by Jenn Vakey
“Yes,” I answered, sitting tall myself. Daring him to challenge my trust in the guy right now. “He went with Leeya to the facility to get everyone out. Dallin said Lillith was in such bad shape that Pax had to actually carry her out of the city.”
Orson looked back out, no doubt seeing the number of Grower uniforms people were wearing. Probably now putting it together where they had come from. Our plan had only included Sentry black and Maker orange.
Gryffin started to chuckle. “Oh, how I actually hope I’m there the day Othman Meltzer learns his son is taken with the future princess’s sister. That vein in his forehead always did bulge when he was annoyed. Should make for some good entertainment.”
He shook his head and stood, walking off to where I could see Paxton sitting with Lillith and Dallin. Then I turned back to face Orson, ready for whatever it was he had to say about it all. He just watched them himself, then let out a heavy breath and took Gryffin’s vacated seat.
“Tell me the truth about Leeya?”
My stomach dropped again. “She doesn’t remember anything,” I told him, the words not any easier than the first time I’d said them. Not feeling any more real. “Not even Lillith. She put on an act for Linley, but I’m going to have to tell her the truth before much longer. Especially if word is starting to get out around camp. Noella said she has no idea when, if at all, she’ll get it back.”
Orson nodded like I had just confirmed everything he already knew. “I want you, Lillith, or Dallin to be with her constantly.”
“Not you?” I asked, surprised not only by his decision to include Dallin, but to leave himself out.
He shook his head like it wasn’t even an option in the first place. “She doesn’t know me. I’m not going to take advantage of the state she’s in to try to win her over. But if the city’s in the state we can all guess it’s in, we can’t rule out the possibility that they’ll try to attack. She needs to be guarded until she’s back in fighting condition. I honestly don’t even want Lillith alone with her, since I know she’s in no position to provide protection, but she’ll hopefully be able to help trigger her memories.”
“You aren’t going to like it, but I doubt Paxton will stray far from Lillith anytime soon. He was a Grower, but Leeya said he’d been granted special permission to receive Sentry training.”
Orson grunted, his jaw tightening. Instead of giving his opinion on the matter, he simply said, “The faster we can get her back into fighting shape, the better. We’ll need her.”
I couldn't argue with that. It wasn’t even that I wanted my fiancé back. Leeya was one of the best fighters we had. She also had an incredible mind.
“How are we on housing?”
“Stassa taking the people she is definitely helped,” Orson answered. “We’re still going to need those new houses up quickly. Especially if we’re going to have more coming in. Even after we fill every open room in the dorm, we’re going to end up with people having to share houses for a while.”
“I’ll get a group of people together after the meeting to start working on those,” I said, running over exactly what that would entail. Usually we never worked on more than one or two houses at a time. “It’s going to take several people just to get all of the wood cut. The machines will be running pretty much nonstop just to keep up.”
Standing, Orson stated, “The meeting will start in an hour. We’ll hand out jobs then. Between the houses, the garden, and the hunting parties, we should have plenty of work to keep everyone busy.”
I finished my food quickly after he left, then went back through the line to grab Leeya a plate. I had told her I would make sure someone brought her food, but I’d never intended for it to be anyone other than me.
I was both relieved and disappointed when I walked into the clinic and found her asleep. While I wanted to talk to her, to try to trigger something that would make her come back, I knew rest was probably just as important. Her mind needed to heal just as much as her body did.
Still, I wasn’t just going to leave. I put the plate down on the tray and took my seat, watching her as she slept.
I felt so helpless. I just wanted her back, my Leeya back, but I had no idea how to even begin to help her. If it was even possible, or if all of that was gone forever. If it was, if she never got her memories back, what did that mean for us? Did I just try to make her fall in love with me again? And if she didn’t? It was too much to think about.
Noella came in a few moments later, giving me a much needed reprieve from my thoughts.
“So, it’s engaged, is it?” she smirked cheekily. Then she shrugged, which was honestly the last reaction I had expected. “Can’t say I’m really surprised.” I narrowed my eyes and she gave a mischievous grin, then pointed toward the hall. Toward the room Linley had stayed in her first few weeks in Alkwin. “Thin walls. Besides, don’t think I didn't notice that you two looked like you had been making out when you brought her in to get patched up a few weeks ago.”
I chuckled, remembering very clearly just how Leeya had looked when Noella’s knock interrupted us. Her cheeks flushed, lips red and swollen. That had been the first time she initiated a kiss.
“I was pretty surprised by it,” I admitted, looking over every inch of Leeya’s face. Even the bruises that were there did nothing to lessen how beautiful she was. “By her in general. I’ve never had anyone care about me the way she does. Other than family, and even then.” Then I sighed, knowing just where that had gotten her. “It’s my fault she’s like this. She was at the exit. I told her to leave, but she refused to go without me. She got hurt because I got cornered by Sentry and couldn't get out.”
