Page 38 of Guided by the Stars
Alexius squeezes me against him, holding me tighter as he listens to the pain I’ve tried to keep buried for far too long. I tell him that it was a little over seven years ago when I was woken up in the middle of the night to be shoved in a closet and locked away, hidden in the dark as I listened to my family being murdered. I was in shock, terrified, and once the screams stopped and the alarms went off, I was forced to confront a reality I wasn’t ready to accept.
It was only three days after my fifteenth birthday. I found myself placed into an unfamiliar group home, and desperation took hold. The safety I once felt had been ripped away in an instant, changing my life forever. I became an empty shell, a shadow of who I once was, refusing to eat or leave the bed. I felt dead on the inside, and prayed that the bastard who killed them would come back and find me.
Each night when the lights turned off and the nightmares flooded in, I would plead to God for just one chance. A single favor to bring them back or to let my body die. On the fourth night, that’s when Adriane jumped into my bed. Without asking for permission, she dragged the scratchy gray sheets up, snuggling in next to me. The only thing she said was ‘One word’,instinctually I knew what she meant and as her nightly invasion continued, I found encouragement. Mylist of words released small bits of my torment. Before long, the nights turned into days, hours to weeks. Within a short time, we realized we were finding trust and security in a world that had given up on us.
Alexius reaches his hand up, tangling it into my messy hair, playing with a few strands and listening as I finish my story, “We became inseparable. Even after Bill and Jane adopted me, we would find ways to sneak out at night and sit, staring at the moon. Her life was far from easy and the two of us, we connected through loss. Bonded, we helped each other escape the emptiness we were feeling. She’s my family and I cannot give up on her. I can’t let her go.”
“I’m so sorry, love. I prom—”, he starts and shakes his head, realizing the words he was about to say were hollow in light of the story of my past. “I know what it feels like to want to protect those you love. I will do whatever I can to make sure you two get back to safety,” he says, looking down and placing a gentle kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry. Anything you need, I got you.”
Alexius’ arm drops from my shoulder and he leans forward, stretching himself out wide. We’ve been tangled in the same place for at least an hour sharing more stories. He told me of the adventures he had with his brothers before they were sent away from Olympus, and I shared the ones I remember with my own brother. I’m thankful for him tonight. Life changed with the flick of a switch, leaving me desperate enough to wish for death until I met Adriane. As much guilt as I felt, she made me grateful that my life was spared. Now sitting next to this god, I’m overwhelmed by the same feelings.
My mom believed in destiny and I’m starting to understand why she did. This pull we have is like watching the morning sunrise. The light is shining down, bringing my soulto life and awakening something deeply ingrained within me. Something I can’t fight, and I’m not sure I even want to. Being near him brings me comfort, being held in his arms makes me feel secure, but getting to know him makes me feel at home.
“If you are up for it, I think I have a surprise you might like. Not my favorite, but you’ll love it,” he says, turning his head back towards me with a boyish grin. I’m tangled up, unsure what these feelings mean, but every part of my body, mind, and soul soaks him in as I watch him get up off the floor.
He extends his hand towards me. Without hesitation, I let him help me up and lead me back to the kitchen, intrigued.
“Sit,” he says, pulling the chair out for me. “I’m willing to bet that once I give it to you, you’re going to be begging for more.” A large smile pulls at his lips, making a tiny dimple appear on his right cheek. My nerves ignite when he bends over, meeting my gaze. “In fact, I’m sure you’ll be saying please and moaning a lot louder than you did while dreaming of me.”
Oh my God!
Stunned, I watch him back away, grinning in victory as he leaves me burning red and speechless. He’s night and day, going back and forth between tense and playful. When he’s deep in his own thoughts, he ignores everything, distancing himself. Then like this, he’s playful, devilishly sweet, and way too sexy. Either way, I’m drawn to both sides of him, unable to keep my eyes off of him.
“Alexius,” I shriek when he turns to open the freezer. My legs shoot straight towards him and I reach for his shirt. “What happened?”
The entire time I’ve focused on myself, consumed with my own thoughts. How could I have not noticed?
“What happened?” I screech again, fisting the bottom of his shirt and yanking the blood-crusted material up.
“Asshole,” I hiss with relief flooding through me at seeing his new tattoo. It’s a little swollen, but he’ll survive, my nerves might not. “You know you should have bandaged that. You scared the crap out of me.”
He stands rigid and mute, holding his head against the rim of the freezer. His muscles are pulsing with the strain he holds himself up with. Confused, I lean in a little closer. “Alexius?”
“What is it?” he asks, barely above a whisper.
I stare down at the red, swollen skin, letting his words sink in. “You don’t know what it is?”
“Just tell me.”
I trace my fingers feather soft around his tattoo, careful to avoid the inflamed skin surrounding it. “This part is the end of a sword, though the blade is broken in half.” Slowly reaching the middle, I continue, “And this is a pearl necklace wrapping around the broken edges. It’s linking the two pieces together, I think.”
“It’s snapping it,” he explains, letting out a groan and his hands drop to his side and his body sags in defeat. “Fucking Hera.”
Despite being lost as usual, I reach forward avoiding his tattoo and gently rub over his back, wanting to mend whatever has broken him. “It’s a little different, but it looks good. Did she pick it out for you or something?”
My hands drop as he turns, facing me with rage-filled, stormy eyes, sending a shiver down my spine. “Things are different here. These aren’t tattoos, they are not by choice,” he chokes out before shutting the freezer and brushing past me.
“Come on, let’s eat,” he barks out, his message to end this conversation coming through loud and clear. I mask my confusion and offer a small grin as I sit down beside him in Daemyn’s usual chair.
“Ready?” he says with a huge smile back on his face as he pulls up the tub of ice cream he was hiding. Whiplash hits hard with the hot and cold of Alexius, but I’m greedy, and ready with a large spoon in hand as he opens the lid, making him laugh. “I knew I’d be right. You would beg for this.”
After a few mouthfuls of pure delicious creamy goodness I ask, “I thought you didn’t like chocolate?”
My eyes grow sharper than a hawk’s as he pulls the spoon out of his mouth. His tongue follows, licking the cream off his bottom lip. I wonder if I leaned forward right now and sucked on his lip, would it taste like chocolate, or him?
Damn it. Focus, Nora!
“No, I like vanilla. But you’ve mentioned chocolate a fews times now.” He shrugs, bringing my attention down his body. He really is perfect.
