Twisted Bonds

by Brandy L Rivers

  “And when she goes to make her move?” He shook his head. “I can’t stop watching. I need to prove to Isadora I can help her when she needs it.”

  Aeryana took his hands. “You must promise me that no matter what you see, you will not try to stop Isadora or Toryn from their revenge. No matter what you believe about your sister.”

  He closed his eyes and nodded. “You’re right.”

  “That’s not a promise,” she pointed out.

  “Fine, I swear on my life I will not stop Isadora or Toryn. Nothing can.” He let out a sigh and walked away. “Might tear me apart, but I will not stand in their way.”

  “Consider my words carefully. Isadora is resourceful and knows her heart. Your sister’s only purpose is to destroy you, and right now her target is our daughter. And don’t forget how Saressa kept you from me for centuries, my love. She would come for you herself if she thought it would inflict enough pain for you.”

  He pushed Saressa from his mind and locked her down. “I can’t promise to stay blind to what she’s doing. Right now, she’s helping Kasai heal. Isadora froze the fire dragon’s wings and she broke them badly when she landed. Instead of demanding Kasai’s or Gebiet’s pain, or humiliation, she fixed her. Then she left them to make love. Without her watching.”

  “She’s showing you what you want to see to believe she’s changed. She hasn’t. If you can’t reach her thoughts themselves, you’re only seeing what she’s showing you.”

  He nodded. “Still, maybe I’ll have a clue as to what she’s planning if I look in every now and again.”

  “Tell Isadora why Saressa hates you. Explain to her what tore you two apart. She needs to understand the whole story.”

  “I’ll find her in the morning. Please, come with me. Make sure I tell her all of it.”

  “Of course, my love.”

  Finally, a smile pulled at his lips. “In the meantime, we should get back to our own celebration.”

  Chapter 25

  After an entire day of exploring, Toryn had every intention of training Isa and helping her figure out new ways to use her mana-blades. He wasn’t totally sure she could transmute them, but they wouldn’t know until they tried.

  She stretched, letting the sheet slip down her body.

  A groan escaped his lips. He wanted to taste her again, but he’d done that on the top of the Eifel Tower, when she took them after hours.

  Today, they needed to prepare. Saressa wouldn’t wait forever to make a move.

  “I gave you yesterday, Princess. Today, I want my warrior princess.”

  Isa flopped back on the bed. “It’s our honeymoon.”

  “And I have you for the rest of our lives. However, until the evil queen is dead, we need to be prepared. And how do we prepare?”

  “Training.” Sighing, she pushed herself up. “All right.”

  “I promise enjoyable rewards.”

  Rolling her eyes, she sat up, cross-legged.

  He sat down beside her. “You’re tempting, but eat. I’ll enjoy helping you stretch.”

  She licked her lips. “Naked?”

  “If you behave.” He leaned in and took a quick kiss. Then he plucked a strawberry from the plate and held it out for her to taste. A few ideas swirled through his head. They would have to wait until later.

  Isa pulled the tray over and started on the fresh crepes he made while she still slept. She sighed, looking into his eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that?” Reaching out, she touched his face, pulling him closer to press her forehead against his. “And I get it. It’s not safe yet.”

  “Wish we had our own little realm, with no one else, so we could hide until you’re tired of having only me for company.”

  “Could never grow tired of that.”

  “No, but you do grow restless after a certain point. And I don’t blame you either. You’re like me. You want to explore, to escape, to run free.” He chuckled. “Maybe we should explore the world?”

  “Anywhere you want to go, Toryn, I’ll take you there.”

  “Isn’t there anywhere in particular you want to travel?”

  “Never gave it much thought. Remember, I hate flying.” She laughed. “Wow, I actually rode on Alenathos’ back for you.”

  He winced. “And you’re okay with that?”

  She sighed. “I’m starting to understand. I still haven’t forgiven him for tearing you open, but he did help me find you.”

  “What do you understand?”

  “Whatever he did when he came to Earth shattered Fuerah’s trust. He doesn’t want to be put in the same situation Saressa put him in. And he finally believes I will never do that to him.”

