Courting Tragedy

Chapter 19

            My cheeks were blazing red as Gage pulled me behind him. I studied the man in the doorway, my eyes raking over Gage’s father. He was tall, incredibly tall, and dark haired. His eyes were a light aqua color, and they were shining with emotion right now. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a gray button up shirt with a green tie, and he had a jacket clutched in his hand.

            “Hey Dad. Nice of you to call before you visited.” Gage said conversationally as he looked his dad over.

            His dad shrugged, a smile playing around his lips. “It was a bit spontaneous, to be honest. I didn’t know I’d be coming until mom got a vision.”

            My eyes widened; Gage hadn’t mentioned that earlier.

            Gage sighed and rubbed a hand over his hair. “Another one? What was it about?”

            “It was about Emory.” His father said, leaning against the doorframe. “She seems to be quite important in the near future to the kingdom.”

            Gage automatically tensed, his shoulders tightening up as he squeezed my hand.

            “I already told you that she won’t be going with logan; she isn’t going to become a protector.” He growled, his voice dangerously low and rough.

            His father merely looked at him. “I did receive your message as I was leaving, and I understand that you’ve grown fond of her, but she needs a pardon from me to be exempted from training. I’m not sure that she deserves it.”

            My heart was pounding against my ribcage so hard that I was sure Gage and his father could hear it. I couldn’t become a protector; I didn’t know the first thing about saving people! I had a feeling that it would end badly if I was pressured into the training they’d been talking about.

            Gage pulled me in front of him, his eyes flaming in his face. He looked furious, and I didn’t blame him. If they’d been threatening to send him off, I’d be just as mad, if not more so.

            “She. Is. Not. Going.” His voice had calmed, and his manner clashed harshly with his emotions.

            Sighing, his father put out his hand. It seemed like time slowed down as his father’s hand began to glow and light shot out of it. Fluidly it began to cross the room, wavering and flickering as it neared Gage. Reflexively, I threw out my arm and let my own energy release from my skin. It shot across the room at nearly twice the speed his father’s had moved and connected with it.

            There was an explosion of bright silver sparks as they met. My light pushed his back several feet before consuming it entirely, then dissipating into thin air.

            There was a stunned silence for several minutes after the explosion. I slowly straightened up when I realized I was crouched in front of Gage, my body acting as a shield for his. Gage silently pulled me to him and hugged me, his arms tight around me as he glared toward his father.

            “I already told you she won’t be going, and unless you want to lose a son, too, you won’t try to force her.” Gage’s voice traveled past my ear as he spoke.

            His father shifted from foot to foot behind me, obviously thrown off guard by Gage’s threat. “What do you mean? What are you planning, Gage?”

            Gage’s hands slid down to my waist and he moved so I was on his side.

            “If you try to make her go, I’ll take her, and I’ll leave. She’s worth more to me than the kingdom is.” Gage’s sounded confident enough to tell me that he’d thought about this beforehand.

            “You can’t be serious.” His father’s eyes widened as he slumped against the wall.

            “I am serious, father. If you try to take my soul mate away after I told you not to, you’ll lose me forever.”