The Butterfly Effect Part 10

The bond I once felt between us, no longer seems attached. I did feel a connection to her that now feels broken. The thing about me being a wizard is there is a little twinge of darkness in me. But if I marry a good witch that darkness will completely disappear. I could have let the darkness in me take over, but I refuse to be that type of person. I even have the power to turn Riley into being immortal like me. But something is wrong, something is very wrong. I feel the bond breaking between us and the anger fuels through me.

I step outside, and I see Riley being put into Ace's car, along with Bea. However, I can't worry about that at the moment. Even when they pull away, I sense magic all around me and I see a strange car in Riley's driveway. I knock on the door of Riley's apartment.

"Nathan, we've been expecting you," Riley's mom, Mona, says with a grin.

I'd recognize her in a heartbeat. Riley is a splitting image of her and it only makes sense that this woman is her mom.

"What the h.e.l.l did you do, witch?"

"Did you think you could fool my daughter into your sick and twisted game of lies and deceit to gain her powers? The one thing you failed in your game is me. And you will never be able to get to Riley. I broke the bond between you two. She was more than willing to let you go after your lies." She laughs wickedly. "She won't remember the way you touched her, or how your lips felt on hers. It's all been erased." Mona throws her head back, laughing uncontrollably.

My heart is pounding in my chest, vibrating through my ears. Every gla.s.s in the house shatters, including the windows.

"You're a liar! What did you do?" I ask angrily.

"She will forget any feeling she ever had for you. You silly boy. Did you not think I would have Riley's protector nearby when I sent her away to college? You're a disgrace to your own kind." Her words spit out at me with venom.

"I love Riley. How could you do that to your own daughter? My guess is you're a dark witch now, and now you want her magic for yourself. How pathetic."

Mona's sisters appear from around the corner, and together they chant. Their magic together causes me excruciating pain and I find myself on my knees.

"You are the one manipulating Riley. Making her think I'm the dark wizard. Besides no matter how hard you try you can't kill me, witch. You have to do better than just chant a spell with your sisters."

I try to gather enough strength together to put these witches down long enough for me to get away. I start to chant a spell, putting an invisible barrier between me and the dark witches. I make my escape, but not without a few bruises.

"If you so much as come near Riley again, you won't be happy with the consequence. I will f.u.c.king protect her, not f.u.c.king Ace," I spit out in anger.

I pray to G.o.d that Riley hasn't given up on me. And I pray she doesn't give in to Ace, she belongs with me. Just the thought of the two of them together sickens me. I contemplate whether I should go to her now or let her have some s.p.a.ce. Hopefully, nothing happens that can't be rectified. I'll just hide out at my brother's until spring break is over.

RILEY.

I wake in a strange place with no memory of how I got here, finding myself on a bed, with Ace on one side of the bed and Bea on the other side watching me. "What happened? Oh G.o.d." I clench my stomach.

"You pa.s.sed out when your mom did what she did," Bea tells me. "Ace had to carry you to the car. Are you sick?"

I nod.

"I'll go make you some soup," Ace says before leaving the room.

The only memory I have is that Mom was doing a spell and I fell to my knees. I know whatever she did, she did because I asked her and there was no other way. Bea and I don't talk about what happened.

"Are you okay, Riley?"

I give her a weak smile. "I'm okay. Thanks for everything." I squeeze her hand. "Bea, I'm sorry, I haven't been a good friend." Tears well up in my eyes.

"Things have been crazy for you. It's okay." She smiles.

"It's not okay. How could I not see that you found your one?" I wipe a tear away. "I don't deserve your friendship."

Bea reaches over and tucks my hair away from my face. "Stop. If you say sorry again, I'll slap you. You are my best friend no matter what. And Ace here will take good care of you, okay?" She winks, blows me a kiss, and leaves the room as Ace hands me soup.

I smile shyly at him. Even though I'm sick, I can't help but smile at him. He is so infectious, and I see him in a completely new light. I know the truth, my truth.

"Thanks Ace. For everything. I don't even know what to say," I stammer.

"Just eat your soup and get to feeling better. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

"This soup is good. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He rests his hand on my leg.