  “Know what his secret is?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I’ll find out. Might be good to know.”

  There was a knock on the bedroom door and Isa sighed. “Give us a few minutes.”

  “Who is that?” Toryn whispered.

  “My parents.” She took a bite of the fresh fruit crepes.

  “Go ahead and eat,” Reance called back. “We’ll be in the living room.”

  Isa let out a sigh. “I was looking forward to not dealing with them.”

  “They love you.”

  “Yeah, and I’m not throwing a fit.” She ate quickly before pulling a pair of shorts and a tank on. Then she tied her hair back.

  “I’ll be out there.”

  He nodded, wondering what Reance and Aeryana wanted this early. Then again, time in Faery wasn’t exactly in anyone’s time zone.

  * * * *

  Isa came down the hall and found her mother in casual clothes and her father dressed much the same. As if they planned to spend the day in Paris with them.

  “Um, hi.” Her hope for getting training out of the way to get back to fun was quickly draining. “What brings you out, unannounced?”

  Aeryana smiled. “Your father made a promise. He’s making good on it now before you run into Saressa again. Then, maybe, we could all explore the sights. I hear it’s a beautiful place.”

  Toryn came out in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. “Morning. We were just having breakfast.”

  “Sorry for the early interruption,” Reance stated.

  Toryn looked at Isa. “I suppose we could wait on training until tomorrow.”

  Aeryana leaned forward. “Training?”

  Toryn chuckled. “Yes, we were going to see what Isa can do with her new mana-blades. The way she transmutes, I was hoping she could do even more with the blades.”

  “I may have a few tricks to teach her,” Aeryana offered, then turned to Isa. “If you don’t mind. We can always visit Paris another day.”

  Isa nodded. “If you’re up for it, maybe we can manage to do both.”

  “First, I need to tell you why my sister hates me, and therefore you.” Reance offered a tight smile. “Are you ready?”

  “I am.” She’d been dying to know what the story was since he’d promised to tell her.

  * * * *

  Other than Aeryana, he’d never told anyone this story. Not even his parents. Reance sat forward and dove in. “When we were young, Saressa and I were close. We’re twins. But her views were practically opposite mine.”

  “She always wanted power?” Isa asked.

  He nodded. “Always. She thought all realms should be ruled by one. Especially if that one was her. Or her mate.”

  “Who was her mate?”

  “The one who convinced her she could rule all the realms with him. And my parents hated him. My only problem with him was that he was going to get himself killed, and likely her because the Elder Guardians wanted to remove him.”

  “Who?” Isa asked.

  Aeryana shook her head. “Let him tell the story his way. Your father holds a lot of guilt over something he cannot change.”

  Isa wrestled back an aggravated sigh and looked her father in the eye. “All right.”

  Reance shifted his weig
ht. “More than a thousand years ago, when Saressa and I were only around twenty, we were swimming in the lake at the edge of what became the Dark Forest.” He glanced away.

  Isa opened her mouth to ask something, but Toryn placed his hand on her leg. She bit her tongue.

  Her father continued. “It was still beautiful there. A paradise really. Ankou ran through the forest, dodging a spell. Saressa couldn’t tear her eyes from the hunter.”

  “Like Xander and Hayden?” Isa blurted out, her gaze faraway. She was probably accessing some of the memories from her awakening.

  “Yes. Same line, in fact. Their father was his brother. Xenu was a good man. Ankou was reckless. He believed the world owed him a debt. That he was the chosen one and should rule all of Faerie. I knew the moment I set eyes on him, he would wring the good from Saressa. And yet, she was so happy I hoped I was wrong.”

  He looked her in the eye. “Saressa grabbed his hand and pulled him underwater, taking him to the deepest depths. Before he could panic, she formed a bubble around him and settled on the bed of the lake.”

  Isa frowned. “She found her mate, right?” She rubbed her hands on her thighs. “What happened to him?”

