Behind Amethyst Eyes

Chapter 10- His Fated

Daniel’s POV

    I wake up to the soft light peeking through the curtains. Kara’s delicate frame is held tightly against me with my arm wrapped around her waist. I prop myself up on my other arm, careful not to wake her, and gratefully take in the beautiful sight next to me. Her lips are parted as the sound of gentle snores escapes. Her light brown hair falls in glossy sheets around her pillow. I reach up to brush a few stray hairs away from her serene face and my fingers brush against her soft, pale skin, eliciting the familiar jolt. A moan escapes as the jolt both comforts and awakens me even more. I gaze up and down her peaceful body and the sight alone makes me hard. She squirms in her sleep, rubbing her plump butt against me. I hiss as I grow harder with every slight movement now that I’m fully aware of what is causing it. I quickly unwrap my arm from her waist and head back to my room to shower.

    Standing under the bone-chilling water, I think about all the events yesterday. The first half of the day went so well. She didn’t freak out when I told her about the zodiacs. I was proud of how calm she was during the whole thing. I sure as hell wasn’t that calm. But her demeanor changed when we got to the fated. The panicked look in her eyes is clear as day in my mind. Maybe I should have waited and eased her into it. Maybe I should have let her fall for me first before diving in. I was just too excited to tell her everything and to see the way she handled it. I wanted her. I wanted to tell her how much I already love her. But I rushed it and caused her to freak out.

    I can understand her hesitation to be with me. I didn’t exactly help the situation by disappearing for a week. I’m sure her past has a huge role in her reaction as well. But I honestly cannot believe she thought I would force her into being with me. I wish there were a way I could convince her I just want her to be safe and happy. If that means I can only be her friend for the time being, so be it. Maybe that’s all she’ll ever want. Maybe that’s all she can offer me. I don’t care. Her happiness is the most important thing to me. I’d move all the stars in the galaxy if that would please her.

    I swiftly finish my cooling shower and head to my closet to get dressed. I grab a pair of dark jeans and a deep, forest green hoodie. After I finish with my morning routine, I head back to the guest bedroom to check on Kara. I’m greeted with her back as she sits on the far end of the bed, looking out through the sheer curtains of the window. I clear my throat to get her attention.

    “Kara?” I call out to her hesitantly. I’m not sure where we stand after everything that happened yesterday. I lean against the doorframe as I wait for her to answer. Several minutes pass and with each one of them, my chest seems to constrict tighter as the anticipation and dread swell from deep within. She turns around, sadness evident in her eyes. I walk over to stand in front of her. I kneel down, so she doesn’t have to strain her neck to look up at me and wrap my hands around hers. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I’ll wait until you’re ready to have that conversation. Take whatever time you need with that. I understand your hesitation and I don’t want to simply dismiss it, so whatever time you need is yours.” I plead for her to understand and hear me out. “But I do need to discuss everything else about the zodiacs with you. Now that the Dhedra have found you, you’re going to be a target, assuming you are the first one they have been able to locate.” I stop and wait for any sign that she is listening. She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth as she bites it in contemplation. I shouldn’t be turned on by this small action, but I find it incredibly sexy. I grow hard as my member presses, constricting against my jeans. I reach out to brush my thumb across her lips as I tell her through my actions not to do that.

    “I’ll give you two hours to discuss whatever it is you need to discuss, but after that, I want to go home.” She says to me in a small voice. She seems detached as if she is going through the motions to survive the day. I hate that I’ve done this to her, that what she overheard my father say has reduced what little progress we had made to this. But there’s nothing I can do except try to prove that I’ll do anything for her.

    “Alright. Why don’t you take a little bit to freshen up? I’ll leave some clothes here on the bed for you. Everything you might need should be in the bathroom already, but if you need anything else, please let me know. Whenever you’re ready, come into the living room and I can answer any remaining questions you have.” She nods at me in acknowledgement, and I leave her to her thoughts.

                                                                                            …

    Thirty minutes later, Kara comes down the stairs, limping less than the day before. It’s been almost a week since the attack, but she’s healing much more quickly than either my dad or me could have predicted. Her healing powers must be growing significantly if she’s feeling this good. When she enters the room, our eyes meet for a brief moment before she diverts them to the ground and takes a seat on the couch.

    “There’s still a lot we need to go over, but are there anymore questions you have?” I ask. She looks to be deep in thought, probably trying to remember everything we talked about. Her forehead scrunches and she bites on her lip.

    “You said there are twelve of us, where are the rest of them?” She asks.

    “I’m not sure. When our guardians came here, they landed all over the Earth. My father and I have been searching for them for four years, but there’s not a lot to go on. Most of the guardians live under aliases so tracking them and their children have been difficult to say the least. We’re not sure how many of the zodiacs know about their true identities or if they’ve started training.”

