“He did say he would be there to help when you wanted to learn.” Darius said.
Zayden sighed and closed his eyes. I guess it was easier for him to think it when he didn’t have to see the rest of us.
“Already?! I’m so excited!” Ryon was in the room instantly and sure seemed happy about Zayden’s choice. “Oh, hey, Adele.”
“Ryon. Hi. You can help him turn, right?”
“If that’s why I was called here.”
“I don’t have much of a choice.” Zayden said. “It’s the easiest way. We have to find them.”
“Find who?”
“Look around and ask who’s missing.” Ruby said.
Ryon took a brief scan of the room. “Did you finally make them run from your controlling natures?”
“No.” Izin sighed.
“Troy was taken.” Darius said. “And Jaylyn snuck out last night to go after him.”
“Taken? Troy? Really?”
“We don’t have to get into what he did.” Zayden said. “I just need you to help me. We have to find them before something happens.”
“Understandable. First things first, take off your clothes.”
“What?!”
“Trust me. It’ll be easy on you for the first time and it doesn’t have to be all of them. Just most.”
Zayden sighed and started to remove the clothes he basically just put on.
“Jaylyn will be sorry she’s missing this.” Ruby said a little too delighted. I just rolled my eyes and waited for Zayden to get out of as much as he could without being naked in a room full of people, two of them being his parents.
“Okay, now this might feel weird at first.”
Ryon took a step towards Zayden and Zayden instinctively became defensive. “What are you going to do?”
“Relax. We just have to induce the wolf. Trever did this to me when he first found me because I was being blocked for so long. I was just like you. I couldn’t feel any of the signs and this helped damn near instantly.”
“Okay.”
Ryon approached him and brought a hand to the back of his neck. We couldn’t quite see what he was doing but Zayden tensed like he was trying to hold in his pain.
“You okay?” Ryon asked.
“I think so. That was weird.”
“I warned you. Now everyone back up.” We all moved onto the other side of the table so we were completely out of the way. “Rift, you too.” He whined. “I know. You’re excited too. Just wait over here.”
He came over to us and Zayden was still standing as normally as ever. “Is something supposed to happen?”
“You don’t feel anything?”
“Should I?”
“I would say yes but maybe it’s because you were blocked for too long. I was for only two years. You have a couple decades on me.”
“Is there anything else you can do?” I asked.
“Well, there is one thing. You should be lucky I’m dead or I would say no.”
“What is it?” Zayden asked.
“You might not be able to turn because of the multiple gifts you have already. The wolf is older so that means the strain is weaker. I’m not even sure if you could pass on the gene now.”
My hand found my stomach. “You mean, Seth won’t have it?”
“Good possibility that he won’t. You’re just adding another gift on top of it by being his mother.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing.” Zayden said. “He’ll have enough to learn about just with our gifts.”
“I agree.”
“So, what can you do to help me?” Zayden asked Ryon. “We need to do this now.”
“Well, I can reach inside you and activate the wolf manually.”
“Do I even want to know what that means?”
Darius laughed, amused in some way by his tone.
“You won’t feel a thing or at least nothing that resembles pain.” Ryon approached him again and his right hand became transparent. “Ready?”
“I don’t really have a choice. We need to leave.”
Ryon nodded and pressed his hand literally into Zayden’s chest. Zayden didn’t much react like he was in pain but he could clearly feel it.
“Don’t fight it.” Ryon said. “I know it’s your instinct to but don’t. Embrace it and break free of your human soul.”
Ryon pulled his hand out and Zayden backed up all the way to the door like he was at war with himself.
“Let it out. Break free. You’re strong enough. I can feel it.”
I was worried Zayden was still fighting it too much. He seemed to be getting angry about it. His eyes turned black but then started to fade even though his mood seemed the same, if not, stronger with anger.
He lunged forward, almost like he was about to land on his face but instead he broke free, his forelegs caught him from falling; he was a wolf. His fur was long and white and he was growling while he was still low to the floor.
“Zayden, look up.” Ryon said. “It worked.”
It got quiet and Zayden lifted his head. He still had his beautiful eyes but they were bigger; he was bigger.
Rift ran from under the table to get to him and was bouncing all around him. Zayden kept turning his head to keep up and it was like they were speaking to each other but we couldn’t understand them.
“Can he talk?” Darius asked.
“Zayden!” Ryon called. He turned his head. “Say something.”
“I have fur and it’s weird. What do you want me to say?”
I smiled, knowing he was really still inside there and could comprehend everything he was doing.
“That was enough. How do you feel?”
“Ready to leave. I have Jaylyn’s scent.”
“Already?” I asked.
“She was here most recently.”
“I’m coming with you.” Ryon said. In an instant he was a wolf too and the similarities between them was close.
“Why are you bigger than me?”
Ryon turned his head and tried looking at himself then at Zayden. “Not by much and I was bulkier than you as a human.”
