New Roots (Fate's Intent Book 8)

by Bowles, April

  “There isn’t. Promise me you’ll stay strong. I need you to be.”

  His hand moved to my stomach and another tear rolled down my face as I turned away. “I can’t promise.”

  “Jaylyn.”

  “I can’t support something that could lead to your death. I’m sorry. I’m going to bed.” I shut the lantern off and got into bed fully clothed.

  I didn’t care if he was following at the time but he did and moved in close behind me. “Jaylyn, you have to understand what this is going to mean to me. I need to get my life back. I can’t be somebody one day and go on being nobody just like that.”

  “But you are somebody. You’re somebody to me. That should be enough. I don’t care if you’re a Great Seni Fighter or not. That’s not going to make me change my mind about us.”

  “But I care. It’s who I grew to be. My life that I spent training for. I don’t want that taken from me. I need it back. It’s who I am.”

  “And you’d give your life just to have that title rewritten on your grave?”

  He paused and I was hoping he was seeing my way but his answer said differently. “Yes.”

  I started to cry. “I don’t want you to do this because of me!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know you were watching me.”

  “This isn’t because of you. I’m the one that shouldn’t have been.”

  “But if you weren’t with me, none of this would have happened.”

  “If I wasn’t with you, I don’t know where I’d be.”

  “Obviously not about to commit suicide.”

  I still had my back to him and was still crying.

  “Jaylyn, I need you to believe in me. You’re what’s going to keep me alive.”

  “I can’t see you hurt. I know you’re not going to let me heal you.”

  “No. Not until they heal themselves and leave their mark behind.”

  “If I promise to be strong, will you promise to not die?” I rolled over and only just barely saw him through the darkness.

  “I promise and as long as I’m thinking of you, I won’t. I need to do this for me.”

  “Okay.” I leaned into his lips and we kissed.

  I didn’t want him to move away. The whole week he’s been lost in his thoughts, I haven’t been this close to him. He needed me tonight if he was going to get through the trials he was about to face in the morning and he probably knew it too.

  I rolled on top of him, trying to avoid contact with the wounds he already had on his chest and pulled away from his lips. I was straddled over his hips as I reached for my shirt and pulled it up over my head. Troy immediately sat up with one of his hands around my back and his other cupping my right breast while he kissed the left.

  I smiled at the sudden fire he was expressing for me and let out a quiet laugh.

  “What?” He backed his head away and looked up.

  “Nothing. You’re cute.”

  “Oh.” He got back to kissing me. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “Depriving you this last week.”

  “It’s okay.” I ran my fingers through his hair while his soft moist lips were still caressing against my breasts. “I know you were dealing with a lot. I didn’t feel neglected—too much.”

  “Think we can wake up for a week in one night?”

  I laughed. “Oh, I don’t know but I’d be willing to find out.”

  “Good.” Troy flipped me to my back and climbed over me. “I need to keep up my strength too.”

  I smiled as he leaned down, kissing my lips then started moving them down the front of my body. He reached my waist and lifted up my hips, taking my pants down off them. He was sitting up completely and slipped my left foot out of my pant leg and straightened my right leg up to his shoulder and took them off that foot. He slid one hand up my smooth milky skin to my thigh and started kissing up my leg, following his hand.

  I bit my lip to the touch of his lips on my skin and my craving for him heightened. The closer he got to my thighs, the more my eyes started to close and the faster my breaths began. I let out one deep one with a moan when I felt Troy’s tongue graze the delicate skin of my femininity. My back arched, my muscles all tensed and he had to hold his hands tight at my hips just to keep me down.

  It’s been weeks since I was touched by a man and it was as if this was a whole new experience. The distance that his tongue could reach was almost a forgotten feeling and I was beginning to get more and more aroused that I couldn’t take it anymore. I reached down towards his head with both hands and pulled on his hair. I wanted him to come to me but failed to let out any words with my demand. I was too speechless; too deeply in desire for him that I couldn’t and gave him a few more tugs until he pulled back.

  “Already? I planned to go longer.”

  “I don’t care about making up for a week. I just want you—right now.”

  Troy smiled and laid up over me while he took off his pants and didn’t make me wait another second before he gave me what we both wanted. I held tight around him while my breaths instantly picked back up to heavy and I couldn’t stop. One of Troy’s great talents wasn’t only based around his skill with a sword. He knew how to treat a woman and was never selfish when it came to his love of me.

  My breaths close to his chest were making everything hot and I started kissing him. My right hand glided across his wounds and I closed my eyes. The feeling of his body on mine overwhelmed my emotions and before I knew what was happening, Troy’s wounds on his chest started to fade away under my hand.

  Troy didn’t seem to know what I was doing either until it was too late. “Jaylyn, stop.”

  I didn’t respond and he ended up pulling back, separating our bodies completely. I wasn’t ready. It knocked me out of my rhythm and I opened my eyes, seeing the glow just fading away.