I finish eating my soup and my belly is full. Ace and I watch mindless TV until I pa.s.s out again.

Morning breaks and I squint my eyes as the smell of breakfast wafts through the place. Moments later, Ace comes in with a tray. I smile and sit up, pushing my crazy bed hair away from my face.

"Good you're awake. How are you feeling?" He sets the tray on my lap.

"Better. This looks amazing." I smile, taking the fork and immediately digging into the pancakes. "I could definitely get used to this," I say between mouthfuls.

"You won't hear me complaining."

"Do you ever have a bad day?" I ask. "You always smile, and are so easy going. You're kind of perfect, actually."

"Did you just say I'm perfect?" He flashes a huge grin.

"Add c.o.c.ky to the list."

"I never have a bad day whenever you're around." He squeezes my shoulder. "It's good to have you back to normal."

I still have no memory of what happened yesterday, only bits and pieces here and there. Part of me thinks it's probably better that way. Then I wonder why I didn't see that Bea had found her one. How could I be so blind not to see her love sick? I should have known, as much as she was hanging out with Trent.

Bea comes into the room riding on Trent's back. When she sees I'm awake he lets her down. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better."

"Come find me later if you're up to it," she says, hoping back onto Trent's back.

"How many people are here?" I ask Ace.

"All the guys are here." He sits on the edge of the bed. "I haven't told you everything. It sounds weird, but I'm the leader of us. I don't know how I got that responsibility, but I do. So when I'm pa.s.sionate about something, about protecting a certain someone, they do everything to protect them, too. Granted, they won't stake any claim on someone if I already have. They all have their own claims but we stick together like a pack and we protect our own."

"Did you stake claim on me?" I ask.

"Who's the c.o.c.ky one now? You've been through a lot, and I'm willing to wait until you're ready."

I swallow a hard lump. If I'm going to be honest, I'm not sure I have those kinds of feelings for Ace. Yes, he makes me laugh, makes me feel protected, and it's so easy to be myself around him. But at the same time, I want to take things slow. I want to know for sure how I feel about him. Maybe my feelings could grow into something more. I know he would never hurt me, but the risk of handing my heart over is still a concern. I still feel fragile and want to form a solid friendship first. Nothing comes without consequences. Most of all, I don't want to hurt him if my feelings don't progress. I know he wants more, and I'm just not sure I can give that to him.

"Anyway, I'll take that and you can get ready," he tells me, taking the tray from my lap.

"I don't have anything to wear," I realize.

He chuckles. "Bea managed to pack you both a bag. The clothes are hanging in the closet and there's stuff in the drawers." He points.

I smile. Once he leaves the room, I take advantage of the private bathroom that's in the room. Starting the shower, I move to pick out some clothes while the water heats up. Spring is right around the corner, and I pull out a pair of skinny jeans and a flowy white top. Bea did good packing for me. I undress and slip into the hot shower, letting the steam engulf me. So much has changed, yet some things have only evolved into so much more. I'm overwhelmed by Ace and how protective he is. My magic hasn't acted up at all since he's been around. Somehow, I feel like there is a connection there as well.

I scrub my body and wash my hair and rinse off. Stepping out, I wrap myself in a towel and move to the bedroom to change. Towel drying my hair, I let my hair hang loose and change into the clothes I picked out. After applying some makeup, I trudge downstairs where I hear the commotion in the living room. The room is huge with tall gla.s.s windows all around and a fireplace in the center of the room; it's very rustic, yet modern.

"She's alive!" some of the guys say in unison. I smile and wave. Ace quickly comes over to me and grabs my hand. He's grinning as always. Outside, the fresh cool air slams against me, and I inhale the freshness.

"It's so beautiful here," I say as we walk hand in hand. Woods line all around the cabin.

"My parents own the place. It's secluded and just a place to get away from it all. Naturally, we can be ourselves here."

"Tell me more about you shifting."

He smiles. "Well, all we have to do is go into the woods and something just happens that we change. No one can really explain it, except that it's like a natural habitat for bears. And it's mostly so we can protect the ones we love, our scent masks your and Bea's magic. It's hard for people to detect it when we are around. And if an attack would ever happen, we can transform and deter the situation. A transformation can happen if we are fueled with anger, as well. It will happen in a second."

