by A J Manney
Zalia just stared after him. What just happened? Zalia sighed. She was too tired to think about it. She sat on her bed, trying to get the motivation to get up and get going when she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she called out. Raven came in with a smile.
“I heard you were awake. How are you feeling?” she asked Zalia.
“You know, I feel like all anybody says to me anymore is ‘How are you feeling’?” Zalia said.
Raven looked at her with sympathy. “I’m sorry. Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up. You haven’t had a bath in a few days, and it shows,” she said as she grimaced.
Zalia looked at her in alarm. “Really? Valen was just in here!”
Raven burst into laughter. “Oh, girl, you’ve got it bad.”
Zalia just glared at her. “No, I don’t. I would feel that way no matter who was in here.”
Raven grinned, “Whatever you say. Now, come on.”
An hour later, Zalia felt more human again. She had taken a bath, washed her hair, and put on fresh clothes. In leather pants and a tunic top, she felt confident again. She pulled her still damp hair back into a braid. “Come on. Let’s go get some lunch.”
Raven and Zalia sat with Mari for lunch. Everybody else must have been out training. After talking and laughing together, Zalia looked at Raven. “Do we get to have the rest of the day off?”
Raven smiled. “If you show up in that training hall, I think everybody will demand you go back to bed.”
“Well, I guess I will go back to my room and rest then,” Zalia said with a small smile.
__________
The next few days flew by as Zalia threw herself back into training. Valen trained her when it was his turn. Other than that, he mostly kept his distance. Sometimes she would catch him watching her, but he would look away when her eyes met his.
One afternoon, when Beckam and Zalia were training together, Beckam signaled to take a break. Zalia walked over and grabbed some water to drink and a rag to wipe the sweat off her face. While they were standing together, Beckam looked at her.
“What?” Zalia asked.
Beckam just looked at her. “This last healing, you were out for three days,” he said quietly. Zalia looked up at him.
“I know,” she said defensively.
“It’s getting worse,” he said. “I talked to Grandfather, and he said that everything they have found in old history books and documents says that the healer’s powers continue to weaken the healer until they can tie it to a source of power.”
Zalia looked at him. “I’m fine,” she said.
“For how long?” he shot back. “What about the next time or the time after that? When will it be too much, and your body can’t take any more?”
Zalia tried to tamper her frustration. “What do you want me to do, Beckam? I can’t exactly control what it does to me. Would you like me to just stop healing people? Because I can tell you right now that’s not going to happen!” she responded angrily.
He looked at her coolly. “Maybe you could stop hiding from your future.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she shot back at him.
“It means that Grandfather told you the solution to your problem, but you won’t act on it. I don’t know why you won’t stop hiding from him and just deal with it.”
“Because I don’t want to,” Zalia bit out.
“Well, maybe it’s time you grew up a little bit and stopped being a coward,” he said as he stepped close and glared into her eyes.
“How dare you!” Zalia shot at him.
Beckam just scowled down at her. “You have the answer to all your problems on your back. Just deal with it.”
Zalia gritted her teeth. “Just because I have markings on my back does not mean that I am going to give myself over to a total stranger. Besides...” Zalia dropped what she was saying because Beckam had stopped looking at her and was now staring over her shoulder. Zalia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping against hope that Beckam was not looking at who she thought Beckam might be looking at.
She turned around slowly and saw Valen standing close behind them with his arms crossed over his chest. He did not look happy! Nope; she would say he looked downright angry. And lucky her; it seemed his anger was directed at her. Zalia looked up into his eyes that were utterly black now.
“Whose markings, Zalia?” he said through clenched teeth. His jaw was so tight, she thought he was going to break it.
Zalia scrambled, trying to get control of the situation. “Uh, how much of our conversation did you hear?” she asked him.
His eyes got even blacker, if that was possible. “Enough of it,” he said. He just stared at her; then took a step closer. “Whose marks?” he asked slowly and deadly.
Zalia turned around to look at Beckam for support and realized he was gone. “Ugh!” she threw her hands up in frustration. She was going to kill him. She couldn’t believe he left her here to face Valen alone. She turned back to face Valen. He stalked her, like a predator. She knew never to run from a predator, but she was about two seconds away from doing just that.
Valen stopped right in front of her and looked down at her. “Whose marks?” he asked with his jaw clenched tight.
Zalia looked up at him with an apology in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
She watched him visibly react. He tightened his fists at his side, and she saw a muscle tick in his jawbone. His eyes were completely black now, a sign he was barely in control.
Zalia turned around and pulled up the back of her shirt up and over her shoulder and stood there shaking, scared to death of what his reaction would be. As soon as she had uncovered the marks, she heard his sharp intake of breath and felt him move closer to her. She shuddered as she felt his hand touch her marks ever so gently. He didn’t say anything for what felt like forever, and Zalia didn’t feel like she could take the silence anymore. Finally, when she felt like she couldn’t take it a moment longer, she felt him pull her shirt carefully back down. Then he placed his hands gently on her shoulders and turned her around. Zalia couldn’t bear to look up into his face. She wasn’t sure if she would see anger, or rejection, or even pity, but she wasn’t brave enough to find out.
