Embracing Love and Power
Chapter 19 - Inspecting the grounds

Tillie had never felt more hot and bothered by someone’s touch as she did now under Timber’s. How she had wanted more, how she had wanted to straddle him and take things further here and now in the middle of the desert. But she couldn’t, he was still Timber leader of the black elite. Ace’s words kept running through her mind, with each touch of Timber she felt their connection growing stronger.

Timber stopped and Tillie studied her surroundings. They had driven closer to the big city to an old ruin, which looked a bit like where the new world was hidden. A shiver ran down Tillie’s spine. “What are we doing here?” she asked. “The council has informed me that a group of mages are hiding around ruins in the dessert.” Timber answered. Tillie felt all the blood drain from her face. “Are you all right you look pale?” Timber asked. “How does the council know?” she asked. “They received a tip.” “So you have to check if that’s true.” Tillie studied Timber’s movements. “Yes, I study them to assess the danger.” “And what are the possible outcomes?” She didn’t like where this was going. “There are several options. No one is here, we pass by a few more times. There are normal people on site, I assemble a team to bring them in for questioning. There are mages on site, I study them, report back to the council and probably bring them in.” He explained.

A shudder ran down Tillie’s spine as she remembered the stories of what the council did with mages. “What happens to the ones you bring in?” she needed to know how much he knew. “You know what happens to them.” He replied. “I only have heard rumors.” Tillie answered. “Most of them get killed.” Timber said. “How many of them have you killed?” she asked. “I didn’t kill one of them, however I brought in many.” “Why? What have they ever done to you?” Tillie felt how her anger was rising, why was he doing this?

“Tillie watch it, they are evil, they are responsible for destroying part of the world.” Timber said sternly. “They are also the reason we still have an earth.” Tillie argued back. “Don’t tell me you believe in that rumor.” He almost mocked her. “The council must have truly poisoned your mind.” She said. “I saw it with my own eyes.” “What are you talking about?” she asked. Tillie looked up at Timber, pain flashed through his eyes. “I hid along the battlefield with Ace when we were young. My parents forbade me to participate, but the fool I was I wouldn’t listen. Luckily Ace convinced me to hide. I watched my own parents get killed as a side effect of a spell. No one is safe as long as there are mages living and breathing air.” He answered star. “So you let the council kill innocent people? Even if they had no part in the war? Even if they have a family?” Tillie as shocked. “Yes”

“Then what’s the difference between you and the mage who killed your parents? You are just as bad.” Timber looked over at the ruins, ignoring Tillie. She felt devastated, as long as he was convinced that mages were bad there wasn’t a future for them. She however realized something as she thought back to all the soulmates stories, that soon she would not be able to resist Timber. Soulmates were bound to end up together, if they met, they would be drawn together. Even the strongest couldn’t resist that bond. And then there were only two options left, suppressing her powers for the rest of her life or coming clean and getting killed. “Why are you so pro mage?” Timber asked. “I saved a lot of them, I never met one who wanted to hurt anyone else, let alone humans.” Tillie answered. Timber looked baffled at Tillie. “So you know where they are hiding?” he immediately asked. “No I don’t.” She lied with gritted teeth. Timber took a step toward her. “Are you sure?” he questioned her. “Yes, and if I would know, you’d be the last person I’d tell.” Timber grabbed her wrist.

“Why am I attracted to you?” he asked while staring into her eyes. “Why are you such an asshole?” she retorted. He laughed loudly and Tillie felt how her heart betrayed her mind as butterflies formed in her stomach. “I will convince you that you are wrong.” She said stern. “I do hope so.” He answered. He stared in her eyes and moved closer, until he was standing right before Tillie. A soft smile played on his lips and his eyes sparkled mischievously. “Don’t you have an inspection to do?” Tillie tried to stop what was clearly about to happen. “I’d rather inspect you” He answered. “In your dreams.”

Tillie pulled her arm out of his hold and marched over towards the ruins. Tillie thanked her lucky stars because there was no one in the village. Timber had almost turned every stone to find something, but there was simply nothing there. Tillie knew that they were looking at the wrong ruins, but she wasn’t about to share that information with Timber. Timber finally agreed to drive back, Tillie was silent as she mostly looked outside. At some point Tillie realized that Timber wasn’t driving back to the camp. “Where are we going?” Tillie asked.

