Immortal Fire - Book One

My hands were throbbing as I exited the training building and was blinded by the bright sunlight. Marcus was not here and was going to be pissed when he found out that I had left early. Not really bothered now with what Marcus would think, I headed into town…

Everyone in town was staring at me as I walked the cobblestoned streets. It was unnerving. Deciding to get off the street, I walked to the field just out of town with the statues that Hayden had explained to me as being Elven Angels.

There was no one here to stare at me, and I felt myself start to relax. It was a warm day but there was still a slight chill in the breeze. Leaves bristled past me as I admired the statues. They were beautiful, and I chuckled in dismay. I was one of them and I did not think of myself as beautiful in the least…

Finding the statue of the last Angelis Mortis that existed, I sat on the grass and rested my head at her marble feet. I closed my eyes and my thoughts kept returning to what Hayden had said today at training.

He was probably right in his reasons for not letting us be together, but didn’t being soul mates mean that it was right to be together? That it was meant to be, no matter what? My hands were still throbbing as I rested them atop my knees. Sitting in the silence with just the sound of the breeze and birds chirping in the distance, I rested my eyes and fell asleep.

I had no idea how long I had slept. I was disorientated when I woke. The sun must have been about to set, and it had become cold. Storm clouds rolled overhead with the sound of thunder rolling through the skies. The wind had also picked up and was blowing dust and leaves violently into my face. Lightning struck a nearby tree, and I screamed.

It had been so close that the hairs on my arms stood on end. Jumping to my feet, I tried to figure out which way I had come from. It was impossible to see, seen as though the wind was blowing dirt and leaves everywhere. I spun around trying to figure out if it was maybe from the other direction that I had come.

Lightning struck once more, and I ducked. What kind of fucking storms did these people have? I had never seen anything like it in my life. Lightning crackled again, and it got closer. I started to run, in no set direction. I just wanted to get indoors where it was safe. Tree branches and rocks made my run more difficult as I could not see where I was going.

“Aria...!”

Hayden? Surely, I had imagined that. Why would he be here?

“Aria...!” the voice called out again. Hayden was calling me; I was not imagining it. I would have known his voice from anywhere.

“I’m over here!” I screamed to the wind. Standing still as the wind whipped my hair into my face, I heard branches snap, and Hayden came into view. He was not in his uniform that I had become accustomed to. Instead, he wore a grey t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

“What the fuck are you doing out here? I’ve been looking for you for hours.” He grabbed my arms and bent to look me in the eyes.

I was about to answer him when lightning struck nearby, and it started to rain. The rain pelted down on us like ice. Hayden grabbed my one arm and pulled me forward as he ran. He seemed to know where he was going.

Hayden pulled us into a moss-covered cave that was concealed by overgrowth. It was a relief to be out of the rain and wind. Leaning against the wall of the cave, I was trying to catch my breath when Hayden grabbed me and spun me around.

“What the fuck were you thinking?! I have been looking for you for hours Aria! Marcus has also been searching. You never even went back to your house! How could you be so irresponsible?” My anger flared.

“Since when do I have to report my comings and goings to you? You do not care so do not patronize me! You are simply scared that you will get into trouble for not keeping tabs on me like the good little Elf boy that you are! And for your information, I wanted some time to think, and I ended up falling asleep. So, excuse me for getting you into fucking trouble!” I exclaimed throwing my hands up into the air.

“I do care! That is the problem! I was worried about you; I didn’t know if Hunter had somehow gotten to you, and it scared me!” Hayden was shouting back at me, but it was like I had been slapped; not from his shouting, but from what he had said.

Hayden paled as he realized what he had just admitted and ran his hands through his hair. He turned around and sat against the stone wall, pulling his knees up and staring out the opening to the storm outside.

“You keep saying that I don’t fucking care, but you’re wrong, I do. That is why I was looking for you in the first place. I wanted to spend time with you, and you were not home. Then the storm picked up and I panicked…” He never looked at me as he said the words.