He gently placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. He took a step closer, putting them really close. She couldn’t get a read on him. His eyes were still really dark, but he didn’t seem angry anymore. There was something else there; she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. He looked into her eyes. “Those are my marks,” he said quietly.
“I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
He looked at her questioningly. “Why are you sorry?” he asked just as quietly. “Do you not want my marks?” he asked, his body stiffening.
“No, I mean yes, I mean... I don’t know. I just... you hate me,” she fumbled around with her words. She was so confused.
His eyes just darkened further while she fumbled around. “How long have you had my marks?” he asked.
Zalia looked down. “They showed up on my birthday.”
He looked at her. “Why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you think this is something I had a right to know?”
Zalia stiffened her back. “I was going to tell you in time. I just needed the time to...”
He cut her off. “To what?” he snapped at her.
“Beckam said...” she stopped when she saw his eyes flash.
“Beckam knew and didn’t tell me?” he growled out. “You talked to Beckam about my marks on your back, yet you couldn’t tell me?” his voice was getting lower and calmer. That was always a really bad sign with Valen. The calmer he got, the angrier he was. He whirled away from her and started striding out of the training hall.
Zalia was right behind him. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control. “Where are you going?” she called out to him, running to keep up with him.
“To deal with Beckam,” he growled.
“Shoot!” she said to herse
lf. “Valen, stop,” she called out. He didn’t stop moving, and she was following right behind him. “You’re being ridiculous!” she snapped at him. That was the wrong thing to say!
He stopped so suddenly, she slammed into his back. He whirled around, his eyes shooting fire. He opened his mouth to talk to her, then looked up and around the room. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him from the training room, away from prying eyes. He walked from the training room into the hallway, still pulling her with him.
He stopped at a room and pulled her inside and shut the door. He dropped her arm and looked down at her. She wasn’t going to be intimidated. She raised her chin at him and glared up at him. “Beckam has nothing to do with this. Just leave him out of this,” she said angrily.
Valen stepped closer to her. “Beckam has everything to do with this! He knows how I have been killing myself trying to stay away from you. He knows how much I hate you being hurt and not able to do anything to help, but I did everything I could to not be attracted to you and to not develop feelings for you.” His voice got quieter and lower. “And how I was failing miserably.” He reached up pushed her hair gently behind her ears. Then he got angry again. “He knew all that, yet he didn’t tell me that you bore my marks. So yes, he has everything to do with this.”
Zalia just stared up at him at a complete loss for words. “I thought you hated me,” she whispered.
Valen just smiled ruefully. “No, I just wanted you to think that so I could try to stay away from you. You have to understand, as a first-born royal, I can only marry the one who carries my marks. I’ve seen first-hand what happens to someone who doesn’t. As much as I wanted to develop a relationship with you, I would never do that to you.” He looked away for a moment, then looked back at Zalia. His eyes darkened. “My mother didn’t bear my father’s marks. He fell in love with her and thought that would be enough, but it wasn’t. My father grew more and more unbalanced over the years. He became increasingly difficult and very angry. My mom was the one who paid the ultimate price,” he said rigidly. “I promised myself I would never develop feelings for anyone besides the one who bore my marks.” He looked down at her. “These last several months have been hell for me. Beckam knew all of that, and that’s why I’m going to kill him.” He took a step back.
“No!” Zalia grabbed his arm. “Don’t! It was my fault. I told him not to say anything.”
Valen paused and looked at her. “Why? Why wouldn’t you tell me? Why did you hide it from me? They're my marks!”
“On my body!” she snapped right back at him. He just smirked at her.
Then he turned serious again. “Do you know what the marks mean?” he asked her gently.
Zalia nodded. “I didn’t until my grandfather and Beckam enlightened me.”
He scowled again. “Your grandfather knew too?”
Zalia grimaced. “I’m sorry. I had to confide in them. I didn’t know anything about the marks. Besides, I didn’t bring them up. Grandfather was explaining to me about my healing powers and how they would get worse. He told me the solution was...”
“What do you mean worse?” he interrupted, stepping closer to her.
Zalia bit her tongue. Why do I talk? I just keep making matters worse. Out loud she said, “He was just telling me more about my healing powers.”
Valen frowned at her, then grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s go.” He began pulling her towards the door.
“Wait, are we going to kill Beckam, because I don’t want any part of that!” she said, desperately trying to get out of the iron grip he had on her wrist.
He just laughed at her. “We won’t kill him.”
Zalia relaxed for a moment. Did the solemn prince just laugh? Then she tensed up again when he said, “Just I will.”
Chapter 16
Zalia tried unsuccessfully to pull her hand from Valen’s. He kept his grip tight enough that she couldn’t escape, but not so tight that it hurt her. “You know I’ve been training really hard. I could take you down if I wanted to,” Zalia said with attitude in her voice. She was not happy about being dragged to see Beckam.
Valen laughed. “I’d love to see you try!”
Zalia just huffed at him and started plotting all the ways she could hurt him. He looked back at her after a few moments of silence. “Did you give up already?”
