Genesis

by Christie Rich

  He cocked his pretty face at me. “You already have a connection with Heath. For this to work as it should, the connection you have to all of us has to be balanced. Anything less would put you in danger, and I, for one, am not willing to take that risk for fear of hurting you.”

  Tabitha raised a dainty hand, waiving him off. “That will be enough, Taveon.” She turned her attention to me. “It is very simple, Rayla. If you are too attached to one lord, the others will not be able to protect you if the need arises.”

  Heath faced Tabitha. “I’ll just wait in my chambers. Let me know if you need me.”

  I watched him walk away—his back rigid, his fists bunched up. That was the most emotion I had seen from him since we got here.

  Tabitha caught my attention. “Ready?”

  Didn’t really matter anymore. I nodded, swallowing down my fear all the while hoping I wasn’t making the worst mistake of my life.

  Without another word, she proceeded to test my connection with the remaining lords. By the time she was done, I was sucking wind, straining to keep myself upright. One thing kept cycling through my mind. Why was Heath the only lord that didn’t cause me severe pain?

  Once she was done turning my bones to jelly, each of the lords surrounded me. Luke faced me, and I made myself focus on the depth of his haunted blue eyes. Tabitha removed herself from the circle, but I could still feel her hovering. My body shook in anticipation that just kept gearing up. Protection, I reminded myself. I was doing this for protection.

  “All mighty Creator,” Tabitha said. The sound echoed, taking on a layered quality. “Hear thy servant. We, the fallen, beseech thee to grant our petition this day. We seek to protect your chosen, Rayla Tate. Bind this circle in thy wisdom that she may fulfill thy divine purposes.”

  Silence fell over our ragged group. I waited as long as I could stand it. Really I did. Before long, though, I had to know what was going on. “What are we waiting for?” I whispered to Luke.

  “Shhh!” he hissed, bowing his head lower as if his show of respect could make up for my lack of manners.

  I let out a heavy sigh and forced myself to close my eyes.

  Just then the tiniest of sensations caught my attention, as if a butterfly had disturbed the air by my right ear. I looked around…nothing.

  But—what was that? Pressure at my nape…no at the base of my spine…no everywhere—pushing in on my skin. The sensation wasn’t exactly painful, but it wasn’t like when I was with Heath. With him, bonding was seamless, enjoyable, amazing even. At that moment I noticed my arm was glowing. I followed the stream of purple light to the source. Zach.

  He smiled at me just as I gave him a questioning glance. His face softened, showing me how much he cared for me. My heart leapt at the realization. I felt humbled and afraid realizing what he had already done to protect me. I had told him frivolously that I would go to hell and back for him, yet he was the one that had done it for me.

  I turned away from him, not able to take the connection any more. I decided it would be best if I just let this happen without thinking too much about it. Allowing the flow of energy to enter my body I closed my eyes again. The pressure grew into tight anticipation that zinged through me.

  This was it. My body tingled with change, morphing into something I wasn’t sure I would recognize when this was all over. Electricity bubbled under my skin, amping me up, reminding me of a moment I would rather forget: Back at the Order compound, May, the local bully, shattering into tiny specs of light at a mere touch from Ainessa. If the tension within me expanded much more, I would meet a similar fate.

  When I was sure I couldn’t take this one more second, I heard them…indistinct thoughts mingling with my own: Will she really give me a chance? I must find a way. I would die for this woman. Why can’t she see that? The one that confused me the most shot through my mind so fast, I almost missed it. Will she ever be able to forgive me?

  Then they stopped. My mind was my own again. I opened my eyes, swaying on my feet.

  That was the most intense experience I had ever had. I glanced around, wondering which lord belonged to the thoughts I had captured.

  Taylor stared boldly at me, but the rest looked away as if they knew I had been in their heads for that brief time.

  Luke set a hand at my elbow to steady me. Memories of meeting him for the first time flashed through my head. He had been cocky beyond belief with his too sure smile and blazing blue eyes, but more than that, he had been distant. What had made him trust me enough to confide in me? Was it trust or merely the knowledge that he had no other choice if he was to have a chance with me?

  Man, I wished I could trust my feelings. But I couldn’t. When this was over, I was going to insist on spending time individually with each lord, just to make sure I was making the right choice for me.

  Tabitha cleared her throat. Something bad lay behind that sound.

  Steeling my insides, I faced her. “What?”

  She gave me a placid grin. “You will not be waiting to get to know these men better. You shall accompany Taveon to Uldran momentarily.”

  It took less than a second for that to sink in. “What!” I marched up to her and placed my nose an inch from hers. “That was not part of this bargain. My family could be killed. I will not waste time while they are at risk!”

  She didn’t budge. Her grin didn’t waiver, either. “Rayla. We can’t send you to face the Order now. We need to strategize, gather intel, train you.”

  I stiffened. “But I thought you said training wouldn’t work.”

  “I said no such thing, child. You hear what you want to hear.”

  Gritting my teeth, I shook my head. “You tricked me.”

  Her expression softened. “That was not my intention. I only wish to protect you.” I opened my mouth, but she rushed forward before I could get another word out, giving me a reproachful tone. “Not so long ago, you asked for training.”