“I want to spend some time with you away from prying eyes.” Timber replied. “We have already done that, haven’t we?” She asked. “No” Tillie turned her head and looked at him with raised eyebrows. “The time I am thinking about consist of us kissing and not arguing.” He smirked. “Like in your dreams.” Tillie replied. “In my dreams we certainly go a step or two further” He grinned even wider.

“Was kissing me a mistake?” Timber asked suddenly serious, catching Tillie a bit off guard. She studied him for a few minutes. “I don’t know, so far it has only caused me hurt.” She replied honestly. “But?” he asked. “No but” Tillie replied. “Breaker, I clearly feel a but” He argued. Tillie was silent for a moment as she chewed her lip. “Why did you change your mind?” she asked. “You confuse me” he replied. “Timber you have said that already a million times.” Tillie answered frustrated. Timber smashed the steering wheel angrily, he stopped at the edge of a huge riverbank. Tillie looked outside and saw that the view was beautiful.

“I just want to be with you as much as possible. I crave your touch, your smile. I want to do nothing more than to kiss you senseless and take you every time I see you, no matter who is looking. I never had those feelings, for any girl I slept with.” Tillie felt how her heart hurt at the mention of the other girls. Humans didn’t know soulmates existed, so they never could imagine the hurt it would cause their significant other, until they met. She looked back outside. “Why do I feel this way around you? Why have I never felt this way before?” he asked. “That’s because you didn’t meet me.” Tillie replied. “So you truly think we are soulmates?” he studied her as he asked his question. “Yes” she replied. “As much as I hate it right now.” “How can you be so sure?” he asked. “Like you said, you never felt like this around anyone else.” “Have you felt like this, with someone else?” Tillie rolled her eyes at his question. “No, I couldn’t care about anyone else. It makes me physically sick to even think about being with anyone other than my soulmate.” She replied. That wasn’t a lie on Tillie’s part, that was actually the truth. As a mage it was nearly impossible to be with someone who wasn’t your soulmate.

“Does it sickens you that I have been with other girls?” He looked scared at her. Timber eyes searched hers, he searched her soul. She turned away looking back outside. “I can’t hold you accountable for something you had no clue existed.” She tried to ignore the pain of his words. “But you knew they existed” “Yes my parents were soulmates, I always wanted what they had.” Tillie played with the ring around her finger, remembering her parents. “Tell me what that was like” Timber filled the silence in the car. “They loved each other so much that it literally killed my father when my mother died.” Tillie said as tears formed in her eyes. “I am sorry” Timber tried to comfort her. “About?” “Everything”

Timber stepped out the car and walked over toward the water. Tillie hesitated, debating what she needed to do. But she felt the pull inside her heart. Timber smiled when he saw her standing next to him. “Wipe that arrogant smirk off your face.” Tillie said. “No” He laughed as he looked at her. Timber took off his shoes and looked over at Tillie until she did the same. He extended his hand with a bow. Tillie hesitated but softly placed her hand in his. He softly pressed a kiss on her hand and then pulled her closer to his chest. He wrapped his other arm around her waist.

“What are you doing?” Tillie asked. “You’ll see, trust me and just follow my moves.” Timber took a step in the direction of the water and Tillie followed. She studied his handsome yet determined face. “Stop thinking, I won’t hurt you again.” He said. “It just scares me.” Tillie said. “What scares you?” “You are the only person who can truly hurt me”. And that was the truth, Tillie realized that she never had understood the meaning of love until she had met Timber. She had never understood that love would be the only thing that could truly hurt her, until she had met Timber. He was the one who could save her, her and her people. And at the same time he was the one who could destroy her, her and her people.

Timber pulled her closer to his body and began to move in a rhythmic way. It took Tillie a few minutes before she realized what he was doing. “Where did you learn to waltz?” she asked. “My grandmother taught me.” He told her with pride. “In your how to serenade women classes?” She asked. He laughed loudly. “No in my being a gentleman classes.” “You quit after ten minutes I guess” she replied with a smile. “No just long enough to learn how to waltz.” His cocky grin filled his face. Tillie felt how she glided through the water safe in Timber’s arms. The water splashed around them as the evening sunlight casted a romantic glow on the water.

Timber twirled Tillie with ease around and as he dipped her low he leaned forward and kissed her. The kiss was sweet and promising, almost a promise for the future. Tillie felt it and before her brain could react she kissed him back. It was beyond anything they both had experienced before, it was as if firework was being lit all around them, the world simply ceased to exist, there was nothing left but the two of them and their feelings.

Timber smiled as he looked at Tillie. “Damn, you are beautiful.”

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