Fated Connection (Book 1)

Chapter 10

"The barrier?" I asked.

He nodded as his eyes flicked around the room. "Someone is trying to get through it. Someone unwelcome."

"Who do you think it is?" I asked, eyeing the windows suspiciously. The hum in my body grew stronger, the power rising in my veins as my hands began to tingle. "Nova?"

His head snapped to the side and he looked at me. His eyes, normally a beautiful blue with violet streaked through them, were completely violet and practically glowing with power. I felt a gentle brush against my skin just as his energy met with mine. I had never felt such power from him, coming off in waves so strong I could almost see it.

Before either of us could say anything, the door to the apartment exploded. The force of the blast sent both of us flying backwards as pieces of drywall and splintered wood rained down around us. The air rushed out of my lungs on impact but I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could, struggling to breath through the dust and debris floating in the air. 

To my right, I saw that Nova had hit a wall and appeared to be slightly dazed, his eyes momentarily unfocused. I rushed to his side, pushing away all thoughts of our unexpected guest as I helped him to his feet. I could literally feel the energy in the room crackly around us as my heart raced in my chest and my whole body began to tingle, from the top of my head down to my toes. The edges of my vision tinged with green but I ignored it, knowing it was only the continued rise of power inside me.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly, his eyes trained on the now busted doorway.

"Yeah, I think so." My voice shook slightly but I sounded much more calm than I felt. "You?"

He nodded in response, a muscle in his jaw twitched and his eyes narrowed. 

I looked at the door and saw two large men standing just on the other side. They were well over six feet tall, possibly closer to seven, and the muscles in their arms rippled as they clenched their fists, bright violet eyes intensely zeroing in on the two of us. The men's faces were nearly identical with sharp chiseled features, strong jaws and scars that looked like claw marks from their cheeks to their necks. 

As I watched, they entered the apartment, satisfied smirks sitting arrogantly on their lips. I instinctively grabbed Nova's left hand and gripped it as if my life depended on it, and for all I knew it most likely did. My abilities had not been honed like his had been, having only Nova to teach me when he could. I hoped I knew enough not to die.

"What do you want?" Nova asked the men, his voice deceptively calm. 

The two men, I was pretty positive they were twins, looked at each other before flicking their sinister gazes back to us. 

"The royal treatment, Your Majesty." one of them said, his deep voice holding an unfamiliar accent as his violet eyes challenging Nova. "No reason to make this difficult."

His words were a jab at Nova. The man knew who he was, that he was the hidden son of the Lost Prince. Realization hit me like a truck; Nova was also a Prince. My best friend was royalty, an heir to the Folmorian Throne.

"I think you've come to the wrong place. There's no royalty here," Nova replied conversationally. 

"I beg to differ, lad," the man replied evenly. "But we can do this the hard way if you prefer."

Nova didn't move nor did his expression change, but I felt his power grow. The gentle brush, once a velvet caress on my arms, steadily grew harder, like pins and needles pricking at my skin faster and faster. His hand grew warm in mine and I kept my face blank, not wanting to alert the intruders of impending violence.