    “Training? What do you mean by that? Training for what?” She asks looking suddenly nervous.

    “All the zodiacs will have to train to use our powers. It won’t come completely natural for us. Your healing power works on you because it is already within you. With training, you should be able to send out that energy to other people, healing them. Plus, the more you practice using your power, the longer you’ll be able to hold it for. I’ve been training for the past four years to be able to control air. I quickly learned that my power was tied to my emotions. When I first got them, I would shatter windows and create mini tornadoes any time I got mad. With time and practice, I am now able to let it rage and calm the wind with little thought.” I explain to her. She nods in understanding. “We also need to train to fight. We can’t rely on our powers all the time and not all of the Dhedra warriors have the same abilities as the ones you saw. Those with their abilities are higher ranking warriors. They are weak in combat, but their powers are deadly against us.” I finish explaining. Her face contorts in apprehension once again. Although, I’m not sure which part made her more nervous, the training to fight or the Dhedra she encountered.

    “How come I didn’t heal right away. I mean I had cuts and scrapes before I got hit and those healed right away, but the ones I had after they hit me with the orb didn’t heal until sometime last night. Why did it take so long for those to heal?” She asks.

    “The Dhedra energy acts as a dimmer.” I say as a look of confusion crosses her face. “Think of it like kryptonite to superman. When we are injured by their energy, it dilutes our own. It hinders our powers from working at a hundred percent. Instead, we only have a fraction of our normal powers. This is another reason we need to train in combat fighting, especially defensively. If we can avoid being hit by them, our powers will remain at full strength.” I explain to her.

    “Okay that makes sense. Does everyone only have one power, or can we have multiple?”

    “As you are the only other zodiac I have met, I would assume we’d only have one, but that’s something we can ask my father. He grew up knowing the other guardians so he might have a better idea. Why do you ask?” I question.

    “After I was injured by the Dhedra, I couldn’t walk very well, let alone run. I had no idea what they wanted or how to fight. I thought they were going to kill me, so I closed my eyes and waited for it to happen. When I didn’t feel anything, I opened my eyes to find that I was a few miles away and the Dhedra were gone. I have no idea how I got there, so I was wondering if I somehow had another power I don’t know about.” She explains. I ponder over this new information. Could it be possible that she has more than one power? If so, does this mean she could have more? I mentally make a list of questions to bring to my father.

    “I’m honestly not sure. I’ll have to do some research and we can try practicing that when we start your training. It would be incredible if you could teleport.” I say before getting lost in the possibilities that could happen with a power like that.

    “When would I start training?” She asks tentatively.

    “I want to wait until you’re fully healed first, but we need to start soon. Now that the Dhedra know where to find you, it’s only a matter of time before they come for you again.”

    “Okay, so how do we start to find the others? I mean we’ll need them to defeat the Dhedra, right? I want to do this as soon as possible.” She says with a newfound determination. Even I’m not sure where to begin. I’ve been searching for any sign that the others are out there, but I keep hitting dead ends.

    “My father and I are working on tracking the others down, but it has been difficult. Right now, I want to make sure you understand everything. There are several journals written by the counsel and previous guardians that might help you understand things better.” I explain. A look of irritation crosses her face.

    “I want to find the others. We need them just as much as they need us. What if the others are like me and don’t know about who they are? What if they don’t have someone there to explain everything? If the Dhedra find them, how are they going to protect themselves? I need to find them. Let me help.” She demands after her frantic explosion. I search her eyes for any indication that she can’t handle this, but all I find is fierce determination. I walk across the living room to our window nook that is currently doubling as a book stand. I gather a few texts that would start filling in the details of the crazy world I dumped at her feet just a day ago. I head back over to her and place the journals in a neat stack on the coffee table in front of her. “What are these?” She asks, picking up the top one and flipping through it. I watch her face twist in confusion as she runs her fingers over the raised pen markings of the journal.

    “They are the first few journals of the beginning of the guardians. These journals were like their diary. They wrote about everything that happened to them, when they got their powers, what kind of powers they had, what were the limits to their powers. In these journals you’ll be able to find the answers to almost all of your questions.” I explain to her. She nods slowly as she flips through the pages, handling them with care.

    My two-hour window has almost expired, but Kara doesn’t seem to notice. Her head is immersed in the journal, soaking in as much information as possible. I run my sweaty hands down my thighs, attempting to wipe away my nerves. I have to try to explain one last time before she demands that I take her home. I clear my throat to get her attention. She holds a finger up signaling for me to wait until she’s finished. After another minute of nervous waiting, her bright amethyst eyes look into mine.

