Appointed Page 9

  “You said you were going to tell me what happened.” Her tone sounded as if he’d betrayed her.

  “I also said to ask me about it later,” he quipped.

  She was no doubt rolling her eyes at him. “Okay, tell me what happened in the kitchen then. Apparently you had a vision about your dad? Isn’t he dead?”

  “Very, last I checked. It was a day vision about the past. Something that’s never happened before—”

  “Which would explain why you were so shaken up.”

  “Yeah, it was kind of confusing.”

  Jewl stopped walking and pulled him toward the side. The wind had stopped blowing, but he could still hear it whirl by on occasion. She leaned him against a wall, and he shivered at the feeling of the cool bricks against his body.

  She grabbed his hands. “I want you to tell me everything now. There’s a lot going on, and I can’t help you because I am way too confused. Why are you seeing more? Why are you getting homework from the Elders? Everything. No more leaving things out. You trusted me with this secret for a reason, and I know it’s because you want to talk about it. So do it already.”

  Anj swallowed. “I don’t know why the Elders are giving me homework. It has to have something to do with my strength as a Fate. Dad mentioned it in my dream. He was fighting with them about my coming into my powers too early. I’m pretty sure it was right before he died. But I don’t know why they’re giving me homework. All I know is, they’re making what’s supposed to be a good time in my life a lot more difficult than it needs to be. It’s annoying, frustrating, and heartbreaking.” He paused and then told her the part he’d been dreading saying to her. “They don’t think you should know about my secret.”

  “I don’t think I should know about your secret,” she said.

  “And you know I think you’re the one. The only one, I mean,” he corrected himself quickly. Hopefully she didn’t catch on to what he’d actually meant because it might have only made things worse. He’d slipped up once before with her, talking about their children, and while they hadn’t talked about it, he could tell it bothered her. She’d gotten so quiet at the mention of it.

  “Well it’s not like you can take it back,” she said under her breath.

  Tell her. She wants to know it all. You promised no more secrets. He took a deep breath. “They’ve given me the opportunity to change my mind… and the past. Not something I’m exactly tickled about. I don’t believe in that sort of thing. Besides, I don’t have any regrets. Why should I? The only reason they have a problem with it is because you’re Divine. Fates don’t mix well with your kind, apparently. Before you ask, no, I don’t know why. I’m hoping they’ll tell me at our next meeting.”

  “I’m starting to wonder if maybe we were better off without spilling all our dirty secrets,” she said.

  “We didn’t trust each other,” he said.

  “No, but we didn’t have such a dark cloud looming over us either.”

  “Stop being so negative. You keep talking like this is the end of everything and it’s supposed to be the beginning.”

  “Maybe you should look at all of the signs pointing out that we’re not supposed to be doing this.”

  “I don’t believe in signs, and I can’t believe you’re pushing me away again. You don’t need to do that every time things get difficult. Drop the defense mechanisms. There’s no point in having them anymore.” He did his best to not raise his voice even if he wanted to. Instead, he kissed her gloved hands. “Talk to me.” He turned on his vision so he could look at her, wanting her to know how serious he was about listening to every thought in her head.

  She closed her eyes and avoided his gaze. “I feel guilty.” He didn’t ask her why but waited to see if she would elaborate on her own. Anj nodded, trying to be encouraging.

  “I have one more confession to make,” Jewl whispered.

  “I’m sure it’s not that bad. Your telling me about being Divine wasn’t the train wreck you were envisioning,” he said.

  She shook her head slowly. “No, it wasn’t, but this isn’t about bloodlines and politics and things outside of our control. I feel guilty because everything happening between Denver and Cheyenne is my fault.”

  Anj snorted, amused at the idea. “Are you forcing his teeth onto her neck? Or his unsatisfiable obsession with her? It’s not your fault he’s a psychopath.”

  “You’re right, but I did enable him to do it. When I didn’t like her, I had no problems giving him the means to get into her room and… and I think it’s created a monster. I don’t know how to make it right.”

  That was not a bomb Anj had been expecting her to drop. Jewl tended to say and do a lot of things he never would have imagined. This was the first of them that made him angry.

  “Why would you do that?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Because I needed his help. He works through trade, and he wanted blood for blood,” she whispered.

  Anj remembered back to the underworld, when Denver had given blood to Jewl to help her survive and regain her strength after Lucien had tried to steal her divinity. The jealous boyfriend in Anj hadn’t wanted the guy to go anywhere near her, let alone have his blood pumping through her veins. Denver had said they’d done it before, and he hadn’t lied even if Anj had wanted it to be one.

  He closed his eyes, trying to process this information. Jewl still wasn’t looking at him, and he could feel her wanting to pull her hands from out of his grasp. It took him a moment to regain what little calm he had, and when he spoke, his voice shook slightly.

  “And why did you need his blood? What did you do?”

  She scoffed. “You make it sound like I committed a felony or murder.”

  “Well I don’t know, you’re one surprise after another,” he grumbled.

