Possession

by Samantha Britt

  “Sometimes,” Brion began, continuing to pace and avoiding meeting my gaze, “in the past, companions were not selected by chance. The ceremony would only happen between gliminee draekon.”

  “Gliminee? As in lovers?” I remembered the draekonian word from the cursed lovers prophecy.

  “The word has several definitions depending on how it is used,” he replied. “In this case, think of it like soulmates.”

  “Soulmates?” My forehead creased. “Like… actual soulmates?”

  “Yes.” Brion finally stopped pacing and faced me. “On our old homeland, and even in the early days on this continent, draekon only bonded with those identified as their soulmate. It is a magical tie, linking the two draekon together for life. After the second elven curse, however, things changed.”

  I struggled to process what Brion said. If his words were true, then hundreds and thousands of companion bonds completed since the curse were not real. Not in the traditional sense, anyway.

  “Do these bonds still happen?” What would a draekon do if they found their soulmate, but they were discouraged to bond due to their inability to reproduce?

  Something told me King Roderick would not take kindly to his subjects not helping repopulate the kingdom.

  My heart broke for the potential victims of a cursed fate.

  “No one has reported the connection since the second curse. Some believe the lack of gliminee bonds are a direct result of the curse,” he said, shaking his head.

  “But you don’t?”

  “No, I don’t.” He looked at me expectantly.

  “Why?”

  Brion turned his eyes to the ceiling again. He crossed his arms, as if beseeching the gods for their divine intervention. “Because that’s what is happening between us. That is why we feel the way we do.” He lowered his gaze and stared longingly into my eyes. “We share a gliminee bond, Lissa.”

  29

  My first reaction was denial. I hadn’t completely accepted Brion’s claim about my father’s heritage. It wasn’t easy to acknowledge everything you knew about yourself was a lie, let alone that I shared an ancient bond with one of the draekon princes.

  Yet, I couldn’t ignore the prince’s sincerity.

  Closing my eyes, I tried to slow my racing thoughts. “How do you know?”

  I heard him swallow, making me wonder if it was due to my enhanced half-draekon hearing.

  “I researched the matter greatly. All of the signs are there.”

  I thought about all of our interactions. Brion had fascinated and frustrated me from day one. His behavior switched from dismissive to caring in a span of minutes. I’d been raised to fear and loathe all draekon, but I wasn’t able to deny the attraction I felt for the moody prince.

  Objectively, it would make sense to learn there was some supernatural connection between us. It made about as much sense as my siblings and I being half-draekon and my parents leading a human-elven rebellion.

  I exhaled and opened my eyes. “Why are you telling me this now?” I thought about the proposal I’d just experienced. Confusion and heartbreak could have been avoided if Brion had simply been honest with me. Now, I felt angry. “Why not tell me before?”

  His stoic façade returned, distancing himself from his emotions. “Because our attachment only spells your doom.”

  A red haze descended over my vision.

  “Let me guess, this is about another prophecy?” I didn’t hide my frustration. “Gods, Brion, stop. Just stop.”

  He leaned back, surprised by my reaction.

  Exasperation covered my words. “All I hear are vague excuses. Either tell me the whole truth or nothing at all. I cannot handle the wondering. Just be honest. Please.”

  One minute, Brion stared down at me with a mixture of wonder and fear. The next minute, I was wrapped in his arms. My chest pressed tightly against his, and my entire body tingled from the contact.

  “I don’t want to burden you,” he whispered above me, holding me tight. “I’ve kept the truth of our connection hidden for so long, forgive my instinct to continue to protect you from the harsh reality.”

  I rested my cheek against his chest and scoffed. “Sorry to break it to you, Brion, but my life has been nothing but harsh reality.” Growing up in Caldiri, struggling to ensure my family always had food on the table, had ensured that. “Tell me everything,” I continued. “I want to know.”

  Brion rested his chin on top of my head and sighed. “I do not want to go into great detail,” he began, “but interpretations of my birth prophecy spell the doom of the kingdom.”

