A/N: Thanks to all of you for the awesome reviews. I decided for this chapter to be nice and give everyone a taste of their favorites. I know I've been writing a lot of about Lee because well she's my favorite and some of you awesome readers' as well. She's a little angsty and hormonal in this one, but Fire is kind of bipolar, too. Then again, some are Tyler fans, so Di has to have some of the spotlight. I threw a curveball at Cybele and Pogue's relationship if you hadn't noticed, so I need to give them some time to figure things out. I'm going to attempt some Al again because Reid and her are some amusing comic relief. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
P.S. This is the longest chapter yet, and the story broke 70 reviews. A very happy writer I am. =)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant or "The Way I Feel" by 12 Stones (This song is entirely for Leona and Caleb scene)
Chapter 21: The Way I Feel
Alena's POV
I could finally breathe now that those two were gone, but as I let Air dissipate from my body, I felt so weak. It was always like this when I used that stupid wand. Focusing all your energy on one thing was so incredibly painful. Stopping Leona from falling was nothing, but the tornado took more energy than I expected it to. Maybe, it was just the emotional stress of the day. Fire had almost killed Caleb, and if it would have succeeded, Air would have followed the same path just like the other elements. Reid would be gone from my life, and I didn't know how life without him would be and didn't want to know. Besides my sisters, he was the first person I met here who genuinely cared about me. Speaking of Reid, where is he? I turned around to come face to face with those amazing blue eyes. I threw my arms around him pulling him tight to my body.
"Alena, I can't breathe," he muttered out, actually struggling to breathe.
"Whoops, sorry babe," I apologized with a kiss and loosened my hold.
"You are the most kick ass girlfriend I will ever have," he remarked, staring at me with that same awe he had before.
"I'm glad to hear that," I admitted proudly.
"Caleb, that better not be your kid!"
I heard Lee shout suddenly at poor Caleb. Everything seemed to go wrong for that poor guy, but I guess Lee had the same issues. Destiny had taken a hand in that pairing. Of course, Reid was intrigued by the current tension in the air between them. He was going to get his mouth into trouble again. He turned to face the squabbling couple.
"Yeah, Caleb, are you the baby daddy?" he joked.
He received a death glare from both Caleb and Lee. I think a knife to the heart would've been less painful than their stares.
"Shut it, Reid," they both shouted in unison.
Caleb turned to face Lee again, grabbing her shoulders with his hands and looking down into her eyes.
"I can confidently say without doubt that is not my kid," he answered honestly.
"Geez, Caleb, you're such a prude," Reid jeered at his friend.
"Go to hell," Leona called back, still looking at Caleb intently.
I turned Reid's face towards mine to distract him, so I didn't get a ball of flames thrown at me. I didn't put it past Lee. Reid was intent on his own distractions. He bent his head coming gradually closer to mine. His lips had barely grazed mine when we were interrupted again.
"Uh, guys, can we figure out maybe the massive problem we have? Making out sounds fun and all, but I kinda have a birthday coming soon," Tyler announced. Fear seemed to be painted on his face.
"Baby Boy's right. We need to figure this out," Pogue commanded, beating Caleb to it.
"Well, at least we're right by the colony house," Reid jumped in.
"We need the Book though," I voiced my concern.
"The Book's at colony house, sweetie," Reid answered.
"What Book are you talking about?" I asked.
"The Book of Damnation," he replied, looking at me curiously.
"No, I'm talking about the Book of Salvation," I responded with clarity.
"The Bible?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"No, the Guardians' Book of Shadows. I didn't even know you knew what a Bible was," I joked, a fit of laughter overcoming me.
I tried to back away, but Reid grabbed around the waist and picked me up into the air.
"Didn't know what the Bible was, huh? Little brat," he mocked, urging more laughter from me.
"Ick, I've had enough of this. Ty, you and I will go get the Book. Lee had it out the other day, so it's still in our room," Ondine answered, dragging Tyler by the arm behind her.
"Di, the Hummer's that way," Tyler responded, pointing in the opposite direction.
"But my bike is faster, and it's that way," she answered, pointing in the direction they were heading.
"You drive like a mad woman though," he replied timidly, visibly more afraid of her driving than dying.
"I don't know what you're talking about. You like a woman that knows what she's doing," she teased.
"I can't lie," he admitted, willingly heading in her desired direction.
"Let's get into the house. I don't like being out here," I pouted at Reid.
"Alright, babe. Let's go," he answered, grabbing my hand and heading towards the building.
The rest of our merged group followed. I enjoyed watching them carefully. Cybele and Pogue were barely talking while Leona and Caleb seemed to be clinging to each other for support. Death and fear hung over us like a looming storm cloud, but I had a feeling everything would work out okay.