“Not by much.”
“See?”
“That’s enough quarrelling.” Izin said.
“Yeah.” I agreed. “Let’s go.”
“Whoa. Hold on.” Ryon said. “If this is a rescue mission, we need to travel as light as possible. We don’t need any unnecessary cargo.”
“I’m not unnecessary. Jaylyn is out there and I need to find her.”
“It’s all right, Love. Get on my back.”
I smiled at Ryon for Zayden’s solution to allowing me to go and walked over to him while he lowered so I could get on.
“Fine but you’re the only one.”
“I don’t think so.” Darius said. “Zayden doesn’t go anywhere without me.”
“There isn’t a horse that could keep up to us. I’d assume that Jaylyn took Rajet, right?”
“I would think so.” I said.
“See? We can’t travel at your pace. We’d never reach her that way. Stay here with your wife.”
“Zayden, you can’t leave me behind. Troy is out there. He needs us.”
I looked at Zayden before I actually got on him and he slightly nodded.
“Ryon, I’ll ride with you. Zayden will take Darius.”
He sighed and started to lower himself. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” Darius said.
He turned to Ruby for their goodbye but she stopped him from saying anything. “I know. Just bring them back. I don’t care how long that takes.”
“Good because we don’t know how long it will take.”
“Be careful.” Kathryn said. “And Zayden, you won’t be able to use your other gifts as a wolf.”
“I won’t?”
“They’re part of your human soul.” Ryon said. “They’d be useless anyway.”
“Okay. Good to know. Rift, I’m sorry but you have to stay here.” He barked and whined like he was arguing but Zay
den growled viciously and he stopped. “You won’t be able to keep up on your own. Stay here.”
“It’s all right, Zayden.” Kathryn said. “I can keep an eye on him for you.”
“Thank you, mother. Go, Rift.” He whined again and went to Kathryn with his tail between his legs.
“Remember to just focus on bringing them home.” Izin said.
“Our only mission, father.”
“Farewell.”
Darius gave Ruby one more kiss before he climbed on Zayden and we turned out of the conference room to leave.
It would be weird travelling without Ruby even if my husband was now a large white wolf but we just had to do this. Chasing after Jaylyn would be easier this way and we would safely bring both of them home or at least, that’s what I hoped.
Chapter 8
Troy
All I remember was waking. I was laying on my side in the dirt with nothing but a small torch lighting around me. My hands were still tied but the gag had been removed. My head felt like it was splitting open and it was hard for me to concentrate. My eyes didn’t even want to open but I wanted to know where I was. It was like an underground chamber of some kind. Much less decent than what Adele could create and more like a hole in the ground.
I knew it for sure now; this was a bandit hideout.
“Oh, look he’s awake.” A voice said. “We should present him to the chief.”
“Get to your feet.” Another voice demanded.
I tried moving my eyes to look above my head because moving my whole head would only make it hurt more. “I don’t think I will. You’ll have to make me.”
The man that ordered the command huffed in anger and kicked me right in the back. “I said get up!”
It hurt like getting stabbed and I rolled to my stomach in pain.
“Control that temper, Jackal.” The other man said. “The chief will want to see him in speaking condition. Get him up.”
He sighed and reached down to my bindings and pulled me up. “You’re so lucky right now.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”
“Get moving!”
He pushed me to the door and I was getting this weird sense they didn’t know who I was but I went with it—the only way I could. I walked staggered following one man with this so-called Jackal pushing me along the way from behind.
We walked down a few dirt halls much like the room I was in until we came upon a very large hole in the ground that was filled with about thirty other men. I was forcefully pushed through them while they moved to the side and gave me looks of hate by scowling. I didn’t have time to focus on it much before I was shoved forward and down from Jackal behind me. I was able to save myself from falling all the way and kept up on my knees.
I was in front of a man sitting in a throne-like chair that was compiled out of dirt bricks. I wasn’t completely focused in the head yet from moving around but assumed this to be the chief they spoke of. “What do we have here, Jackal?”
“We found him nesting within our territory and thought he would bring a hefty price.”
“Well, welcome. I am—”
“Save your words. I don’t care who you are.” I cut in, unafraid. “You will soon be dead and your name will not matter.”
Jackal was about to backhand me in the head but the chief stood up. “Jackal! Stand down! I would like to speak with him some more.” Jackal stepped back and the chief turned his attention back to me. “You are not in the position to be threatening my life, now are you?”
“Who said it was going to be me? You should all be terrified for your lives because of who’s coming for me.”
“There are more?”
I slowly started to smile. “You don’t even know who I am.”
“Should we?”
“You should have done your research before you kidnapped the wrong person. My name—is Troy Okes.” I said it proudly and there were gasps and whispers coming from behind me.
“The Troy Okes? You lie.”
“It would make you feel better if I did.”
