Channeler's Choice (30 page)

The cougar was jogging down the street without so much as a limp. In only moments it was across the expanse of the dimly lit sidewalk and slipped into the shadows beyond the solar street lamps. Stepping back from the ledge, Eren turned to her grandfather.

“
How could it survive that jump? It’s just a cougar,” she asked.

Eyes wide, Zolin strode over and grabbed Eren by the arms. Turning her, he put himself between her and the roof’s edge.

“
Are you hurt?”

The concern in his voice stirred the fear that had settled into the pit of her stomach. Her throat tightened and she couldn’t swallow the lump in it, so she shook her head.

“
Don’t worry about the cougar. It’s protected by Luke’s power.” His eyes narrowed as his gaze shifted to her.

She squirmed, resisting the urge to pull free and turn away.

“
How long has this been going on?” His gaze was so intense that she flinched back from it.

“
What do you mean?”

“
How long has Luke been watching you?” The tone of his voice made her shiver and suddenly the night air was so cold she no longer wanted to be out in it. Pulling her silk robe closed only made the chill worse, and turned her stomach. Oh God, Luke has seen her wearing this.

“
A while, I don’t know,” she whispered.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Zolin started to lead her to the roof access hatch. “Stars girl, why didn’t you tell anyone?”

Eren hung her head, watching her toes melt little circles on the frosty rooftop tiles with each step. “Until tonight I wasn’t sure it was him, I thought it was a girl from school. And I thought if I told anyone that I thought it was Luke I’d sound paranoid.”

Even now, knowing it had been him watching her all along, she felt a flush of shame. All this fight training wasn’t really about the tournament, or even Bridget, Eren wanted to feel safe from people like Luke. She wanted to know she could protect her Society from him. No, she
had
to know she could.

Stopping at the access hatch, her grandfather looked at her. “I want you to be able to tell me anything, Eren, no matter how you might think it sounds. Please promise me that from now on you will.” Deep lines of concern between his brows made him look older than normal.

“
I promise, Grandfather. But, that doesn’t mean he’s close to here does it?” As she spoke the words, Eren started to shake, both afraid to hear the answer and afraid not to.

He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “No, my dear. I spoke to Stefan just today and we talked about Luke and Elisabeth. Luke is in Romania.”

Not willing to say she thought he was wrong, she raised an eyebrow instead.

“
Powerful Rectors who have mastered the skill of controlling animals can both control and empower them from such a distance. But he can’t hurt you if you fight back, I believe you are more powerful than he is,” Zolin said.

With a monumental effort she was able to make herself stop shaking and put on a brave face. At least, she hoped it looked brave.

“
Then I will fight back,” she said, pleased that her voice was steady.

Zolin kissed the top of her head and she stepped onto the first rung of the ladder.

“
That’s my girl. Don’t you worry. I’m going to call Stefan right now and he’ll get a handle on that boy,” his voice drifted to her as she descended.

She wanted to take comfort in his words but it was hard. If six thousand miles between them wasn’t enough to keep Luke from Eren, she doubted the word of the boy’s own grandfather would do much good.

“
Rectors have to make tough choices and

even tougher sacrifices for the sake of their Society.”

~from
Life in a Society

Chapter 29

Such intense heat rolled off Aiden that Eren had to step back to avoid getting burned. Rocks gave way beneath her foot and she heard a splash as one tumbled into the river behind her. He hardly noticed as she struggled to regain her footing and barely managed. The green and gold glow of furious energy in his eyes seemed to have blinded him.

“
I’ll kill him,” he growled.

She wanted to touch him, to calm him down, but his rigid stance, coupled with his furious tone, made her realize that would be a very bad idea. Rage radiated off him along with the heat, leaving no doubt in her mind that if Luke were here right now, Aiden would kill him. Despite the furnace before her, that thought sent a chill through her so powerful that she shivered. If she could have backed up any farther, she would have. The only time she had seen him like this was last year when he’d found out that Luke had attacked her.

The constant pull of Aiden’s power changed. Standing beside him felt like being in the eye of a hurricane where one misstep would throw her into the storm. Eren drew in a deep breath of stifling air.

“
He’s still in Romania, he can’t touch me.”

Aiden’s furious gaze fell upon her and the heat of it took her breath away. “Are you sure?”

Swallowing hard, she nodded. Green energy flecked with gold started to leak from Aiden’s clenched fists as his upper lip curled back from his teeth. Disappointment mixed with the rage in his eyes.

The pressure of his power pushed her back and her foot found no purchase, leaving her falling. A gasp tore from her and she braced herself for submersion into the cold river. But she scarcely fell a foot before Aiden’s arms whipped out and plucked her from mid-air. He clutched her to his chest so tightly that she couldn’t catch her breath. But being immersed in his wonderful pine and aftershave scent instead of the cold water was so much better.

Through all his heat and angry energy, she felt something else, something almost hidden; his fear. He was shaking and it wasn’t from the need to channel. Knowing he cared so much hurt, but in a wonderful way. It also sparked her fury. Of all people, she hated that Luke could make him feel this way. She pulled back enough to look into his eyes and touch his cheek, wishing she could wipe the pain away.

“
It’s alright. It’s just Luke being a jerk, nothing more.”