Ondine's POV
As we walked from the clearing, Tyler finally let his guard down. His head fell, and his shoulders slumped. He was really scared out of his mind. I would be, too. This Chase guy seemed to be a horrible, monstrous demon plaguing everyone's life. I pulled him closer to me, hoping to give him some comfort.
"Ty, you'll be okay. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise," I said, trying to soothe his achy nerves.
"I never even considered worrying about Chase. I mean, Pogue and Reid survived their ascension without any Chase, so why me?" he asked, staring into my eyes with his beautiful blue ones.
"Tyler, it's okay. I won't let him hurt you," I promised. A small smile spread across his face.
"Isn't that what I'm supposed to tell you?" he challenged, the smile growing.
"Yeah, but we both know you don't have the balls," I answered, quoting Leona.
"Why does everyone say that? I am a guy. They kinda come naturally equipped," he joked, pulling me snug against his chest.
"That doesn't mean you know how to use them," I teased back, watching the smile widen even further.
"Maybe, I'll just have to show you," he challenged.
Suddenly, I was swallowed up in his arms. Before I could recover, his lips crashed against mine with surprising force. His tongue was tracing the edges of my lips, begging for permission, but I could hardly breathe. I broke our kiss, leaving him begging for more.
"You are such a tease," he exclaimed with a hint of pleasurable annoyance.
"Yep. Besides, we need to get to the school and back with the book quick," I responded, jumping out of his arms ungracefully.
I started walking towards my bike with Tyler following behind me. I kept tripping over my stupid cloak. The cloak and the chalice were getting in the way, and neither of them useful. The cloak was all for formality and show, and the chalice was used for the most horrendous spell I would never use. It was still a symbol for Water, so it was unfortunately brought along. I reached up and untied the knot at my neck and let the velvet slip into his waiting hands. I heard a slight gasp escape his lips, and remembered that the dress revealed even more skin in the back than it did in the front. A warm hand skimmed its way up my exposed back and ran through my long black hair.
"I know what I really want for my birthday," he hinted, eyeing me seductively as he walked to my side.
"Well, Tyler, unless there's a band on this finger by your birthday, then you can look, but you ain't touching," I teased, pointing at my left ring finger.
"I guess, I'll just have to wait, but I'll take whatever I can get," he replied, skimming his hand down my back and letting it rest in the small of my back.
"Finally growing into them?" I responded with sarcasm.
"C'mon, let's just get to the dorms," he replied, throwing my cloak over his arm.
The bike finally came into view, and Tyler sprinted to it first as I struggled through the thick grass. He hopped onto my Kawasaki Ninja, not leaving me much room. I stopped where I stood with my hands on my hips.
"Tyler Simms, it's my bike, so you're riding bitch," I commanded with a hint of anger.
"And you wonder why I don't have the balls," he retorted, climbing off grudgingly.
"I know. I keep 'em in a jar," I joked, hopping onto the bike.
He struggled to figure out how to sit on a bike made for one person. I couldn't figure out how I drove here in the first place since my dress was entirely too long. Finally, we managed to get situated and sped off back towards Spencer.
Cybele's POV
From the moment I first stepped into the colony house, I was not fond of it. It smelled of bitter decay and musty, stale air. Pogue walked in front of me, guiding the way by heart. He headed towards a staircase that seemed to descend down into pure darkness. This was not high on my list of things to do, but being attacked by a psychopath and his pregnant girlfriend wasn't either. As we moved farther down, candles sprung to life suddenly. I assumed it was Lee, but she was still distracted by Caleb, her eyes never leaving his face. They both looked exhausted, and I couldn't blame them. Her element had almost killed him, and he still loved her. I had to give the boy credit. As light spread across the room, I noticed the pentacle carved into the floor. It spread out in front of us with the furthest tip pointed at a bookshelf. A chair resided at each end of the pentagram. Pogue headed to the chair on the upper right as I followed behind him. The rest of the boys took what I assumed were their rightful seats. I stood uncomfortably next to Pogue's chair. I still felt awkward about what had happened between us, but there's nothing I could do. He had kissed me plain and simple, and I had wanted him to. It was probably just the emotions and hormones of witnessing what we did, or at least, that's what I kept telling myself.
"Cyb, sit," Pogue interrupted, patting his leg.
I hesitated not sure whether I should, but I sat on his offered leg anyway. I began to stare at the ground absentmindedly.
"You okay, Cyb?" Pogue asked.
"I guess," I answered meekly, avoiding his eyes.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by kissing you. I just feel like there's something there," he responded with a look of apology.
