had Tua come in and meet Cooper as soon as you left. He is at home here. He belongs with his people. He deserves to find the right love for him. He has a right to let his Shield down, and be safe. Cooper must realize he is not truly a Shadow Vampire. He is mostly Torch. He comes from Me!”
All Keira could do was absorb the horrible image of Cooper and Tua meeting each other, making love, spending the night in each other’s arms. Keira’s eyes became wet with tears.
“It was perfect from the first moment,” Tua uttered, excitedly. “The passion flowed, the delight was palpable. It was felt throughout the compound. This is an occasion of joy for us all.”
Keira’s mind was spinning. She thought Cooper went to his own room after the meeting, as she had.
“You understand?” Tua persisted.
Keira nodded her head. “I’m beginning to.”
“You will leave the tribe and never come back?” Tua asked heatedly.
Keira looked right in her eyes. They were cold now and glittery, turning from blue to green. Keira was not frightened though. Neither Tua nor Ilyana hadpower over her. The only thing that did have power over her was the thought of Cooper and Tua in each other’s arms. That was unbearable. If Keira stayed another moment, she felt as if she would fall through the earth. She had to escape from all of it.
“Yes,” Keira said to Tua, “I will leave immediately.” Even as she said those words, Keira realized that she had to get out of here right away. She wouldn’t survive if she stayed. “You’ll never see me again,” she uttered.
“Wonderful,” said Tua, as she turned around, went to the door and fled.
CHAPTER 9
Keira left the Torch compound devastated. She took her backpack and slunk out the back door with the guides, not telling Cooper, or saying good bye. What good would it do to face him again? It would only make her feel worse, more rejected, and alone. And who knew how he would react?
He might be relieved. All along he’d told her things were temporary and she hadn’t listened. Now she understood what he meant. She and Cooper were from different tribes, had different journeys to take. Their paths had only crossed fleetingly, for a specific purpose and no more. Once again Keira wondered what her purpose in life was, but the pain she felt at separating from Cooper, stopped her from thinking clearly. As she left the compound, she felt as if she were being ripped apart, leaving half of herself behind.
Ilyana hadn’t left any detail unattended to. She insisted that the guides drop Keira off at the far end of the trail, on main road. Once they did, they turned swiftly and left without so much as a good-bye. It was cold, wet, windy and Keira crunched down next to a tree, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm.
It had all happened so quickly. Now Cooper was back home with his mother and Tua, the woman he was meant to love, and Keira was tossed away by the side of the road. Pain and anger flooded through her body, almost bursting her veins.
She couldn’t let it destroy her, though. She had to re-group, pull herself together, she couldn’t stay here. She’d have to take a leap of courage and take the next step. More than anything, she wished the indigo light would come, warm and guide her. Sometimes it came and gave her courage. Other times, it hung back, invisible, and she had to learn how to depend on herself.
Keira pulled out her backpack out and ruffled through it. To her surprise, her cell phone fell out, right into her hands. It had stayed with her all through her travels. For a moment she wanted to call home, but could not bring herself to. What could she say to them now? How would they respond?
Then she thought of her first cousin, Toby, who she used to be close to and had moved to the South Side of Chicago. Keira’s family saw them a lot in the beginning, but then it tapered off. Toby’s father was then killed a plane crash a few years later. Toby
All Keira could do was absorb the horrible image of Cooper and Tua meeting each other, making love, spending the night in each other’s arms. Keira’s eyes became wet with tears.
“It was perfect from the first moment,” Tua uttered, excitedly. “The passion flowed, the delight was palpable. It was felt throughout the compound. This is an occasion of joy for us all.”
Keira’s mind was spinning. She thought Cooper went to his own room after the meeting, as she had.
“You understand?” Tua persisted.
Keira nodded her head. “I’m beginning to.”
“You will leave the tribe and never come back?” Tua asked heatedly.
Keira looked right in her eyes. They were cold now and glittery, turning from blue to green. Keira was not frightened though. Neither Tua nor Ilyana hadpower over her. The only thing that did have power over her was the thought of Cooper and Tua in each other’s arms. That was unbearable. If Keira stayed another moment, she felt as if she would fall through the earth. She had to escape from all of it.
“Yes,” Keira said to Tua, “I will leave immediately.” Even as she said those words, Keira realized that she had to get out of here right away. She wouldn’t survive if she stayed. “You’ll never see me again,” she uttered.
“Wonderful,” said Tua, as she turned around, went to the door and fled.
CHAPTER 9
Keira left the Torch compound devastated. She took her backpack and slunk out the back door with the guides, not telling Cooper, or saying good bye. What good would it do to face him again? It would only make her feel worse, more rejected, and alone. And who knew how he would react?
He might be relieved. All along he’d told her things were temporary and she hadn’t listened. Now she understood what he meant. She and Cooper were from different tribes, had different journeys to take. Their paths had only crossed fleetingly, for a specific purpose and no more. Once again Keira wondered what her purpose in life was, but the pain she felt at separating from Cooper, stopped her from thinking clearly. As she left the compound, she felt as if she were being ripped apart, leaving half of herself behind.
Ilyana hadn’t left any detail unattended to. She insisted that the guides drop Keira off at the far end of the trail, on main road. Once they did, they turned swiftly and left without so much as a good-bye. It was cold, wet, windy and Keira crunched down next to a tree, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm.
It had all happened so quickly. Now Cooper was back home with his mother and Tua, the woman he was meant to love, and Keira was tossed away by the side of the road. Pain and anger flooded through her body, almost bursting her veins.
She couldn’t let it destroy her, though. She had to re-group, pull herself together, she couldn’t stay here. She’d have to take a leap of courage and take the next step. More than anything, she wished the indigo light would come, warm and guide her. Sometimes it came and gave her courage. Other times, it hung back, invisible, and she had to learn how to depend on herself.
Keira pulled out her backpack out and ruffled through it. To her surprise, her cell phone fell out, right into her hands. It had stayed with her all through her travels. For a moment she wanted to call home, but could not bring herself to. What could she say to them now? How would they respond?
Then she thought of her first cousin, Toby, who she used to be close to and had moved to the South Side of Chicago. Keira’s family saw them a lot in the beginning, but then it tapered off. Toby’s father was then killed a plane crash a few years later. Toby
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