Standing just inside of the clothing store, Adrian smiled up at Tristan and laughed as he rocked the glamour glasses from the sunglass rack. She’d step out soon, say she needed some air. He might be apprehensive, due to his gift, but he couldn’t read minds. She stepped further into the store, shaking her collar as if to fan her hot skin. She was new to lying but she was not new to acting. She’d spent most of her life pretending she was no different than the people around her and yet this one summer destroyed those illusions. She was different, she wasn’t even human; not completely, that is.
“You know, if I knew any better I’d say you are enjoying our endeavor into the mall world.” Tristan’s voice was gruff. “I mean, we really don’t have malls on Arinth. I guess we are still stuck in the Stone Age.”
“Umm..I’m sure you mean, you’re still stuck in like…the eighteenth century. If you were stuck in the Stone Age you would probably be a little less worried about what you wear.”
“Yes, yes. I mean, we have seamstresses and almost all of the clothes are designer, seeing as they are all custom made.” Tristan picked up a shirt with large holes in the sides and chains holding the sleeves together. “I am sure I will never understand the fashions of this world.”
“You and me both, buddy.” Adrian leaned forward and pretended to swipe a bead of sweat from her forehead. “I’m very hot, I’m going to step outside really quick, feel free to look around.”
“No, I should stay with you, plus there is nothing in this Light-forsaken store that I could possibly want to buy.” Tristan immediately dropped the chain shirt back to its place on the rack and prepared to follow her from the store.
“I’m alright, really, and we can here to buy clothes. Plus, what's going to happen to me in the middle of the day, with all these humans around? Look through and see what you like and I’ll step out for a moment. I’ll even obtain a cold wet towel or something for my forehead from that Mexican restaurant we’d passed earlier.” Knowing his strong distaste for Mexican food, Adrian used that to her advantage. Smiling up at him sweetly, Adrian spun around and left the store confident she’d left him behind; albeit with a frown on his face.
The moment she cleared the store and its wide windows, Adrian dipped into the nearest store with a customer service desk. She only had a few minutes before she’d have to make her way back to Tristan. Their day trip had not been intended to last all day. He was just as upset about having to shop as she was but she needed a reprieve from being stuck in the safe house. Walking up to the man behind the desk, Adrian took a deep breath.
“Hello, sir! I left my cell phone back at home and I am supposed to be meeting my mother here. She said she had a surprise for me but I receive it if we can’t find each other. I don’t do this often, I swear, but this morning has just been an entirely frustrating morning!” she feigned exasperation and pressed a small amount of her Influence on the man. It was a gift she’d learned she held just the week before and Tristan had taught her how to use it. The man nodded emphatically and picked up the hand held from the desk.
“Yes, ma’am. All you have to do is dial 9 to call out and I’ll step out to give you a little privacy.” He seemed eager enough as he turned the phone console toward her and then stepped out from behind the desk. “Did I mention that jacket is just to-die-for?” She shook her head and laughed sweetly until he disappeared around the corner. Dialing her mother’s number, Adrian tapped a foot impatiently as it began to ring.
“Annalise.” Her mother’s voice rang through the phone.
“Mom!”
“Adrian! I’ve been looking all over for you! I’ve been calling you! I even tried GPSing you. Why does it say you’re location is unknown? Just because we talked about space does not mean you get to just disappear on me, young lady. That is NOT how you do things!” Adrian smiled despite her mother’s yelling. It felt so good to hear her voice again, alive and well and angry.
“I’m so sorry, I was actually taken captive by some Dark Warriors from Arinth. They thought that I was lying when I said I knew nothing about my heritage. But I wasn’t, I knew nothing. You never told me anything about my father.” Adrian waited, the silence on the other end of the phone stretched further than the unknown distance between them.
“Adrian…” Her mother paused again and Adrian closed her eyes. “Adrian, I couldn’t tell you. There were so many unanswered questions. I couldn’t give you less than half of a story I only dreamed was true. I wanted to believe that your father left because of his duty to his home planet and his honor and all that but when it really came down to it he left just like human men. He most likely didn’t want to deal with the ramifications of getting a human woman pregnant and fled. I could only tell you he wanted to be here but couldn’t even though that was a lie. I wished I could tell you the rest but I just couldn’t.”
“Mom….he didn’t leave because he didn’t want to be with you, or with us. He left because they made him.” Her voice was soft, consoling.
“What?”
“Yes, Mom. He wanted to be here but he couldn’t. It is against all codes of honor and even their freaking warrior creed. I’ve seen him, Mom. Not in person but they have these pictures that move. It’s not a video but a legit picture that holds the person’s Essence and…ugh, it’s just entirely too much to explain and I snuck out to talk to you. Listen, the men that I am with are trustworthy, I will try and convince them to bring you to the Safe House but for some reason they seem to think involving you is more dangerous than leaving you alone and unaware. I don’t understand that but I’ll try harder.”
“Adrian, are you sure you can trust these men?”
“Yes, and Mom…there is one that I’m completely and utterly in love with. His name is Chase Hunter. He’s my mate! Just like my dad is your mate.” She took a deep breath.
“Adrian! If you know what happened with your father and me then why are you mating one of the men apart of the same unit!” Her voice sounded frazzled. “I tried my best with you but being apart from Anders is one of the worst things that have happened to me!”
“I know, Mom but you mated with one of them so you very well know you really have no choice in the matter. It’s not like I would just say no to being his mate anyway, even my soul seems to love him. Look, I have to go but I will contact you as soon as I can.” They said their goodbyes and Adrian ducked her head, closing her eyes against the tears threatening to fall. She stepped out of the customer service area, thanked the man who’d let her use the phone and almost ran to the store entrance. She’d been talking to her mother entirely too long and Tristan was bound to be suspicious of her actions.
“There you are, if you had been wanting to go into another store you should have come and retrieved me first. That way we can look together.” Tristan’s deep voice startled her and she tried her best to hide her guilty surprise. She turned to where he sat on the bench just outside the doors.
“I’m sorry, the clothes here seemed so much better I just had to step in for a second. I’d completely lost track of time and figured I’d come find you as soon as possible.” She recovered and straightened her jacket. Sitting beside him, Adrian tried to slow her fast beating heart. “Maybe that’s enough looking for today. I’d say we come back tomorrow and buy everything we need? At least this way we know which stores we like and don’t like.” She smiled over at him.
“Tomorrow…yes…a great idea. I’m tired of this place anyway, you wouldn’t think how strong the stench of so many rotten auras would be until you enter a mall.”
“You speak as if you have a distaste for humans, if so, then why do you protect us.”
“I don’t have a distaste for all humans, just the deceiving and conniving kind that seem to be frequenting this establishment. I give so much leeway to this race we protect, they just never cease to surprise me. Or maybe it’s just that you learn to trust them and they always seem to let you down. Like I told you, not all humans, but it seems a vast majority of them are all the same.” Tristan turned and looked right into her eyes. “Their auras reek. Let’s go, before I break my vows as a warrior.”
Adrian stayed quiet. She knew he was suspicious now, she’d never heard him talk to her so angrily before. She doubted he knows what she did or who she talked to but she hoped she hadn’t betrayed all of his trust. She had to talk to her mother though, she had to do it. He was wrong anyway, her mother wasn’t safe there and alone. She'd sent out feelers and the area around her mother was murky and dark as if a cloud had settled over her house. She’d be safer with them and if she had to betray them to keep her mother safe it would all be worth it. She had her own gifts she didn’t need them, any of them. For some reason, she didn’t believe that for a second.
"The only way to be a writer is to write, write and write. The only way...is to write." -Jade Elyzabeth
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