Bonded Ever After (The Royal Gold Keepers #3)

Chapter 1

ONE

Elora

I’m breathing hard as I jog through the empty streets of Neverwood, which is so unlike me, but I’ve been exhausted lately. Overhead, thunder echoes through the valley and lightning splits the sky, but no rain falls. I shiver. One week. One week until I have to return to Neverwood. Except, storms will be a hell of a lot worse there.

A lot may be worse there.

The past three weeks have been brutal. Callum has become something beyond cold to me. There’s venom in his gaze when he looks at me that he’s not a good enough actor to fake. I don’t know what happened to make him so angry, but I know in my gut that it’ll carry over to Neverwood, and the thought makes me sick.

I need him in Neverwood to survive. Don’t I? But more than that, I want to be with him.

Everything was so… good with Callum in Neverwood. I felt things with him that I’ve never felt with another person. Stupidly, I believed I was falling in love with him, even though I knew, logically, that we could never be together. But there, I trusted him with my life. There, he touched me tenderly. Like maybe he loved me too.

So what changed?

I’ve racked my mind, and I keep coming up empty. Why does he suddenly hate me? And what does this mean for Neverwood? I don’t even think he’ll want to travel with me any longer, but I can’t imagine going through the Forest Realm, the Mist Realm, and the Ash Realm alone. After everything we already know about these places, I don’t think the two of us can survive without each other.

What am I supposed to do?

I reach the end of the houses at the edge of Paradise Falls and stop and take a break, breathing hard. I’ve been pushing myself, training for what’s to come, but I don’t think anything will be enough. How can I possibly be strong enough for everything I’m going to face in Neverwood?

Motion catches my eye, and I glance over at the woods. There, for just a moment, I see Ari Radyn. She’s wearing a bright red jacket, her long dark hair left loose around her shoulders. She glances around as if looking for anyone who might catch her, then slips into the woods.

My heart hammers. I need to talk to Ari about what I found in my mother’s journals. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to do it without risking someone hearing us. Seeing her now, I realize that I won’t have a better chance than right now.

Hopefully, she’ll help me. I’m not sure though. We have the shared bond of both our mothers dying in the fire at the science building, but I don’t know if that’s enough to make a connection with the cold and sometimes cutting woman.

Hurrying away from the houses, I slip into the woods after her, and immediately feel a change sweep over everything around me. In town, things had been quieter—no birds, no insects, just silence—as it tended to be around people. Everything felt like the world was just holding its breath. But it’s so much different in the woods. The birds sing to each other. The insects are alive and loud. This place feels like life in a way Paradise Falls just doesn’t.

It’s almost like being in Neverwood.

I’m not sure where to go, so I just follow my instincts. Before too long, I catch sight of her red jacket and speed up. I spot her with a large map in her hands that is covered in handwriting and different colored lines. Which is weird. What is she doing with a map like that out here?

I’ve almost reached her when she whirls around with a look of panic, but the panic changes to surprise when her gaze falls on me. I just stare at her, from her long dark hair and dark eyes, which are the polar opposite of my blonde hair and mismatched eyes, to her red jacket, jeans, and boots. She looks ready for a hike. But no one would hike out here, right? Hiking is hardly an activity for the people of Paradise Falls.

“Why are you following me?” she blurts out, folding her map in her hands.

I blush. “I wasn’t following you. I mean, not at first. I was out for a jog, but then I saw you, and I wanted to talk to you.”

“Talk to me?” She lifts her brow in a strangely cocky way. “We have class together. You couldn’t have talked to me then?”

I try not to melt in embarrassment, reminding myself that Ari is good at making people feel stupid. “The thing is, I wanted to talk to you alone.”

“ Alone ?” She crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Why?”

Fuck. I hadn’t thought about how I would approach this. I can’t exactly tell her about the journal.

My mind starts working as she stares at me, pinning me into place with her gaze. “I’ve started to have some memories of life before my mother and the fire.” The words come out rushed and tangled. “Memories that involve you and your mom.”

