Chapter 12

Allie hovered somewhere between asleep and awake, too afraid to face the realities this day would bring. The sun streaming in through the windows was warm on her face. She’d slept through the night and well into the morning.

When she could avoid it no longer, Allie gave a careful flutter of her eyelids. The room swirled around her, like she wore prescription lenses she wasn’t quite used to yet. Everything finally snapped into super-sharp-high-def, and she took a deep breath, shoving the blankets aside. She stood, glancing down at the bed that held the ashes of her former life—a life that was nothing but a lie.

Her gaze drifted to the mirror. She stared, dumbfounded by the reflection she did not recognize. Her hands drifted over the smooth unblemished skin of her arms.

It’s like the fire never happened. Her burns were gone and barely a freckle remained. She remembered the searing, burning itch she couldn’t scratch. I’m healed?

She studied the riot of fiery red curls framing her face. It was more vibrant than ever, shot with gold, silver and copper threads, but it was longer. Like it was before the fire.

Her eyes, always an unusual shade of green, stared back at her like unnatural twin jewels, shining with golden-green light. It frightened her the way they flickered and flared like a candle flame with every rapid beat of her heart.

“Just breathe, Allie,” Aidan said as he entered the room. “It will calm.”

She felt it then: the heat radiating from her core. She watched the light dim in her eyes as she took a deep breath and pushed the warmth back to her center.

He stepped behind her, and she shivered from the odd sense of awareness that told her he was near. She felt it before—that thing they had between them—but it was much stronger now. The white noise rushed into her ears, and her heart clenched with anxiety.

He’s dangerous.

“It’s just me.” His voice was thick with emotion.

She whirled to face him, her eyes wide with disbelief as she backed away. He was so different. His eyes were dark, like black star sapphires, with a sunburst of shifting golden light at their center. His hair wasn’t the silky brown she remembered, but so jet-black it was almost blue. His skin was flawless, warm and golden, contrasting sharply against the cool darkness of his features. He was beautiful—like a deadly viper—and not the Aidan she knew. This was the menacing Aidan from her nightmare.

He’s a stranger.

“Please, you know me, Lex,” he said with a hint of despair. She saw a flicker of her Aidan. “Don’t be scared. I couldn’t stand it if this changed us.” She could hear the hurt in his voice and knew her best friend was in there somewhere.

“What’s happening?” Her tears fell freely as she rushed into his arms, shoving her uneasy feelings aside. Everything she felt told her she should be wary of him, but her heart told her she could never truly fear him.

“Thank God.” He nearly sobbed, hugging her tightly.

“Why are you so different?” she whispered.

“Look at me.” His hands cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Nothing about me has changed, I promise. You’re just seeing clearly for the first time. It’s a shock even when you’re expecting it.”

“I-I have to go.” She pushed him away, hastily grabbing her bag. She felt an overwhelming urge to run and never look back.

“Stop.”

“No. I can’t do this!”

“Yes, you can. You are the strongest person I know. Do you have any idea what you’ve accomplished?”

“Why am I so different?” She dropped her duffle bag.

“You have always had those beautifully-weird green eyes and that same blazing red hair, you’ve just not had the strength to see it. Now, you do.”

“How can everyone not see this?”

“They’ll see you as they always have because that’s all they’re capable of seeing.”

“About that open book you mentioned? I’m going to need solid, rational explanations like right freaking now.” She choked on a sob.

Without a word, he pulled her into his arms. “We’ll get there, Lex. Just take deep breaths when it feels like too much.”

She rested her head against his chest and exhaled, letting the warmth of his touch soothe her as it always had.

“Come on, you’re going to be ravenously hungry in about two seconds. Sasha’s waiting. We’ll have time for questions later.”

Her stomach rumbled angrily at the mere suggestion of a meal. She followed in a daze as they made their way down the stairs but stopped short when she caught sight of Sasha. Her appearance was just as alarming, but Allie didn’t feel the spike of fear as she had with Aidan.

Sasha isn’t a threat. But she was positively radiant—like even the sun might envy her. Her eyes were vibrant aquamarine with the same sparkle of golden light as Aidan’s. Her chestnut brown hair was strangely threaded with shimmering golden strands, and her rich caramel skin glowed.

“Sasha?”

“A-Allie,” she stammered, ducking her head.

“Knock it off, Sash,” Aidan barked.

“Sorry. Let’s just eat. You must be famished.”

She had so many questions, but Allie’s stomach was in the driver’s seat now. She could smell the wonderful aromas wafting in from the kitchen. She headed there without an invitation and found an enormous buffet awaiting them. She grabbed a plate and helped herself to two of everything. She didn’t speak until the angry pit in her stomach was fully sated.

“That was weird, right?” She stared at her empty plate.

“That’s your first question?” Aidan said.

“I’m allowed to ask questions now?”

“Anything you want,” Sasha said.

“What in the freaking hell are we? I need to hear this from my two best friends.” She reached for their hands.

Allie barely touched her, but Sasha flinched as if branded. The reaction was a familiar one—magnified by a thousand.

“I’m so sorry.” She flushed, grasping Allie’s hand firmly, despite her obvious discomfort.

Aidan paled, absently stroking her palm, as comfortable with her as he ever was. “I’ve waited so impatiently for this moment for so long. But now that it’s here… I don’t know if I can do this.”

Whatever he was about to say would forever change her world, that much she knew. But whatever it was, she knew she would have his unwavering support, and that gave her strength.

“I’m ready, Aidan. Just rip the Band-Aid off already. It can’t be worse than sixteen years of not knowing.”

“I should be offering you comfort.”

“You will.”

“We’re Immortal, Lex,” he said softly.

Immortal? She turned the word over in her mind, but it didn’t make sense. “I-I was really hoping for something more like, ‘Yer a wizard, Harry.” She was almost relieved at her knee-jerk reaction to diffuse the situation with humor. It told her she was still Allie.

“Sarcasm? Now? Really?”

“It’s how I roll.” She shrugged. “Immortal? How’s that even possible?”

“In the simplest of terms, we are the direct descendants of an ancient race of immortal humans who have remained powerful. I don’t want to throw too much at you too fast. There’s no rush, we have all the time in the world.”

“You’re making jokes? Now? Really?”

“It’s how I roll.”

“You two deserve each other.” Sasha rolled her eyes.

“So do I… Do we… Stay like this forever?”

“We will continue to age normally for quite some time, but it will eventually slow,” Sasha explained. “Allie, we’ve grown up knowing what to expect, but to suddenly be thrust into a life you never knew existed—to suffer an Awakening completely unprepared? I can’t fathom how you must feel. Just know, we will be here for you no matter what.”

“So, what now?”

“Mom’s waiting for you in the garden. She’ll explain the basics,” Aidan said.

“All right.” Allie rose reluctantly. It was finally time for the answers she’d been waiting for all her life.