Chosen

“We’re almost there.” She twirled around in a show of indifference and continued to walk until we reached a tall stone staircase that led underground.

“And just where is ‘ there’ ?” I questioned her with heavy skepticism.

“You’ll see. I made it myself.” She skipped down several more stairs and pivoted to glare up at me. “Well?” Wanting to get this little journey over with, I rolled my eyes and followed her down the stairs. We continued to walk through a dark, dank tunnel for what seemed like hours, until we reached a dead end. I could hear water rushing above us which was slightly unnerving, but I ignored my urge to leave.

“Congratulations. You made a dead end.” I raised an eyebrow but she simply reached out and touched my shoulder. I swatted her arm away, but we had already been conveyed to what I assumed was the other side of the dead end. She was lucky I was used to my mom using conveyance to travel.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t inherited that particular ability. But I had some other cool ones that more than made up for it.

I inspected my new surroundings and couldn’t help being awestruck. Somehow she had created a completely enclosed square room underground. But that wasn’t the cool part. It was the ceiling - or the lack there of. Instead of solid stone, above our heads were clear rocks that displayed the full fury of the rushing river above.

“I enchanted the rocks above this part of the river to be transparent so I could see through them,” she bragged with a smug smile. “It’s my hiding place. Only one way in and only one way out.” She wiggled her eyebrows for effect, “ Me.”

“Of course. It’s your world. We’re just living in it.” I responded with cynicism. My eyes ran along the pristine stone walls once again. I had a feeling I could bust out of there if I had to. If she was trying to intimidate me, she’d have to do a lot better than that.

“So…” She sauntered over to me slyly and ran a finger down my chest. “What do you want to do?” Punch that smug look off your face.

“Leave,” I growled and moved away from her. She was beginning to push her luck. “Now.”

The angry vapor rose from her skin again as she approached, armed with a cocky grin and an arrogant swagger. “You better get used to this now because we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”

“I doubt that,” I threw back at her and laughed. She smirked and moved to stand within inches of me, rage flashing in her eyes.

“My mother has spoken. You’re mine.”

Chapter 5

Finn You know that glorious sliver of time between the moment you wake up and the moment where reality hits? Unfortunately for me, it slipped through my fingers so quick, I nearly missed it.

Not to mention my dream hadn’t been too different from my current reality. That day six years ago, I had no idea how true her selfish words were. I was young and clueless. Even when Mom explained it to me with devastated tears in her eyes, I didn’t give it another thought. It was no big deal. I’d find a way around it by the time I was eighteen. When you’re twelve, eighteen is a lifetime away. I told myself it didn’t matter. And I was right, it didn’t. Until she came back. Until I looked into those unsettling blue eyes and glimpsed her soul. The day on the beach when she became real, was the day that everything changed.

The roar of the water rushing above me soothed my anxiety, while my inner clock fought to calculate what day of the week it was. If my math was right, I’d been down here for five days. I’d spent almost a week in the bowels of the Underworld, as the world above continued to move forward as if I’d never existed. At the onset of each darkness, I would willingly slip away into catatonic episodes of extreme isolation and pain. My mind would do its best to convince me that no one would be searching for me. I told myself everyone had given up, moved on with their lives, and my body had been disposed of in the vast meadows of the sea floor. Or maybe they would bury it on the Isle with a nice headstone that read: Here lies Finn Morrison. The worst Prime who ever lived. My mother would weep with shame, and Stasia would turn her back; unable to bear the evidence of my obvious failure. She had risked everything for me, only to be repaid with utter defeat.

I had been a fool to think I would protect her by keeping her in the dark; sacrificing my own destiny. The only thing I had sacrificed was my relationship with the one person that ever mattered to me; my reason for breathing. I should have known it was never me who was meant to be the hero.

The sand and the sea bowed to her glory; reveling in her presence and soaking up her beauty. She was destined to surpass all who came before her and touch all those who came after. I could only hope to stand by and watch as she changed the world. I would never again underestimate her again. I would spend the rest of my life proving my love to her. She was my anything. She was my everything. And I’d almost thrown it all away.

When the soft light of each new morning once again filtered through the raging river and down into my cave, my head would clear and I was able to think rationally again. But the constant back and forth was driving me mad. I knew my father would not give up until I was found. The Sons Order would comb the edges of the Earth to find me. Unfortunately, only a select few could search the Underworld; and even fewer still would know where to look. Nadia’s handmade cavern wasn’t represented on any maps, and there were no doors or windows to announce its presence. I was a dull needle in an underground haystack.

A sharp pain ran down my arm and I looked down at the gashes in my skin. Wrapping around my wrists and ankles, I could do nothing against the power of the white vines that were standing in as my chains. My body wasn’t healing at its normal rapid pace, which meant Nadia had somehow created a vacuum where none of my abilities worked. I was nothing more than a sitting duck waiting for someone to find me. Fury shot through my veins and I fought against the vines; twisting and yelling out. I was angry at myself for getting into this situation. I was angry at myself for letting Stasia down. I was angry at the suffocating hollow feeling that my helplessness elicited.

With my insufficient reserve of energy depleted, I collapsed back onto the floor in exhaustion. I lay there wallowing in my own despair, and allowed the new and re-opened cuts on my arms and legs to bleed out. Pain had become a welcome companion. It was the only thing that reminded me I was still alive. It was simply an extension of the overwhelming agony I harbored within -- an agony I deserved to feel again and again.

The dampness of the underground room chilled me to the bone, but Nadia had ensured there were no comforts of home inside her ‘hiding place’. That only left me with the vines, the river, and a curious wooden trunk on the other side of the room. I was considering whether or not the vines that bound me were edible when I heard the sound of footsteps on the other side of the wall.

“Rise and shine, Love!” Nadia appeared before me and my blood instantly bubbled with overwhelming hatred. “We have much to do!”

“I’m not playing your bullshit games, Nadia,” I growled.

“Games?” She snorted, cracking a dry smile and coming to a stop in front of me. Her features hardened and her golden eyes flashed, “This is no game, Love. But believe me - I’ll be enjoying every minute.” She noticed the small puddle of blood collecting below my right knee and smirked.

“Why Finn, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you look so dreadful. It’s a shame your essence and abilities have no effect down here. That looks horrific.”

“You’re playing with fire, Nadia,” I accused her in a low voice. She should know the consequences of her actions.

“I happen to like fire. It’s powerful and tantalizing. Just like me.” She twisted on her heel, kicked off her shoes and made her way to the trunk. She visibly shivered in her thin tank top and jeans. With a snap of her fingers, the room warmed to a comfortable temperature.

“I don’t know how you stand it down here! It’s absolutely frigid!” She chuckled to herself when I cursed her through gritted teeth. She whistled happily as she opened the trunk and began rifling through it; searching for something in particular.

“Now where did I put it…Aha! Found it!” she squealed with delight. Then she snapped her head around and