“What about Jett? I think I would be okay to bond with him.” He would be reasonable. I knew this because he already had been.
I expected her to give me images again, but she shook her head at me. “There are some things you would rather not know. Trust me.” My mind whirled with the possibilities that I was sure were worse than what she refused to share.
“Anything is possible,” she said, and somehow, I believed her. I shivered in response to an unknown enemy. “You may not have to worry about who you bond with. If the council comes back with the wrong answer, we will flee.”
“Tabitha!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
She smiled at me, and it held a girlish twist. “I have given in to their decrees at times, but this is one area I will not yield. You must be bound to Ammon. They know the reasons, but I dare not tell you what would happen if you were to bond with another lord, especially considering your reaction in the rebel base.”
I covered my face and took a long breath. This was just fantastic. I should have been happy. If Heath hadn’t been involved, I would have chosen Zach; yet now, oh, what was I going to do?
A messenger came for us a few minutes later. Somehow I had pictured the council deliberating for hours or years even. My dress flowed behind me as we walked through the corridors toward that strange room full of even stranger people.
Tabitha explained how Ainessa had come back, humble and pleading for her life. She’d claimed that she realized her errors were great, but she had only been worried about the future of her race. She also claimed Luke had only been acting for the benefit of the fae.
I still couldn’t believe they condoned what he had done. Tabitha stopped outside the heavy double doors and clasped my fingers. Her cool skin sent shivers up my arms. “Once inside, do not speak. Let me handle this. You must not come across as arrogant.”
My back stiffened automatically. “It’s okay for them, but not for me?”
There was no hesitation to her answer. “Yes.”
I clenched my teeth. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Trust me, Rayla. Trust in your creator.”
I gave her a sharp look. Where had I heard that before? Was it Styx? I took a deep breath and nodded. Let them think they had won. “I’m ready.”
Our escort pulled the doors open and ushered us inside the room, one side gleaming white, the other deepest shadow. The first thing I noticed was there were more ornate boxes filling the walls. They went as high up as I could see. The worst part was all of them were occupied. If my count was even close, there had to be a few hundred. Valen smiled as we approached the dais. “How good to see you again, Rayla. We have been worried about you.”
Me or my power? I thought before I could stop myself. “Thank you,” I said to try to cover up my blunder. He still frowned.
“As I am sure Tabitha has told you, we have not all agreed on what should be done at this point. With Ainessa and Lord Luthais home once again, the threat has been dealt with and now we must think to our future. “We have watched your progress with interest.” His smile returned. “You are a very talented young lady.”
“Thank you,” I said again, keeping my cringe from showing on my face or in my mind.
Suppressing thoughts was a skill I needed to work on apparently because Valen snapped at me. “Yes, it appears you do!”
“Sorry,” I said with as much conviction as I could muster.
He twirled away from me, addressing the court. “As I was saying, we are pleased with your progress. We have so much planned for your reign—”
I choked. “My what?”
“Surely you understand that you will be ruling all of our nations. Since you have abilities with all elements it only stands to reason you should share those talents with all of us.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sure.” That was grownup.
He smirked at me. “You do bring to mind a problem we have been discussing. You are impetuous. We cannot allow you to bond with someone who will encourage that behavior.”
Seriously? “I’m an adult.”
Laughter ricocheted around me. I glared at the audience snuggly tucked away in their frilly stadium seating.
Valen touched my arm. “No insult was intended. The human ideals of adulthood are not in question here. What we are concerned with has to do with the realms and how we interact with humans. You see why this decision is imperative?”
“I do understand, and I want to help; but part of being human makes me question your motives.” I steeled my stare. “I will not see my world harmed to advance yours.”
Valen nodded. “Such wisdom from such a young soul.”
That caught me off guard. I had expected him to argue. “I know I need guidance, but I don’t want you all making my decisions for me. As the Nexus it is my right—”
Tabitha cut me off. “What have you decided, Valen?” I’d clearly overstepped my bounds by saying I have rights. She glared fully at me now.
He managed a small smile, turning toward the dais. “Make no mistake, Tabitha. You do not rule here.”
A hiss escaped her throat, but she covered it up with a slight nod. “I’ve never implied that I do, your majesty.”
Tabitha cowering didn’t give me any hope. I locked my eyes tight, not willing to let myself check the stage for sneers and glowers that I knew were there.
Valen sighed. “It is to be known that our decision did not come easily. The dark court has valid points, yet we have always trusted in the wisdom of our mage. Tabitha, you may rest easy. We have agreed to your terms, but…” His expression shifted, hardening into the mask of a warrior. “If you are wrong, we will take other measures.”
I couldn’t help myself. “What does that mean?”
Valen snapped his neck around and stared at me. “If you do not give yourself to this bonding fully, another will be chosen.”
I gulped. People in the hallway probably heard it. My mind wandered to Zach.
Valen spoke again. “I see Tabitha has already informed you of her plan. You are free to leave.”
With that the council members rose and exited the room, leaving me and Tabitha in their wake. I caught a glimpse of Mom, but she didn’t smile at me. Her blank stare chilled me more than I wanted to admit.