  Troy looked down at his chest and the wounds he planned to endure until completely healed were gone and so was his mark. “Why did you do that?” His voice sounded angry and he moved off me to his side of the bed.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

  “You did! I know you can control it!”

  “Troy, I just—”

  “Damn it, Jay! You know how important this is to me!” He used the name Trever gave me as a kid and used it in anger. My eyes started to water. “Jaylyn—I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

  I didn’t care to hear it. I pulled the entire sheet to me and wrapped it around me while I got up. “Don’t bother. Maybe I do hope you die tomorrow.” I left the room, slamming the door shut. I didn’t know what I was doing but I just wanted to get away. I almost felt like I hated him and couldn’t be around him.

  I walked all the way to the other end of the hall and closed myself inside another room, hoping he wouldn’t find me. I just wanted to be alone.

  “Jaylyn, look, I’m sorry.” Troy had followed just like I didn’t want and approached the bed. “I overreacted. I didn’t mean to raise my voice like that.”

  “Stop acting like you care about me because I’m really sick of it!”

  “I do care about you and if you were serious about hoping that I would die then I’ll make sure I don’t survive.”

  “Don’t be stupid! You wouldn’t do it for me! All you care about is getting your honor back!”

  “That’s not true.”

  “But you know it is!”

  “Well, what do you want me to do? Tell me and I’ll do it.”

  “I want you to stop this.” I said a little more calmly. “I don’t really want to lose you. I want our son to have his father.”

  “Then he will if that’s what you want but you know that I can’t stop this. I have to do it.”

  I lowered my head and sighed. I knew it wasn’t the right time to be fighting. “I’m sorry. I know you do. I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s okay, Jaylyn and I didn’t mean to sound like Trever towards you.”

  “It was my fault. I wa
s making you. It’s kind of what I do apparently.”

  “I don’t want us to fight. Not now.”

  “I know. Me either.”

  “Will you come back?”

  “Will you still promise to live?”

  “Of course I promise.”

  He got me up off the bed and we started walking back to our room down the hall. “And I promise to be there.”

  “No, Jaylyn. I don’t want you there.”

  “I’ll be in here.” I pointed to his head and his heart. “You know I couldn’t really want to see you get hurt.”

  “Just remember that I’ll be fine.”

  I wanted to believe him but I knew it wasn’t true. We got back to the room before I said anything and laid back down in bed. “But you won’t be fine.”

  “Of course I will.”

  “I still don’t think I can see you like that even after. It’d be too sad and I’d probably attempt to heal you in your sleep.”

  “Jaylyn, you know you can’t.”

  “I know but I’ll want to. I know I will. It will be really hard for me. You’re not even thinking of that.”

  “Then what do you suggest we do? Not see each other until you can heal me?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Are you serious? That could take weeks or even months depending on how bad it is.”

  “I know but if you want to do this your way, I don’t think we can see each other. I wouldn’t want to make another mistake like I just did and have you mad at me.”

  “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “For the sake of us, I think it’s best.”

  “Okay. We’ll see how that goes but remember you can come to me anytime you want to.”

  “Agreed. I’ll get a new room tomorrow, well, after the news of your survival and we’ll be able to be apart that way. You’ll probably spend most of your time in here to heal.”

  “Jaylyn, are you sure?”

  “Yes. I want you to be happy again and get your life back the way you need to. I don’t want to get in the way of that. You were going to be gone for a lot longer and I’ve already prepared myself for that. We’ll be fine. I promise that too.”

  “You better remember to take care of yourself when I can’t. Don’t do anything you shouldn’t.”

  I smiled and rolled to my side to face him. “You’re sweet. I won’t forget and I don’t want you to be worrying about me. You need that strength to heal, okay?”

  “Yeah. We should get some sleep now. Morning will come quick.”

  I agreed and laid my head on his shoulder. “Sorry I ruined our evening.”

  “It’s okay. I just want to savor this with you.” He had his arm around me and was holding me close to his body. I enjoyed it just as much and wanted it to last too while we slowly drifted off to sleep.

  It was our last night together until we could once again be reunited and things could get back to how they used to be between us and Troy gets renamed as a Great Seni Fighter.

  Chapter 18

  Troy

  Morning came quick as if the night passed within a single second. I woke when the sky was just becoming lit with its light of the dawn. This was the day I would get it all back. At least that’s what I kept on my mind as I looked next to me to see my sleeping wife. The pain would not seem to matter much. It would be the glory that remained and I was ready.

  I got out of bed and ran my fingers back through my hair as I approached the door. I reached it and looked back at Jaylyn. I knew it would be the last time I would see her in a while and didn’t want to take my eyes off her but I knew I had to. I turned away and walked out the door.

  The palace seemed unusually quiet. Only the sound of my own footsteps echoed as I walked through the hall. I reached the top of the back stairwell and that’s when I saw everyone.

  Literally everyone. It seemed the entire palace staff knew what was happening and showed up for support just outside of the private arena.

