Kallos (Kallos Series) (22 page)

“Kallos, when I throw water at you, put up your hands like you want to stop it,” Apollo says, and Kallos nods. He puts his hand over the water then it starts to rise. It is the craziest thing she has ever seen, and she wonders if Ian can do this. He flings the water at her. She puts her hands up to defend her face. The water instantly turns into steam. Apollo is grinning like a fool, and Aphrodite looks so proud.

“This is a good sign right?” Apollo wasn’t asking her, and she turns to look at Aphrodite.”

“I do hope so,” Aphrodite replies, but her tone is unsure.

“Aphrodite, none of the others have gained any powers. She is the first.” Kallos remembers that if she makes it through the change, then she will be the first reincarnated Aphrodite to make it. Everyone seems to think that she will make it through without any problems, but Kallos wonders if that’s what they thought that last time and the time before that. Aphrodite seems to be the only one showing any signs of concern.

“This is true, but it’s still early,” Aphrodite states to Apollo, and then she looks at Kallos. “Has anything else happened?” Kallos shakes her head. This is the only thing that is different about her. She can burn people when they make her mad; it’s nothing really. “You have had a busy day, or so I hear. You save one of your soul mates.”

“Yeah, Ian. His demon blood was trying to take over, and he was becoming a different person.

“And the only thing that saved him was your love for him?” Kallos smiles and nods. For someone that isn’t connected to Kallos yet, Aphrodite sure knows a lot.

“So, you have told them both that you love them. Is it as hard as you thought it was going to be?”

“I was scared that’s all. I have never been in love before and never even kissed a boy before them. It’s all just happening so fast; I can barely get a hold of everything.” Kallos looks away. This is the first time she has admitted any of this out loud.

“You will get used to it. I still have Apollo and Ares, and they both love me. I’m not going to lie to you; it's going to be hard. And you have to know you don’t have to be with both of them if you don’t want to. You have a choice. Yes, someone will get hurt, but you have to look after your own heart. What works for me may not work for you.” Aphrodite walks over to Kallos and takes both her hands. Kallos knows she can’t be with them both forever. She knows she will always love both of them, but she can’t have a future with both of them. That isn’t her, and it never will be. Sometime, she will have to choose but not now.

“In the future, I will pick just one. What will happen to the one I don’t pick?” Kallos thinks back to the necklace that would kill them if they take them off. Will they always feel her feelings? Aphrodite said that Kallos could feel her mate’s feelings, but Kallos isn’t ready for that yet. Aphrodite squeezes Kallos's hands.

“He will go on with his life. And the necklace can be removed by us.”

Hope flashes in Kallos’ eyes; they won’t feel what she is feeling forever. “I thought it would kill them to take it off?”

“For your mate it would, but not for someone you rejected. So, whoever you don’t want to be with will be able to take it off, but it has to be done by me and you.” Kallos must have looked confused because Aphrodite continues to explain, “We put our blood on the front of the necklace and it will disappear. It has to be done after you have mated with the other.” Well, that isn’t going to be happening anytime soon. Kallos isn't ready for that yet. She hasn’t even chosen who will be the one.

She looks down at her feet. “I don’t know who I’m going to choose.”

“You don’t have to pick now, my dear. It doesn’t have to be soon either.” Kallos nods slowly; her life has gotten so confusing. “You have to be careful with your new power; it can be dangerous. That means you have to learn to control your anger.”

“I know and I will try.” Kallos watches Apollo walk away from them. He is walking over to the pond. He reaches into the water and pulls something out. He walks back to them and Kallos looks at his hand. He has a white rock that is shaped like a perfect heart. He hands it to Kallos.

“I thought that since you have a flower from Ares that you should have something from me.” He reminds her that the flower still is looking fresh.

“Thank you, it’s beautiful. Will the flower ever die?”

