Peering into the darkness, Amaris could barely make out the moving shapes below her. From her position on the rooftop she had a good view of the entire area, but the sky was cloudy, blocking out any light the stars might have provided. Even with her heightened senses she was finding it difficult to keep track of the rest of the team. Shimmying closer to the edge, she tried to focus.
Two figures were edging along the side of the warehouse directly opposite the building she occupied. She could just about make out the hand gestures they used to communicate to each other. She swept her gaze around but saw nothing else. Concentrating on sound, she stretched her hearing but there was nothing other than normal background noise. There was no one else within half a mile, of that she was sure.
On the ground the two figures, one male, one female, reached the building's main entrance. A swift incantation drifted to Amaris' ears and the warehouse door swung open. Still, she did not see, or sense, anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, the blackness lifted as a flame of witch fire erupted from inside the warehouse. Time seemed to slow as the flame hit the figures below, scorching them immediately. Before she could move, Amaris saw another jet of the witch flame, then another and another, hit the rest of her team. Her eyes widened as they met the upturned pair of her soulmate.
"CONNOR!" Amaris sat bolt upright in the bed, grasping the sheet to her chest, breathing heavily. Fear coursed through her veins as she looked around in confusion, trying to get her bearings. A dream. It was just a dream. But that didn't change anything. Absently, her fingers ran over the pendant around her neck. He was gone. Connor, her soulmate, was gone.
It had been three months, and still the dream haunted her. Every night the same pattern. She tossed and turned for hours before finally drifting off into an uneasy sleep, a sleep that was always brought to an abrupt halt by her memories of that night. Before she could stop herself, Amaris found herself reliving it all over again.
She and Connor, along with another Daybreak operative, had been searching for a missing Circle Daybreak member. They had suspected foul play, eventually coming to realise that the Daybreaker had been kidnapped by the Night World. The reasons for the abduction remained unclear, but they had been ordered to retrieve the Daybreaker at any cost. Their search had eventually led them to the warehouse district of the city. That was where it had happened. That was where Amaris had watched her soulmate die.
Just remembering made her eyes fill with tears as her heart ached. Part of it was missing and there was no doubting it. She had always thought that she would be able to live without a soulmate, after all she had gone for 18 years without one in the first place. She had been wrong. Connor's death hit her like lightning, piercing her to the very core. She had felt, and still felt, that her heart had broken into pieces, that her soul had been carved in two. She felt empty. The feelings had not gone away. If anything, they had intensified with the passing of time.
Disentangling herself from the sheet, Amaris stood up and walked to the mirror. She could see it in her face. Her eyes, once sparkling, were dead and emotionless with dark bags beneath them. Her cheeks were hollow, her skin pale. She looked haunted. Sighing, she pulled on some clothes. She had to stop mourning and get on with her life. She hadn't been on a mission since that day. She had done nothing to help Circle Daybreak. Connor would not have wanted that. Connor would have wanted her to help save the world.
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she heard him in her head. "Get off your arse, Mari, and do something worthwhile, for the love of the goddess." The smile blossomed. It had almost sounded real. For a second it was like he was there, in the room, chastising her as he had always done. Encouraging her to be the best person she could possibly be and giving her all the support she would ever need.
But he wasn't there with her. The thought struck her full force, shattering her momentary happiness. She fell to her knees, sobbing. He was gone and part of her had disappeared with him. Light reflected off her pendant and the memories caught up with her again.
Connor had given it to her on their first meeting. He said that it had caught his eye and he knew that it was meant for someone special - for her. It was a beautiful piece, delicately worked, with silver tendrils surrounding a black foxglove. She had promised him then that she would never take it off, a promise she meant to honour.
His voice echoed in her head again, urging her to stop wallowing. "Go for a walk, Mari," it whispered. A walk. She could do that. Gingerly, Amaris picked herself up off the floor. She looked herself in the eye.
"Amaris. You will stop this nonsense," she told herself irritably. "You will leave this room." But she would see them if she left the room, the other soulmates. Circle Daybreak's headquarters seemed full of them. Could she handle seeing them? "Yes," she whispered grimly, grey eyes glinting dangerously with their first show of feeling in weeks.
Fifteen minutes later, she opened her room door and stepped back into the world. She drifted without purpose, eventually finding herself in the grounds. The rose garden, she would go to the rose garden. Making her way there, she found her mind clearing and she felt more at peace than she had since... the incident. The rose garden was tucked away in a corner of the mansion's grounds and, as such, was not often frequented. Amaris couldn't help but be surprised when she noticed that she was not alone. A young man occupied the solitary bench in the garden. She hesitated for an instant before turning around to leave.
