Raining Light (Fate's Intent Book 5) (12 page)

I concentrated hard to find which ones were Ryon’s steps with a softer four-legged stride next to him and bypassed where the girls were together. I found Ryon much farther back west than I expected and knew I now had to run fast to catch up.

My speed quickly took me out of sight from the shelter and I appeared standing in front of him only seconds later, blackness fading from my eyes. Rift even let out a puppy bark like he was happy to see me but Ryon surely wasn’t.

“What do you want?”

He walked right passed me and I simply followed, not letting him get away this time. “We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.”

“You knew this whole time, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?”

I was getting frustrated with him trying to avoid the question and stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. “That you’re my brother!”

Ryon sighed as a sign of his own frustration and pushed my hand off from him. “Of course I knew, you fool.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything? That’s what everyone was trying to get you to tell me.”

“Things are complicated.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“That’s not a reason. What happened?” I was ready to find answers to all of my questions and he wasn’t going anywhere. We had all night. “How did she end up staying in Seni while you were still here?”

He just laughed and turned away. “Fine since you’re so eager to know the truth.” He turned around and sat himself on a large root of the nearest tree. “If there’s something we both actually have in common, it’s what it was like to grow up without her.”

“What happened?”

“I was very young. My mother was the only thing I ever knew as a parent. My father, he didn’t want anything to do with me. That is until he found out about the crossings. He must have still checked in on us every now and then and he found out what my mother had been doing. He didn’t approve and when she involved me in it, he snapped. For someone who didn’t give a damn about me, he sure cared about this.

“One night when we were back home, he took me from my bed when I was asleep. We were already far from the house before I woke up to realize where I was. He explained who he was and being a stupid kid, I believed him and was happy to know I actually had a father. He took me south, out of the country and said mother would meet us in a few days. He said she had a job to do first but the days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Years were soon going by and she never came.”

That was awful. I stood through the story and started feeling sympathetic the more I heard. Rift was even sensing my mood and remained quiet next to Ryon in sort of a comforting way.

“He led me to believe that she abandoned us and what was I to think? I was only four years old when he took me but the older I got, the worse things got. He’d become abusive if I even mentioned her and I began to think that maybe his story wasn’t true. He didn’t act as if he really cared about me and when I started to see it, I left.

“I was eight when that happened and set my course north, home to find my mother but it actually took me years. I was completely alone and learned to survive on my own. If I stayed in one place too long, I was afraid that my father would find me so I was always on the move, stealing what I needed just to get by. Even killing if I had to.

“By the age of twelve, I acquired a nice horse that brought me the rest of the way home. I didn’t know what I would find after so long but I know I didn’t expect any of it. Some strange family was living in my house and my mother was nowhere to be found. I became angry, the angriest I’ve ever been and that’s the first time the wolf took over. I didn’t even know about it until then but it scared me enough to turn back and I ended up roaming the streets for weeks trying to find where she’d gone but Gwen found me instead.”

“Gwen? Ruby’s mother?”

“Yes. She caught me stealing from the market but didn’t want to punish me. She wanted to take care of me. She had a very strong maternal instinct and took me in. I’ve been away for so long, I all but forgotten what a mother was supposed to be like. Gwen reminded me. She mothered us all at least once. That’s when I really remember meeting Trever as Trever. We played during the crossings but he was known as Torrin to me then.”

“The name he was born with?”

“Yeah but don’t ever say it around him unless you want your heart ripped out.”

“I won’t. Believe me. So, what happened when you met him as Trever?”

“Not much. I didn’t stay long there either. I knew I had to keep moving from fear that my father was searching for me, getting close. So, I spent the next few months like I had been before Gwen found me. Always moving. Always alone. The only thing I had for me was the developed skill in stealing. I was quite proud of myself and it became more of a need. I did it because I wanted to. It wasn’t long before it overtook me and I even used my wolf form to do it but I wouldn’t just take anything anymore. It became only things of value and I may have become overly confident in myself. I got into some trouble that led me to a nice cozy prison centered at the base of a volcano.”

“Lecca’s High Security Penitentiary. Trever told us about the incident with Bolek.”

“He told you?”

“Mentioned it is more of what he did.”

“Well, that’s where I got that thing on my neck to block me from my wild side.”

“But that prison is supposed to be inescapable. How did they get you out?”

“Pulled some strings as they always do and I accepted an offer I never should have taken.”

“What do you mean?”

“I stayed there for two full years before the warden personally came to my cell and told me I had a visitor. I was worried and confused because I didn’t know anyone well enough that would want to come visit me.”

“Thought it was your father?”

“At first but the way the guards were acting towards the guest made me think differently. I was put in a closed room in chains and I saw a familiar face. Trever stepped out of the shadows towards me and I remembered the eyes immediately from years before but he was grown up now like me. He began with asking me if I knew who he was then went on with promises of a new life, free of all my past mistakes if I went with him. I wasn’t going to be stupid about this. I didn’t want to jump for it and turned away but he stopped me. He told me he knew where my mother was and I didn’t hesitate to go with him then.”

“Did he tell you where she was?”