Aiden ground his teeth. “I don’t even want his eyes on you,”

Eren shuddered. “Neither do I.”

His eyes widened, lighting up. “Maybe they don’t have to be. There’s this thing I can do that other channelers can’t. Maybe you can do it too.”

The world swam a bit as her stomach dropped. She struggled to keep her expression neutral. Having another strange ability that no other channeler did was the last thing she wanted. It ate at her that she couldn’t even be normal among her own kind. One more ability would tip the scale even closer to the legendary warrior her grandfather thought she was. But she had to know.

“
What is it?”

The excitement on Aiden’s face made her worry. “I can force another channeler’s power out of animals so they can’t control them.”

That didn’t sound so bad. “What, you mean?”

Grin widening, he nodded. “Animal control. If you can push other channelers out like I can, then that means Luke won’t be able to spy on you.”

A shiver traveled across Eren, raising bumps along her arms as a thought occurred to her. “That’d be great, but how did you figure out how to do that?”

Looking away, he let go of her and stepped back farther onto the rocky river bank. His energy withdrew as well, leaving her feeling cut off and exposed.

“
Virgil and Luke used to spy on me using animals. No matter where I went, I couldn’t get away from them.” His voice was so hollow and void of emotion that it sent a chill through Eren.

Bending down, he picked up a small rock and turned it over and over in his hands, studying it. But Eren knew he wasn’t interested in the rock, he was using the excuse to look down and let his overly long brown and black bangs hide his expression from her. Anger sparked brighter within her. She hated that Virgil could have this effect on Aiden even after the man was dead.

“
One day I had enough. I shoved Virgil’s energy out of the bird he was using to spy on me,” he finally said in a voice thick with the dark memory.

Determined to ease the pain in his eyes, Eren moved closer to him and took one of his hands in both of hers. She couldn’t
not
touch him. The force that drew her to him was too powerful. His angry energy bit at her but she ignored it.

“
I’m so sorry for the way you grew up, and that you never had the chance to confront Virgil.”

With his free hand Aiden brushed a lock of her dark hair back, then pulled her closer. The bite of his energy faded and turned warm and inviting. His body pressed the length of hers, taking her breath away and scrambling her thoughts. She both loved and hated how he could do that. The allure of his hazel eyes, both brown and green splashed out from the pupil, drew her in until she wanted to drown in them. Sure, his hard, toned body was outstanding, but it was his eyes that always got to her.

“
None of that mattered anymore after I met you.”

That made Eren’s heart thump so hard against her ribcage it hurt. “But it does matter. I hate that they hurt you.”

Freeing his hand from hers, Aiden wrapped his arms around her and reached beneath her hair to cradle her head. The feel of his body and energy all around her set her on fire from the inside out. His eyes fluttered closed and he leaned his head against hers.

“
You fixed me,” he said in a deep tone that made her stomach clench. His eyes filled with a light that had nothing to do with his power and everything to do with her.

As he started to bend down, she rose up on the balls of her feet to meet him. The touch of his lips sent a wonderful warmth tingling down into her. The chill of the brisk spring day, chirping of the birds, even the lapping of the river, all faded until there was nothing left but Aiden. Eren’s power rose to meet this and she let it, intending to allow just a little of it to mingle. Once the two energies touched, she knew there’d be no stopping it because the desire to do so melted away. A low, guttural sound resonated through Aiden’s throat, making Eren’s knees weak.

“
I can’t leave you two alone for a second can I?” Fane’s voice came seemingly out of nowhere.

Aiden’s energy retreated from Eren so fast it left her feeling like she was on a rollercoaster that had just plummeted. He stepped back but kept a hand on her elbow. From the way he swayed, she wasn’t sure if the contact was to steady her, or himself.

“
Fane, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” Eren said. The sound of her breathy voice was made her cringe. She
so
did not want Fane hearing her like that.

One dark eyebrow went up as a smirk touched Fane’s lips. “I practically barreled down the hill like a bull.”

Heat burned Eren’s cheeks, forcing her to turn away. Aiden stiffened, embarrassment reverberating through his energy. “What’s up, Bro?” he asked in a tone that had a harsh edge to it.

Fane laughed. “Certainly not the same thing that’s up for you.”

Mumbling something in Irish, Aiden turned and put a little more distance between him and Eren. Her Irish was too rusty to make out much more than something about ‘pummel him.’

To Fane he said, “It’s not like that. We were about to work on something that might keep Eren safe from Luke.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Fane glared from beneath his dark curls. “Well this thing you were working on looks like it doesn’t keep my cousin safe from you.”

The serious undertone made Eren smile. It was sweet that he was protective of her even though he worshipped the ground Aiden walked upon. On legs that shook, Eren made her way to Fane’s side and put a hand on his shoulder.

“
Thanks, Cuz, but you don’t have to worry. We really were going to work on something to help me fight Luke.”

His eyebrows rose higher and he cocked his head. “Alright then, I want to help.”

“
Fair enough,” Aiden said as he lifted an arm from his side and held out a finger.

Power surged around Aiden—Eren felt it like a change in air pressure—but instead of pushing out, it pulled in. She recognized the feeling this time, he was calling something. A bright blue bird floated down from the tree above him and alighted on his finger. It folded its wings in and looked up at Aiden.