Bound by Duty

Chapter Four

"So, how do mom and dad factor into this then, Cole?" I finally asked. "Mom was an Elder. They got away. How did they manage to survive?"

Cole kept his gaze fixed on the water. "I don't know, Ame. But, I heard stories; stories of an Elder who got away. Of one who could see the future and had the power to make a difference. Any time I asked if people knew of Elders still out there, she was who they talked about. I think it was Mom. And, if what they tell me is right, she was it. She was the last Elder left alive."

"Until me." It wasn't a question.

"Until you," he responded quietly.

"That means there isn't a group of Elders for me to find. No one who understands. You and I are it. Dad isn't an Elder, it's just us." I dropped back into the sand as the thoughts kept coming. "There aren't any more answers... I'll never know what this power is, what it can do, what it shouldn't do. The queen will come for me. I'm bound, Cole. I'm bound to this betrothal, for better or for worse." My breathing was labored as I recovered from the hurried rush of words that had tumbled from my mouth. Questions rose in my mind, popping like bubbles only to give way to more.

What does Julia want with me?

What can she do with me?

What can I do to stop her?

I am the only one.

From what Cole had said tonight, the entire Immortal community was terrified of Julia and her Hunters. How was I going to be any kind of match for her? I didn't even know what I could do, let alone what she could make me do. The fear overtook me so quickly it was like a punch to the gut. My power rose in tandem with the onslaught of emotion and the two fed off of each other. My hands started to shake as violet threads of smoke swirled and grew around them.

"Cole," I whispered, pled. I could feel what this was about to become and we were out in the open. No one could see the violet ball of crackling light building around my palms, but they would see the damage it did and I didn't have the presence of mind to stop it.

Cole took a few deep breaths, quickly trying to calm himself, and then swept me up into a fireman's carry. As quickly as my power had grown, it scaled back down. I could feel how angry it was, knowing it was so close to being let off its leash. Thankfully Cole was here for me this time. I was wrapped in his green blanket of calm energy and it seemed to smother the bright purple veil pulsing around me. These times were happening more frequently, and I was afraid of what would happen if I lost control when Cole wasn't around to stop it.

It was awkward being eighteen and held like this by your brother, but it was literally the only thing we knew to do. And, the worse the episode was, the more contact we needed to calm it down quickly. I'd been able to keep a fairly decent hold on it for a while now but, in the last few weeks, it seemed like all of my signals were scrambled and I never knew what might happen. Not to mention, I just kept learning more about my past and my future, and not much of it was feeling too positive. Well, except maybe Aidan. Thinking of him helped me even out my frantic breaths and added another layer of calm. As soon as Cole felt me return to normal, he set me beside him, and we scooted apart.

"You know we can't do this forever, right?" I asked the question, but knew neither of us had the answer. He nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm going to start reaching out again. There are a few people I haven't been able to find who could help. You might be the only female Elder, but you're not the only Elder, I won't let you face this alone."

***

As I pulled into the parking spot reserved for my afternoon classes, Aidan was on my mind again. I didn't want him to be... but I couldn't help that he was. It was the same internal struggle that I had been experiencing daily. I was drawn to him. By what exactly, I didn't know. I wanted to know more about him and the way he affected me, yet, when he tried to engage me, I bristled and tried to push him away, hearing Cole's words in my mind about who Queen Julia was and the realization of what being an Elder truly meant. What being the only Elders could mean. And then there was the betrothal, which was ridiculous, but still a factor. I didn't know what my destiny was, but it didn't seem right to drag him into it. However, the fact that I couldn't get him off my mind had to mean something. I was still pondering the oddity of the situation as I entered the building and found him sitting outside my seminar.