Nephilim (16 page)

He leapt off the bed and began to pace the room like a prowling tiger. His aura began to shoot off angry sparks. Ada frowned confused by this sudden surge of emotion he was portraying. She thought that he would be happy for her.

“Morrigan said that he was my soulmate and her, Dad and Karla believe that I’m going to need the extra help for us to beat Abaddon” Ada said still a little confused by his reaction.

Frankie stopped pacing and stepped forward placing his hands either side of her body on the bed, his face drawn in close to hers.

“But a human Ada? You could join with any Paranatural, but you want a worthless human” he growled.

Ada frowned again and pulled back against the headboard of the bed, a worthless human. She never knew Frankie felt that way about humans and it set alarm bells off in her mind. Frankie huffed and threw his hands up in the air.

“Fuck Ada, I would join with you in order to beat Abaddon” he said as he turned his back to her.

Ada shook her head.

“We wouldn’t be able to join Frankie, you are my protector, and it’s against the rules for a protector to join with their Paranatural. You know that” she said.

Frankie spun on his heel and stared at her. She could see hurt in his face and she couldn’t understand what was going on. Ada tried to send her feelers out to pick up the vibrations of his emotions to help her understand where this outburst was coming from. Frankie stood straight and put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

“Don’t do that” he snarled.

Ada’s eyes opened wide in shock. She shut off her feelers and looked down at the blanket that covered her legs. Frankie frowned and rubbed his hand over his face. He was a good looking man, only older than Ada by twenty years, which sounds a lot in human years but when you’re immortal it is nothing.

He had blonde hair that he kept cropped short; he wasn’t as tall as Kade, Shapeshifters always tended to be small and slender. But not wiry or ratty, he was good looking in his own right.  Frankie had been somewhat of a best friend for her growing up. When Travis, Markus and Julien were busy with their friends Frankie was always there ready to play a game, push her on a swing or read her a book. She knew she could always rely on him.

He had never joined with anyone and seemed a bit of a loner. The truth was that Ada knew very little about him. As she thought about it, she felt a sense of shame. She had been so consumed in her life, that she had never taken the time to get to know the man who would give his life to protect her. Ada shook her head and frowned.

“I’m sorry Frankie. I won’t join with Travis if it means so much to you. I don’t want to lose your friendship” she said sadly not lifting her eyes from the blanket.

She felt Frankie sit beside her and wrap his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest.

“No I’m sorry. I’m being an idiot. You are welcome to join with whoever you want” he said with sadness threaded through his voice.

Ada looked up at him and gave him a weak smile, feeling tears sting at her eyes and threatening to overflow. He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head.

“Frankie, why haven’t you ever joined with someone?” Ada asked.

Frankie blushed and shook his head.

“Why are you asking?” he asked.

Ada shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know; it’s just that I’ve never really got to know you. I just realised now, that I’ve been so consumed with me that I haven’t taken the time to get to know you” she said dropping her head.

Frankie flicked her hair off her shoulder.

“You know it’s always been my pleasure to protect you” Frankie said softly lifting her chin so that he could look into her eyes.

Ada smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I know. I just feel like a narcissistic bitch right now” she said in a growl.

“Don’t be crazy. I’ve never offered much about myself. What would you like to know? I’ll tell you now” he said settling back on the bed.

Ada leaned back against his chest and tapped her chin in thought.

“Where did you grow up?” she said looking up at him.

Frankie looked down at her and smiled before kissing the top of her head and circling his arm around her waist pulling Ada in closer to him.

“Well, I was born to my Father a Shapeshifter his name was Aaron and my Mother was a Fairy and her name is Scarlet. I have four brothers, I’m the youngest. My brother’s names are Orion, Micah, Tommy and Bertie. We grew up in the Fairy forest” he said.

Ada smiled and fidgeted with her fingers.

“It must have been nice having brothers to play with when you were little” she said wishing she had, had sisters.

Frankie nodded and kissed the top of her head again, rubbing his fingers on her side.

“It was alright if you didn’t mind being shot with arrows or wrestled” he laughed.

Ada widened her eyes and flipped onto her belly resting her arms across Frankie’s chest.

“Shot with arrows?” she asked.

Frankie threw his head back and laughed.

“Yeah Fairies and Shapeshifters tend to play rough” he laughed.  “Ok that’s enough about me. Are you sure you want to join with Travis?”

Ada nodded her head and rested her head back down on Frankie’s chest. He instinctively stroked her hair.

“You don’t seem certain” he said.

“I am it’s just that it’s not like what I had imagined. I mean I never imagined to be joined with Travis. It feels right, I know Morrigan is right, he is my soulmate. When I think back to when we were children, I felt it even then. But I had always imagined my Mum to be leading the ceremony” she said with tears stinging her eyes again.

“I know” he said leaning forward and kissing the top of her head before sliding his body out from underneath her and pulling open the blanket so she could climb in.

“Sleep well Ada” he said leaning forward and kissing her closed eyes.

As he closed the door she shot up.

“Wait Frankie, you didn’t tell me what you had found out” she called.

Frankie opened the door again and leaned in.

“It can wait till tomorrow, sleep now” he said with a smile before closing the door again.

Ada lay back down and closed her eyes falling into a sleep filled with dreams of Travis and their future together.

Chapter Twenty

“Soulmates two halves of the same soul joining together in life’s journey” Anonymous.

The next afternoon when Ada awoke she could see that dusk was pulling at the sky, the pinks and purples that danced through the window filled her with pleasure. Ada stretched and smiled.

“My joining ceremony” she spoke to no one with a smile on her face.