  I already knew that. I bit my lip and waited for him to say more.

  “And my father fears this. I’ve studied the text, and I’ve never seen any indication of receiving a gliminee bond, but I cannot deny what I feel. If my father learned about our connection, he would destroy you without hesitation.”

  My stomach fell to my feet. “But why? I’m not a threat.” Half-draekon or no, I was no match for the formidable king.

  “Gliminee bonds are powerful. My father already fears the powers prophesized about me. If he learns your existence has the potential to make me an even stronger draekon, he won’t hesitate to neutralize the advantage.”

  “Great,” I mumbled.

  Brion’s fingers ran up and down my back. “I will never let anything happen to you, Lissa. I promise.” He kissed my hair, and his gentle words soothed my anxiety.

  It was strange, but our behavior seemed so natural. Did we really just spend the last two days avoiding each other? I felt content standing in Brion’s arms.

  It had to be the bond.

  “This is a lot,” I murmured against his bicep, thinking about my life, marveling at the days spent fearing the very creatures I, supposedly, shared blood with. “Did you know about my father when Lin invaded the castle?”

  Brion continued to stroke my back. “Yes.”

  “But you still let him go?” Lin was a rebel, but he was exponentially more dangerous as a half-draekon. “Do you think he’s showing draekon traits?” Lin was three years older than me. If I was showing signs of our bloodline, he must be too.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Brion replied. “Not all half-draekon develop the same characteristics at the same pace.”

  I leaned back, glancing up. His gaze was warm, but flecks of worry flickered behind his dark irises as he stared at me.

  “Thank you for letting him go,” I whispered.

  His hands cupped my cheeks. “I would do anything for you, Amelissa.”

  My heart skipped a beat and my face warmed. “You could’ve fooled me,” I joked. “I was sure you hated me.”

  His expression turned somber. “I’m sorry. I only wanted to protect you. Associating with me… It isn’t safe.”

  “You keep saying that, but nobles and soldiers respect you.” I thought about the meetings I’d experienced at the garrison. Would the army turn against Brion, their fellow soldier, if King Roderick gave the order?

  Brion answered my unvoiced question. “The army will answer the orders of their king, whatever they might be.”

  He continued to stare at me, and his thumb caressed my cheek. “I never wanted to put you in danger. I was resolved to keeping the truth of our connection a secret from you.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “Being around you. Interacting with you on our journey.” His smile was soft. “Why do you think I left the castle for the tavern that second night here?”

  I shrugged.

  His hand dropped down to rest on my lower back, moving me closer. “I was worried I couldn’t hide my affection from the curious eyes of everyone around us. At the castle, it is easier to put distance between us. But here, when I don’t feel the pressure of my father, it would be too easy for me to succumb to my desires and kiss you anytime I had the urge.”

  My gut tightened with want. “And you’ve felt this way since I was a child?” It felt wrong to be flattered by the idea.


  Brion chuckled. “My feelings were nothing but protective in those early years. It wasn’t until I saw you in the Royal Forest that my affection changed to romantic.”

  I remembered peering into the reptilian eyes of the draekon who saved us from the goblins. I’d felt a spark, but I’d believed it to be fear. Perhaps it was something else entirely.

  “Romantic?” I repeated the word, and warmth flooded my body.

  “Yes.” Brion’s hands tightened. “Very much so.”

  “I thought you hated me,” I repeated, revealing the insecurity still lingering between us. “I was sure of it.”

  Guilt filled his eyes. “Once I returned after the rebel attack, my cold behavior was the only way I could think of keeping distance between us. Trust me, it was the last thing I wanted to do. It killed me to be so near to you and not have the chance to hold you.”

  My heart sang. It was like I’d been waiting all my life to have someone say those words to me.

  No, I reminded myself. Not someone.

