"With that, I couldn't help but notice this missing when we rescued you." She held out a small black box and pressed it into my hands. "Low and behold, guess what we found while going through Ellingsworth's things?"
I swallowed my concern and flipped open the small box. My fingers shook as I examined the small wooden ring.
It was the same one that I'd worn for years from my parents, but now there was a small sliver of black stone embedded along its length.
The stone Lynk had torn from my back.
Anger twisted inside me again at the memory.
"I believe you'll find it useful in your new position with the Science Division," she said, bringing me back to the present. "We wouldn't want anyone else stumbling on your little … secret."
She knew?
Mind racing, I dipped my head. "Thank you, my lady. That was very generous of you, but I never agreed to work for them."
Cautiously, I slipped it back onto my finger, the familiar coolness settling over me like a blanket. A blanket restricting my magic …
She laughed merrily. "Oh, no. You're right. I just assumed … well, I might be jumping ahead of myself. This has all moved rather fast. I just — I felt such kinship between us and I assumed you understood."
I shook my head in confusion. This woman made no sense!
"Kaiya." She smoothed her skirts around her. "May I call you that?"
I nodded.
"As I said … you remind me so much of myself." She held her fingers up and ticked them off one by one. "Works best alone. Strong. Independent. Well aware that the only person one can trust is oneself. The Science Division is perfect for you! You'll work alone whenever you'd like and it will provide everything you need for both you and your aunt. What more could you ask for?"
I grimaced. She was right, of course, but it hadn't always been that way. I'd enjoyed those days with Eli and Lynk. For a bit, I'd thought that I might be part of something bigger than myself — a team. But they'd lied to me, and it had resulted in everything falling apart.
"I've given you a job with our team and I think you'll like it, if you just give it a try. There are some wonderful creatures out to the west, and I'd love your help in finding and taming them. Plus, there are some ruins nearby that I think might fascinate you, and we can always use new relics."
My heart ached as I looked between her and Aunt Grace.
"I can't leave her," I said, whispering.
She just chuckled. "I've already hired a very handsome someone to help her adjust to her new life, so she will not be alone."
I swallowed hard and looked at my aunt. She'd be happy if she heard this. I knew it. If Lady Frexin was telling the truth, it meant we finally had everything we wanted.
It just sounded so lonely now.
But like she said, I was better off that way. No one to hurt, and no one to hurt me. My back still ached from Lynk's betrayal.
Besides, this was a new adventure! And hadn't I always dreamed of adventures?
I pasted on a smile and held my hand out. "Thank you, Lady Frexin. When do we begin?"
63
Some Time Later
- Eli -
I sat behind my desk, staring out the window, watching two young dragons wrestling in the air. Carefully, I tried to reach out to them, but as usual, the connection slipped away.
Since the Fall, we'd been unable to reach our brethren. For some reason, they had reverted fully back to their primal animal instincts and were no longer mentally accessible to even the strongest bond mages.
"Eli. Have you finished translating those books for Jaiel, yet?" Gram's voice was sharp, but she wore a smile.
I winced. "No. They reference quite a few locations I've never heard of. Whatever Lynk was up to, he'd been working on it for a while and had far more knowledge than me." Looking down, I traced the cover of a small leather book. There were strange locks going up the right side, like some sort of puzzle.
But no matter how hard I'd tried, I hadn't been able to break the code. I could possibly break them. But knowing Lynk, he had some sort of trap set to ruin the book if that happened.
"Will you go back?" she asked.
My heart ached at the thought of returning to the city on the other side of the ocean — to Kaiya. "No," I said, reaching out to pat her hand. "This is my home now."
She harrumphed. "When I told you to grow up, I didn't mean you should lose yourself, boy."
I laughed, but there was no happiness in it.
When the love of your life rejected you, you were killed. And then she went to work for the opposing side. What else was one to do?
She nodded. "You know, Lisell's daughter has come by asking for you several times?"
My chest tightened. I didn't want other women! "Yes, Gram. I'll see about taking her for a carriage ride, sometime."
"That's my boy." She patted my hand and left the room.
I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. This was not what I'd expected when I told Dimiri that I'd join the Rogues.
But when Solyn had given her life for mine, I'd sworn I would do something worthwhile with it.
Small footsteps sounded outside my office and I looked up in time to see Mirrim step through the door, black hair tied into a single braid over her shoulder. She'd grown taller over the past few years, but was still full of the same crazy energy.
"Did you hear? A boat is coming tonight?!" She plopped herself down on the edge of my desk.
I grimaced. "Another trader? How?"
She shook her head, sending that braid swinging, "Someone from the Rogues."
My heart leaped. "The Rogues? Are you sure?" Perhaps Jaiel had news about Lynk then …
She nodded. "Yes! And they said they have a bond mage with them. Can you believe it?"
Excitement buzzing through me, I had to force myself to remain sitting. Just because a bond mage was coming here didn't mean it was Kaiya. There were other bond mages. Still …
"Riarlo, do you know anything about a ship tonight?"
"Yes, my lord." His voice was stiff, uncomfortable.
My heart sped up. "Is it her?"
"Yes, my lord."
