Storm's Rapture | Storms Series: Book 1 (This is a Co-Write)

Chapter 33: Rosanna

AN: The Piarari Key is below for reference. Be sure to drop some comments as you read. Enjoy!

Piarari Key

Vasia (vah-sia): snowflake

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I instantly regretted it, but I managed to punch Cyris across his face, yet his tether didn't snap.

"Rose...baby...I...I don't know if I can do this..." he admitted. I could see the fear in his eyes.

I touched his cheeks with both hands.

"I'm here...I've got you... I promise I'll pull you back if you can't come back on your own," I assured him. I was his anchor and I knew it. Though I wasn't sure how effective I'd be right now given the state of our relationship, I needed to try. I needed to be here for him. I needed to show him that it was okay to let the tether snap. "If you're not ready, that's okay. We don't have to do this yet," I told him. If he wasn't ready to let his tether snap, then that was fine. He had his limits and I knew that.

"No...no...I'm ready..." he replied, "I just...I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," I vowed. He swallowed hard.

"You'd better step back... I don't....I don't want to take any chances."

I did as he asked. He closed his eyes, his hands started shaking, and his body shook. When he opened his eyes again, they were as black as an ocean abyss. The veins on his arms were glowing bright blue and water swirled around his body. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at him. He'd let his tether snap... But this felt different, his eyes weren't radiating anger. They were radiating guilt, and anguish. As he let the water swirl around him some more, he made no sudden movements. I approached him slowly. Something was really wrong.

"Cyris...." I said softly. "Baby...talk to me."

He didn't say anything. It was like he wasn't here anymore. He let out a wave of energy and I threw up a wall of ice to protect myself. Eventually the energy stopped and I shattered the ice wall. I moved to get closer to him.

"I hurt you... I caused you pain... I could have killed you," he whispered. Drops of water rose up from the ground and the grass around his feet shriveled up from losing water. His power was extending beyond his body.

"Cyris...I'm here," I assured him. "I'm here and I'm okay." So that's what this was. This tether breaking wasn't triggered by his anger, it was triggered by his guilt...his anguish...his regret. He'd hurt me...in more ways than one, and he was breaking down inside because of it. And that was all on full display for me now.

"Rose...you deserve better..." he choked out.

"No...I deserve you," I told him. "You're everything I've ever wanted in a man. You're strong, courageous, incredibly attractive, and most importantly you care about the ones you love. You've given me love, solace, happiness, peace, strength. You've given me the freedom to be myself."

"But in the end I shattered your heart... I don't deserve you."

"Yes, you hurt me and yes I'm still not ready to forgive, but I'm getting there. Gods, Cyris...you deserve me because I say you do. You're worthy of me because I say you are." He fell to his knees and the sky above us darkened and eventually rain poured over us both as he sobbed. His anguish was out in full force and I felt my heart shatter for him.

My clothes were almost soaked through, and the wind picked up speed, causing the water around Cyris to form a small hurricane.

"This is my storm, Rose! I'm dangerous, you see?!" he shouted.