"No, Pogue, I don't want to be your rebound. You were with Kate for a really long time. Do you understand?" I posed, hoping he got what I was feeling.
"I figured as much, but that doesn't change that I trust you almost as much as any of my bros," he replied, tilting his forehead up to mine.
"Let's just see how things go. You're still my right hand guy," I teased, leaning my forehead against his.
"We got it," Tyler yelled as he bolted down the stairs with Di and the Book in his arms.
"I do believe you know more about this than I do," Di spoke, handing me the gigantic book from her cradle in Tyler's arms. Childish little fools.
"So who wants to go first?" I asked hesitantly.
"Oh goody story time," Reid mocked.
"Shut up, Reid," everyone shouted unanimously.
"How about we start with who the hell Chase is?" Lee suggested with a certain bitterness.
"Caleb, that's your department," Pogue replied, looking at his brother.
"Back during the witchhunts in the 17th century, the five founding families of Ipswich, being the Parrys, Simms, Garwins, Danvers, and Putnams, formed a Covenant of Silence to protect their shared secret that they possessed The Power. John Putnam got greedy and tried to take over but ended up being tried and executed as a witch, and somewhere along the way, he got a widow and a teenage girl pregnant. We didn't know about those two little details. Chase is the descendant of the bastard son of John Putnam, so he has The Power just like all of us. We didn't know, and he came looking for revenge earlier this year. He tried to get me to will him my Power, but I refused. We got into a fight, and I thought I had killed him," Caleb finished hastily.
"That does about sum it up. Now it's your turn," Reid declared.
"I'll give you basics starting from the same time point, as far as we know. The Guardians are a sisterhood of five families. Four families primarily control the Watchtowers, elements, cardinal directions, etc. The fifth family is in possession of Spirit. It's kind of like the Queen in a game of chess. The Guardian of Spirit can pretty much do whatever she wants, but often the Guardian is weak in spirit. It makes her extremely dangerous and easily manipulated. Since we have our element riding shotgun in our head, not being able to control...," I began.
"Wait, wait. You have your element riding shotgun in your head?" Reid asked, looking extremely confused.
"Yeah, it's not too bad, but Lee's borderline schizophrenic," I replied.
"No, I'm not. It's just my Irish temper," Lee argued, her face wrinkling with annoyance.
"Lee, are you even Irish?" Di questioned.
"Be quiet and go back to making out with your boy toy," Lee snapped back.
"Shit, yeah," cheered Tyler, moving closer to Di. He received dirty looks from everyone and resumed his distance.
"Anyways, during the Salem witch trials, our ancestors began accusing people of all backgrounds, hated and liked. When it ended, everyone assumed it was just the foolish behavior of stupid girls. The truth is that our ancestors were bewitched by their own sister. Ann Putnam was the Guardian of Spirit. We think she was either cursed or convinced to control her sisters by John Putnam. Most of the deaths of the excused benefited the Putnam clans in some way. Anyways, after the witch hunts, she promised she would end her line with her to prevent further suffering. Obviously, she lied," I finished.
The Sons just stared at me in silence. We were all anxious to see how they would take it.
"So what all can you girls do?" Caleb asked curiously.
"I manipulate fire, and let me tell you Fire, the element, is a bitch," Lee volunteered sorrowfully.
"My element is Earth, so my powers are fairly vast. Obviously, earth-shaking is in my bag of tricks, but I've had some luck with animals," I admitted freely.
"I'm Air. It's pretty self-explanatory," Alena responded.
"I'm the freaking useless one around here. If you haven't guessed, I'm Water, but without any lakes or oceans, all I can do is manipulate rain and some hail. I've found that I could manipulate water in the human body, but it gets kinda disgusting," Di grumbled out.
"Our girlfriends are so kickass. Al, I think this makes you ten times hotter," Reid cheered, moving his girlfriend uncomfortably closer.
"I think we've done enough for tonight. How about an early night and planning tomorrow?" Caleb suggested, rubbing Lee's back soothingly.
Mutual "good ideas" and "okays" were exchanged, and we all began heading up the stairs. I decided leaving the Book here was probably one of the safest places. Pogue grabbed my arm and led me back up the stairs, but I still had a small problem. I had absolutely no idea how I got here.
Leona's POV
I relaxed back into the soft leather of Caleb's Mustang. It had been a long night, and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. I was glad Caleb had cut our little meeting short because I don't think I could take much more. I knew we needed to figure things out, but things would just have to wait. Caleb watched me carefully, checking for more cracks in the broken facade of his porcelain doll.
"Should I take you back to the dorms?" he asked cautiously.
"No," I whispered weakly.
