Thorns of Fate: Serendipity Saga Book One

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I lurched up, breathing hard, my hand pressed to my chest. Beneath my fingertips I could feel the flutter of my own frantic heartbeat.

I sat in total darkness, laying in bed, and the forms of Carson's room began to solidify in my vision. I swept my hands across the mattress finding that I was alone. My gaze crept across the pitch black room and settled on the figure sitting in a chair beside the bed.

Anton sat there, his eyes wide, his gaze blank.

He suddenly shifted, gazing at me and the expression on his face did nothing for my hammering heart. "You're awake," he gasped, barely a whisper.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling more aware by the second.

He leaned onto the edge of his seat, breathing hard himself. "Valeria touched you and you immediately blacked out. Carson ripped you from the room before anyone else could react. He, Damien, and Liam are in the living room." He gestured across the room to the living room door with a lazy finger.

I leaned forward, dragging myself from the sheets. My hoodie had been removed but I still wore the oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. Anton reached out and laid a hand across my chest, forcing me back.

"What was that, Kyra?" he asked, staring hard into my eyes.

I paused. If he were sitting here, he had likely felt my emotions throughout the vision. Maybe that was why he was here.

"I-I've been...seeing things," I began, my voice shaky. I took a deep breath and continued. "Before I turned I had dreams of a woman, a gladiatrix, named Achillia."

He nodded as though this made sense so far.

"After the change, the dreams began to advance, showing me her life and her experiences. When Valeria touched me, I was sucked into one of those dreams, continuing from where the last one left off."

I hesitated, unsure how to word the rest of the dream. "There was a man, named Antonius, who looked just like Carson. And Valeria was there. She called Achillia her sister. Or maybe she called me her sister? I'm not sure..." I trailed off, gasping for air, feeling anxiety swell within my gut in a choking wave.

"Easy," Anton cooed, grabbing my forearm. The anxious panic faded until I could think clearly again.

I took another deep breath. "The Emperor and dozens of witches captured us. Valeria had been working with him. She had some sort of vendetta against Achillia. Her reward was supposed to be Car-" I cut off, realizing I had likened Carson and Antonius as one and the same. "Antonius. But the Emperor betrayed her and cursed them both, using Achillia's lifeforce to support the curse. I died, Anton," I said. I hadn't realized I was hysterically crying until the warm drops fell against my skin.

Anton shushed me patiently, taking my hand in his. I felt a little better then and took a long, full breath for the first time since I had woken up. "What was the curse?" he asked, softly.

"I-I-I...it was...confusing. They said it like a riddle," I replied.

He nodded as though this was expected. "Witches," he hissed. "Recite it to me," he requested, looking deeply at me. I was realizing more and more that Anton was not the bad guy that he had been painted as.

I spouted the words I had just heard and they felt awkward and full of potential in my mouth. "What is old, what is new, it is your time to be through, from time immemorial, to memories long lost, your love and your life will be your cost." I paused for a moment, letting the dream splash over me again with a shiver. "Until the day that soulmates meet, you will wander the earth in defeat, and when that imprint of love will form, a new enemy will be reborn." I gasped, trying to remain calm though I felt as though the words were choking me. "Imprint on imprint, love will grow, and in that time, your destiny will show. Love to love, till death will we part, and then appears the break of a heart. In the absence of imprint, you all shall die, and evils reign will amplify..."