“That’s what you do for people you love,” Noella said levelly. “You would have done the same for her.”
“Yeah, I would have,” I said, knowing it wasn’t anything I even needed to contemplate. I would have made the exact same decision she had. “I would do anything for her. And not just because she’s decided to make a habit out of saving me.”
Noella chuckled and nodded. That wasn’t a secret, even for people who didn’t know we were together. “You’ll get through this. The other Healers were being a little cautious with her after the surgery, but she’s actually doing very well. She should be able to get up for short walks before too much longer. That should help. Just no strenuous activities. Keep her away from the training field. No sex.”
I shifted my gaze to Noella, leering at her. She had always been more vocal than most, but that was bold. Even for her. “She doesn’t even remember who I am. And what makes you think we’ve been having sex?”
All of the lightness she’d had during our conversation fell away as she sat down on the stool on the other side of the bed. I wasn’t used to seeing her so serious, and it worried me.
“I saw her test results, Rhydian,” she said calmly. Sadly. “I’m guessing you were together about three or four weeks ago.”
I stared at her, trying not to give anything away. She knew we were together. Engaged. She was also a Healer, so really the only person in camp people actually talked about private matters with. Still, this wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. Especially not with the shape Leeya was in. But there had to be a reason she was bringing it up. One that explained how she would have known we’d slept together. Not just at all, but that the first time with Leeya in the lab had actually been three and a half weeks before. How would anything in her labs show that?
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t know anything right now,” she said softly. “I won’t for a few days, at least. Not after that blast.”
“Spit it out, Noella,” I bit, starting to panic.
“Leeya’s pregnant.”
And the world stood still around me. Noella was staring at me, but I couldn't respond. I didn’t even know how to think in that moment. Pregnant? She was having a child. My child. I might actually be happy if she even knew who I was. If we weren’t in the middle of a war. With all of that, I just didn�
��t know how to feel.
“I have to tell you that there’s a better than average chance that she sustained too much damage during the blast,” Noella said. “She’s not far enough along for me to see anything visually. Like I said, it’s too soon to know.”
I nodded, my head feeling numb. I couldn't stop looking at her. My broken girl. Wondering how she would have reacted to this had Dex not hit us with that damn bomb. “Does she know?” I asked, my throat suddenly so dry. My voice cracked, but I couldn’t apologize for it.
“Not yet,” she answered. “I didn’t think I should add that on top of everything else going on. I’ll wait a few days and check her numbers again. Then I’ll tell her.”
“We’re having a meeting in half an hour that everyone’s supposed to be at. How many people do you have in here?”
“Four, not counting Leeya,” she answered, pointing again to the rooms off the hall. Each door was closed, which only happened when someone was using them. “The ones that were held the longest in that place. It's going to take some time for them to adjust to being out. I have them locked in the rooms for their safety. And ours.”
I nodded again, agreeing with her call. Maizie had been there for three years. There was no telling how long some of the others had been in that place. Leeya had mentioned the possibility that they might be coming back messed up. I was actually surprised there had only been four Noella felt needed to be secluded away.
“As soon as she’s ready to be moved out of here, I want her back in the dorm,” I told her. “It’s safer there.” And closer to me. I wanted her where I was going to be able to keep an eye on her. To be there for her when she needed me. Hell, just to feel close to her.
“I’ll see to it.”
I stood, fighting the urge to kiss her head before I turned and left. She was asleep. It wasn’t something she would even know happened. Still, I felt like I needed to let her set the boundaries. This was a lot for her. It would only get more intense if I couldn’t find a way to fix this before Noella decided it was safe to tell her.
When I stepped outside, the gravity of all of this really hit me. I felt so numb, while still filled with so much pain. Leeya was pregnant. Three and a half weeks meant that she had been the entire time. While we were fighting, while I wasn’t talking to her. Noella hadn’t told her, but had she already known? Was that part of the reason she was taking things so hard?
No, I couldn't believe that. Not if it meant that she had kept it from me. She had told me in that subway tunnel that she would always tell the truth. She would have told me.
What I had been feeling toward my cousin was nothing compared to what I felt now. What he had done to her. What he had possibly taken from us.
CHAPTER FOUR
LEEYA
I didn’t really want to talk to anyone when I heard the door open, so I’d pretended to be asleep. I hadn’t even been surprised when it was Rhydian.
Then I heard everything. Rhydian talking about me saving him. How I had stayed behind in Eden even though I could have gotten out just because I wouldn’t leave without him. And that was how I’d ended up getting hurt. That definitely explained the guilt that I could practically feel coming off of him.
I just wished I could remember.
Then I heard the rest of it. Pregnant. I might not have known who I was, but I did know what that meant. We weren’t just engaged. Rhydian and I had been together. I could be having his child. A man I didn’t even know.