“No my dear, the flower will always stay alive. I believe that is why he gave it to you,” Aphrodite explains. “You should be getting back. It’s going to be morning soon, and you don’t want to worry your boys.” Kallos walks over to Aphrodite and hugs her, and then Kallos walks over to Apollo. He put his arms out to welcome her. She hugs him tightly, and then she closes her eyes.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kallos thinks of home, and she can feel her body being pulled back there. She wakes up gasping. She turns her head toward Ian; his eyes are shut and his breathing is even. Eventually, she is going to have to choose between them. Her heart hurts to think about that, but she knows it has to be done sometime. She sits up in bed and looks at her closed hand. She opens it, and the heart shaped rock is still there. It's so smooth and glossy. She is rubbing her fingers on it when she hears Ian moving around. She glances at the clock and can’t believe what time it is, almost eleven.

“Good morning, Ian,” Kallos says before she looks at him.

“Good morning, Kallos.” She looks at him, and he still looks like he did last night. Hurt and regret are written all over his face. She knows yesterday Ian wasn’t himself, but that doesn't excuse him for what he said last night. It still makes her really mad. They have been the only boys she has ever kissed. Kallos does know Sean and her did get a little carried away, but they wouldn’t have done anything. She gets up and walks to him. He looks away from her and to her hand. “What do you have in your hand?” She stops when she is almost to him, and she opens her palm to show him. He looks at it and smiles.

“You’ve seen Apollo.”

“Yes, how did you know?” Ian looks up to meet her eyes.

“Because that is what I told him I would give you. He always told me that those rocks are rare and hard to find. I told him that I would search for one for you. No matter how long it took me, I would find you one.”

“Well, thank you. I really do love it.” Kallos gets on her knees in front of him and stares into his eyes, “Are we okay?” Kallos puts her hands on his legs for balance.

“I want us to be. Are you sure you don’t want to know what happened?” She smiles at him; she really does want to know, but not now.

“No. It wasn’t really you yesterday, and it doesn’t matter as long as you are here now. That’s all that matters. Now, I think I should be able to get a morning kiss.” Ian grins at her and leans in to kiss her. She really has missed his kisses and his holding her. She pulls away and smiles at him, “I’m going to head down stairs. My mom likes to cook a lot on the weekend.” Kallos puts the rock next to the flower, and then she walks to the door. As she walks past him, he grabs her hand.

“Tell your mom that I will be down in a minute.” Then Kallos remembers that her mom baked him some brownies. She walks over to her backpack, grabs them, and then hands them to him.

“My mom made these for you yesterday.” Then she walks out the door.

****

Ian smiles as Kallos walks out of the room. He really doesn't believe that she doesn't want to know what he did last night. In time, he will just tell her, even if she doesn't want to know. He can’t believe what he did. Nikki is easy but Karissa isn't. Yesterday, when Karissa told him that she loved him like more than a friend, he didn't know what to do. Now, he probably just messed up their friendship for good. He hears a knock at the door.

“Yeah!” He already knows that it's Sean.

“Are you still you?” Sean smiles at him.

“You're funny this morning. What's up?” Ian knows that Sean is checking on him and he doesn't mind. He really loves his brother and would do almost anything for him. Even when they fight he loves his brother.

“I think we should go on dates with Kallos.”

“That is a great idea. But who goes first?” Ian knows that Sean thinks he is entitled to everything first just because he is older.

Sean pulls out a quarter and smiles at Ian, “Want to flip for it?” Sean asks and winks at Ian.

“Fine, but I want heads,” Ian knows that Sean always picks heads. Sean flips the coin in the air, and Ian watches it land on the back of Sean's hand. Sean lifts his hand and Ian sees heads! Ian smirks, “I get to go first!”

“Whatever, I get her tomorrow all to myself.” Sean pauses and really looks at Ian, “Hey, are you sure you are up to being alone with her?”

“I'm fine. I promise.”

“If you need me, you can call me, and I will be there. Are you going to tell Kallos about Nikki and Karissa?” Ian looks away from his big brother.

“She said she doesn't want to know,” Ian looks back at Sean who is holding back his laughter.

“How long do you think that will work? You know Nikki is going to tell everyone what happened on your birthday. Do you really want Kallos to find out like that?”

Ian doesn't. He wants to be the one to tell her, but she said that she didn’t want to know. He knows that she cares, and when she finds out, it will kill her.

“I know, and I’ll tell her,” Ian says. Sean starts walking to the door.

“I'm going get dressed. I'll see you downstairs.” Sean walks out and Ian is left thinking about what he is going to do.

