Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) (36 page)

“Yes.”

Ty’s
heart melted.  His expression didn’t change, but she could feel the underlying
frustration in the word.  Gion detested Parald, but he’d endured life under the
man’s thumb for three years to keep her safe.  How could she not love a guy
like that?

Isaacs
frowned.

Ty
headed over to stand directly in front of Gion.  “Thank you.”  She stood on
tiptoe to press her lips against his.

Gion
couldn’t believe that she’d do that in front of her family.  She saw the
surprise on his face as he gently returned the kiss.

“Did
she just kiss him?”  Isaacs asked no one in particular.  “Figures.  I knew that
he’d get her, anyway.  Perfect fucking Gion.”

“
I
don’t think he’s perfect.”  Cross and Nia chorused.

Ty
pulled back to smile up at Gion.  “You’re such a good man.”

Isaacs
dropped his fork.  “Aaaaand there goes my appetite.  No matter where I go, it’s
–like-- Gion Land.  Can someone explain to me why he always gets
everything?
”

“He’s
a Wood Phase.”  Brokk said wisely.  “We’re very special people.”

“He’s
a
Water
Phase.”  Ty repeated.

“He’s
an Air Phase!”  Amarna waved the others aside.  “Gion, the Air House rebels can
bring Parald down, with or without you.  Job’s already agreed to help us. 
With
you
it will be easier and cost fewer lives, but it’ll happen either way.”

Gion
dragged his attention away from Ty.  “Marna, if you try and kill Parald, I will
stop you.”  He stated flatly.

Amarna’s
eyes narrowed.

A
surge of energy charged through the palace.

Job.

Only
he had that much power.

Gion’s
head snapped towards the door.  “Perfect.  Now what?”  He headed towards the
living room.

Nia,
Cross, Ty and Tharsis followed him.

Job
stood next to the French doors, squinting at the one that Gion had replaced. 
The black plastic looked
slightly
out of place next to the sunny colors
and stained glass.  The sight of it made Ty grin, despite herself.

Her
smile faded when she spotted the woman hovering behind Job, though.  Dread
filled her.  Somehow, Ty already knew this would be bad.

“Job?” 
Nia blinked.  “Hi.  What’s going on?  You want some dinner?”

“No,
I brought…”  He cleared his throat uncomfortably.  “I brought… uh…”

“Randa.” 
The stunning creature from the planet Supermodel batted her eyes at Gion.  “I
had to come.  I had to meet you, Gion.”

“Really?” 
He arched a brow, visibly unimpressed.  “Why?”

“Because,”
she gave a tremulous smile, “I’m your Match.”

The
bitterest tragic element in life to be derived from an intellectual source

is the
belief in a brute Fate or Destiny.

Ralph
Waldo Emerson- ‘Natural History of intellect’

Gion
looked the woman up and down.  “I beg your pardon?”  His voice could’ve flash
frozen the Fire Kingdom.

“I’m
your Match.”  She gazed at him with liquid brown eyes.  “I’m Randa, of the
Stone House.”

Randa
was a beautiful.  A stunning example of tall and slender femininity.  Dressed
in a gauzy white dress, and with a perceptible aura of power surrounding her,
she was exactly the type of woman who Gion belonged with.

Ty’s
heart took a nose dive.

There
was an olive colored streak in Randa’s chocolate tresses, a trembling smile on
her glossy red lips.  “I’ve searched for you for so long, Gion.”

“Searched?” 
Gion arched a sardonic brow.  “Because I keep
such
a low profile that
it’s always been impossible to know where I lived, until now, right?”  The
sarcasm would have felled a lesser target.

Randa
pushed onward.  “No, I knew
of
you.  I did, but,” her manicured hand
came up and briefly touched her temple, “but it was like Gaia spoke to me
today.  Like she was telling me that you were about to be lost to me forever
and I just somehow suddenly
knew
that you were my Match.  That I had to
find you.”

“How
nice for you.”  Nia snarked.  She moved closer to Ty and glared over at Gion as
if this was his fault.

“Ty
honey, don’t freak out.”  Tharsis whispered worriedly, taking position on her
other side.  “No panic attacks.  Breathe nice and slow.”

Ty
nodded, not trusting herself to speak.  She didn’t feel a rush of anxiety or
terror that preceded her panic attacks, though.  All she felt a bone deep sense
of resignation and misery, which was somehow even worse.  She’d known that
Gion’s Match could still be out there, able to offer him all the things that Ty
couldn’t.  Of course, he’d have one.  Why wouldn’t he?  He deserved all the joy
that a Match could bring.

Ty’s
vision filmed over and she clenched her jaw to keep from crying.

“Randa
came to me and asked me to bring her here.”  Job said uncomfortably.  “She says
that she had a very strong feeling come over her, drawing her to Gion, and…uh…” 
Job looked over at Cross as if expecting some social awkwardness life-line.

