Horizon (2 page)

Heath’s hand rested on my shoulder, while the other hand pulled my hair out of the way as I retched repeatedly. An unexpected sound came from him, something like humming, before his fingers massaged my back.

I went to thank him for being so kind, but my whole body convulsed from another bout of nausea. Heath knelt by me and held up my shoulders. “I’m sorry I had to put you through that,” he said, “but there’s a possibility the Guard could sense you while you are in the tunnels. We are only strong enough to fortify a few rooms as it is. Tabitha’s room is the most secure.”

My mind refused to think about why she was more important to protect than me. I was so tired of running, so tired of hiding. That’s all I’d done since Mom left me with Aunt Grace.

Remembering my former home, I let my lips curl in a small smile. For once in my life, I was grateful for the bit of normal I’d had with my makeshift family. Right now, I would have traded all my power for a chance at an uncomplicated life.

Heath grunted and stood up, pulling me up with him. “You were bored out of your mind in that hick town. Stop making things worse than they already are.”

Wishing I had a toothbrush or at the very least some gum, I wiped every bit of spittle off my cheek, gazing up at him. “How is any of this my fault?”

His hand shot out to caress my face. “It’s not.” He shook his head, his eyes softening. “I wanted to have you longer than this. I can’t stand the thought of you going back to him.”

I blanched, my heart stalling at his words. Then panic set in. “I’m not! What the heck is going on, Heath?”

He wouldn’t look at me, but Tabitha spoke up. “We had hoped the bond would shift to Heath once you two…” As her words faltered, her cheeks pinked up, and I suddenly got her meaning. I gasped, my eyes going huge. “I’m afraid,” she continued, cutting off my reply, “we will have to deal with this in another way.”

I gritted my teeth until my jaw hurt. I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. Was she actually saying all this time they’d given me to be with Heath was because she allowed it, because she wanted me to have sex with him? When I gave her a look, she glanced away. I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear that one anyway, so I focused on diverting the issue back to where it needed to be. “I’m not going back! You can’t make me.”

Tabitha waved a dismissive hand. “I wouldn’t dream of it, child, but the longer you are away from your bondmate, the worse your symptoms will become. It would be better if you return while you still have the ability to think for yourself.”

I’d seriously figured it was just a matter of time before I gathered my army so we could swoop in on the council and bring some much needed butt-kicking to the uppity dictators. They weren’t giving me time to do anything. “This can’t be happening,” I said, a deep sadness washing through me.

Heath’s arm came around my shoulders as he pulled me tight against him. “Trust me,” he whispered into my ear. “I don’t like this any better than you do.”

My eyes found his. “What are we going to do? We have to fight this.”

He laughed. “I’ve done everything I know how to do, Rayla, and a few things I shouldn’t have tried.”

I swallowed, remembering some of those
things
. Tabitha cleared her throat, that pink tinge back in her cheeks.

A smirk took hold of my face. If she didn’t want to know what I was thinking she should stay out of my mind.

I hadn’t even noticed the small table in the corner that Heath led me to. The chair creaked under my weight, so I readjusted my lower half when the legs wobbled. Seemed somebody needed new furniture.

No one talked for a really long time, and my mind whirred with horrible thoughts about returning to Zach. How could I leave Heath, especially after what we’d shared together? Was I just supposed to go back to Eirie and pretend nothing happened? Pretend I hadn’t given my soul to the man I loved?

Heath sat up straighter and smiled at me; a wicked sparkle reflected in his eyes. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t give up on us just yet.”

I tried to smile back, but it didn’t feel right. “I wouldn’t have to even think about this if Tabitha wasn’t being so stubborn.” I faced her. “Why won’t you help us? You could take us back to before I bonded with Zach. We could have a redo.”

“Manipulating time comes at a great cost.” Her expression grew grim. “It is an absolute last resort. There’s so much you don’t understand—can’t understand. We are not able to share some knowledge with you.”

More rules to keep me in the dark. I couldn’t see how this was ever going to work out. “What was the point in bringing me here if you’re just going to send me back?”

