Awakening

Laughter reached her ears while she made her way down the marble staircase. The sound filled her with joy. It had been so long since her society rejoiced. Now that the war was over, her people could sleep in peace.

The ballroom was a vision of candlelight and flowers. White and gold ribbon, the island’s colors, wrapped around the pillars circling the dance floor. Already many couples weaved in and out with the music. No one had noticed her yet, so she had time to search the crowd for him.

Her red silk dress hugged her body. It made her feverishly wish that Thane was there. It’d been five years since she’d last seen him. Five years to realize that every time they argued she fell more in love with him. Then, he’d been off in the Dark War to fight for their country, for their island.

Did he miss her? Did he burn to see her as she did to see him?

Sofrina knew all the young men would be there to dance with her. And, of course, she would dance with them since it was her duty. That wouldn’t change the fact that Sofrina only had eyes for Thane.

How much had he changed? Sofrina wondered as her hand slid down the banister. Her brother, Julius, was home as well, and he’d changed much in the year that he’d been gone. No longer was his face bare. His beard covered the stubborn set of his chin.

The announcer waited at the base of the stairs. He bowed low before calling out her entrance. “The Oracle, Lady Sofrina.”

She hadn’t been the Oracle when he left. Would he find her title intimidating? Heads turned to catch a glimpse of her, and she was uncomfortable with the attention. What she wouldn’t give to be a normal woman tonight.

As soon as her slippered toe stepped off the staircase, her best friend, Lilah, was at her elbow. “Your brother is so handsome.”

Sofrina flicked her an irritated glance. “He’s my brother. What do I care if he is handsome or not?”

Lilah’s blonde curls bounced when she laughed. “Oh, stop your nonsense. Your brother is handsome no matter what you think.”

Sofrina nodded politely to an elderly couple walking by, her eyes darting back and forth, searching for even one glimpse of Thane. The couple bowed their heads in respect to the Oracle.

“Look, Morgana and Ash are dancing!” Lilah’s eyes sparkled and she nodded toward them.

“I believe she actually missed arguing with him while he was gone.” Sofrina pushed down the jealousy at seeing the married couple smile at each other. At first, Morgana and Ash had hated each other and their arranged marriage. Now, it didn’t look as if they hated anything. She nodded to a few soldiers. They bowed and turned away. “I wish I’d never been born with these powers.”

Lilah stopped walking and faced her. “Sofrina, you mustn’t speak like this. It’s who you are. Embrace it.”

Sofrina lowered her voice to a whisper. “People fear me. They respect me only because I could give their secrets away. They don’t come close to me.”

“I do!” Lilah waved a hand to encompass the people. “They don’t fear you.”

“I know you don’t.” Sofrina fought the impulse to cross her arms in a most unladylike way. “But what will Thane think?” The question was out before she’d finished thinking it.

“I thought you hated him!”

Sofrina blushed. “That was then. Besides, I’ve told you of the visions I’ve had about him. About all of us.”

Worry darkened Lilah’s eyes. “Those visions must be of pure fancy. It would mean that someone around us is possessed by the Demoness.”

The musicians started up another tune. Courtiers began to dance more. Sofrina ignored Lilah’s statement as Julius approached.

“Sister, you wouldn’t mind if I stole Lilah for a dance?” Julius held out his arm for Lilah to take.

“Of course I wouldn’t. But be mindful not to step on her feet, brother.”

Julius grinned. “My footwork has improved over five years.”

Sofrina held her smile until they’d joined the others on the dance floor. She felt her common pang of loneliness and knew she had to get out of this crowd. Several people stopped her, chatted inanely, but finally she made it outside onto the balcony.

She knew she was alone. The only light was from the full moon that hung over her beloved city, so the shadows hid her while she leaned against the balustrade.

Below she could see several carriages as more people arrived. She let her attention wander to the buildings, over the fountain in the center of the city, to rest on the temple.

She felt a warmth run through her veins. That was her home, where she felt the most normal. It stood out, smaller only than the palace to the left. The tips of the spires were lit with giant torches. They beckoned to her.

The warmth in her veins burned hotter. Her power shimmered.

“It’s been a long time.” A deep voice caressed the back of her neck.

She knew who it was before she turned her head to look. “Yes, it has.”

Thane stood in the black of his full dress uniform, minus the armor. He leaned insolently against a pillar. His hair was darker, and the stubble that shadowed his chin caused her stomach to flutter. He’d never looked so…solid. Sofrina didn’t need her power to tell he was different. Contained but lethal, dangerous and protective at the same time. Definitely not the carefree boy who’d left. She trembled and despised herself for it. She wanted the upper hand there.

