Shadows of Fate

Chapter 12

Dad vanished off to another Sunday at the office after our not-so-heart-to-heart. I was thankful that I didn't need to sneak a super-hot stranger out of my room. I brought Icarus up to speed on the attack in the Gray.

"I don't know how I did it before." Clearly frustrated, Icarus dropped my hands and paced in the backyard.

"But we know you can," I pressed. "You healed me twice."

We'd been trying to spark his healing powers all day, only taking breaks to eat leftover pizza. The sun already headed down into the woods.

"You said that it just happened before because you were scared I was going to die. Right?" I asked.

He nodded, and eyed me suspiciously. We would only have one chance tonight to wake Tobias. It had to go right. But so far, we had no luck in getting any of Icarus's powers to work.

"Okay." I walked inside and returned with a small steak knife. It was time to try something more extreme.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Icarus rushed at me.

I set the knife to my wrist, but when I tried to press down, my body was frozen. I couldn't even blink. It wasn't that I was too scared to do it. I was desperate enough to try anything. I literally was frozen solid, like my muscles were made of stone.

Icarus yanked the knife from my hand, and control returned to my body.

"Are you crazy?" He dropped the knife and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"What did you do?"

"Stopped you from doing something stupid!" Icarus shouted.

"No," I said. "You stopped me. Like stop stopped me."

His eyes searched my face. "What are you talking about?"

"It's me. Your powers work when I'm in danger."

He furrowed his brows. "Yeah, I got that but—"

A grin spread over my face. "It's going to work. It's perfect." I leapt forward and flung my arms around his neck.

"I don't get it," Icarus said. He held me in a hug and my legs dangled above the ground.

I leaned my head back to look at him. The normal hole in my chest was gone, filled with hope. And it was all because of Icarus. He would help me save my brother. He was the miracle I was waiting for, and I was the key to waking his power. It was fate.

Before I could think myself out if it, I leaned forward and kissed him. His hands tightened around me, and without hesitation, he kissed back.

Electric heat filled my body, every inch of me crackled with energy. He slid a hand up to twist into my hair. The world spun around me, but it wasn't just the bliss of the moment.

I found myself lost in a memory that wasn't my own. I saw the earth below me. As I drew closer, I could make out the lighthouse flickering in a storm, and a sad girl shivered in the night screaming into the wind. It was me.

Find them, my son. They cannot be permitted to roam free. A thunderous voice boomed in my mind.

The world spun while gold and crimson light swirled around me. I fell from the sky.

Watch over them from a distance until we have decided their fate.

The ground rushed up at me. There in the woods stood a shadow in human shape. It opened its green eyes and pointed at me. Waves of green energy slammed into me and I crashed into the ground.

Icarus broke our kiss and the vision shattered. He dropped me to my feet, and fell to his knees, gasping.

I stumbled back a few steps. "What was that?"

He shook his head.

"It's true? You were sent here to spy on us?" I couldn't look at him. If Ares was right, the council would vote to have me and Tobias killed.

Icarus stood and grabbed my shoulder to stop me from walking away. "I won't let them."

I turned to face him. "If the rest of your memories return, will you still feel the same?"

He paused, considering it, and I felt my heart sink. I could fight science. I could fight fate. I couldn't fight gods.

"One thing at a time. First we need to wake your brother." His hand cupped my cheek. "No matter what happens, I won't let anything harm you."

"Your kind despises me just for existing." Tears welled up in my eyes. If he turned on me, I couldn't take it. I had to prepare for the worst. "You would betray your people?"

"Yes." He didn't hesitate.

"Why?"

His lips parted as if to speak, but he couldn't find the words.

"There, you see? You—" He silenced my argument with another kiss. Thoughts, emotions, and questions wanted to drown me, but his calm infected me and everything went still. When he pulled away, he gave me a faint smile and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Because I promised a girl I would always protect her," he said.

I went to speak, but the rumble of a car pulling into the driveway made me pause.

"I hear your dad's car," Icarus said. "It's time. Are you ready?"

I nodded. He was right, one thing at a time. Icarus might betray me, but at this point I had no other choice. Tonight was my last chance, and I was willing to die trying to save Tobias.