Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle) (3 page)

Connor
as
ked “Did you hear the c
all as well, Sis?”

He
dropped the bags beside the dining room table and shut the front door
before all the heat could
escape outside
. When
he
looked back at her, her silver eyes were looking back
in wonder
. “You felt it too?”

To prove himself
he had to show her what he
did when
first
feeling
t
he summons
. “Maybe
this will give you an answer.” Connor
held up
his
right hand and pou
red
a fair amount of
energy into it
. Suddenly
,
a dark blue flame encased
his
entire hand
immediately
after
the
hand began to faintly glow
.
T
h
is time h
e
noticed that the
blue flames ignited instantly
from
his flesh
where
as orange flames took
only a second
longer to focus
and ignite
from the air. It was as if the f
lames were a manifestation of
purely
stored energy.

Mark jumped to his feet where as
Sarah
and
his
sister just stared at
Connor
with confusion
. He stopped about three feet away
; most likely due to the excessive heat
the
hand emitted.
It was strange because the heat didn’t affect
him
like it did to others because the controller of the element cannot be harmed
.
“A blue flame?”
Mark
said to himself. “Connor, how
in the world
are you doing that?”

“This morning it just
…
happened
… No, seriously, it happened without me trying to use my abilities. I was
wondering what that noise was this morning and the flames appeared for some reason.
They came to life when I felt protective.
” Connor
cut the flow of
his
power and the flames died as quickly as they appeared.

“That’s really strange. I have never seen someone conjure blue flames
like that
without a welding torch
, but that fame has a richer hue
.” He turned to Sarah. “Can you do it as well?”

She answered him by holding up one finger of her right hand. As suddenly as
his
came to life, so did hers. A small blue flame danced on the tip of her index finger. “
What do you think it means?” The flame disappeared from her fingertip.

Mark scratched his head. “I’m clueless, but maybe a Keeper could tell us
more
.
They are almost all older than I and know much more
” He started walking back to Kara. “We’ll see one soon enough
,
hopefully.”

As he sat down next to
his mate
,
Connor
grabbed two chairs
from the dining room table
and placed them in front of the fireplace. Sarah sat down first and
bluntly
asked “Tell us why you’re
both
really
here?”

Connor
sat down as Kara spoke. “Because I wanted to know what this weird feeling is that is tugging at my gut?
It’s really irritating you know.
”
S
he pointed to her right which
lay
north and
Connor
knew
exactly
what that meant.
“Plus you gave me a key to get in.” She pulled a ring of keys off the table and jiggled them
in their
faces
.
“Remember?”

Sarah smiled and glanced at
Connor
for a moment
before speak
ing directly at his
sister
. “That is a
just
temporary bond that a Keeper has placed
up
on you. Whomever the Keeper is this year will remove the bond
. W
hen you meet
him or her,
that is
.” She giggled. “Kara, the bond your feeling is extremely weak compared to the bond
that Balancer’s share with their mate.”

Kara’s
silver eyes shifted in
his
direction. “Brother, is she joking?”

“Afraid not
, Sis
. All you can feel is the direction that we need to go. With
our
bond,”
He
placed
his
left hand on top of Sarah’s right thigh. “we can feel the moods of our partner, the exact location where they are at all times and we can tell what they are craving.” Sarah turned her head as
he
pushed in
to
her mind.
“Apples.”
Sarah then stifled a laugh
because she
felt
hungry again
.

“Be nice, Connor. Don’t start picking on me because I’m with child and having cravings.
If she’s anything like her father I’ll always be in need of those sweet treats.
”
Sarah
then placed
a
hand over his as it
remained
on
her
thigh.

As
she
squeezed the top of his hand he communicated back
with humor
.
“I wasn’t playing with you. I remember what happened last week.”
With his right hand he rub
bed the back of his head where she
hit him
wi
th a
metal
spoon
when he wasn’t being nice
.
Her
actions were justified.

