Horizon (8 page)

His eyes raked over me. “Never.”

Pure hatred contorted my face. Where had the loving lord I knew gone?

He stepped nearer. “Even if I could stand the thought of losing you again, our bond is too important.”

“How can you say that knowing your sister—”

“I’ve already told you she doesn’t control me. She used an old parlor trick on me, and I was too caught up in having you with me to realize what had happened…until it was too late.” His fingers caressed my cheek, and I shot away from him, covering the spot he touched as if my hand could take away the sensations he caused in me. Even now, my body hummed for his touch. The rest of me would blast him into eternity if he did it again. His voice came out sad. “I’ll never forgive myself for letting her break us apart.”

“I love Heath,” I blurted.

His eyes fell to his shoes. “I know.”

My voice raised a few octaves. “And you don’t care? How can you want me knowing I’m in love with another man?”

He still wouldn’t look at me. After a moment of silence, he said, “I will change your mind.”

“Impossible,” I said.

When our eyes touched, love stared back at me. “All things are possible if you are willing to work hard enough.”

I clamped my eyelids shut, wishing I could drift somewhere safe, somewhere I could love the man I chose without having to deal with the man I had rejected.

A soft but unyielding touch alighted on my arm. “We need to get you out of here.”

I nodded, keeping my eyes closed. If there was one thing worse than having to be with Zach, it was having to be here with him. Even though Tabitha had taught me how to keep the council out of my mind, I hoped my effort equally applied to Zach. I couldn’t be sure.

He led me outside and into the woods that surrounded the castle, keeping his light grip on my arm the entire way. When he finally stopped he didn’t say a word. His arms wrapped around me, and I felt the slight tug of the matter stream, but something intangible kept us grounded right where we stood.

Zach unleashed a growl that sent ice to my toes. Instead of trying again, he pulled me back into the castle. He walked so fast I stumbled, attempting to keep up with him.

When his rant started, I knew this was bad. Even with his strong words, his voice held an edge of uncertainty. “If he thinks he is going to keep you here so he can steal you out from under me, he is wrong.”

At first I thought he was talking about Heath, but how could that be right? Heath was nothing more than an underlord now. He didn’t have any say when it came to the workings of the fae council. I wasn’t even sure how much power they’d left him.

With anxiety setting my heart racing, I made Zach stop. Was this the mystery man Tabitha had warned me about? “Who are you talking about?”

He sighed, and the sound held an old contempt. “Valen.”

“What?” Confusion clouded my mind. Valen had never shown an ounce of interest in me…until the trial. “Isn’t he bound?”

Zach’s shoulders tensed. “We all thought his bondmate had years left. He’s been strong, stronger than any lord has ever achieved, but she’s suddenly taken to her chambers. He’s assured us she will be fine, but her power is waning, Rayla. It won’t be long until he takes her back to the mortal realm. He went hysterical when he received word of your abduction.”

Abduction? Who did they think abducted me? I was the one that hit Zach with that lightning bolt.

“Even now,” he continued. “We are searching for the wraith leader. We have come close. In fact, the guard almost pinpointed him when we came to rescue you.”

I shook my head, stunned at how clueless the fae were. I had a feeling Creed could look after himself, but what if he couldn’t? What if I had put his whole race at risk simply by naming him?

With things happening the way they had, I couldn’t remember if Zach knew about Creed. My mind was such a jumbled mess lately I was bound to mess up if I didn’t watch what I said and, worse, what I thought.

Somehow, I had to figure out how to fix this mess I’d made. So many people I cared about stood to get hurt if I did the wrong thing.

Zach stayed silent, as if he was lost in his thoughts, too. For a split second I wondered if I should try to establish a mental link with him, but that idea fled as fast as it came. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk giving him the chance to forge an unbreakable link with my mind.

Heath had done it, so it was possible.

When Zach guided us toward the council chambers, I stiffened. I didn’t want to see any of those people, yet here we were barging through the gigantic doors into a session.

All eyes trained on us, but none looked surprised.

Valen stood at the front of the room clothed in black robes that skimmed the cold marble floor. As he turned, part of his body shifted into the white half of the room and the fabric of his robes turned white as if absorbing the dominant color around it.