Once she was gone, I heaved a sigh of relief. “That was close.”
Tabitha’s shoulders hunched, still the color was coming back into her face. “You have no idea. I wish you would have done as I asked.”
I glanced at her, sheepish. “Me too.” As bad as this was going to be dealing with life as Zach’s bondmate, it would be unbearable to be bound to Luke. I didn’t know what Ainessa was up to, but she wasn’t the sort of person to just give up or to see the errors she had made and decide to root for the other team.
To my surprise, they didn’t immediately whisk me off to my bonding ceremony. Instead, Tabitha informed me we were to attend Robin’s bonding first.
“You’re kidding, right?” Tabitha’s irritated sigh should have quieted me, but I pressed on. “Robin was pretty clear about her feelings before I left.”
“We did as you asked,” Tabitha put in. “The Elementals were taken to their respective realms and courted. We gave them a month to decide.”
I groaned. “That’s not very long.”
“They were grateful for the opportunity, and unlike you, once there they swiftly came to a decision.”
“That’s not fair.”
She shook her head. “If you are going to cause problems, we will go elsewhere.”
“I’ll behave. I just want to see for myself that she’s happy about this.”
Tabitha actually chuckled. “If she isn’t, will you send your lover to rescue her.”
“My what?”
“Lover. It is a current euphemism for the person you love, is it not?”
“Um, I think the meaning has altered a bit.”
She chuckled when I let my mind wander to the man I should be trying my hardest to f
orget. “Do not give up hope, Rayla. Hope can lead you through the darkest of days.”
“Comforting.”
“Who knows, you may come to love Ammon.”
I cringed. “I don’t know if I want to. Tabitha, this just sucks. I mean, why couldn’t your visions have been reversed?”
She laid her hand on my arm. “I wish I knew, child. I wish I knew.”
Instead of going to the terrace I had jumped from to escape this exact woman, who sat next to me now chatting as if we were old friends, we stayed on the first floor. I laughed. “Don’t tell me. They’re worried I’ll ditch this place again?” I was only half joking.
Tabitha raised her brows. “Didn’t you know? You are bound to the realms.”
I uncrossed my legs and tried to sit up straighter. “Wait. What?”
“The royal guard, Rayla, do you not pay attention to anything?”
My stomach turned into a rock while my skin tingled like it would crawl away at any second. “You can’t be serious.”
She patted my leg. “Not to worry. We will deal with that when the time comes.” As if she was giving a rehearsed speech, she rushed on. “Once the council is comfortable with your loyalties, they will relax the punishment.”
I cocked my head. “I get punished while Ainessa gets a pat on the back? Yeesh, who are these people?”
She shushed me. “Keep your mind focused on the event at hand.”
Sure thing—it was much better than dwelling on the event to come. How much did Zach know? Did he think I picked him? Would he be angry, or, worse, disappointed with me?
A warm hand rested on my exposed shoulder. “Rayla, please.”
I stared at the girl at the front of the room. Robin looked pleased enough, but I wanted to be sure. “May I talk to her?”
Tabitha licked her lips, her pales eyes focused forward. “I don’t think that is wise.”
My lips hardened. “I need to talk to her.”
“The ceremony is about to begin.”
I grunted. This just wasn’t going to do. “They’ll have to wait. I made a promise to this woman, and I intend on keeping it.”
Tabitha shrugged and that was all it took for me to be halfway across the room, determined to reach my target before anyone could stop me.
Robin had her back to me, chatting with a girl I didn’t know. I recognized her face from the island, but we had never been introduced.
I tapped Robin on the shoulder and waited. She turned, confusion settling in her eyes before recognition set in. “Rayla! I had no idea you were here. How wonderful.”
I smiled, hoping she couldn’t see how nervous I was. “I’m pleased to be here. I wanted to talk to you…to make sure things went like they were supposed to—”
She beamed at me. “Oh, heavens, yes. I had no idea the fae were such wonderful people. Did you know they secretly take care of our world? I’ve been shocked by how much they do for the human realm.”
Human realm? “But you’re happy, right?”
She clasped my shoulders. “I can’t thank you enough for helping us. Most of the girls have acclimated. Many have already bonded. If I had known what a joy it is to be here, I would never have said the things I did.” She kissed my cheek. “May God bless you.”
I gave her a smile even though I wanted to scream. It had already started, the overpowering urge of compulsion. I had no right to judge, yet this didn’t seem right. For all her flowery words, Robin had been against coming here. Now she acted as though she never wanted to leave. I was sure she didn’t, but what about her old life? What about her family? I tried to hold back the question that refused to stay buried. What about mine?
Robin pushed my shoulder. “You’d better take your seat; otherwise, Strayak might be a bit confused.” She nodded at my gown when I gave her a blank stare.
A blush rushed into my face. “Yes. Sorry.” I gave her a hug, fighting the chuckle that lingered in my throat.