I was glad when he left not long after Noella told him. It was all I could do not to completely break down right there with both of them still in the room. I needed to get out of there. I needed fresh air. She did say that I could start going out on short walks. That still didn’t mean that I wanted to have a conversation with her before doing it.
So I kept my eyes closed and waited until she left. Then I slipped carefully out of the bed and walked to the window, watching as she walked toward a big building across the way. She wasn’t the only one. It looked like everyone was heading in that direction. That must be where they were having the meeting Rhydian had mentioned.
I turned and looked around the room, then grabbed the clothes that had been laid out on the chair Rhydian had been sitting in. Noella must have put them there before she left.
Changing quickly, I made for the door and stepped outside. The air was cool and felt good on my skin, as did the sun that hit my face. I considered walking around, knowing that I probably wouldn’t find a better time to be alone, but I needed answers. So, like everyone else, I started toward the building.
There must have been a hundred and fifty people in there when I walked in, many still up and moving around. Not wanting to be seen, I stayed along the back wall and took a seat at one of the tables.
I didn’t make eye contact with anyone. I had no idea who would and wouldn’t know me, and I didn’t want either Rhydian or Noella told that I was there. I didn’t really want to talk to anyone until I had time to sort out what was going through my head.
As everyone started to take their seats, I watched as one of the men who had gone into the clinic earlier walked to the front of the room where Rhydian was standing. The only one who I hadn’t been given a name for. There was another man already standing next to Rhydian, who actually looked a little like him. Same blonde hair, although much shorter than Rhydian’s, and the same pretty green eyes. He had said something about his brother being one of the ones rescued. Another prince? Linley had also said a name. What was it? Gryffin. She said I have brought back Gryffin.
“My name is Orson, and I’m the leader of Alkwin,” the other man started. The room fell silent.
Wait, I had heard that name. Rhydian said he was my father. Lillith looked surprised by that, though. Did we not know him? Was that even possible?
I sat back and listened as Orson talked to everyone about Eden. Not just about what had happened over the last day. He talked about how the city had been secretly hunting Tainted, and how they had been capturing them and keeping them in a facility in the city. Experimenting on them in order to create weapons that replicated the different abilities.
Then he talked about what had happened last night. How the people from Alkwin, which was apparently where we were now, had gone into the city to rescue those people being held. How, in doing so, we had exposed the truth to the rest of the citizens. We had started a war.
“We will have more people coming in the upcoming days,” Rhydian spoke next. “Along with them, we’re also hoping to get more supplies from our people in the city. Clothing, food, and Healer supplies. We know that most of you came out of Eden with nothing. We will do our best to provide you with everything you need.”
“The rules for Alkwin are simple,” Orson stated. “Everyone staying here has to do their fair share. Unlike in Eden, that isn’t limited to whatever field you were trained into. You can be assured, however, that being new does not mean you will be doing more work than anyone else. This is a community, and we live like one.
“Right now the greatest need we have is preparing camp for the winter. A team has already started preparing the location for a second garden to be built. We will also be getting together hunting parties to go out into the woods for meat. Then there’s housing. Ideally, every family will have their own home, just like in Eden. That’s not really an option right now. If you haven’t already been given your housing assignment, stay behind after the meeting and we’ll get you taken care of. Construction on new houses will begin immediately, and we will need everyone we can get on that.
“As for the rest of the jobs, we are short one Healer right now. We also have at least one person assigned to the children at all times. This includes both teachers and those watching them during playtime. As we eat as a community, we also need cooks. Then there’s trainers.”
Rhydian actually smirked at that. “Everyone over the age of eight trains to learn to fight,” he said firmly. “This is especially important for those who aren’t Tainted. Those w
ho are will be required to attend classes to learn how to control your abilities.”
They all stopped after that, looking around like they were waiting for questions. A few people did speak up. Nothing too out of the ordinary. People asking if they needed any specific training before taking on different jobs. Inquiring about the security, and how at risk Alkwin was to attack. I wasn’t the only one who relaxed a little when Rhydian assured us that there were magical wards that kept anyone who wasn’t Tainted from coming in without permission.
When the people seemed to be out of questions, Rhydian started speaking again.
“Everyone in camp needs to be aware of the different animals you can come across.” He stopped and let out a loud whistle. No one looked to know what was going on at first. It took a moment, then sounds of surprised started. I looked back toward the door in time to see the dog trotting in. My dog. The people sitting closest to him pulled back some, but he ignored everyone and moved toward Rhydian. “This is Kip,” he said, talking over the mutterings of the crowd. “He’s a dog, and the only animal allowed in camp. Kip’s harmless, but many of the animals around here aren’t. If you’re going to be on a team going out in the woods, you’ll be instructed on how to recognize and handle animal encounters.”
