning on doing something with that paperweight?” He nodded at the blue crystal ball that she was clutching. Blushing, she lowered her hand but didn't let go of the globe.

He had a slight accent, something that wasn't quite modern. In fact, despite the bad boy haircut and edgy clothes he seemed far older than she was. The more she studied him, she started to notice that he felt different , if that could make any sense. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. What was supposed to make sense after last night?

When she didn't respond right away, his smirk grew and he arched an eyebrow at her.

She grimaced and pulled the blanket up higher. “Who are you? And didn’t your mommy teach you it isn't polite to just walk into someone’s room while they’re sleeping?”

“But I brought you breakfast!” He pointed at the tray, pretending to look hurt. This time she didn’t bother to hide rolling her eyes.

“Who are you?” she asked again.

“Roland.”

“The guy with the Mercedes?”

He nodded, his expression amused as he watched her. He templed his fingers in front of his chest and leaned further back into the chair, waiting for her to make the next move. Again that feeling that he wasn't exactly human came to her. The impression she got was almost dark, but not sinister, despite his obvious enjoyment of her irritability.

“What are you?” She leaned forward, looking at him more closely.

“What do you think I am?”

She groaned. “You've got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to know that? You could be a unicorn for all I know! Anything is possible after last night. Why don't you just go away so I can get dressed?”

He stood up, but instead of leaving he came and sat on the edge of her bed. “Who is being rude now? And if I may point out, you already know there is more to me than would appear. So I think you might be able to figure it out.”

She shifted so he wasn't touching her and tried to not think about the fact that she was barely dressed with a strange guy sitting on her bed. For whatever reason, he didn’t really feel like a stranger but, just the same, she could feel herself blushing when he moved a little closer.

“Look at me, Ree. I won't bite.” His tone had softened, despite the teasing. Without understanding why, she looked up and met his eyes. There was definitely something inhuman. The blue was too deep and dark. Thick eyelashes added to the perfect face, but she had been right. There was an intensity hidden in the depths of his eyes, as if something painful haunted him. Unknowingly, she moved closer to him, caught in the mystery. His complexion was perfect; no blemishes and a warm, golden skin tone spoke of time in the sun. Everything about him seemed perfect – almost too perfect. Her eyes fell on his lips, and her breath caught. Shaking her head she looked back up at him and leaned away. Something in his eyes almost looked disappointed when she moved.