Unfortunately,
Cross seemed thrilled by the turn of events.  In fact, he and Randa were the
only two people in the room who weren’t frowning, scowling, or close to tears. 
“She’s Gion’s Match!  She says she is and you can feel their energies lining
up.  And, it’s just a
great
day to be alive, isn’t it?”  Cross grinned
over at Ty.  “Now, he can drag his gloomy ass off to the Stone Kingdom and
we’ll never have to see him, again.”  He eagerly slapped his hands together. 
“I’ll help him pack.  Does he have luggage or can I just shove everything in
some trash bags?”

Nia
gave her Match a kick in the ankle.

“Ow!”

Cross
was right.  Ty might never see Gion, again.

Her
thoughts ran together in a confused mass of heartbreak and self-disgust. 
Obviously, Randa was better for Gion than Ty.  What in the universe could Ty
ever offer him?  Nothing, besides an almost empty kingdom, a crazy woman
struggling to put her life back together, and a mass murderer trying to kill
him for just looking at her.  Gion would have to be nuts to want that kind of
life.

With
Randa, he’d have a beautiful Match and a secure home with all the Stone Phases
as his new family.  This would probably even take him off Parald’s Most Wanted
List, since it would prove that Gion wasn’t interested in Ty.  Plus, Randa was
older than Ty.  More powerful.  Not so weak.  Randa could Phaze with Gion and
give him children.  Already, Ty could feel Gion’s energy hitting against Randa’s
at some special frequency.

They
were a perfect Match.

Gaia
had selected this woman just for him.  Only someone incredibly selfish would
begrudge him that miracle.  Anyone who loved Gion --
really
loved him--
would let him go find happiness.

Ty
wanted to throw something, or scream that Gion was
hers
, or pull the
lovely olive streak from Randa’s hair one strand at a time.  Instead, she edged
backwards towards the door.

Gion’s
eyes snapped over to her at the small retreat.  “Ty?”

She
swallowed hard.  “Congratulations.”  She got out softly and slipped from the
room before she started bawling.

“Ty!”

She
ignored Gion’s shout and headed up the stairs.  A real queen would have made a
more dignified exit.  She would’ve majestically swept from the room after
wishing them both a blessed life together and all that other “Happy Phazing
Day” garbage.  Ty didn’t have it in her to be gracious, though.

Not
about this.

She
marched into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her loud enough to rattle
the Plexiglas windows.  Wiping at her eyes, she stalked out onto the balcony
and braced her hands on the railing.  Misery gave way to anger.

This
was her own fault.  She’d known that getting so attached to Gion was a mistake.

And
it was Gion’s fault for
making
her care.  He’d gone out of his way to be
appealing.

And
it was Randa fault for even existing in the first place.  Bitch.

Ty
stared out over her kingdom and had never felt so alone.

Matches.

For
everyone else, they were a gift.  But Matches had been cursed for Ty since the
day she met Parald.  First, her own Match turned out to be a murdering lunatic
and now the man she loved was given to someone else.

It
wasn’t fair.

The
childish thought caused more tears to fall.

Ty
never should have gotten her hopes up about the energy being a potential double-Match
and the memory sharing meaning something special.  She’d wanted it to be true. 
Wanted this claim she felt on Gion to be real.

He
was
hers
.

It
wasn’t
fair
that Gion didn’t belong to her.  It was just… wrong.

“Ty.” 
Gion came up beside her although she had no idea how he’d gotten into the room
with her hearing him.  He certainly hadn’t knocked.  Huge surprise there. 
Maybe his new House could teach him some manners.

She
sent him a glare and sniffed in a not-particularly-queenly fashion.  Decorum
wasn’t her main focus at the moment.  “Your children will be Stone Phases, you
know.  They can solidify anything they touch.  You’ll never be able to keep any
pets.”

“That
was my first thought downstairs, as well.”  He said gravely.  “Being a kids and
dogs type of guy, it’s definitely a concern.”

Ty
actually smiled slightly at his tone.  Randa had better appreciate his warped
sense of humor.  Her anger faded as she looked up at him, leaving only an empty
spot where her heart had been.  Ty didn’t want their last moments together
spoiled by crying or arguing.

“I’m
sorry.”  She cleared her throat and tried to get a hold of her emotions. 
“Gion, I want you to be happy.  And it’s wonderful that…”  Ty trailed off,
unable to go on without lying.  It wasn’t wonderful that he’d found a Match.

It
was
wrong
.

“I
want you to be happy.”  Ty finally repeated.  “You’ll do what you have to do
and I understand.”

“There’s
only one decision that would ever make me happy.”  He reached out to touch her
hair.  “Only one decision that I could
ever
make.  You should know that
by now, Tritone.”