  I tried not to play it off as a big deal and started down the stairs like I didn’t notice them. Their faces looked sad but I walked through them with my head held high. A few flowers were thrown down in my path and I could almost hear the ceremonial drums for the walking dead but I wouldn’t let that happen.

  I passed through the arena and stopped just outside the door leading down to the penitentiary because Zayden and Darius were standing in the way.

  “You don’t deserve this.” Zayden said.

  “You of all people should know that I do.”

  “Bull.” Darius replied. “What are you trying to prove?”

  “I’m not trying to prove anything.” I gently pushed my way passed them and started down the stairs.

  “There are easier ways to get your life back.” Zayden said.

  “I don’t want to be treated differently because of who I was. Where’s the fairness in that?”

  “You realize what you’re asking me to do?”

  “I never asked you. It’s just how it works but I was going to ask you guys to do something.”

  “What?” Darius asked.

  “I need you to take care of Jaylyn for me.”

  “You’re not going to die.” Zayden said abruptly.

  “Not that. We’ve agreed not to see each other until it comes time for her to heal the scars. If you haven’t noticed she already broke her word once.”

  “I was going to ask about that.” Darius smiled, looking at my healed chest. “It’s weird to see nothing there.”

  “Well, she doesn’t want to slip up again and try to do it while I sleep. It was her idea. You’ll watch her for me, won’t you and help her with anything she needs?”

  “Of course.” Zayden said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “You ready?”

  I could see the large steel door in front of us and I nodded. “Yeah. Darius, can you make sure Jaylyn doesn’t come down here? I left her asleep upstairs.”

  “Sure. I’m strong enough to hold back a hysterical woman.”

  I smiled for the first time I’ve been down here. “Thanks. I don’t want to make this worse by having her actually see it happen.”

  “I can make sure Adele and Ruby occupy her time. I’m sure she’s going to want to eat at some point anyway.”

  The door creaked open and the King was standing on the other side. “It’s time.”

  I nodded and looked next to me at Darius.

  “Good luck.” He said, holding out his hand.

  I took it and Darius pulled me into him and gave me a quick hug. “Thanks.”

  “Come.” Izin turned and led Zayden and I into the room.

  “Rift, you stay out here.” Zayden said.

  He put his ears back but didn’t follow us inside.

  I got my first look at the room and I stood there for a moment, taking a breath. The large door was closed behind me and locked the three of us inside.

  Chapter 19

  Jaylyn

  It was sudden but something was screaming at me to wake up and I was jumped awake. “Troy!” I looked and his spot was empty. He was gone. Tears started coming to my eyes, thinking of what might happen and it only made this situation worse.

  The night before I must have just pretended to be okay with it but when I knew it was actually happening, I was breaking down. I needed to help him. If only I could be in that room. I knew no one would allow me to be but I needed to be.

  I sat in bed and thought of all the possible options until it hit me. I remembered Izin telling us that when Kathryn was pregnant with Zayden, she acquired his gift for the course of the pregnancy. Maybe, just maybe it was that way with me. If that was true, I’d be able to see in the room and maybe help Troy at the same time. It was hope and I had to try.

  It was quiet which was good for concentration and I took everything I had and focused. “You can do this. I’m going to need your help my son. Daddy is in trouble. He needs us now. Help me see.” I focused hard but nothing seemed to be happening. My eyes were merely
straining. “Come on. I know this will work just let me try.” I closed my eyes for a brief moment with a breath and opened them again to try again.

  It was strange. My eyesight started to move away from me. It was like I was just learning. I’ve seen this before but Troy was always the one in control. This time it was me but I understood his early frustration to get it right. It was that way for me too but I kept practicing because I needed this.

  Once I got passed the thrill of doing it, I had to concentrate harder. I pushed my sight out of the room and was outside. Now I had to find Troy. I tried using my own gift at the same time and felt around for his presence. When I got it, I used this new vision and followed it. It led me down underground passed Darius and I followed the passage around through the halls to the outside of a large steel door where Rift was laying, staring at it.

  “Troy.”

  I knew he was in there and slowly moved the vision forward but was afraid of what I’d see once on the other side of that door. I was right. Tears fell when I saw him. They had him on a stone slab in the restraints with a wooden dowel in his mouth and Zayden was standing next to him while Izin was more steps away. There was already blood on him and he was taking heavy breaths, clearly visible from his pounding chest.

  I had to pull myself together with words of confidence. “You can do this. Concentrate. Son, we need to help him. Not heal him but help with the pain and keep him alive. Give me strength to try.”

  My vision appeared as if I was standing on the other side of Troy across from Zayden. I reached my hands out to him, trying to place one hand on his head to limit the pain and the other over his heart to keep it beating but it wasn’t working. My hands kept seeming like they were just going through him.

  “Come on. He needs our help. If I ever wanted something more in the world, this was it. Help me. He needs us.”

  I tried it again and failed but I didn’t give up. I kept trying until I finally felt the skin under my hands like I was really there with him. I smiled and tried to keep everything steady. I could already see Troy’s pain fading and hoped that he didn’t notice this extra touch.