by G. K. DeRosa
I glanced at the clock and sighed. Seven more hours until I could make a break for it. I lowered myself onto the bed and placed my head in my hands, my elbows on my knees. What I was about to do could get Malcolm in big trouble. Sneaking onto the AirComm base again was a really bad idea, but how else was I going to find out what was going on?
Chapter 8
Kaige
The black uniform laid out on my bed by Garridan had my stomach twisting in knots. It wasn’t something I wanted to wear, and yet it was my destiny. I had no choice but to don the thick leather pants, fitted black shirt, and leather vest.
The trials were beginning.
Acid crawled up my throat. The day I’d been dreading was finally here. By the end of this week, I’d probably be crowned king. Well, as long as Xander didn’t do something stupid like tell the king about Solaris.
I dragged my fingers through my damp hair and snatched the pants off the bed. The material was cool against my skin.
My vision suddenly blurred, and I was no longer standing in my room, but sitting at a small desk facing a large projection screen. A man was using a red laser to point out various components on a diagram of a plane engine. Rows of young adults stretched out around me, sunlight filtering in through a few windows.
What is this? Where am I?
I wanted to peer around, but my movements weren’t my own. A few glimpses of bland, monotone furniture caught my eye before the diagram appeared again. Something familiar tugged on my chest, a presence within me.
A tiny sigh exited my lips, the sound entirely too sweet to emanate from me. A tablet lay on the desk in front of me, small hands holding the edges.
My pulse spiked. Those weren’t my hands, but I did recognize them.
Their delicate touch had brushed the hair from my face. They’d clung to me, curled around my shoulders as I cradled their owner close. Those fingers had skimmed along my jaw as my lips caressed the softest thing I’d ever had the pleasure of feeling. Her lips.
Oh gods. Solaris.
A flash of golden hair swept over my shoulder as I moved. No. Not me. Solaris moved. I was seeing through her eyes.
How is this possible?
I blinked and I was back in my own body, standing in my own room. One foot was stuck in my pant leg, and the other was hanging midair. My head swam from the disorienting feeling of going from my mind to hers and back again. Cold sweat dampened my body.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. I couldn’t afford to black out during the trials.
The room shifted again, and I was back with Solaris.
She was bored out of her mind. I could feel it through the bond as sharply as if she were with me. The teacher’s monotone voice droned on with no end in sight. Solaris’s stylus moved along the tablet, forming a word she kept hidden with her hand.
Kaige.
A pang tore through my chest as her sadness encompassed me. She wasn’t the only one having a hard time forgetting.
The edges began to fade, and panic slammed into my body as I realized Solaris was about to disappear again.
“No!”
I flinched at my own frantic outburst and found myself hunched over my bed, panting. Fine tremors ran through my muscles. I stumbled to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. My reflection stared back at me, cheeks colorless and eyes wild orbs of silver.
I needed to see Garridan. He was the only one I could talk to.
I quickly threw on the rest of the required uniform and stalked out of my room, ignoring the few nocturnes passing by. They were used to my brooding attitude as of late.
Garridan answered the door after a few minutes of my heavy fist nearly denting it.
“Kaige, what—”
I cut him off as I stormed in. “We need to talk.” My words were a gravelly snarl.
Garridan closed the door and turned around, his knowing eyes surveying my agitated behavior.
My fists furled and unfurled by my sides while my feet moved back and forth. “I’ve been getting these flashes recently,” I blurted, my gaze looking at everything but him.
“Go on.” A hint of worry lingered beneath his calm voice.
I dragged my fingers through my hair, pulling on the ends. “I didn’t know what they were at first, but…” I shook my head unable to explain the strange flashes.
Was this all in my imagination? Was I hallucinating?
“Kaige, look at me.” A warm hand landed on my shoulder, familiar and comforting. “Whatever it is, I’ll help you through it.”
I swallowed hard and licked my dry lips. All the moisture had evaporated from my mouth. “I’ve been seeing through Solaris’s eyes.”
A vein in his forehead ticked, the only reaction to my words for several moments. Finally he nodded, as a shadow fell over his expression. “Have a seat.” He steered me toward the same chair I’d collapsed in after Xander had taken Solaris.
After I had let him take her.
I shook off the painful thoughts. If anything, the flashes at least told me that she was safe. Bored, but safe.
Bored was good.
“This bond you developed is stronger than I anticipated.” Garridan ran a hand down his weathered face. “You only gave her your blood once, right?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, bristling in the chair. “Not exactly.”
His brow arched, awaiting an answer.
Images of that final time in the plane flashed through my mind. Solaris was cradled in my lap, her honey and jasmine scent swirling around me. She’d been so soft, so warm. “A few times.” Color blossomed in my cheeks. “Three to be exact.”
Garridan covered his face with his hand, shaking his head and muttering incoherently. “Did you feed from her as well?”
“No.” An ache shot through my fangs at the thought. I didn’t need to relay that to him though.
He made a harrumphing sound and began pacing the small length of his cramped bedroom. “These flashes are a byproduct of the bond. Your separation is undesirable.”
My brow furrowed. “But I thought the distance would break it.”