"That's all so interesting," I confess. "About what you said earlier, about waiting for me when I'm ready. I really appreciate that. I want to take things slow, get to know each other. I know there is no rush at the moment."

"I understand." He gives my hand a squeeze and flashes a wink.

At this moment, holding hands is perfect and I can feel his protectiveness. The serene scene calms me, settling my nervousness that I normally feel around Ace. Walking hand and hand around the property as I take in everything.

"You're safe here. I'll always keep you safe," he says.

"I know."

"Should we go back inside and join the others?" Ace asks.

"You go on ahead and I'll be in, in a moment," I tell him.

I take everything in that's happened so far this year. Some memories are more blurry than others, but the two constants I know are Bea and Ace. I wonder what the rest of the year will bring.

Chapter Fifteen.

RILEY.

I enter the house and warmth surrounds me, comforting me. Bea comes over and puts an arm around my shoulders.

"I need a few minutes with my BFF," she tells the others as we walk back outside. Once we are away from the others, she tells me she has something to tell me.

"Are you going to tell me or just let me guess?"

She starts to pace in the gra.s.sy lawn. "I honestly don't know what to say. But there is something wrong about all of this. I can't put my finger on it just yet, but maybe we need to hole ourselves in a room later to practice some magic, see if we see something. Something just feels wrong about all of this."

"Are you saying we shouldn't be here with the guys?"

"Of course not. Ace is very protective of you, and me, too. I know we are safe here. I say we just hang here for a few days, for spring break, and let things cool down. We'll figure this out. No matter what, I'm right by your side."

I let out a deep sigh. "Thanks, Bea." I hug her tight.

Trent peeks his head out of the door. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine," Bea says, shrugging it off.

I'm so glad Bea came to me and explained her concerns. However, the news doesn't put me at ease, at least not until we can do some magic together later. Right now, I just need to make the best of the situation and let things be. There are still so many questions that need answered, but right now those have to wait. I especially don't want Ace and the guys to be aware of Bea's concern, which will put them on high alert.

"How about we go for a hike? There's so much to see around here," Ace says.

Figuring it will put my mind on something else, I agree by smiling and nodding my head. Bea shrugs her shoulders in agreement. Her version of what the heck, why not.

I change into better shoes for hiking. I walk next to Ace with Bea and Trent in front of us, and some of the guys ahead of them.

"Are you sure you are feeling okay to hike?" Ace asks.

"Oh, I'm fine."

"You just seem like you are far away," he admits.

"I have a lot on my mind. Just some things I'm trying to sort out in my head. Nothing for concern, though." I smile.

"Okay, well maybe getting out and about will put your mind at ease," he tells me.

"Maybe. Does your family own the property around here as well?" I try to divert the attention away from me.

"Yes, we are going to the edge of the property. Wait until you see it. It's beautiful and one of my favorite places to go and just be."

"I'm excited to see it."

With Bea and Trent in front of me, I can see clearly how happy she is with him. Her blonde curls bounce off her shoulders as she tilts her head back, laughing at something Trent says. My heart swells at the love they have for each other. It's beautiful, actually. In that moment, I know that I don't feel that way for Ace and my heart tugs at the thought.

Who knows if I will find the one? All I do know is that I have less than six months to figure it out. Six months might seem like a lifetime to some, but for me, my fate depends on it. I can feel the clock just ticking at me, mocking me.

Ace and I don't talk much on the way to wherever he is leading us. Sometimes silence is enough. We don't need to talk every second we are together. I envy Ace for his dedication in protecting Bea and me. He deserves so much more than I could ever give him.

We approach our destination and a strong arm tugs around my neck from behind. Ace and the guys immediately grow angry as my captor backs up away from the crowd, while everyone watches. My body relaxes when I realize who has me. His grip isn't tight, but just enough to make an impression. Right before my eyes, Ace and the guys transform into bears, viciously roaring. Nathan talks into my ear and I hold my hand up to Ace, hoping he understands I'm not being harmed.