"You don't have to," came a soft voice. "Leave, I mean. I won't bite." The man swivelled his head, revealing a mischievous smile. "Promise," he added solemnly.
Amaris found herself smiling in reply. She looked at him curiously and failed to recognise him. But there was nothing threatening in his manner. She could almost feel good will radiating from him.
The stranger, noticing her indecision spoke again. "I'm Hugh. Hugh Davis. I haven't seen you around before."
"I... I haven't been out much lately." Her eyes clouded, causing Hugh's eyebrows to draw together in concern.
"Well, I only got back a few days ago myself," he said easily. "I was on a top-secret mission." Amaris could hear the humour in his voice and it set her at ease.
"You work for Daybreak then?"
"Yes. I work mainly with Jez. You know, Jezebel Redfern."
"The Wild Power?" asked Amaris with surprise.
"That's the one. How about you? What do you do here at Thierry Springs?"
"Oh... I guess I'm security. I get sent to protect things."
Hugh smiled but inside his mind was whirling. Who was this strange girl and why did she seem so sad? "You haven't told me your name yet."
"Amaris Buckley."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Amaris Buckley." Hugh stood up and walked towards her, holding out his hand. Hesitantly, she reached out and shook it. Amaris gasped as sparks ran up her arm. Pulling it away she looked at Hugh in alarm before running out of the garden. Left behind, Hugh ran a hand through his hair. "That was weird."
Several hours later Hugh knocked on Amaris' door.
"Hi," he offered. There was no response. Amaris looked at him, her face blank, her eyes empty. "You ran off earlier. Are you ok?" Silently, Amaris closed the door, leaving him standing outside.
Inside, Amaris was shaken. "Don't be an idiot, Mari," Connor's voice told her sternly. "It was nothing." He was right. Nothing had happened. Hugh was a nice guy and there was nothing between them. She was overreacting. She wasn't herself these days.
"You are hearing your dead soulmate's voice in your head," she reminded herself grimly. Before she could change her mind, Amaris opened her door and walked out into the corridor. Her eyes followed Hugh's retreating back. She noticed his limp absently and wondered briefly what had happened. "Hugh!" she called. "Wait a minute." Hugh stopped abruptly, allowing Amaris to catch up with him. "Hungry?" she asked him.
"What?"
"Are you hungry?" she repeated. "I'm heading to the kitchen to get something to eat."
Hugh smiled. "Sounds good."
Silently, they made their way towards the kitchen, both trying to work the other out. It didn't take long for the intrepid pair to throw together a meal. Munching happily, Amaris broke the silence.
"You're not a Night Worlder."
Hugh looked at her oddly. "No. I'm a human."
"There's something else though."
"I'm an Old Soul." Hugh smiled widely. "Not many people pick up on that."
"Well, I have good senses."
"I know," he replied, face darkening.
"How long have you known?"
"Known about what?"
Amaris' face was solemn. "The Night World."
"Since I was 7," he told her. Amaris could hear the sorrow in his voice.
"Do you wish you didn't know?"
Hugh thought about the question. "Sometimes." For a moment they relapsed into silence, haunted by pasts they did not care to share. "But then I would never have met you, would I?" He laughed, lightening the mood, his face reclaiming its mischievous look once again. Their talk turned to less complicated matters. Hugh was pleased to see some light enter Amaris' eyes but he still wondered. Just what had happened to her? She was always on edge, always ready to pull away. When he looked into her eyes he saw a broken heart. It filled him with a protective feeling, made him want to help her. He thought back to the rose garden, remembering the sparks that had erupted when they touched. It was a brief, but deep feeling and he had felt something inside of him change. He had recognised something in her that he had long missed.
Gingerly, he reached a hand towards her face. He moved slowly, giving her plenty of time to stop him, but she didn't. His fingers grazed her cheek lightly and an electrifying pulse passed between them. Keeping his hand where is was, Hugh moved so that he was kneeling in front of her chair. Her grave eyes looked into his, telling him nothing. He raised his other hand to touch her face and was overwhelmed when his world turned pink and his skin began to race with heat. He was falling and he could not stop himself. The silver cord wrapped itself around him and he felt himself pulling her into his arms.
