Genesis (42 page)

Every face in the room snapped my way,
including the staff, but there was only one person I was interested
in finding. Zach stood, taking my anxiety away with his warm
smile.

He raised his glass. “Everyone, may I
introduce, Rayla, my new companion. She has had a dreadful time of
things lately, so it is with the utmost love for her that I ask for
all of you to please give her some room.” He chuckled. “After all,
we will have her for years to come.” With the casual flair of a
true leader, he tipped his head back and drank from his silver
goblet.

I couldn’t believe he just said that. I
was grateful, mind you, but did he have to make me out to be such a
wimp? I returned his smile and addressed the crowd. “Thank you, my
lord, for your kind words on my behalf. I’m eager to get to know
each and every one of you. I hope to live up to your expectations
of me, but I am afraid I might need a bit of help in knowing
exactly what those are.”

Zach walked to me and took my hand.
With a new lightness in his eyes, he leaned in and brushed his lips
against my ear, sending gooseflesh along my neck. “Already trying
to charm the locals, I see. Well played, love.”

I hadn’t realized this was a game. His
soft breath sent more chills through me, and I shivered.

He snapped to attention and smiled at
the others, sweeping his arm sideways. “Please. Enjoy your
dinner.”

Most everyone did as they were asked,
but a few still stared at me. They were probably only curious, but
with Ainessa staying here, I couldn’t be too careful.

Zach shook his head slightly. “She had
to leave.”

I gave him a questioning
look.

“
Court obligations and
such.”

A more likely thought occurred. Her
brother kicked her out of his castle?

He shrugged, giving me a boyish
smile.

I chuckled. “Thank you.”

Without taking his eyes off me, he
sobered. “We will have to face her eventually.”

“
I know,” I said. “But I
appreciate the opportunity to be ready for it.”

Conversation ensued and I tried to keep
up. One of Zach’s generals was filling him in on things he had
missed while…well…we were bonding. It hadn’t been that long ago,
but from the list this guy slung at Zach, you would have thought it
was a decade.

When the guy mentioned the borderlands,
my ears perked up. “…and our search revealed nothing out of the
ordinary. If there is a new kind of creature, we could not find
it.”

I nearly choked on my drink. Zach
turned toward me and frowned. “What do you know of
this?”

I shrugged. “Maybe we should talk about
it later.”

He shook his head at me as if I were a
five-year-old. “There is nothing you could tell me that I wouldn’t
share with Darlek.”

I laughed. “Who?”

Zach frowned at me. “Darlek.” He
enunciated very clearly. I caught the R this time, but I laughed
harder. He gave me the stink eye. His general went red in the face,
but somehow I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Why is his name
so funny? Rayla!”

It wouldn’t have been if I hadn’t spent
every Saturday night until I was fourteen watching Doctor Who
reruns with Uncle John. I knew it probably wasn’t spelled the same,
but Zach said it just the way The Doctor would have. Dalek, the
robot monsters with human brains. I eyed the general speculatively
who had the decency to look flummoxed.

I got a roll of the eyes and a nudge to
the elbow from Zach. “Just tell us.”

I sent him a mental message, short and
to the point. “I named two borderland creatures.”

Zach stood up so fast he knocked his
drink over—all over me that was. He was right by my side, wiping at
my dress. His face flushed, but I wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed
or angry.

I stilled his hands. “It’s okay. I’m
finished eating anyway.” I stood as well and addressed the crowd.
“It was nice to meet those of you who I have so far, and I hope to
know all of you soon. Goodnight.”

Without another word, I whirled away
and headed for the door as fast as I could walk without looking at
anyone along the way.

I could feel Zach behind me, and I
wished he would just leave me alone. He didn’t say anything until
we were in his parlor.

He hurried in front of me catching my
gaze. “Rayla, I’m sorry.”

That was the last thing I expected him
to tell me. I dropped my eyes to his shoes. “I’m the one that keeps
messing everything up.”

His warm hands found mine. He pulled me
into his arms and brushed his fingers through my hair, sending a
warm buzz through my body. “How can you say such a thing? You’ve
had what adds up to no training, no introduction into our society.
How can I fault you for being kind?”

Scalding tears pushed at my eyes. “How
can I be what you people need when I don’t know the first thing
about being a queen?”

His soft voice should have reassured
me, but all I could do was cringe at his gentleness. “That’s what I
am for, love. You keep forgetting you are not in this
alone.”

I buried my face into his shoulder and
allowed the tears to spill. They started off soft, but soon I was
into a full out emotional breakdown. It had been coming for quite
some time, but that didn’t matter now. I should be stronger than
this. I had to be.

Zach picked me up and carried me to the
bed. He ignored my protests as he unzipped my dress and made me
kick off my shoes. He set me on my feet and the dress flitted to
the floor, pooling around my feet. His eyes never left mine, but I
could see him fighting the pull to take me in completely. My bra
and panties were staying right where they were, thank you very
much.

I couldn’t even think about sleeping
with him yet. Not after everything I’d given up. When my mind
drifted to Heath, Zach hissed in a sharp breath.

He took me into his arms again and
pressed me onto the mattress. Seeming as if his very life depended
on getting away from me, he arranged the covers over my body then
stood. “I’ve got some things to take care of. Be back later.” He
bent down and brushed a kiss at my hairline. “Rest well, love. You
needn’t worry so much, especially about me.”

