Children of the Gods - A Chosen Novel (12 page)

“No,” I said with a sigh.

“Though you do talk in your sleep, I do not
believe that is the case now.”

I pulled back and looked at him. He looked
more amused than he sounded.

“What do I say? When I sleep?”

The wall chimed before I got my answer. He
disentangled himself from me and walked quickly to the bureau. He
dressed in his pants only, then opened the wall. Griff was waiting
just outside the entrance. He gave me a large smile, showing nearly
all of his teeth, after a quick glance at Jaxson.

“Staying in for the day?” he asked Jaxson,
though his smirk was directed at me.

“Would you mind taking care of my
responsibilities today?”

“Not at all.” He backed away and disappeared
before I could make any objections.

“I am alright, Jaxson. You do not have to
stay for me.”

“I am staying for me,” he said as he laid
back down. He settled in close, tucking me under his chin. “I did
not get much sleep last night.”

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“Do not be. I would gladly give up sleep for
that any night.”

I was glad my face was buried in his neck. My
skin was no doubt, rosy.

“Care to deprive me further?” he whispered,
his lips brushing against my ear sending a different kind of chill
down my spine. My body rose to meet his as my back arched in
response.

~o~

The smell of food roused me.

“Welcome back.” Jaxson’s face lit up as he
spoke. He lifted the lid from the tray next to me. I was suddenly
starving. He plucked a strawberry from the platter and held it to
my mouth.

“What would you like to do today?” he asked
while I took a bite.

“Swim,” I answered as he offered me a slice
of pear.

He said nothing but his eyes revealed just
how pleased he was with my request.

I ate quickly.

~o~

My stomach fluttered with excitement as I
watched Jaxson disappear through the body sized opening that led to
the Living Waters. I could only wait a moment before my
anticipation got the better of me, and I stepped through my own
personalized opening.

Stepping out on the other side, dressed in
the tiny, soft swimwear, still filled me with awe. I caught sight
of Jaxson standing in the water, nearly hidden in the dense fog
that rose up from the pond. The look on his face erased any
astonishment I had for the miracles of the ship.

I swallowed and tried not to look away, as
the heat rose in my cheeks. I did not want to break his gaze. I
wanted to remember that look, always, and how breathless it made me
feel.

It was no longer the look that came after he
surveyed my nearly bare body. His eyes never moved from mine. It
was a look that told me, though he thought it was Anaya he was
loving, it was really me. It was my personality and my actions that
made him happy, that brought about the tender look.

I waded slowly out to where he stood. He
smiled and kissed me softly. The moment his lips left mine, I swam
away. It was difficult, but I needed to know I could. A bonus side
effect was that he followed me.

He did not chase me down as I had done to
him. He casually swam just close enough for the power of his
presence to be felt. Knowing he was there, but not trying to hold
me, eased all my fears about the influence he held over me in the
Waters.

I stopped swimming and splashed water at him.
His eyes widened with surprise. He stood still for a moment, frozen
like a statue. I could see the mischief in his eyes as he smiled
just before splashing me back, then he tackled me. We spent the
rest of the morning playing like children.

~o~

Lying on the bank, our legs dangling in the
water, he rolled over and looked at me. I felt a rumble, low in my
stomach. He smiled a crooked smile, causing the corner of his right
eye to pinch up slightly.

“Lunch?”

I took a deep breath. “Oh, alright,” I said,
letting my breath out as I spoke.

He laughed and offered me a hand as he stood.
I took it and was lifted to my feet. I rocked forward on my toes,
stretching up to kiss him. He still seemed surprised whenever I
kissed him. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling against me in
desperation. He kissed back, hungrily. Unprepared for his response,
I let out a soft whimper.

He drew back. “Sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” I said,
breathlessly, still leaning into him. A light blush spread across
his cheeks.

I took his hand and led him to the exit. He
stepped through first. I was slowly becoming aware that this was a
protective step he always took, Always going first to make sure it
was safe for me.

