Soul Relenter (Soul Saga #3) (22 page)

She looked at him. “No, I would rather not. The only person I need is you, Zyle.”

Zyle sighed. Her words made him melt. They were finally back to the way they were.

“I wanted to ask you something.”

Zyle nodded to her, encouraging her to speak.

“I’
m going to the Lorunien Tree to pay my respects to the Nature God. My father is also buried there. Would you like to come?”

“I would be honored, Accacia.”

“Let’s go,” she said with a smile. “I know it’s late but the light of the fireflies will illuminate the forest. We’ll get some light before it disappears.” She took his hand and they left the ship, walking through the darkness with their hands joined. “I wish you could have met him, Zyle. He was a very special man.”

“I wish I had as well.” He squeezed her hand gently. “Any man who looks after my life partner deserves my unrelenting grati
tude.” Zyle could hear the hum of the tree the closer they approached it. He had sensed the soul of the tree when he first came to the grounds of the Nature God but he had been too concerned with Accacia’s well-being to care for it. He had sprinted to the Lorunien Tree to see Accacia fighting Aleco with everything she had. He hadn’t cared about the majestic entity at all. But now he could appreciate its power through the earth and the warm embrace of its presence. He could feel the tree course through him and squeeze his heart and body, examining his free soul within his chest. Zyle stopped when he reached the roots of the tree. He dropped Accacia’s hand and stared up into the canopy. “I never thought I would have the honor of visiting the holy tree,” he said in a mesmerized voice. He walked around the stump and touched the bark with his fingers, feeling closer to the afterlife. Accacia watched him with a smile on her face. She had reacted the exact same way when she first saw the Nature God.               Accacia suddenly felt the essence of the tree thud in her mind and felt a rush of emotions run through her veins—power, dominance, elemental control—all flushed through her and disappeared. It happened so quickly she didn’t know it even occurred. She felt the earth shake below her feet. It was so slight she was the only one who noticed. Zyle continued to praise the tree as if nothing happened. Accacia didn’t know what to think. The tree had never communicated with her before. She had no idea what it was telling her. Suddenly, an image of the ground directly before the tree flashed in her mind and she almost toppled over at the sensation. She was even more confused. Accacia walked over to the base of the tree and ran her hands through the dirt, finding nothing of significance. It was the crime of the realm to disturb the ground before the Lorunien Tree, so she stopped immediately. This couldn’t be what the tree wanted. She was missing something. Accacia knew she would need Aleco to explain it to her. He was the only one who could decipher the meaning of the tree. The fact that it spoke to her at all was disturbing.

Accacia stepped back from the tree and walked to
the mound protruding from the earth. It was indistinguishable from the rest of the ground and new grass had grown over the upheaved earth, making it appear as untouched as before. She knew it was the burial site of Father Giloth because Aleco had told her so. Accacia walked over to the grave and kneeled before it, facing the Lorunien Tree behind it.

Accacia opened her mouth and began to sing, praising the Nature God and asking for a blessing for her deceased father. She knew it was irrelevant becaus
e he had passed away a year ago. Father Giloth was already in the afterlife. Zyle stared at Accacia as she sang her abode and joined his voice with hers, strengthening the song before it came to an end. Her life partner sat beside her in respectable silence, letting her grieve for her father in peace.

She breathed in the scent of the forest and watched the pink blossoms float from the tree tops to the top of the burial site. Even
in death he was never forgotten. The tree continued to honor him. The sun was sinking below the horizon, and in a few moments they were lost in darkness. The crickets chirped from their homes in the grass and the birds cried overhead, communicating with the other inhabitants of the forest. Accacia stared at the burial site and remembered Father Giloth for the incredible man he was. She knew he would have approved of Zyle, despite the obvious conflict with Aleco, knowing he made her happy.