“No,” she said. “I’m just plotting all the ways I can hurt you.”
He laughed again and kept walking. He stopped in front of a door and used his other hand to bang on the door. “Beckam, open up!” he ordered.
A second later, Beckam opened the door. Valen shoved the door and Beckam back as he strode into the room, dragging Zalia behind him.
Beckam looked from Valen to Zalia, then to their joined hands. Then he had the audacity to grin. “I see you found out she has your marks,” he said happily.
Zalia stepped up next to Valen and looked at Beckam. “You know, he came here to beat the crap out of you. I tried to stop him, but you know what? I think I’ll join him.”
Beckam just laughed harder. Zalia was annoyed. She looked up at Valen and saw that he also had the audacity to grin. She tried to pull her hand from his, but he wouldn’t have it. She put her free hand on her hip and said, “You’re supposed to be beating him up now,” she said to Valen.
Valen smiled down at her. “You’re right.” Then he turned back to Beckam and managed to lose the grin. All of a sudden, he turned menacing again. “Why didn’t you tell me she had my mark? You know what I’ve been going through.”
Beckam shrugged. “She told me not to tell you. I said I wouldn’t, and I always keep my word.”
Valen pulled back and slammed his fist into Beckam’s nose. Zalia winced when she heard the crack and saw blood spray.
Beckam cursed, and Zalia stood there in shock. “I can’t believe you did that!” she said angrily to Valen.
Valen just shrugged. “He deserved it,” he said.
Zalia moved towards an angry Beckam and reached for his nose. He backed away from her. “I’m just going to heal it,” she said. Beckam didn’t fight her and Zalia reached up and healed his nose quickly. Muttering under his breath, Beckam turned away to go get cleaned up.
Zalia turned around to scowl at Valen. “Was that necessary?” she asked him.
“Absolutely,” he replied. “He’ll understand when he meets his girl someday,” Valen said.
Zalia stopped breathing for a second. Did he just imply that I am his girl? No, obviously not. He was just making a point. Nothing to get all hyped up about, Zalia, she thought to herself.
When Beckam came back with a clean shirt on, Valen looked at Beckam and pulled Zalia slightly closer to him. “Tell me about her healing powers. What do you mean that they are getting worse?
Beckam sighed. “This really is a conversation we should be having with our grandfather. He knows way more about it than I do, but I can tell you what I know. Are you going to hit me again?” he asked Valen darkly.
Valen replied, “That depends. Are you going to be an idiot again?” Zalia smacked Valen’s arm.
“Valen!” she said angrily. To her surprise, Beckam laughed.
“Come on. Let’s at least sit down while we have this conversation,” Beckam said easily.
He led them over to a sitting room area, adjacent to his room. He sat down, leaving a small couch as the only available place for Valen and Zalia to sit. Valen finally let go of Zalia’s hand, and she glared at Beckam as she sat down as close to the end of the couch as possible.
She grimaced as Valen sat down next to her, close enough that their thighs were touching. If he was aware of how close he was, he didn’t show it. Meanwhile, Zalia couldn’t seem to breathe. She wasn’t used to being this close to Valen. He was intimidating from far away. Up close, he was deadly.
Oblivious to Zalia’s distress, Valen sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me,” he ordered Beckam.
Beckam leaned forward. “Like I said, Grandf
ather knows more than I do, but we have talked about it several times.” He let out a deep sigh. “Every time Zalia heals, she is giving away her life’s essence. That’s why she is able to heal, but it’s also why she passes out once she finishes. The harder the healing, the longer it takes for her body to recover. Over time, her life’s essence will be damaged too much to recover fully.”
“How do you stop it?” Valen growled. Zalia looked up at him. He was angry again.
Beckam looked from Valen to Zalia, then back to Valen again. “Apparently the only way to stop it is to bond with someone with royal blood, like a first-born prince. The power of the royal blood grounds a healer. It also helps her heal faster after a healing, and ultimately keeps her from giving too much of her life’s essence away because it’s tied to the first-born.”
Valen just nodded. “Okay. Then we will bond right away.”
“What?!” Zalia almost shouted at him as she shot to her feet. Beckam covered what sounded like a laugh with a cough. “You can’t be serious!” she said to Valen.
Valen was on his feet in a flash, towering over her. “I’m totally serious,” he said in a calm voice.
“Well, you can’t... I’m not... we don’t...” Zalia sputtered. He smirked, infuriating Zalia more. “Well, we’re not doing... that,” she finally spit out.
Valen cocked his head to the side, “Do you know what the bonding process entails?”
Zalia looked down for a moment, blushing furiously. “Not exactly,” she finally said, absolutely mortified. She felt a finger under her chin as he tipped her head up. She looked down for as long as possible, then finally met his eyes.
To her surprise, she didn’t find any humor or mocking in his eyes. He was totally serious. “It’s not as bad as whatever it is you’re thinking to make you blush like that.” Then he smiled slightly. He reached down and grabbed her hand. “Come on. We have a lot to talk about.” Zalia allowed him to pull her. She was so past thinking right now. Her mind had officially shut down.
