Legend of the Touched (12 page)

Back home everyone thought she was dead, not married
to a wonderful, handsome man. She understood why the dragons had to
do things this way. There were a lot of factors to consider. They
aged differently, slower, and they had powerful magic. It would
have been hard for her to blend in with the people she'd known her
whole life, watch them get old, then die, and have her hardly
change. They wouldn't understand it.

Her family would mourn her this winter, a thought
that made her sad. More than anything, she wanted to tell her
family she was okay and safe, happy. Over the summer, Darien had
used his magic to send her mother a message trying to convey this,
but she wasn't sure if it got through or if it was believed. At
least she tried though, right?

"I can't believe you didn't know though. I mean,
there are posters up and it's what, two weeks away? Didn't Darien
ask you?" Alivia raised an eyebrow.

Tai shook her head slowly. "No, he's not mentioned it
once."

"Weird. Like, okay, I get he's always been a social
recluse and all, but I would think after finally getting a
girlfriend he'd be jumping all over this chance."

"You'd think," Tai mumbled trying to not show just
how disappointed she was by it. A dance was petty, but it also was
a great excuse to do something fun. She didn't even like to dance
necessarily. But they needed to get out, him especially, and she'd
give anything to feel pretty instead of bloated and frumpy. It
might not have showed, but on the inside, Tai felt disgusting.

"I'm sorry," Alivia whispered. She put a hand on
Tai's and gave it a small squeeze. "If you don't want to come with
us to shop, I understand. Everyone else has a date. Even Alex."

"You say that like he wouldn't get one." Tai laughed
at the idea. Alex was a tall, blond stud. He could probably have
any girl he wanted even if he did have a tendency to be immature,
but he had sweet moments. The guy didn't cause any problems for her
outside of his unneeded flirtations.

Alivia sighed, smiling and shaking her head. "Never
mind. The point is, if you don't want to come with, it's fine."

"I still want to. Getting out with everyone would be
fun." Tai tried to remember Darien's schedule. Her memory was
starting to go. Another nasty pregnancy symptom she hadn't been
warned about. He should have been in study hall, so the
interruption wouldn't be minded too much if she contacted him.

The girls want to go out after school with me. Can I
go?

He must have been bored because his reply was prompt.
Go where?

To the mall. They want to go shopping.

Sounds fun. We can do that.

It's a girl thing. They're buying dresses.
She
wouldn't flat out say why, curious to see if he'd pick up on it or
not.

He was quiet for a minute.
Just the girls?

Yes, who else would want to buy clothes? Not any
guys I know.

Good point. I know I'd rather not be there if I
don't have to be.

So does that mean I can go?

Another long pause.
Yeah, it sounds good to me. Do
you need a ride there?

Tai couldn't help but beam. Him letting her go some
place on her own was a huge step. For a while, he wouldn't because
he didn't want her to run away or get hurt. Did he finally trust
her? She knew she hadn't done much to earn it. She'd left over the
summer, thinking about escaping and going home. Once the
realization came that she couldn't exactly leave him, not without a
lot of negative consequences at least, she'd come back. They were a
part of each other's lives forever. She loved him. There was no
reason for her to do anything so stupid anymore. As much as she
missed home, she didn't want to leave him either.

"How are we getting there? Do I need to find my own
way?" Tai asked.

"We can carpool."

I'll ride there with the girls and you can pick me
up later? s
he suggested to him.

Okay. I need to do some shopping myself, so I'll
meet you there,
he said.

She wanted him to let her friends drop her back off
at home too, or to even be allowed to take herself, but she didn't
want to push her luck either. There was a reason no one knew where
Darien lived, and a reason he didn't let himself get close to
others. Being at the school was a social experiment for him and
nothing more. He was there to observe the humans before going off
to get a job somewhere in the city. That was what the men in his
family did. It didn't bother him as much as it did her that the
students thought he was weird. If she let her new friends know
where she lived, it could put a lot of their secrets at risk. The
city was still large and confusing. Tai would probably get lost if
left to her own devices anyway.

It was a step though, and a huge one.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Inero

When are you coming home again? You promised,
Matt asked his brother. Kat's time to deliver was coming up soon,
and he'd yet to hear any confirmation on when Jason would be
back.

It took a few minutes for a reply, and for a moment
Matt wondered if he was being ignored. What could his twin possibly
be busy with? He was on an island on a vacation. There were only a
handful of things he could think of. Maybe Jason was finally busy
with his wife. If so, he felt bad for interrupting.

We'll be back at the beginning of next week. Only
for a little while of course,
Jason said. There was no
agitation in his tone, so he must have not been busy after all.

Matt closed his eyes. Okay, thank you. It's at the
point where it's any day now, but there's more to it. I want you
back for other reasons.

Like? Jason asked.

I miss you, for one. And I need you to do something
for me, but we can talk about it later. This is stuff I'd rather
say in person anyway. Matt scowled, wondering why his brother
sounded so cold. Didn't he miss Matt as well?

Again, Jason didn't reply for a few minutes. I was
wondering if you had a job for me, a task.

I'm not sure I appreciate your sarcastic tone. Matt's
fists clenched. Why aren't you taking this seriously?

I am. It's been a while since you've contacted me
just to talk to me. Usually you have something you want.

An agenda you mean?

If that's the word you'd rather use, then sure. I
wasn't going to go that far though.

Your implication does it for you. Matt growled a
little which caught the attention of a brother he passed by.

Jason went quiet, again. Well that wasn't quite what
I meant. You don't contact me to just chat though, and I haven't
been doing it much either. You seem busy all of the time, and I
don't like being a disturbance to you. I've never liked it much.
What you do is too important. This is clear.