  “Remember the burn I’d gotten from the Dark? The stuff that stalked Teague and started all of this mess between me and Lucien? I healed myself, and I didn’t want to make a big deal with the teachers about it. So I asked Denver for help so I could regain my energy. In return, I gave him a bunch of my magic stones that would help him get whatever blood he wanted. He could have used them on anyone and picked her.” Her tone was terse.

  Anj shook his head. “You knew he’d pick her.”

  “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know he would. The only reason I let him is because I figured she liked it. Your dream only confirms it.”

  “You know Zes is in love with her, right? So what if you didn’t care much for her at the time, you care about him, right? Why would you intentionally hurt him?”

  “I thought, at the time, that maybe she’d back off of Zes if she had more contact with Denver. They weren’t supposed to get attached so quickly. I wasn’t supposed to like her. She was supposed to just go away, and everything was supposed to go back to normal.”

  Anj breathed deeply for a few minutes. “I have a lot to think about right now.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

  Why was she trying to pick a fight with him? Jewl knew she was wrong, otherwise she wouldn’t have admitted to feeling so guilty.

  He turned off his sight spell, no longer wanting to watch her be in emotional pain. It made him weak during moments he needed to stay strong. “Honestly, I’m not sure I have anything more to say. I don’t know which part I want to process first, the fact that you exchanged essential bodily fluids with Denver, of all people, and on what seems like more than one occasion, or that you would throw Cheyenne under the bus just because you have security issues. You’re right. You have created a monster by enabling him. But I’m not the person you should be telling all of this to. And that is the part that makes me the angriest. You won’t tell Cheyenne or Zes about this.”

  “I shouldn’t have even told you,” she said. “You still want me to know your big secret?”

  Anj thrust his arm out for her to take so she could lead him back to the rest of the group. “What’s done is done. Now unless you have any o
ther secrets to confess, I think we should go.”

  She took his arm, though he could barely feel her hand on him. “I promise, this is the last of them.”

  “I want to believe you.”

  “I-I’ll tell them.”

  He shook his head. “Not now. Give things some time to cool down first. But yes, you will tell them. I don’t want to talk about it anymore or talk period.” I need some time to decide if I can forgive this.

  Chapter Eleven

  Anj sat in front of the Elders, surprised they’d joined him for nap time instead of their usual nightly visits. Naps were almost always sacred for him. They were supposed to be the only time during his sleep schedule that was uninterrupted rest. Since the Elders had changed everything else in their usual routine, Anj shouldn’t have been surprised. If it meant he had a good night’s rest again, then he would take it.

  Standing before them and staring up at how smugly they sat their thrones, he couldn’t help but wonder who would be the first to say, “I told you so.”

  “I thought you said we’d meet again on Monday,” Anj said, trying to not sound annoyed.

  “Given the conclusions you came to on your own so quickly, we decided why wait?” Neil replied, though Anj detected disapproval in his tone.

  Kale wasn’t afraid to explain why more plainly. “We told you to figure it out without asking questions, without help. Remember?”

  “You told me that you wouldn’t tell me what I wanted to know flat-out because I had to learn on my own. I used another resource. I don’t recall you telling me I couldn’t have any help, period. All she did was tell me things that don’t make a lot of sense to me. Does it matter though? I still got the message. You wanted me to pick up on the fact that Denver and Cheyenne are into each other. So now can I ask why?” Anj ran a hand through his hair, hoping this wouldn’t take too long.

  Neil glanced at Kale. “Don’t be so hard on the boy. It wasn’t how we had intended for him to learn, but I think this works out for the better. It sparked an unpredictable conversation. Can’t deny how pleased I am with that.” His gaze fell on Anj. “Now you see how volatile she is. What she’s capable of. All the Divine are like her. They all act on selfish impulses. Once she understands your importance, she’ll use it against you.”

  There it is. The I told you so. Anj’s heart ached. He loved Jewl even if she’d betrayed him and his brother. The love was what kept him hopeful.

  “And what is my importance?” he asked.

  “Sit. Get comfortable,” Neil said, and gestured to a chair that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room. “The Fates, originally referred to by the Greeks as the Moirai, were seen as the incarnations of destiny. Some people thought of them as goddesses, but they were higher in power in that they controlled the life and death of the humans and the immortals. We keep the balance of the Divine because we have power over their actions. The power to stop them, to guide them, and to kill them if need be. We are similar to the Divine but above them.”

  “Balance, right, I got that from earlier. How could a Divine, hypothetically, use my abilities though?” Anj asked curiously as he crossed his legs, getting comfortable in the chair.

  Francis was the one who elaborated. “If the Divine know who a Fate is, they can try to entice you into their circle. That’s why we set up the rules. Before those were in place, Fates ran rampant, using divination on the humans and Divine for personal gain. It was a Fate who told the original Hades how he and Persephone the First could dedicate themselves to each other through their ancestors. A Fate was responsible for the Roman empire’s expansion, and another helped cause World War II. The rules keep us safe, and the Divine have agreed to them because the balance with humanity was getting off kilter. Lucien wants to disrupt that balance.”

  “That doesn’t mean Jewl will use it against me — my ability,” Anj said.