  Hyde had offered to marry me. I’d learned his affection was the reason I’d never been recruited before Agent Stone forced the issue. Hyde had claimed to love me, but his words hadn’t affected me. Not the way Brion’s did.

  “So what does this mean?” I asked quietly, staring at a puckered scar on Brion’s shoulder. “For you… for me? For us?” I sounded childish.

  My face heated again.

  “It means I am not going to hide my affection for you,” he responded softly. “At least, not when we are alone. Now that you know the truth, I want us to get to know each other.”

  “Know each other?” That was the last thing I’d expected him to say. I mean, he’d been hiding the depths of his feelings for months. I’d thought he’d be beyond the “getting to know me” stage.

  He grinned, unaware of my expectations. “Lissa, you have a lot going on. The last thing I want to do is push you into anything you are not ready for. We might be connected, but you still have a choice. I would like you to get to know me before you decide whether or not to choose to be with me.”

  It was a good thing the prince had the ability to reason. I don’t know how it happened, but I’d lost mine. If Brion asked me to confirm our connection using whatever ancient ceremony draekon performed, I didn’t doubt I would have agreed.

  My newfound wantonness knew no bounds. I wondered if it was another side-effect of being half-draekon.

  “All right,” I said, “let’s… get to know each other.”

  Brion laughed and shook his head. “First, let’s get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.”

  “Oh?”

  “We’re traveling to Mar,” he reminded me. With a joking smile, he said, “I’m sure Meck will be happy to have us out of his home after your rejection.”

  My shoulders slumped, and my head fell forward to rest on Brion’s chest. “I’ve never felt so horrible.”

  Brion kissed my hair. “It will pass and Meck will recover.”

  “How do you know?” I searched for reassurance.

  “Well… maybe he won’t recover. But you’re mine, and he will just have to get over it.”

  My heart thumped, and I lifted my head to gaze at Brion. “Yours?”

  His grin was sheepish. “Well, not yet. I have to win you over first.”

  My lips stretched in an answering grin, but I didn’t dare reveal he might’ve already done so.

  30

  I stared out at the deep blue water of the Western Sea. Caldiri was a coastal region, but the rocky coastline made it unpalatable for ships. I stood behind the wood railing, marveling at the beauty of the wide ocean set before me, enjoying the rocking of the ship against the waves.

  Brion had surprised me when he said we would be taking a ship to Mar. The distance from Villam wasn’t far, but he’d explained the city we wanted to reach was on the southernmost tip of the continent. As such, sea travel would be faster, not to mention safer from surprise attacks.

  A salty gust of wind blew my hair. Leaning my head back, I let the sunshine warm my face. I could get used to a life on the sea.

  “Enjoying yourself?” I felt Jasper move to stand next to me.

  I continued to face the sky and murmured, “Mmm.”

  Jasper chuckled. “It certainly looks like it.”

  I smiled, lowering my gaze. I eyed his dusty uniform. “All done cleaning the horses’ stalls?”

  “Thank the gods, yes.” He scrunched his face with disgust. “I can’t wait until we are off this ship and back on solid land.” We’d been on the ship for two days, and Jasper was the unlucky soldier assigned to shovel out the horses’ stalls in the cargo hold. I thought it was better than latrine duty, but I kept the opinion to myself.

  “What are you reading?” Jasper pointed to the book resting against the wooden railing.

  “Draekon prophecies.” I saw no point in lying to my friend. “Lord Meck gave it to me.”

  Actually, he’d loaned the book to me. But after my conversation with Brion, I’d been too interested in learning more about prophecies to leave the text behind. I hoped the noble would forgive me for stealing his book.

  Jasper nodded politely, unintrigued by the subject. “I still can’t believe Lord Meck proposed to you. He’d only known you for a week.”

  “That’s exactly what I said,” I confessed, glad my friend shared the same thought. “How was I supposed to know what he planned?”

  Jasper shrugged, chuckling.

  I narrowed my eyes. “What?” I demanded.

