Balancer's Soul (30 page)

“Well count yourself lucky Jack because he
missed you on purpose.”

“I know.” Jack gave a truthful nod.

“Ok… Everyone?” Connor obtained the group’s
undivided attention. “You all may take a look around, but do not
enter the cottage just yet. I will give a grand tour.”

His mom and grandmother walked around the
house to look at the array and strategic placement of planted
flowers while his grandfather looked over the building method. She
always gave constructive criticism for Connor’s work and it helped
him to learn. Jillian and Jack stayed close to Sarah and Connor
while the others walked away to scan the property.

Jillian jumped in front of Sarah and asked
“What are you two planning to do here?” Her expression became
serious, but her eyes were misting.

“Sister, I am going to live here with him. I
will tell you like I did with Kara, we are in love and this is our
decision.” Jillian stepped up and hugged her daughter with a smile
of congratulations. In the present company they had to play their
parts as normal siblings.

Kara walked away with Mark to look at the
spinning water wheel. Jillian still held Sarah in her arms. He then
heard her whisper “Sarah, I need to know when you are going to take
Connor as your true mate. I can sense that you two didn’t do it
last night.” Sarah went rigid from hearing her mother asking such a
personal question. Connor tapped Jillian’s back and she let go.

Leaning down and speaking softly so that only
Sarah and Jillian could hear, he said “Jillian, there is still one
more week left of school. When that is over with, Sarah and I will
tell you when it’s done and you will have a new son-in-law. Will
that answer subdue your curiosity for now?” Sarah took his hand
gratefully to get out of her mother’s radar.

Jillian pulled away from them and walked over
to Jack and whispered in his ear. He crossed his arms as she spoke
and his eyes remained closed to focus on the words. He glanced
their way moments later and when she finished speaking to him, he
nodded. She turned around and walked back casually. Connor asked
“What was that about?”

Jillian spoke softly to the both of them. “We
decided that you’re trustworthy enough and you two can live
together until the ritual is complete.”

Sarah removed her grip from his hand and
embraced Jillian. She spoke even softer because Jenny was starting
to walk back with Kara and Mark. “Thank you, Mother.” Jillian spoke
even softer “Sarah, you are three hundred years old and you have
never asked for anything remotely like this. How could you expect
us to keep you from the mate you have so longed for?” She smiled
and pulled out of Sarah’s embrace and spoke a little louder, but
not loud enough for the others to hear. “At least now I can have a
little more freedom in my house.” Her eyes glittered towards Jack,
but only for a moment because of present company.

Kara asked “Brother, what is the waterwheel
for?”

“It allows us to have some electricity all
the way out here. It powers an electric turbine that runs a few
motorized conveniences in the house.”

David came back just then and said “So that
was why you needed those batteries, copper wiring and magnets.”
Connor nodded because he got everything correct and understood
their meanings.

Mark asked “Where did you learn to make
electricity even though you’re not very good in science?”

“Mark, your wrong.” Kara said weakly to him.
“Brother struggles only with history. Everything else comes
naturally to him. He actually has an eidetic memory that he denies
to others so it’s hard to ever slip anything past him. He pretends
to not know as much as he does in school because he actually knows
more about those subjects than even the teachers do…”

Their mother interrupted. “That’s enough,
Kara.” She said softly to his long winded sibling “Connor, Sarah,
this is your day. Please show us your new home.”

Sarah stood beside him while saying “Gladly.”
She walked up to the door and opened it and allowed his
grandparents in and they were followed by Jenny, Kara and Mark.
Before Jillian and Jack entered; Jillian looked up and elbowed Jack
in his side. She pointed up to the eve above the door and giggled.
He turned to look at Connor with a smile while saying “Subtle.” And
he entered lastly.

