Soul Ties

Chapter 5: Secrets Untold

The dull ache startles me out of my sleep, pulling me away from the same nightmare that I always have. Looking down to find the source of the uncomfortable throb, I see a ray of light shining brightly on my ankle coming in from the window.

I flinch away from it as I pull my legs to my chest, where my heart is already pounding. Although I would rather be awakened in many other ways, I'm grateful to be out of that horrible dream.

Waiting for my heartbeat to return to normal, I peer out of the window, making sure I stay away from the seemingly innocent rays. The water is quiet. Have I really woken up before my mother had a chance to leave? It's almost to good to be true.

Quietly, I push my feet off the wall and look around the edge of the rocks. The cave seems still and I wonder if my mother is actually asleep, even as doubt takes hold. Maybe I'll have a chance to sneak off to see Seren before we have to please my mother with her unnecessary meetings with even more irrelevant people. But the thought of having to explain to Seren that our only real option has failed makes me more anxious than I already am.

How could I face her and tell her what we feared had actually come true? How could we survive without each other? An anger that I didn't know I had begins to bubble up from my stomach. This wouldn't be the end of Seren and I, I would make sure of that.

But I couldn't figure out how I would even begin to explain to her the plan that I had come up with last night. Would Seren think I was actually insane to suggest the murder of not one but both of our soul ties?

It was easy for me to imagine driving a dagger through the heart of whoever would become my mate. Easier even to picture running away with Seren to another galaxy where no one would find us or be able to stop us.

The hard part was having to put that plan into motion. I wasn't entirely sure if, when the time came, I would be able to take someones life. I barely knew how to defend myself.

Exiting the opening of the cave, I spot my mothers legs and tail bobbing on the surface of the water. Of course, she was awake before me. I roll my eyes while swimming up towards her, the bites of pain from the light growing worse the closer I get. I reach out and tap her thigh so she knows I am underneath her, hoping I haven't surprised her since I was never really up this early.

Putting her hand out for me to grab, I reach for her grip just as she starts to pull me out of the water. She holds me close to her chest and I keep my eyes shut so the sun won't blind me, my mothers cool skin fighting against the burns on my back. She rubs her hand over my smooth head and soothes my skin until finally I'm able to open my eyes and look at her without squinting.

"Lynx, what are you doing up so early? The captain won't be here for another hour or so?" she asks, splashing water against my back.

"I just wanted to have some alone time with Seren before she came." I say truthfully. I know there is no reason to lie to my mother anymore now that the secret is finally out.

My mother nods and looks off into the distance. "I also wanted to spend some time with you. You know, before everything happens so fast and I wasn't able to talk to you."

"Talk to me about what?"

I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I wasn't sure what I had wanted to talk about in the first place with my mother. Okay, that was a lie. I had so many questions I needed answers to and she was the only one who could give them to me.

I wanted to know about Thysus and her planet. I wanted to know if my mother would be okay with me leaving her here in Dalmoria alone. Mostly, I wanted to know about my father and why she refused to mention him.