****

Kallos's mom is there like always, and she is cooking. Her dad is at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper. This is what their Saturdays are always like; the only difference is that they have two boys living with them. Kallos takes the hair tie off her wrist and puts it in her hair. She walks over to her dad and kisses him on the cheek then she goes to her mom and hugs her from behind. She decides that she is going to sit next to her dad.

“When will the boys be down?” Her mom asks.

“I know that Ian is awake, but I’m not sure about Sean. I haven’t seen him yet.”

“You should go check on them,” her mom said, and Kallos nods. There is no fighting with her mom, not when she is being motherly. Kallos heads back up the stairs as Ian is coming down.

“Hey, my mom has breakfast made and is wondering about you and Sean.”

“Do you want me to get Sean?” Ian asks. She shakes her head.

“No, I’ll get him. Just go down stairs; I’m sure my mom already has a plate ready for you.” He walks down the two stairs that are between them and gives her a quick kiss. Then he walks down the rest of the stairs as she walks up. Kallos knocks on the door once, and before she has a chance to knock again, it opens. Sean is standing there in nothing but boxers. She lets her eyes roam his body, and she is taking her time. She can hear him laughing at her and she doesn’t care. Kallos believes she will never grow tired of looking at Sean and Ian’s bodies.

“Well, good morning, Babe. Ah, you know that my eyes are up here.” Following the tight curves of his body with her eyes she finally gets to his beautiful gray eyes and returns his playful smile.

“Umm, my mom made breakfast, and she wants to know if you want any.” Sean’s smile gets wider.

“Well, I do love your mom’s cooking.” He grabs her hand and pulls Kallos inside the room. He shuts the door and puts his back against it. Sean brushes strands of hair from her face and kisses both of her cheeks. “How much time do you think we have before your dad comes and looking for you?” Her heart is beating so fast and loud she can barely hear him.

“Not long,” Kallos whispers because that is all she could manage right now. He gives her his little half smile, and she wonders if he knows what it does to her. “Well then, I better make it fast.” He leans in and kisses her. It is just like last night and just as hot. She knows that Ian is feeling what is going on, and right now, she doesn’t care. All that matters is Sean and Kallos. He pulls away and moves past her towards the bed. “Today, Ian wants to take you out on a date. Just the two of you, and then tomorrow, it will be my turn. We want to get to know you without the other one around. Is that okay with you?” His voice is husky, and he turns to look at her. She has never been on a date before, and she is nervous. All of a sudden, she has two dates planned for this weekend.

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.” Sean grins back at her.

“You know that this necklace is telling me that you are lying. You have nothing to be scared of. We won’t let anything happen to you. Now, you better get down stairs before your dad comes up here and breaks down the door. Tell your mom I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Kallos walks out and shuts the door. She walks away quickly because she doesn’t want her dad to come up and see her like this, all flustered. Sean’s kisses always have this effect on her, and it’s not something she wants to share with her dad. When she gets into the kitchen, Ian is sitting in the spot next to her dad. When Ian’s baby blues meet hers, he smiles, knowingly.

“I was wondering if I could take Kallos out today.” Her dad sets down his coffee slowly and folds his paper carefully. Her mom turns around and smiles. She doesn’t think her mom would have a problem with it; it's her dad she is worried about. Their rule with dating is that she had to be sixteen first, and she is now. Kallos never even thought about a boy in a romantic way before, so it was never a topic. Now, she has not one but two boys she likes and wants to date. Kallos thought her dad liked Ian more, but the look he is giving him told her he feels the same about both of her soul mates.

“And what would you do?” That was an open question. She glances back at Ian, and he smiles.

“Well sir, you guys haven’t been in town that long. So, I’m guessing that you don’t know the town very well. I was planning on showing her the town and maybe taking her to lunch. That is if you want to Kallos?” Ian turns to Kallos looking for the right answer. That sounded like fun; she wants to see the town. She knows that it’s smaller than the last place they lived before; she Googled it before moving here. Kallos thinks there is a small mall, as well as six or seven smaller shops and at least two restaurants. She knows that there is a lot to do outdoors: hiking, skiing, and water sports on the lake. But she doesn’t know much else about it.