I stepped through the opening. On the other
side, Jaxson’s rigid posture alerted me before I saw Duester. Her
cheeks were bright with color and her lips were puckered in a
menacing scowl.

“Duester,” I greeted her. She bowed slowly,
deliberately. I grabbed Jaxson’s hand and could not help giggling
as I skipped past her. In spite of her angry look, I was still
feeling light, like a child.

As we turned the corner to head towards the
dining hall, I heard her growl. I looked back, then at Jaxson.

“Why does this upset her so much?”

“You have to remember, Leyal was in love with
you before we were bonded. Duester was not his first choice and she
knows it. She has nothing but anger to keep her company now.”

The hairs on my neck all stood on end. This
was not something that could be ignored. She had centuries of
hatred built up against me, and not a whole lot left to lose.

Chapter
14

Jaxson gave me a squeeze, waking me. As he
started to rise for the day, I had to fight the impulse to hold him
there with me. Instead, I squeezed his hand briefly as he pulled
away.

“Morning, Love,” he cooed.

“Morning,” I responded, still sleepy.

I watched as he dressed slowly, taking his
time.

“I wish you did not have to go.”

He stopped dressing and turned. “You should
not tempt me so. I have to be consistent if I am to keep our
friends in line.” He was serious, but wore a slight smile. I joined
him at the bureau.

“You do bring balance to this place,” I said,
between soft kisses.

“And you balance me,” he whispered and pulled
me back for another kiss.

I returned to the bed and watched him
continue to get ready for the day. He slipped the dagger into his
pant leg. Though I knew he always had it, I never stopped to wonder
why. Was he in danger amongst the Halorans also?

He turned and a look of surprise betrayed his
calm demeanor when he caught me watching him. He crossed the room
and knelt before me.

“Griff will not be joining you today. I have
assigned him other duties. You are free to move about unescorted,
but please,” his eyes were imploring, “please be very careful. I
cannot even think of what I would do if I lost you, my love.” He
looked wild for a moment before he reined in his emotions. He
kissed my nose, then my lips before leaving for the day.

I stared at the wall for a long time after he
left. I should be happy that I finally had my freedom, but I was
disappointed. I was looking forward to resuming practice with
Griff. The little training he had given me was not nearly
enough.

~o~

I stood outside the dining hall knowing I had
to go in, even though I had lost my appetite. It would show them
how weak I was if I did not go in and eat.

To my surprise, almost no one stared, or even
looked up as I walked through the room to my table. I was sharply
aware of one set of eyes that tracked my every movement though. I
tried not to let Duester get to me as I sat alone.

Katy appeared, leaving me almost no time for
solitude.

“What would you like today, my lady?”

I leaned toward her like I was about to tell
her a secret, even though no one would hear me from the distance
they sat. “Tell me, has Marcel got any new dishes for me to
try?”

Her face brightened and a smile hinted at her
lips. She too, leaned in even further, as if she were sharing the
secrets of the universe. “He has been working on something new
lately, just for you. You are going to love it.” She squeaked with
excitement.

“I cannot wait.”

“Great! I will just go check on him.” She
backed away with a tiny bow and disappeared. I thought about Marcel
and Harlan in the kitchen, working on new things to cause my head
to bob when I ate and completely forgot about the eyes that were
focused on me.

Katy returned with a small covered tray. She
placed it in front of me and pulled the cover off in an act of
triumph. This time, instead of disappearing quickly back into the
kitchen, she stood back and watched me expectantly.

It looked like a small cake, only it was made
of egg with a crust covering the outer ring. I cut a piece out and
stuck it in my mouth.

“Well?” Katy asked as soon as I finished
chewing.

“I have a new favorite,” I responded.

Katy looked up and bobbed her head quickly. I
turned to see Harlan standing just inside the entrance to the
kitchen, and the back of Marcel’s shiny head retreating. Harlan
smiled so wide all of his teeth were showing. I smiled back and he
disappeared suddenly, as if he had forgotten he was watching.