“Yes. Eventually. Trever always tries to keep his promises but he’s often busy and things get pushed aside according to priority. When it came time, he prepped me for what we’d see when he brought me to her. I was eighteen then. He told me of who she ended up with and what that makes her. I was okay with that. I was glad she found someone that didn’t treat her like dirt. Then he told me that they had a son.” He paused for a moment and his voice was—different; hopeful. “I had a brother. It wasn’t about just seeing her anymore though I haven’t seen her for fourteen years. I wanted to see you.

“She was in tears for hours just from seeing me because she thought I died before I could mention you and that’s where you’re father jumped right in with a demanding no. I hated him for it. All I thought about while travelling there was how great it would be to not be alone anymore. I wanted to be there for you and teach you things like an older brother should but Izin said I wasn’t good for you. He didn’t want you to know me because then you would find out about her and by then you already had two brothers—you didn’t need me.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re grown up and in need of me even less Izin would say.”

“I still don’t see how he could have kept it all from me.”

“I grew to see his point. It was war, Zayden. It is war. You would have grown up so much differently if you knew your mother was a Kaluian. You wouldn’t find hate in them, you wouldn’t have become a Great Seni Fighter which means you’d never be waiting in the mountains for the love of your life to come kill you. It all matters. Your father may not have known it but he has a heavy hand in this peace you’ve set out to create.”

“Peace was probably never his goal.”

“No but it was ours and we’ve helped you get what you needed to achieve it. You have Adele. Now you just have to go home and tell your father she’s yours.”

“Did you always know that she was going to be for me?”

“No. I knew the two groups would be together but I didn’t know it would be you and I apologize for my actions when you first came. I grew too attached to her in a way that I shouldn’t have. I was solely in the moment of having to give her up but I wouldn’t have it any other way now. You belong together.”

“Thank you.”

He slowly started to get a smile on his face and talked with a more joking tone. “My baby brother’s going to rule the world someday.”

“Please don’t.”

“I was just kidding. It won’t necessarily be the world.”

“I don’t want to think about that right now.”

“But you should. It’s why we’re on this trip, so you can reclaim it.”

“That’s not why I’m doing it.”

“I know. You’re doing it because it’s right but you’re mostly doing it for her.”

Ryon’s eyes turned to his right and I looked too when I heard Adele’s voice call for me. “Zayden?”

“Here, Love.”

She stepped out around a tree and seemed cautious about seeing us together. “Everything all right?”

“No better than it’s always been.” Ryon answered.

“Is it true?”

Adele stepped closer while looking between us and Ryon and I shared just a quick look.

“Is what true?” Ryon asked.

“You know what. Why couldn’t you tell me? Tell us?”

“It was never about me and it still isn’t. This is about your life and I’m not in it.”

“That’s not true.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters! How could you say that it doesn’t matter?”

“Because it doesn’t! There’s too much history between us for us to be involved this way. We’re related. When you two make it official, what do you think that makes us? It’d be weird.”

“Now you’re just making excuses. Tell him it wouldn’t be weird, Zayden.”

Ryon looked at me, begging with his eyes to be on his side and I kind of had to agree with him. “It would be a little weird but honestly, not much different than how we act right now.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ryon sighed. “Would you just forget that you ever found out?”

“No, I won’t forget.” I said. “How can you say that?”

“Are you still going to go away?” Adele asked.

Ryon sighed again but this time looked away. “I have to. I won’t be involved in your life anymore and you can go on living like I never even existed.”

“That’s not fair. What if that’s not what we want?”

“I don’t care about what you want. I don’t have much of a choice now. I can’t stay here like this.”

“That’s enough, Ryon.” I turned around to see Kole walking towards us. “Now is not the time. Trever reminded me to get something for you and you two can go back inside. The others are eating right now. If you want some, you better get there before Jay gets it all.”

“All right. Come on, Love.”

“Wait.” Adele held her ground and looked back at Ryon and Kole. “What are you doing?”

“It’s okay, Adele.” Ryon assured her. “Go with Zayden and eat. We’ll be right there.”

She was still skeptical about what was going on but slowly started to turn away. “Okay. Just hurry. It’s not exactly that warm out here.”

“No kidding.” Kole said with a shiver. “I’ve been right next to the fire this whole time. We’ll catch up in a minute.”

Adele just nodded as she turned fully with me and we started walking back towards the shelter.

“Are you okay?” I asked, putting my arm around her.

“Yeah. Just wondering what they’re doing.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing. Come on. Let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”

“Good idea but it’s getting hard to see.”

“It’s okay. Stay close to me.” I kept my arm around her for warmth. “I can see for both of us.”

“You can see in the dark?”

“I can like this.”

Adele turned her head and moved farther away from me, stopping us from moving forward.

“It’s okay, Love.”

“But you said you wouldn’t do it again.”

“I’m not doing it because I’m mad. I can turn it off freely. Really. No danger this way and it’s easier to see so we don’t trip over anything.”

“Okay. As long as you’re sure.”

“Of course I am. Watch out for that.” I picked her up over a rock so she wouldn’t trip.

“Thanks.”

“Let’s make this easier. You shouldn’t be out here like this.” I had a faster way of getting there and held on to her arm and lifted her on my back. “Hang on tight and you might want to close your eyes.”

“Zayden, don’t!”

“You don’t have to be afraid, Love. Just close your eyes this time. We’ll be there quickly. Don’t you trust me?”