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  “If you don’t like any of them let me know, there’s more on the way,” she said as she handed them to her.

  Glancing at them only long enough to notice they had a lot of stamps on them, she clutched them to her chest and dashed upstairs.

  “Thanks, Aunt Sylvia,” she called over her shoulder.

  Halfway up the stairs to her attic suite, Eren realized she was going to have to explain to Aiden where she’d spent the day. Not that he would require an explanation, but he would ask and she wasn’t about to lie to him. Her churning stomach slowed her steps.

  She stepped through her mini living room and saw him sprawled across her bed making the old statues of roman gods look bad. Over the past few months his short, spiky black and brown hair had grown out. The shortest locks now reached his cheek bones. That wasn’t all that had grown either. Since he was wearing only a pair of faded blue jeans and a clinging t-shirt, it was impossible not to notice the hard muscles of his chest and abs.

  Her arms clutched the pamphlets tighter to her chest and she heard the tiny packet in her pocket crackle under the pressure. Knowing what it was made her blush hotly. Damn, so much for being smooth about this.

  Laughing, Aiden swung off the bed and crossed the room to meet her. He took her in his arms and lifted her chin to make her meet his gaze. Those beautiful hazel eyes—so filled with love—almost made her forget why she was embarrassed.

  “You shouldn’t be embarrassed about how I affect you. You do the exact same to me,” he told her.

  “I do, huh?”

  He murmured an affirmative answer and bent to give her a kiss that was almost painfully chaste. With his chest pressed against her, she had a hard time keeping it that way.

  “I love the haircut. What’d you bring with you?” he asked as he pulled back.

  “Thanks. College pamphlets. But there’s something else we should talk about first,” Eren forced herself to say.

  Pink stained Aiden’s cheeks and he moved back to sit down on the bed. It wasn’t often that Eren saw him embarrassed. She kind of liked it. It made him look vulnerable, which he almost never looked.

  “If it’s about where you went today, Alin already told me. E, please don’t feel pressured because of this. I don’t expect any more out of you. Things will happen when they happen, this doesn’t change that,” Aiden said as he looked down.

  Part of her wanted to be mortified that Uncle Alin not only knew about today, but had talked to Aiden about it, but she wasn’t. It did kind of bother her that Uncle Alin was worried that this would make Aiden pressure her to have sex. How could he ever think that? Setting the pamphlets down on the bed, Eren took his hands in hers and waited until he looked up at her.

  “I know you’d never pressure me. But, I also know things are changing between us every day, in a good way, and I don’t want that to stop. This will just take some of the fear out of it when we get to that point,” she told him.

  “I know, but—” she silenced him by placing a finger against his lips.

  Pushing him back onto the bed, she replaced her finger with her lips. Aside from just wanting to kiss him, there was something else she wanted to test. Instead of trying to hold her power down she called to it and felt it work its way up her throat. Opening his lips with her own, she breathed the power down his throat until he was clutching her to him. Before it could reach the point it had last time, she called it back and locked it within her by imagining a safe door closing. Despite Aiden’s own power caressing her throat, it didn’t try to rise again.

  Forcing herself to pull back, she rolled off him and lay still until she could slow her breathing. While the experiment was a success, it had been really, really hard.

  “You controlled it! Stopped the exchange. How?” Aiden gasped.

  “I pulled it back into my center and imagined it locked away there.”

  “Wow. I’ve got to try that.”

  He rolled onto his side to face her, propping his head up on his hand. Seeing him breathe heavy as he stared at her with those intense eyes, Eren knew she wouldn’t be able to control the exchange again so soon. More to the point, she wouldn’t want to.

  “Not yet,” she said with a shake of her head.

  Aiden nodded as he ran his fingers up and down the length of her arm. It caused a tingling sensation that made Eren close her eyes and focus really hard on the safe that held her power within.

  “College,” she finally said when she could put together a somewhat coherent thought.