  Reance shook his head. “She’d been promised to someone else. At the time the Earth king was Henroyld’s father. Tiewaz wanted a new bride, a strong one. He chose Saressa, who hated the idea. Ankou was a bitter reminder that his first wife had an affair, and produced a boy she hid away.” He shook his head. “Saressa didn’t know that part at the time. One look at Ankou and felt their connection instantly. She took her opportunity to take a mate. All I saw was demise.”

  Reance glanced away. “She’s always looked only as far as she needs to see that she gets what she wants. I search past that, looking for better paths to a brighter future. I try to help everyone along the way. She stops short, looking out only for herself.”

  Isadora sat up straighter. “So, they got busy in the lake, and she wound up mated to Ankou?”

  “Yes,” Reance answered.

  “Why had he been running from whoever?”

  “He’d been running from Tiewaz who’d been the king of the Earth Realm. He claimed Ankou cheated on the last hunting tournament. I don’t believe he had, but Tiewaz had never lost before. He couldn’t accept that a peasant boy had outdone him.”

  Isa’s eyes rolled. “Ugh, yeah, Tiewaz sounds like an ass.”

  She wasn’t wrong. Reance continued. “Very much so. Ankou had been his first queen’s son. Gemma knew Ankou was another man’s child and sent the boy away, claiming his heir had died. When Tiewaz learned of her infidelity, he slaughtered her publicly. He didn’t learn of Ankou until the tournament. And by then he was an officer in Tiewaz’ army.”

  Shaking her head, Isa leaned forward. “Why couldn’t he believe someone else could win?”

  “Arrogance, pride, and learning that Ankou was the product of his wife falling for another man. He ordered his army to hunt him down and kill him in the middle of the castle’s courtyard as a cheater.”

  “So Saressa saved him?”

  Reance nodded. “The Earth people couldn’t enter the lake, and I was wise enough to hide and stay out of it, that is until we made it home.”

  Standing, he paced away and continued. “As soon as the soldiers were gone, I dressed myself and ran home to warn my father. I had the scenarios playing through my head. I already knew Ankou died no matter what we did. It may be days, might be years, may even be a century. But he would die, and take my sister down a dark path unless we sent Ankou back to Tiewaz immediately, breaking my sister’s heart, but she could have recovered and found someone who wouldn’t destroy her, even if it happened centuries later.”

  “Who?” Isa asked.

  Reance sighed, hating to admit the truth. “Endiscott, if she hadn’t become so twisted with dreams of revenge and collecting the realms.”

  “Why would collecting the realms help?” Isa asked, invested in the story already.

  “To her thinking, if she had all the realms, she could demolish arranged marriages, and she could ensure only those mated would be forced to live together. And then she went and did to Scotty what Tiewaz wanted to do to her.”

  Isa’s hands clenched into fists. “Why do you blame yourself?”

  “Getting there.” He sighed. “I haven’t told this story, except by showing Aeryana when she found me in one of my lowest points in my life.”

  Aeryana took his hand and pulled him down beside her. “Love, you hold onto guilt too long. None of this was your fault. Even through your eyes I can’t see how it was truly your fault.”

  Reance turned back to his daughter. “Saressa hadn’t realized I’d left. I made it home as a puff of smoke and landed on the balcony of the throne room where my father was talking to Tiewaz’s soldiers. Knowing I couldn’t lie, I stayed hidden. Once they left, and I watched them leave the castle grounds, I entered and found my father. I told him what had happened.”

  He combed one hand through his long red hair. “He already knew and managed to redirect the questions. They left without suspecting anything. And his plan was to exile Saressa and Ankou to the Water Castle to live in secret. She was locked within the borders for a century. And Ankou stayed with her because he was in love and together they thought they could take all of Faery.”

  Reance stood and paced away. “They had an entire century of love, but his anger and hatred only grew, twisting Saressa’s drive for power. Together they devised a plan to wrest the Earth Realm from Tiewaz, believing that his first wife had a more rightful heir to the throne, making Ankou more fit to be king than Tiewaz.”

  Isa nodded. “So, he went after Tiewaz with an entire army? I take it that didn’t end well.”

