Children of the Gods - A Chosen Novel (7 page)

“Do you know what you will be having, my
lady?” She bowed and turned to Jaxson. “Sir?” A blush spread across
her cheeks.

“Relax, Katy. He does not bite.”

She turned a darker shade of red. “I am
sorry. I have only ever seen you during morning rounds. I was not
expecting you. My apologies.”

He smiled. “Do not trouble yourself, dear.”
He turned to me. “What will you have, Love?”

“Is Marcel working, Katy?”

She nodded a quick jerky nod, still nervous
but eager to please.

“I know it is no longer breakfast, but if he
could spare a moment to whip me up one of his egg delights?”

She nodded again then turned to Jaxson. “For
you, Sir?”

“I will have the same.”

She bowed.

“Thank you, Katy,” he said as she retreated,
and the blush returned.

I leaned in close. “I think someone fancies
you.”

“What, that?” he asked. “No, I make them all
nervous.”

“You are right, that must be it.” I smiled
and he squeezed my hand.

“Does it bother you? I can have her
replaced.” He was suddenly concerned.

“No, I think it is cute, actually.”

His expression softened. He smiled and kissed
my hand.

We ate in silence, but he seemed to be
enjoying his meal as much as I had the first time. His head bobbed
ever so slightly from side to side as he chewed. My sister,
Lizanne, always teased me about my display of pleasure when I ate.
I tried to ignore the pull I felt upon seeing that he and I shared
this quirk.

“How have I never had this before?” Jaxson
asked, setting his fork aside.

“It is not on the menu.” I winked, and it was
my turn to blush. I looked down, hoping the color would quickly
fade.

“What would you like to do next?”

I looked up. “It is your first day off in a
thousand years. What would you like to do?”

“Really? You will accompany me in whatever I
choose?”

The shock on his face broke my heart. Anaya
must really be horrible to him. Even with that thought she remained
silent. Good, I was in no mood to hear her side, not with the way
his eyes lit with excitement as I nodded.

Today was a free day. After giving me such a
thoughtful gift, a gift he could not even claim credit for. I
decided today was my gift to him. For today only, I would not hate
him. I would be everything he wanted, lover, confidant, but mostly
the one thing I was beginning to see he wanted more than all the
others. I would be his friend.

“Will you swim with me?” His face was that of
a child; expectant, hopeful, yet unsure.

“I have just agreed to anything you desire
and swimming is what you choose?”

He nodded sadly, taking my question for my
answer.

“Of course I will swim with you.”

His face brightened as if it was lit by the
sun. He grabbed my hand and nearly skipped from the dining room,
the hitch in his stride was gone.

He disappeared through the wall and I
followed. When I stepped out on the other side he was already in
the pond. He turned and watched me wade out into the perfectly calm
water.

I noticed with no small amount of amazement
that the oils from my skin ballooned out around me creating a
pearly halo.

As I approached him, I became aware of his
darker, glittering halo. It was beautiful like the surface of the
water had captured hundreds of tiny rainbows.

The moment our halos touched, I felt odd like
I had too much ale, though I had none. As I got closer, the
fogginess lifted and was replaced with the strongest sense of
belonging I ever felt. He kissed me gently then swam away, taking
the feeling with him.

The emptiness was overwhelming.

When I realized I could still breathe, I
chased after him. He stayed just out of reach, giving me momentary
tastes of the feelings again. I kicked a little harder and grabbed
his foot, pulling myself up till I could wrap my arms around his
back.

I latched on with my arms and legs and held
on, piggy backing while he swam. Even when he dove under I held my
breath and kept my grip. He surfaced and finally stopped
swimming.

“Are you planning to let go at some point
today?” he asked over his shoulder, trying to see me.

“Possibly, no,” I responded and cinched my
arms tighter.

“If I promise not to swim away?”

“I do not know if I can trust you.” I pinched
his side and he laughed. I almost let go, it was so genuine and
happy. Not a sound I had heard him truly make before.

