Soul Binder (Soul Saga (Book #2))

by Todd, E. L.

  “Zyle came by last night.”

  Accacia looked at her. “What did he want?”

  “To make sure you were okay. Why do you think?”

  “Why didn’t he speak to me?”

  “He assumed you didn’t want to see him.” Laura watched Accacia’s face fall in guilt. She knew Accacia was feeling horrible for her actions. Laura was glad she had gotten through to her. “Zyle is worried that you won’t return to him—ever. I have never seen him so depressed, even when Cassandra died.”

  “How can he possibly think that?” Accacia asked. “I love him.”

  “Well, in his defense, when he came home all of your belongings were gone—like you had moved out. It usually doesn’t bode well when your life partner leaves your eave without saying word and then refuses to speak to you.”

  Accacia nodded. She rose from the seat and grabbed her belongings. Laura smiled as she watched her niece shoulder her pack and grab her bag from the floor. She headed toward the doorway and walked down the steps. “Thank you, Laura.”

  “Of course, dear,” she said. “Zyle will be very happy to see you return home.”

  Accacia yelled over her shoulder as she left the eave. “I’m not going home, Laura.”

  Canu

  51

  Accacia ascended the side of the mountain until she reached the secluded waterfall on the Aquan Mountains, the glade that Zyle had taken her to on a forestry mission. She knew he would find her here eventually when he searched for her. Accacia missed her life partner terribly, but she still needed space from him. The hateful words she had said to him were unacceptable, and she knew how wrong she was. Accacia wanted to think about her feelings, organize her thoughts. The idea of leaving her parents to enter the void was a decision she couldn’t accept. She hoped Zyle would change his mind.

  She lied under the trees and looked up into the black sky, which was covered in glowing stars that shined down on the world with the power of their starfire. They twinkled in the sky, almost dancing in their stationary positions, teasing the inhabitants of the earth with their unparalleled beauty. Accacia wondered if her soul would reach the stars someday. She wasn’t sure where it would go. Pia sat on her shoulder and whistled quietly, hoping the song would ease the pain on Accacia’s heart. Accacia stroked her beautiful feathers with her fingertips. “I’m glad you are here with me, my friend.”

  Pia chirped quietly.

  One star in particular caught her eye and her heart caught in her throat. It shined brighter than all the others and she recognized it from her star-mapping skills. It was Sisteen, the star that belonged to both Aleco and his mother. It belonged to her as well. The tears fell from her eyes as she looked at the star, imagining Aleco on the other side of the world living a life full of pain and despair. She prayed that he was well. She hoped that he was happy. But Accacia doubted it with every fiber of her being. Accacia missed him terribly. Even after everything she had experienced in this new world, including falling in love with her soul mate, she still missed him and cared for him as much as she had when she left the Continent. Accacia loved him. She always would.

  She wondered how he would feel about her commitment to someone else. He had told her to move on, given her permission to love someone else, and so she had. Zyle was an honorable man, one of the greatest men she had ever known, and she hoped Aleco would approve of him. After she recalled their current argument, she realized Aleco would. Zyle refused to let her leave; Aleco would have done the same thing. It was obvious that Zyle would rather die than let anything happen to her. He would even give up his immortality just so she wouldn’t experience any pain.

  Aleco was in her heart as much as he always was. She knew it bothered Zyle even though he still loved his former life partner. His love for Cassandra never threatened her. She was dead, after all. Aleco was still living. She wondered if that was the source of his jealousy. Accacia knew Zyle had nothing to fear. It seemed she was trapped on Suaden, never allowed to return to her home on the Continent anyway. She couldn’t reach Aleco, and he couldn’t get to her. They were separated by more than just distance.

  Accacia tightened her arms around her body, fighting the sudden coldness of the night air. She could just return to her eave where Zyle would keep her warm through the evening, but she knew she couldn’t go home. Thoughts and memories were coursing through her mind as she looked at her and Aleco’s star in the sky, and she knew she couldn’t be around Zyle with such emotions, especially since they weren’t about him, her husband. She loved her life partner, her soul mate, but she still felt lost in her existence.

  Accacia stared at Sisteen in the sky, knowing the ability to map the stars would ensure that she wouldn’t lose her way, but the star didn’t speak to her. It didn’t show her the way. She didn’t know where she was or where she was going. But she knew one thing—she wasn’t where she should be.

  Canu

  52

  Accacia had been absent for three days. No one had seen her in the marketplace, the Battle Academy, or in the city at all. Zyle questioned Laura about her whereabouts, but she had no idea where she would go. She never went home, not even to see Koku.

  Zyle waited for her to come home every night, but she never showed. He suspected she had run to the boat at the shore, but he knew she wouldn’t find it. He had removed it just in case they had another incident like before, when she tried to escape the island—he was glad he had done it. That was probably what she had attempted to do.

  Zyle couldn’t wait for her anymore. He was too worried for her well-being. She could be out on the island, lost or hurt, and with no aid. He packed his gear and went in search of her on the island. He had a feeling he knew where she might be.

