White Fire: Timewalker Chronicles, Book 5 by Michele Callahan Page B
Authors: Michele Callahan
Tags: General Fiction
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she’d just start a notch collection on a new pair of boots.
<><><>
Ajax sat in silence in Emma’s living room as she took a shower to “wash off the sand”. He’d disposed of the ash-covered clothing he’d dropped in her room that first night and resigned himself to waiting. The thought of her naked and steaming hot in the water was driving him to distraction. If he’d thought there was a chance he could kiss her again without risking life and limb, he might have attempted to join her.
Instead, he stared at the red brick walls of her living quarters and wondered what was contained in that soul stone. Obviously, Emma believed she’d die at Droghan’s hand without it. But beheading? That implied their enemy would treat her as a true Immortal, kill her as he would an Immortal, and not a human Timewalker. Ajax had seen the white fire, but that wasn’t enough to convince him. She had to have some other power she was hiding from him, and the key to that power must be in the soul stone.
It had saved his life, that secret power. He’d felt the call of her soul and it had woken him from the stasis pod, had led him to Portland, to the bar where he first saw her. That stone had kept him sane when the insidious whispers of a hundred Triscani souls threatened to pull him back into the dark. That stone had pulled him from madness and made him sane. It stabilized him and led him to her.
And he’d given it to another Immortal, a probable enemy and known Triad associate. Even if Angeline were kind and true, she’d never give the stone back without exacting a price. He’d given her the stone thinking it belonged to her, and wanted her to have it back as his way of thanking her for saving him.
But it hadn’t been Angeline. All along it had been Emma, and he’d been too blind to see the truth. And it had cost him Emma’s trust and her faith in him. What a great, inspiring leader he was turning out to be.
They were not bonded, but the heat and attraction was still there, whether she wanted it to be or not. And he was not an average Immortal. He could read some of her thoughts, sense her intentions. And she intended to confront Angeline and demand the stone’s return. But that was dangerous, and it would never work, not unless she had something equally valuable to trade.
Ajax walked to her room and moved the chair where he’d spent hours sitting, trying not to kill her, hours where that stone in his pocket had held him in check. When he had it settled facing her mirror, he undressed from the waist up and got out his knife.
This was going to hurt, but Emma needed the stone. It was the least he could do, since he was the reason this was necessary.
He knew exactly where Teagh had cut him open to place the black soul stone inside his chest. It wasn’t deep, just beneath the soft tissue, sitting on top of his chest muscle. The stone had been dead in his chest from the first moment Teagh had placed it there. And when he’d spoken to Robbie, or the goddess had spoken to him through Robbie, she’d refused to activate it as she had for the Darkwalkers.
His brother, Aron, didn’t require a stone. He was linked directly to the Gate and had been since the moment of his birth. The goddess had activated a direct link to Aron’s soul, but refused the same for Ajax. She’d been stubborn, adamant that Ajax needed none of those things. She said Ajax already had everything he needed.
Well, wasn’t that lovely? Her rejection had hurt, when he’d thought it was impossible to be hurt any more. But her promises weren’t going to help him next time he had to ash a Triscani Hunter.
But neither was this stone. And if Emma wanted to get her stone back, the only thing powerful enough, valuable enough for Angeline to agree to a trade, was another soul stone, one that hadn’t been sealed, as Emma’s had. The stone in his chest would be a much more effective tool, or weapon, for an Immortal who knew how to use it.
And he had
<><><>
Ajax sat in silence in Emma’s living room as she took a shower to “wash off the sand”. He’d disposed of the ash-covered clothing he’d dropped in her room that first night and resigned himself to waiting. The thought of her naked and steaming hot in the water was driving him to distraction. If he’d thought there was a chance he could kiss her again without risking life and limb, he might have attempted to join her.
Instead, he stared at the red brick walls of her living quarters and wondered what was contained in that soul stone. Obviously, Emma believed she’d die at Droghan’s hand without it. But beheading? That implied their enemy would treat her as a true Immortal, kill her as he would an Immortal, and not a human Timewalker. Ajax had seen the white fire, but that wasn’t enough to convince him. She had to have some other power she was hiding from him, and the key to that power must be in the soul stone.
It had saved his life, that secret power. He’d felt the call of her soul and it had woken him from the stasis pod, had led him to Portland, to the bar where he first saw her. That stone had kept him sane when the insidious whispers of a hundred Triscani souls threatened to pull him back into the dark. That stone had pulled him from madness and made him sane. It stabilized him and led him to her.
And he’d given it to another Immortal, a probable enemy and known Triad associate. Even if Angeline were kind and true, she’d never give the stone back without exacting a price. He’d given her the stone thinking it belonged to her, and wanted her to have it back as his way of thanking her for saving him.
But it hadn’t been Angeline. All along it had been Emma, and he’d been too blind to see the truth. And it had cost him Emma’s trust and her faith in him. What a great, inspiring leader he was turning out to be.
They were not bonded, but the heat and attraction was still there, whether she wanted it to be or not. And he was not an average Immortal. He could read some of her thoughts, sense her intentions. And she intended to confront Angeline and demand the stone’s return. But that was dangerous, and it would never work, not unless she had something equally valuable to trade.
Ajax walked to her room and moved the chair where he’d spent hours sitting, trying not to kill her, hours where that stone in his pocket had held him in check. When he had it settled facing her mirror, he undressed from the waist up and got out his knife.
This was going to hurt, but Emma needed the stone. It was the least he could do, since he was the reason this was necessary.
He knew exactly where Teagh had cut him open to place the black soul stone inside his chest. It wasn’t deep, just beneath the soft tissue, sitting on top of his chest muscle. The stone had been dead in his chest from the first moment Teagh had placed it there. And when he’d spoken to Robbie, or the goddess had spoken to him through Robbie, she’d refused to activate it as she had for the Darkwalkers.
His brother, Aron, didn’t require a stone. He was linked directly to the Gate and had been since the moment of his birth. The goddess had activated a direct link to Aron’s soul, but refused the same for Ajax. She’d been stubborn, adamant that Ajax needed none of those things. She said Ajax already had everything he needed.
Well, wasn’t that lovely? Her rejection had hurt, when he’d thought it was impossible to be hurt any more. But her promises weren’t going to help him next time he had to ash a Triscani Hunter.
But neither was this stone. And if Emma wanted to get her stone back, the only thing powerful enough, valuable enough for Angeline to agree to a trade, was another soul stone, one that hadn’t been sealed, as Emma’s had. The stone in his chest would be a much more effective tool, or weapon, for an Immortal who knew how to use it.
And he had
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