“It usually does.” His eyes narrowed. “When the bond is weak.”
An invisible fist squeezed the internal organs inside my chest, making it hard to breathe. “So you’re telling me this will only get worse?”
Garridan shrugged. “It depends on how strong the link between you two really is.”
“Can Solaris see me?”
“Probably not. You haven’t had her blood.” Garridan dragged another chair next to me, wincing as he sat slowly. “The trials are starting. This isn’t good.”
A bitter laugh slipped out. “Tell me something I don’t know. I can’t afford to be in the middle of a competition, especially a physical one, and zone out.” My stomach twisted in painful knots at what I was about to ask. I hated to even consider it, but it was the only way. Solaris probably wouldn’t even be aware this time.
“Do you have any more Evanescium?” I choked back a gag. My entire body protested the idea of taking it again to numb the bond.
He shook his head. “Sorry, Kaige. What I gave you the other day was the last of it. The alchemists stopped making it decades ago.”
I sighed and buried my face in my hands. Part of me was relieved—the idiotic part. These flashes of Solaris were dangerous and only going to cause me trouble. Were the few glimpses of her life worth losing the trials?
Yes.
I ignored that voice inside my head. A thought struck me, and I glanced at Garridan between my fingers. “Why did you have the Evanescium?” He never answered when I’d first posed the question. “How do you know so much about bonds?”
His gaze shifted to the ground as he slowly rubbed his knees. “I’m old, Kaige. I remember the ancient ways.”
That wasn’t all. He was hiding something. I’d known Garridan my entire life, and he never avoided answering a question. “Did you have a bond with a human before the prophecy?”
The stiff
ening of his shoulders was the only answer I received. My phone suddenly dinged, slicing through the palpable tension. I snatched it out of my pocket and read the message from Anders.
Places at once. Trials are commencing.
Chapter 9
Kaige
The roaring cheers of the crowd thundered against my skull, threatening to split it wide open. Cold sweat trickled down my spine. Xander and I were standing on opposite sides of the arena, a massive tower of sturdy wood and metal between us.
The stands were filled to the brim with nocturnes, nobles and taranoi. No one wanted to miss the princes battling it out for the crown. After learning what Dexter had first thought of me, most of the taranoi probably hoped we’d tear each other apart.
That wasn’t the purpose of this particular trial, though. The objective was to climb the structure and ring the bell. It sounded simple enough, right?
It wasn’t.
The steel climbing spikes running along the wooden walls weren’t stationary and instead moved from one side to another. One moment a steady foothold existed and the next it was gone. Four cylindrical sections constructed the tower, each moving at random intervals. And to make it even more ruthless, the competitors—Xander and I—could force each other off.
My brother came into view, his navy eyes piercing mine from across the field. A sneer curled his lips before he turned back to the crowd, egging on their cheers.
Unlike my brother, I’d have preferred to do this without an audience. Too bad my father valued tradition.
I glanced to the right where the royal Stramonox family watched. King Razvan sat straight and regal in his chair while Queen Dacia’s forehead was lined with worry. She hated the idea of the trials. She told the king pitting Xander and me against each other would only reinforce the rift between us.
Our mother didn’t know that rift was already diamond hard.
Zabrina sat next to our mother, grinning. She had no problem watching her brothers fight it out. In her mind, it was all a game.
One day she’d realize how much we really hated each other. I dreaded that day.
A horn blared through the dark sky, piercing my eardrums. The trial began.
My foot dug into the ground, and I pushed forward, launching myself through the air. I hit the tower on the second section, entirely bypassing the first.
The crowd’s cheers rose to ear-shattering levels. My climb didn’t get very far when the clicking of gears echoed, signaling the approaching movement of the tower. My grip tightened around two spikes. Cool air rushed over me as the segment shifted to the right, freezing the sweat on my skin.
A flash of Xander’s dark hair appeared below. Adrenaline shot through my limbs, and I found my grip, pulling myself higher. The lower section he was on twisted, yanking him back to the opposite side of the tower. My left hand grabbed a spike, the cool metal slipping through my fingers as it melted back into the wooden wall.
I cursed and quickly snatched ahold of another one. The tower rotated again, swinging me to the left. My body slammed against the wood, my feet nearly slipping off the poles below. I glanced at the dirt ground. If my grip had been any weaker, I would have tumbled off.
I paused, catching my breath. My heart crashed against my ribs, and my limbs trembled. The constant rumble of the crowd didn’t help. I wiped my sweaty palms on my shirt before pulling myself up another level.
My vision began to fade around the edges.
No! Not now.
I couldn’t stop the descent into Solaris’s mind. She was sitting on the floor in the same bland room I’d seen yesterday, light streaming through one window.
Her bedroom.
A thrill zipped down my spine. Her scent flooded my nostrils, honey and jasmine. A girl around her age with dark hair was talking to her, their words muted. Maybe the loud atmosphere of the arena was drowning out their conversation. I really had no idea how this blood bond thing worked.
Solaris nodded and then looked at the other person in her room.
A male.
