No More Choices (Void and Light Book One)

Chapter Four

~Jarek~

I stare at the brown and gold haired beauty that sat in the passenger seat of my pick up. The red glow of the stop light reflecting a copper on her skin. Saffron had stayed to take care of Emilio's body, the poor old man. He had been letting us stay at one of his private homes near the beach and he was now being tossed out like last weeks trash. It's a shame really he was a nice man and I  think that it really sucks that he'll be  nothing but a dead guy in the end. I looked at Akiriya's sleeping figure and reach out to touch her again, craving the contact. She had been on my mind all day and now that I had gotten my chance to see her it was all completely worth it.

She had dazed me momentarily with her beauty when I had walked into the Course and I'd had nothing to say but the second that she opened her mouth I was taken aback by the pure, velvety, and euphoric experience that was her voice.

I chuckled to myself, He was calling me cochino behind my back. What a turd blossom. I was taking her on her over to the house we were staying at now. It was not okay for her to be alone right now. I knew from what emilio had told us that she had an aunt but the aunt was rarely at home and that was not going to be a good thing if she was without protection. The only reason we had been left out of her life for so long was because she was so hard to find. I mean of all the celestial civilizations she was on Earth.

I had been here for almost a year now scouting out possible locations when I felt a flare of her energy. It was strong considering I had been in south east Asia at the time. I told everyone that I thought that I had found her but Yama had wanted proof. He was tired of getting his hopes up.

Celestial Councilwoman Suni had sent us out to find her it being imperative that we find her and no one else. Attacks had been reported from all of the Spacial Governments but it was the biggest here.

Suni had assumed that we start here so to speed things up we split up among the milky way and boy what a bad choice that had been, but it was all worth it because this meant that soon we could go home.

Akiriya shifted in her seat mumbling under her breath. She takes a deep breath and then she falls right back to sleep. I look at her again notice a ring on her left index finger. It's black with a hamsa on it. I wonder briefly where she got it and I notice that it has a faint glow. Definitely not a human artifact. One of the fingers on the hamsa glows brighter and my ceraptor grunts with joy in my mind . I don't understand but I allow the feeling to past and think to consult one of Emilio's books in his library.

"Are you just going to keep staring at me or what?" Akiriya asks, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. 

I look away and stare at the road. The light changes to green and I press on the gas. We stay in an awkward silence for the longest portion of the ride until Akiriya clears her throat. "Where are we going?"

"To... see some of my friends." I answer, suddenly unsure of myself.

Her eyes narrow and she looks like she is working out a problem that she solves in a split second, having found the answer. "I could have given you my address if you had just asked me. I don't want to meet any of your friends.". I give her a look and she jutts her chin out in defiance.

I sigh, "Saffron will be there, and another girl, if it makes you feel any better."

"Is the other girl your girlfriend or something?" she asked with a hint of jealousy to her voice.

"Would you be upset if she was?" I smirked at her. She stared at me wide-eyed and then frowned.

"No. I was just asking." she mumbled under her breath.

I chuckled and out of the corner of my eye I saw her look my way and then out of the window. I drove the rest of the way and parked. I unbuckled and got out of the car, hearing Akiriya open hers.

I peek through my window to her side and see that she quickly got out of the car and started sprinting down the street. I chased after her and was right behind her when she disappeared out of thin air. I went still, feeling the magic in the air, but upon realizing that it is Zelisa's I relaxed and walked back towards the house.

"How did I even freaking get here?!" I hear Akiriya scream from within the house her shrill cry for help making me cringe at our show of control, making me regret Zelisa's interference. "You people are sick and beautiful, I hope that you all burn in the fiery pits of hell!"

"Is that where you came from, love? Because that would be the perfect place to go if I get to lay my eyes on more feisty women like you." Calvin said smoothly. He'd always been good with girls and at this moment I almost wished I had been that good with the ladies as it could give me a horse in the race for any feelings that Akiriya would throw my way.

"Back up pretty boy. I bite." she spits. I come around the corner and see her sitting on a chair in the kitchen with Atiyama wearing all black standing in a corner, his grey hair that's shaved on the sides is longer on the top, covered in a crimson beanie that covers his hair. Calvin, sitting in the chair across from Akiriya, was wearing a leather jacket with the words "Dragons never burn"  and Zelisa napping on the couch in her green unicorn pajamas that I got her back home.

"I bite too lovely, why don't we take tur-OW! Z, what was that for?" Calvin complains rubbing the burned skin on his hand.

"My Phoenix didn't like you making her uncomfortable. I'm completely asleep." and she falls right back asleep like nothing happened.

"If you're all done being pains in the rear, can I talk to the girl before you scare her away," Atiyama looks at me, "again?"

I put my hands up in surrender, "What can I say? She's fast as hell."

Atiyama looks at me with questioning eyes and sighs. "You were gonna let her keep going weren't you?"

I shrug, "It was going to be up to her anyways if she wanted to stay. It's her choice, she didn't have to come but she chose to so that is what she wanted." I look straight at her, "she can make her own choices."

All of the eyes in the room are on me now and I think that she is smiling but I can't see because her hand is covering her mouth. The fluorescent light in the room is giving her hair and otherworldly glow and she looks at me with her green eyes shining with what looks to be admiration. For me, maybe? I'm not sure but I think that she is at least not furious with me. So I at least have that going for me.