My heartbeat calmed as I settled into
the pillows, watching him leave. He was a good man. I was lucky he
was being so patient with me. I still couldn’t reconcile that I was
married to one man and bonded with another. Roger did not
count.

My tears came again, thinking about
Heath, wondering how he was doing. Would he ever forgive
me?

He’d bared his soul for me and it
hadn’t been enough. I’d given in to Tabitha because I thought there
was no other option. Now, in the twilight stillness, I wondered if
I was wrong. Maybe he had been right, and she was only following
the whims of the council? There was always a possibility we could
have figured out what to do together. He’d been so happy, so lovely
when he handed me his heart. Even now, especially now, lying alone
in this big bed, I regretted letting him go.

I had no idea what Tabitha had done
with the rest of the rebels. For all I knew she had been lying to
me and they were all dead. No. That wasn’t something Tabitha would
do. She had been telling the truth; I had felt it in my
soul.

Once more I cursed the fates that led
me here. Why set me on a path that included Heath at all if in the
end we couldn’t be together? I’d never really bought into the chaos
theory. It seemed to me there had to be a hand or more guiding us
all along in this life. But now, I couldn’t stand the thought of
someone purposely putting me through this. One word circled over
and over in my mind.

Why?

I found myself in a fitful sleep with
abstract monsters chasing me. Somewhere in my mind, I knew I was
dreaming, yet I could not wake. The images continued to spin until
I thought I would metaphorically and really kick the
bucket.

A pinprick of light in the distance
beckoned me forward, and I rushed past those howling horrors. My
body tingled as I came closer to the light, anticipation lighting
my veins. When I realized the light emanated from the crystal
castle, I shrieked, trying to change my trajectory. I floated into
the crowd gathered for a bonding I did not want to see.

Faine stood there waiting for Zach. I
didn’t stop until I was right next to her, then suddenly I drifted
through her skin and into her body. She blinked as if startled, and
her lips opened with my gasp.

No. This was not happening. Wake
up.

WAKE UP.

I wasn’t going to go through this
again. Her emotions filled me, and her unshed tears burned my
spirit. How was I here? I wasn’t even alive when this
happened.

She glanced behind her as if searching
for a face in the crowd. I caught a glimpse of blond hair and her
pulse jumped. Luke stood twenty feet away, giving her a look of
longing.

That’s when Valen came in, and I got to
feel everything through her emotions. Her demand that God be
allowed to reject the bond was the hope she clung to. She had
seemed strong and defiant when inside she trembled with
overwhelming fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the dark lord
standing in front of her, but most of all fear of the new feelings
surfacing because of him.

I could relate.

This was surreal in the extreme.
Feeling her emotions, so similar to my own, I had to mentally block
what was coming next or I would probably tumble into insanity. I
didn’t want to see this. Zach had already admitted he had taken
Faine unwillingly. I didn’t know what that meant, but I certainly
didn’t want to feel it.

He stepped up to her and addressed
Valen. “I am ready.”

This is where the vision had ended
before. Unfortunately, it plodded on like a steamer bent for the
station.

Zach smiled down at her with his
wolfish grin. She shuddered, and so did I. That smile held no
wiggle room. His stance was confident, his demeanor
unyielding.

If there was any mercy in this world I
would wake up now.

His arms clamped around hers and she
shook.

Now, wake up.

No matter how much I wished it, it did
not happen. Zach, no, Ammon didn’t give her any leeway. He took
everything she was into his soul, absorbing her essence yet giving
of his own. In an odd way, it was beautiful; however, I couldn’t
reconcile this as excusable.

Something inside her snapped and she
yielded to him, opening her soul for him to plunder.

No. Don’t do it. Zach. You have to
stop.

Tears streamed down her cheeks that
might as well have been rivers of blood.

Stop. Zach.

Stop.

Then came and odd sound.
Rayla.

I knew the letters formed a word I
should know, but they didn’t feel quite right.

Rayla!

Faine’s body trembled in fits of
explosive convulsions.

My body shook, too. He was taking
everything she was.

My eyes flew open.

Zach hovered over me. The room came
into focus and my heart slowed as I realized I was back in my own
body, living my own life.

He touched my forehead, and I
winced.

Then I scurried out from under
him.

His face contorted in what I could only
assume was regret.

He reached for me. “Rayla. Please, you
have to understand, I was a different person back then.”

I nodded, unable to speak, still trying
to make sense of my reality. I touched the spot on my forehead that
throbbed with renewed pain. I was starting to think that my
encounter with the angel was not a dream, after all. He’d said he
had given me a message, but he needed to work on his communication
skills.

Zach grabbed my shoulders. “What
angel?”

I cringed away from him, but he
wouldn’t let me go. He gave a sharp shake to my shoulders. “What
angel?”

Anger rocketed into my body. How dare
he treat me like this. I let out a growl that made him jump. “He
didn’t exactly give me his name.”

Zach seemed to realize he was scaring
me and his hands loosened their grip. His fingers found my cheek.
His voice came out rushed, panicked. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.
Please forgive me.”

I shook my head at him. “How could you
do it?”

His eyes grew distant as if he was
pulled back into that time and place. “Things were much different
then and so was I.”

“
You’ve already told me
that.”

His body stiffened. “What do you want
me to say? That I wish I could take it back?” His face was now
inches from mine, his bright eyes intense. “I can’t do that. I
loved her, Rayla. I would never have changed a thing. Well, maybe I
would have been softer at first, but she was everything to me. I
couldn’t allow another man to have her.” His voice lowered to
barely a whisper. “Even my best friend.”