She pointed to empty space in the drive, and suddenly a shimmering silver door appeared. Lucas was standing the closest, and she told him to open it. When he did, they could hear waves crashing and the smell of saltwater. She motioned for them to follow her through the door.
They stepped onto the sand and saw the moon shining over a beach. The silver light of the water was amazing as it pulled at the moon for more. A school of dolphins jumped high in the air, and they could see they were all connected to one another by the silver strings. A crab scuttled by, and its own silver string connected it to the water and the sand.
She turned to them all and spoke. “The power of the life force flows through me. My power is limitless and infinite. I will remain alive as long as the earth remains alive and the life force flows. No fae has ever known death. We remain unmatched in our powers, and we are the most powerful creatures on this planet. Our bodies grow until the age of twenty-two, and then we age one year for every ten thousand that pass here.
“You saw Astrid as a powerful witch, but the truth is, she is a very old fae. Mother is the most powerful fae created as she is fully formed from the life force, and she is the oldest among us. It was she that chose one of you, and only she has the power to take half a soul. I know you all are skeptical, but when you observe the life force, I hope you can start to believe. Now come, let’s go back because I’m sure you have even more questions now, and we won’t get them answered with everyone distracted like this.”
They stepped back through the door, and the silver light was gone. They all returned to the dining room, looking around as they walked, trying to catch a glimpse of the light. It was gone from their vision though; she had replaced the veil.
Brexley looked at her in awe and asked, “Are you magic?”
Hunter slapped her arm and said, “Shut up, Brexley! Stop asking stupid questions.”
Sawyer looked at her and said, “There are no stupid questions tonight, Hunter.” Then she turned to Brexley. “To answer your question, I believe magic is the word humans made up to describe our power. Fae once walked among humans for a very long time, and all fae have human fathers, except Mother and I. The fae tried for a very long time to teach humans how to use the life force for useful purposes. It was only when Mother saw they used it against one another that she stopped teaching them.”
“How do you not have a father?” asked Cassia curiously.
“Mother and I are the only two fae ever created by the life force. When Mother took half the boys’ soul, she planted it in the earth. Like Mother, I was formed by the earth itself. I only call her Mother because that is her name, like mine is Sawyer, but I have no parents,” she answered.
“Does it bother you that your only purpose is to love some man you have never met?” Hunter asked almost snidely.
Sawyer met her gaze and mentally reminded herself to be patient with her. “No, because in return he was created to love me. Everyone always focuses on my creation, but I sometimes wonder if fate didn’t plan this before he was born. I think he was born to be my soul’s mate because he was created long before me. Love has become so common to everyone. It is used to describe emotions that are not even love. People will say, ‘I love coffee’ or ‘I loved that movie!’ Love is a scared bond between two hearts, and it cannot be broken. It is a hard thing to love someone and to be loved back. By attaching such trivial things to it, people have diminished its power.
“I attended school and went to college and never went on a single date. I watched as the girls around me fell in and out of love constantly. Boys would flock to me and exclaim they loved me, not because they truly did, but because I made them feel something.
“Love used to be a more sacred thing. Sonnets were written about it and entire wars were waged over it. History is full of great love stories. I am destined to have a great and powerful love. So to answer your question, I am not bothered by the fact that I will know perfect love. I am honored by it,” she said, and Hunter lowered her eyes. She had meant to make Sawyer feel stupid, and instead, she did. She thought back to how many times she had said the words to different guys.
“Wait! Are you serious that you have never been on a date before? Aren’t you worried you’re going to feel awkward when you connect with your soul mate?” Brexley exclaimed.
“No, I have never been on a date, and no, I’m not worried. I don’t feel like I need to practice,” Sawyer answered.
“You might regret that. Men are complicated and can be hard to read,” Brexley said seriously.
“I think I’m going to be all right,” Sawyer said, amused by her silly concern.
“So how does this work? Are we all supposed to sit around for the next couple of months and get to know each other?” Hunter was losing patience with how Brexley was warming to Sawyer.
“Actually, Hunter, no offense, but I’m not here to get to know you. I’m here to get to know these four men. It would be wonderful if we become friends and get to know one another, but it is not my priority. I will spend an hour with each of them every day until my soul sing,” she answered.
“Will you be coming to our bedrooms or someplace more public?” leered Liam and gave her what he thought was his playful look.
Julius and Marcus shot him a disgusted look across the table.
“Would you like me to come to your room and spend some time alone?” asked Julius menacingly.
“I would be glad to join him, maybe we can teach you how to properly talk to a lady,” Marcus said, and Sawyer could tell the brothers were not joking.
She intervened before Liam could rise from his seat. “I have picked an activity for each of us to do daily that we have in common. We can always change it later in the week if you want, but it’s a good starting point.”
“What are your plans for Liam?” Hunter asked.
She looked at Hunter and Liam. “Liam and I will be going riding in the mornings. I have a full stable, and your breeding should have included riding lessons.”
“I’m impressed, sounds like you did your homework. That sounds fine,” he answered.
She turned to Lucas. “Astrid told me you are something of a musician and so I thought we can meet in the music room right after lunch. If that’s okay?” she asked.
Lucas nodded his head. “Actually, that sounds great.”
She turned to Marcus and said, “For our time together, I thought the library would be a wonderful place to start. I love history, and I’m told you have been in some of the most famous battles in history. I also hear you are a fair chess player, and I have been looking for a worthy opponent.”
He smiled, knowing she had just played to his ego but didn’t care.
“That sounds like a challenge, and I gladly accept.”
“Wonderful, then I will meet you there daily at 2:00 p.m.,” she said, and he nodded with enthusiasm.
“Last but never least, Julius. I was wondering if you would accompany me in the early evening as I walk in the garden. It is my nightly activity, and I thought you might enjoy getting away from the house. You don’t strike me as the type of man who likes to be cooped up,” she asked.
He looked at her for a long moment. She was right; he dreaded the next two months, and he was waiting to see what pointless activity she had come up with for him. She had picked one of the few things he would have agreed to.
“That sounds fine.”
“Wonderful, then I shall meet you at the stairs at 6:00 p.m.”
She then addressed the group again.
“This time we spent is meant for us to get to know one another. I want to know the real person each of you are, and I hope that we can create a friendship on being ourselves. We