“Please, she knew and it was always her plan. That little freak out in her room yesterday was just a hoax to make you believe but that didn’t even work.”
“How do you know it was her plan?”
The table was quiet but she figured it out.
“When she wanted you to save her?”
I nodded; my emotion level dissipating with my spoken answer. “She said if I didn’t come for her then she’d die here. She knew Izin knew her the second he saw her and how could he not? He’d never forget the face of a past lover.”
Everyone at the table seemed surprised.
“He’s greatly over selling it.” Izin cut in quickly. “We were never lovers.”
“Please don’t start with another boring story from your boring life. I didn’t come all the way here to be bored.”
“Excuse me. It’s my boring life that gave me everything.”
His voice was smug about it and I leaned in with one to match. “And it’s your boring life that cost me everything.”
“Kathryn!”
Great. I sighed and leaned back as she came briskly through the door. She was looking at me with severe distaste and I guess she had a right to be but she’s the one that let us be in the same room.
“Please let the dog out. He’s starting to shed through his teeth.”
I was blatantly amused. “Is that what I’m doing?!”
“I warned you.” Kathryn said. “But you wanted this anyway.”
“Just take it.”
“Normally, I’d love to but―”
“They’re here?”
She nodded and we looked towards the doors just as they both opened at the same time. It was one of Trever’s classic entrances just to make himself known but it was meaningless at this point; everyone already knew he was here and it should have been obvious to those who haven’t seen him before that he was Jay’s brother. They looked very similar except his face was showing some kind of cruel humor while I’m sure Jay was still looking at him with worry.
I was right.
Chapter 26
Jaylyn
The moment I saw him, terror ripped through me. He wasn’t going to be happy having to come all this way for something I’ve done. I needed to do something.
His steps carried him over to us without a word and with each one I was only getting more and more sorry. I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore and I threw my body to his, hugging him tightly with my face against his chest. “I’m sorry. Please don’t kill anyone.”
His breaths were calm and he let out one long one while pulling me away. “You know better. If I was going to, everyone would be dead already and we’d be arguing about this on the way home.”
“I’m not arguing. I just don’t want you to—”
“Be still my precious little sister. We are here for a different reason.”
“A planned one?”
I turned around and the King was looking right at me or Trever behind me.
“And how exactly could it have been planned if you’re the one that called me here, telling me you have something of mine if I should want it. I’m here to respond. I want it.”
Izin narrowed his eyes and turned them just briefly at Ryon. I think he believed he lied about the whole thing being planned and I know I wanted to believe it but I wasn’t ready for it to end.
“Very well but that will have to be further discussed.” Izin said. “No one is making quick decisions here.”
“Let me be perfectly clear. I came for one reason and one reason only; to get them back. Nothing you say will change it. Nothing you do will compromise my right to my property.”
“If we were perhaps on your grounds but you are in my house. What I say here goes. They are my property. You are mainly here for your advisory and your advisory only. The final decision will be mine.”
“If that were true then coming here would have been a complete waste of time as you know my word of advisory already. We are here to negotiate the terms of their release and you will do well to grant it.”
Zayden didn’t seem pleased with the tone Trever used with the King and I tensed to his words. “Or what?”
I was getting nervous about what would happen. I’ve seen Trever truly angry before and it wasn’t pretty.
“Zayden, don’t intrude.” Izin said. “You don’t want to get into this.”
“I kind of already am, don’t you think?”
“Yet your opinion in the matter has been overlooked.” Trever said. “It’s time to let the grownups handle it.”
Zayden was even more displeased but remained still when his father held out his hand and rose to his feet. “Which we will do elsewhere. Zayden, keep yourself busy for a while and be sure that poisonous flower of yours stays unknowing to our guests or things will become—difficult.”
“For you mostly.”
Yet another voice entered the room and my greatest fear had finally shown himself. Kole was standing next to me out of nowhere, appearing where and when he wanted just because he could but I didn’t like it. He was adorn with weapons like he planned to need them though I knew better. Kole never needed a weapon to kill; he was the weapon and I watched him carefully, ready for even the slightest lingering gaze of his eyes towards Troy.
“Kole, of course.” Izin said. “I was wondering when we would see you.”
“It’s never too late, I always say. How the fuck are you?”
“Well considering.”
“You won’t have to worry about a thing. They’ll be out of your way.”
“Be sure that they are.” Trever said. “This might take longer than expected.”
“Then be sure you’re open to suggestions.”
“I’m not.”
“Try.”
“Yeah right.” Ryon muttered.
Trever turned from us stiffly and followed Izin out of the dining hall with Kathryn even farther behind.
“I think that went rather well.” Kole smiled. “Mind if I help myself?”
He began walking to the King’s chair and Zayden’s eyes were narrowing. “Yes. I do.”
