Clare threw herself onto the soft lively grass, and faced the bayou waters, it was as soft as she
imagined, and smelt of musk, the strongest kind.
A tree moved toward her, shading the sun from her face, a few minutes before Kalbreal left to fetch
them something to drink while she stretched out her aching legs.
She placed her hands under her neck, lying on her back and stared up at the tree kind enough to
shade her, watching the dance of its leaves as it provided her with entertainment as well, moving to
ballet in her mind.
She bent her neck forward, chin to chest, looking toward the water, as an image played up in her mind,
Phillip,
She wondered if he was ok, did he try calling her, she wouldn’t know because she left her phone at the
castle. She thought of her mother’s death, it had been just a day ago but felt like a week by the way the
Lightwatchers carried on like none of it mattered. She couldn’t fault them, life went on for them, they
were born to die, killers. Death was not the end because their souls lived forever, wow, she couldn’t get
her head around this crap.
She replayed the ceremony in her head, what could have gone wrong, and that man, William, his
faceless body, those unique eyes penetrating right to her very soul, as his hands wrapped around her,
she remembered breathing in his very air. She rubbed her fingers together, remembering the feel of his
cheek moving against her palm, as her fingers brushed his flesh.
“Princess,” she whispered the endearment, the thought made her face heat up and a silly smile tickled
her lips. It was the biggest brightness in her darkest hours and she would hang on to it, for as long as
she could.
Kalbreal stood in front of her, blocking her view of the lake, holding two big cups of juice. “You shouldn't
think so much,” handing one to her, he said with a smile, “It ages you.”
Clare grabbed a small stone and flung it lamely at him, which he missed, laughing, “Your brother said
to meet us here, the meeting’s in a few hours.”
She sat up, taking both cups out of his hands, and put his own on the grass, which was now flattened
like a coaster, so Kalbreal can sit next to her.
She jumped in shock, when another tree joined them and spilt some of the juice on her pants, luckily, it
was leather. The tree dropped pears. Kalbreal picked up four, rinsed them in the lake and threw one at
Clare, “You did not just wash the fruit in a lake full of dead people’s ash.” He bit into it, her jaw dropped,
“Nothing mixes with the lake, you could drink from it.”
“If you say so but if I get infected, it’s all on you Angel-boy.” The tree turned and dropped a pear on
Clare’s head, she scowled, as it returned to its original position.
It was ten minutes later when she lost the battle of silence, curiosity spurred her, “What happened with
Luela and her husband?”
“If one is chosen to be a maker they can’t have a family, they have to give themselves up completely.”
“But why would he do that? Why would anyone do that.”
Kalbreal bit into the pear and stared into the lake, he still stood by, “Sacrifice, not every Lightwatcher
can be killers Clarebella. Luela is strong, a great warrior and fearless. Cedriel was given the gene, not
the conscience. They married young hoping he’d ascend and at least be a teacher, but today when it
happened, he had a mark that is rare, a mark that chooses his faith for him. In his case his path was
forced on him, it’s believed that sometimes a path is chosen for you, and if you follow, it shall lead you
to unimaginable possibilities. My father once told me, that it’s the path that makes the man, not the
outcome.”
“Your father is a wise man, can’t you help him, you’re an Angel?”
He didn’t look at her, when she faced him, a frown creased between her eyebrows, she had to stare at
the right side of his face. The outline of his features all matched perfectly, not one dent or hair out of
place, so perfect, too perfect. His orange streaks just took it all and gave it a perfection you could never
multiply. She wanted to hit herself for not being attracted to him, but she couldn’t muster up enough
guilt to actually do it.
Clare didn’t know what it was about his eyes when he turned his head to face her, he was standing five
feet away, but that intense fire that erupted in his irises, said a lot of things, but one screamed out to
her…, Kalbreal was hanging on to a deadly secret. A secret that she wasn’t so sure she wanted to
know. His jaw ticked before his lips parted to say, “he’s been blessed, it isn’t a curse but a gift, an
honour. Luela will accept it in time, she’s strong.”
Clare was furious by Kalbreal’s lack of concern, he certainly knew how to get her revved up, she
screamed, “Accept it? She has to raise a FREAKIN’ baby alone, UNACCEPTABLE, you have to help
her.”
He moved in a blink of an eye, one moment he was five feet away next, he was right there, “There’s no
reason to shout Clarebella, I’m sitting right next to you.” He paused and muttered something, which she
was pretty sure was curse words, way to go Angel-boy she thought, as she barred her teeth.
Clare got up and threw the juice on him, he could probably crush her like an ant but she didn’t care
about that in the heat of the moment, she just wanted to get as far away from him as possible. She
didn’t even understand or make sense as to why it bothered her so much, but it did, it grated her that
life was so cruel, that her cousin would become a mother and a ‘divorced’ woman on the same day.
It was like Luela was given a gift of life but lost a part of her soul, nothing about it seemed right to Clare
no matter how you put it.
Kalbreal stood up and stepped in beside her, his eyes locked onto hers, she knew her face was red
and her lips pursed, as she scowled at him, but her anger seemed to just brighten his mood. She
looked at him, his face transformed into the sun itself as he smiled so radiantly, like if the sun had a
face it would be his. She felt her furrowed brow drop at his amused lips and found it harder to hold her
annoyance at the infuriating creature.
“Fine.” He lifted his hand, wiggling his fingers, a what-ever gesture, “If it upsets you that much I’ll see
what I can do, ok.”
Their eyes stared into one another’s for minutes, though it had felt not long enough when she lowered
her gaze. She didn’t want to give him the wrong impression, she had no romantic inclinations toward
him. She saw him as a friend, an Angel who was pleasing to the eye.
Where was the harm in that, surely Kalbreal didn’t really feel anything for her, he said so himself? He
was married, she just reminded him of his wife, it wasn’t the end of the world, but part of her, as sick as
it sounded felt like she was betraying William. With one touch he’d claimed her, he was her compulsion,
her secret slice of decadence, tainted and she hadn’t even seen his face.
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