Aon

Chapter Thirteen

I awoke early from the usual nightmares. There was no dream of him that night, which both relieved and grieved me all at once. I didn’t wake up screaming, but I did wake in a cold sweat as I scrambled to remember where I was. Damp strands of my hair clung to my throat and cheeks and my shirt plastered to my chest. I pushed back my hair and sat hunched over on the cot until Thomas soon came in with news of another new comer.

When I looked to Thomas, his face seemed brighter and his grey eyes were as clear as glass. He smiled at me warmly and left with a bow as I quickly got out of bed and dressed. I pealed the sweaty pieces cloth off my body and dropped it into a clump just behind the sofa. I tied my hair into a not at the nape of my neck and hurried out of the study.

As I rounded the hall and came into the lobby, Eli turned and looked to me placidly as I approached him.

“I thought you were coming at twelve.” I pointed out.

“I got all I needed done early.” He shrugged.

“Ah,” I mused as I glanced to the man at his side.

I knew him, but not in the fondest of ways. He smiled at me broadly and bowed at the waist as his eyes scanned me slowly. How is it that this man’s gaze can feel like a million grubby hands touching you in places you wish were left unexplored?

“My, my –a small world isn’t it, Jessica Rogers? Or should I say Eleanor Foster? Which name do you prefer now?”

“Eleanor will do.” I said blandly. “How do you do, Kaden?”

He smirked and leaned down to my height to meet my gaze with his mischief gaze.

“You aren’t the trembling leaf I first met.” He mused in approval as he scanned me slowly. “A bit tougher now, aren’t ya?”

My mouth locked shut as I held his gaze indifferently.

“Still a fox, though.” He tilted his head back, looking down at me as he bit his lip and winked. “My offers still up, ya know? Or are you still with your ‘boyfriend’? It would be a pity if that bastard still had a piece of that ass.”

Stomach acid came up my throat, but I swallowed it and held his gaze in irritation. One, for the thought of the Freewood Brothers. And two, because he just implied I was only a piece of ass.

“That traitor is not a part of me.” I said with indifference, but I couldn’t keep the bite out of my tone.

“Ah, good.” He chuckled as he pulled a cigarette out from his pocket and placed it to his lips. “So, you’re free?”

Eli flashed him a sharp glance causing him to lift his hand in surrender as he lit his cigarette.

“Aye, don’t look at me like that. It’s an honest question.” He mumbled around his cigarette.

“We aren’t here for you to play your games, Kaden. There’s a war going on. We don’t have time for your hormone surges.”

Kaden clapped his hand on his brothers back as he pulled in a drawl of the toxic fumes.

“You’re right, it can wait.” He sent me a coy glance. “Can you wait, my dear? I’ll still keep my offer open until then. I know it will be a long wait for you, but I assure you, it will be worth it-”

“Ugh, who let the rat in?” She growled.

I turned in both relief and annoyance as Sam came jogging down the stairs, her lips curled in disgust and fury. A pair of skinny jeans hugged her twig like limber legs and a black T-shirt clung to her torso from sweat. She flashed me a glare and lifted her chin as she looked to Kaden again.

“Ah, the Reapers b***h is in town.” Kaden chuckled as he blew a puff of smoke in her direction.

“Welcome to this dumbass group, asshole.” She flashed him a sarcastic grin. “I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”

“Good, you’re acquainted.” Eli muttered in irritation. “With introductions cleared and insults slung. –Eleanor, would you join me in the study?”

“Of course.” I waved towards the hall, glad to dodge both.

I was relieved to leave Sam’s scowl and Kaden’s flirtatious attempts. They were practically going at each other’s throats as we walked away. I shot them a cautious glance as she pointed a knife at his throat.

“He’ll be fine.” Eli shrugged his heavy shoulders as I looked to him.

“Are you sure-”

“Sure, I’m sure.” He gestured ahead with his head. “My brother’s tougher than he acts. He’s all bite and no bark.”

“Then should we worry about Sam?”

“Nah, Kaden wouldn’t kill his mate.”

“Mate?” I said baffled. “You mean, Soul Twin? You’ve got to be kidding me?”