My blood heated at the sight of him so close. He was a few years older and dressed in some kind of military uniform. His smile was too friendly. Too familiar.
Gavin. The name drifted through my mind. She’d mentioned it as we were sneaking into Imera not long before we separated.
His hand casually reached over and brushed her arm.
My nostrils flared, and a growl tore from my mouth. He shouldn’t be touching my human.
Pain ripped through my foot, and the arena slammed back into focus. Xander was directly below, trying to pull me off the tower.
I cursed and kicked him. He seized a spike before he fell. My section spun, leaving my brother behind. My brain was slow to return to the present, the blood bond driving me to stay with Solaris. I swallowed hard, shaking off the disorientation. My gaze lifted, gauging how much farther the damn bell was.
It seemed like miles.
Solaris.
My fangs sharpened and something hot and ugly spread through my chest. It made me want to storm into Imera and rip that guy’s throat out. Gavin. Who was he to her? What right did he have to touch her?
None.
Only I could touch her.
I choked back those dangerous thoughts, slamming a steel door on them. Solaris wasn’t mine. She could be with whomever she wanted.
A dark voice slithered through my mind. It laughed at me and called me a liar. Was it the bond? Was it my subconscious?
“Are you daydreaming, Brother?” Xander was suddenly poking his head out from the other side of the tower, damp strands of hair stuck to his face. “Thinking about your little human? You miss her?” His eyes glowed silver as he smacked his lips. “I certainly do.”
A growl erupted from my mouth and I launched myself at him, forgetting about the goal of the contest.
Xander scurried out of the way, but not quickly enough. I latched onto his shoulder and forced him back. He lost his footing, and his left hand slipped. “You bastard!” He dangled from a single spear, the sleek metal shaking as it began to glide back into the tower.
A feral smile curled my lips. “Better luck next time, Brother.”
My vision blurred again, taking me to Solaris.
The girl was tinkering with a sleek black electronic bracelet clasped around Solaris’s wrist. Cold trepidation bled through my veins. It looked like a Collective issued device. From what I’d read, a tracking device to be more specific.
My teeth ground together. What was my little human getting herself into?
The tracking device must be part of her punishment for stealing a plane. She should be staying put. Why was she trying to sneak around unnoticed?
Shouting from the crowd yanked me back to the arena. The sole of a foot was moments away from slamming into my face.
I cursed and hung back, avoiding the crushing blow. Xander was above me, his dark grin nearly splitting his face in half.
“You may as well give up, Kaige,” he yelled. “I’m winning.”
Not for long.
My knees bent, and I jumped onto the next level of spikes. His eyes widened as I reached for his foot.
Sharp pain pierced my hand, radiating up my arm. I snarled. A dagger pinned my hand to a wooden plank of the tower.
They were throwing knives now?
Another brushed my shoulder and then my face, slicing a fine line across my heated cheek. I glanced over, my nostrils flaring. Hazon, Xander’s best friend, was the royal guard hurling them. He flicked his blonde locks from his face before whipping another blade out of his holster. The edges of his lips twitched when his silver eyes connected with mine. He should have been aiming at both of us, but most of the daggers surrounded me. A few poorly thrown ones bounced around my brother.
I yanked the blade from my hand, red blazing across my vision. Xander was steadily moving up the tower now, injury free.
He wasn’t going to get far.
The segment I was clinging to moved, slingin
g me to the right. I lost sight of my brother, but the crowd’s cheers indicated he was getting dangerously close to that bell.
I closed my eyes and gathered my strength. Images of Xander hurting Solaris raced through my mind like a high-speed nightmare. My blood boiled, hemorrhaging a mix of fury and adrenaline through my extremities.
A deep breath filled my lungs, and I opened my eyes, propelling myself with every ounce of strength I possessed.
I soared up the tower, my movements so fast I was nearly flying. The wind whipped my hair back, and my hands barely touched the spikes. There was a reason the king had so much confidence in me. Xander could have been just as good, but up until the trials were announced, he spent most of his time getting into trouble.
The bell appeared like a light in the darkness, an ember in cold ashes. Xander glanced up, his grin faltering.
“You’re always too cocky.” I punched the bell imagining it was my brother’s face. The loud metallic clang exploded through the arena, and the metal plate broke free. The bell flew off the stand, barely missing my brother on its way down.
Clapping erupted, and my name was chanted through the stands. Xander’s eyes bored into me, a dark, seething promise of pain radiating from that hard look.
He faded, and I was back with Solaris. She was on the floor in a room hunched over a hidden hatch in the floor. The elation of winning the first trial melted away as she plucked a thin white card from the hiding spot; her father’s name was printed on it.
Oh gods. She was going someplace that needed high-level clearance. Every ounce of air was siphoned from my lungs. The pit tearing open my stomach told me she was about to break her promise. She was going to investigate the blood bags.
Chapter 10
Solaris
I crept down the white hall, the odor of disinfectant thick in the air. The halogen lights above produced a steady hum, drowning out the thoughts racing in my head. I stopped and peered around the corner. Two women in white uniforms manned the nurse’s station. One tapped away on her phone, while the other bent over the desk, her head in her hands.
