Fire - Betrayal

  Fire-

  Betrayal

  By

  Amelia Grace

  Fire-

  Betrayal

  Copyright 2012 by Amelia Grace

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  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Young Adult/Adult Reading Material

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  Fire-

  Betrayal

  *******

  Book 2 of the Katie’s Gate Quadrilogy

  Earth – Forbidden

  Fire – Betrayal

  Water – Shattered

  Air – Zedekiah

  *******

  Fire –

  Betrayal

  Copyright 2012 Amelia Grace

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 Beautiful

  Chapter 2 Disbelief

  Chapter 3 Presence and Doubt

  Chapter 4 Mind Games

  Chapter 5 Defenses Down

  Chapter 6 The Historic Stone Church

  Chapter 7 Detachment

  Chapter 8 Uncertainty

  Chapter 9 The Promise Ring

  Chapter 10 The Visitors

  Chapter 11 Moonlight Sonata

  Chapter 12 Proposal

  Chapter 13 Pursuit

  Chapter 14 Mortality

  Chapter 15 The Love of His Life

  Chapter 16 Interrogation

  Chapter 17 The Portal

  Chapter 18 The Last Piece

  Chapter 19 The Sign

  Chapter 20 Poison Arrows

  Chapter 21 The Warrior

  Chapter 22 Rebellious Acceptance

  Chapter 23 The Abyss

  Chapter 24 The Journey of the Portals

  Chapter 25 A Chance Meeting

  Chapter 26 Complete Strangers

  Chapter 27 Destiny

  Chapter 28 Danger Zone

  Chapter 29 Mission Completed

  Chapter 30 Attraction

  Chapter 31 Burning the Midnight Oil

  Chapter 32 Ben

  Chapter 33 A Want, A Need

  Chapter 34 Interactions

  Chapter 35 Deceit

  Chapter 36 Irresistible

  Chapter 37 Heartbreak

  Prologue

  Life, every beat of my heart, every breath that I take, every thought that I generate, every emotion that I feel, everything that I give, until I can give no more.

  Life, is it mine to choose, or has it been chosen for me? What if, my destiny was not in my own hands?

  What if, everything that I did was meant to happen? And that, if I wandered off the path of my destiny, something or someone would subtly guide me back to my ultimate destination.

  What if, my life plan was mapped out as I lay in my mother’s womb, or before that perhaps, when my Creator gave me my soul? What if, I was an instrument vital in the fulfilling of a destiny of bigger things to come?

  And what if, I did not fulfill my destiny, would everything fall into a heap, causing pain and sorrow for others?

  Is absolutely everything that happens predestined, or only some of it?

  And what of my life anyway, if you looked down at me from space, seemingly so small and so insignificant, and yet, draw closer, and see the intricate web that I weave, my life of complexities, of triumphs, of tragedies, of hope, of faith, of love.

  Can our complex, intelligent and spiritual bodies be here by accident? I choose not to believe so. I choose to believe that we have a purpose, a destiny to reach, guiding and helping others along the way………..

  For some, life is full of twists and turns. The path is hard and winding, interspersed with challenges along the way.

  And hope comes in bounds, and dwindles away with disappointments.

  But hope.

  One must never give up hope, and dreams…..

  Chapter 1

  Beautiful

  The historic stone church was picturesque. It had sat for 200 years beside the beautiful yale blue lake with a backdrop of snow covered mountains. The gothic stained glass windows filled the entire church with a soft mystical light, dramatically contrasting to the vast floor to ceiling glass behind the minister, taking advantage of the beauty of the body of water that lay beyond the sacred building.

  I peeked through the crack in the oak door. The invited guests were waiting for me to arrive. I was, as I was supposed to be, traditionally late.

  They sat in walnut stained old wooden pews that had been ornately carved with detail. The heart shaped designed floral pew end decorations were beautiful, adorned with fresh pale pink, yellow and white roses with green foliage interspersed to create a balance of colour and shape. The rose fragrance filled the entire church, adding an ambience to the church that was warm, calming and romantic.

  The quiet voices chatted happily and excitedly. My marriage to Ben had been long awaited amongst the families and friends. And now our union would finally occur.

  As the bridal music began, the heads of each and every guest turned to look at the entrance of the beautiful church, eager to catch a glimpse of me as I entered the aisle, arm in arm with my father.

  I kept my head bowed, but a triumphant smile could be seen on my face.

  I wore a stunning, elegant ivory wedding dress. It had a tightly fitted upper bodice, detailed with intricate beading with a scattering of Swarovski crystals on the neckline and bodice. In the centre of the bodice, a slight v was cut, that showed a little more cleavage than I was used to. The tank sleeves sat beautifully on my shoulders, while the skirt of the wedding gown was full tulle. My hair was styled with a side swept updo at the front, while it had the bohemian look at the back, with miniature fresh white rose buds through my curls. In my hair I wore an elegant crystal tiara. I looked like a princess.