“I wish I were.” He frowned, then sighed. “But they are…”

“Why do they fight like beasts?” I said baffled. “And why in the world is Kaden such a-”

“Flirt?” He finished for me. I would have said ‘Man-w***e’, but I suppose ‘Flirt’ would suffice. “It irritates the hell out of her, that’s why. He doesn’t mean nothing by it towards you, he knows it annoys her. He’s not one to sleep around or even set his eyes upon another creature. He just says what he does to get beneath her skin.”

“Why?”

“Hell, if I know.” He shook his head dumbfounded. “I know if Annabelle was still here, I sure as hell wouldn’t be doing that to her.”

“Annabelle?”

He almost froze in his tracks, but somehow kept a steady stride. His eyes fell to me as we stopped outside the studies doors, it appeared as if it hit a nerve that was unfixable. He tensed after I said the name and his mouth seemed to tighten in the oddest way; it almost reminded me of someone biting their tongue. He shot a glance around us as he breathed in a deep breath to calm himself before meeting my gaze.

“She was my Soul Twin. She died long ago.” He said evenly, shoving open the heavy doors.

I didn’t press or pry. I would hate it if someone asked me to decipher every death I was involved in. I fastened the door after us and gestured for him to take a seat as I slipped behind my father’s desk. He was slow to take a seat, instead he scanned the room eagerly with serene eyes as he took a seat. When he met my expectant gaze, he sighed.

“We have a lot to discuss.” He began. He kneaded the muscles at the nape of his neck with his thick thumb to sooth the tension. “First, let’s begin with the obvious: I’ll gather the Allies and you’ll stay here to greet them.”

“Is that all I’ll do?” I said baffled, falling back into the chair. It squeaked in protest as the bolts groaned and popped beneath my weight. “You’ll be running around gathering people and giving everyone hope. All the while, I’ll be just sitting here? Smiling and nodding like an i***t?”

“Pretty much.” He shrugged as he leaned back into the leather seat.

“No,” I shook my head. “That won’t do. I’m not here to throw my weight around or wield my power. I’m here to pick up where my parents left off. Not to sit here like a useless piece of trash you can use as a tool to give them motivation. I want to help as much as I can. I want to fight in the battle and gain Allies and camaraderie, but it won’t be from here. I want to join your small party of men when you get new recruits. I want to be involved with everything that goes on behind the scenes. Even if that means I have to go with to kill someone.”

He fixed his jaw as he chuckled. “Ya know? I had a feeling you’d sat that.” He shook his head in wonder. “But you have to understand, kid. You can’t just run around. You’re the heat source and the Legions are the heat seeking missiles. If you’re killed or even captured, all faith in ourselves will crash. The only reason most of them came here now, was because they believe in you and your parent’s word of freedom. So, you must understand. You won’t just be smiling and nodding, kid. You will be the last Foster of the Manor, giving everyone pep talks, being the hostess of the gatherings, and commanding the operation and ground troops. Your job isn’t small, even if it sounds like it is. It’s not. You must stay here. A lot weighs on your life already.”

I simply stared at him indifferent, which irritated him until his calm facade broke. The veins pulsing beneath his skin in his neck bulged as the muscle in his cheek tightened.

“Listen, kid. The worlds not a pleasant place to be in right now. Not now and not ever. It won’t be safe for you until the war is over.”

I leaned back into my father’s chair and touched my fingers to the hidden Pendant. I could feel its warmth beneath the layer of protection and it seemed to calm me. My mouth pinched shut as I scanned my father’s study placidly before meeting his gaze.

“I don’t care what it takes or what you say, Eli.” I stood from the desk. “This isn’t something I am being forced to do. This is different. I can feel it in my veins, the urge to fight, the urge to fix what has been destroyed. This isn’t just your battle now, but mine. Ever since I stepped foot into this Manor, I have felt what it is like to be a true Aon. Not by someone telling me, but by feeling it and coming to grips with it on my own. You can’t sit there and tell me I can’t fight in the battle that was brought to me. Because if you do, I will find a way to get you out of my way. This isn’t for me or to revenge all the loved ones I have lost, but to free all the Aons that have been imprisoned, if not mentally than physically. Of course, if we win, then I will think of it as a gift to my parents. In a way, it’s a gift of gratitude to all those who couldn’t fight, and a gift to those who should be honored for giving up their lives to commit to this alliance.