“Is there a reason we are not here every
day?” I whispered, pressing my lips close to his ear. He pried my
hands free and pulled me around into his arms.

“Because you forbid it.” His eyes were again
expectant, eager even.

“I think you must have misunderstood me. I
believe I forbid a day from ever passing without a swim
together.”

His eyes were laughing though his mouth was
only smiling. Then he kissed me.

~o~

There was a small gathering waiting outside
the frosted glass when we finally exited.

“Anaya!” Finale’s shocked expression
reinforced my sympathy for Jaxson.

“We apologize for monopolizing the pond, time
got away from us,” Jaxson announced, dismissively flicking his
wrist. No one said anything.

“Please excuse us,” I said, grabbing Jaxson’s
hand and pulling him away from the crowd. As soon as we were around
the corner, we giggled like children.

“What would
you
like to do next?” he
asked.

“That does not matter. Another day it will be
my day, but today is your day, Jaxson. You get to choose
everything.”

“What if I choose for you to pick?”

“That is cheating and not allowed.”

He smiled then, his expression turned serious
and he pulled me close. He brushed a finger across my eyebrow then
touched the tip of my nose.

“I wish everyone could see you as I do. You
have made more than just me happy here today,” he said, without
looking me in the eyes. I squeezed his arm, though I was unsure of
what he meant.

There was a sudden intensity to his face as
he looked up and locked eyes with me. At first I did not recognize
the expression. It was another first with him. It looked like
defiance.

“I know you can feel the effects of the
Living Waters already, I can see it. We have been deprived of the
benefits for too long, but you know it was not only us you forbid
to swim together, Anaya.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. Anaya was no
longer silent. She was livid. Her show of emotion almost physically
hurt. Jaxson looked away, the defiance gone from his features. I
was not going to let her spoil his day. If he wanted to restore the
right to swim together to everyone, I was going to give him
that.

There were flashes of memories showing the
ugliness and unkindness of the other Halorans but this was not for
them. It was for Jaxson. She would not change my mind.

Besides, he was right. I could feel the
effects. I felt stronger, more alive than I ever had. But it was
the experience of being in the Waters with him that would be hard
to live without. I could understand why they would be angry with
her for robbing them of that experience.

I caressed his cheek, coaxing him to look at
me. “We will fix this error in judgment tonight at dinner.”

His eyes brightened and he grabbed me and
hugged me tight. “I love you,” he whispered in my ear, then
squeezed me tighter.

I know I was supposed to do and be everything
he wanted but I was not prepared for ‘I love you’ and I could not
say it back, not even when I told myself it was only pretend. He
did not seem to expect it which made me wish I could pretend, but
saying it and not meaning it seemed more unkind than not to say it
at all.

“Where to next?” is what I came out
instead.

He touched the wall and it opened to our
room.

“I know you have agreed to anything, but what
I would like the most, is just to be near you.”

I followed him into the room. This was
something I could pretend to be for him. He started towards the bed
but stopped as I moved to follow.

“Stay there,” he said, holding up a hand.

I stopped and watched. He walked to the end
of the bed, then scooted along the thin strip between the bed and
the wall till he stopped in front of the far wall. He pressed the
surface high above his head.

The chimes that followed were beautiful,
almost like a song. Instead of opening into a circle, the wall slid
up into itself making it appear almost like a traditional door,
revealing a dark room.

“I had this installed for you shortly after
we left home. I never showed you because you were so clear you
wanted nothing to do with the old ways and no reminders of home.
You have given me so much today, I do not want to push you, but I
have always wanted to share this with you.”

He was silent as he studied my face, surely
waiting for a reaction.

Swimming was a beautiful surprise, but there
now was an ache in me to feel that closeness, the sense of
belonging that had never been there before. I could see he was
trying to draw me closer to him by sharing these experiences. I was
leery of what he had to show me now. I was concerned mostly because
it was working.