He continued to drive in silence, but I didn't know where we were heading until I saw his enormous house come into view. The car came to a stop in front of the door, and quickly he dodged over to my side to open the door. I climbed weakly out of the car, almost falling. With one quick sweep, he picked me up and swung me into his strong arms. His eyes flashed black, and the door swung open. He walked quickly up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The extra burden of my weight didn't seem to phase him. He kicked open his bedroom and carried me over the threshold. It almost felt bridal, honeymoonlike, but our day and night had been anything but. He set me down gently on his bed and climbed in next to me, his chocolate eyes staring into my green ones.
"Caleb, I'm so sorry," I cried.
"I know," he answered solemnly.
"I would've done anything to stop it sooner. Believe me I never could have killed you. If Fire would've won...," I started but was overcome by a sudden sob. I struggled to breathe against the cloak still tied around my neck.
"Leona," he called, but I stared down at his hand inches from mine.
"Leona, my fragile broken goddess," he whispered, reaching for my face with his warm hand. I looked up at him, tears glistening in my eyes.
"This isn't your fault," he tried to persuade me with that voice of rough velvet.
"You don't understand. It is. I almost lost you again, and I feel like I'm going to, regardless, of what I do," I confessed fearfully.
"Lee, you didn't listen very clearly. This was all Sarah," he responded, gently wiping the tears from my eyes.
"No, if it was her, I would've killed you," I argued, my face wrinkling in pain and anger. Clarity somehow broke through the cloudy surface.
"Wait, now I remember. You saved yourself," I exclaimed.
"Lee, I love you, but you're mood swing are really hard to keep up with," he responded with shock, considering I had been balling my eyes out a minute before.
"That's it. You love me. I didn't believe you loved me as much as I loved you. You showed me so many times, but I didn't believe it. It had nothing to do with proving you weren't a monster. I no longer had doubt in us. I didn't have any weakness. That's where her power is flawed. It preys on the weaknesses, but you made me strong enough to save you," I replied softly, scooting closer to him.
He reached up and tugged the bow of my cloak loose. It cascaded in silky elegance onto the floor with my hair fanning out behind it. His hand softly caressed my cheek, and he continued to look deep into my eyes.
"I love you," he spoke clearly.
"Caleb, that doesn't change...," I started to protest.
His lips came crushing against mine. It was gentle at first as he coaxed me from my fears. It became deeper as my need for him to prove to me just how much he wanted me grew. His tongue traced the bottom curve of my lip before it darted quickly into my mouth. I felt my pulse racing, and my blood surging with heat. My fingers cradled Caleb's face the way he always held mine, but I realized my fingertips were growing hotter. I opened my eyes briefly to see his skin turning bright red where my fingers were touching him. Immediately, I broke our kiss, turning my back to him.
"Lee, what's wrong?" he asked, gingerly touching the exposed skin on my back. His voice betrayed his hurt.
"It doesn't matter what I do. I'm cursed. You've given me so many things I've never had, but I'm too dangerous. Caleb, look where I touched you," I pleaded, turning back to face him.
He felt all over his face until his fingers came to rest on one of the red spots. His face betrayed his shock at the heat that must have been radiating from it.
"I hate what I am. I burn or destroy everything I touch. Maybe you survived tonight, but there will come a time when no matter how much I love you, I'll still hurt you. I hate the way I feel tonight, and I know I need you in my life. I hate the way I feel inside, and I promise to make the sacrifice. I want you so badly it hurts, but I can't be responsible for hurting you. I won't let myself cause you pain," I begged with my eyes welling up in my eyes.
"I never expected to be receiving the martyred hero speech," he joked, that brilliant smile appearing on his face.
"Caleb...," I started again, but he pressed a finger to my lips before I could finish.
"Leona, I'm going to keep saying this until you believe me. I love you, and there's nothing in the world that I would change. No psycho exs, no Fire demons or anything else that comes along is going to stop me from loving the most imperfect woman I've ever met. Every little tragedy, sorrow, and flaw only makes me realize how much I couldn't stand to be without you. I love you, Leona, with all my heart and soul," he declared with confidence and finally removing his finger from my lips.
"How can you say that when you don't even fully understand what I am?" I questioned.
"Because I love you, plain and simple. I feel like you're the only person in the world that could ever understand me. You see through all of my bullshit, and I know I feel whole when you're with me, looking at me with those trusting eyes. I'm going to say it again. I love you, Leona," he answered, clutching my face in his hands.
"I love you, Caleb," I replied, crawling into his strong arms.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A little humor, romance, angst, and history. Next chapter will be Leona because I have more things to explain, and it will be easier with her. This chapter was finished tonight entirely because of you awesome readers and reviewers. As always, please review.