Tabitha sighed. “I didn’t say I was going to send you anywhere. You assumed that. It can only be your choice, but to be fair to you, you need to know the risks associated with staying here. The bond is not easy to withstand, even for someone with your unusual…abilities; however, I will aid you in every way I know how.”

I gave her a halfhearted smile, crossing my legs in an attempt to get more comfortable. “So what’s your plan? You do have a plan, right?”

She laughed. “More or less.”

I ran my tongue along my teeth, trying to find the right thing to say to her. There had to be something that would get her to help me. Even though it might not be a big deal to her, the thought of losing Heath after I’d just gotten him was devastating, not that it would ever be easy for me to leave him.

No wonder Mom had her memory wiped after she left me with Aunt Grace if it meant pain like this. She’d been going back to Theran, a horrible man and a bondmate she didn’t love. If he was who I had to face for a few centuries, I’d want my memory gone, too.

Tabitha gave me a look. How was it I couldn’t seem to remember this woman could read my mind? I laughed when she smirked at me.

“We thought Ainessa would give you more time to adjust before she made her move,” she said. “We never anticipated she would attempt to control Ammon so close to your bonding, or we would have taken precautions.”

Some kind of prophetess she was. I took a deep breath. “I don’t think Zach thought she would attempt it, either. Guess she’s pretty desperate.” I fiddled with the hem of my shirt, uncomfortable with my thoughts. It wasn’t as if I could simply shut off my caring for Zach just because I’d chosen Heath. Even though I no longer wanted the lord of space in
that
way, I still wanted him to be okay, to be happy. There was one thing I needed to clear up before I found out anything else. “Why does she hate her brother so badly?”

Heath clasped my hand. “You needn’t feel guilty for caring about him, Rayla. We are all concerned about him. He and I may not be close, but I will do all in my power to remove her from his mind.” He rubbed my knuckles, his brown eyes connecting with mine. “We’ll figure out a way to defeat her without hurting him. I promise.”

My fingers slid along his until they intertwined. He was taking this much better than I thought he would. I gave him a shy glance, still not sure how to handle my emotions. “Thanks for being so great to me.”

His smile stretched into a full-out grin—a mischievous one at that. “I’m just getting started.”

Someone cleared his throat, so I pulled my gaze away from Heath. Creed stood in front of me, a grim line pulling at his mouth.

When I stood up, the chair clattered to the floor behind me. “What’s wrong?” My heart hammered in anticipation of what could only be bad news, if the look on his face was any indication.

His gaze settled at my feet. I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out what was different. His face had changed, again, becoming more angular, almost handsome. He still had scales on a patch of skin near his nose, but he was definitely changing at a rapid pace. When he finally spoke up, his voice came out nearly normal, only an occasional hiss. It was a nice sound. “I’m deeply sorry to have to tell you this, Rayla, but I have been unable to locate your cousin.”

A lump formed in my throat I could barely swallow past. “Have you mentioned this to Aunt Grace?”

He shook his head. Heath snagged my hand and squeezed then turned to Creed. “I’ll need to know where you’ve searched,” he said, “and whom you’ve spoken with. He’s not in the realms so he has to be in the mortal world.”

My brows furrowed. “How do you know he’s not in Faeresia?”

Heath smirked at me. “I’ve got ways.”

Ordinarily I would have given him a big smile and bantered for a while about his
ways
, but I couldn’t do that right now. I had other people to think about. Uncle John had to be going out of his mind worrying about Travis, and Aunt Grace was probably already digging a tunnel out of here.

I caught Heath’s eye. “Mind sharing some of your secrets?”

He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and chewed. I really wished he wouldn’t do that—made my mouth jealous.

Taking one last glimpse of his lips, I forced myself to turn away from him. “Thanks for the update, Creed. Please work with Heath to locate him. Oh, and could you also look for Natalie and Sam. The last I heard, the Order had them.”

Even though I only met Natalie in college, she had become important to me, and I kind of felt responsible for what happened to her. She may not have even shown up on Roger Wayne’s radar if it hadn’t been for his interest in me. I’d probably never know for sure if she still would have been captured, but given how the Order treated, usually killed, those who did not go along with their plans or posed a threat in some way, I was worried about my friends.