  I heard the audible sounds of the guests oohing and aaahing as I walked passed them to the altar where he was waiting.

  I continued to keep my head bowed as I walked. I did not want to look up at Ben until I reached him, because I knew the effect that he would have on me. I knew that my breath would be taken away, that my heart would beat erratically, and a tear would fall from my eye, and possibly, I would faint in anticipation of finally becoming his wife. At least, if I made it to the altar safely, he would be there to hold me up when my emotions got the better of me.

  I breathed in deeply, calming myself. I smelled the sweetness of the fragrant roses, and saw the soft filtering light coming in through the captivating stained glass windows. The music flowed melodically, with a pure and romantic tune. I was about to marry the man of my dreams, my soul mate, my one and only true love.

  My father slowed our walk as we neared the end of the aisle where he would be standing, waiting for me, with his beautiful cerulean eyes burning into mine melting my heart.

  I felt my heart quicken, but I kept my breathing even. This was the biggest and by far the best day of my entire life, and I had waited for it for a long time.

  Then, my father stopped the bridal walk. We had come to the end of our journey as father and daughter, but the beginning of my journey with Ben, as his wife.

  I hesitated before I looked up at Ben, enjoying the anticipation of the moment.

  Breathing calmly, I closed my eyes gently, and then opened them to look
up at the love of my life.

  It was then that I screamed. He stood there not. His presence of being, was absent. His gorgeous dark wavy hair, chiseled boyish looks and cerulean eyes as if vanished.

  Instead, in Ben’s place was his brother, looking very sorry and apologetic, shaking his head. Ben would not be coming to the church to marry me.

  I sat up in bed, gasping for air, sweating and panicking. My breathing was erratic and fast and the horror showed on my face. I had dreamed this sequence over and over again since Ben had left for the parallel world two years ago. I had waited patiently for his return, but he never came. The pain of being separated from him was agonizing, and I felt in my heart every minute of every day. My life had become numb and pointless. My life was as good as done.

  Only this time as I awoke from my horrendous dream, Ben was here. He wrapped his arms around me and held me, saying my name over and over again, reminding me that it was only a dream. Little did he know that it was a terrifying nightmare, and he was part of it.

  Chapter 2

  Disbelief

  I listened as Cate’s sobbing became less, until finally she relaxed in my arms and slept. I was mortified to find her in such a state of trauma. I recalled seeing her for the first time yesterday and winced at the unkind changes in her appearance. This was not the Cate that I had left two years ago at the portal in Grandy’s drawing room. Physically she had withered. She used to have beautiful long blonde flowing locks. But not know, they had been dramatically cut short. Her bright dancing brown eyes showed an inert sadness, and it haunted me - the nothingness that I could see there, the nothingness that had once been so full of life, of energy, of love, of kindness, of compassion, of mischief, of intelligence.

  I alone had done this to the woman that I loved, and I would never forgive myself.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate.

  I placed my right hand onto the crown of her head, and closed my eyes envisioning the rainbow of healing colours. My hand warmed as I felt my energy transfer into her - my love, my compassion and mood manipulation, helping her to heal. Then I kissed her lightly in the centre of her forehead. I had put Cate into a deep restful healing sleep, as only a Terrean could.

  Then I turned and set my gaze outside of the large sash windows of the bedroom of the Georgian house, and into the moonless night sky, my heart burdened.

  I was totally responsible for Cate’s demise.

  I had left her, and had taken a very long time to return, and she had been tortured by my absense.

  I loved her so deeply.

  And I had failed her. I had failed in my protection of her. I had failed to protect her heart.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate.

  A tear overflowed from the confines of my eyelid. How could I do this to her? How could I do this to my soul mate, my one and only true love?

  I must rescue her, rescue her from the personal hell hole of emotional torment, I thought. I would surround her with my presence of being, my deep unending love, my gifts of compassion and mood manipulation. I would heal and restore her to the Cate that I knew before my journey to the parallel world. It was the only thing that mattered.

  It was my fault that she had slid into the darkness of depression.

  What had I done to her?

  What had she really been through?

  How would I heal her shattered heart? It was all my fault.

  At least I had returned, I thought, that was the most important thing.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate.

  Chapter 3

  Presence and Doubt

  She woke, opening her eyes slowly, letting the glorious rays of the morning sun fill her with its mysterious presence.

  ‘You smell wonderful Ben. I still can’t believe that you have returned to me,’ she whispered. I had. I had returned to her.

  I moved my hand to touch her face, and brushed away a tear as it slowly rolled down her cheek. She moved her lips close to mine, and softly moaned as our lips touched ever so lightly – I was afraid of letting out the full force of my deep love on her. I had to use considerable restraint to keep the kiss brief. I could have kissed her deeply and passionately making her head spin, but I chose not to. Her emotions were far too delicate at the moment. I had to protect her.