  Aiden’s fingers withdrew from her arm but the soft feel of his power lingered about her like invisible silk. Opening her eyes, Eren pulled the rumpled pamphlets out from under her. She sat up and removed the contents from one of them. Suddenly she knew why there had been so many stamps on the envelopes. It was from a college in Europe. Scanning through the rest of the envelopes, she saw they all were.

  “E, this one’s in Scotland,” Aiden said as he flipped through a pamphlet. “Nice campus.”

  “My aunt must be really hoping I’ll go to Europe. There are some great art colleges there, but I’m gonna guess she’s pushing it so much because it’s close to Romania.”

  There was a big red circle around the return address on one of the envelopes. A not-too-subtle hint from her aunt, no doubt. It was Westminster in England. Of course Eren had heard of it. A lot of phenomenal artists came out of that college. However, she was pretty sure it didn’t have an architecture program.

  “A bit early to be applying isn’t it?” Aiden asked.

  “Actually, she gave these to me so I could pick out some campuses to go visit this summer.”

  Aiden’s eyes grew big as he took in all the European college pamphlets scattered across the bed. “Wow. Your aunt is awesome.”

  “Oh it gets better. She said you can come with me.”

  The pamphlet in Aiden’s hands sagged and he gave her a disbelieving look. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Whooping a wordless cry of joy, Aiden lunged across the bed and took her in his arms. It was a while before they got back to looking at the pamphlets. When they did it wasn’t hard to narrow it down to just three. One specialized in architecture, one in art, and a third had great programs for both. While they were both pretty sure they’d end up liking the one in Scotland with excellent programs for both, they agreed it was a good idea to at least look at the other two. For one, Eren knew Aunt Sylvia would be crushed if she didn’t at least consider Westminster.

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about spring break,” Aiden said as he gathered up the pamphlets.

  Even though it was almost March and spring break was a couple weeks away, Eren hadn’t thought much about it. All of her focus had been on training for the tournament at the end of March. She hoped that whatever he had in mind wouldn’t take her away from her training for long.

  “What about it?”

  “Your uncle and grandfather invited me to go hunting with them. Fane is practically insisting I go,” Aiden said with a laugh.

  Considering how heated things were getting between them, she knew spending spring break apart might be a good idea. As much as she was looking forward to taking the next step with him, she also wanted to draw out the current part of their relationship a bit longer. Eren had never wanted anyone the way she wanted Aiden, but the thought of actually having sex with him scared the hell out of her. How was it going to change things between them, and did it really hurt the first time like some girls said? She wasn’t ready to have those questions answered yet.

  “I don’t have to go if you had plans for us,” Aiden said, breaking her train of thought.

  Had she really been quiet that long? Damn.

  “No. Sorry, I was just thinking. That’d be great. You should definitely go. Caitlin and I will just be training for the tournament all week,” she said.

  Raising an eyebrow, he gave her a serious look. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. You’re going or Fane will never forg
ive me.”

  This would be perfect. He could go bond with the guys and she would have the time she needed to hone her skills so she didn’t make a fool of herself at the tournament. Of course it would suck to be away from him, but she had a lot of work to do if she wanted to win, which she desperately did. If she could win March and April’s tournament then there was a chance she may get to fight Bridget in May’s grand tournament. For that she was willing to make the sacrifice.

  “During the hunt, we give over to one of

  our most basic instincts, that which connects

  us with our place in the circle of life.”

  ~from Life In A Society

  Chapter 20

  Wearing only a pair of drawstring pants and carrying a backpack containing bedding and snacks, Aiden had everything he needed. They spent the entire first day hiking deep into the Mayan woods, tirelessly covering mile after mile. Hardly a word was uttered the whole day. They didn’t want to alert everything in the area to their presence. The quiet gave Aiden time to think, and he had a lot to think about.

  He had never been camping, nor done any other type of bonding with the father figures in his life. Calling his dead adopted father a tyrant seemed like a woefully inadequate description. Their bonding time had consisted of him chaining Aiden up in the basement and beating him. It was hard not to compare the man’s inadequacies to the two amazing men who had taken him under their wings, especially since his adopted father had been Alin’s brother.

