Forged in Stone - Alyssa Rose Ivy Page 0,62
It also hurt that they’d been sleeping together for months, waiting to get up the nerve to tell me. I hate them both.”
“Hate. That is a strong word.”
“It is, but it’s how I feel.”
“And there is nothing wrong with that. I used to be motivated by hate.”
“And?”
“It got me far, but eventually it started to consume me. Luckily it was replaced by another motivating emotion. A far better one.”
“Which one?”
“Love.”
I smiled. “Kevin?”
“Yes. I wanted to hate him too. The arrogant boy raised in the lost world, but he managed to find his way under my skin. Once he was in, there was no turning back.”
“He seems nice.” I hadn’t talked to Kevin much, but he’d been surprisingly friendly.
“He is everything you could want in a man. Strong, brave, determined, yet with a heart that I did not believe could exist.”
“You are lucky you found him.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it when it comes to a Guard.”
“Oh?”
“They rarely unite because they usually cannot find someone compatible.”
“Compatible?” I assumed she wasn’t talking personality tests.
“Yes, with the delayed aging. That person is called their kindred.”
“The what?” I could practically feel my eyes bug out.
“I take it James never explained it to you?”
“How old is he?” Please, please don’t let him really be middle aged I told myself. Or worse.
“I think twenty-six. I could be wrong. I think he has already hit his prime age though.”
“What?” I stepped out of the water. She needed to stop spurting out information like it was nothing.
“The Essence is usually the Essence for hundreds of years. The Guard has to stay strong that whole time too.”
“So he won’t get older?”
“He will not age, no. Not until the new Essence is ready to come of age. That should be generations from now.”
“And Kevin? You are okay with that?”
“That is where the compatibility comes in. I am truly his match, despite my initial doubts, so I will not age until he does.”
“Uh, that’s crazy.” Completely crazy.
“It is. Charlotte almost refused to have kids, until Emma convinced her they would stop aging at their prime too.”
“Wow. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that.”
“You sure about that?” She winked.
“James and I aren’t. You know. That’s not what it’s like.”
“You do not feel a pull? A magnetic charge that makes you long for him?” She watched me carefully.
I said nothing. Did she have to use the exact words I had to describe my feelings?
“Do you find yourself doing things you normally would never do? Wanting things you swore you would never want?” She was asking me the questions, but I could tell she was thinking back on herself. I refused to acknowledge that she was describing every one of my thoughts and feelings since meeting James.
But I had to ask one question. “Does it fade when you are apart? Become more of a longing… an achy longing?”
She laughed. “James Mendel with a kindred. I never thought I would see the day.”
“I never said I felt it. I was just asking.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Just asking while describing the exact feeling? There is no reason to pretend. Just because you feel it does not mean you have to be with him. I am sure if you return to your world it will fade out enough that you can move on. Of course he will not be so lucky.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most Guards never find a kindred. The Source seems to only pick and choose. I guess those who do are the lucky ones. Or the unlucky ones depending on how you look at it. So if James has you as a kindred, that means you are the only one for him.”
“Please tell me this is all a joke. James put you up to this to freak me out?” This situation was starting to feel more and more like a sci-fi movie or something.
“You think James would put anyone up to this? Not a chance. I doubt he is ready to admit it to himself. He would understand what it means. Kevin did not know anything about it because he was not raised here. He thought it was intense attraction. James knows it for what it is. If he wanted to avoid it he should have left you in the lost world. Now that you are here… well, it is going to be hard for both of you if you really want to fight it.”
I sat down on the sandy shore next to the water. “Ugh. This cannot be happening.”
“I would be