Ugh, stop making me feel guilty. Matt groaned and
walked into the nearest empty room. There was no way he could focus
on getting back to his room while having this conversation. Plus,
he didn't want Kat to see him upset. It was important for him to
stay strong and collected for her as she got ready to go into
labor.

I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, Jason said.
Never mind. I wasn't trying to pick a fight. If you'd talk to me
more, maybe you wouldn't feel so on edge.

Well, I don't want to talk via mind link all of the
time.

The phone works too.

I want to talk to you in person. I don't like you
being so far away physically. I can feel it constantly and nothing
can make it end. He shook his head, closing his eyes and wishing he
didn't have to admit that in order for his brother to realize how
much he was needed back home. Maybe not so much for the cause, but
for his own sanity and completeness. They were brothers, twins;
they needed to stay inseparable. He felt like someone or something
was trying to keep them together.

Hold on to everything good. Keep sight of your faith.
That's what his gut told him. Matt had heard those words spoken to
him once before, but he couldn't for the life of him remember
where. It felt far too important to let slip away.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Oceina

Advanced Biology was the most complicated of Darien's
classes, but still easy. At least it was interesting and not
something he was already completely familiar with. There were
things for him to learn still unlike most of his other classes.
Being alive for as long as he had, most of what he had left to
discover was either something specialized in one area or something
he had to figure out through life experience. He didn't like
biology much either. It fascinated him in that he liked to know how
everything worked, but dissecting and memorizing complicated names
for simple body parts was not his cup of tea. At least he got to
work alone most of the time. He hated doing group projects.

At that moment in time, he was memorizing muscles on
a dead cat as part of his final. Not something he was excited
about, and the smell was horrible. The class had the whole week to
poke at the thing before their final exam. He couldn't wait for it
to be over with just to get the smell out of his nostrils for
good.

So what kind of shopping are you going to do with
the girls?
he asked Tai, looking for something to entertain
himself with. She should have been in an art class if he remembered
her schedule correctly, or a study hall. Tai had a lot of those.
Her schedule was a lot lighter than his since he figured she'd only
be there for socializing purposes.

Dresses, I told you that
, she said.
Aren't
you busy?

Studying. Bored. Figured I'd do my favorite thing
in the world and talk to you.
He couldn't help but give a
cheesy smile even if she couldn't see it.
Dresses huh? That is a
very girlie thing. Glad I don't need to be there.

We've established you wouldn't enjoy it too
much.

Right.
He mentally kicked himself to pay
better attention. So w
hy dresses?
Didn't she have a lot of
those? Maybe her friends didn't and she was only going for moral
support. He knew she wanted to get out more. The last thing he
wanted was for her to feel like she was trapped. Tai was his wife,
not his prisoner. Letting her go and wander the city was something
he'd been meaning to suggest for her to do. Learning her way around
was important, especially with how often the city changed over the
years. The timing didn't ever work out, but this was a good
alternative because then she wouldn't be alone. He wouldn't have to
worry. As much as he could give her a tour, she did need the time
away from him too. Finding the balance of giving her enough
attention and too much was hard. He didn't think he'd ever be able
to win.

Tai? If you're busy I can leave you alone
, he
said after she didn't reply.

Sorry, too busy laughing at Alex.

He gripped his pencil more tightly as he wrote a few
notes and doodles in his notebook, irritated.
I see.

Relax. It's not a big deal.

I know, but he still bugs me.
He grumbled
quietly to himself as he thought it.

She was probably rolling her eyes at him for even
suggesting it.
What did I tell you about being so
paranoid?

It's not paranoia. I don't think you're going to
leave me for him. I just notice you're being receptive to his more
traditional way of doing things.
He sighed.
I don't want to
fight. It's okay if you think he's funny. Everything with Tony has
me on edge. The smells coming off of Alex, off of you, it all
combines to something I'm not enjoying. Just keep my feelings in
mind. I don't want to keep you from your friends, but I notice
things.
Why couldn't she see that? Wouldn't she feel the same
way if a girl did the same thing to him?

Ugh, yes I would feel the same way if some girl
was all over you, but I'm supposed to get irrational because I'm
pregnant. I'm
not
Ashley first of all,
and second, Alex isn't interested in me like that.

He scowled wishing he'd not said anything. But did
he? No she started the fight. He didn't do anything wrong.
No,
you're not her. And I'll believe you after you tell me what he
smells like right now.

What he...smells like? I'm not going to sniff him
for you,
she quipped.
I guess he smells like something that
makes me think of cinnamon apple coffee cake? Which Ethan thinks
sounds really good now, by the way, so thanks for that. Now it's
like a cinnamon roll, which sounds even better. I'm getting so
hungry.

Yeah, I have every right to be worried about him.
Cinnamon is lust. I thought I told you that. It's not you I don't
trust, it's him. He doesn't respect our relationship. I'm trying to
protect him as much as I am you. Even if it seems harmless please
don't flirt with him anymore. I can't stand it right now.
He
put his head on the table for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut
with frustration.

And I told you before, I'm not flirting with him at
all. But if it bothers you this much, I'll just not talk to him for
a while.

I'm not saying—.

I need a break anyway because if he's going to
smell so delicious, I'm going to get fat fast with these
cravings,
she teased.

Darien growled a little, and it must have been loud
enough for others to hear because a few students gave him sideways
glances.
Delicious? Really?
That was the last thing he
wanted to hear when he thought about her and Alex.
Your attempt
at humor isn't all that funny for me.

Loosen up then. Or maybe I should tell you about all
of the nummy smells coming off of you that already make me
crazy?

His eyebrows perked up.
Oh really?

Figured you'd like that. Caramel rolls, cinnamon
tea, and hash browns are what I ate for breakfast this morning, and
that was all your fault.