Ari doesn’t look surprised, just suspicious. “Okay… and?”

“Were we friends as kids?”

She huffs. “Everyone in Paradise Falls is friends with kids their same age.”

Why do I feel like she’s dodging the question? “You know what I mean. Were we friends? Did we have playdates? Did we hang out together?”

She takes a long minute to answer. “Yes. Why?”

Okay, that’s something. “Were our moms friends?”

“Yes.”

Now, we’re getting somewhere. “Best friends?”

She hesitates. “Yes.”

I frown. “How is it that I don’t remember any of this?”

“Shock?” she offers with a shrug. “You changed a lot after your mom passed.”

“But your mom passed away in that fire too, and you remember,” I point out.

It’s silent between us for a long minute, and her expression is guarded. “Why are you asking about all of this? Aren’t some things better left in the past?”

How can anyone think that?

“No, I think it’s more dangerous to be operating without all the facts,” I say, then press on. “Did your mom leave anything behind for you? Anything that talked about why our moms would’ve been in that science building late at night in the first place?”

She looks uncomfortable. “No. Nothing.” Then, she gives me a funny look. “Are you sure you want to be looking into this? Anything involving the Council is usually better left alone.”

It’s weird. I get the feeling she knows more than she’s letting on. But how can she? She was just a child too when our moms died. There’s no reason to think she would have information that I don’t.

“Well, if you think of anything, you’re welcome to reach out.”

She nibbles her bottom lip, not making eye contact. “Where is this coming from anyway? The fire was a long time ago.”

A cold wind blows around us. “Like I said, I just started remembering some things from that time and wanted someone to help clear up my memories. I have so few with my mom, so they’re precious to me.”

She nods, but I get the sense she doesn’t believe me. “Well, I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.” For a minute, I have the feeling she wants to say more, but then she closes her mouth and looks away.

What is this girl hiding?

“So.” I glance around. “What are you doing out here anyway?”

Her entire body stiffens. “Just exploring. I like to come out here and camp and stuff.”

“Really? I thought Veric was the only one who did stuff like that.”

She blushes, which I wouldn’t have expected from her. “No, I enjoy it too.”

“Do you ever see Veric out here?”

She instantly shakes her head in a way that tells me she does see him out here.

“Ah, okay. Well, I better get back to my jog.”

I turn to go when, from out of the woods, Veric comes crashing between us, holding a map decorated in different colors, just like Ari’s. His eyes widen when he swings his gaze from me to Ari, and he instantly folds the map and puts it away. As I stare, his broad shoulders curl, like in doing so I won’t be able to see all six-foot-something of him.

Unable to help myself, I study him. He’s got dark, wavy hair, left too long, so that his green eyes peek out from beneath his heavy head of hair. He’s wearing jeans, a gray jacket, and a backpack similar to the one I own. Which is weird. No one needs that heavy of a backpack out here. But then again, he’s been known to disappear for long periods of time. Maybe he’s disappearing out here?

But why?

“Hello,” I greet him.

He doesn’t respond other than a nod. But then again, it shouldn’t be a surprise to me. He hasn’t spoken since the day his father was killed in the fire. It seems that while Ari was able to bounce back from what happened, Veric and I haven’t been as lucky.

“What are you doing out in these woods?”

I didn’t expect a response, but I wanted to read his expression. His surprise at finding us fades away to a hard look that’s as guarded as the man himself. Whatever he’s doing out here, I’m not going to figure it out, he’s making that clear.

“You both have maps,” I say, turning to Ari. “Why?”

Ari shrugs. “Just exploring. Is that a crime?”

“No–”

“So get back to your jog and leave us alone.”

I bristle at the attitude in her voice, but realize I’m done with these two anyway. For now. “Okay, well, have a good hike, or whatever.”

Turning, I head back to the city, but when I glance back, they’re heading in different directions, which is strange. I’d have guessed they were working together. It looks like I was wrong. But then, what had drawn the two of them out here to begin with? And does it have anything to do with the fire or our dead parents?