Page 32 of Heart Shaped Wreckage
“Who knows the future?”
I really did not like the way he said that. “What’s your second question?”
“What do you want?”
“That’s loaded right now. Jesus. Uh… let me think. That is the actual question, right?”
He nodded and grinned as if he expected me to fail.
Shit. Was I going to fail? Did he already know the outcome?
What did I want? I had made the right assumptions about the first question. I just had to think about what the truth was of what I wanted. I wanted to know who I was. Didn’t I? But what if the truth only made me sad? Was I happier being Kevin instead of whoever I had left behind? I mean, we had been running from angels and talking to weird beast gods for the last twenty-four hours, but I had been with Heath, and it had been ok. I mean, scary – oh hell yes. It had been terrifying.
But knowing who I was… It wasn’t what I really wanted, was it? I mean, it would be helpful to know if I had a life somewhere, but I was right where I needed to be. I was with Heath, and I couldn’t think of another person that I would ever want to be with. There could never be anyone else that I wanted to look at me lustfully when he didn’t know I was watching. It made my heart beat faster and my blood flow like the Nile.
“That’s it? This is the final question?”
“Do you have your answer, forgotten one?”
“Yes. I want to love and be loved in return. I want to give myself completely and to receive that same kind of giving from another. For me, now, it’s Heath. I hope that what we have can survive this. I mean, neither one of us has actually said anything so… But I think it could happen. I want to be happy and to putmy happiness into the world to make it a better place. Love is always the answer.”
He sneered and stepped forward, and I almost ran away. “Take the stone. I thought you’d be foolish, but even though you have no idea who we are, you know enough to carry the stones. They are a heavy burden. I would never wish them upon anyone. Especially you.”
The other me began to turn into someone else. An old man who looked like he could barely walk. Well, that’s because his flesh was disintegrating in front of my eyes, and he was totally bone on bone.
“Take them.” He made it to me, and his bony hand placed the stone in mine before a wind came through the cavern, and I got a mouthful of bone dust.
“Fucking gross.” I gagged.
The stones pulsed and glowed brightly as I held them in front of me. Their energies intermingled and the light began to change and pulse with an otherworldly glow. Golden light sprang forth from my hand and lit the cave brighter than it ever had.
I turned to walk back the way I came, and the cave shifted. It was like a small earthquake or something. Then I heard the sound that froze me in my place for maybe a moment too long. Falling rocks behind me. I turned, and the ceiling of the cavern started to fall.
I ran like the devil was at my heels as I clenched the rocks tightly within my hand. Golden light sprang from the cracks of my fingers as it led the way.
My feet felt like they were made of lead as I pushed myself to go faster. Rocks fell behind me, and I could hear the crashing growing louder and closer as I ran back over the narrow ravine and threw myself out of the cave entrance.
Heath’s strong arms caught me in his embrace as the entrance to the cavern closed shut with a loud bang. The rocks settled around our feet as he held me.
I threw caution to the wind and jumped up onto him and wrapped my legs around his waist. His face was so close to mine. I slowly placed my lips against his, and I gave myself over to the carnal passion that I had been waiting to show.
His tongue slid against mine, and I breathed his breath as my free hand grabbed onto the back of his hair and held it in my fist. His lips burned with the same passion I felt as I writhed against him, wanting more – needing more. Our kiss was one for the ages and then…
“MAGNUS! I HAVE FOUND YOU.” How was he so fucking loud?
Heath pushed me off him and held my hand tightly. “Do you trust me?”
“Always.”
He pulled me, and we ran as the winds came in a fierce torrent. We dived into the shifting sand, and the currents pulled us quickly under.
“Let go,” Heath screamed.
“I’m not letting go of you.”
“Not me. Just don’t fight the sand. Let it pull us under. It’s another portal.”
I did, and we slid underneath the grains. One day, I will tell you how that felt and how much sand I had to pull from some pretty embarrassing places. I grasped the stones tightly as I lost the ability to breathe. But his hand was there the whole time, and I clung to it as I worried about asphyxiation.