Of course Kole wasn’t threatened. He sat in the chair anyway and even started to pick at the food on the plate Izin left behind. “Sorry if I don’t listen. Grotesque habit of ours. I’m Kole by the way. You’ve met my brother in crime who I think deserves a round of applause for that performance. The realism and the true sense of worry was well played, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I knew it.” Ruby muttered.
“I didn’t lie.” Ryon said. “I did what I had to. Izin will do the opposite of what I want just because I told him.”
“He clearly doesn’t trust you.” Zayden said.
Ryon looked across the table with this obvious smirk. “It’s not that. He just doesn’t like me.”
“How does he even know you?”
Ryon’s eyes shifted to Kole who looked up with a mouthful and spoke that way. “What? He never told him about you?”
“Where are your manners?”
Kole looked down at himself while still eating. “No room. Had to leave them behind.”
Ryon shook off his stupidity and looked back at Zayden to answer his question. “It’s irrelevant.”
Sort of. It wasn’t much of an answer but I was curious to know how they knew each other.
“The point in being here is to do whatever we need to keep them alive. Your father is merely a small bump in the road.”
Worry found me again. “What do you mean?”
Ryon turned his head to me but Kole answered with a laugh before he could. “You obviously don’t realize the severity of the situation.”
“Of course I do.”
“Then you should be glad Izin wanted us here. After what you did, he could and should have ordered you dead when you stepped through the door. You’ll be lucky if Trever can stop that from happening.”
I felt another worry and looked across the table. Troy’s jaw was clenched and his eyes looked up
towards the door. He probably felt he had to fix this too. He got up from his chair without a word and started walking away without a word.
“Troy? Where are you going?”
He didn’t reply.
“Where do you think?” Darius said.
My eyes widened and I turned my head towards Kole. “Why aren’t you stopping him?!”
“What kind of a person would I be if I halted his quest to save your head when in reality, he’s just going to chop it off himself? You’re asking me to deny another man of his greatest mistake and I just can’t do that.”
“No. It’s more like you just don’t care.”
“It’s actually mostly because none of that was even true. Izin never really would have had you killed nor will he so you can relax and give the man more credit.”
“Then stop him but don’t hurt him!”
His eyes shifted to the door and Troy’s steps halted immediately. He couldn’t move a step farther and Kole quickly shifted his eyes back to Troy’s chair. He was in it in an instant, trying to comprehend what just happened. Darius and Zayden looked equally stunned but said nothing.
“I’m sorry.” I said to Troy. “Going out there would have been pointless. Trever would never listen.”
“Let me guess.” Kole said. “You’re first Kaluian women?” They said nothing. “What? We should be celebrating. Now you can no longer be pleasured by any other breed. Except for you, Darius since you haven’t—”
“Kole!” I said it for her. I knew Ruby would have been ready to blow with the thought of the ending to that statement and I didn’t even want him to finish it. “That’s not your business!”
“Thank you, Jaylyn.” Ruby said. “But I can handle it myself. Kole! That’s not your business!”
He laughed. “Really? You dying or causing such isn’t my business? Trever would be—no I’m not even going to begin to describe the horrors he would unleash if that ever happened. So, you better hope they pass this test or you’re all in big trouble.”
“What test?” Zayden asked.
“You haven’t noticed that this is a test yet?” Kole looked at Ryon like he was surprised to hear it but I was even interested in this. “Trever and the General are all about tests. Do you honestly believe that they would have let you take our women into this city if they didn’t want you to?”
Zayden’s eyes looked across the table at Ryon. “It was planned?”
I didn’t want to believe it.
“Foreseen is a better term.” Ryon said.
“Then what happens now?”
“Can’t say. We’re not allowed to influence any of your decisions but our work doesn’t necessarily stop here because when the Queen gave them this mission, she basically said they die or you die. You both can’t exist in the same world but since neither of those happened, we’re going to have to lie and scheme to prevent it. It won’t be easy.”
“But you’d do it?”
“Whatever it takes.” Kole said.
“Why are you telling us this?”
Kole looked around, speculating the question. “Why not? You do know why we’re at war don’t you?”
“Does it matter?”
“It’s because two men had a disagreement about twenty-two years ago.”
“That’s not why.”
“It’s not how it all started but it’s why it’s continuing. Why should I hate you? Have you done something to me that I should be aware of other than being involved in this that caused me to come all the way over here to collect something that’s not even mine?”
“I don’t think so.”
I had enough. This talk; it wasn’t right. I knew how Kole felt. He hated Senians. He always talked about it. Whatever this was, it had to end and end now.
“Zayden.” I said. “Can we just go? There’s no point in staying here talking to him.”
Zayden looked between us with a smile. “She doesn’t like you, does she?”
Kole smiled back in an annoying way and looked right at me when he answered. “She only likes part of me.”
The anger and humiliation of him saying that with Troy in the room shivered down my body in a single pulse. My breath curled in my chest and I couldn’t hold back from unleashing it with my words even if they weren’t for him. “Zayden! Now!”