  “No, dear, it doesn’t, but telling her things about the politics of the Divine will not be good. You know the possibilities you see, the memories you obtain, will affect her dealings with her work. And your children — there’s the potential of having an heir to the Divine as well as to the Fatehood, all in one. That would be an imbalance.”

  “And her dealings with Denver make her suspicious as well,” Kale said. “We’re trying to help you. This all ties into your dream. Cheyenne is looking for answers about her heritage, and she is a descendent of the Divine, and the supposed reincarnation of Persephone the First. She is married to the demon Lucien, letting a creature of darkness feed on her willingly. All of the worlds are combining, and they shouldn’t be. The Divine need to be separate from the humans. The demons must remain in their realm. Balance.”

  “Balance,” Neil echoed. “And that is our task. And you are the strongest of the Fates. Without you, our hope is destroyed. Why would you risk everything for a girl you think you love?”

  “I know I love her,” Anj said. Wasn’t risk the whole purpose of being in love?

  “He has to know.” Kale shook his head.

  “No, it is not our place to reveal such a thing,” Neil said firmly.

  “But it could change everything.”

  Francis nodded. “Tell him.”

  Kale exhaled slowly. “If you choose her, you will lose your brother forever.”

  With a snort, Anj rolled his eyes. Not the most respectful of things for him to do, but he couldn’t help it. It was just like them to give him such a crazy ultimatum, and the warning seemed all too convenient for the Elders’ plans.

  “He’s not ready,” Neil said, and his eyes locked on Anj. “But what Kale has said is true. Choosing her will result in the loss of your brother. It is almost certain. Ninety-nine percent of all the possibilities lead to his demise once everything is finished. You still have time to think about this. Your deadline hasn’t arrived just yet. Let’s focus again on your visions for now.” He glared at Kale.

  “Thank you,” Anj said, and for the first time, he thought he actually liked Neil. “So Denver and Cheyenne are flirting, and she’s letting him feed off of her. I’m not sure I get why this is important. It sucks, but I don’t understand the significance.”

  “No, of course you don’t. But that will come as your visions start to increase. Tell me, have your abilities been different lately?”

  Anj shifted his weight. “Yes. I had a daydream in the middle of my kitchen about something that happened in the past. You didn’t know this already? Don’t you see the same things I do?”

  “Not always. We were able to sense a shift in your power, but we didn’t see anything,” Neil explained.

  Francis smiled. “Do you want to share with us what you saw?”

  Anj didn’t like something about her tone. It wasn’t harsh necessarily, but it didn’t sound as though everything was okay either. Normally she spoke like a kindergarten teacher: soft, gentle, and like she had all of the patience in the world. When she had just spoken, there had been a slight waver, a hesitation, and even a hint of fear. Anj might not have known a lot about body language, but with voice inflections, he was an expert. He could pick up on the tiniest of idiosyncrasies.

  “It was vague. I’m sure that has something to do with it being new and my other visions becoming so much stronger. If it’s important, it’ll come back. They always do,” he lied, and made sure to guard his thoughts from Neil’s ever-probing mind reading abilities.

  Francis relaxed on her throne and her voice returned to its normal pleasant tone. “I feel like we’ve made so much progress today. We’re hoping your dreams will continue to get stronger. It might not seem important, but watching Cheyenne and Denver’s every move is the most-needed use of your abilities at this point in time. We’ve also decided to send you a helper. There’s a Fate who is visiting your school and might prove himself useful to you since you’re having conflict with your trusted one.”

  “How kind of you,” Anj said. He’d only met a few other Fates, none in the waking world. All his interactions with th
em had been in the Elders’ throne room. Still, he knew he shouldn’t complain too much because he needed all the extra help he could get.

  “So how will I know who he is?” he asked.

  “Don’t worry about it. He’ll be waiting for you when you get up,” Kale said.

  “Are we done?” Anj asked.

  Nobody spoke, but he got an answer when the room faded and he was once more returned to the wonderful black he was familiar with. When he woke up, he wasn’t alone. Someone was in the bathroom humming. It sounded like Teague.

  With a groan, Anj rolled over in bed, not quite ready to wake up yet. When he had visions and visited the Elders, he didn’t have what qualified as normal sleep. Waking up was inevitable, unfortunately. There was no way he’d fall back asleep. He rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up in bed. There was an emptiness in the room. Besides Teague’s singing, Anj couldn’t hear anything else. The sound of his brother breathing was absent, and the television was off. It was disappointing; he’d hoped Zes would be there too. The last thing Anj wanted to do was spend his last night downtown alone.

  “He has a date,” Anj whispered aloud, having completely forgotten about his brother’s big plans. “What time is it anyway?” He reached to the nightstand for his cell phone and pressed a button on the side of it.

  “5:45 p.m.,” a pleasant female voice said.

  Teague came out of the bathroom. “He left fifteen minutes ago. Said he didn’t want to wake you because he knows how much you need your sleep. I told him I’d be quiet, but I get it, the need. When I dream about the blue door, I feel tired too.”

  “When you dream about the what?” Anj asked, confused.

  “The blue door. They said it was okay to mention it to you because you see it too.”

  Anj groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” This is the help they’ve sent me? I’m better off doing this on my own.