A Wider Sky Ch. 18

A Wider Sky: Beyond Eclipse Series

by Talyis Bagley Ellison

Copyright first edition 2013, 2015, 2016

EPILOGUE

❆✾❀ ~Gaelen~ ❆✾❀

The Eatery was packed with students getting the last coffee and ice cream chats in before we all dispersed to our homes. The Eatery was in a commons building central to all the dormitories. It was the best place to grab a study snack or hang out with friends for a treat. But I was the only one left having to use the Eatery as a study break before heading back to my room to finish my final assignment.

Professor Windsor was being gracious and giving me a second chance to pass the semester by turning in my term paper with the revisions I needed to make. I wish that Haazic hadn't pulled Mouse away from me before I could humbly ask her to help. I was going to promise we would really study, not make out, because as much as i wanted to make out with her before the break, my grade depended on it.

I was surprised so many students were still on campus and the line to buy food was snaking around the tabled area. The university was a cesspool for gossips and the Eatery was a herald square. I always try to stay away from the gossip as much as possible because usually those who got involved with the gossip became the topic of the gossip. Fortunately for me, my family and my line, any gossip about me could be considered treason, but my classmates were still sharped tongued. I was surprised when I first heard Kiowa's name behind me. I was hoping to turn around and see her standing in the eatery saying hello to whomever uttered her sweet name. Its pure utterance made my heart jangle the cage of my ribs and run free. I quickly turned around with probably the cheesiest grin, but she was nowhere to be found. The girl behind me gawked at me like I had bad hygiene and poor social skills.

Then I heard somebody else say Kiowa's name behind the girl still wearing a horrified expression. As soon I soon noticed students mystery whispering Kiowa's name while looking at their tablets, then at me were varying degrees of looking stupefied, proud and something I couldn't quite pinpoint, but it made my stomach tour sour like my biggest fear or secret had been revealed.

I quickly pulled out my tablet to see what had turned the entire Eatery into a craze of odd looks directed towards me.

And then I saw it.

The marquee across my social digest read: "The human has been identified. Yale Green Beret Elite offers an award for the mock capture of the human all schools may participate".

I snorted a laugh. What was the award, admittance into their military club, without pledging?

Fat chance.

I scrolled through the unopened private messages that were not bombarding my social digest. I couldn't swipe them away, Ignoring them fast enough because I was dying to find out who the human was. I did open a private message sent by Haazic with the subject line requested a private urgent conversation. And then I saw it, after Haazic's message. A public post sent by Sebol to the entire school.

I know I was off balance because in my periphery, I could see everybody's food and backpacks and things floating in the air, twirling like a tormented twister brewing and a dead silence from my classmates. My temper was notorious on campus because my powers unleashed on everyone. But I didn't care. I didn't know which direction to charge, towards my room, towards Sebol or Haazic, in all three I saw red. And like a bull, I ran towards where my anger hurt the most.

I charged, horns pointed into her dorm room and she seemed to blanch seeing me, and then I noticed her.

Really saw her.

At first she was as beautiful and as sexy as I had always known her to be since the day she threw my balance off on the staircase when my eyes first laid sight of her. She had stopped my in my tracks, turned my world upside down literally and figuratively. I just dared her to run into me again, run straight through my heart as she had done so many months ago, she changed me in so many ways. She changed my heart to the wretched beating thing in my chest that was hurting.

Yet, this was not that kind of an encounter, one of love and cozy sexy and happy endings. She blanched, her brown skin turned ashen with nervousness like a mouse, but no, it was fear, a real terror of something horrible. She wasn't a mouse. She was a tragic bird lost in flight caught in a blizzard fighting against the strong gales of frigid wind. She cowered in the middle of the room. I had never seen her do that before. But she had never seen me with my sharpened points ready to spear her to death because she hurt me, lied to me and broke my heart.

"Gaelen?!" Her voice trembled and I watched her keenly. She was a lying devil, that I longed to reach out to a glide the back of my fingers gently feel her angel soft skin and smooth them down her arm.

"Why did you lie to me?!"

"I wanted to tell you?"

"When?"

"When your soul opened up?"

