Chapter 22 Arya
For several painfully long seconds, I couldn't respond.
Tobias had never looked more vulnerable or sincere the entire time I'd known him than he did right now, looking at me with pleading, puppy-dog eyes. The silence seemed to be physically hurting him, but I couldn't make my lips open.
I wanted to say yes. Every part of my heart, body, and soul wanted this damaged but beautiful man. But there would absolutely need to be some rules. He couldn't keep dominating me—except for in the bedroom—and then flying off the handle when I did something I didn't like. That would need to end once and for all.
"Ah, Arya, just the girl I was looking for."
Caesar's deep voice broke the staring contest Tobias and I had been unwittingly playing, and we both turned to him. The expression on the director's face was more grim than usual, and it instantly caused my anxiety to spike.
Did vampires attack again? Is someone else hurt?
"What is it?" I asked, torn between not wanting to leave Tobias hanging and worried about the reason for Caesar's sallow face .
"The military has taken a...special interest in you," he said, his jaw clenched as he spoke. "General Dracul is here and expects to see a demonstration of your skills this evening."
The words themselves didn't sound too upsetting, but by the tone of Caesar's voice, it felt like he was delivering a death sentence.
"Wait, wh—what?" I stammered.
I looked from Caesar to Tobias, whose facial muscles were now very tense. General Dracul was Tobias's father. Did he know about this?
"We'll continue this later?" Tobias asked with a hopeful lilt in his voice. Then he spun around and disappeared down the hall, his absence leaving me feeling oddly cold and vulnerable.
I watched him walk away, hating that this unfinished conversation hung between us, then turned back to Caesar. "Why does the military want to see my so-called skills?"
"Because General Dracul knows about the prophecy, and to him, you are the key to winning the war he's been fighting his whole life."
"But...is it too much for them to give me a little warning? Or some time to practice more? I'm completely unprepared for this." My voice had reached a high pitch and now echoed through the hall.
Caesar put his hands up in a calming gesture, and I took a long, steadying breath.
"I know," he said, his voice much softer than before. "I've tried to hold him off, tried to make him understand that you're a student, and one who's still learning. If he had his way, you'd be at his base training night and day. My hope is that if we show him your progress, that will be enough to keep his claws out of your life, at least for the time being. "
My chest rose and fell in quick repetition. I hadn't even been aware that the military knew about the prophecy or that I was the siren of which it foretold. Now, come to find out, the general had a keen interest in me. I'd heard enough rumors about Tobias's father. Hell, I'd watched him on the Real Shifter Housewives! Cold, heartless, brilliant in strategy. I wasn't exactly thrilled to ever meet the man, let alone be his personal soldier.
"You'll do just fine," Caesar said, all traces of his earlier tension gone. "He'll want to see you demonstrate your water and light manipulation, as well as your siren voice. But I don't want you to stress about it. Just think of it as a talent show with a very small audience. Take the rest of the afternoon to practice, and arrive at the gym at six o'clock before your session with Maya."
He offered me a reassuring smile, then nodded once before going back the way he'd come.
Flustered to a disorienting degree, I stood in place for a long moment, unsure which way to go.
The military wanted to see what I could do. They were about to be gravely disappointed. I had only just started manipulating light, and my water manipulation was sloppy at best. As for my siren voice, I'd only used it once on purpose. I had to do my absolute best this evening.
What would it mean for me, for Caesar, for the world, if I failed?
* * *
Five-thirty .
I had watched every single minute pass since the start of the hour. As Caesar advised, I spent the afternoon practicing. As Caesar specifically advised against, I had stressed about it the entire time.
Maybe I wouldn't have been so worried if Caesar hadn't seemed worried. Anything that upset Caesar didn't bode well for anyone. This was a big deal, and I couldn't afford to mess it up.
But I couldn't focus. The fact that monumental issue was left unsettled between me and Tobias was eating me up. Tobias was such an emotionally skittish creature that I feared he'd retract his offer if I didn't accept it soon.
Which I was totally fine with. Yep. To-ta-lly fiiiiiine.
As I watched the zero on the clock turn to a one, I knew that I'd never be able to focus on the upcoming presentation if I didn't at least talk to Tobias. I simply could not perform with that hanging over my head.
