Page 52 of Outcast
Pondering her words, I watched the floor of the shower become tinged a light pink from the blood sluicing off me. Lifting my head and straightening, I reached for the bar of soap on the small wall shelf and lathered it between my hands, breathing in the strong cedar scent that always accompanied Seth.
As I worked my hands over my skin, clearing it of any residual dried blood, my mind whirled with what she meant by not aligned.
Soul powers.
I suppose that was what you would call what I was able to do—to see souls and apparently cleanse them.
Our souls must be aligned.
I thought they were already. Why did it suddenly break in connection?
You doubted my intentions.
No, I...well, maybe I did. I still have a very real fear of the alpha and his control over how the pack treats me. Wait, how are we able to communicate more easily now?
A whisper of her laughter echoed through our mind as she answered.You're opening up and accepting me more with every passing moment.
Turning in the shower to rinse all of the soap off of me, I reflected on her words. She was right. Ever since she’d reappeared, I had latched onto her presence like a lifeline and didn't want to let go.
What was the saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?
You always loved me. Just not always trustful.
Shame bubbled up in me as her words rang true within me. She was supposed to be the completion of my soul, and I had questioned her intentions in taking on the alpha.
I'm sorry...
Trailing off, I wondered what I should call her. We shared a soul, but we clearly had two separate consciousnesses, making us two beings. I grabbed Seth’s bottle of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, working it into my hair while asking her if she had a preference.
You may call me Lux.
Lux...that's pretty. What does it mean?
Light. I will always be your guiding light.
Tears pricked my eyes, and I chastised myself for being such an emotional wreck the past forty-eight hours.
Pull it together, Kira.
I was just so overwhelmed with gratitude for these blessings that Selene had given me to help me take on my role and support me through my journey.
The weight of my job as her prophetess wasn't one that I took lightly, and it was time to focus on harnessing these powers and searching for the coming darkness—and how to defeat it. I needed answers, and I needed them now.
The pack politics would need to sort themselves out quickly, or I'd move on without their support and resources.
Tilting my head back into the water to rinse out my hair, I felt the heavy weight pulling on my neck. Sometimes it was a pain in the ass to have such long hair, but I would never part with it.
We need to read through the Cognitionis.
You're right. I feel so far behind the curve not knowing the history. The Shadow War sounded like it might correlate to our prophecy.
Turning off the water, I wrung my hair out with my hands a few times before feeling satisfied that it wouldn't drip incessantly down my back. I reached out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the granite countertop, pulling it around myself and tucking it in securely at the top. Running a hand over the fogged up mirror, I stared at my reflection.
My skin glowed, for once flawless in complexion, and I marveled at the difference in my overall demeanor. My shoulders didn't droop forward as if accepting defeat in every aspect of my life anymore. I stood tall and proud, knowing that I had something to offer the world and a reason to live.
Yanking my towel off, I dried my skin before flipping my head forward to towel dry it for a few moments. Hanging the towel up on one of the hooks drilled into the wall, I pulled on my casual sleep shorts and tank top, foregoing any undergarments.
Opening the door to the hall, I watched the steam billow out and heard whispers of a conversation, halting my steps.