Father Giloth was a man of renowned wisdom, even when concerns were irrelevant to his forte of the forest, and
he seemed to understand the critical events of the Continent without ever revealing how he had attained the information. Accacia never questioned him and she realized now she never could. Father Giloth knew that Accacia was trapped in the Prisoner’s Circle, information Drake had revealed to only a few men, and he knew about the existence of her people and the location of the island. She couldn’t comprehend how he had gathered the knowledge. How was it possible? The more Accacia thought about it, the more confused she felt. Father Giloth knew beyond a doubt that Drake would march on the forest, and more importantly, he already knew the fate of the outcome before it came to pass.

Accacia felt her heart falter
in her chest as the realization dawned on her. She felt her chest rise and fall with the weight of labored breaths and her palms become drenched in sweat. The muscles of her arms and legs shook as Accacia placed the pieces of the puzzle together. Zyle noticed her sudden change in demeanor and the intensity of the emotions that were coursing through her. Just a moment ago, she was settled in a quiet depression, but now her composition was full of unbridled fear. Accacia rose to her feet slowly and Zyle held his hand out to steady her. She looked weak and ready to fall over.

Accacia stared at Zyle. Her emerald eyes were blazed in an inferno of emotions, crackling and sizzling in the heat of her gaze. There was no anger in her look, just unsurpassed anxiety. “I must speak to Aleco.”

Zyle grabbed her shoulders and steadied her. “What is it, Accacia?”

Accacia turned away from him. “I need to speak with Aleco. I—I can’t explain right now.” She ran across the field away from him, sprinting into the trees. “I’ll see you at the ship, Zyle,” she said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the line of trees. Zyle watched her go with a helpless expression. He knew her urgency was related to Father Giloth but he didn’t know what had frightened her. Zyle forced the air into his lungs and released his breath slowly. He was certain she would confide in him t
he moment she returned.

Accacia dashed through the trees toward Asylinth House, taking all the shortcuts she knew to reach him as quickly as possible. Her vine sandals were no better than being barefoot, but she sprinted toward the center of the forest without stopping. Her news was too important to wait until morning. She knew Aleco would agree.

She finally reached the back entrance to
the house, finding the secret doorway that led directly into the study. She pulled the latch and slipped inside. Accacia knew Aleco would still be in his office, working on the upcoming attack on Paso Robles, drinking the poison he treated like water, with his feet upon the surface of the wood like a foot rest. Accacia looked around the room but realized it was vacant. The fire had been extinguished hours ago and the liquor cabinets had been closed. Accacia assumed he had retired to bed for the evening, too overcome with the emotions from the past few days. They had both said their last goodbyes and Accacia knew he was in as much pain as she was. She decided to walk up the stairs and enter his bedroom. She knew he wouldn’t be offended under the circumstances.

Accacia knocked quietly o
n the door, trying to avoid waking anyone else in the house, and entered the bedchamber as silently as possible. She looked into the room and saw the fire blazing in the heath with two glasses sitting on the mantle, both full of brandy and untouched. She turned her gaze to the master bed against the opposite wall and what she saw caused her heart to drop. Aleco sat up in bed, his chest bare of any clothing, and he looked at her in alarm. His hair was ruffled like someone had been sliding their fingertips through the blond strands and beads of sweat stuck to the skin of his chest, like he had just exercised vigorously. Accacia looked to the other side of the bed and felt her throat tighten. He wasn’t alone.

Roxian was lying alongside him, her arms draped across his waist, and her hair was tangled and in a disarray. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep. Accacia felt the knife slice
through her chest at the sight, the unspeakable agony at the disturbing scene before her. She couldn’t breathe and she couldn’t think. Accacia was glued to the spot, unable to move or take her eyes away from the horrific sight. The tears didn’t bubble from her eyes or trickle from the corners. She immediately fell victim to the soul shaking sobs of a broken heart. Accacia felt the vomit rise in her throat but she swallowed it back. Not only was Aleco with someone else but with Roxian. Accacia couldn’t think of a worse person to catch him with.

