Immortal Fire - Book One

On my left shoulder blade was a blue mark like the one on my palm, except this one was that of an infinity symbol.

My good mood vanished instantly. I must have stared into the mirror for a solid ten minutes, trying to wipe it away while the bathroom filled with steam from the running water in the shower. Turning numbly, I climbed into the shower and laid my head against the wall as water beat at my body. I eventually showered properly but felt exhausted.

Yes, it was just a mark and not even one that people could see, but it signified my life not being mine to control anymore. Not even my body was my own anymore and it made me feel violated.

Sliding to the floor of the shower, I pulled my knees up to my chin and hugged my legs. I did not even notice when the water pouring over me turned as cold as ice after a while and someone entered the bathroom…

The shower door flew open, and it was Hayden. Normally I would have been embarrassed and screamed at him to leave but I just tilted my head up to him scowling. His face was worried, and he switched off the water. Kneeling on the floor outside the shower he looked me in the eyes.

“What the hell are you doing. Are you trying to give yourself hyperthermia? That water was fucking freezing and you’re turning blue.” He genuinely seemed worried about me.

I did not answer; I just kept looking at him with exhausted eyes and clenching my jaw. Seeing that I was not going to move or answer, he stood and grabbed a towel off the rack, and handed it to me. I took it from him, and he turned around.

Standing on shaky legs, I wrapped it around me and got out. I did not even wait for him as I headed to my bedroom. I knew he was following me, but I shut the door behind me, blocking his way.

I walked over to my cupboard and grabbed a shirt and pajama bottoms. As soon as I was dressed, I heard the door open, and Hayden was standing in the doorway watching me cautiously. I ignored him and climbed atop the bed staring at my marked hand…

“Aria…” When I did not answer, he stepped into the room and sat down next to me on the bed. Still, I did not look at him.

“Aria, what’s wrong?” he asked. Sighing, I finally turned my head to face him. “I have another mark…” I mumbled, sounding agitated. He said nothing so I continued.

“I found it just after you left. It’s on my shoulder blade; that’s why I hadn’t noticed it.” He seemed to be listening intently and still stared at me. Finally, he spoke.

“What does it look like?” he asked softly. Now he seemed to be the one who was panicking, but I took no notice of it.

“It’s an infinity symbol…”

Looking away from me for the first time, he sighed and ran his hands through his blonde hair. “It’s true then...” He was now looking out of the bedroom window, deep in thought.

“What is?” I asked.

“My idea of why The Elders are doing what they are doing was right. I snuck into the ancient library and found the book of the Angelis Mortis…”

“And…?”

He looked like he was struggling to find the words to say. He got off the bed and started pacing the room with his hands in his hair. He seemed to do that when something bothered him.

“You are going to think I’m fucked in the head,” he said solemnly.

“Just tell me. Please.” I was so tired of secrets.

He looked at me then and stopped pacing. Instead, leaned against the dresser and looked at me intensely from across the room.

“Okay, but I want you to listen to everything I have to say before you respond or ask any more questions. This is already difficult for me to say without you interrupting,” he said earnestly.

“Okay.” He gave me a stern look as if doubting I could keep my thoughts to myself until he was finished before he sighed and began to explain what he had discovered.

“In the book of Angelis Mortis, it says that the reason that they may come into their full power before the age of twenty-one is that they have been placed with their soul mates. It is exceedingly rare and has only happened once before and that was thousands of years ago. It says that when they meet, an instant connection comes to be and is impossible to break. However, once they, uh, have sex, the soul mate of the Angelis Mortis awakens to his or her powers. The two are then virtually unstoppable and don’t have to serve anyone besides themselves, but if they are separated afterward by some impossible chance, their powers will diminish and either one of them will perish.”

He looked at me to make sure that I was keeping up. I was but I was in too much shock to even interrupt him as I usually would. Seeing that I was not going to freak out or mock him, he continued…

“The first signs of the two coming together are dreams of their other half. After that, it is the connection to feel when the other is in danger. It is then the mark and some power of the Angelis Mortis before the normal awakening age and then the symbol of infinity to mark both souls…” he said, looking flushed.

I could not believe it. I looked at Hayden with wide eyes; I had experienced all of that with him. He looked pained.

“But you don’t have any mark…” I said defeated as it dawned on me that I was too quick to assume it was him.

He shook his head, never taking his eyes off me. He then took his shirt off. Usually, I would be admiring the view, but I was too busy looking at the infinity symbol placed on Hayden’s left peck. It was identical to mine. I finally drifted my gaze back to Hayden and he looked like he wanted to climb into a hole.

“So, let me get this straight, we’re soul mates? I didn’t even believe those existed.” I whispered the last part to myself.

Hayden came and sat down on the bed next to me. He laughed nervously.

“As corny as it sounds, yeah, I think so.” I just could not keep my eyes off his mark.

“And the Elders know?” I asked,

“I would say so; they want us kept apart.” He replied. “It all makes sense now; the dreams and everything…” I mumbled to myself.

“You had the dreams too?” he asked shocked. Looking at Hayden, I felt my face blush. I had forgotten that I had not told him about those. As far as he knew, Hunter had been the one asking about it, not realizing that I had indeed been having dreams of Hayden.

“Yeah..., sorry I didn’t say anything, I thought it sounded really weird…” I covered my face to hide my blood-red cheeks. Hayden chuckled and I raised my head.

“Well, the same goes for me. I thought I was insane that day you arrived at school.” Now I was the one to laugh. Realizing that this was a whole lot more serious than what I had initially thought, I was now the one pacing the room.

“So, the Elders want to keep us apart because...?” I asked.

“Because the more time we spend together, the closer we get and they do not want us to sleep together; because if we do, they have two rogue Angelis Mortis’ and they will not have any control over anything, never mind that now you could already fight for the Light or the Dark Elves because of your blood, and they don’t like that one bit. It’s also against the law for a light and dark elf, which they count you as, to be together…”

Thinking about that, it made sense; but it also made everything more confusing as to why Hunter was after us and had originally wanted to kill Hayden until he found out that we had already met. But how would Hunter have even known?

“Do you think Hunter knows, or it’s just a coincidence?” Hayden straightened at the sound of my question. He had not thought of that.

“It could be… but I don’t see how he would know anything.” That was true. Walking over to the bed and sitting, I looked into Hayden’s blue eyes.

“What happens with us now…?” I asked softly. Hayden looked away, pained.

“Hayden?” I repeated. I forced him to look at me.

“Nothing can happen, Aria. I just thought that you should know the truth about what’s happening, but nothing is going to happen between us.” I felt like he had slapped me. It was then that I remembered that he had hoped his idea was wrong at training earlier today.

“I’m sorry…” he spoke. I was the only one who had felt the things I had been feeling…

“Don’t. Just don’t.” I grumbled at him, I wanted to cry and could feel tears welling up in my eyes. He looked like he was in agony but then that mask of cold indifference swept over him once more and he stood.

“I’ll see you at training tomorrow…” he said. And with that, he was leaving.

I heard him shut the door on his way out and felt myself finally break down from it all. Crawling into a ball on the bed, I wept. My heart felt as if it were broken. What horrible person must you be that your soul mate does not want you? The sorrow that filled my being was undeniably brutal; it was crushing me alive. I was more alone than I ever had been and probably would ever be again.

The embarrassment of thinking Hayden perhaps had any feelings for me ate away at me. With pain blackening my soul, I fell asleep, and nightmares drowned me…

Hunter wanted more than we knew… and he was coming.