    “Before I take you home, I want to ask if you’ll let me explain what happened last night in better detail. Give me one chance, please.” I’m all but on my knees begging her to allow me this. Her eyes dull a shade as her features soften slightly. She pulls her plump bottom lip back in between her teeth as she nibbles on it in contemplation. My throat instantly goes dry and my eyes lock onto that spot. I feel a twitch right below my abdomen and I discreetly shift in my seat to hide the hard bulge in my pants.

    “Okay. Explain.” Her hard edge is back as she folds her arms across her chest, cross her legs, and leans back against the couch. I silently gulp as her sudden change from soft to seriousness in a matter of seconds sends my nerves into overdrive. I take a deep breath before I begin to explain.

    “Yesterday, what you overheard between me and my father was me asking for advice. With knowing about your past, I knew this was going to be a difficult subject to explain. You had taken everything else I had told you so well, and I was so excited to tell you. When you freaked out, I knew it was going to be more difficult than I thought. I went to my father and asked him what I should do. I want you to be mine so badly it hurts, but I also know it’s not going to be easy. I’m prepared to wait as long as you need. We can do this at your pace. If all you want is a friend right now, then I’ll be your friend. If you only ever want a friend, then that’s what I’ll be for you, but I’m here for you through any and everything.” I explain to her as convincingly as I can. Her eyebrows raise as anger rushes to the surface.

    “So, you’d just be my friend if that’s all I wanted? Your father didn’t seem to think so. He said I’d have no choice.” She spits the last words in disgust. I’ve never seen her this angry, disdain evident all over her face.

    “That was a poor choice in words. Of course you have a choice, you’ve always had a choice. The only one here that has a choice is you. My mind has been made up the moment I first saw you. Although, it did change a little that night at your apartment.” I say with a slight nervous chuckle. “I knew that night that this wasn’t going to be an easy road. I wish things were different and you didn’t have to live that kind of life, but I can’t change the past. All I can do is make sure your life from here on out is one where you are happy in. I can’t promise that it will be an easy life, especially given what our future holds, but I can promise to do everything in my power to make sure you are happy.” I explain as well as I can. I wish I could confess my love for her right now. I wish I could make her see exactly what’s in my heart and how she has complete control over it.

    “What does being fated even mean? I know that we are supposedly each other’s other half and you’re exactly what I need, but what does this mean? Does it mean we’ll have a perfect relationship? That we’ll never fight? Does it mean I have no choice in wanting you? Does it mean I have to be with you?”

    “Like I said yesterday, being fated means we share a unique connection. As our connection grows, so will our powers. The gods and goddesses gave us these gifts in hopes that the love between the fated will give us the winning advantage over the Dhedra. They also gave us the fated as gifts for enduring all the pain and hard times that will come. This is something no other being has ever had. Having this one person who, no matter what scars or faults the other has, can and will be there for them throughout it all. It doesn’t mean we won’t have fights or have the perfect relationship. It simply means that when we do fight, we have the capability to see reason where the other cannot, or we both have what the other needs to work through it. It means that we work well together and can be comfortable with each other. It doesn’t mean that we will instantly love the other, but it does mean that we have all the qualities the other is looking for to love.” At this point, I’m kneeling in front of her and I’m holding one of her soft hands in both of mine. Her eyes are filled with barely contained tears. It breaks my heart to see her cry, especially knowing I’m the reason for her tears. She averts her gaze from mine and says the only words that could shatter me completely.

    “What if this is too much for me? What if I don’t even want you as a friend?” She says in a soft voice. My eyes widen in shock and my throat swells as I try to contain every instinct that demands me to grab her and run. My breathing stops and I feel tears gathering in my eyes. I swallow the lump and blink quickly, forcing the tears back.

    “If that’s what you want, then I will try to give that to you. I would be hard, but I would try to let you go. But, Kara, please think about this before you decide to go through with it.” I say, successfully keeping my emotions out of my words.

    She pulls her hand out of mine and begins to fiddle with her fingers. Her eyes are closed, and she takes deep breaths, probably trying to calm herself to think. Meanwhile, I’m a ball of nerves waiting on her every action. So many thoughts run through my head. Will she push me away? Will she give me a chance? Will she run out again? Is this too much for her to handle? Did her past completely destroy her?  Is this something we can work through or is this where our story ends? I try to calm myself, but with every passing second, that simple feat becomes harder and harder to achieve. The moment her eyes open and find my own, I stop breathing, waiting to see if my life begins or ends today.

    “I u-understand…everything you’re saying, but it’s a lot. I need t-time to wrap my brain around it all. I’m not saying never, but I’m saying not right now. Let’s try with the friend’s thing first.” I slowly exhale the breath I had been holding. At least I know I still have a chance. I will do everything I can to make sure she chooses me, anyway she wants me. I stand up and give her some space as I nod at her in acknowledgement. She stands too, wrapping her arms around her stomach, holding herself. “I’d like to go home now.” She states. I nod, once again before leading her to my Jeep and taking her back to her life.