  He climbed to the mid-level of the mountain and headed toward the secluded waterfall he had shown Accacia on one of their first forestry missions. The clouds above his head were a dull gray and the wind moved them past the island. Drops of water fell from the trees and into the moist grassland. It had rained the evening before. He hoped Accacia had remained dry through the night.

  Zyle entered the clearing and saw Accacia leaning against a large tree with Pia on her shoulder. Her hair was soaked and clung to her face and neck, and her shirt clung tight to her body. Zyle knew she was cold.

  He walked over to her and removed his shirt, placing it at her feet. He sat down next to her, but said nothing. She didn’t look at him or grab the shirt he offered her. Zyle knew her anger had dimmed over the past few days. She would have sprinted away from him if she still wasn’t ready to speak to him.

  Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Zyle didn’t touch her or initiate a conversation and patiently waited for her to make the first move. Finally, Accacia stood up and stripped her soaked shirt from her body and hung it to dry in the tree branch. Then, she donned Zyle’s dry shirt. Zyle forced himself to avert his gaze and respect her privacy. She sat down beside him again and he felt the brush of her arm. She was ice-cold. Accacia leaned into his body for warmth, and he circled his arms around her, encasing her in his body heat.

  Zyle sighed with relief. “Thank the gods, Accacia,” he said. “I was so worried.”

  She turned her face into his neck, and he felt her breath fall onto his skin. “I apologize for scaring you, Zyle. I was just so upset.” She grabbed his face and kissed him, and she felt his body relax at her affection. “I don’t hate you. I never should have said that.”

  “I forgive you, Accacia.” He tightened his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. “I’m just happy you still love me. I’ve spent the last four days worrying if you still did. I couldn’t sleep, eat, or even think about anything besides you.”

  “I will always love you, Zyle,” she said. “Never worry about that.”

  Zyle smiled. “I won’t.”

  “But I meant what I said before. I won’t leave my race to their fate. I am bound by my promise as a warrior.”

  Zyle sighed. He thought this conversation was fini
shed. “Your promise as a warrior is to protect the Asquithians—the living ones—not their souls, Accacia. It doesn’t apply in this situation.”

  Accacia shook her head. She forced her voice to remain calm, not letting her emotions creep into her voice. She didn’t want to fight with him again. Being away from him these past three days was just as agonizing for her as it was for him. She pulled away from his embrace, but he tightened his arms around her, inhibiting her escape.

  “No,” he said as he locked his grip. “Please don’t pull away from me.”

  Accacia leaned into him again, and he relaxed his hold. “Zyle, this life isn’t the real life, you must realize that. The afterlife is the one that counts—not this one. I have to ensure they make it. I would fail as a warrior if I didn’t.”

  Zyle closed his eyes. “I won’t let you go, Accacia. I will lock you in a cell if that’s what it takes to keep you here.” He saw the anger flash in her eyes and he understood her fury. The choice was unacceptable, but he meant it. “How about a compromise, Accacia?” he asked.

  The anger in her eyes dimmed at his words. “What would this compromise entail?”

  “I will travel to the Continent with the warriors and attempt to free the souls of our kin,” he said. “You will stay here.”

  Accacia looked away from him and stared at the waterfall across the glen. The idea of Zyle risking his life—and his afterlife—to rescue her parents made her heart palpitate. Accacia understood the depth of his love for her at his words. He would risk his immortality to spare hers, but not his wife’s. But she couldn’t stand the idea of Zyle losing his immortality, becoming trapped into the rock like the rest of their race. The idea made her sick. “No—I don’t want you to do that.”

  Zyle stared at her. “Then you understand my feelings perfectly, Accacia.”

  “Yes.”

  Zyle sighed. He was relieved this conversation was finally over. He hated the idea of Cassandra entering the void, but there was nothing he could do to change it. He couldn’t save her. He hated thinking about it.

  “So—that’s it? We abandon our family?”

  “There is no other choice, Accacia,” he said. “If we had a larger population and a better chance of victory, then the risk would be worth it, but if this deranged duke has been crowned King of the Continent, there is no possibility of success.”

  Accacia nodded. Zyle kissed her on top of the head and sighed in relief. He didn’t want to lock his soul mate in a cell to keep her here. He was glad that had been avoided. Accacia trailed kisses along his neck and his body relaxed further at her touch. She was silently assuring him she still belonged to him.

  Accacia stared at him for a moment. “Would you really do it?” she asked quietly. “Lock me away?”

  Zyle saw the despair in her eyes and knew how much his threat had bothered her. He sighed before he spoke. “As much as I hate to say it, yes, I would have.” He dropped his gaze, ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t—let you die.”

  Accacia didn’t respond to his words. She looked away from him and into the trees. The situations were entirely different. Zyle would only do it to protect her and she knew that. The idea still made her sick to her stomach.

  Zyle felt her pull further away from him, both emotionally and physically. He feared he was losing her again. “Do you still love me?” he asked. “I know it’s wrong and I would never do it for any other reason. I just have to protect you. Please understand that.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry for running away from you. I shouldn’t do that.”

