The treetops swayed. The birds had fled already, searching for safer surroundings. The ground trembled underneath Ryleigh's feet. The moon shone bright, illuminating the rows and rows of Shadow Walker warriors. Ryleigh set herself by her father's side, right on the front line. He looked at her, his features tight and grim.
"Where is Jade?"
"I hid her." Ryleigh planted her feet on the ground, letting the vibrations of the Royal Army's pounding feet travel up to her soul. It wouldn't be long before the soldiers would appear from the forest. "Where is Mother?"
"Goddess knows. This is going to get ugly, Ry." His tone wasn't that of a concerned parent to a young child, but of an alpha to his heir. "We might not make it out. None of us."
"I'm ready for battle." Ryleigh cracked her knuckles, her magic itching at her finger tips.
"It's not going to be a battle." Corbin's eyes were drawn to the treeline, where the first soldiers pushed onto the clearing. Some were in human shape, some in wolf shape. Around them, on the sides, soldiers started appearing as well. They were surrounded. "It's a slaughter."
Ryleigh nodded, clenching her teeth. "I'm going to take them down with me."
Corbin clasped a heavy hand on her narrow shoulders. "I expect nothing less." Ryleigh's gaze flitted up to him – to his tight lips, hooded eyes. She wondered if he contemplated saying some comforting words, but he wasn't one for sentimental shows of affection. She got that from him. And so they were silent, standing side by side, facing the soldiers.
Ryleigh's grandfather, the alpha, was standing beside Corbin. He nodded at Corbin, and they both raised their hands in front of them. As one, all the soldiers then visible fell down. Both men and wolves, they all toppled over. Immediately, more men flooded the terrain. The Shadow Walkers had their magic to help them, but they were so vastly outnumbered it wouldn't make a difference. Still, they'd go down fighting.
As though they were all limbs of the same body, the Shadow Walkers surged forward. What followed was a bloodbath.
Ryleigh's magic was strong, and she had been practicing for years to cultivate them. And yet, it wasn't enough. She managed to confuse some men into turning against each other, and for some others she created nightmarish memories that stopped them in their tracks. But it took too long, and there were too many soldiers. They were closing in on her. Being a child, and small and agile, she managed to avoid attention. She shot through the crowd, aiding wherever she could and taking down whoever dared step in her way.
The grass was soaked with blood. Every step she took, her bare feet were sucked down into the moist dirt, blood creeping between her toes like waves lapping the shoreline. Around her, people fell. Loved ones. Her grandfather had fallen minutes ago. Her father was still going strong, standing amidst a pile of unconscious soldiers. No one had even been able to lay a hand on him.
She turned. She wasn't sure what drew her attention, but her body turned itself towards her home. There, appearing from behind the building, was Jade. Her blood ran cold. Why hadn't the kid stayed put?
Jade ran away from the building and only seconds later, a soldier stepped out through the front door, leaving flames in his wake.
Ryleigh looked around the clearing. As far as the eye could see, there were only soldiers. Screams and sobs and roars and howling filled the air, cutting through her eardrums. She wanted to slap her hands over her ears and collapse, allowing the night to wash over her. But there was no time for that, and she was no quitter.
Her feet started carrying her towards Jade. She narrowly avoided several soldiers, jumped over the corpses of her friends, slipped over the spilled intestines of an uncle, but kept going.
"Jade!"
She shouted the word in Jade's head, but the child kept running. More and more buildings started burning and there was no safety anywhere. Every direction was cut off by soldiers. Jade was closed in, and without having developed her gift yet, she was helpless.
Jade chose a direction which had less soldiers. It was good thinking, but soldiers nearby saw her running and immediately came after her. Ryleigh took a deep breath and, without slowing down her pace, affected the soldiers with her magic. The good thing about memories was that everything more than a second ago was the past, which meant she could almost alter their realities. She made them see a group of ten Shadow Walkers fast approaching them. They abandoned their pursuit of Jade and turned to the new perceived threat instead.
Ryleigh shot past them and started catching up with Jade. Jade, small and young as she was, was a very fast runner, and Ryleigh had already been worn out by the fight.
Jade cast a look over her shoulder and saw Ryleigh. She slowed, but Ryleigh shook her head and wildly gestured for her to keep running. "Keep going! Run fast as you can!" The moon peaked out from dark clouds and shone on the battlefield. Ryleigh itched to go back to the fight. She was needed there – even though everything she did was only a way to prolong their suffering a few more seconds. The outcome was never going to change. And yet, she couldn't flee. Not like Jade. Jade was too young to fight anyway. She would only be collateral damage. But not Ryleigh. Ryleigh was a warrior. She had to fight. Her place was in the middle of the action.