“I knew you would love it,” Katy gushed. “It
has bacon, goat cheese and eggs. All of your favorite things.”

“Thank you, Katy. Let them know they have
made my whole day.”

She blushed a light shade of pink, then
bowed. “That will please them very much.”

As soon as Katy was gone, I no longer felt
the need to hide just how delicious the new food was. I ate every
bite, and wanted to lick the plate, but knew it was not what Anaya
would do, so, regretfully, I refrained.

Wandering slowly through the halls, I found I
could not bring myself to go back to the room. I did not want to
sit alone in the room with nothing to do but think of the thin line
my life balanced on. Before I knew it, I had made a circle and
found myself at the kitchen.

“My lady, was breakfast not to your liking?”
Marcel asked when I peeked my head through the entrance.

“Marcel, you are an artist. I loved it.”

“Wonderful!” He scratched his head and looked
uncomfortable.

“I came by to see if you could use an extra
set of hands. I am restless and need to be put to work. Idle
hands,” I said, holding them up.

He smiled and gave a nervous laugh.

“I could use an extra set of hands. Can you
chop?” Harlan cut in. Where Marcel was lacking in people skills,
Harlan was quick take up the slack.

“That would be perfect.”

He laughed and set me up next to him,
probably so he could keep an eye on me, surely skeptical of my
culinary skills.

Before I knew it, lunch time had arrived.
“Oh, I better go. Thank you for giving me something to keep me out
of trouble.”

“Thank you, my lady, for all your help.”
Harlan bowed, then turned and hurried to make sure everything was
ready for lunch.

Jaxson strutted through the dining room
toward me. He looked like a peacock in full plumage, Griff keeping
stride next to him. I did not pretend to be unaware of their
presence this time.

Jaxson bent and kissed me before taking his
seat.

“How is your day going?” he asked.

“Good. How is yours?”

“Better now,” he said as he took my hand and
kissed it. “Enjoying your freedom?”

I shrugged. “Not much different, really.”

His eyebrows raised slightly, but he said
nothing.

Griff cleared his throat and I looked over at
him. He looked guilty and it made me feel like I was as well. I did
not look his way for the rest of the meal.

~o~

The chimes announcing Jaxson was home for the
evening sounded. I watched the wall opening then, looked away as
soon as I saw Griff’s eyes staring back at me.

Jaxson stepped through the opening. “See you
at dinner, Griff.”

Griff nodded, then turned his gaze to me.
“Anaya.”

“Thank you for keeping him safe, Griff.”

He nodded again, turned and left.

“You were worried?” Jaxson asked, sounding
amused.

“You think you are the only one who
worries?”

He walked over and sat on the bed in front of
me. He took my face in his hands. “You have nothing to worry about.
No one can ever take me away from you.”

I searched his eyes for a sign that he saw
the real me. There was so much I saw there, but nothing that made
me sure. He blinked as if he could see I was studying him, then he
leaned in and kissed me. It felt like all things I had been
searching for in his eyes. I wanted to believe he knew it was me,
and was happy for it, but the truth was, I could not trust myself
to know if that was true or not. I had to fight the impulse to find
out.

Chapter
15

“Will you be joining me for lunch again
today?” I asked as Jaxson dressed.

He turned and gave me an odd look. “Would you
like me to?”

It was strange to hear him sound so
uncertain. I thought he was sure of how I felt for him but, it was
clear I was not the only one with fears.

“Yes, I really would.”

He turned back to the bureau but I saw the
smile he was trying to hide. “Yes, as long as you want me, I will
be there.”

~o~

Harlan looked up as I stepped inside the
kitchen. “What would you like to learn today?”

“Actually, I was hoping to make Jaxson’s
lunch today.”

“You are not going to poison him, are you?”
He looked me in the eye, but giggled nervously.

“What?” I stared wide eyed at him, unsure
what else to say.

“Well, everyone knows you two have not always
had such a close relationship. I am sorry but, I had to ask.”