Anaya was prickling at his request and that
sealed it for me.

“It is your day. I will do whatever you ask
of me.”

I held my hand out to him. He shook his head.
“I do not want you to do this because I ask. I want this to be your
choice.”

His words gave me pause. Was this something
so significant it would alter me? Make him a drug to me? Like the
pond, only permanently?

I closed my eyes to shut out the uncertain
look on his face. It was hard to know what I wanted with him
staring at me, and Anaya raging inside.

The memory began playing immediately.

“
There is no reason for us to leave,
Anaya. This is our home,” Jaxson pleaded. “They will accept you no
matter what you look like.”

“
No, we must leave. I cannot stay here
anymore. Your people have never accepted me. Now they never will.
Not now, not after what you have done. This is no longer my
home.”

She was as severe with him as she was with
me. I did not know what he had done but it appeared to be her way
or no way, though I think she meant me to see him as the
unreasonable one.

The musical chimes sounded again. I opened my
eyes to see him turning away from the closing wall.

“What are you doing?”

“It is clear you are not ready. I should not
have pushed you.”

“You are wrong. Please, I want to.”

“Are you sure you are not doing this just for
me?”

“I am doing it for you, not because you asked
me to, because I want to.”

There were questions in his eyes as he
continued watching me.

“I am not going to change my mind,” I said.
He turned and opened the wall again.

As I stepped through the entrance I was
swallowed up by darkness. My eyes began to adjust and large shadowy
figures loomed in front of me. Jaxson appeared and took my hand.
“This way.”

Something soft and feathery brushed against
my hand. It travelled up my arm and brushed across my face.

On the other side there was a smaller version
of the pond, and I realized the feathery thing we passed through
was a tree. Hanging from it was a swing for two.

“You have had this hidden in here for a
thousand years?”

“It has only been eight hundred since we left
it, Love,” he said, his voice was achingly tender, and for the
first his adoring look was not directed at me.

I waded out into the pond letting the water
calm my racing mind. Something brushed my foot and I squealed.
“There are fish in here?” I asked looking up at him.

“It would not be home without the fish
nibbling your toes.”

Chapter 9

“Dinner time, Love.” Jaxson’s lips tickled my
ear as he spoke.

“I am not hungry. Can we just stay here?”

“Of course, but who will make your
announcement, then?”

Breathing in the rich scent of earth, I
lifted up onto my hands. “It should be me.”

~o~

The dining room fell silent as we entered.
Jaxson leaned closer and squeezed my hand, a broad smiled stretched
across his face. He seemed completely unaffected by the open stares
and murmurs that followed us.

I watched Jaxson as he ate. I never noticed
before how strong his jaw was, or how much it softened his features
when he smiled. He looked up and caught me staring.

“Is there a problem with the food?” he
asked.

I looked at my half eaten meal then back at
him. “It is just right. I am just savoring everything.”

He smiled. “It does seem better today.”

Jaxson motioned for Griff. Griff pushed off
the wall he was leaning against. His posture appeared casual, but
it was clear from his proximity and the fact that he was hovering
rather than sitting or eating, that he expected trouble.

Griff leaned close as Jaxson whispered
instructions. Griff’s eyes remained on me. He gave a quick nod,
then rose and crossed the room to the entrance with unnerving
speed.

The wall that always remained open, began to
close. The room fell silent for a moment then a low murmuring
quickly turned into panic. It spread through the room like a
wave.

“You will all remain here for a brief
announcement after the meal.” Griff’s voice, unnaturally amplified,
reached every corner of the large room. A chill ran through me.

Duester rose, her silvery blonde hair whipped
wildly around her as she rushed the length of the walkway. Griff
was on her before I could blink.

“Let me go!” she shrieked. He walked her
slowly to our table but maintained his grip. “Jaxson, you will call
off your dog!” she spat.