Kissing Danger ✔️

THIRTY FOUR

Word Count: 1454

~Aven

Stace lifts a branch up for me to step under, smiling.

I'm not sure how I managed to let him convince me to follow him out into the forest in the dead of night. Maybe it's because the thought I laying in darkness alone is terrifying, so this is a welcome distraction from dark, inescapable thoughts.

"How are you feeling?" he asks softly.

We have avoided the conversation the entire walk.

"Confused. Scared this isn't going to work," I admit. If I catch anyone else on fire, I don't think I'll be able to cope. I don't know how Stace can live with so much power, knowing that it would take him little exertion to take the lives of many people. That's a burden I hope I don't have to come close to shouldering.

"It will work," Stace assures me. I don't know how he manages to sound so sure. "Don't listen to what she said, I've known you were my mate for awhile and have had perfect control of my powers."

I shiver. What if she is right though? What if the tumultuous relationship between Stace and I is going to stop me from controlling my powers?

I can't think about that right now...

"What are your powers?" I ask instead, hoping I can distract myself with Stace's own afflictions. Not to mention I've been curious since meeting him, and haven't yet figured out when the best moment to bring it out is. "Have you always had them?"

"I found out when I was young. I started being able to sense things, feel aspects of the natural world that people couldn't. It started as dreams, but progressed to visions that would accompany my conscious thoughts," Stace admits. It's similar to my dreams, of fire, of people burning...

I shiver. "Freaky..."

"When I reached out to my father about it, he took me right to the leaders of the time, and told them I had Angel blood in me...That I had powers, which has always been rare." Stace holds out his hand, helping me step over a large trunk that has fallen, blocking our path.

"How did he not already know?" I ask, struggling over to the other side.

Stace runs a hand back through his dark curls. "My mother died when I was born. Part of me thinks he knew she had a lot of Angel blood in her, and that she was hiding her powers out of fear she would be forced to lead, or forced to compete for something she didn't want...He knew what I had, I believe, he just wanted me to come out with it first."

Just as the last word comes from Stace's mouth, we emerge out from the path, the forest clearing to reveal a small lake. With the moon passing behind a cloud, the water looks near black, washing up against a stony shore. On the other side of it, forever away, it feels, lights glitter in what must be a small village.

"Then what happened?" I ask, not wanting Stace to get distracted away from his story as we approach the edge of the lake.

He motions toward a short, wooden jetty "I was forced to compete with others my age, all who had powers too. I ended up winning, so I had to take place as the leader of the Territory, but I was young, so for a few years, my father cared for the Territory, and then me."

He seems sad, recounting the story. He seems to be a good leader, from what I have heard, and he sounds as though he would be content not having powers to begin with, or perhaps never have been found in the first place.

"How did you win?" I ask warily.

We walk up upon the jetty, sitting down so our feet dangle just above the water line. It's so peaceful out here, this is soon becoming one of the best Territories we have visited so far. Maybe it's because it reminds me of home.