  The tightness around Zyle’s frame relaxed and he could breathe easy again. He feared what her response was going to be. The past few days without her were pure torture. He wished she wouldn’t flee from him every time their relationship became strained. It would ease his mind greatly. “Can you do something for me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said she looked at him. “I will do anything for you.”

  “Stop leaving me whenever you are upset. When we fight, I will respect your space until you are ready to talk to me, but we need to sleep together in the same bed and still make love. I hate wondering if you are okay and if you are leaving me for good. Can you do that?”

  Guilt flooded Accacia’s body as she considered his words. She had frightened him extensively and she wished she hadn’t been the cause of his pain. Running away was the only defense mechanism she had and she needed to stop doing it. She was a fighter now. “Yes, Zyle.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “Thank you,” he said. He pressed his forehead against hers and ran his hand through the wet strands of hair, capturing the look of her green eyes as they leapt in an inferno when he touched her. Zyle had been proficient in reading her emotions through the changing images of her eyes. He knew the flames didn’t reflect her anger, but her desire. He felt the rift in his heart fade away as he realized they were back to normal. She was still his. They sat together for several minutes, holding each other in silence.

  Accacia pulled away. “Why didn’t you tell me about your powers?” she asked.

  Zyle opened his eyes. He was surprised by the sudden change in subject. “You mean my sensitivity? I wouldn’t consider it a power, more of a capability,” he said. “I didn’t want you to be frightened of me. Worried that I could read your mind.”

  “Can you?”

  “No, of course not,” he said. “But I can feel your emotions and intent. That is why I am considered one of the greatest warriors of our race. I can anticipate attacks before people make them—depending on the person, of course. An individual’s mind and intent can be clear at times, while at other moments can be swarming in confusion.”

  Understanding dawned on Accacia. “That is why you turned your back on me the day we met,” she said. “You knew I had no intent of killing you.”

  “Yes.”

  “How can you detect my feelings?”

  Zyle sighed. “It is difficult to explain, but I can feel all your emotions at certain times—when they are at the height of their peak. For instance, when you are furious with me, I can feel the emotion emitting from your body—or when we make love, I can feel your state of ecstasy.”

  Accacia blushed at his words. Zyle thought her reaction was ironic. She was obviously experienced but ashamed at her sexuality at the same time. Accacia looked away from him, trying to hide her embarrassment. “How did you acquire these skills?”

  “I am not certain,” he said. “When I finished my pledge at the Initiation Ceremony, they came to me. I suspect it is a bond with the sword. Some warriors in the history of our pasts have been endowed with the ability, but very few.”

  “What an honor,” she said.

  “Yes, I suppose. It can be a curse as well.”

  Accacia looked back at him. “How so?” she asked. “If you can anticipate your opponents moves in battle, then isn’t it a blessing?”

  “Yes, sometimes it is, but people’s emotions cannot always be read with ease. Misinterpretation can lead to your death just as easily. It is also unbearable to feel the depression from the ones you love, unable to help them in any way.”

  Accacia knew he was referring to her. “I’m sorry, Zyle.”

  “There is nothing to apologize for, Accacia,” he said. “You have carried more pain than anyone I have ever met. But your pain has dimmed, however.”

  “I think I know why.” She smiled.

  Zyle grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Are you ready to come home?” he asked. He averted his gaze. “Or—do you need more time?”

  “Take me home.”

  He smiled.

  They walked back to the eave in the city, chatting the entire way about his future coronation. It was set for tomorrow. The ambassadors and volunteers of the populace were preparing for the event. A new ruler hadn’t been crowned in over a hundred years.

  Accacia walked through the doorway and went into their bedroom. She discarded her dripping clothes and donned on
a new green dress, dry and warm.

  “What are you doing?” Zyle asked from the doorway.

  “Changing, of course,” she said as she fixed her hair in the mirror. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  Zyle closed the door behind him and shut the window. “After the hell you put me through these last three days, I’m not letting you leave this room—you have a lot of making up to do.” Zyle came behind her and stared at her in the mirror. She met his gaze with a smile.

  “We have to prepare for the ceremony tomorrow,” she said. “The daylight will be gone soon and there is so much to do.”

  Zyle kissed her neck. “I couldn’t care less, Accacia.” He untied her dress and it fell to the floor. “As your ruler, your king, you will do as I command.” He carried her to the bed and laid her on the surface. He dropped his clothes to the floor and climbed on top of her.

  Accacia looked up at him. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Zyle was dreaming about Accacia when the alarming feeling washed over him. The feeling of utter despair. He opened his eyes and looked at Accacia lying next to him. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, and she was crying quietly to herself, suffering a disturbing dream. Zyle was about to wake her up when Accacia whispered under her breath.

  “Aleco.”

  Zyle felt his heart drop in his chest. He didn’t know what the content of her dream was, but he knew how much it pained her. It flooded her body in a crescendo of emotion, and it reminded Zyle of his own pain when Cassandra had perished in the flood. He knew this dream was different than her nightmares. She wasn’t screaming.

  “I miss you,” she whispered. “I miss you so much.”

  The jealousy coursed through his body when he heard his life partner confess her love for her former lover. Zyle knew his fury was unfounded because she was dreaming. It was out of her control. It still hurt, nonetheless.