Ada flung the blanket from her body and bounced out of bed. She felt good, even verging on excited. When she made her way down stairs Morrigan was racing through the room like a mini tornado gathering up candles, herbs and oils. She was chanting to the coven to connect with them, calling to them. Ada padded around making food, before showering.  She searched through her Mother’s drawers and discovered some pretty rose oil tucked at the back of one. Ada pulled it out and dabbed some around her neck and on her wrists enjoying the scent that filled her nostrils.

Ada looked at herself in the mirror as she raised her wrist taking in the scent that reminded her of Merza. She always smelt like fresh flowers, Ada thought. She could feel tears begin to prickle at her eyes.

“I really wish you were here Mum” Ada said with a sigh as a tear slid its way down her cheek.

“I’m hear child” Merza’s voice called.

Ada spun on her heel looking around the room.

“Mum?” she called out as she swung open the bedroom door.

At the end of the hallway Frankie stood with a frown on his face.

“Frankie, did you just hear my Mum?” she asked.

Frankie shook his head, his brow creasing further as he fidgeted with his fingers. He looked back over his shoulder again still frowning as he descended the stairs. Ada watched him a slight feeling of panic creeping into the pit of her stomach. Frankie was acting strange.

“Wait Frankie, what were you going to tell me last night?” she called as she went to the landing looking down at the lower foyer.

Frankie looked up at her and shook his head.

“Not now Ada” he growled.

Ada felt the pinch of pain hit her chest. Frankie had never been so short with her; he had always been kind to her, understanding and gentle. But yesterday he lost his temper and roared and now he was snapping at her. Ada’s tears felt hot on her cheeks as she watched Frankie disappear out the front door, silently closing it behind him. Ada shook her head and swiped at her face, wiping the tears away.

“Fuck him” she spat, her hurt turning quickly to anger.

She shook her head and sighed, turning back to the room to gather up the bits and pieces she needed before heading out to find Morrigan.  When the Witches arrived they mingled in the library and kitchen, some preparing food for the banquet after the ceremony. Others fussed over Ada and others prepared herbs, incense and oils. When Travis arrived he looked a little nervous, but before Ada even had a chance to speak with him a group of the Witches ushered him off into another room.

Kade entered the library and embraced Ada tight.

“I know that your Mother would have wanted to be here for this and I’m sorry she’s not” Kade said gently.

Ada nodded her head and put her face onto his chest breathing in his scent of the woods; she closed her eyes and sighed.

“I’m so scared of everything that is going on Dad” Ada said.

Kade nodded and stroked Ada’s hair.

“I know you are baby. I can’t make promises that everything is going to be fine. But what I can promise is my love will never leave you and I will do everything in my power to protect you” he said.

Ada felt the tears slip from her eyes again. Kade lifted her face and wiped at her tears.

“Hey stop that, you don’t want red puffy eyes for your ceremony” he said with a smile.

She gave him a weak smile and nodded before frowning as she remembered Frankie’s odd behaviour.

“Frankie was here before, he was being really weird” she said.

Kade frowned and kissed her third eye.

“I will have a chat to him and find out what is going on, it might just be the stress of the upcoming war” Kade said with a frown.

He smiled at her again as she nodded her head. Ada wasn’t sure that the war was the reason for his weird behaviour. He really didn’t like the idea of Ada joining with a human. In fact the way he said it made him sound like he hated human’s in general. Ada couldn’t shake the gnawing that grumbled in her belly. She didn’t know if she could even trust Frankie. Her best friend and protector, surely he wouldn’t work for Abaddon, Ada thought with a shake of her head.

“Alright you better go find Morrigan before she has my balls for making you late for the ceremony” he said with a chuckle.

Ada threw her head back and laughed and as if right on cue Morrigan came into the library and shooed Kade away.

“Unless you want to be a part of the ceremony, I suggest you go make yourself busy” Morrigan said with an air of irritation.

Kade shook his head and held his hands up.

“I’m going, I’m going” he said with a laugh as he headed for the door.

When the ceremony was about to start, Ada was taken into a room, down in the depths of the home, the room was darkened and Ada could smell the dampness the seemed to seep through the walls and floor.

“I wish your Mother was here to do this for you, it is her place” Morrigan said sadly.

Morrigan’s green eyes didn’t shine their usual happiness but held the sadness that her heart seemed to feel.  Ada nodded and put her arms around Morrigan’s waist and pulled her into a hug.

“If it can’t be Mum, I’m glad it’s you Aunt” Ada said.

Morrigan smiled again and swiped at the tears that escaped from her eyes before running her hands through Ada’s hair with a sigh.

“Well let’s stop the tears, this is a celebration time. Are you ready?” Morrigan asked.

Ada shrugged. She suddenly felt a burst of anxiety, she didn’t really know what to expect and the fear of the unknown weighed on her. Her excitement previously had quickly given way to fear. Her Mother had never taught her about a joining celebration. Merza and Kade had been through the ceremony and Ada knew the basics, but this all seemed to be moving so fast.

“I’m scared” she said feeling tears spring to her eyes “it’s going so fast”

Morrigan nodded and pulled her into a tight hug.

“I know it is. But you need your soulmate. You will need his psychic help Ada. I wouldn’t push for what I didn’t think was the best for you” Morrigan said as she released Ada and reached up to thread flowers of Lavender and Roses through Ada’s hair.

Ada knew that it had to move fast. There was a war coming and there wasn’t time to take things slowly. Morrigan saw that Travis was her soulmate and Ada believed her even though it still didn’t make sense how a human could become a soulmate for a Witch. But those words; just trust, it’s all she could do.  Morrigan let go of Ada and held her at an arm’s length looking her over, before sighing and giving Ada a weak smile. She turned and began to fill a jug with warm water and scented oils. Morrigan then tossed in rose petals that floated on top of the water.