When The Heart Sings

Chapter 11

Serena's POV:

I slowly woke up and felt kind of confused. I remained lying down as I slowly blinked in the light, but this pale blue room with its big window was nothing like the lab. We had managed to escape, and I wondered where we were since this didn't resemble a hotel room.

Darien was talking with someone in another room. The door to this room was open a bit and allowed me to inadvertently eavesdrop. "Are you insane? She is human!"

Darien snarled, "She is my soulmate! Do not disrespect her. I will not tolerate it even from a keeper of a waygate."

"Are you sure she is your soulmate? You were stuck in that lab for a long time, and they could have drugged you with something."

"Positive. I can feel the bond and I crave her touch. There is no discomfort at all when she touches me, and, as you well know, the touch of humans is painful. Besides, they never even got so much as a blood sample from me during all that time."

The man sighed in defeat, "Touch is the one sign that can't be mistaken. I am quite aware of the pain of contact, that is why I always carry gloves in this place. What do you plan to do now? You have been gone quite a while. In case you didn't hear yet, there is war back home."

My head was trying to wrap itself around this conversation. Darien had said that he was different, but I was pretty sure that he wasn't exactly human at this point. Considering what I had seen, it didn't really surprise me. Soulmate... I was sure I had heard of that in a fairy tale or two, but they were both quite serious. Could the odd magnetic pull be the bond he was speaking of?

Darien spoke, "War? With whom?"

"Another race that calls themselves the Dranek. They managed to take over a waygate about a decade ago and have slowly been pushing us back. They control the entire Delta peninsula at this point. They are larger and stronger than us. The army will welcome you. They need every fighter they can get, although I am not sure how they will react to that mate of yours."

"She is not going anywhere near the fighting. She is too fragile."

"Soulmates do not do well if they are separated for more than a short time."

"I will not be parted from her. I am not joining the war since there is no way to guarantee her safety anywhere near the warzone."

The man sounded angry, "You would choose a human over your own race?!"

Darien growled, "The average human is of no concern to me. I killed over fifty of them in the last 24 hours during our two escape attempts. Only Serena matters. I was in that blasted lab for thirty years. Thirty years! No one came for me."

My heart ached for him. He had been stuck in that place for thirty years? I had been in there mere hours and I never wanted to return. I wondered how old he was, he didn't look like he was over 25.

"That was because we were at war."

Darien snorted in contempt, "For the last twelve years. What about the other eighteen?"

The man sighed, "The time in that place has definitely not improved your temper any. Your brother tried to break you out a few times, but we stopped him after he almost got caught. I am surprised you managed to escape, especially while carrying her. How long ago did you break out? I didn't see any news broadcast about a dangerous person on the loose."

Darien was silent long enough that it stood out. The man spoke quietly, "Darien?"

Darien sighed and replied so quietly that I had to strain to hear his words, "The bond has affected me in ways I did not expect. My strength and speed have increased quite noticeably. It was almost easy to break out of that lab this last time. In my previous escape attempts, I never got more than a floor or two closer to the surface. Some parts of what I have experienced do not match anything I have ever heard about soulmates."

"How so?"

I listened as Darien described everything from the time he had seen me on the bus until our escape, while talking about what he felt from the bond, as well as how his abilities had increased.

His friend was silent for a bit, "While the bond is settling the first day or so, both people can be unstable if the bond is interrupted or they are parted. The male is known for being a bit stronger and more aggressive if something disturbs the bonds while it is settling, but the instability should have faded once the disturbance had passed. The changes you are describing are not something seen in a soulmate bond."

Darien commented, "I have heard of a few cases where the speed increased when soulmates first spotted one another."

"Yes, speed can temporarily increase as they try to get to one another. I can see that happening when you spotted her on the bus, but once you found her, the extra speed should have faded. There is no explanation for this. I am hoping that things stabilize once the bond settles in another day or two. At that point, you will probably return to normal."

This conversation was getting awkward to listen to as I involuntarily eavesdropped. That last big change Darien had noticed in his abilities had occurred about the same time that I had sung that song. The earlier ones I could not blame myself on though, so it wasn't just my song.

If that song I sang in the lab had anything to do with the changes, then I doubted they were going to just disappear. That had been a very powerful song.

I was still tired, and the men had been silent for some time now. This was as good of a time as any to 'wake up'. I didn't even have to fake the quiet yawn. I moved my legs a bit as I sat up in bed and saw that I was still in my clothing. Darien's hearing was sharp, and I hadn't even looked around the room for more than five seconds before the door opened to reveal Darien.

I smiled and relaxed when I saw him. I hadn't even realized that I had been tense. It must be the mate bond they were speaking of. He came over to sit beside me as he took my hand in his, "How are you feeling?"

It felt good to hold his hand, although I still had no idea what to make of the tingles that occurred every time our skin touched. I smiled somewhat shyly, "I'm fine. How are you doing? You were the one carrying me."

A soft smile graced his face and made him even more handsome, "Better than ever. There is breakfast if you want some."

My stomach growled its approval and I blushed. He chuckled as he stood and pulled me to my feet. I followed him out of the room. The hallway led to an open kitchen and living room design. A man who looked to be in his mid-thirties sat on one of the sofas as he pointedly ignored me. His eyes also faintly glowed, but a light green color that matched the color of his irises.

Darien glanced at me, "What do you want?"

I shrugged, "Anything is fine with me."

"Toast?"

I nodded and he dropped two pieces of bread into the toaster. Once he did that, he turned around and pulled me into his arms in a hug while lightly resting his chin on the top of my head. I leaned my head against his chest. It was relaxing and felt just so right. He had said he craved contact with me, and I could truly say that I felt it as well.

We stayed like that until the toast popped up. Darien released me as he turned to butter it. I noticed that the man on the sofa was watching us in shock. I was a bit embarrassed at having someone watching our public display of affection. In fact, I wasn't used to really being watched. I tended to be good at blending into the background.