“What kind of techniques?” I asked.
He sat up again, shaking his head. “I really don’t know. Master always told me there was more to learn, but that I wasn’t ready. When I left, Master said that I would come back when I needed more strength. Until Rip gave my youth back to me, I had pushed it out of my mind. I had been too old for too long, but I think it’s time I return...with you three.”
“But, wouldn’t he be dead by now? I mean, if he was any kind of master, he would have to be much older than you, right?”
He started laughing, “You don’t understand. Master was a bit...different. Just trust me, okay? All will be clear to you when we arrive.”
“Where is this place? I don’t know if I can take much more travel, Jake. The car ride here was making me sick, so if it’s too far, we’ll fly.”
“No, it’s not far, but I can put you to sleep while we drive. Melody, too, if she wants. After everything that has happened, I’m sure you deserve a rest. Besides, it’ll give me a good chance to grill Melody’s new boyfriend.”
“Yeah, can you believe that guy?” I asked, giggling. Yes, giggling. I giggled. Ugh, kill me. I was trying to make light conversation, but the princess in me came out.
“I was surprised that when you sat next to Melody in that diner that he wasn’t drawn to you. When you spoke to him, I could feel the magic in your voice. It was absolutely intoxicating, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.”
My face felt red and I was too embarrassed to talk so after an awkward moment, he continued, “It’s odd, though. Ever since Rip made me young, I haven’t felt your magic. It’s just not there anymore.”
I didn’t know if I should take it as a compliment or not. “I can still feel it inside of me when I speak. I know you and my sister call it magic, but I don’t know what it is. The only thing I know for sure is that when I speak, it comes out of me. I can control how much power is in my words, but I can’t stop it completely.”
“I’ve always wondered, Key, what does it feel like?”
I thought about it for a moment, trying to find the right way to describe it. “Well, you know the feeling you get in your stomach when you’re nervous? Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it feels really light like you might be sick? It’s like that, but in my throat. If I stop letting the feeling out through my words, it builds up until it hurts.”
“So, you really haven’t stopped using it, huh? I can’t feel it at all anymore.”
For some reason, the idea that I couldn’t influence him scared me. First, Rip and now Jake. Jake, the guy who crumbled in my hands whenever I looked in his direction. The same Jake that would follow me around like a puppy dog whenever I wanted to go off alone. I used to think of him as just an old man who had become like a family member. But now...it was jealousy. Jealous that I would no longer capture his attention.
“Jake, is this going to change our relationship? I don’t know if I-”
“What do you mean?” he asked, cutting me off.
I stared at my own knees, my hands shaking as they rested on them. Why did I feel so vulnerable? It wasn’t like me to have fears and at that moment, all I could think of is spinning out of control.
“Key?”
“Uhh, I know this is going to sound weird, but how do you feel about me now?” I asked, still unable to look anywhere but down. When he spoke, I still heard the voice of the loving old man that took care of us for so long, but when I looked at him, I knew he was the one I’d been thinking of since I was a child.
Call it sick. Call it weird. Call it whatever you want, but I was in love with the younger man and just loved the older man. And yes, there is a difference between the two types of love. I had so many expectations of this younger man. I thought he would be with me and want to love me. I thought that my magic would bring us together, but it’s Jake. Jake. How could I ever be with that man?
I dared to look up for a moment and saw him looking right at me. Something in his expression made me angry. I could see pity or maybe even regret. Whatever it was, it pissed me off.
I jumped off the bed and slammed my body into his, pinning him against the mattress. A knife hidden at my waist came out and the flat end of the blade pressed against his neck. Still, the look was there in his eyes and he refused to look away.
“Damn it, I asked you a question!” I grumbled with my teeth clenched.
He smiled and spoke in a soft tone, “Do you know that when you’re angry, your nose wrinkles up on the right side? It’s so cute.”
It caught me off guard and I let up the pressure on his skin, but the knife had left two cuts that were the exact length of the blade. Two thin lines of blood trickled down toward the back of his neck, staining the white sheets, but he just laid there, smiling at me.
“Your magic might not work on me anymore, Kiara, but I am one hundred percent yours to do with as you please. This younger body of mine knows what it wants and what it wants is to be at your side.”
His hands moved like lightning and thunder. Speed equal to mine and power like I’d never felt before. The knife flew from my hands and he rolled me over so that he was on top of me, staring at my lips as he came closer.
I began to panic, wondering if I was really going to let this man’s lips touch mine. Half of me said to fight him, the other half said to give in. I don’t think it would have mattered either way. His grip was too tight for me to even move. He leaned in toward me, pressing against my body, and kissed the corner of my lips on each side.
I found myself trying to kiss him back each time his lips touched mine, despite my own internal struggle. Finally, he closed his eyes and our mouths embraced each other, sending fireworks up and down my body. I’d never been kissed with so much passion nor ever fallen so deeply for someone’s touch.
It was him that I wanted. No matter what our history was, I wanted Jake and he wanted me. That's all that mattered.
Chapter 7 - Breaking Good
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