Angel of Fire - the Breath of Immortality - Book One #Wattys2014

One Heart. One Soul.

Chapter 49 - One Heart. One Soul

Thomas carried me up to yet another cliff and set me down beneath a magnificent lilac tree forever blooming with deep purple flowers. Tiny petals in the shape of tears floated around wistfully in the air, until they landed one by one blanketing the ground beneath our feet. Their rich, sweet scent filled my nostrils like an intoxicating perfume.

"This is called the Tree of Sorrows," Thomas announced softly. "Every petal shed represents the tear of an angel."

I dropped my jaw, awestruck. The effect was both disturbingly beautiful, yet heartbreaking all at the same time.

Thomas leaned his back wearily against the tree, wings drooping. I got a sense that his heart wasn't just breaking - it was already broken. Eyes filled with immeasurable sorrow, he suddenly appeared incredibly vulnerable. Like a weeping seraph.

"It's time," he whispered, matter-of-factly.

I wrinkled my forehead. "Time for what?"

"Tell me your feelings for Vycandor."

My eyes went wide. He couldn't admit if he had feelings for me, but he expected me to tell him about mine. Without any warning, his rejection unleashed a selfish rage.

"You told me to think about it...well, I did. I'm over being told who to love." Anger spiking, blood singing through my veins, the ends of my hair swirled high in the air like flares from a distress signal. "Vycandor is the piece of me I wish I didn't need. He may be the other half of my soul, but you are the other half of my heart."

Thomas shook his head, instantly at a loss for words. "You don't mean that. It's not possible for you to...for us to..."

I raised my voice, interrupting him. "Of course, how ignorant of me. We both know how this ends. You're Heaven sent, and I'm Heaven's storm."

He gave me a sideways glance. "Chaos, what are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" I repeated, voice going high. "I'm talking about the fact that we're not supposed to end up together." I waved my hands at his sparkling gorgeousness. "Seriously! Why did you even bother to bring me here?"

Thomas reached for my arm, capturing me by the wrist instead. "Please, let me explain."

I yanked free, voice seething with pain. His continued rejection hurt more than I thought it would. A lot more.

"Go find someone who cares. I'm done."

Hurt flashed in his eyes. "Is there no boundary to your surliness?"

I lifted my chin defiantly. "My badassedness kinda goes with the territory, don't you think?"

He buried both hands in his hair, before scraping them down his face in frustration. "Just give me a chance to explain."

Tears pooling in my eyes, I lowered my head so I wouldn't have to see that he never had feelings for me.

Resignation was clear in his voice. "I may have showed up at your school to save you, but all I've done since then is hurt you. Can't you understand that you're better off without me?"

I thought about every time I'd lost control - in danger of unleashing a full-scale Armageddon. If he hadn't been there to calm me down each time, everything would've been all over with a lot sooner.

"That's not true," I insisted, kicking the ground.

Thomas stepped closer. "Yes, I'm afraid it is. Do you have any idea how hard it has been for me to have to sit back and watch you suffer?" The tears I'd been holding back finally erupted. Voice laced with sadness, he continued his desperate plea. "Chaos, I have never been so terrified than when I had to watch you drink that poison, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop you."