  “Yes, but…my family—”

  “Are fine.”

  I gasped, hope blossoming in my chest. “You know where they are?”

  “As we speak, they are on an obscure landmass in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp. Once again, the Order has managed to conceal their underhanded workings.”

  “So they are there,” I breathed. Roger had been telling the truth. I wondered what else he knew…like where Natalie was. The last time I had seen her she had been trying to escape the Order. Her boyfriend, Sam, had been ordered to kill her, and I had been helpless to stop him from doing something stupid. Well I wasn’t helpless anymore. I had to protect my—

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “We are working on that.”

  A myriad of thoughts bombarded me at once. How long were they going to keep me in Uldran? I didn’t even like Taylor. Why couldn’t I refuse him period? After all, I already knew how I felt about him.

  “Rayla,” Tabitha interrupted my internal rant. “In order for you to make the best choice, you have to know your options. Each of these men have much to offer you if you are willing to put aside your preconceived notions and see them for who they are.”

  I glanced at Taylor again. What could he possibly offer me, other than a headache every time he opened his mouth? From the stern look on her face, I was pretty sure Tabitha wasn’t going to let this go, so I decided to concede a little.

  “How long?” I asked.

  “Three weeks in each province.”

  “No,” I said. She was talking about more than four months wasted in the fae realms. “That would be years in the human realm. The Order will not wait that long, and neither will I.”

  Tabitha chuckled. “My child, there is much you need to learn. First of all we can control time. Even if you spent three years with each lord, if it was what we wished, a mere second would pass in the mortal realm. We don’t do it very often because it becomes too burdensome to maintain a balance, but in this case, I think it might be warranted.”

  Huh? Did she actually just say the fae have the
power to manipulate time? If that was true, why had so much time gone by when I was in Ingnis? Why hadn’t they just rewound time to go back to get me from Utah before I knew anything about this stuff? I grunted in frustration. After all this time I still didn’t understand anything about this world. Was Tabitha telling the truth, or was she trying to mollify me to get me to go with Taylor without making too much of a fuss?

  Suddenly, I ached for the ability to read her mind because she clearly wasn’t going to elaborate. What exactly would I be agreeing to here? If she was telling the truth and I could get some much needed training before I faced Ainessa again without losing anything in the process, why wouldn’t I agree?

  There was only one problem I couldn’t get to leave my mind. I was already so confused when it came to my feelings where the lords were concerned. Would spending more time with them really help, or was I about to add more uncertainty to the mix?

  I took a turn looking at each one of them, but that didn’t improve anything. There was only one way to find out if this was worth the effort—I was going to have to jump in feet first. Hopefully I would be able to tread this riptide.

  My eyes found Taylor again. His cool exterior couldn’t mask the intensity shining in his maple eyes. Trepidation seized my lungs. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him alone. I didn’t want to get to know him. Maybe Tabitha would let me go with Luke or Zach first.

  “We drew straws,” said Zach softly.

  Holy cow. Did he just read my mind? I flicked a glance at him. His expression gave nothing away.

  He continued without commenting to my thoughts. “It was the only fair means to do this.”

  I studied him for a moment. He wasn’t glamoured up like Luke, and he looked flat-out tired. I didn’t want to cause him any more stress than he had already dealt with. These two had been through enough because of me. Maybe they would be able to recover by the time I was to go to their land. I hoped so, because I was determined to choose someone soon.

  I couldn’t keep going on this way. Not knowing where my future was headed had been slowly shredding my insides. I needed some stability. I just hoped I could manage to make a choice when the time came, because there was no way I could right now.

  I squared my shoulders, inhaling a long breath. With more effort than it should have taken, I walked up to Taylor. He looked down at me, still wearing his placid exterior, even his eyes had gone neutral. Did this guy ever show emotion?

  When he reached for my hand, I let him mold his fingers to mine. It wasn’t exactly painful for me to be around him. That was, as long as he kept his mouth shut. I owed it to myself to give him a fair chance. What if I was wrong about him?

  “Bye,” I said to no one in particular and followed him into the castle. We walked down the corridors in silence. My heart beat frantically in my chest.

  “Aren’t we going to get my stuff?” I asked.

  “Your needs will be provided for. You mustn’t worry so much.”

  Right. No worrying. Like that was going to happen.

  “I would really like to say goodbye to—”

  “We haven’t the time, my lady. I am sorry, but I need to get you to Uldran as soon as possible.”

  “Why?”

  “Safety measure.”

  I glanced down the hallway to my right. Nicco stood in front of a door. Was that Heath’s room? I swallowed my anxiety, at least I tried to. What was his problem anyway? Nicco gave me a nod. I smiled, but Taylor pulled me forward. I gave one backward glance before I addressed Taylor’s statement.

  “What did you mean by that?”

  “We will discuss things once we are settled.”

  That was it. End of topic. I tried not to notice the stares we received. At one point, the hair on my arms stood straight on end like someone was secretly watching me, yet there was something else in the foreboding that rushed through me…like an inevitability I would have to face soon.