"What does that matter?!" I couldn't breathe, the air was suffocating me. I couldn't stand to have her voice touch my ears without cringing. What a fool I was to not see her for what she was, careless. "My heart was open to you and it is just as important. You broke my heart."

The longer I looked at her, the more confused I got. I wanted to raise my hand and throw a blast of everything I had and my other hand ached to caress her cheek and cradle her head close to me. My lips twitched for a kiss.

"Your soul...Galean...it was only a matter of time."

"You bitch!" I sneered and she jumped back.

I expected her to cry to weep to beg for forgiveness. But her eyes only looked like a little frightened mouse, my mouse that I had frightened and I hated myself for doing it. She never trusted me. She should be afraid, she was devious. She was like everyone else, only wanted to be close to me because of who I was not who I am. Did she think I would pardon her, if she made me fall in love with me but not return any love back. I am such a fool, i trusted her with my secrets and she couldn't respect me enough to tell me the truth.

Her chest rose in a measured cleansing breath as she girdled herself. She knew this would happen one day, she expected it and I was even more enraged because she hadn't given me any amount of the love she professed yet I had given her my heart, my choice.

"I'm sorry Gaelen. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to go to school and not really know anyone."

"Liar, Kiowa. You befriended Sebol and Haazic. Lance." His name came out more like venom even though it hurt more to hear this news from Sebol than anyone else.

"Gaelen, you mean a lot to me-" She took a bold step and reached for me.

"Don't Kiowa. I am trying everything to stop myself from killing you right now and the last thing I need to hear is that bullshit," I clenched my right hand hard against my temple.

She stood astute and watched me keenly as is she believed I would actually do it. Would I? Four months ago, I would have in a second, given the opportunity to come face to face with a human. And now I was standing in front of a human for the first time since Eclipse, and I was in love with it. I knew what I should do, but I was torn.

"Sebol posted on the social digest that you are the human." She posted actually 'our king canoodling with a human' to spite the fact that I ignored her advances and her soul's naming me as her mate.

"Yes, but I didn't tell her. I didn't tell anyone." She said in a voice that was so remarkably human I was surprised I hadn't caught it before.

And then I remember the staircase.

My eyes narrowed on her. "What are you?"

"Are you going to kill me Gaelen?" My heart was bludgeoned and hemorrhaging hard bloody beats against my chest, her human voice was so sweet and raw with the truth and compassion she had given me so many times about my weaknesses.

"I don't know."

A tear slide down her check like one of those Italian paintings she was studying. And I then understood the heartbreaking fragility that the artist tried to convey and it stirred me to want to whatever I could to stop it.

"It doesn't matter anyway." She spoke softly and more quiet tears tumbled from her brave gaze on me. She wouldn't drop her eyes, she bore through me as if she wanted whatever truth she said to last with me forever. "I thought I had loved before, but I realized that I really hadn't until I fell in love with you." She waited for my response and I only stood there. I felt like I was in quicksand, now I know why she always mentioned she could be awful, terrible like a human. She was an earthling but not awful, not terrible and I said

I would love her even if she was a human. Fuck, I couldn't be in love with a human, it was the worse thing.

"If you are going to kill me. I rather you do it. I rather the only person to say they loved me and really didn't mean it kill me than to live a thousand lifetimes of more false I love you's."

I was false?!

I took one last look at her, clenched my eyes tightly because I couldn't watch any longer and braced myself for the power that would penetrate her entire room.

I raised my arm towards her, my fingers felt like lead and magnets drawn to her at the same time as the power from my being extended out towards my aching fingers.

I had to do what was my duty, what defined me as a leader, and strangely I found it easy to deny my entire soul.

The End

**************************************************************

Dear Readers,

I am in the midst of writing again. Sorry for the long hiatus. Life and more life got busy and in the way. I wanted to post this before my internet dies for good and not in an After Eclipse kinda way.

I hope you enjoyed the conclusion of this first book part of the Beyond Eclipse Saga.

So what did you think?

I am taking reader wishes for the next book? Any reader wishes for this book (story wise, not editing wise -- I know I need an editor)?

I will probably begin posting again for a bit.

In the meantime, enjoy some the oldies but goodies and check out THORNS or TALONS.

Cheers and Happy Reading,

Talyis