A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter Twenty-Five 

His shining eyes stared directly at me and I had to fight the urge to look behind to see if someone else was standing there. But no, I could feel the touch of his hand against my cheek, even the warmth emanating off his skin. This was real, he could see me.

“Aria…,” he said weakly.

“I’m here,” I replied.

I wasn’t sure how to react. I was still unnerved by the whole situation. All I could do was stare down at him confused and uncertain. Was this part of the vision or had something changed? “…Aria,” he called again. “Cai? Can you see me?”

I wrapped my fingers around the hand he was using to touch my cheek Maybe he was too weak to see me.

“.Aria.” 

I frowned at him. It was starting to feel more than just being unable to see me as he persisted i n trying to call out for me.

“Can’t you hear me? I’m right here.”

His eyes continued to bore into mine intensely before, finally, it was like he saw me. I watched as his expression changed to one of worry.

How could he be worried about me? He was the one who was dying.

“Aria… wake up.” “What....?” 

Wake… up? 

a few tears had escaped my eyes. Had he actually not seen me as held laid dying then? Was it just a mesh of the two realities

becoming more alert. It was too much. All of it it. My already weak body, the news of a ghost coming back to haunt m e… and then having to witness it for myself. I couldn’t do this anymore. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his torso, pulling him down towards me. He had to act quickly

Knight would die at the age of twenty–one with no Luna, mate or child. I already knew that was his fate if nothing were to change, I

for us both to sit up. My eyes were painfully sore and puffy, my

“I’m sorry…,” I mumbled.

once or twice… or ten times,” he

the joking half–smile

were asleep… except your eyes were open the whole time.” I shook my head. “I’m fine now, really. I’m sorry for worrying you.” I did my best to give him the best reassuring smile I could manage. “Aria! Enough,” he suddenly said loudly, a tone of annoyance in his words. “You’re clearly not fine. Stop feeding me that same bullshit line. You weren’t fine with Aleric and you’re not fine with whatever hell

me to my mother then she would lock me up in the hospital for a few days in order to conduct extensive tests. And I could see I’d upset

Goddess mark,” I said slowly.

flash of Cai‘s dying face came to mind and I shuddered. I couldn‘t tell him. If I told them then I would need to explain my rebirth and it was something I wasn’t ready to talk

about my past life, how could I even begin to explain what I’d seen? ‘O h, by the way, Cai, I saw your death. Sorry about that. It was my bad? I‘d either sound completely insane or, if he

talk about it,” I said finally. “I really

believe me when I

for my right to be left alone. Not to mention that, if I somehow didn’t get assassinated by someone before my coming of age, then it would need to be classed as a miracle. This mark prevented me from ever being able to run away or even to live a

it at that for

finished talking, Cai helped me get back home and we agreed on a new training schedule. He had banned me from any physical exercise for at least a week to allow my body to recover some of the damage I’d already done, and he had even given me a new strict diet

confused about what she needed at first before I finally realised the date. I couldn’t believe I’d almost

most of the things