The cottage became a little crowded as
everyone looked into every room. Jillian spent the longest time
looking at the bedroom. She asked Connor while pointing at the
bed’s framing “One day, will you build one for me?” He nodded
because she would start begging otherwise. He wouldn’t have that.
Kara asked what the two empty rooms were for and Sarah saved him by
stating “One will be my study room while the other will be his work
room.” Mark and Jack stayed the longest in the power room to study
the turbine and electrical systems. Jack said “Fascinating… as long
as the water continues to flow, you will have an unlimited energy
supply. Even if it’s only just this amount of power to sustain this
small property, I’m surprised and impressed.”

As everyone was able to see why Connor
disappeared for so long they were all pleased at how well
everything turned out.

Everyone filed out the front door a few hours
later, once the small tour ended and Connor finished explaining the
different household modifications.

Rhoda said happily, as she was the last one
left in the house “Wow this place is absolutely beautiful. It’s
quiet and romantic. What a wonderfully quaint home. Connor, you
have outdone yourself yet again. Sarah you are a very lucky
woman.”

“I sure am, Grandma.” She wove her left arm
around his right. The look in her eyes alone showed just how
pleased she felt.

Sarah and Connor led everyone back to the
houses without any complications or injuries. As Mark and his
grandparent’s left them by Jack’s home, Sarah turned to look up at
Connor with innocent eyes. “So when can I move my things into our
new home?”

Connor quickly came up with a proper solution
to carrying all of her personal effects, all at the same time. “Ok
I have an idea. I will meet you back here in a few minutes. I need
to go and get a few things from my old room as well. I’ll be back
soon”

They smiled at each other as they now had a
home to be together and not be interrupted by anyone.

As Sarah entered her bland bedroom at her
parent’s home, and after Connor went to get something from his
mother’s, she pulled out some cardboard boxes from the recent move
from Washington that she hadn’t had the time to dispose of. She
packed up all of her clothing into five large boxes labeled Tops,
Bottoms, Undergarments, Delicates and Personal effects. As she
taped up the boxes with excitement came a soft rasp at her bedroom
door. “Come in.”

She looked up to see her mother peeking
around it. “Sarah, may we talk?” She sounded worried and upset
about something.

“What’s the matter, Mother?” She walked over
to sit on Sarah’s bed after closing the door behind her. This was a
side of her she hasn’t seen in quite awhile. Jillian rarely shows
such a heartbreaking expression.

“Nothing is wrong, I am just feeling a little
lonely all of a sudden.” She looked down at the floor and sighed
quietly through her nose. This was very unusual for the one who
gave Sarah life. She’s rarely insecure, that’s her daughter’s
forte.

“Why do you feel lonely? You have been with
Father for over seven hundred years. Did Father do something to
upset you?” Sarah sat down next to her because she looked like she
needed some form of comfort.

Jillian shook her head and told Sarah what
weighed on her mind. “Sarah, you have been my little girl for a
very, very long time. And now you are finally a woman and it will
be hard to see you leave. It feels harder now than it did when
Amber and Pearl left with their mates. We have always been a little
closer than your sisters. Make a promise with me please?” She
looked up with troubled golden eyes.

“What is it?” Sarah couldn’t say no against
that look.

She smiled as she read Sarah’s thoughts.
“Stay close to home.”

“I will stay as close as I can, with
Connor by my side.”
“I mean it,
Mother.”
Jillian hugged her as the door was knocked on
again. Sarah’s mother stood and dried her tears as best she could
as she said “Come in.”

Connor opened the door slowly and looked
around. “So this is your room? Your dad said it was in the back
here…” He looked around her room as she still sat on the bed. “So
this is where you sleep.” His expression changed as he saw her
mother’s red eyes and knew that she was forcing a smile at him.
“Jillian what happened? Why were you crying?” Kara was right, it
was hard to slip anything past him.

“It’s no use trying to fool you is it?” She
sighed again knowing he would know if she lied to him. “I’m just
going to miss my little girl that’s all.”

“Are you stupid or what!” He suddenly seethed
frustration as he walked up and grabbed both of her mother’s arms
like an immovable vice. Sarah sat frozen in place. But his eyes
held no anger or malice.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jillian
struggled to free herself from his grasp with no results. Even with
her inhuman strength, she couldn’t budge from his hold for some
strange reason. She must not be using her full power.