I left the mer training room and bolted for the gym, some unknown sense telling me that Tobias would be there. When I entered the gym, I looked all around for him, but he was nowhere in sight.
Just as I began to doubt my new and confusing ESP, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the display of the sim room revert to a blank wall. Sure enough, the door opened, and Tobias emerged, glistening with sweat and gripping a towel around the back of his neck on either side. Did he always have to look so lickable?
My heart galloping, I practically sprinted toward him. When he looked up and saw me coming his way, that same hopeful glint I'd seen earlier returned, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into the sim room, closing the door behind them .
"Okay, if we're going to do this, there have to be some rules," I said.
"Rules?" he asked, even as his face split into a grin.
"Yes. Rule number one: no more tantrums. You don't get to angrily explode at me when I do something you disagree with. It's going to happen. I have my own mind, and I will not be told what I can and can't do. If we disagree on something, you have to calmly talk to me about it like a normal person. Got it?"
He shrank slightly under my authoritative tone, his grin fading into an adorable smirk. He nodded. "Okay. I can do that."
"Good," I said with a satisfied nod. "Rule number two: no more ghosting me for any reason. If you go even one day without some type of communication with me, that's unacceptable. I understand that you're a little emotionally stunted, and it's perfectly okay for you to need time to process your feelings sometimes. If that's the case, just tell me you need some space, and I'll be fine with that."
He nodded again, still smirking. "That sounds reasonable."
"Great. And rule number three—well, not a rule exactly—but basically you get one chance," I continued, getting off a little on being the one with the power in this relationship for once. "If you ever break either of the rules even once, that's it. I'm not coming back. There are no third chances."
I watched his throat bob as he understood the gravity and irrefutable truth of my warning.
"Those are my terms," I said when he didn't respond. "Do we have a deal?" I extended my hand in an offer to shake on it, like we were having a business discussion.
His lips spreading back into a grin, he took my hand, and before I knew what was happening, he pulled me against him and pressed his lips to mine .
I melted against him, happily relinquishing my brief moment of authority over to him as I opened my mouth for him.
Bliss! This was pure, unfiltered bliss. Knowing he was mine and I was his, in the midst of all the serious, life-threatening danger that surrounded us, made me happier than I'd been in months.
My joy consumed me, filling my limbs and spreading out through my fingers. Suddenly the fluorescent lights on the ceiling shattered with an alarming pop. Oops .
In the darkness, our lips parted and we laughed heartily, still clinging to each other.
When our laughter subsided, his hand caressed my cheek, and even though I couldn't see him, I could still feel his eyes on me.
"Even in darkness, you're still so beautiful," he said softly.
I nestled my face into his hand, savoring his touch. I didn't want this moment to end, but I knew it had to.
"I, um... I have to go," I all but whispered. "I'm supposed to present my skills to your dad."
"I know," he said behind audibly gritted teeth.
"But I'll come see you after. We can do more of this."
I lingered against his broad chest for a moment longer, then pulled away and reached for the door knob. The door opened just a crack, but Tobias put his hand on my upper arm, gently stopping me.
"Wait. About the presentation... Don't show him your siren voice." In the half-light the cracked door cast on his face, he looked dead serious .
I didn't ask why. Tobias knew his father better than I did. If Tobias was asking me to fail at that task, there must be a good reason.
I nodded. "Okay."
Relief smoothed his face, and he dropped the arm that kept me in the room. "See you tonight."
My senses still tingling from kissing him, I skipped to the private training room where I was due to meet Caesar and General Dracul, my steps getting smaller and slower the closer I got.
I opened the door. Along one wall of the small room was a row of chairs in which sat Caesar, Celeste and the intimidating man I'd only seen on screen before.
He was a large man, not just in height like Tobias, but also in girth. He looked like a tank. He had Tobias's same char-black hair, the same serious look in his eyes, even if his were a darker shade of amber than his son's. He radiated the same sort of aura, hot and powerful, like authority and pride and smoke merged together.
Next to them stood Niko, dressed in a military uniform and standing upright and stiff like a statue. Although, he did smirk and wink at me when I entered.
Along the opposite wall, standing on matching pedestals, were two steel bowls, one full of water and the other cradling blazing embers. I knew what those were for. And against the adjacent wall stood a rubber sparring dummy. I knew what that was for, too.
