See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2)(56)

“No, it would raise too many suspicions. We can move the covers so that you are guarded but we need to move quickly. He will be back soon.” Kennan gave me a hard look that set me into motion. Nothing like a tattoo to finish off such a pleasant evening.

I stripped my shirt off and lay down on the bed with my face on the pillow. It was completely uncomfortable. I missed the enclosed chair. Just as I got myself settled, Aberto reappeared, with the top of his hair tied back and a leather bag in hand. He moved toward my back looking it over slowly. I felt naked being laid out for his eyes, and tried to pull the covers up around me to hide at least a portion of myself.

“It seems whatever force is working to sacrifice these Seers is stronger than we had anticipated. I will endeavor to reinforce the shield so that nothing else may break through.” Aberto brushed his fingers over the tattoo that covered the entirety of my back. I shivered at the contact causing him to pull his hand away quickly.

“Make it quick, Old One,” Kennan all but growled.

“I will do what must be done in the time it must be done, Guardian,” Aberto replied.

“Right, so, could someone please tell me what I am about to do? Is this going to hurt as bad as last time?” I was getting sick of their manhood measuring contests. It seemed like they were always just two seconds away from breaking into an all-out brawl with one another. I knew it was not just me that made them this way. Something had passed between the men before. If I wanted to, I could just sift the memories from one of them.

I thought about the two men together, and reached out to Aberto with my mind. Somehow I didn’t feel so guilty sifting through his memories. Just as I latched onto the frenetic buzzing of his mind, the connection was severed. Aberto leaned down next to my head so that his lips were a breath away from my ear.

“Seer, my memories are not for you.” He stood, and moved back to unloading his tools. I looked over to Kennan to find him looking at me quizzically. I shook my head in his direction hoping that he would let it go. “As to your question, no, it will not hurt as bad as last time. It will hurt though. No soul walking this time either. Your soul is what needs to be reinforced.”

“Can’t you just tattoo my soul? Is that possible?” It seemed like a completely valid question to me.

“No, the ink must seep into your skin and bond with your soul. It must be placed on both parts of you to maintain the balance.”

“But the runes are just being burned into my soul aren’t they?” I was not getting them on my physical body until I woke up from wherever I had been.

“You surprise me,” Aberto said, barely above a whisper.

“Why?”

“You grasp things far beyond your years and knowledge stores.”

“You didn’t answer my question and you are still talking like you are from a bazillion years ago,” I mumbled into the pillow. Maybe if I kept talking I could distract myself from the pain.

“No, and I will not answer. Now I must concentrate on the task at hand. No more words,” he said before placing the cold metal of the tattooing implement on my back. I winced as the first wave of pain burned through my body. “Remember, embers,” he said calmly.

I tried to remember the last markings I had received. I pulled myself inward and sought out the place that I felt most at home. I surrounded myself in an imaginary version of our Alabama home. Kennan was in the kitchen cooking as I attempted to plant yet another patch of garden. I allowed the imaginary scene carry me through the pain. My life as it could be. Perhaps my life as it should be. I swallowed that thought back. If I allowed it to seep in it would sow seeds of bitterness in me.

I wouldn’t choose a life of what ifs. This was the life I chose. I pulled myself back from the farm house and to the present. I would take the pain because I needed it at the moment. I could no longer think back on my life in Alabama. That future was no longer a possibility for me. The sooner I let it go, the sooner I could move forward and fulfill whatever purpose God had for me. The memories would hold me back if I allowed them to. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I said goodbye to the life I longed for. I mourned its loss in the throes of my pain. I didn’t want Kennan to know that I had let go of that future. I knew somewhere inside of him, he held onto the hope that it was still possible. It was enough for me to have him here.

“It is done,” Aberto said. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to the tattoo or my new resolve. The way he spoke in hidden messages, I could never be sure.

“What now?” Kennan asked from the corner. He looked at my face and his expression grew concerned. “Are you alright, Red?”

“Yeah, it just hurt. I’m fine,” I lied. I had learned earlier in the night that giving into my personal whims could be destructive. Kennan and I were fine and I knew we would survive whatever came our way. I just hoped he could adapt to our new future. I was going to have a hard enough time adapting myself.

“You must get dressed and eat something, then we will prepare you for the ritual. Guardian, I need you to get this Eleanor woman. Izzy said she knew the steps necessary to sever the connection. I would like to look over her notes to ensure that she is correct in her assessments,” Aberto commanded. I stared at Kennan as he clenched his jaw before moving to follow Aberto’s orders. As soon as Kennan left the room, Aberto turned toward me. “Are you sure this is the future you seek?”