“I
do.  I’ll be alright.”  Ty wanted to reassure him, but some definite
“I-told-you-so”-ing was in order.  “I knew this day would come, though.  I
did.  You wouldn’t listen, but I knew your Match would come for you.”

“You
definitely worried about it.”

“Of
course, I did!  I wanted you, and I still do, and now this is woman taking you
away.”  Ty sounded bitter and she didn’t care.  “I always knew that our
connection would be a problem for you, but you said, ‘No, no, no.’  It was my
own fault for wanting you so much that I let myself hope that you’d like it
here and want to…”  Ty stopped before she brought up how much she loved him. 
She wouldn’t put that kind of guilt on Gion.  “I’ll just… try to research
something that might sever our energy, alright?”

She
sure wouldn’t work real hard on it, though.  In fact, it had a permanent
last
place position on Ty’s to-do list, after alphabetizing the entire Water
Palace library and then putting all the thousands of books back into their
original order, again.

Just
for fun.

Gion
stood beside her, looking out over the Water Kingdom.  “I
do
like it
here, you know.”  He murmured.  “I love it.”  For a second, Ty thought he might
be fishing for her to ask him to stay, but that didn’t make any sense.  Gion
knew that she wanted him desperately.  She’d stripped naked and told him so. 
“This is a beautiful land.”  He continued.  “Even with those empty buildings
you’re so fond of.”

Better
focus to on the endless vista rather than the woman downstairs preparing to
steal Ty’s whole universe.  “It is.  But, the Stone Kingdom has…” Ty tried to
think of one specific, positive feature of that rocky, mountainous place and
came up blank, “many charms.  You’ll like it there, too.”

“I
doubt that.”

Ty
disregarded his attitude.  “And maybe, you could come back and visit the Water
Kingdom…and me.  Maybe.”  Ty tried to put some polite detachment into the
words, even when she was anxious for some assurance that she’d see him, again.

Gion
shook his head.  “I don’t think an occasional visit is the best choice for me.”

No,
he was probably right.

Randa
would never let him come back here.  Ty wouldn’t, if their situations were
reversed.  No woman would want the Match near some crazy, lovesick idiot who
might try to lure him away.  Not that Gion would leave Randa, anyway.  Why
would he?  But still, it hurt.  Ty understood, but it hurt like a stake through
the heart.

She
glanced up at Gion’s granite profile and blinked back more tears.  “I’ll miss
you.”

Gion
finally glanced down at her.  “Will you?”

“Of
course I will!”  Ty wiped at her eyes.  “You have no idea how much.  I know
it’s selfish, but I…”  She let out a long breath.  “I just wish that Randa
hadn’t shown up.  I wish you could stay here with me.”

There. 
She’d said it.

Ty
waited for Gion to get annoyed about that.  Very few Phases would appreciate
someone else wishing their Match out of existence.

Instead,
Gion’s mouth curved.  He arched a brow.  “When I heard you were Matched with
Parald, I went crazy.  I could have killed him.  I wanted to.  I knew that the
Match was wrong.  I knew that you were mine.”

She
met his eyes, again.  “I should have been yours and you should have been mine. 
Destiny made a mistake.  We both know that.”

But,
it wasn’t enough.

“I’ve
always been yours, Ty.”  Gion said seriously.  “Since the day I first saw you,
there’s never been a doubt in my mind.”

Ty
squeezed her eyes shut as tears rolled down her cheeks.  “If we could just be
like the humans, and pick our own partners, it would be so much
better
.” 
She slammed her palms against the railing.  “Matches take
everything
from me.  My freedom and my self-respect and my future and now
you
.  I
hate
fucking Matches!  I don’t even think there
is
a Gaia anymore.  Why would
She do this?”

“There’s
a Gaia or I never would have found you, at all.”  Gion leaned closer to her and
kissed her temple.  “And I find it adorable that you actually said the word
‘fuck.’”

He
was obviously trying to distract her.  It worked.  Just for a second, Ty’s
world went back to normal.  “That’s the worst compliment you’ve given me.”  She
gave a watery laugh.  “Say something nice about my hair, instead.”

“I
love your hair, angel.  It makes me feel alive just to see it.  Some nights,
alone in the dark, remembering the color was all that got me through.”

“Thank
you.”  There was no one else like Gion.  He gave her music and poetry.  That
skanky Stone Phase would never love him, enough.  This was the worst day of
Ty’s life.  Even worse than her ninety-third birthday.

“It’s
probably pointless to mention this, but I was going to ask you…”  Gion stopped
and shrugged.  “Nothing.  Never mind.”

“No.” 
Ty sniffed back more tears.  “Go ahead.  What do you want to ask?”  Anything
Gion wanted, he could have.  Ty would gladly give him the world, so she
couldn’t imagine why he looked nervous.

“Well,
before that woman arrived,” he looked away, again, “I was thinking of ways to
ask you if you’d Bind with me.”  Gion glanced at her from the corner of his
eye.