Amaris, he whispered in her mind. He could see everything - her thoughts were racing towards him and he struggled to make sense of what he was feeling.
Connor.
He frowned, who was Connor? And then he understood. Connor was her soulmate.
What is this, then? he asked her gently. What's happening?
He could feel her confusion and her pain. Her mind was a glittering diamond filled with specks of colour. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. and then, she pulled away, breaking the connection, leaving Hugh gasping for air. Before he could stop her, Amaris had left the room.
Amaris ran to the only place she could think of - the rose garden. Her room was filled with too many memories. She needed somewhere she could think without being surrounded by the past. Sinking onto the bench, she tried to stop herself from shaking. What was happening to her?
Memories of Connor washed over her. He was her soulmate. Just because he was gone didn't mean she could find another one, did it? She had no doubt that what she experienced with Hugh had been the soulmate connection. She had experienced the same feelings with Connor, but this time, with Hugh, they seemed deeper. But what did that mean? You're only supposed to have one soulmate, so why did she have two? She felt like she was betraying Connor, but she hadn't actually done anything. She had no control over what happened when she and Hugh touched. Connor would not have blamed her... would he?
"Amaris?" enquired a soft voice. Thea Harman stood in the entrance to the rose garden. "Hugh sent me to find you."
Amaris looked at the Hearth Woman wordlessly. What could she possibly say? Thea didn't need to hear her words, however and in an instant she was beside the girl, hugging her. "I'm so sorry, Amaris. I know how much you loved Connor."
"He's my soulmate," Amaris said simply. "I can't stop loving him."
Thea contemplated the other girl seriously. "What happened with Hugh?" she asked gently.
"Oh, Thea. It was the soulmate connection. I know it was. But it can't have been." Amaris paused. "Connor is my soulmate. Not Hugh," she added fiercely.
"No one has two soulmates, Amaris. It's not possible. Your connection with one of them must have been false."
"You can fake the connection?" Amaris asked in surprise. "How?"
"It's difficult," replied the witch, "but possible. I don't know anyone who would want to do it though."
"Hugh. Hugh must have done it."
Thea looked at Amaris sadly. "How can you be sure."
"Because Connor is my soulmate!" Amaris was getting angry. She had been with Connor for over a year and she had loved him - loved him still. Without him she was only half a person. How dare Hugh and Thea question that.
"Hugh saw something in your mind," Thea continued unchecked by Amaris' outburst. "He thinks that someone cast a spell on you."
"No!"
"It might not be true, but what if it is? Wouldn't you prefer to know?" Thea could not imagine what Amaris was going through. She herself knew how deep the soulmate connection was and she knew how she would feel if she lost Eric. The possibility of someone deliberately faking the connection was disturbing for so many reasons. Her friend now faced a dilemma. Without a doubt, Connor or Hugh had been lying. But which one was it, and did Amaris truly want to know? Thea uttered a swift prayer for protection, asking the goddess to help her friend make the decision.
Amaris looked up, her grey eyes deeply troubled, pain etched in her face. "What if it's the wrong answer, Thea? What then?"
"I don't know."
Something inside Amaris snapped. What had happened to her? She was a fighter - she was strong. She could deal with this. She needed to stop agonising like a little girl and just get things over and done with. She would find out the truth and then she would get on with her life, with or without a soulmate. Feeling a new power strengthen her, Amaris said resolutely, "I want to know. Find out."
It had taken Thea a while to gather the ingredients she needed for the spell, but now she was ready. Observed by Amaris, she cast her circle and called upon an inner calm, trying to block out her feelings. Breathing deeply, she felt herself relax. She began, mixing ingredients and murmuring the incantation, directing it at Amaris. The spell was complicated and it took her some time to finish it. At then end, the result would be obvious. If someone had cast a spell on Amaris she would be surrounded by a blue haze, if not she would be unaffected. Thea added the last component, closing her eyes before she looked at her friend.
Amaris was completely enveloped by a blue cloud of mist, causing Thea to gasp. Amaris, who could not see anything, looked at her friend in surprise. "What? What is it?"
"Your necklace," Thea told her weakly. "It's coming from your necklace." Thea looked at the item in question completely entranced by the blue tendrils emanating from it and wrapping themselves around Amaris. Her necklace had been enchanted.
Amaris had not taken the news as expected. Instead of retreating to her room and hiding away, she had marched straight to the training area, interrupting a practice session. Eyes glinting, Amaris had demanded that someone challenge her. An hour later, she was still sparring, although it was obvious to most that both she and her partner had given up the idea of a safe fight a long time ago.
