Shyla, Tyler and Holden were rounded up. Debrova, for reasons unbeknownst to me, had packed various items for camping in human skin. Along with a lot of strange objects, thankfully, she also brought a few ropes. They were thick, sturdy ropes, apparently used normally to hoist people up steep structures such as rocky walls or even the sides of mountains. I suspected she'd purchased them in the human section—I'd never seen such peculiar equipment in my twenty-one winters of life. Although I couldn't imagine climbing up anything, at least they came in handy now.
All three of the traitors were unusually quiet and cooperative. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that the Thrakos brother's were huge beasts that were capable of breathing fire, or if they were simply smart enough not to resist because they were outnumbered either way.
Still, there was something strange in the pit of my stomach that didn't sit right.
I tried distracting myself by looking up into the clear sky. I missed seeing clouds. They formed such nice shapes and figures, always different to whomever saw them. The way they slowly moved across the surface of Espheros—they'd probably been across the world multiple times. I wondered what it was they'd seen. Was this a place forgotten by the races? Or had it simply not been found yet? Were there nicer places yet to be discovered, or only chaos and destruction?
When I glanced back at the trio, my mood dropped. Whatever the rest of Espheros looked like—they didn't deserve to see it. With their emotional signatures as gray as suffocating smoke, they would only tarnish the plate of colors I imagined would greet us. The smells, the accents, the people, the cultures. What they would bring was only treason. Disloyalty. Betrayal.
Sitting in a circle, back to back, all three traitors were patiently waiting. What they were waiting for, I wasn't sure. I turned towards them and tried to read Holden's facial expression, but he wasn't giving me much to go on. His edgy face was pale and motionless. His icy blue eyes stared out into nothing. The only sign of life Holden displayed was thumping his fingers against one of his knees he had pushed up to his chest. With the other arm he half hugged his legs. He reminded me of a little child, waiting impatiently for something, trying hard not to show it.
When Reagan moved, I steered my attention towards him and questioningly looked at him. He read my facial expression quickly, taking notice of how suspicious and worried I was about Holden's nervousness. I communicated with him without even really wanting to, and understood that he'd realized what I'd felt without him needing to do anything. It was a nonverbal message that just flowed from me, to him, without any conscious actions. It was strange but felt like the most natural thing at the same time.
My stomach suddenly went fuzzy and I wondered if I was hungry.
"Eek a patien par costh", Reagan said, looking to Dante. Glancing back, Dante nodded and straightened himself. I think he's waiting for someone.
"I think so too", I added.
Reagan and Dante snapped their heads towards me with their eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
Dante quickly composed himself again and rolled his eyes, as if he'd just remembered something. "Of course she does", he explained. "She's your promised. Kendra understood what you said too. Didn't you, corinha?"
Kendra quickly nodded. "Yes, though I have trouble understanding single words."
"Me too!"
Kendra and I chuckled, though the whole thing felt strange to me. I understood a language I'd never heard before yet felt so familiar. When I glanced at my Maecena, her eyes were locked with Dante's. There was so much warmth in them, as if with her look alone she conveyed so much heart and feeling. Feeling someone's fiery eyes bore into me, I peeked at my own promised and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed Reagan had already been staring at me. The way he looked at me was demanding—as though he silently dared me to defy him in any way. It instantly made my blood boil—not with anger, but with pride.
I puffed out my chest and held my head high. He wouldn't intimidate me that easily. Who did he think he was?
Trying to distract myself, I steered my attention back to the three traitors, who were not paying much attention to us. Something about that bothered me. If I were a prisoner, bound by ropes and surrounded by beings I'd only just learned existed, I would have been on my toes with worry. I'd be soaking up every word, staring at every movement, waiting until I'd find the perfect moment.
Yet they sat there, nearly motionless, staring into nothing.
Closing my eyes and concentrating on changing spheres, I felt the air around me vibrate softly. I let my energy flow into the atmosphere. As I reopened them, the emotional signatures of everyone present came into focus. As I'd expected, Shyla and Tyler's were as stale and gray as they'd always been. Holden's aura had an undertone of worry and one of anticipation. It only confirmed my suspicions that there was something wrong with their behavior.
"Reagan, I need to talk to you for a moment."
Reagan's trained eyes had been on me again and I wondered if he'd felt anything when I changed spheres. Would he be able to see the same thing if we'd complete the fourth stage of the Promised Bond?
If we ever completed it...
Reagan gave no verbal answer and instead turned to walk away. Following him, I grew nervous at being alone with him. His whole demeanor was leaking power and dominance, merely by the way he held his shoulders, his whole body. Even his steps were measured, as if he calculated each one with highest precision. It was inhuman. Watching him nearly made my mouth water. To think I had stubbornly stuck to thinking they were human for so long...
I couldn't have been more wrong.
He came to a stop several meters away from the group, just far enough so none of them could hear us. Turning to me, my heart beat sped up instantly. His eyes wandered down my body, sending jolts of electricity through my bloodstream. I suddenly felt so warm and naked in front of him. I used the opportunity to take him in, too, and shamelessly did so.