“I’m glad that you have
finally
learned your lesson.”
As his predatory hazel eyes turned to look directly
at
her she
said
“Good.
G
o find m
e some apples. They sound
good right about now.”
Right on cue,
her
stomach rumbled loudly.

Connor’s face softened as he laughed quietly
through his nose
. As he stood
to his full height
, Kara interrupted
with annoyance in her tone
. “Will you two quit that
already
! It gets a little annoying when the two of you do your telepathy thing
and leave everyone guessing on what you said.” Sarah
turned
her
head and
Kara’s
quicksilver eyes were staring righ
t at
her
. “What are you up to?” H
er silver eyes narrow
ed even more
.

“He’s getting me some apples. Remember
that I’m having certain cravings
?”
She
said
while
crossing
her
left leg over
the
right.

Kara grinned
provocatively
and arched a delicate eyebrow
.
“If you would have had your
cravings
under control,
you would
n’t be having these new ones
.”

Sarah
felt
her
face instantly heat, but
she
had a bullet left in the chamber
for just such a conversation
.
She
arched an
eyebrow
of her own
saying “My
cravings
are under more control than yours are
apparently
, little sister
.”

Kara
face went scarlet
, but not from anger
. She unintentionally glanced at Mark and just as quickly found her hands quite interesting. Mark started laughing as did Connor at
Sarah’s
instant jab. Mark said to Kara quietl
y “Don’t forget that I have
cravings
of my own
as well
, Sweetheart
.”

Her eyes went wide as she looked back up at him.
Her hands covered his mouth.
She said in an astonished voice “Don’t say things like that with my brother in the room or you could be in serious danger.”

Connor walked up,
holding a bowl of red apples.
“Nah, I’m actually more worried for his well being. I grew up with you so I know how energetic you are.” He smiled then looked back in
Sarah’s
direction
with mirth
.
His body looked menacing, but
she
knew the soft and pleasant side that th
ose
rugged
mus
c
les
also held.
He towered over her
as he handed
over
the fruit bowl and sat down next
at her side
. He is tall and has more muscles on
his massive frame than anyone she
ha
d
ever met. Even through the black sleeves
covering
his arms she
could tell that his
biceps were far thicker than her
thighs and as hard as steel. As h
e sat up straight in his chair she
saw his overdeveloped chest rise and fall with each
deep
bre
ath. Each of his leg muscles were
almost as thick as her
petite
torso. And his calves
Sarah shook her head to keep those thoughts at bay.
She
inst
inctively felt drawn to him as she
took a
loud
bite out of an apple and felt
her
shoulder brush against his left arm.
The
silver armlet that wrapped around his upper arm
is
easily felt
,
even under his sleeves.
S
uddenly the weight of the anklet
hanging on her left foot
seemingly increased.

Connor made
her
not only this perfect cottage, but
also hand
crafted both pairs of
the exquisite pieces of
jewelry. When he
revealed
his painful
ly acquired
tattoo that
had been branded
on his chest
,
and she
found it perfect, he went off for a month and did all this. His flat armlet holds a pentagram that is the symbol for the five elements; Fire, Liquid, Terra, Pressure and Metal. He unintentionally made the banner of the Balancers, but he added his
own little
spin to it. For each element he made a corresponding representation inside the pentagram. He made a flame for Fire, a tear drop for Liquid, a perfect circle for Pressure, two snowcapped mountains for Terra and finally the symbol of iron for Metal. And the circular and
smooth anklet he designed for her
had crossing
,
eternally
linked
black lines which represented the
black X that
had been
seared into his sternum. Each tattoo line
on his body
started at each shoulder, then the lines
intersected
in
the exact center of his sternum and
finally ended
at the base of his ribcage.

She then noticed Connor watching her
intently. He smiled
her
favorite smile which always sends
her
hear racing
and scattering her train of thought
. “Do you like
what you see, Princess?” H
e said
almost seductively which made her
heart race
yet another marathon
.
She
ha
s
always hated endearments people give
, except when it comes from her
mate
’s lips
.