  “Nothing, Lissa,” he replied, shaking his head. “Just thinking about how crazy our lives have become. I never would have expected half of this to happen when we were first recruited, you know?”

  “I know,” I replied. Both Jasper and I had grown up thinking we’d be little more than slaves if we were ever recruited to the capital. In reality, Jasper was a respected soldier in the king’s army, and I was the princes’ secretary. Sometimes, it was hard to believe how things actually worked out. And when I thought about my feelings for Brion and how the prince felt about me in return, my situation felt like a peculiar, though undeniably lovely, dream.

  “You haven’t asked me what happened in the forest,” Jasper interrupted my musings.

  I stiffened. “I… I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk about it.” More accurately, I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about it. I’d been so relieved to see him unharmed. I didn’t want to ruin my relief by hearing any bad news.

  Jasper looked away, staring out towards the distant ocean. “I can’t believe Qwell works with the rebellion.”

  Neither could I.

  “He was such a good soldier,” Jasper continued. “I learned almost everything I know about being a soldier from him. I trusted him.” His sense of betrayal was obvious.

  I rested one hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He scoffed. “It was my fault. I should’ve seen it. He was constantly disappearing in the middle of the night. I just thought he was meeting up with a girl or something. I never suspected he was a rebel.”

  I licked my lips. “What happened in the forest?” I finally asked, sensing Jasper had something to say. “What happened after you helped me run away?”

  My friend closed his eyes. His neck bowed forward like he was unable to hold his heavy head up any longer.

  He murmured so low I almost didn’t hear it. “Qwell told me about Lin.”

  Blood thrummed in my ears. I withdrew my hand, so he couldn’t feel it shake. “What about Lin?”

  Jasper parted his eyelids, covering me with his sympathetic gaze. “I know he’s with the rebellion. Qwell said Lin is one of their leaders.” He paused, searching my face for my reaction before adding, “And he said you and the prince know.”

  “Oh, gods.” Fear darkened my thoughts. But it wasn’t for me or my brother.

  No, my fear was for Brion.

  I didn’t expect anyone to discover the prince knew of my brother
’s involvement in the rebellion. What would happen if the king heard the news, and he also learned Brion had let Lin go? The results could be disastrous.

  No, they would be disastrous.

  “Prince Brion found Lin in the castle. He’d been trying to rescue me and Lorie, but we were caught,” I revealed the truth to my friend. “The prince allowed Lin and Lorie to leave the capital, but I was to stay behind to ensure the rebels didn’t attack Draek again.”

  I watched confusion flit across Jasper’s face. “But why? How could your presence keep the rebels at bay?” I realized Qwell hadn’t shared the other truth about my family’s involvement in the rebellion.

  I exhaled. It was time to tell Jasper everything. He was my friend, and gods knew I needed those. “Because my parents are the rebellion’s leaders.” I ignored his horrified look and kept going, “And they would not risk endangering my life by attacking the castle while I’m still a hostage.” Or so I hoped. After leaving my siblings and me in a barren region for more than a decade, sometimes I questioned whether or not my parents truly cared about their children’s safety.

  Complete and total shock dominated my friend’s expression. “Lissa… that’s insane.”

  I released an unamused laugh. “Tell me about it.”

  Jasper shook his head. “I had no idea. This is all so bizarre.”

  Nodding, I stayed silent. I let him work through the unbelievable truths regarding my family. He stared at the water, conflict and unease dominating his expression.

  Finally, he said, “I am sorry, Lissa. I can’t imagine how this makes you feel.”

  I felt tears gathering in my eyes, but I forced them back. I didn’t want to break down in public. Jasper and I were alone, but that didn’t mean we weren’t able to be seen. “It’s fine. My only real fear is for Lorie,” I confessed.

  Jasper fidgeted.

  “What?” I asked.

  Jasper swung his head from left to right, looking over his shoulder. Assured no one was listening to us, he leaned toward me and whispered, “There’s something else.”

  My pulse spiked. “Yes?”