He was wearing that strange armor he'd mentioned—the black slithery fabric stretched over nearly his whole figure. His hands were left bare, as if he was wearing a long sleeved shirt, and the same at his feet and neck. From afar his attire seemed normal, though the closer I looked, the more unnatural it was. I could see the outlines of his scales, much smaller in his human skin.
"What is it you wanted to talk about, leiirin?" he began, his voice sending more shivers down my spine. Another wave of want overcame me, burying me in a sea of thoughts that kept pushing me towards him.
Touch him. Touch him.
I so badly wanted to be closer to him, to feel the warmth of his breath touch my skin. His hands to trail down my arm, his fingers to interlock with mine.
Shaking my head, I hoped it would rid me of those needy thoughts. The damn bond was growing stronger! I could feel he wanted the same.
"They're definitely waiting for someone," I said, not beating around the bush. Their behavior indicated as much. If they weren't counting on backup, they would have shown much more opposition. Especially Shyla or Tyler.
"I suspected as much. Do you have any idea who it could be?" he asked, furrowing his brows in a way that made him look so much more attractive.
It was cute.
I nearly smiled, but stopped myself before my mouth could twitch.
"No, not a clue." There was no one back at home that could have wanted to help them. They'd always been a group of three, Shyla, Tyler and Holden. I'd never met a fourth member of their strange trio and could barely imagine a fourth person being as cold and stale as they were. Maybe Kintar. I wasn't sure of it, however. Shyla had mentioned his name back when I overheard their conversation, hiding behind a bush, but he easily could have been someone that had nothing to do with this. Torn whether to mention him or not, I decided to wait for a more suitable environment. If Skyla even so much as picked up that name being uttered, who knew what would happen.
I was still processing the fact they'd nearly put Ryker out cold.
"Tell me about them. Who were they, back in Everett Valley?" Reagan began to pace back and forth as I introduced them. Their history had always been vague, but the community accepted them nonetheless and I grew up alongside all three of them.
Without thinking, I opened up to him. "I didn't meet them until I came of age and it was time to attend the Iarhus, but I met a lot of new faces when I turned nine. Most families keep to themselves until the first youngling shifts for the first time, semi got used to it and are ready to step into society. Our mother kept each of us strictly at home. There was no contact with other families until Reece was nine, for me and for Emmet the same. We also weren't allowed to have any companions over. We were always required to go outdoors or to their families, if we were ever permitted to socialize in the first place. We'd learned from an early age that the only people we had were each other." I paused shortly and turned away from Reagan. Looking up into the sky, I noticed a few clouds hovering above us.
"If it weren't for the title Kendra's grandmother has, she and I wouldn't be as close as we are today. Sometimes I wonder if we would have ever formed the Maecena Bond, had we not been allowed to see each other as often. Most of the time was in secret, of course, but if Mother would have wanted for me not to have any contact with Kendra, she would have damn sure made sure of it."
I stopped then when I realized I'd spoken ill of my mother to a stranger. I could have slapped myself mentally. Clearing my throat, I tried to mask my embarrassment.
"I apologize. I should not have spoken ill of my own mother."
Guilt ran through me at the thought of having done so, so easily. Mother would go berserk if she ever found out. Then again, she probably already despised us, considering we'd left... More than she did before, that is.
"Your mother doesn't sound like she was an easy person to be around", he murmured quietly with such softness in his voice.
How could his strong, masculine voice sound so soothing yet be so authoritative at the same time? There was no demanding tone, no expectancies lingering behind the shadows. Only concern.
As if I were possessed, I continued to speak. The words just kept leaking out, as if they'd been pooling in a pit of darkness that was being touched by the tiniest ray of light.
What was this man doing to me?
"No, she wasn't. She was never satisfied with anything the three of us did. Something was always missing. Though now I think what she was searching for wasn't lost in us, but in herself."
My own words made me sink to the ground. My knees touched the grass, sinking into mud since the field was still wet from the recent rain. Reagan came closer but did not touch me. I could feel him standing behind me.
He gave me the space I needed.
"My mother was similar. After our father died, there was barely any hope in her left," Reagan whispered, and I turned to face him. My eyes widened slightly in shock, but I tried my best not to show it.
He offered me his hand and I took it. Standing, I still needed to look up to see the golden flecks in his honey coloured irises. My hand felt warm and fuzzy.
"But she quickly found happiness in making us laugh. She devoted her entire life to making my siblings and myself happy. For a long time it worked." His voice darkened.
I found myself wondering what his mother looked like. Did she look like he did? With such beautiful eyes and such dark hair?
"But there are things in this world, leiirin, that aren't meant to last. Your mother's biggest mistake was not trying hard enough. But the pain you feel will not last, either. I'll make sure of it. If you let me."
From my peripheral vision I saw it coming. His hand came higher. And when his skin touched mine, a fire burned through my body that liquified everything inside.
I put my arms around him and pushed my body into his—feeling the warmth his embrace held, the hotness of his touch and the affection that began to grow. Why did he feel so good?
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Onar, but Tyrion has returned and he brings bad news."