“What if she’s planning something? What if she is in the Underworld during my journey?” I could feel the panic rising in my chest. I wanted more than anything to be successful, but I felt grossly inadequate to be able to ward off Nadia on her own turf.
“Stasia.” He rubbed my cheek, bringing my focus back to him. “You are so much stronger than her in every way that matters. Don’t let her get in your head. Don’t let her win. Stay focused on what you have to do, and remember who you are.”
“I’ll try,” I muttered, not at all confident.
“This is your destiny, Stasia. This is what you’re meant to do. That’s more powerful than any spiteful, evil-hearted girl,” he proclaimed with such conviction that I began to agree. He was right. This was my destiny, and I wasn’t going to let her or anyone else take that away from me.
“You’re right,” I said, attempting a smile, “This is what I was born for.” I thought about my mom and the tough decision she had to make so many years ago. My parents had risked so much just to make sure I would live. “I won’t let my parents or the Order of the Tydes down.”
“No, you won’t,” Finn grinned at me. “Like I said before, you just don’t have it in you to fail.
You simply don’t know how.”
“You’ve never seen me try to cook,” I quipped.
Finn chuckled, “I bet you can make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich, though,”
“Even that’s touch and go when it’s me holding the knife,” I scrunched my nose and Finn laughed again, pulling me close. The axes on the wall caught my eye and piqued my curiosity about his fight.
“So what happens Friday? When you’re…taken and then fast for two days?”
“Technically I’ll be taken Thursday night at midnight,” he clarified.
“So do they just pull up in a dark van, throw you in the back, and then peel off down the street?” I asked, only half joking.
“Not quite,” he snickered, “I just have to meet the car downstairs at midnight. Then I’ll be taken to the place I’ll spend the next forty eight hours in. I’m hoping it’s got a bed,” he wished aloud.
“Is it here or in the Underworld?”
“It’s actually not that far from here,” he divulged, but did not expound. I instantly wished I knew more about the area.
“So you don’t get to eat or drink at all?” How did they expect him to fight after they starved him to death?
“I can only have water,” he stated simply; resolved to the challenge that awaited him.
“Wow. And then they expect you to fight and kill your own brother.” My harsh tone pulled a sneer out of Finn.
“Yes, they do. But it’s part of my obligation as the Scion to find the strength within and earn my position as Prime.”
“And then kill your brother,” I reminded him.
“And then send my brother to the Underworld to serve under our father.”
“By killing him,” I argued.
“Only his body.” This kid desperately needed to learn the definition of kill.
“All I know is if your brother…” I paused, suddenly realizing I had no idea what his name was.
“Maddox,” he provided.
“…Maddox sends you to the Underworld instead; he’ll have to answer to me.”
“I’ll let him know,” Finn held back a laugh, “Or you can tell him yourself. He’ll be the one picking me up Thursday night.”
“Well, good,” I retorted with contempt.
“I was hoping you’d be there anyway,” he rubbed my hand and his face softened. “I was hoping you’d stay with me that night until I have to leave.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” my heart warmed at his invitation. “Are you nervous?”
“Not in the least,” he announced confidently, and then his shoulders sagged, “What bothers me is that I won’t be able to be with you on the most important day of your life.”
“But you’ve done so much to get me ready! And knowing you’re thinking about me will be all I need to get me through,” I reassured him.
“It’s not enough,” he seemed to say to himself, “it’s not enough,” he glowered as his eyes became slightly unfocused. I could see the wheels turning in his head. I got to my knees, scooted closer, and stole his gaze in an attempt to break him out of his own thoughts and bring his breathtaking smile back.
“It is enough,” I told him emphatically, “And both of us are going to rock this. It’s what we do.” I shrugged my shoulders, as if taking fateful journeys was an everyday occurrence for us. My random thoughts seemed to distract him from his sullen inner dialogue.
“It is what we do, isn’t it?” he chuckled, and my heart brightened instantly.
“It sure is,” I said matter-of-factly. “In fact, we might just be a power couple like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie…minus the twenty kids. They’d call us Finnastasia.”
“That sounds like a foot fungus.”
“Anafinn?” I tried again.
“Sounds like a blood pressure medicine.”
“Well, it’s definitely your name throwing it off,” I teased him. “’Anastasia’ has a slew of possibilities, but ‘Finn’ is pretty one dimensional.” I scrunched my nose at him in dissatisfaction.
“I’ll show you one dimensional,” he said as he suddenly waged a full blown tickle attack on my unsuspecting tummy, causing me to instantly cave.
“Okay, okay! I take it back!” I continued giggling long after his fingers had retreated.
“We’ll just have to go with Awesome,” I decided with a smirk.
“It has a certain ring to it; I like it,” he concurred, and then leaned back on the pillows with a sexy grin. He ran his fingers through his hair and then rested his hands behind his head with a happy sigh. Although I told them not to; my eyes drank him in as they slowly trailed over every part of his body. His t-shirt did little to hide the muscular build beneath, and the image of him standing on the beach in nothing but boxer shorts slammed into my mind; sending sharp pangs of desire through me.
His legs were stretched out on the bed and his relaxed posture told me that he was completely at ease in his own space. I wanted nothing more than to run my hands over his stomach and chest; to melt in his arms and feel his soft lips on mine. A flash of heat shot through me and I told myself to get it together. It was a good thing he couldn’t read minds. It was then I realized he was watching me.
“You look good in my clothes,” he stated simply with a hint of awe.
“I was thinking about wearing them to class tomorrow,” I teased before realizing what I was saying. “I mean, not that I’m expecting to sleep over, I just…you know what I mean,” I grinned sheepishly. So much for getting myself together. He chuckled and I mentally smacked myself across the face. He leaned forward, took my arm, and pulled me down beside him; wrapping an arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and made the fatal mistake of draping an arm over his torso.
Feeling the incredibly soft cotton fabric of his shirt against the hard body beneath was the tipping point. Suddenly, I wanted to touch every part of him, and not just through the fabric of his clothes.
Passion spread through me like wildfire and control packed its bags, bought a one way ticket, and flew right out the window.
I lifted myself up until I was looking him right in the eyes. What I saw in them destroyed any restraint I may have had left. Behind the confidence, beneath the intensity, and hiding amongst the darkness was an innocence so pure it almost blinded me. The wildfire condensed into a river of hot lava that flowed straight to my soul; feeding something even deeper and stronger then love itself.