In the distance, illuminated by flashes of moonlight whenever a cloud had drifted past, the river loomed. There was a narrow bridge across it, leading back into the forest. There weren't many guards on the other side of the river. Ryleigh ran past another burning home. Without thinking, and hardly without holding her pace, she picked up a stick from the ground. Pausing just a second, she held the tip of it in the fire. It started burning immediately and she started running again.
"Cross the bridge," she linked Jade. "Cross it and never look back."
"What about you?" Jade looked over her shoulder, nearly tripping. The bridge was fast approaching.
"I'm going to burn it down after you. Just keep running. As long and as far as you can. Don't come back."
"Never?" Even through mind-link, her voice was quivering.
"There won't be anything left to return to."
"You have to come with me, Ryleigh." She begged it. Ryleigh's heart cramped.
"I can't. My place is here."
"Then so is mine." Jade looked like she was about to stop, turning half around already.
"For the love of the Goddess, keep running. You're our future now. This is an order, Jade."
Jade turned back around, her little legs moving fast to keep her going. Meanwhile, the soldiers who had come after her realised their minds were playing tricks on them, and they were back in pursuit.
Ryleigh had almost caught up with Jade. If she reached out her arm, she might be able to grab Jade's bouncing braid. The branch in her hand was burning quickly, smoke wafting in her face. She just hoped it would burn long enough to set the bridge aflame. From the corner of her eye, she saw something shimmer in the moonlight on the other side of the river. An arrow.
The clouds parted to give the moon free reign and Ryleigh saw a soldier raising a bow, pulling the string back, a silvered arrow aimed right at Jade's heart. A scream bubbled up from Ryleigh's chest. The branch slipped from her hand and she dove. The arrow lodged itself deep in Ryleigh's shoulder, with such force that she stumbled backwards. Jade, standing behind her, stumbled along, and when Ryleigh tipped over the edge, falling into the river, so did Jade.
"Ryleigh!"
Ryleigh shot upright, fist flying out to fight whoever was near her. Austin caught her hand, forcing it down.
"Stop! It's me!"
She blinked and Austin's bedroom came into view. The water in her lungs disappeared and she tried to suck in air, only she couldn't. Her chest was heaving, lungs burning. She clawed at her torso with the fingers of her free hand, gasping.
Austin released her hand and grasped her shoulders instead, keeping her from collapsing. She fed him her panic through the mate bond, but he persevered, pushing all his calmness and peace back her way.
"Breathe, Ryleigh. You're alright. Just breathe."
Her eyes focused on his, though she could hardly see him through the blur of her panic. Her wolf was clawing at her mind, fighting her for control. She blinked, and slowly Austin came into view. Tears started forming in the corner of her eyes.
"You promised," she said, whispering. "You said no nightmares."
"I'm sorry." He drew back. "I was up already. You looked so peaceful, I thought it'd be fine. I was just getting dressed."
"You should've woken me up." She turned her face away from him, angrily blinking away her tears. Her breathing still came in fits and she was shaking, fisting the bedsheets.
"I'm sorry, Ry." His hand found hers and he laced his fingers through hers. "I was only gone two minutes. I'll wake you up next time."
"There won't be a next time. I'm not sleeping anymore." She pushed the sheets away, pulling her hand from his grasp and stumbling out of bed.
"That's not realistic."
"I don't care. I refuse to relive it one more time." She shook her head, running her hands through her hair. She stomped over to the window, pushing it open and bowing over the sill, sticking her head outside. The crisp morning air caressed her heated face and she drew in a deep breath.
"You haven't had any nightmares all through the night," Austin said. "It was only when I got up. I won't leave your side when you're sleeping again and then it'll be fine. It works."
She glanced his way, not convinced.
"Give it another shot, alright? You can't stop sleeping. That's not the answer."
"I know." She turned away from the window, watching him. Her eyebrows shot up. "You really were in the middle of getting dressed." Her eyes raked over his naked torso.
He blinked, undoubtedly thrown off guard by the sudden change of topic. "Yeah, I was, but I'm guessing you don't mind."
"Cocky, are we?" She eyed him like a predator, a hint of gold seeping back into her gaze. She shook her head. "Don't tempt me." She frowned. "Did you hear that?"
Austin turned his face towards the door, listening. Downstairs, people were yelling.
"O, Goddess, that's Jade," Ryleigh said.
"And Ellis."
They shared a look, then bolted towards the door simultaneously. They dashed down the stairs, the commotion growing louder the closer they got. Ellis, Julie, Conall and Jade were all standing in the entrance hall.
"You can't just knock people out!" Ellis said, towering over Jade, who was over a head shorter than him.
Jade had crossed her arms over her chest, her lips set in a straight line. "They were coarse and violent."
"They were silent," Conall said.
"Their minds were loud, and they were very nasty. Take it from me."
"What's going on?" Ryleigh said.