Forgetting about everything else besides what he had just said, I went and sat down next to him silently. His whole body was rigid with tension. He still refused to look at me when I sat next to him. Placing my bandaged hand cautiously on his, he closed his eyes while clenching his jaw. I could see the rise and fall of his hard chest as he tried to calm himself.

“I’m sorry…” I said, ashamed of myself. It was the truth. I was sorry. Still, he said nothing.

“We can’t do this…” he said as if to remind himself; eyes still closed.

“Why?” I whispered. I realized this was the first time I had bothered to ask him why. Turning his head and looking at me, he threads his fingers through mine.

“We will be hunted the rest of our lives, and I don’t want that for you. You deserve someone better; someone who won’t bring the danger that I will to your life because of what I could cause by being with you…” he said.

“I don’t want anyone else other than you. Besides, I am already being hunted, what do you honestly think will change if we allow ourselves to be together?” I asked.

He looked away and towards our hands. “The Elders and everyone will be hunting us; they won’t allow there to be two ‘Angelis Mortis’.”

Thinking about that, I knew he had a point, but this, what was between us, felt so right that it should not have to be denied.

“I’m willing to risk it if you are…” I said softly.

I looked at our hands as I said it. If he refused me again, I would not be able to bear it, now knowing what I did. Hayden turned toward me and placed his hand on my cheek, making me look at him. Those blue eyes would haunt me for the rest of my life…

“Are you sure...?” he asked. I nodded. His eyes drifted to my lips and my breath caught. Hayden leaned forward slowly, looking me once more in the eyes and then back to my lips.

Very gently he placed his lips on mine. My heart swelled. His lips were so soft, and he tasted like honey and spices. Potent. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for a moment like this.

A moan escaped his lips as my hands found his hair and our tongues met. Hayden’s kiss grew more urgent, and I reveled in it. This was what it was meant to be like with us and I knew we were making the right choice. Hayden’s mouth left mine as he started to trail kisses down my neck. My breath hitched as he reached my collarbone.

His hands traveled down my body and up my thigh. Somehow, we ended up lying on the cold floor. Hayden brought his mouth back to my lips and pressed his hard body against mine. I could feel how much he wanted this, and so did I… placing my hands under his shirt, I ran my hands up and over his taut muscles.

“Aria…” he managed between kisses, sounding like a moan of want.

“Hmm...?” was all that I could manage now. I could feel him smiling as he kissed me. With a groan, he sat up and pulled me with him so that my legs were wrapped around his waist as we sat looking at each other. He kissed me once more and I groaned, placing my arms around him.

Pulling away, he smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen on him before, and my heart skipped a beat.

“As much as I hate to say it, we better stop before we get too carried away…” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, and I sighed. I knew he was probably right but that did not change the fact of how badly I wanted him. I blamed the hormones lamely, knowing it was not hormones. He was just fucking perfection.

“Okay…” I said as he pulled me in for a hug. Leaning my head against his shoulder, I knew this was right where I belonged.

“I blame the training uniform…” he said naughtily. Sitting up straight and slapping his arm, I glared at him. He laughed at that and kissed me. “I’m joking Aria. Although it didn’t help either…” He was smiling like a goofball, and I loved it. I could not help but smile back.

Standing, and pulling me to stand with him, I spared a glance outside the cave. The freak storm seemed to have calmed down to a soft downpour and the wind had disappeared altogether.

“We better get going. Marcus is going to be pissed when you get back.” Hayden said.

Oh shit, I had forgotten about that. Hayden was checking the cave for anything that might have belonged to us that we had forgotten about.

“What happens now?” I asked. Hayden heard the anxiousness in my voice and walked over to me, pulling me to him.

“We can try and be together if that’s what you still want, but no one can know. It is not safe; you know that… At least until the Hunter situation is dealt with…” he said. That made sense: to have Hunter and the Elders after us at the same time would be too risky.

“Okay, I understand. I do want us to be together.” I answered, believing every word in my soul.

Smiling up at him, I felt as if something was finally going the way it was supposed to in my life. He pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear and gave me a tentative kiss.

“We better go…” he said.