  “No, it didn’t. Saressa found she couldn’t journey beyond the border of the Dark Forest, and it left her angry. Ankou promised to procure the Earth Realm. He marched in, and Tiewaz found out where he’d been hiding all this time.” Reance shook his head.

  “Saressa called to me. Begged me to save her mate. If I had, he would have marched to the Fire Kingdom and started a war we couldn’t win.” Reance dropped his gaze to the ground. “I chose my people over my sister.”

  “What happened?” Toryn asked.

  Isa rubbed her thighs, rocking slightly.

  Toryn turned her chin, pulling her gaze. “You’re in her memory, aren’t you?”

  Tears filled her eyes as she nodded. “She was wrong. But Tiewaz didn’t need to do that. If Ankou had just stayed with Saressa, if he hadn’t decided they needed to take the realms, they could have been fine. They wanted more power. It was as much Saressa’s idea as it was Ankou’s.”

  Reance nodded. “But she’d been cut off from the rest of the family, so we could deny knowing. When Saressa learned what my parents did, she locked down the border so only those she wanted could cross. Tiewaz shackled Ankou and dragged him to the edge of the Water Realm. When he couldn’t cross, he called Saressa.”

  Isa leaned against Toryn, who wrapped his arm around her. Isa snorted. “She watched Tiewaz tear him apart. Literally. She couldn’t cross the border. Couldn’t do anything to stop him. She had Alenathos kill him once she bound him to her.”

  Toryn caressed her face. “Still want to kill her?”

  Isa nodded. “What reason did she have to torture you? Why torture Scotty? Why did she destroy so many lives? If you died—shit, if you died, I wouldn’t want to live. I wouldn’t go around torturing everyone because I didn’t have you. I’d get revenge and find a way to end it.”

  “Shh, no ending anything, Isa. You’re carrying my son. You cannot end your life, no matter what happens.”

  Reance squeezed his eyes shut for a second. “I nearly lost him for you.”

  “What did you see in my future?” she whispered.

  “You going darker than Saressa.”

  “I’m going to destroy Saressa. I destroyed Damha. And yeah, I destroyed everythin
g that stood between Toryn and me, but only when they wouldn’t get out of my way.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to destroy anyone else. Saressa has stewed for centuries in her hate, her vengeance, her ridiculous ideals that fool poured into her head. So what if you didn’t come to her rescue? You couldn’t without losing everyone in your realm.”

  “Still, I abandoned my sister. I love her even still. I miss the woman she was and had potential to become.”

  “But that isn’t your fault. She chose to do something foolish. Not you. She tried to start a war. One you tried to caution her against.”

  “She blamed me. She blamed my parents. She’s coming for you because you have potential to rule everything with your magic. She wants you on her side, but she hates you because of me.”

  “But why go after Toryn? I get Scotty, she thought he would go after her because she saw the one path, but why Toryn?”

  “Because I took Toryn under my wing. He chose me. And when he met Saressa, when she wanted to sway him to her side, he wisely refused.”

  Toryn sighed. “She came on to me. I told her I was busy, that I wasn’t interested. This was before I even realized who she was. And after Reance told me, well, that only sealed my decision.”

  “You turned a woman down?”

  He shrugged. “Something about her made my hair stand on end. I didn’t trust her.”

  Isa leaned in and took a kiss. “She will die. What she did…I can’t let her live after everything.”

  Reance walked to the window and stared out. He knew there was nothing left to redeem. Even if she realized her wrongs, it wouldn’t last. Her greed and lust for power would destroy any redemption she briefly found. Yet, he wished things were different.

  “Reance, if someone did what they did to Toryn to me, you would seek revenge, would you not? Even if it were Saressa?”

  “I would,” he admitted. “And knowing she would do the same to Isadora if she could, I know she must die, but I can’t help wishing.” He turned back to his daughter. “Do you see why she hates me? Why I blame myself?”

  Aeryana moved in front of him and took his face. “I wish I could make you see the truth. You were never to blame, my love.”