Page 50 of Awakened Gifts
I’m a monster, and now he knows it. I can’t blame him for not wanting to touch me after the hell I’ve raised.
“That’s not it, ba—Aria. There’s… We need to talk about stuff, but not right now. You need to stay as calm as possible so that your savage doesn’t get riled up. I need to go get everyone else down here. Simone needs to check you out.”
He wouldn’t even call me baby. He stopped himself. He doesn’t have to tell me anything, because I feel his emotions as clearly as if they were my own.
I feel his grimace as he turns away; I feel the sinking hole inside of him that matches mine; and I taste the tears he’s holding back. My voice refuses to find its way out of me.
I love you. Don’t do this. Even the voice in my mind is pleading and desperate.
He pauses in front of the door across the room, and his shadowy silhouette seems to back up and move forward several times as the inner war he has rages on. But he finally pushes himself through the door without another word.
The chains rattle again when I try to sit up, and I fight hard not to panic. There are so many. And the uranium scent promises me they’re not regular chains. It’s just me—not my savage. If it was my savage, these chains would be pointless.
“Aria?” Mom says cautiously, as though she’s worried my freak show is about to be in place.
I still can’t manage words, but I tilt my head in her direction. My vision has slowly started to clear, so I’m able to make out her face as she nears me.
“Oh, sweetie,” she says in a heartbreaking voice that makes my tears start slipping out of the corners of my eyes.
She rushes to my side and starts caressing my cheeks. When she goes to tug at the chains, I hear my brother’s voice boom through the room.
“Don’t! She’s still in a fragile state.”
“Is that really necessary though?” Simone’s voice is refreshing, and I want to reach out for her.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rex asks, scoffing as though he’s the only sane one in here. I suppose he is.
Mom growls at him, and then she turns to face him, blocking my view. “And you think these chains could hold her if she lost it? You’re out of your mind. She’s awake and scared. These chains can only hold her. Not the savage.”
After hearing her confirm my fears, I decide there’s no point in allowing myself to be restrained. With barely any exerted effort, my mind unlocks and drops the chains. I want to see Jase. Now.
“Jase.” I manage to whisper, but my voice sounds so foreign and rasp.
A few collective gasps meet my ears as everyone takes a cautious step back. They don’t realize the savage didn’t merely undo the blocks in my mind, she ripped them the hell out. My gifts are free, and I’m fucking terrified of them.
Rex stares down at the heaps of chains that have slithered off my body, and I look down to see the new black gown I’m wearing. It almost looks as though it’s satin, but it feels more like barbed wire against my sensitive flesh. Everything on me is more sensitive right now. I feel… awakened and… lost at the same time. Something always feels like it’s missing.
“Is she okay?” Kellan asks as he joins Simone at her side, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her to him very protectively, as if he’s worried she’s in danger. I almost tear up, because I thought my savage had killed him.
I tilt my head, observing them for a moment. I don’t need empathic abilities to see what’s so clearly in front of me, and relief washes over me. It’ll make it easier to be with Jase if he can look past the havoc I never intended to unleash.
“Jase,” I say again, ignoring how everyone seems to tense.
Simone tries to step away from Kellan, her eyes burdened, but he holds her to him. He really cares about her, and I can feel that from here. Maybe my savage stripping him was the best thing that could have happened. It seems to be the only light in the darkness I’ve had surrounding me for the past few weeks.
“He’s upstairs, debriefing the soldiers here. We’re in Sherlan,” Rex finally says, but I know he’s holding back.
“Get him,” I whisper, clutching my throat that feels to be on fire.
Simone tries once again to move away from Kellan, but he holds her tighter, wrapping her up with both arms in an embrace.
“I need to get her some blood,” she says softly, looking up at him, but his jaw is tense.
“I know what you think you have to do, but you’re wrong. Aria doesn’t want me, and I don’t want her anymore. We can find a way to bond them instead.”
Simone’s eyes water, and I tilt my head in confusion. “You know that’s not possible,” she says back. “I’ve tried aligning their blood, but they won’t pair. You’re the only one, and it’s the only way. There’s only a small window of opportunity for me to repair the damage done.”
Kellan’s jaw tries to snap off when he clenches it too tightly. “No. It’s not the only way. If neither of us wants the other, then obviously fate fucked up. Without the bond… Well, you know what I want.”