Among the Daybreak fighting elite, Hugh watched the mysterious Amaris lash out at her opponent. He understood her reaction. She was dealing with things the only way she knew how. Hugh had seen Connor in her mind. He had felt the strength of their bond and the immense sense of loss Amaris had felt when Connor had been killed. He had experienced her feelings and almost believed that their soulmate connection was true. But Hugh was an Old Soul and he had witnessed many things during his lifetimes. He had known that something was wrong. She had run before he had had a chance to talk to her and so he had found Thea Harman and sent her to find Amaris.
His knowledge of events was a bit sketchy after that. Thea had burst into his room, demanding that he follow her and brought him to the training area where Amaris seemed to be beating some Daybreak operative to a pulp.
Eventually, Hugh could watch no more. Pushing his way through the crowd he placed himself in front of Amaris.
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way." She snarled at him, lip curling, eyes glinting silver.
"No."
"MOVE!"
"No."
Amaris did not bother trying again. Instead, she curled up her fingers and punched Hugh Davis, hard. It was a mistake. As soon as her fist touched him, sparks ran up her arm, reminding her of everything. Distracted, Amaris suddenly found herself on the floor. Her eyes met Hugh's and he smiled.
"I'm not as tired as you," he pointed out rationally. Before anyone could react, Hugh reached down and helped Amaris up, guiding her out of the hall.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked her gently.
"My room," came the quiet answer. Hugh did as she asked and brought her to her room, opening the door and settling her own the bed. That done, he started to leave.
"Where are you going?" Her voice drifted towards him, full of resignation.
"I'm leaving you alone."
"Why?"
It was such a simple question, but such a painful one. Why was he leaving her alone? It as the last thing he wanted to do. Hugh wanted to run to her, gather her in his arms and comfort her. In all of his lifetimes he had never experienced the soulmate connection. Now that he had, he didn't want to let it go. "You don't need me hanging around."
"Don't I?"
Another simple question with a complicated answer. "You need to work things out for yourself." He heard her sigh but did not turn around. When a hand landed lightly on his shoulder he was surprised.
"I have, Hugh," her voice whispered in his ear. She turned him around to face her and placed her forehead against his. The connection was immediate and Hugh found himself in her soul once again.
Connor.
He betrayed me.
Maybe he loved you, Amaris. Maybe he wanted to love you as deeply as he could.
Maybe.
Hugh could feel that Amaris wasn't convinced. She had spent the past few months in a world of pain, mourning the loss of her soulmate, and now those feelings turned out to be the result of a spell. Your love was real.
He lied to me.
You loved him. It's not wrong to miss him.
Amaris closed her eyes and allowed the soulmate connection to overwhelm her senses. Perhaps Hugh was right. Was it possible that Connor could have loved her? She had thought she loved him, but now that she knew about the spell…
It wasn't a spell. You truly loved him, Amaris. I can see it in your soul.
Are you sure?
Yes.
She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Looking at Hugh's mind, an indescribably beautiful ball of purple light, Amaris knew that he was telling her the truth.
I would never lie to you. I – I love you.
She felt his love through the connection and smiled. He meant every word. I know you, Hugh Davis. I know you more than I ever knew Connor. This connection… it's different. It's –
Deeper, he finished for her, pleased that she had seen it for herself. The diamond that was her mind glittered, the internal colours pulsating. He stared at them, fascinated. Right in the center, a black patch had formed. It fluctuated rapidly.
You're hiding something. He could feel her embarrassment and surprise that he had discovered this. Is it about Connor? Don't be afraid. I understand.
No. How could she tell him what it was? Amaris had seen into Hugh's mind and soul just as truly as he had seen into hers. She had found something there that worried her.
You know about my family, he said.
Amaris was surprised. She had said nothing. The connection was even stronger than she had realised. Yes. She couldn't stop her mental voice from sounding worried. Hugh's family had been killed by werewolves when he was a child and, although he had survived, Hugh had been left with the limp Amaris had noticed. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of the actions of other werewolves. She would never do something like that but she was afraid that he would judge her on the actions of her species. His bright laughter shocked her.
I know what you are, Amaris Buckley. I have always known.
Before she could response, Amaris became aware of Hugh kissing her. She could feel something inside of her changing. Her feelings of pain and anger towards Connor lessened. She could practically feel her heart gluing itself back together.