He at least gave in to my hate to be here and finished off his drink. “I suppose we do have other plans. Sorry to cut our meeting short, gentlemen—”
“No we’re not.” I snatched.
“But we’ve put ourselves on a schedule earlier this morning.”
“Did you now?” Kole asked. “And where is it we would be going?”
My eyes opened widely only to narrow themselves in an instant. “You’re not coming with us.”
“That’s not up to you to decide.”
“We’re just going out to The Grand and it’s not necessary that you come with us.” Zayden said. I was glad he was on my side on this. He didn’t seem to be showing much hate either, maybe knowing this wouldn’t be the last time he saw them if he were truly coming with us to be with Adele but I still didn’t like it.
“Out? Is that allowed?” Kole looked at Ryon like he would have the answer.
“You mean going public? I doubt it.”
“The decision isn’t yours to make.” Zayden said, his voice showing that dominance for being Prince. “My father said to stay busy. He never said we had to stay here.”
“It’s not your father who would be the problem.” Ryon said. “Trever has always been finicky about the wrong people being seen with his sister.”
My eyes rolled. “He doesn’t own me.”
“He kind of does.”
“Then they won’t see me because Kole is going to change me back.”
“Why? You looked awful.”
“I know but Adele can’t see me like this either. She’ll know you’re here and that’s apparently something she can’t know.”
“Only because she’ll completely lose it. You’re trying to revive a part of her that died a long time ago just by being here and it’s clearly messing with her.”
“Clearly.” Ryon muttered with his eyes fixed on Zayden.
“Kole! Please just do it.”
“All right but only if you can get her to change you back herself. If you’re coming back with us tonight, Trever won’t want to see you like this.”
“We’re not.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
My blonde hair turned black like his and my eyes were probably darkened again.
“You have the gift Adele has?” Zayden asked.
Kole stared at him for a moment and I was almost beginning to fear his answer. “I’m much better.”
I felt the table rumble like there had been an earthquake, thinking it was Kole just showing off. “Kole, stop.”
“That wasn’t me.”
“Oh really? Then who was it?”
He pause and his eyes looked up beyond the table. “Ah, our new problem.”
I turned my head and it was Adele who stood hard just inside the door. Her eyes were fiercely fixed at the table and the anger was the strongest I’ve ever seen. This was bad. She wasn’t supposed to find out they were here but none of us really seemed to know what to do.
She never said a word but she slowly stepped towards us. Each step that connected with the floor caused the stone to crack and make the whole room shake with her fury.
“Adele.” I rose from my chair in hopes to talk reason but she wasn’t responding.
“Jay, don’t do it.” Kole said. “She won’t listen.”
“I have to try. I think people will notice if a palace on top of a large hill mysteriously collapses!” I took a breath and turned back to Adele, trying to approach her while keeping my balance. “Adele?”
I reached for her but she shoved her hand toward me and I was immediately airborne.
“Jaylyn!” I heard Troy’s concern after I hit the wall and tumbled to the floor. I
t hurt but I wasn’t badly injured. The pain of it didn’t last very long.
“I’m all right.” I said as he helped me up. “We have to stop her before she destroys the place.”
Even the walls were starting to crack now and Ruby tried her hand next to slow her down. “Adele, stop!”
Her eyes were red and she went at her head on but I already proved that wasn’t the best idea. Adele did the same thing to her in the other direction but luckily, Darius was there to catch her.
“You okay?” He asked, helping Ruby on her feet.
“Yeah. You have a good habit of catching me when I fall.”
“One I don’t intend to break.”
Ruby smiled to his sweetness but there was still a problem and she turned her head. “Zayden! Your turn.”
He stood up but so did Ryon with a stern voice. “No! I’m the one she wants.”
The look on Zayden’s face said Ryon meant that in a completely different way but he stayed in front of his chair to let Ryon do whatever it was he was about to do.
“Adele, just listen.” He kept his hands out so she knew he was going to do anything with them but the closer he got in front of her, the more her sadness dominated her anger.
“Now I should listen? Where were you when I wanted you to listen to me?”
“Believe me. I heard and I wanted to come but—”
“It’s too late. You’re too late. You let this happen to me and I can never forgive you.”
I felt Ryon’s pain hit me like I was slapped across the face. I always knew he cared about her; loved her even but this was becoming unbearable to watch.
Chapter 27
Ryon
I couldn’t move. Her words pierced a cold blade through my heart and I’ve never been so sorry but she was right. I was too late and she was gone from me. Seeing it actually happening tormented me in a way I’ve never felt and for my life, that was a big deal.
“My turn.” Kole stood up and the cracks around the dining hall started to repair themselves but there was one he couldn’t fix.
He interrupted for me. I know he did but I still wasn’t sure where we should be going from here until Adele nearly collapsed in front of me. My instincts kicked in and I caught her before she would have hit the floor.
Deciding Skies (Fate's Intent Book 2) Page 14