They all turned towards them then, and Ryleigh realised with a start that she was still in her nightgown, and that Austin was shirtless, and that they both smelled like each other.
"They deserved it," Jade said. She stepped away from Ellis and moved closer to Ryleigh. "They had it coming."
"She knocked out four people," Conall said. "Soldiers just returning from patrol."
"Jade?" Ryleigh asked.
"They were vile creatures. If any of you had read their minds, you'd understand."
"You cannot attack people because you don't appreciate their thoughts," Ellis said. "If you cannot control yourself, you cannot be here."
"I can control myself just fine!" Jade said, taking a step in Ellis' direction. Her green eyes turned a bright blue. Ryleigh knew Jade's wolf was more violent than her human counterpart, and this was bound to escalate.
"It won't happen again," she said, putting a hand on Jade's shoulder and pulling her back.
"What! They deserved it," Jade said. "You can bet your ass the next time four men stare me down while thinking of ways to – well, rest assured I will knock them out. You should be glad I didn't do more."
"You have no way of proving your accusations," Conall said. "I know them – they are good men."
"O, sure, and your opinion of people is really something to go by."
"Come on, guys," Julie said. "Let's talk about this like the adults we are."
"I'd be down to talk, but not as long as I'm just getting accusations thrown at my head," Jade said.
"Enough," Ellis said, his alpha energy booming. They all fell silent. "If someone from my pack behaves in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, you come to me. This cannot happen again. I can't have my people feel unsafe. We have enough to worry about as it is. We don't need people stirring up trouble from the inside."
"I'm not stirring up anything!" Jade said. "This was an isolated incident, and no one who doesn't bear me ill will has anything to worry about."
"It won't happen again," Ryleigh said again.
"It better not. I run a tight ship and she's out of control. I can't have anyone causing chaos."
"Causing chaos?" Jade struggled loose from Ryleigh. "Do you want to know who's been causing chaos? You!"
"Jade, don't," Ryleigh said.
"Why not? They have a right to know their alpha is not as faultless as he likes people to believe."
"It's not our place." She shook her head, trying to grab hold of Jade again, but she evaded her. "Don't."
"Don't what?" Conall asked, quirking a brow.
"See? Conall wants to know," Jade said, shooting Ryleigh a look.
"Conall likes drama. Ellis has a right to his privacy. Come on, Jade. Let's take a walk."
"No. If I'm getting called out on my behaviour, then so will he. Why do you think Ellis was so insistent Austin and Ryleigh work out?" She widened her eyes at Conall and Julie alternately, daring them to answer.
Ryleigh felt Austin stiffen behind her. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't like it. Nor did Ellis, whose nostrils were flaring angrily.
"Because fate is not to be trifled with," he said.
"Sure," Jade said. "But that wasn't the only reason, was it?"
Ryleigh groaned. She turned to Austin. "Just go and get dressed. You don't need to hear this. You too, Julie. I'm sure you still have work to do for the festival."
Nobody moved.
"What is she talking about, Ellis?" Austin asked.
"Nothing. Do what Ryleigh said."
"Not until we know what's going on." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Your alpha is not as moralistic as you think he is." Jade glared at Ellis. "You think you get to judge me? It's time you get judged for your actions."
Ellis' lips tightened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't? Didn't you force Austin to get Ryleigh here? Didn't you tell Julie to step aside –"
"You told Julie to step aside?" Austin asked.
In her mind, Ryleigh saw a huge fight break out right in the hall. Much as she would enjoy seeing Austin lose his temper for a change, she doubted it'd end well for him.
"Jade, stop. That's an order."
"You're not my alpha," Jade said. "Tell them, Ellis. Tell them how you told Julie to pack her bags and get out."
"That's not how it was," Ellis said.
"Julie?" Austin asked.
"Well, he... We..." Julie frowned and looked at Ellis, searching for guidance.
"Why did he do it, if not for fate?" Conall asked, looking at Jade. "You said there was another reason."
"I did it because I had to," Ellis said. "Fate was the reason. This conversation ends now. You don't get to disrespect me in my own pack, Jade."
"How about you disrespecting Julie, huh?" Jade asked. "How about you disrespecting your own brother? How about you lying to everyone?"
"I haven't lied."
"Tell us the reason," Conall said.
"Jade, no," Ryleigh said.
"Do it." Conall raised his brows in challenge. Ryleigh made a mental note to punch him in the face later.
"Ellis didn't force Ry and Austin together because he believes in fate," Jade said. Her eyes were bright blue, her wolf at the helm.
"Stop talking right now," Ellis said.
Jade turned to Julie. "He did it because he's in love with you."
______
A/N: Now you all know Ellis' ulterior motive for being so manipulative in book 1 ;) Did you expect this?
Thank you for reading!