  By nightfall, they reached the camp site. It was a sandy area with a rock-lined fire pit in its center beneath a gazebo. The roof and fire pit were the only luxuries they’d have. They would be sleeping on the ground and gathering food for every meal. The thought made Aiden smile.

  While walking up to the gazebo, he spotted something off to their right. In the trees a short distance from them was a strange structure that looked like an enormous bowl lying upside down on the ground.

  “What’s that?” he asked Fane.

  “Grandfather’s sweat lodge. You’ll get to see it later,” Fane said.

  “Aiden and Fane, you gather firewood. Zolin and I will get dinner,” Alin said.

  “Yes, Father,” Fane said as he dropped his pack next to the fire pit.

  He practically bounced on the balls of his feet as he started off into the trees. Casting a glance at the fading sunlight on the distant horizon, he realized they’d have to hurry. It would be hard to gather firewood in the dark. Dumping his pack next to Fane’s, he jogged to catch.

  By the time darkness settled around them they had a roaring fire going with three good-sized rabbits roasting over it. The rabbits were provided by Alin and Zolin and he and Fane contributed a bunch of potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.

  There was a clearing nearby where Fane, his father, and grandfather had planted a small garden many years ago. The wildlife ate a lot of it, but there was more than enough left over for them. They ate remarkably well for having brought so little. As they relaxed around the fire afterwards, Fane pulled out a bag of marshmallows.

  “Oh, you’re awesome,” Aiden said as he reached into the bag.

  Despite their laughter, Alin and Zolin took a few when Fane passed them their way.

  Aside from the time he spent with Eren, this was the most relaxed Aiden could ever remember being. They swapped stories and jokes, reminiscing about past hunting trips. He had a lot of questions and they were generous with their answers, eagerly explaining every little detail.

  “We’ll find the herd and track them for a few days, picking out the one’s we’re going to take,” Alin explained.

  “Then we’ll work together to separate the deer and take them down,” Zolin finished.

  Just listening to them describe it sent a thrill racing through Aiden.

  Alin clapped a hand on Zolin’s shoulder and gave him a huge smile. “We don’t get much guy time so we’ll stretch it out a bit and take our time,” Alin said.

  Many stories and half a bag of marshmallows later, Fane and Zolin were dozing beneath their sleeping bags, leaving Aiden and Alin alone to tend the fire. Aiden didn’t mind. He was completely at ease with Alin. Alin was the kind of man Aiden envisioned his real father would have been like. He was the kind of man Aiden wished he’d been raised by. But that was alright, he had him now.

  Aiden watched Alin as he poked the glowing red coals, deep in thought. The smoke that drifted up had the wonderful sweet smell of dry spruce and Aiden breathed it in deep. He wanted to savor and remember every scent, taste, and experience, because this all felt too incredible to last.

  “So what do you think of attending college in Europe?” Alin asked.

  “I think it sounds amazing. There are some great schools for architecture over there.”

  A pleased smile spread across Alin’s face, and something else, relief maybe? Pleasure flushed through Aiden when he realized he had put that joy on his face. At that moment, he knew he never wanted to do anything to displease him.

  “That’s excellent. But now that the four of you are a Society, I don’t imagine Fane will tolerate being away from you for long. Do you plan on starting college right away?” Alin asked.

  Now Aiden understood the relief. Alin and Sylvia would be moving back to Romania and they were hoping to stay close to their son. That part was a given. Aiden wanted Fane and his parents happy. But his question brought up another issue. If Aiden and Eren started college right out of high school, Fane would be left behind. He’d still have a year of school left. There was no way Aiden was going to leave him for long and he knew Eren would feel the same.

  “Actually, there was something I was thinking about doing the year after graduation. But I haven’t talked to Eren about it yet,” Aiden said.

  Alin leaned forward and nodded to him to go on.

