The Breaker's Resolution: (YA Paranormal Romance) (Fixed Points Book 4) by Conner Kressley
Authors: Conner Kressley
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told the Council that there might be another way. Ilsa told you as much, didn’t she? Didn’t she say that death wasn’t the only way?”
“She’s a fixed point, Mother,” I muttered.
“So were you,” she said lightly. “And I found another way. I love you more than that. So I was stronger than death. Maybe you need to be too.”
I looked at myself in the mirror for a long moment after that, studying the lines of my face and crest of my hairline. Had I always been this person, so lost and confused?
I used to think of myself as so sure, as so on top of things. After I cheated death, I gave myself permission to be bold. I could succeed if I really tried. I could make up for the sedentary nature of my perceived-to-be-doomed youth. I could prove life wasn’t something I was going to waste. I could make my father proud of me for once.
Perhaps that was where it all went wrong. In my exuberance, I allowed myself to look at things too closely. I stopped seeing right and wrong, duty and responsibility. Instead, I only saw what I might accomplish. It was that that left me open to Allister Leeman. And from there, the rest was history.
I felt a prick at the back of my mind, and instantly knew Merrin was close by. All of the things that I had forgotten I was living without came flooding back into me with her closeness. Contentment, ease of breath, total completeness. It was like a severed arm had just been reattached.
“What do you want Merrin?” I asked, letting my gaze drift up to the reflection of my arm, of the binding carvings that now sat on it.
“I want to talk to my husband,” she said in a voice that was much lower than I had come to expect. “But I won’t do it in a bathroom. We can be alone, if you’d like. But I won’t go sneaking off like a pair of younglings who have something to be ashamed of.” She coughed. “Now get out here.”
“You’re not going to be able to change my mind,” I answered, and it was only then-saying that to her- that I knew what the contents of my mind even was. The Council was too risky. I could never do anything they asked, not with Cresta’s life at stake.
“Don’t presume to know my motives, Owen Lightfoot. You haven’t been right about them yet.”
Sighing, I opened the door. Merrin stood there next to my mother. The sight of her shocked me. She had always been gorgeous, and she was today. But where she was usually very put together and stunning, not she looked pale and disheveled, as though she hadn’t slept in days.
“Are you okay?” I asked, looking her up and down.
“I’ve been a little under the weather. It’s not important. ‘We need to talk about what’s going on.”
“We don’t,” I answered, pulling at my hands. “It’s fine. I have it under control.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “Did you forget what this does?” She lifted her arm, scarred similarly to mine. “I felt your heart drop from a half a mile away.” She turned to my mother. “If it’s empty, my husband and I would like to use your back field to have a talk.”
“Of course,” Mother answered, gave me a small glance, and walked away.
“You don’t have to ask like that, like we’re strangers,” I said, closing the door behind me and starting toward the back door with Merrin close behind. “I grew up here, after all.”
“And you’re grown now,” she said, coughing again. “You’re a grown man with a new life. Your parents’ things don’t belong to you anymore, not even their property.” There was a tint of resentment in her voice, an emotion that jumped from her brain and started tickling the back of my mind. It wasn’t completely unexpected, and honestly, she wasn’t wrong in feeling that way.
After we were forcibly married by the Council, they gifted us with a house. It was a large white thing, and very similar to the house I grew up in, the one I now walked out of now. It was supposed to be where we were to start our new life together. And
“She’s a fixed point, Mother,” I muttered.
“So were you,” she said lightly. “And I found another way. I love you more than that. So I was stronger than death. Maybe you need to be too.”
I looked at myself in the mirror for a long moment after that, studying the lines of my face and crest of my hairline. Had I always been this person, so lost and confused?
I used to think of myself as so sure, as so on top of things. After I cheated death, I gave myself permission to be bold. I could succeed if I really tried. I could make up for the sedentary nature of my perceived-to-be-doomed youth. I could prove life wasn’t something I was going to waste. I could make my father proud of me for once.
Perhaps that was where it all went wrong. In my exuberance, I allowed myself to look at things too closely. I stopped seeing right and wrong, duty and responsibility. Instead, I only saw what I might accomplish. It was that that left me open to Allister Leeman. And from there, the rest was history.
I felt a prick at the back of my mind, and instantly knew Merrin was close by. All of the things that I had forgotten I was living without came flooding back into me with her closeness. Contentment, ease of breath, total completeness. It was like a severed arm had just been reattached.
“What do you want Merrin?” I asked, letting my gaze drift up to the reflection of my arm, of the binding carvings that now sat on it.
“I want to talk to my husband,” she said in a voice that was much lower than I had come to expect. “But I won’t do it in a bathroom. We can be alone, if you’d like. But I won’t go sneaking off like a pair of younglings who have something to be ashamed of.” She coughed. “Now get out here.”
“You’re not going to be able to change my mind,” I answered, and it was only then-saying that to her- that I knew what the contents of my mind even was. The Council was too risky. I could never do anything they asked, not with Cresta’s life at stake.
“Don’t presume to know my motives, Owen Lightfoot. You haven’t been right about them yet.”
Sighing, I opened the door. Merrin stood there next to my mother. The sight of her shocked me. She had always been gorgeous, and she was today. But where she was usually very put together and stunning, not she looked pale and disheveled, as though she hadn’t slept in days.
“Are you okay?” I asked, looking her up and down.
“I’ve been a little under the weather. It’s not important. ‘We need to talk about what’s going on.”
“We don’t,” I answered, pulling at my hands. “It’s fine. I have it under control.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “Did you forget what this does?” She lifted her arm, scarred similarly to mine. “I felt your heart drop from a half a mile away.” She turned to my mother. “If it’s empty, my husband and I would like to use your back field to have a talk.”
“Of course,” Mother answered, gave me a small glance, and walked away.
“You don’t have to ask like that, like we’re strangers,” I said, closing the door behind me and starting toward the back door with Merrin close behind. “I grew up here, after all.”
“And you’re grown now,” she said, coughing again. “You’re a grown man with a new life. Your parents’ things don’t belong to you anymore, not even their property.” There was a tint of resentment in her voice, an emotion that jumped from her brain and started tickling the back of my mind. It wasn’t completely unexpected, and honestly, she wasn’t wrong in feeling that way.
After we were forcibly married by the Council, they gifted us with a house. It was a large white thing, and very similar to the house I grew up in, the one I now walked out of now. It was supposed to be where we were to start our new life together. And
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