  I gently pulled away. ‘I love you Cate, forever,’ I whispered.

  ‘Ben!’ she responded with emotion in her voice, her face remaining serious and intense. I continued looking deeply into her eyes reading her true emotional state. Healing had begun, but she had a long way to go.

  ‘Cate, come with me to the beach for a couple of weeks. Let’s get away from here. Some sun, fresh sea air, blue water - it’ll do you the world of good. And, for selfish reasons, I want you just to myself.’

  She looked into my eyes, but did not speak, a look of fear on her face. For a very brief moment, I felt panicked. But I maintained eye contact with her and then manipulated the aura around her to make her feel at peace. There was resistance.

  I could now see that a change of scenery, leaving her Grandy’s house was going to be extremely difficult for her. This had become her safe haven, even though it was associated with unbearable emotional pain.

  Perhaps it would have been better if I had not returned?

  Perhaps I should not have asked her to marry yesterday?

  I watched a cold shiver travel through her body. I didn’t want her to crawl back into the darkness. I stood and grabbed Cate’s hands and pulled her off the bed.

  ‘Please Ben, let me stay in bed and look out the window. I can’t leave the house,’ she pleaded, trying to release from my grip to go back to bed. I looked into her eyes. She was scared.

  I held her hands more tightly. I would not let go.

  She looked into my eyes pleadingly. I consciously mesmerized her with my eyes hoping to pull her out of her panic. Her heart quickened at my touch. I was like an electrical connection allowing her life force to flow through me, take from me and recharge.

  I watched her reactions closely. She was emotionally unstable, unpredictable, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  I doubted whether she was strong enough to cope with my presence now. And I didn’t know whether she would choose to come to the beach with me. I certainly didn’t deserve her anymore after shattering her heart into a thousand pieces, and I would understand if she rejected me this time, after the tremendous pain and suffering that I had caused her.

  That I alone had caused her.

  I dropped my gaze to the floor, and let go of her hands, feeling frustrated. I wanted to fix everything, now.

  My beautiful, beautiful Cate….

  I turned my body and walked to the large wooden sash window. I looked down at the now unkempt gardens that once had been vibrant and full of life, as Cate had been. For the first time in my life, I felt defeated.

  Maybe I should not have returned to Cate on the Earth? Perhaps it would have been better for me to have stayed in Une Autre Terre, and let her move on from me.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hasty in asking her to marry me. In hindsight, it was a foolish thing to do considering her delicate and highly unstable emotional state.

  Maybe, Cate’s heart that had been shattered into a thousand pieces was beyond repair, and my presence was only adding salt to the wound.

  My heart was hurting. I loved her deeply and truly, and would love no other as I loved her. It would tear me apart never to be with her again. But…. if it would help Cate, I would leave her.

  I looked up to contain the wall of tears that were building in my eyes, and breathed in deeply to stop myself from crumbling into a heap.

  It was almost unbearable. I felt so alone. I had betrayed her.

  My mind buzzed as I became aware of her close proximity to me. She wrapped her arms around me from behind and pressed her body against me, kissing the back of my neck. The kiss was like an electric jolt. I felt it in every cell of my body.

  ‘Yes Ben, I will go to the beach
with you,’ she whispered.

  I bowed my head as I let the realization of what Cate had said, sink in. Then I smiled to myself, and let a tear fall from my eyes.

  I reached up and ran my hands along Cate’s arms that were wrapped around me, and moved her hands to my lips kissing them. She moved around in front of me, coming between me and the wooden sash windows, looking into my eyes.

  There she held my gaze, and I unleashed upon her the full power of my cerulean eyes, like I had never done before. I did not know why I did this, and I knew not of this power that I felt. But I did feel the connection of our two souls, the merging of our two beings into one. Destiny had chosen for us. We were not to be parted, ever….

  Chapter 4

  Mind Games

  Anticipated departure time for the Pacific Island flight: 3:15 pm.

  I packed minimally, as requested by Ben. I wanted to worry, but somehow I couldn’t. He took nothing except the clothes that he had on, the same clothes he had worn to the house when he arrived in the blizzard a day ago.

  We caught a taxi to the airport, where we boarded the four hour flight to the island. Four hours of bliss where I could just sit and be with Ben. I really needed this time of stillness, of connections. Leaving the safety of Grandy’s house was harder than I thought it would be, and to be honest, I felt panicky.

  Skin to skin connection was my focus as I sat next to Ben the entire time, tracing over his hands, fingers and arms. I entwined my fingers through his, to make sure that he wouldn’t disappear from me. That was my constant worry after the hell that I had been through. I needed to feel the warmth of his hands to make it real.