I wouldn’t have been so enthusiastic to tie myself to a man whose name ended with yak. Even so, she looked the part. “I’m so happy for you.” There was no point in talking to her anymore. Worst part was, I hadn’t even been able to ask her about Lacey. No one had mentioned her and I was starting to worry. I needed to find Roger, too. I had to find out where Natalie and Sam had been taken. I hadn’t been able to talk to him since I faced the council the first time. Heck, I didn’t even know where he was. As much as I wanted to figure things out, today wasn’t the day to do it. But soon, I told myself, I would find my friends.
Once I was seated, Tabitha clasped my hand. “Thank you for trusting me.”
I gave her a conspiratorial glance. “The day isn’t over yet.”
She shook her head. “You and your jokes. If I didn’t know your intent, I might have been offended by that remark.”
I glanced at her and smiled. “I guess there are certain advantages to mind reading.”
Robin and Strayak were bonded without any further interruptions, from me, or otherwise. I didn’t linger after the ceremony. Somehow, I didn’t want to see Robin any more mechanicalized than what I’d had to endure. Stepford wives, anyone? This was not right, and I was going to do something about it. Unfortunately, the only way I could accomplish such a thing was to wait until my situation was resolved.
The long walk to the terrace didn’t help matters much. I leaned over to whisper in Tabitha’s ear. “Why aren’t other ceremonies being held up here?”
She shrugged. “Only nobility may use this terrace.”
“Why?”
“You ask entirely too many questions.” Her skin touched mine at the elbow and memories flooded into me. At least a millennia’s worth of bonding ceremonies flashed through my mind like a strobe light…until the very first solidified.
I tried to shut my eyes, but the vision remained. Faine stood, where my feet now rested, waiting for her bondmate to come. I could feel her terror as if it were my own. In fact, it overlaid my trepidation like a transparency.
“Stop this,” I pleaded. No one answered. “Tabitha! I said stop!” I glanced around. Many of the people were the same, but I was no longer in my time. The gowns were different. The men were dressed in puffed sleeved suits and tights. I chuckled. Couldn’t get much past anyone in those. I might as well have been in a medieval castle in the dark ages. Wait. What was going on?
The girl in front of me spoke. Her voice should have been timid coming from such a delicate creature, but it held strong. “I will agree to these terms on one condition.”
Valen stepped into view. “And what might that be, Elemental.”
“My name is Emma, you dolt.”
“Dolt?” he echoed. “Pray tell, young Emma, what is your condition?”
“That God may witness this bonding, and every bonding held from this moment forth. That he may reject said bonding if he is so inclined.”
Valen’s expression turned from curious to furious in a heartbeat. “We shall allow no such thing. The laws of free will still bind you in this realm, as well as your own.”
Faine gave a slight shrug. “He may reject my condition, but not you.”
Valen laughed and Faine’s already pallid complexion turned colorless. “You are so sure your creator is a man. Has he visited you?”
The crowd erupted in laughter. Faine glanced around as if searching for help then she did something that made my heart burst with pride. She straightened her shoulders, leveling her gaze and said, “Those are my terms, Lord Valen.”
Lord? Valen had been a mere lord back then? I hadn’t been told, but I was sure he had passed that distinction long ago.
The wind kicked up Faine’s skirts and tousled her raven hair. The fae needed to learn some new hairstyles. My doo was pretty much the same as Faine’s, only lighter.
Her green eyes shown with a determination I couldn’t help but admire. This was one strong chick to face down a man like Valen and win.
Valen sucked in his cheeks, his brown eyes alight with that same
fury I’d seen in him earlier. “Very well, Elemental.” He paced around her. “Anything else you want to add before we start.”
“Yes. I do.” She lifted her face to the congregation. “You think yourselves superior to humans, yet you act just like us. From what I have seen of your realms you are no farther along than we are when it comes to generosity, caring…love.”
“Love,” spat Valen. I’d seen this from him before, although, he had maintained a much more placid façade when he spoke to me. “You know nothing of love, child. You risked your world simply because you were attracted to a man.” Faine blushed to her hairline. “In fact, your own mother refused to let you find love. Isn’t that so?”
She nodded, her eyes shining with an indignant rebellion. “She was wrong.”
“You will see in time that we are right. Love has no place in politics.”
Zach stepped forward. I blinked at the disturbing image of him as he was then and now. His hair was long like the rest of the men, pulled back into a leather thong. His face was just the same only then he wore his glamour. Dark and alluring, couldn’t even begin to describe this man. A muscle in his strong jaw jumped. “I am ready.” He looked like an Ammon—all warrior with no room for softness.
Valen smiled. “Then we shall begin.”
The double vision hissed away from me, and I was left with my own reality. Zach stood two feet away from me. My head throbbed with a new intensity.
Attempting to calm myself, I took a deep breath. I could get through this. I had to manage.
Off in the distance a man parted the crowd, coming to stand no more than ten feet away from me. My heart constricted into a fist. Heath. Why was he here? Wasn’t this hard enough? I licked my parched lips, wanting to run to him, wanting to defy everyone here for the man that I loved. My pulse was a wild thrum pounding in my ears.
Zach’s eyes softened with compassion. “It will be all right, Rayla.”
I couldn’t catch my breath no matter what I did. Two men—only one me.
Genesis Page 27