Then Sarah saw her father suddenly appear in
the hall to see how Connor held his mate and murderous rage flared
in his azure eyes. Sarah knew her father was going to do something
to her true love.

Connor dropped to his knees before Jack
called on his element. His anger seemed to vanish as Conner spoke
clearly to Jillian, looking her eye to eye. “I asked if you are
stupid, Jillian! Apparently you are because if you know nothing of
me, you should at least know your own daughter by now.” He closed
his eyes tightly in pain and shook his head slowly. “Jack, get out
my head! She needs to hear this from someone. Apparently even at
her age she still doesn’t know.” His eyes opened and looked at Jack
with compassion and intense pain. Sarah knew her father wouldn’t
stop until he was satisfied. “I’m not hurting your mate…Trust me.”
Jack stood his ground and nodded, apparently satisfied with
Connor’s thoughts, but he kept his eye’s zeroed in on Connor’s
every miniscule motion.

“What haven’t I learned at my
age
yet? What do you think you know
that I don’t, child?” Jillian stopped struggling when Connor’s
piercing hazel eyes froze her still. She just learned how piercing
and commanding his eyes can be.

“Sarah will always need her Mom, Jillian.
Also Sarah cannot teach me everything about being a Balancer
because she needs the two of you for support and so do I. We’re
going to be family and that means we stay together and support each
other.”

His words seemed to cut the tension in the
room.

She finally breathed from under his constant
gaze and said “I don’t understand what you are talking about. If
you don’t mind, may I get my arms back?” Jillian admitted to him.
And Connor looked directly at her father while still holding
Sarah’s mother in his grasp.

“I know you read my mind, Jack. Did her
parents back in England ever…”

Jack shook his head slowly and quietly said
“No.”

Connor gently released her mother’s arms
saying “I thought they did. It looks like I have some explaining to
do here. Jillian, will you please go sit next to Sarah.” She did
sit while obeying his command and his lingering gaze made her move
quicker to Sarah’s side. He looked up to her father. “You too!” He
also obeyed. Jillian sat on her left as Jack took the right side,
on the bed.

Connor stood and pulled the chair from her
nearby desk and sat in front of the three of them looking in each
of their eyes. “Jillian, I’m sorry, but you need to hear and
understand this. You said that Sarah’s abilities are very limited.”
She nodded. “I was wrong, forgive my assumption. I thought your
parents helped you and Jack to develop your abilities and guide
you.” He seemed to be looking for the right words, but he shook his
head a little too violently than necessary for some reason. “Not
only will Sarah need you, but so will I. I know next to nothing of
Balancer’s, let alone know what they are truly capable of. I’m not
saying we are only going to stick around until we know everything,
but we aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. What I am saying is that
we need each other and we always will. That is what family is all
about… Jillian, how long did it take for Jack and you to feel like
you were comfortable with yourselves and with your abilities?”

She spoke honestly. “We are still learning
ourselves, even at our ages.”

“Well don’t you think it will go smoothly and
learn far more with study partners?” He smiled weakly and began
breathing oddly. The piercing quality of his eyes were losing their
effect.

She beamed, coming back to her usual self.
“And it will be more exciting.”

Jack finally relaxed on the bed. “Connor,
please forgive my actions. When I saw how you looked to be hurting
my mate, I almost killed you.”

His breathing became labored slightly. “No
harm done, but you used too much power to read my thoughts. I’m
trying my best to st.a..y… awak…”

“CONNOR
!” Sarah
yelled as his head suddenly dropped and he went completely limp.
She didn’t understand what was happening. He abruptly slid out of
the chair and to the floor unconscious. She tried to get to him
quickly enough, but couldn’t. His head hit the wood flooring with a
loud crack. “Connor! Connor, wake up!” Sarah’s eyes started to tear
not knowing what was happening to him. Her heart was beating in
worry for his safety.