Upon my entry, all three rose from their chairs. General Dracul stepped forward and offered his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you at last, Miss Walker." His smile was all charm, of which I'd seen whispers of in Tobias. The smile was immediately disarming, but my intuition told me not to drop my guard.
I shook his hand, surprised by the strength of it. "Thank you," was all I could think to say.
"I have never met a chimera, so this is indeed a great honor," he said, laying it on thick. "It would please me beyond words to see you demonstrate your skills. After all, our future lies in your lovely hands, and the soldiers I represent need to know your education is on track to help us win this war. If you'd be so kind." He held out his hand toward the pedestals.
I nodded and stood in the space between the two. I stole a glance at Caesar and Celeste, both giving me nods of encouragement.
Light was the element I was most comfortable with, and with Tobias's hot kiss still fresh on my lips, fueling it would be easy. I allowed the memory of seconds ago to fill me up, inviting the sheer jubilance of being his to overwhelm me. Then I turned to the flames and beckoned their light toward my open hand.
Just as countless times before, the light slithered out of the flames, as if being sucked through the air, and swirled into my palm. Turning toward the dummy diagonal to me, I tightened the light into a ball and hurled it. The orb shot through the air like a bullet and smashed into the dummy's rubber chest, sending it crashing to the floor.
I turned to my audience to gauge their reactions. Celeste wore a pleased semi-smile, but both Caesar's and General Dracul's faces were unreadable. My eyes flicked toward Niko to see his brows were as high as they could go and his jaw slack.
When no one spoke, I turned toward the bowl of water. I wasn't as confident with this skill, but I knew I could do simple tricks with the water, which would have to suffice. Closing my eyes, I focused on the water in the bowl and imagined that it was a part of me, just as Letti had taught me .
Then, as if I was raising my own hand, I willed the water to lift out of the bowl. I didn't have to look at it to know that it had pulled into the air. I could feel it like a limb. I commanded it to stream like a mercurial banner, flying above our heads in a circle before returning to pool in the steel bowl.
Again, when I was finished, I looked at my audience of four. The water trick was obviously less entertaining than the light attack, but it was the best I could do, and though the faces of my superiors were masks, Niko didn't look impressed. Then again, he was a dragon, and water rarely impressed them.
The general leaned forward and looked at Niko.
"Candida, approach Miss Walker," he ordered.
Niko frowned in confusion, but he did as he was told. I felt as questioning as Niko looked.
"If you would, please demonstrate your siren voice on young Candida here," General Dracul requested.
Oh.
Niko's eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets, but his posture betrayed none of the alarm his eyes so clearly screamed.
Now was the moment. Tobias told me to fail at using my siren voice. I didn't know what repercussions would follow for doing as Tobias said, but I trusted him enough to believe the outcome would be worse if I didn't.
I stepped toward Niko, who looked as though he might soil himself if I came any closer. Niko was directly between General Dracul and me, blocking my face from the general's view, so I thought it safe enough to wink at Niko.
Then I took a deep breath in and out as if preparing myself and said, "Stand on one foot."
Of course, nothing happened, and Niko's brows creased in uncertainty as he stared at me .
I cleared my throat and repeated the words. Again, my tone sounded like my voice, nothing musical or magical about it, and Niko continued to stand there with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
I coughed a few times and then stepped around Niko to face the three in chairs. "I'm sorry, I can't seem to access it right now. I'm still learning." I feigned bashfulness and looked away.
The look of disappointment was clear as red letters on General Dracul's face, but he stood and said, "That's alright, Miss Walker. These things take time. I trust your teachers will make certain you master these skills." He forced a fake smile, then strode past Niko. "Come along, Candida. Until we meet again, Miss Walker."
With Niko in tow, the general marched out of the small training room.
Now alone with Caesar and Celeste, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
"You failed on purpose," Celeste said with a coy smile. "Why?"
I shrugged, thinking it best not to say I did it because a guy told me to. "I just sensed it was the smart thing to do."
"We can only hope," Caesar said, looking distantly at the floor. Then he looked up at me. "You did very well, and now you deserve some rest. Why don't you head off to dinner?"
I nodded.
"And I'll see you bright and early tomorrow to work on that siren voice, as you clearly need the practice." Celeste's smile was crooked and jocular, making me smile wide in return before I left the room.
I could only hope that I'd made the right choice in following Tobias's advice.