  Taylor hissed in a breath and quickened his step, not wasting any time leading me outside. I hadn’t been able to talk to Lacey, or, well, anyone. The worst part was I still didn’t know what they were going to do with the other Elementals they’d taken from the island. Tabitha had agreed to my terms, but if I wasn’t here to make sure things happened the way they were supposed to, would they?

  We glided down the glowing staircase out into the morning. The air was crisp with sweet nectar wafting around us. Everything here still amazed me, from the crystal castle’s waterfall that seemed to have no source to the little glimmering specs in the wind. I took one last look at the castle with its jutting spires and nearly see-through edifice. I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful castle, yet something here was dark and twisted as if in direct opposition to the shimmering façade.

  “You have a very active mind,” Taylor commented in his honey tones. Much like Jett, his voice was his weapon against me, lulling me into a state of bliss with mere words.

  I nodded. What was I supposed to say to that anyway? Was he trying to get me upset by implying he could hear my thoughts? Could he hear my thoughts? One thing was certain: I was going to find out. I angled my neck slightly, taking in his scrumptious good looks and deliberately thought. At least I’ll have a nice view if I end up stuck with him.

  His face twisted into a grin. “Once I get you home I’ll give you a better one.” A smile played on his mouth then he shrugged. “Why wait.” His fingers floated over the buttons of his shirt unfastening them in succession.

  The heat of a blush rose up my neck. He laughed. Well I guess that answered that question. I grumbled curses to myself for being so stupid while shaking my head at him. If I hadn’t known better I would have said he was teasing me. “Okay, I’m sure your bare chest would rock my world, but you can stop now.” He smirked at me so I gave him a face. “Why can’t I hear your thoughts?”

  He smiled, and it brought out a softness in his eyes I had never noticed before. “Because, my lady, I am not allowing you into my mind.”

  “That implies, my lord, that I am allowing you into mine.”

  “You are correct.”

  That couldn’t be right. I wasn’t purposely letting him through my walls. Did that mean I needed new ones? I focused on my barriers. To my surprise, they were all down. Every last blasted one. I zipped them back up, attempting to not let my embarrassment color my face. Yeah right.

  When we reached Taylor’s entourage, several carriages waited for us. Taylor apparently liked to travel in style. The Sleek coaches were uniform and, no surprise here, black. If they had been cars, I would be looking at five Maseratis. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ride with him in such enclosed quarters for however long it was going to take us to get to his realm, especially if they were magically amped like Luke’s ride had been.

  “Drifting is not a common ability,” he said conversationally. “Most fae avoid travel as much as possible.”

  “You’re still listening to my thoughts!”

  A smile crept up his lips. “Rayla, we are connected now. It will take more than those puny walls you constructed to keep me out of your mind.”

  I was tempted to stick my tongue out at him, but knowing him, he would take it as an invitation. “Okay,” I said. “Teach me how to do it properly.”

  He scoffed. “Why would I do such a thing? As it is, I am beginning to understand you. I know what you think of me. You are correct about many things, but I am not giving up simply because winning you will be challenging. I assure you, I have dealt with worse in my existence.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. This was absolutely unfair. I knew from reading Lily’s journal that this man was capable of kindness, but it had taken him nearly two hundred years before he started opening up to her. Before that, it had been a dictatorship. She had been lonely. That was why she had taken to entertaining herself in the most unusual ways she could find.

  He snapped his head toward me, interrupting my contemplation. His expression was guarded, but beneath that I thought I saw wh
at? Regret maybe? “How I treated Lily is none of your concern.”

  “I beg to differ. The best predictor of the future is the past. I’m not willing to spend hundreds of years with a decided bombast just because you want me to.”

  Apparently dismissing my insult, he replied in a smooth tone. “I know what you require from a relationship, Rayla. In fact, I am looking forward to giving you unguarded moments into my mind, but not here, and certainly not now.”

  What was that supposed to mean? A wary fog blanketed his eyes, clouding any real answers from me. He glanced behind us as if looking for a tail then pushed me forward. This was the most emotion I had seen from him, and I was beginning to understand that Heath wasn’t the only lord keeping his feelings guarded. I climbed into the middle carriage wondering why he looked so upset. When I finally had a moment to check behind us, no one was there; yet the hair on my neck rose. We were being watched again, but by whom?

  Once we were settled, the carriage lurched forward, pushing me back against the plush velvet bench I was sitting on. Taylor pulled the curtains shut without another word. His shoulders held a visible tension that worried me more than I wanted to admit.

  My mind stirred with the possibilities for his unease. The only thing that made much sense to me at all was he was worried someone would overhear our conversation. Did the counsel have someone in the bushes surveying us? Could it be possible my thoughts were not safe? When I glanced up at him, he nodded. I shuddered, but refused to let any thoughts about that knowledge into my mind. Instead, I focused on thinking about what Uldran was going to be like. It seemed like it would be a safe subject. I sure hoped it was.

  “Will you tell me about Uldran?” I asked.

  He shifted in his seat, seeming pleased by the change in conversation. “What would you like to know?”

  First things first. “Where is it exactly?”