Disclaimer: still don't own night world. That belongs to LJ smith
Kieran couldn't get her image out of his head; everywhere he looked he saw that glowing golden goddess staring back at him. Then he would blink, and her image would blur and swirl into an everyday object; a dresser with gold fringe, the gold curtains, or just an ordinary girl who happened to have similar hair.
It was driving him crazy. She was always there, in his mind, roaming around and knocking things over. He could feel her even now; the smoky, thin, silver cord was still pulsating between them, feeding him her thoughts and desires. He could feel her emotions coursing through him sporadically, and the intensity of some of them made his heart jump. Her fury sent white lights dancing in front of his eyes. Her sadness made him want to scream in agony. Whenever she was happy, even for just a second, it was the highlight of Kieran's day. He found himself being swept away in the sensations of her emotions, and being sucked further and further into her soul. She had such a beautiful, entrancing soul. Kieran imagined he could bathe in the emotions and thoughts of such a brilliant soul forever and still not know all of its secrets.
He could hear her thoughts too. They were diluted, but he still caught wisps of what she was thinking or what she was doing. She felt invisible, and most of the time her laughs and smiles were insincere and plastic. She was always acting to prevent anyone from seeing the real her. Not even her mother knew anything about her. This girl longed for someone to listen. Really listen, and hear what she was saying behind the broken smiles and abrupt silences. She wanted someone to look at the cracks that surrounded her soul, and heat them up until they trembled and broke apart, revealing the brilliant golden flame underneath.
Kieran wanted to be that person. He could destroy the hard casing surrounding her soul; the ugly, thick and foggy gloom that surrounded her like an omnipresent cold blanket.
Kieran would do anything to free her from misery's suffocating grip.
Kieran loved her; loved her so much it was like a constant pain in his chest. All he wanted was to have her next to him, to feel her in his arms. He wanted to protect her from the cruelty of the world. He wanted to be the one to make her smile, to see those wonderfully warm brown eyes shine with laughter. He wanted to make her soul sing.
All it took was one touch to feel these intense emotions surge through his soul. Kieran knew it was irrational; after all, how could you love someone so deeply you barely had spoken a word to? It was impossible.
Unless. . . The answer popped into his head and he smiled grimly. The Soulmate principle. It was so obvious, and yet Kieran wished with all his heart there were some other explanation. Kieran had heard rumors that it was reviving, particularly in the Redfern family. But he never thought it would happen to him. He felt like he had been smacked over the head with a brick. His whole world was collapsing around him, all because of one girl. A girl, whose name still remained a mystery.
Kieran sighed. His lungs felt like they were being squeezed tight and Kieran wondered how he could still breathe. That girl was his soulmate. He felt the truth in this statement, as if the cord was humming in agreement.
But that didn't change anything. He was still stuck in an arranged marriage, and she was still human. He couldn't leave Ambra for a human. If anyone found out. . . Kieran wouldn't be the only one to suffer. There would be a war, and the girl would die. He felt his heart give an involuntarily twitch and his stomach plummeted at the thought. He couldn't allow that.
He couldn't allow anything to happen to her.
Kieran impulsively called out for the butler. He didn't have the time to personally look over her; his father had been keeping an annoyingly close watch on him ever since the wedding was announced. He would surely notice if Kieran went missing for several periods of time with no valid explanation.
Kieran had no doubt in his mind that his father would kill the girl if he found out about her. That wasn't an option; Kieran couldn't afford to do anything that might jeopardize the girl's safety. Therefore; he needed an accomplice to do the dirty work for him.
Kieran hesitated slightly, a sudden misgiving sending shivers down his spine. If his parents found out he was sending their butler to follow a human, they would go ballistic. They might even kill him.
Oh well, Kieran shrugged. He'd just have to make sure they didn't find out.
"Yes, sir?" Cole popped his head into the library and looked at Kieran with steady brown eyes.
"Cole," Kieran began, daring to take a leap of trust in his desperation. Cole had always seemed more lenient towards humans than other Night People and he needed someone on his side. He needed to know she was protected. "Can you keep a secret?"