Aleco felt his heart drop at the sight of her. He didn’t know if Accacia wou
ld ever find out about his physical relationship with one of her subjects, but he didn’t plan on telling her to avoid hurting her. Aleco never anticipated Accacia marching into his bedchamber in the middle of the night, walking in on their quiet repose after sex. The look in her eyes made his heart shatter into a million pieces. He had never felt worse in his life, not even when Accacia left these shores forever. Aleco understood why. He was the one causing her the pain.

Accacia turned away and Aleco jumped to his feet. He slid his trousers on and followed her from the room. Roxian didn’t move from her
comfortable position on the bed. She was exhausted and satisfied. Aleco ran after Accacia and chased her down the stairs and through the study. She ran into the forest as fast as she could and Aleco sprinted after her. He trailed behind her until he overcame her speed with his own. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her against a tree, holding her in place. She tried to push him off but he wouldn’t release his hold. Accacia cried as she jerked away from him but she couldn’t slip from his grasp. She was too delirious with pain to think clearly. He pressed his heavy body against her and she was pinned against the tree, helpless to move away from him.

Accacia looked away at the ground, avoiding his gaze. She couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t stand the feel of his hand
s on her. He had just touched Roxian with them.

“Accacia, I never wanted you to find out this way.” He pressed his body into hers and
held her against the stump of the tree. She avoided his gaze every time he tried to look into her eyes. “I had no idea you were going to march into my bedroom, uninvited and unannounced.”

Accacia closed her eyes. “How could you?”

Aleco stared at her. “I don’t know what to say, Accacia.” He shook his head and sighed. “I’m not committed to you and I have needs. Gods, Accacia, you’re married. What did you expect me to do?”

She breathed through her sobs and kept her eyes closed. She couldn’t look at Aleco.

“Look at me,” he said. Accacia kept her eyes shut. “How do you think I feel every time you make love to Zyle? I have to feel it, Accacia—in detail. At least you don’t have to deal with
that
.” Accacia tried to pull her hand away but Aleco held it in place. She tried to kick him but he had her legs pushed against the bark. It was obvious she wasn’t going to escape until he let her go.

“But why
does it have to be
Roxian
, Aleco?” She finally opened her eyes and looked at him.

His eyes furrowed in confusion to her words. “I think that reason is obvious.” Roxian was a gorgeous woman wi
th perfect features and a heart-stopping physique. She could bewitch any man she wanted.

Accacia cried harder at his words. She tried to control her breathing but the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Accacia felt her lungs burn at the stress of her
feelings. “How long?” she asked.

“A week,” he answered.

Accacia nodded but she didn’t know why she did. His response didn’t change anything. She wasn’t sure why she even asked the question. Her next thought made her blood run cold. His answer could kill her. “Do you love her?” she asked through her tears.

Aleco shook his head. “No,” he said. “I never could, Accacia. The
relationship is purely physical. It’s what we both wanted. And I don’t make love to her.”

Accacia felt her body sink to the f
loor but Aleco held her up.

“You’re the only woman I’
ve ever done that with,” he said. “And that will probably never change. I don’t love her, Accacia—I don’t.”

The idea of Aleco thrusting himself inside of Roxian made her body tremble in unbearable pain. She hated the image of her riding him, feeling him inside of her as he pleased her. She felt like she would gag. Aleco was hers—not Roxian’s. She didn’t want to share. “I don’t want you to sleep with her anymore.”

Aleco stared at her for a moment, processing her words long after she said them. He tightened his grip on her arms and held her in place. She had stopped fighting his hold but he wasn’t going to lower his defense. He knew she was a flight risk. “I will if you stop sleeping with Zyle.”

Accac
ia felt the air leave her lungs. She couldn’t do that. She was hoping Aleco would do as she commanded because of his love for her, that he would do whatever she wished. Accacia knew how selfish she was being but she couldn’t bottle the jealousy she felt. Roxian was the worst person he could have chosen. Almost anyone else would have been better. Accacia shook her head, answering him silently.