Kaiya was coming here. Holy hells …
To be continued in Book Two — Forsaken Bonds
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Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking a chance on a newbie author and reading Forsaken Secrets.
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Acknowledgments
Whew. This book would not exist without
the support of SO many people. So, this is going to be extremely long and full of sappy thoughts, emojis, and exclamation marks (sorry)!
First, I never would have tried writing if not for my amazing husband. He told me for years that I should give it a try, but I was convinced that it was something I could never do. It wasn’t until he literally made us a date where we both wrote stories and read them to each other that I actually tried writing fiction.
That book (and the one after it) will never be published, but they showed me that I really could do this thing I love.
He’s the first person to read my drafts, and the most honest of readers (seriously, 82 comments on one chapter?!). And he didn’t even blink when I told him I was going to write RH, lol. He works long days, then comes home and sends me off to write while he plays with the kiddos, often taking his limited free time to help me work through difficult scenes, plot points, and magic system issues.
Thank you, Love! You are my favorite! <3 <3 <3
Kiddos. Seriously. Your encouragement when I leave to write, grinning and yelling “You can do it, Mommy!” keeps me going when I’m tired and burnt out. And the fact that you think Kaiya, Lynk, Eli, Jaiel (and the other guys) are actual real people just makes me happy! No, you cannot read this book for many years, but yes, someday I will write a book for you.
Thank you for being my second biggest cheerleaders <3.
To my amazing parents and in-laws. Thank you for all the days taking the kiddos while I get extra writing in. You never even blink when I tell you I have ANOTHER deadline, and you always give me giant hugs and ask when the book is coming out. I still wish you wouldn’t read it, but I love that you want to!
You gave me my love for reading, never judging me for what books I picked, and taking me to the library however often I wanted. Thank you!! For everything <3.
My good friend, Holly. Without you, I’d have never gone beyond those first few chapters of that very first book! When I signed up for writing to be my hobby in Rising Heroes, I’d only written like two chapters of a book, while you’d already written many. But you were always supportive! Seeing you write every day made ME want to write, and that accountability got me through my first two (terrible) books.
I feel SO grateful to call you my friend, and I adore every one of your books! They’re amazing!! I can’t wait to go to another 20Books with you someday <3.
Forsaken Secrets has been in progress since mid-2018, about a year after I read my first RH book (thank you, Jaymin Eve and Jane Washington - Curse of the Gods blew my mind) and wrote my first two books. The first draft was done that fall during NaNoWriMo, then I edited it, and sent it to an amazing developmental editor.
She very nicely showed me just how little I knew about good story telling and gave me some great tips for improving my craft! Thank you, Deb, for being so supportive and telling me that I had potential in spite of how much work there was left to do <3.
I spent the next 18 months learning the basics of writing craft, and replanning the book. It went through several iterations and had some hiccups when Covid hit in 2020. But finally, in the fall of 2020, the story finally clicked and it changed from Forsaken Dreams to Forsaken Secrets!
That whole phase would not have been possible without the amazing support of my ladies of GLoRF. Catharine, Clare, Jennifer - you three both kept me motivated and told me when I was 100% overthinking things, lol. Thank you for all the late-night chats, memes, steamy scenes, and tips. You are amazing!
It’s been amazing to watch each of your careers grow, and I’m SO excited to see what your futures hold!!! <3
I work best when I see other people working, but that’s a bit hard as a writer, and even more so during a pandemic. Luckily, I heard about a few Discord servers where writers were working together in sprints.
To the people of WCM, Sprints and Spirits, and Romance Writers, I’ve NEVER been so productive as when I’m sprinting with you all, and it’s fun to see authors so much further along in their careers <3.
You’ve been amazingly supportive, and I feel SO lucky to have such awesome “co-workers.”
My AMAZING Early Reader Division - alphas, betas, seekers, and hunters: Catharine, Julie, Katie, Meghan, Richelle, Belinda, Candace, LeeAnn, Amanda, Danielle, Natalie, Shayna, Stephanie, Raquel, Elizabeth, Rachel, and Emma. I had no idea what to expect when I sent out that message to you all, but it certainly wasn’t a new group of friends <3!
You all told me honestly what was broken, then checked in to see how I was handling edits, and gave input whenever asked. Those supportive messages always seemed to come at the perfect time, too! You never even hesitate to share Forsaken Secrets when you see a good place to rec it, or to send your friends my way as future readers.
It makes my heart happy every time!
Plus, your names for the creatures/world/places/people — gah … they’re perfect.
You are my heroes!
Thank you for taking a chance on a newbie author, and for putting so much time into reading my rough work and giving feedback. I’ve ADORED working with each of you, and I cannot wait to keep working with you for future books <3.
And to my awesome ARC readers who found those pesky typos - Patti, Mary, Jenni and Kyla. Thank you SO much!!
For anyone I’ve forgotten, I’m so sorry! You are greatly appreciated, and I swear I’ll remember later and add you!
I appreciate every single person who’s helped make Forsaken Secrets a reality!
Forsaken Secrets: A slow-burn new adult fantasy romance (Isle of the Forsaken Book 1) Page 28