In a way, it was an odd sort of camouflage. Now if only it could cover up his smug face. A face, all of a sudden, I wanted to punch.

Valen walked closer. With every step, his smile grew until he might as well have been the Cheshire cat when he stopped a few feet away from us.

“Welcome Ammon, and…Rayla, don’t you look lovely today.”

Zach flat out frowned at the man. “What is this, Valen? I heard of no session today.”

Valen gave Zach a disapproving frown. “Chairman, if you will, and we,” his arm swept sideways as he pointed out the other council members, “assumed you’d have other, more pressing…” he smiled, “…issues to address now that you have Rayla back.”

Zach scoffed. “I’d love to, but it seems someone has blocked my ability to travel.”

Valen paced in front of us, his hands clasped behind him. “Only a precaution, lord Ammon.”

Zach’s question came out as a hiss. “Why?”

Valen smirked. “With the wraith still posing a threat, we determined it is in the best interest of our realms for Rayla to remain here, where we all can oversee her protection.”

“I am perfectly capable of protecting my bondmate,” snapped Zach.

A pasty smile parted Valens lips. “Ordinarily, I would most definitely agree with you; however, given the circumstances of her abduction, we feel she would be better protected with the guard at the ready.”

Zach clanked his jaw together. His voice came out tight, as if it had been poured through a strainer. “Then send them with us to Eirie.”

Valen clamped a hand on Zach’s upper arm. Normally, I would have thought it was a friendly gesture, but right now it seemed like a threat.

“I don’t want to stay here,” I put in before Valen could say anything else.

“You see,” said Zach. “Rayla wishes to go home. I haven’t even begun training her in the elemental arts. We need time before we are saddled with court.”

Valen’s eyebrows shot up. “Court is a burden to you, young Ammon? I am sure we can figure out another plan that would insure Rayla’s wellbeing.”

“I’m not staying here!” I shouted and the buzz in the room stopped.

Valen’s eyes flared then narrowed at me. “My dear, you have uttered your last command. You
will
learn your place in this court, and if your current bondmate cannot control you, another will be appointed.” His eyes honed in on me, making me shudder. “Have I made myself clear enough for your young mind to understand?”

My insides burned with humiliation and rage. Who did this man think he was? God? From the steely look he gave me, there was no alternative.

No one else in the room uttered a word. Zach even looked stunned.

I had expected him to defend me, but he just stood there. Silent.

Zach was right. This man wanted my power, and he would use any excuse he could to usurp the already fragile bond Zach and I shared.

I lowered my face. “Forgive me, Chairman. It has been a trying few days.”

His soft hand clasped my wrist. My eyes snapped to his.

They were ordinary eyes, nothing special about them. In fact, he was homely compared to the man at my side, yet in those eyes, I saw my captivity.

I forced a smile, but I wasn’t about to say another thing.

He turned to Zach. “You see that? All she needs is a bit of guidance, a firm hand.”

Man, I wanted to fry this guy. Or better yet, flick his jackass self into the nearest black-hole.

Keeping my mouth shut was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. The arrogance of these people astounded me, but if I wasn’t careful, I could end up as another man’s bondmate, even Valen’s. The ewwness of that thought slithered down my body all the way to my toes and back up to my mind. No matter what, I had to keep that from happening. I’d have to check on his bondmate to see how she was faring. Maybe I could help her somehow.

Valen patted my hand. “The guard will show you to your new quarters. Rest assured, my lady, we have taken every effort to make sure your stay in Lombarda is comfortable.”

Valen seemed to be waiting for a reply, so I gave him a curt, “Thank you.”

Zach placed his arm around my shoulders then ushered me toward the exit. Right before the big doors swung open, Valen spoke up. “It really is good to have you here, Rayla. We eagerly await your presence in court.”

When the doors whooshed by, I raced out the door. My lungs refused to expand. Zach kept up, but he was no longer the one leading. My mind wouldn’t stop replaying the look Valen had given me just now, full of lust, full of greed. We followed Nicco through parts of the castle I had never been and up several flights of stairs.