After I sent Creed a mental image of the two, he gave me a sharp nod. Wasting no time, he pulled Heath into the tunnels.

A soft touch settled on my upper arm. Tabitha’s voice came out in a whisper. “It will be okay, Rayla.”

I placed my hand over hers. “I sure hope you’re right.”

She nodded solemnly then motioned me over to the table again. It was a good thing Heath left because I’d managed to break the chair I’d been balancing on. Without even thinking about it, I imagined the chair whole.

The air changed, growing thick with power before suddenly all the scattered pieces rose into the air and hovered for a moment. With a sharp snap the pieces joined together, splinters and all. I covered my gasp with my hand.

Tabitha choked on something before a grin split her face. “Child, we’d have no problem if we could just get you to focus that power of yours more often. If I had any doubt you were the Nexus before, they’ve vanished.”

I grimaced. “Control?”

She nodded. “Control.” In an abrupt motion she was on her feet.

I still hadn’t sat down, so it was easy for her to pull me deeper into her chamber. She ambled toward a bookshelf, motioning me to follow.

Just like my room, her walls were sculpted dirt; while a mixed up mess of tree roots and gemstones made up the ceiling. Kind of brought to mind a starlit sky, in an odd way. The moist earth infused the air with a rich quality, reminding me of my days spent training with Jett. I missed him quite a bit and hoped we could settle into a friendship at some point. I could see why Mom had relied so heavily on him. He was solid and strong, just like his element.

We stopped in what looked to be nothing more than a hallway with a bookcase against the wall. Tabitha pulled a large tome off her dusty shelf, brushing the cover lovingly with her fingers. I sidled in next to her and peeked at the book. It was old. Way older than Lily’s journal had been. The spine showed centuries of wear, even missing in a few spots, which exposed the folded vellum. The fivefold symbol was embossed into the aged leather.

She lifted her face toward me, her near white eyes seeming to focus on mine. “In the beginning we had to learn too.” She opened the book near the middle. “For instance, this entry will tell you the secrets of water weaving.”

“What’s that?”

She smiled wistfully. “The technique changes the molecules to a slightly negative current. This allows us to fuse the water into a solid surface.” She grinned at me. “Mighty helpful when you’re stuck in a pinch and need a barrier or even something to walk on.”

Yeah, you’d think that would work, unless of course you’re facing a pissed of water lord that wants to force you to bond with him.

She chuckled. I wasn’t sure if it was in response to my thoughts or to her own inner workings. “In my early days, I once used this technique suspended a hundred feet over a rushing river. Back then there weren’t many bridges in the mortal realm, and I had need of a quick escape.” Her eyelashes brushed her pinked cheeks. She looked so young just now. Once more I found myself aching for a canvas and brushes. One day, I promised myself. If she’d sit for me, I was going to paint her. A smile tugged her mouth. “I’d love to, child.” She opened her mouth as if she was going to continue, but no words came out. She swallowed hard, blinking a few times before she patted my hand. “I can’t deny it’s a bit flattering to have you find me so interesting.”

Who wouldn’t? I shrugged wondering what had made her so sad. “Thanks for agreeing. Sorry to interrupt your story, though. I was enjoying myself.”

A bright bounce came to her face all of the sudden. “I’ve got many more where that came from. Perhaps one day I shall tell you my favorite story…” She hesitated a bit too long before she said, “Once everything is settled. Shall we find a more suitable place to talk?”

I nodded and followed her deeper into her chambers wondering if I would ever understand her. Each room that connected to the last had minimal furnishings. I found myself wondering why she hadn’t made the place a bit homier.

She chuckled. “I have what I need. When you’re given access to anything you could possibly desire, you soon discover what really matters in life. It’s not the things, my child.” She squeezed my fingers as we walked. “But I think you know that already.”

I did. Money hadn’t made Cassie happy. All she’d ever wanted was to have her dad home, and mostly all she ever got was a present shipped from some far corner of the world. His travel totally made sense to me now, but now that I knew who he really was it was easy for me to see how and why Nigel Lambert had distanced himself from his family.