  “Eren has an uncle in Ireland, and I’m sure I have family over there. I thought maybe we’d spend some time there. I was hoping to find somebody who might know more about channelers who can use both sides of their power,” Aiden said.

  For a few moments the only sound that disturbed the night was Zolin’s quiet snoring and the crackling of the fire. Alin was so deep in thought that it almost startled Aiden when he finally spoke.

  “Sylvia once said something about a Society in Mexico that knew a little about it. That might be a good place to start. I’m impressed that you’re already thinking of the future, Aiden. I couldn’t have chosen anyone better than you for Eren.”

  Hearing Alin, of all people, say that choked Aiden up. It was a moment before he could respond. “Thanks. That means. . . everything to me.”

  Eyes full of pride, Alin smiled. Soaking it in, Aiden smiled back. No one had ever looked at him that way. He had to turn away as tears stung his eyes.

  “We’d better get to sleep. We have a long day of tracking tomorrow,” Alin said as he stood.

  “Yeah,” Aiden agreed, suddenly too excited to sleep.

  But when he climbed into his sleeping bag and laid his head back, the busy day they’d had caught up to him. Not even thoughts of taking Eren to Mexico could keep his eyes open. It wasn’t long before the rhythm of his breathing matched Fane’s.

  “A channeler’s focus and motivation

  must first come from within.”

  ~from Life In A Society

  Chapter 21

  Up to her waist in water, Eren was beginning to question the wisdom of her aunt’s plan. In places, ice still clung to the banks of the river so to say it was cold, was an understatement. Caitlin stood before Eren in a relaxed fighting stance, seemingly oblivious to the freezing water rushing around her legs. She wasn’t even shivering.

  “You have to focus. Push your energy down into your legs and keep it there,” Aunt Sylvia called from the shoreline.

  Through teeth that chattered, Eren mumbled, “easy for you to say.”

  It wasn’t like jumping high or landing after a fifty foot drop where she had to channel energy down through her legs for
a moment. Now she had to keep it there and it was proving to be a lot harder than it had sounded when she’d been warm and dry.

  “You aren’t allowed to use your power when fighting healer channelers anyways so resist the temptation to call it up,” Aunt Sylvia said.

  They had gone a few rounds and each time Caitlin started swinging, Eren’s power rose up to her hands in preparation to fight. Her power didn’t care that Caitlin was a healer channeler. Aunt Sylvia called it a lesson in control, and Eren was failing. She wanted to get better—had to get better—so she could protect her Society. Well, that and beat Bridget. But as the sun moved across the sky, she wished Aunt Sylvia would stop acting like her instructor and start acting like a concerned aunt.

  Can channelers get pneumonia? Eren didn’t think so but she was starting to wonder.

  “Again!” Aunt Sylvia said.

  Groaning, Eren raised her hands in a defensive posture and tried to focus on holding her power down in her legs. Warmth spread through her lower body, driving back the numbness that had started to settle in.

  “Now focus, feel your center. Control your power, don’t let it control you.”

  The wiry smile Caitlin gave her, coupled with the eye roll, was almost enough to make Eren smile back. But Caitlin was turned sideways, away from Aunt Sylvia, and her long blond curls hid what her position didn’t. Eren didn’t have that luxury. Aunt Sylvia looked straight at her.

  Instead of join in on the funny face-making, Eren did what her aunt instructed. The bite of the cold water disappeared. Her power heated her to the point where the river felt good. Steam rose off the white caps of the water that lapped around her.

  Caitlin lunged in and threw a jab at her. Power rushed up from Eren’s legs, headed toward her fists. Centered as she was, it was easier to stop it this time, and even easier to push it back down into her legs despite the barrage of punches Caitlin threw at her. Controlling her power and blocking strikes at the same time, still proved to be too hard to do effectively. A punch landed in her stomach and another in her kidneys. They were light, not even half-strength, but the touch was enough to let Eren know her reactions were too slow.