Page 71 of Treasured Secrets
He shrugged, still seeming as expressionless. "Your essence is too strong. It's much stronger than it should be, and much stronger than what most of us are accustomed to dealing with. It draws them in like bears to honey. That's one of the reasons I've made a very strong attempt to distance myself. You'll get the hang of things. I promise."
"Do you think Jared linked to me?" I ask, my voice meek.
He lets out a scattered, hesitant breath, refusing to even glance my way. He already confirmed my fear just with the amount of time it took him to gather an answer, trying his best to cushion the burden.
"I know he did," he said at last, not bothering to dress it up the way I thought he would, leaving it as raw and terrible as I knew it was. "He linked faster than usual, meaning you're stronger than I thought."
"I still don't understand links," I grumbled, gripping my head.
"They're complicated. Links start when you're mortal, but the end varies. Sometimes the links are severed when you turn immortal, sometimes a great deal of time and distance can break a link, and sometimes it's not broken until one of you find your soul mate. It depends on the individual and the power they come from."
My hair tangled in my hands as I gripped it. Considering where I came from, that meant McKee and Jared would both be stuck on me until I turned immortal and proved to the whole freaking world Tallis was my soul mate. My siblings were all in their twenties when they turned. I was sure I would be, too. That was a long time to wait.
"Aria, you can't dwell on it. We all know how easy it is to fall into. If it happens, we deal with it. It's not like it's you're the first one to go through this. Jared's a big boy. He left because he knew he needed to distance himself before he got... crazier."
I almost laughed, but it was one of pure exhaustion and misery. He smiled, offering me silent encouragement with his softer than usual eyes. It was the first time he had ever been nice to me. Though it was a strained attempt, I smiled at him as we pulled down the drive to Iris's house.
"Thanks for the ride," I said through a sigh while climbing out of the car.
He smiled back, rolling down the passenger side window as I shut the door.
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."
He backed up and pulled back out of the driveway. Gear was waiting outside with a quizzical look.
"Where's Jared?" he asked, raising his arms in confusion.
I could hear the irritation return to my tone with just the mention of his name. "He said he had to go meet up with some of the militia. I'm sure it'll be a while before we see him again."
Gear tilted his head to the side, still perplexed. "That's odd. They aren't supposed to meet for another couple of days. The next mission they're going on is going to be very dangerous. They were supposed to rest their magic and their minds."
I could feel the guilt knocking around inside of me, almost stealing my breath. Now I was worried I had just endangered him.
I should've just kissed him and been done with it. Now he was out there without a guard, and his head was anything but clear. I was nothing but trouble. All I had been since I had gotten there was trouble. All I was doing was hurting everyone and causing problems.
I almost snapped at Gear when I spoke. "I guess he decided to bump up the date. Why don't just you ask him and leave me alone?"
Gear looked shocked as I barged by him on my way inside.
"Aria, is there something you're not telling me? Did something happen?"
"The same thing that always happens just happened. I made yet another mess. I need to be locked in a padded room right now. I'm done trying," I mumbled, keeping my back turned.
I ran to my room, stumbling and whimpering the whole way. I lay on my bed, crying for at least thirty minutes. All I could think about was how much I loved Tallis. I couldn't believe how broken I was. It all came out in a vengeful rush. My tears were furious for having been held back for so long, so they ravaged my cheeks mercilessly, refusing to creep back into hiding or be subdued any longer.
I clutched his picture against my chest, weeping into the pillow beneath my head.
Then I worried about how Jared might possibly being in danger... because of me. I was so tired of all the messiness.
In my old home, the most complicated thing I had to worry about was my schoolwork. The most drama I'd ever dealt with was arguing about having to leave my home. This was all too much to take on at once. It was all too different from what I was used to, and I was doing a horrible job adjusting. I needed a break from it all. I needed somewhere that would provide me with an escape. I needed to recharge and start all over.
I got up and walked into the upstairs library and turned on the computer. I pulled up the tickets I had bought earlier in the year. I reserved the first flight to Brazil and changed my name to Ashiara Weislen.
I snuck downstairs, weaving through the people who never seemed to go home, and found Ash's purse. I carried it into the bathroom and took out her license and passport. Then I put it back just like I had found it - minus the few borrowed items.
I glanced toward the unlocked cupboard - the place where Iris kept all her goodies. I had heard her speak of a stripping potion. I needed it. It took a minute to find it without anyone noticing what I was doing, but I finally succeeded.
I went back to my room and changed my clothes. I had three and a half hours before my flight. It was midnight, and I hadn't slept at all, but it was a long flight, so I could sleep the whole way there.