“Now, you can sit there and tell me to be a good little pet and stay here. But I’m afraid that’s not possible. You see, once you unlatch the cage, sometimes there’s no going back. And my years of being trapped in a cage, pretending to be someone I’m not, are over. I have embraced what I am, and now there’s no going back. Even if it means death shall meet me at the end. I will run full force into it if it means saving my people. If you are truly a man serving as a warrior in this battle, with the courage and strength of a soldier, then you know exactly what I mean. It is a hunger, a hunger that stirs you until it is unbearable, and you are forced to face your fears. So, don’t tell me to stay and watch my men die. Either I die joining them in battle, or I go on my own and die alone.”

He remained silent and still as he digested my words. His eyes were down cast, and his brows were furrowed as he swallowed harshly. I surprised myself. Some of the things I said I didn’t even know I felt until they poured out of me.

“You know… you remind me of someone.”

“And who’s that? If you compare me to Sam. I swear-”

He cut my off as if he didn’t hear me. “You remind me of my Annabelle.”

I was surprised by this and slumped back into the chair as his glossy eyes swept to me. He blinked away the memory and suddenly looked at me solemnly.

“Fine. You win, kid. We’ll set out tomorrow. Once Garrett arrives we’ll heading out.”

“Good,” I agreed. “At least we are now on the same page.”

He eyed me for a moment, as if I were some foreign being to him. It was peculiar, the way his dark eyes peered at me from beneath his thick brows, almost in a way of grief or isolation. A sense of woe filled me, as if I felt pain, grief, yet somehow relief when he peered at me. It wasn’t my own senses that flared, but his own that I had begun to pick up when it became too strong.

“I hope you rot in hell, asshole!” Someone screeched.

“I’m already in it with you here.” Another roared.

Eli’s shoulders slumped as he pulled from his reverie and stood without another word as he left. I stared in the direction he had taken long after he disappeared. I don’t know why, but I had felt his sudden shift in mood. I began to wonder if I must have a connection with someone to feel that, or if it comes naturally with each person. I heard his authoritative voice command Sam and Kaden to separate, and I pulled myself from our discussion as I slumped into my father’s seat.

It was becoming more lifelike every day. What I am, who I am, and what I am meant to do. My thoughts looped around the war that is to commit in maybe only a few weeks or months from now. Of course, it has finally sunk in, but I still found myself waking up in surprise that all this is real and not just a dream. Although unrealistic, I am forced to believe anything is possible now, especially when everyday things are suddenly superstitious and the abnormal is unexpectedly common. What a strange world we live in? No mortal understands or sees it, other than Thomas –who is involved by occupation and the Soul Twin bond. Everything is spectacularly hidden beneath the mortal’s noses in plain sight. No one realizes that their employer could be a Legion, and that homeless man on the curb might be an Aon. No one has ever stopped and thought about other worldly beings roaming the streets just like they are. Instead, they choose to believe that everything must be scientifically proven.

 I used to be one of them, until I was thrown into this life. I was left to sink or swim. I had to choose between thinking myself mad or just accepting what it is. It’s strange how much can change in such little time. I would have never thought just two weeks ago that I would be the ruler of an unworldly race. If anything, I would have laughed at them or shipped them off to an insane asylum for such gibberish.

But instead, here I sit, running with the madness instead of running against the grain.

At midnight the last of them arrived. It was a brawny man, with dark azure eyes that stared out from beneath his thick brows. His face was wide, cube shaped, with a squared chin and prominent cheekbones. His blackish brown hair was lengthy, almost a shag when it hung in front of his narrow-shaped eyes. His mouth was crooked, a scar stretched from the bottom left of his prominent jaw, up to his left brow. He was Garrett, rugged and humorless as he scanned the Manor when I greeted him. When his eyes fell to me, he gave me a quick scan and almost scorned my appearance with his eyes narrowing and his mouth thinning.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Eleanor Foster.”

 His jaw locked as he scanned me again and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

 “Hell no.” He muttered as he looked to Eli in disbelief. “This is it? This little girl is supposed to defend us? What the hell? She’s only what? Fifteen? Seventeen? I’m not having some bratty teenager in this. We have enough to f*****g deal with already.”

“She is actually twenty, Garrett. She’s their daughter.” Eli defended pitifully.

“Finally, someone agrees with me!” Sam threw her hands into the air as she slumped onto the bottom steps of the staircase.

“Cool it, Reaper.” Kaden interjected. “I bet she’s a tigress just waiting to get out.” He purred with a wink at Sam.

Her cheeks flushed as she glowered at me and clenched her jaw until the veins in her throat pultruded.