What if Valen really was the new threat Tabitha told me about? He seemed the most likely option, but how could I be sure? Luke was still at large but Tabitha should have known if it was Luke. I tried to focus on my surroundings to distract myself, but the severity of my situation wouldn’t let go of my mind.

I wanted to talk to Zach about this, but raising questions in the corridors wasn’t the best idea. Seemed odd to me the fae didn’t use escalators or teleport pads to get places since they weren’t allowed to drift inside the castle.

The higher we climbed, the more nervous Zach seemed.

Finally, when I couldn’t take it anymore, I said, “What’s going on?”

All he did was shake his head, as if to say not now, maybe not ever. He was still refusing to give me answers, and I was sick of it. If he thought he was going to control me, he was sadly out of it.

Figuring I wasn’t going to get anything from Zach right now, I quickened my step until I walked next to Nicco. I gave him a quick glance. “Hey,” I said. He nodded in response. “So, where are we going?”

“Chairman Valen has asked that you be placed adjacent to his quarters.” Was that disapproval I noted in Nicco’s tone? “He seems very interested in your safety.”

I scoffed. “If you ask me, he’s more interested in my power.”

A sharp chuckle escaped Nicco, but he recovered with a cough. “It is unwise for you to speak your mind so freely, my lady.”

“Yeah? Tell me about it.”

He glanced at me sidelong. “A word of advice?”

I shrugged. “Sure, if you’re offering?”

His jaw clenched. “Make every effort to gain control of your power as quickly as possible.”

“Great idea in theory,” I said. “Harder to put into practice.”

He gave me what looked like a secretive smile. “We shall see. Sometimes things are not as difficult as they seem.”

I totally didn’t get him. Here he was, supposedly this imposing force that put fear into any person he happened upon, but the more I got to know him the more comfortable I felt around him—like he was my protector and always would be. It was stupid to think that way because he was a royal guard for heaven’s sake, but he’d done things to protect me when no one else would. Things that would have gotten him in trouble if anyone found out.

We walked down another brightly lit corridor that reminded me more of a centuries old assembly hall than a mere hallway. The translucent stone arched up into a sharp peak at least a hundred feet above us. So many things about this castle were lovely, amazing even, but I couldn’t let myself linger on things that didn’t matter. I had to focus on what did.

Too bad I still didn’t know what was most important. I got lost in my thoughts for a while, and Nicco didn’t say anything else.

Zach still trailed behind us. I glanced back a couple times, but his gaze stayed locked on the floor. His face was unreadable. He had to be fuming at me right now, and I sort of felt bad about that, but what did he expect from me? I’d given my heart to another man, and I intended to figure out a way to have Heath in my life instead of Zach.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care about him. I felt awful about what had happened between us, not to mention how badly I’d hurt him, but it wasn’t like I could just flip a switch and shut off my feelings for Heath.

My mind wandered back to when Ainessa told me if I allied myself with her, I could have had all the lords I wanted. The thought was more than repulsive. How could she even think such a thing?

Once I had decided who I wanted, that was it. My caring for the other lords would never die, but I couldn’t think of them in a romantic way anymore. I wouldn’t betray Heath like that.

My body was just going to have to learn what my mind already knew. I belonged with Heath.

He was a part of my soul now, and nothing these people did was going to change that. Finally, Nicco stopped in front of an unassuming set of doors. The thing that bothered me was an identical set lay across the hall only a few feet away.

I turned to Nicco. “Is that—”

He gave a sharp nod then let me into my new chambers. The bright space belonged in a dream. A wall of windows greeted me, casting the gilded room in a celestial glow. Even though the view of the valley was stunning, a sting of disappointment stiffened my spine. I’d been hoping for a balcony. Fat chance with my track record.

I bypassed the cream sofa that was set on a luxurious monchromatic rug and made for the windows. The mist from the waterfall was barely visible up here, and apart from the occasional scuffling of shoes, the room was soundless. In an odd way it reminded me of my time in Altasia with clouds being the only thing in sight. I shook my head, like I needed a reminder of that. When an unwanted shiver sliced through me, I turned away from the scene.