The chief stood up, taking out a knife and stepped towards me. I showed no signs of fear as he cut the front of my shirt and the Great Seni Fighter symbol was visible on my chest.
“Then it is true.” Jackal muttered.
The men around me got even more worried and anxious but the chief silenced them with one hand. “This is not a problem. He is who he says he is but he’s powerless here. He can do us no harm.”
“I didn’t say it was going to be me.” I reminded him. “They will come for me and you’ll all lose your lives because of it.”
“Take him out of here! Put him in the containment chamber! They will not find us here! No one knows of this place but us!”
I laughed as I was pulled up by Jackal and forced back through the men. Instead of looking angry, they all look scared to see my bare chest with the evidence exposed. I just smiled behind my closed lips from their fear and was taken out of there.
I was pushed back through the dirt halls but passed the room I was in before. Instead, Jackal shoved me inside a different room that was more sunken into the ground with tied up bones of men that once were inside.
“Our other guests could use some company.” Jackal said, standing above the pit by the door. “It won’t be long until you’re one of them.”
The door slammed shut and I was left alone. My head still felt like it weighed a hundred pounds and I sat myself against the back wall right across from the door so I could see when it would open and that’s where I waited.
Someone would come—I just didn’t know when.
Chapter 9
Jaylyn
I was on my way. I rode straight and fast for days on end. I wished that I could just get there faster but knew Zayden would not have allowed me to accompany them and so I had to do it the only way I knew how. I was used to traveling for days straight but there were some points where I just had to stop. I needed the rest and so did the horse I was riding. Rajet wasn’t used to all of this travel. We took quite a break off from doing things like that and I didn’t want to run him out.
I made a point to shut my eyes for just a few hours and start back up again, never taking a whole night. I didn’t feel it was necessary to take that kind of time and fail Troy. I just had to find him and he had to be all right but then the time came for me to stop again.
The cold air had numbed my face from riding fast and I built a nice fire to relax in front of and thaw out. Rajet was on the other side of the fire and kneeled himself down in front of it too. We both sat there for a little bit and I heard a familiar voice.
“Jay? What are you doing out here?”
I looked beside me in a jolt and Kole was there. I felt this sudden happiness to see him and my questions just came out while I quickly hugged him. “Kole! What are you doing here? Are you okay? How’s Ellie?”
“Calm down, Jay. We’re all fine. I want to know what you’re doing out here all by yourself.”
It began to sink in again why I’m really out here and my mood dropped just to think of the words. “Um—I’m going after Troy.”
“Did he get mad and leave you? Because you do have that way of getting guys mad at you.”
“No.” I said, trying to hold back my emotion. I needed to stay strong. “He didn’t leave me. He was taken from me and I’m going to find him.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Jay. Why isn’t anyone else with you?”
I was hesitant to answer. “No one else is with me because they didn’t want me to go after him, said it would be too dangerous from me right now.”
“Oh, because you’re pregnant.”
“How’d you know that?”
“I can feel it and they’re right to say that. You shouldn’t be out here, especially alone.”
“He could need my help. He could be hurt. I wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing while the love of my life dies.”
“I understand but maybe I can help.”
“You s
houldn’t even be here. How can you help?”
“I can find him.”
I looked over with wide eyes, desperately wanting it to be true. “You can do that?”
“I can do lots of things and that’s one of them I would definitely do for you but I’m not allowed to physically alter things here.”
“Then do it!” I demanded in a loud voice. “I mean, please. Make sure he’s okay and tell him I’m coming.”
“Shall I give him a kiss for you too?”
His tone got a smile out of me. “If you want to!”
“It was a joke. I’ll see what I can find and let you know.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
He disappeared and I sat by the fire anxious for his return. I didn’t know how long I could wait. I needed to know if Troy was okay.
Chapter 10
Kole
It felt strange to be back here. It’s been so long since I’ve seen things like plant-life that this place felt foreign to me but I knew I had to be here. Bryce felt Jay’s distressed and allowed me to come as long as I don’t alter anything. I was at least glad of that.
I did Jay a favor and sought out Troy in her world but I wasn’t expecting to find him here. “Oh, would you look at this nasty place.”
Troy looked up when he heard my voice and didn’t look pleased. “Kole? What are you doing here? Please tell me you’re not the one rescuing me.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t think I could save you even if I wanted to. I’m here on behalf of someone else. Jay’s pretty upset.”
“You’ve seen her?” He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. “She knows?”
“She’s actually on her way to you right now.”
“What?! No! Tell her to go back. I will not have us both die here.”
“Well, you’re optimistic.”
“Look around! Do you think people in this room actually get to walk with their lives?! I haven’t eaten in days!”
“Point well taken but she’s not going to listen to me.”
“She will. Just use your words, the ones you can always get her to agree to.”
New Roots (Fate's Intent Book 8) Page 3