“I may not be what you expected,” I began calmly to sooth them. “But I will do whatever it takes. Whether that will be the death of me or not. I will do what it takes.”

“Don’t worry, kid.” Garrett snorted. “Death shouldn’t take long, you’re a weakling. I’m surprised Elijah has even attempted to tickle your idea.”

My jaw locked as my anger boiled.

You prick! I wanted to scream.

I was through with being nice and careful with these fools. I marched up to him and jabbed my finger at his chest.

“I may not be what you expected or wanted, but at least I’m trying.” I snarled in rage. “My parents have been dead for how long? Yet the Aons are still being called The Fallen Ones? If it takes a brawny man or a big mouthed woman to fix this mess, then why hasn’t it been fixed before I came into the picture? If it was meant for someone like yourself to fix it, then I wouldn’t be in this equation, now would I? So, shut your big fat mouth and suck it up, buttercup. I may not be what you wanted, but it’s the closest thing to a solution that you’re going to get. If you object to this, then I’ll walk away now. All you have to say is ‘no.’ I won’t say a word more, I’ll walk away and leave it to you to figure out what happens next. Just say it, I dare you… change fate. I want to see what happens when you alter it.”

His teeth grit from behind his tight-lipped scowl and his eyes bore daggers into my own. He wouldn’t speak, instead he fumed internally as I slowly grinned heartlessly in triumph.

“I didn’t think so…” I muttered into his face.

I rocked back onto my heels and locked my teeth together as I turned from him.

“Anyone else object? Feel free.” I taunted. “Just remember, if your idea collapses. I hope you don’t dare come back looking for me. If you do, then I swear to God, I will turn my back on you in the quickest manner I can just as you have to me. Do I make myself clear? So, any objections?”

The room remained silent and still as I met each startled and fuming gaze. I met Sam’s last of all, who tightened her lip and avoided my gaze as she jutted out her chin.

“I don’t want to hear one more complaint, got it?” I warned. “If I so much as hear one more person degrade my families name or myself again. I won’t be afraid to show you where the door is. But be careful,” I grinned at Garrett sarcastically, “the door has a nasty habit of coming back and hitting you in the ass on the way out.”

His eyes slowly closed, and I envisioned he was counting to ten to calm himself. I shook my head in disgust and waved them off.

“All of you get to bed. We have an early rise tomorrow.”

I stalked off and heard Thomas murmur soothingly that they better heed my words. Someone stalked after me until I reached the study and I turned to holler at Garrett. Only to find it wasn’t Garrett. It was Eli. He was livid, his eyes darker than coal and his body tense as he peered at me lethally.

“What the hell, kid? I thought he was going to kill you.” He brushed a hand over his shaved head in agitation. “You can’t just do that, he’s our best fighter. I picked him out personally, he has helped us in countless battles. He was your parents Second in Command back then, now yours. He won’t put up with that sort of attitude. You better clean your act up if you want to rub elbows with your people.”

I remained silent for a moment and digested his words before pushing open the studies heavy doors. I hesitated before entering and looked back at him.

“He may be the best in your eyes, but I only see a hollow man, without a heart or soul. He has seen too many battles. I want warriors with hearts, not brawn and anger. I believe this should be his last battle. If it isn’t, then I will personally discharge him.”

He turned his head away as his jaw clenched. “Goodnight, kid.” He muttered. “I’ll wake you up at five. Hope you don’t mind early wake-up calls.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll be up before then.” I said honestly.

His eyes flickered to me curiously as I shut the door and latched it. As soon as the door was shut, all courage deflated, and I found myself leaning against the door for support. What am I to do? I felt such… strength and bravery. I felt I could run into this battle and come back out the victor. But now, I feel the weight of my words weigh heavy and realize they are all too true. I didn’t have much to live for anymore, I didn’t have any goals and I didn’t have someone I could make proud. I only had myself and it was a tiring game. I wished for this adventure so much, it practically gnawed on me even after I slumped onto the cot. I wanted to fight, to prove to them, to myself, and to everyone I have let down that I am worthy to hold the title, that I am worthy to fight for all Aons that had been done wrong. I wanted this so badly, yet I feared it all at once.

Who am I? Eleanor Adela Foster. What am I? An Aon. What am I going to do about it? I’m going to grab this bull by the horns to live, even if that means I must die trying.