Thane stepped closer, his gaze roaming over her body. “I’ve been waiting to see you, Oracle.” His warm hand enveloped hers, he brought it to his lips.

“Sofrina.” She blushed. “You can call me by my name. We’re friends….” Oh, how she wished to be more!

His lips twitched. “Thank you for your permission.” He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. “May I have this dance?”

The vision danced on the edges of Sophie’s mind throughout the next few days. It distracted her with the subtle hint of danger, with the not-so-subtle hint of love and desire, and with the reason it was tied to the present. Was there an order to the things she saw? Did everything have a purpose or did her past self, Sofrina, surface the longer she was near Tristan?

That was a distraction all its own. Whenever he was near, she noticed only the way his eyes darkened when they looked at each other and the way his body looked when he moved. When she saw how aggressive he was in training, it caused a fire to course through her blood. Being in the close quarters of his truck, with him so near, was almost unbearable.

They were headed toward her parent’s house for Thanksgiving. Two hours down, about ten minutes to go. Part of her wanted the desperation to end and another, more torturous part, couldn’t imagine it ever being over.

She’d kept the vision to herself until the ride to her parents. She’d told him about the balcony and their conversation without illuminating their mutual attraction. Now, she told him about Morgan and Aidan’s arranged marriage.

His surprised laugh, deep and rich, tickled her insides. “They were married? Did you tell them that?”

Sophie shook her head and watched the familiar sights coast by. “No, you’re the first one I’ve told.”

He smiled. “I like that. You telling me first. But I want to be there when you tell them.”

Sophie laughed when she imagined their faces. Morgan’s disdain, Aidan’s exhilaration.

“You should laugh more often.” Tristan spoke suddenly. There was still a curve to his lips, but his eyes were serious. “I know what we’re going through right now is terrifying, but you should definitely laugh some more. We can’t let her win, Soph. If she takes away our happiness, isn’t that a score for her?”

Sophie knew he was right. She didn’t want to admit it, but knew all the same. It was just hard to focus on happy thoughts when you knew a powerful demon was hunting you down.

She saw the white wooden sign: Sunset Bed and Breakfast, Next Right. “That’s our turn.”

“Your parents own a bed and breakfast?”

“It was their dream. They based it on the history of our town, and since it’s only fifteen minutes to the beach, it thrived. Mom said the B&B’s closed while we’re here.” Home was good for her senses. It filled her with joy, contentment, and love. Maybe it was because her parents built the house, and Sophie didn’t have to deal with the emotions of people who lived there before them. Most of the guests who came to the B&B were happy, relaxed, and thought only of their vacations. Her home was a safe haven from all the dark emotions of the world.

The lawn was green and full of circular flowerbeds of various colors, and the giant weeping willows provided shade over the many stone paths that ran around the house. In the late afternoon sunlight, the house and land looked like a lost fairy kingdom.

“Wow.” Tristan parked and took in the scene. “This place is beautiful.” He looked over at Sophie.

Sophie turned, and that electrifying jolt hit her when she saw Tristan watching her. The breath caught in her throat at the look in his eyes. She felt that pull, that compulsion to lean closer. To fall into him and never leave. Before she could, they both heard a screen door slam shut.

Todd raced down the front steps and across the yard.

Sophie laughed when he yanked open her door and snatched her out. He pulled her into a hug and twirled her around.

“I thought I’d be gone when you got here.” Todd squeezed her tighter. “I missed you.”

Sophie caught sight of her parents coming out of the house when Todd stopped spinning. “I missed you, too.” She looked over his neat appearance and arched a brow when she noticed his jeans and navy polo were actually ironed. “You have a date. With Brooke.”

Todd smiled. “Yes. And speaking of dates….” He glanced over her shoulder to see Tristan getting out of the truck. “I get to meet yours.”

“Todd, this is Tristan. Tristan, Todd.” Sophie watched them shake hands, noting the differences in the two guys she cared about. Todd stood relaxed, asking Tristan about school. His eyes were friendly, and his smile was bright. Tristan was slightly taller than her brother and his stance looked relaxed, but Sophie could sense the power inside him. His eyes were friendly as well, but there was a wariness behind them. He smiled back at Todd, though, and answered his questions politely.

“He’s a nice-looking young man.”

Sophie smiled and hugged her mom, Tara. “Yes, he is.”

“He treating you right?” Her dad, Lyle, asked. His face was serious, and Sophie knew he thought of Roman.

“Of course, Dad.” Tristan was nothing like Roman.

