Monday's Tidbit

Today's Monday Tidbit is brought to you by Destiny, the third book in The Chosen One Trilogy. :D


  “Do you think you can do it?” asked Steven. “I’m not sure.  Not by myself.  But I do think that if I can pool my powers with Rainen’s, Damian’s, and Marilynn’s we should be able to do it.  What I want to do is exactly what Braw wants me for.  I’ll channel all of our powers and project them then keep my fingers crossed.  Of course that means I have to get close enough to the staff without getting close enough for it to touch me because then I would be channeling its powers as well.”  I looked back and reached for Jasper’s hand.  “If that happens…”  I took a deep breath.  “It won’t happen.  If Braw gets close enough to use me, there’s only one way to make sure he can’t.” Jasper growled low in his throat.  “Don’t talk stupid, Shlova.” “Well, what am I supposed to do, Hun.  If Braw gets his hands on me, am I supposed to just let him use me to wipe you out?  I’m supposed to kill everyone I love?” “He won’t get that close.” “It’s an option we have to think about.” “No.” “Jasper…” “No.”  He let go of my hand and walked ahead of me. Dodge snorted behind me.  He’ll die before he lets you do anything of the sort. I swallowed hard.  “He’s used to being able to save me.  There’s nothing he can do against Braw.  If he gets close enough to attack Braw, then Braw is close enough to touch him with that staff.” Gina, who was usually very quiet, put a hand on my shoulder.  “But if Braw is busy separating Jasper from his tiger, then that gives you that much more time to do your thing.” I looked up at her, shocked, but knowing she had tapped into what Jasper had been thinking.  I glanced down the trail in time to see him shift and bound into the woods. “I’ll meet you guys at the campsite.”  Everyone nodded and I sprinted in the direction he had gone.  Of course, I had no chance of catching up to him.  I couldn’t keep up to him when he was a human, much less when he was a tiger. “Jasper!”  I called out into the forest, my heart beating hard from the run and my emotions.  I swallowed and tried to keep the sobs from starting.  The thought of watching him being separated overwhelmed me and I sat on a rock, trying to catch my breath.  The pain that I would feel if he weren’t around engulfed me.  I put my face in my hands and cried. “Hayden.” I looked up to see Jasper standing a few feet away, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched over.  I couldn’t remember ever seeing him looking this miserable.  I ran to him and wrapped my arms around him.  He took a long shuddering breath and tilted my head so I was looking at him.  His face was dirty where he had wiped his tears away. “I can’t live without you,” he whispered.  “Do you understand?  If you go and do a foolish thing like that, I may as well die trying to stop it.”  His eyes searched my face.  “Do you remember when I told you that you brought me back to life the night you kissed me?” I nodded and closed my eyes as he wiped the tears from my face with his thumb. “If you die, my reason for living is gone.”  He crushed me to his chest and I clung to him.  “You can’t leave me.”  His voice was hoarse with emotion. I took a deep breath.  “I won’t,” I whispered. “Promise me.” “I promise I won’t leave you.”  I reached up and put my hand against his cheek then did the same with the other.  His week long stubble scratched against my palms and I smoothed it with my thumbs.  “But you don’t forget your promise.”  I cleared my throat.  “You already promised me you wouldn’t leave me.” He nodded and brushed some stray hairs away from my face.  “I did.  And I won’t.”   I pulled him down to me and kissed him hard.  It was one of those kisses that held every emotion in the book.  Jasper’s lips answered mine.  We were both breathing hard and my head started to spin.  He moved the kiss along my jaw line then down to my collar bone.  He pulled me close and held me against him, his face pressed against my neck. “Don’t ever talk like that again,” he whispered.