The numerous bolts of ominous lightning inch closer and closer, only a few feet standing between them and my stock-still form. I don't even recoil. I simply stand and wait, welcoming the surge of power I know they will deliver. Rain still falls around me, drenching me to my bones yet I don't even feel the slightest chill.
In ceremonious fashion, I lift my head back up to the sky and give myself over to my supernatural senses as I make my internal declaration. As I pledge my allegiance to the side that I wish to be tied to for eternity. The side that I will live, fight and eventually die for. I want that magic to fill me to the brim. I want to be engulfed in that overwhelming power. I want to be the magic, just as my mother, Natalia, intended for me to be. I hope I make her proud. I hope she is somewhere looking down at me with joyful tears in her beautiful golden eyes as she clutches my father's hand. I hope he, too, is smiling at me with pride etched in his magnificent face.
I am not sure if time stops, or slows tremendously, but as the first bolt of lightning pierces me, everything suddenly pauses. Every raindrop freezes to a halt, looking like a million congealed jewels suspended in the air. The strong gusts of wind die, not even whisper of a howl to be heard. Everything around me is completely silent and still. Another strikes me, lighting every cell in my body on fire with its intense current. I gasp at the feeling yet no cries escape my lips. It's … jolting, just like Donna said it would be. I smile through the odd sensation, my thoughts now on my adopted parents as the third bolt zaps me. They will never again have to be afraid. They'll never have to worry about me again. It's my turn to protect them. My turn to show them that twenty-one years of sacrifice was worth it.
The lightning flies down in a seamless blur, shocking my body from every angle and causing me to writhe and convulse with the intensity. It continues for several minutes, or maybe hours, I can't be completely sure. There is no sense of time in this realm where all other life is frozen. But as the last strike rocks my entire frame and brings me to my knees, I know no time has passed at all. Life returns yet the tumultuous rain and wind cease. The lightning and thunder have also dissipated. All is still in the night. And I can see all of it. I embrace it. I thrive in the looming darkness as if this is my natural element.
A scared, bemused girl came here, not knowing who and what she was. Unsure of the path she should choose. Uncertain of what her place was amongst the violence, rage and turmoil between two ancient enemy forces.
Now a goddess emerges, leaving behind the confusion that kept her bound with anxiety. She was made for this. She was chosen to undo the wrongs that have plagued this world and beyond. To bridge the gap between the Light Enchanters and Dark Ones and a tainted history of conflict. Her parents died so she could live and achieve her destiny. A destiny to be great, to be fearless. A destiny to be utterly extraordinary.
Chapter Thirty
Seeing the world through brand new eyes is almost jarring. Hell, have I been blind for twenty-one years? Even the way I walk, the way I move, is different. It's not so much that I'm afraid that I'll move unnaturally fast, it's keeping myself planted on the ground that seems to be the real feat. It seems easier to somewhat ghost to where I want to be. To think of a spot and somehow manifest there. Now I realize how much restraint Dorian had been using just to appear normal.
I walk down the cobblestone path, my head snapping at every creak and rustle of the leaves. It's not so much hearing as it is knowing. Like an instinctual force within me that knows what is there without truly hearing or seeing it. It's as if all my senses have combined and I've become somewhat omnipresent. Yet I still feel normal. I still feel like me. Yeah, the superhuman senses and the way my eyes and fingertips seem to constantly tingle is a bit weird, but for the most part, I am still Gabs. New & improved Gabs. Gabs 2.0. But still Gabs.
I step off the familiar elevator without hesitance and face the double doors. I know what I've come here for. My once clouded, jaded mind is now crystal clear. No amount of influence from him or anyone else can dissuade me from this. The truth is screaming at me and I can't ignore it any longer. I can't continue to live a lie.
I face the doors, contemplating my next move. Do I just bust in, guns blazing? Should I knock? Would he even answer, especially if he knew what I am? Can't he already sense the power rolling off of me in iridescent waves? Damn, I really am me. I still can't make up my mind.