Her dad’s hug was a little tighter than her mom’s, and she knew it was his way of saying he missed her.

“Todd, help Tristan with the bags,” Tara ordered while she hugged Tristan. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“You, too, Mrs. Lawrence.” Tristan waited until her mom stepped back before shaking hands with her dad. “Mr. Lawrence.”

By the time Tristan and her dad were done speaking, Todd had already unloaded both their duffel bags.

“We have dinner ready for the two of you, since Todd is going out. I tried to convince him to stay, but that didn’t work out too well.”

“Mom,” Sophie laughed, “I’ll be here for the next few days. Let the boy have his date.” She knew how much Todd liked Brooke, and she wanted him to have his fun. Besides, she would get to have a little time alone with Tristan after dinner, and it was about time she found out some stuff about him. She may not get to meet his family, but she would get Tristan to tell her about them.

“Okay, fine. I’ll leave it alone. You and Tristan get settled in—”

“His bedroom is next to ours,” her dad interrupted.

Tara rolled her eyes. “Get washed up and join us for dinner.”

Somehow she felt Tristan’s amusement from behind her. When she glanced back over her shoulder, he grinned. It arrowed straight to her heart.

Todd caught the look between them and winked at her.

Being with her family made her happy, and for some reason, that translated to Tristan. It had been forever, between training, school, and worrying about demon attacks, that they’d had a moment to simply relax.

When she stepped over the threshold and back into her home, she felt all the worry and darkness melt away. The soft sunlight lit up the hardwood floors of the foyer and the staircase that led up to the second floor. White and lavender flowers sat in a vase on a table next to the door. The smell was as much home to Sophie as the floor-to-ceiling windows and scuffed kitchen floors.

“Tristan, I’ll show you where your room is.” Todd hefted Sophie’s bag higher. “I’ll put your bag up.”

Sophie smiled and watched the two of them climb the stairs before she followed her parents into the massive kitchen. She took a seat on a stool in front of the bar.

Her mom started chopping tomatoes for the salad. “So, how did you and Tristan meet?”

Visions of a ball from a long time ago surfaced. For a moment, Sophie let the feelings from that time wash over her before answering. “We have Sociology together. The teacher put us into groups for an assignment, and he was in mine.”

“Does he know,” Tara cast a sidelong glance at the kitchen door, and satisfied that no one was there, continued, “about your gift?”

Sophie loved that her mom never classified what she did as a curse. “Yes.” She didn’t mention his gift since she didn’t know if he wanted her to share it with them. “He does. It doesn’t bother him.”

Tristan instantly climbed a few notches in her dad’s opinion. “That’s good, sweetheart. It’s about time someone loved you for who you are and not how beautiful you look.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Sophie felt ridiculous for being touched by his comment. Yeah, he was her dad, but still. It was nice. And love? She doubted Tristan saw her that way.

“How’s Lilli doing?” Tara asked.

“Good. She’s visiting her parents now, too.”

“Did she bring home a boyfriend?” Lyle set a glass of sweet tea in front of her.

Sophie blushed and wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because Jackson and Lilli weren’t pretending to be a couple to thwart an evil demon. They were a real one. “His name’s Jackson. He was in our group, too.”

At that moment, she heard Tristan and Todd just outside the kitchen doorway. When the sound of Tristan’s voice reached her, her nerve endings came alive. As if he were the positive to her negative and whenever he was near, their energy reached out to each other, sparking and linking.

Todd came up beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. He used his other hand to reach for a diced tomato.

Tara slapped it away. “These are for our dinner.” She smiled and went back to mincing bell peppers.

Todd pretended to pout.

Tristan stood off to the side by the doorway, quiet and watchful. It didn’t make Sophie any less aware of him.

“I’m leaving. I’ll see you when I get back, if you’re still up.” Todd landed a quick peck on Sophie’s cheek.

“Have fun with Brooke,” Sophie said.

Tara smiled at her son before Lyle told him to be careful.

“You know people like to drink around the holidays.” Lyle clapped his son on the back as he walked by.

“Will do, Dad.” Todd grinned, even though the warning was stale.

Sophie watched him walk out of the kitchen. The back of her eyelids burned when she heard the front door shut. An ache bloomed in her chest, and she was suddenly aware of how much she’d missed him. The urge to go after him was so strong she was halfway off her stool, on her way out, when Tara asked Tristan about his family.

The sound of Tristan’s voice as he answered melted the urge away. When he sat beside Sophie, she shook off the ache and joined in the conversation. It wasn’t every day that her pretend boyfriend, who was also a shape shifter, sat in the kitchen with her parents. Todd would be back.