Bound by Duty

Chapter Twenty-Seven

There were so many reactions I expected but what I got was none of those. He simply looked at me and said, "No."

I watched him shake his head. His power rising in tandem with his emotions. My own power — both of them — beat on me from the inside out, screaming in my head. Wordless wailing assaulting me from all sides.

I had to explain. To make him understand. "Aidan. Please. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. It wasn't fair of me to start this thing with you knowing my destiny, but I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop how I felt. How I still feel. But, I can't stop this. No one can. You have to let me go, Aidan." I was grasping at his forearms and pleading with him. Finally, the tears started to fall as he backed away from me.

"No," he said again. "This can't be happening. You can't do this. They can't make you do this."

I watched in awe as his eyes became even more iridescent than before. He stood straighter and seemed to grow taller before my eyes. I ran to him. "Aidan. Whatever is happening, please stop it. Just stop it!" I was sure I knew what was happening, but it couldn't happen here. Not now.

I put my hands on his cheeks and pulled him down to me, smashing our lips together. His power was nothing I'd ever encountered. It wasn't like Elias or Melinda, and it wasn't like Micah or Cole's. It seemed like it was overtaking my own and his fear was penetrating both of us. He stood still at first and it was like kissing a statue. I kept murmuring for him to come back to me and he slowly relaxed and started to kiss me back. Finally, everything felt normal. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Micah stepped into the clearing.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we've already been gone far too long. We need to get back before anyone realizes and the guards change for the morning shift."

Aidan looked as if he might kill Micah where he stood. "GUARDS?" He yelled, his tone alarming. He almost shoved me away as he stalked toward Micah. "You have her guarded? Is that how you treat your friends, Prince? You think you can just take her from me? Maybe you could have, but not now."

I saw Micah's face as soon as he registered the brightness of Aidan's eyes. You couldn't miss them. He looked at me, bewildered and I just shrugged. The next look I saw was panic because the blue ball of magic building in Aidan's palm was aimed at Micah. I screamed his name as I rushed at Aidan and leapt at him right before he let loose. The magic blast took out a few trees, but missed Micah as he dove the opposite direction.

I landed on top of Aidan and was immediately pleading with him to stop. "Please, Aidan. You just have to let me go. If you hurt him, the queen will find you. They'll hurt my family. They'll kill you."

My fear had turned my tears to sobs and I heard the release of his breath as he pulled me closer and tucked me into his chest. As we stood and righted ourselves, I thought I had finally gotten through. Instead, Aidan held me at arm's length. He caressed my cheek and I leaned into his palm, savoring the warmth of him. As I opened my eyes and he dropped his hand, I could see that I wasn't going to like what came next.

Aidan took three steps back. I was standing the same distance from him as I was from Micah, positioned at the tip of our triangle. Aidan glared at Micah and his expression only softened slightly when it came back to me. Micah still hadn't spoken and seemed to understand that he should just stand there.

"Amelia," Aidan started. "You didn't choose this. You don't have to go with him. We're already this far. We can run and I can protect you. We can get Bethany and Cole and your dad and we can just go. They can't hurt us if they can't find us." His love wrapped around me as his power still intertwined with mine, pulling and pleading internally as he did externally. I wanted him to be right. I wanted it to be that easy. The last intact parts of my own heart broke and crumbled as he begged me to go.

I choked up as the tears clogged my throat. I tried to use my own power to strengthen my resolve but it rebelled against the very idea of what I was about to do, abandoning me to my own demise. Everything in me wanted to go to him, but I couldn't. It would only make it worse. I rooted myself to the spot I was in. I couldn't look away from Aidan. I could see Micah in my peripheral, but he was just staying quiet as he stood, waiting.

"Aidan, I'm sorry." My words came out much stronger than I thought possible. "It's just not that simple. You haven't lived in this world and you don't understand. This woman is evil. I don't have a choice, no matter how I feel about you. I have to go."

I started to turn to Micah as I heard his quiet words. "Pick me, Amelia. Please, pick me. Be the one who finally picks me." My whole body seemed to cave in on itself as my soul ripped in half.

Everything inside of me bellowed for me to run to him and let this love carry us as far as we could go, but I couldn't make another selfish decision. I didn't allow myself to turn back around and face him as I whispered myself, "I can't. I'm so sorry. Goodbye, Aidan."

I walked to where Micah was standing and followed him from the clearing. My uncle Derreck had been right all along. The moment had come and I had chosen duty over love. Just as I had for Bethany.

My destiny had been dictated from the very beginning and I would always have to choose my people over myself. The further I got from Aidan, the more it felt like very best parts of me were being shredded to pieces as our powers were forced to separate. The tears slowly fell and rolled down my cheeks. I didn't bother to wipe them away. I swore to myself that these would be the last tears I cried, so I just let them come for all the days I would wish I had them back.

As we got in the Acura and Micah backed out, I saw blue eyes shining from the trees. Moments later, I heard the most bone-chilling howl. I couldn't stop the audible gasp and from my peripheral, I saw Micah's eyes flash as we watched Aidan drop to all fours.

Neither of us looked away, but the red of Micah's eyes shone in the dim lights of the interior as his power reacted to the perceived threat.

"Did you know?" It wasn't accusatory. It was barely a whisper between us in the dark. I could only shake my head as Aidan completed his shift, snarled in our direction, and loped away. I had wondered. I had guessed. But I hadn't known. I could only hope he had heard what I said. That he wouldn't try to go it alone.

I finally turned to look at Micah as he said, "Then no one else needs to."