The door swings open, disrupting me from my thoughts, though I expect it. I heard the footprints lightly padding across the carpet. I smelled the cool freshness of his skin. I heard his heart hammering with nervous expectation as I approached. I could even taste his flavor on my tongue. He knew I'd be coming for him. He knew this moment was inevitable.
"Gabriella," Dorian breathes, a hint of desperation in his usually smooth voice. I watch as his brilliant blue eyes take me in, a myriad of vibrant emotions displayed clearly on his face. From relief to confusion to shock to horror to fear, every one of his reactions do not go unnoticed by my skillful eyes. I know what he sees, and I know what that must mean for him. For us. But this is what I have chosen. And honestly, there was no other choice.
"Dorian," I reply confidently with a slight nod of my head.
He swallows, my eyes studying the movements of his throat and the rapid pulsing of his jugular. He's nervous. Even a bit afraid of me. I know because I can feel it. I can feel every one of his emotions just as he can feel mine. My ascension has brought our link full circle.
"What have you done?" he rasps, his eyes growing wide. "How? How did you … Why?"
I lick my lips, though they feel as smooth as silk under my tongue. "Let me in so I can tell you."
Uncertainty furrows his brow and he looks away, contemplating his next move. After a beat, he steps aside, realizing that I would make my way inside no matter what he decided. His eyes stay trained on me, taking on the icy glaze reserved for hostile threats. Once I cross the threshold, I spin around, faster than even he can probably detect.
"You can relax, Dorian. I won't attack you from behind," I smirk, giving back the same words he spoke to me the day I found out who and what he is. "It's not my style."
The look of sheer disbelief mars his gorgeous face, his jaw dropping in surprise. He quickly closes it and composes himself, ushering me through to the living room with a wave of his hand. I take the liberty to make myself comfortable on the couch, totally at ease with what I am about to do. I don't even have to think about it. I know there's only one solution and I don't want to waste time dancing around it.
"Sit with me," I say, patting the cushion beside me.
With masked hesitance, Dorian complies, yet stays a good two feet away from me, his cold, calculating eyes still focused on mine, no doubt predetermining my next move. We spend long moments sizing up the other with rapt awareness. I had always known Dorian was absolutely beautiful. Yet seeing him now, being able to unveil the mask he wears for the world is really a sight to behold. He is powerful, terrifying and magnificent. It still hurts to look at him, but in a different way entirely. He's trying to keep me out. Trying to keep up the fa?ade to protect himself, yet he can't deny me access. His anxiety is my anxiety. I am more powerful than he is, and effortlessly tear down the barriers that he struggles to put up to hide his true form.
"Why?" he finally whispers, giving up on trying to delay his fate.
I smile. "There was no other option. I knew what I had to do. I know what I was made for. It's this. This is why I was created," I say.
Dorian shakes his head and looks away, unable to stand the sight of me. "But it's impossible. It's not supposed to be like this."
Before he can turn his head back, I am beside him, clutching his face between my hands. He gasps and nearly recoils at the contact.
"But don't you see? It is supposed to be like this. This is what was meant for me all along. I am half Dark and half Light equally. Both good and evil. I was meant to rule the night and the day. And that's what I am going to do." I give him a reassuring smile. "It's ok. I'm ok, Dorian. I was meant to be both. I was never supposed to choose."
His eyes never leave mine, searching for some semblance of rationality. "But your … eyes."
I shrug, dropping my hands from his face and grasping his hands instead. He jerks a bit at first, still growing accustomed to the prickles I give him. "Yeah, that will take some getting used to. One blue and one gold eye isn't exactly normal, is it? It kinda scared the shit out of me."
Dorian finally cracks the faintest of smiles. "So you're … ok? You're not hurt? You're not … different?"
"Well, other than the eyes, do I look different?"
His eyes begin their study at the crown of my head, my semi-wet hair in a tangled, curly mess that oddly seems perfectly styled and intentional. He takes in the luminescent skin stretched over my high cheekbones, and my full pouty lips that part reflexively with his notice. Then his eyes are on collarbone, traveling down to where my wet shirt clings to my round, heavy breasts.