Chapter Twenty-Five
Drazien
The archives were empty when we arrived. The familiar scent of old leather and wax wrapped around me the moment we stepped inside, the lack of other scents easing a tension I hadn't realized I still carried.
I watched while Elaina wandered the shelves, counting tables and measuring distances with my eyes to assure myself that the map had been accurate.
The longer I’d spent with Elaina, the less I liked putting her at risk, and I couldn’t decide if her being an unknowing lure or an active participant in the trap was worse.
What if she tried to fight one of them?
“Do you think they've noticed me coming here?”
We still didn’t know how large the rebel faction was, but based on what I’d been able to learn, there were enough of them to assume one was around in most crowds.
Which was worrisome.
“I would assume they have. The vendors would have talked by now. Learning our language makes you a threat.”
There was no reason to tell her otherwise. It was the best assumption I could make.
I walked toward the towering shelves lining the western wall. They were constructed of heavy metal, the same as the doors, and were older than any living Morraki.
“If I were following someone, I would stay where I could watch without being seen.”
I slipped into the narrow aisle between two shelves. The stacks blocked almost every line of sight from the tunnel outside as well as most of the room, but it would be easy to move one of the tomes to get a glimpse into other aisles.
Plus, listening was far more important than seeing the target most of the time.
“Like here.”
Elaina came into the aisle, her smaller frame allowing her to walk freely between them where I was forced to angle my shoulders through the confined space.
“I dislike this.”
She raised a brow, causing the need to explain myself.
“I cannot move freely.”
Shrugging, she lifted a hand and placed it on the shelf.
“Then neither can they.”
I froze, gaze sweeping the aisle again. She had a point. Every description of the attackers pointed to them being alphas, which meant they would be my size.
“If you feel threatened, move into one of the rows. It will buy time for me to get closer.”
She nodded while looking around.
“Why are these shelves so close? Was there nowhere else to store books and scrolls?”
Scoffing, I sidestepped out the other end of the row, rolling my shoulders once I was no longer scrunched between delicate stacks.
“Because betas are the administrators, while alphas are the protectors. They created a space that suited them. One meant to keep us out, so we didn’t make a mess of their precious records.”
My lips twitched and I gave her a lopsided grin.
“I believe Humans have a saying about more brawn than brains?”
She smiled, giving a half-hearted chuckle as she dropped her gaze.
Her admission in the River Caverns made it harder to hold back, harder to keep myself from trying to convince her to stay, but it had relieved some of the tension between us.
I understood her reasoning and had meant it when I told her that her plan had been smart.
In her situation, I’d have done something similar.
What confused me about it all was what had happened in the pools of the River Caverns after I had pleasured her. I hadn’t expected anything, yet she’d allowed me to enter her, even if she hadn’t accepted my knot.
Those thoughts made my shaft twitch, so I steered them towards other things.
She chose a scroll at random and took her place at the same table we’d used the other times we’d come to the Archives, and I forced myself to think of nothing but the words on the hide and helping her pronounce them correctly.
She had a good ear and was making surprising progress, even knowing that this was what she’d come for.
The center of my chest ached, a black hole opening inside me but refusing to suck away the parts I no longer wanted. If I couldn’t have her, wanting her was pointless.
By the time I felt like we needed to leave, she’d learned several new roots and could break down the meaning of another handful of words. Speed and fluency would come with time, but time was what she didn’t have.
I made one last pass through the Archives while she put the scroll away. The trap no longer felt theoretical, but this place now held a threat it hadn’t before. Elaina enjoyed the Archives, but being the focus of an attack there would change that, whether she realized it or not.
Of course, that didn’t matter if she wasn’t in Korvashan any longer.
“I'll speak with Rhydek and my team tonight. We need to be prepared the next time you return here.”
Her eyes were wide when she looked up at me, but she nodded and swallowed. Whether you wanted to call it bravery or stubbornness, Elaina had more than enough to keep her locked in on the plan.
When we paused for the door to slide open, Elaina slipped her hand into mine, making my heart skip a beat until I remembered it was for show.
I’d always been touching her before, and we didn’t want to tip off the rebels that something had changed, so when we were where we could be seen, we had to act like all was normal.
Like she was still my korravalryn.
Korvashan had grown even louder since the start of Khavren.
There weren’t many who lived beyond the protection of the ravine, but those clans who lived with the herds or in other parts of Morrakan traveled to Korvashan for the festival.
The walkways were crowded, Veyrdrahl’tharvek overflowed with visitors, and every extra space that could be used held a body.
The colorful banners overhead snapped in the wind blowing down from above, and I peeked out at the sky above the ravine. The sight of burgundy and violet clouds made me frown, and I slowed our steps to get a better look.
“They need to see us, and I know we were planning to dine in the Veyr’vokkar arena, but we may need to revise.”
She frowned and looked up at the sky.
“Is it going to storm?”
“It may. A karin like you are familiar with is rare. Water does not fall from our sky during most. A veyr’karin is more likely.”
The crease between her brows deepened as her lips pulled farther down.
“A… blood storm?”
I made an approving noise, but a veyr’karin was no joke.
“Yes. Electrical charges turn the sand in the air to glass, and it can rip the flesh from most creatures.”
Elaina’s face blanched, panic widening her eyes as her lips popped open.
“But…”
I placed my hand on her shoulder, offering her what comfort I could without pushing the boundaries that had risen between us. I wasn’t sure where we stood with each other, so I was being careful not to cross the line.
“We are Morrak. We are prepared for veyr’karin. But the Veyr’vokkar arena is open to the surface, so it would not be safe for you.”
I watched her throat work as she swallowed before nodding her agreement. Even my flesh couldn’t withstand a veyr’karin for more than a few breaths, and her soft skin had no protection at all. It would be shredded in heartbeats.
“We can remain here, on the High Ledge, but it will become crowded as the storm gets closer. Or we can go down to the Market.”
I studied her face and the emotions flashing across it. She didn’t seem to like either option, and I caught myself reaching for her cheek before stopping my arm halfway.
“You don’t have to.”
Her confusion was clear when she focused on me once more.
“What?”
It took a moment to formulate the correct words since there were multiple things I wanted to say to her.
You don’t have to do either.
You don’t have to leave.
You don’t have to be alone.
“If you've changed your mind. About the plan.”
About being bait.
I didn’t need to say the words, she understood what I meant. Her expression hardened, determination written in every line of her as she sucked in a breath and straightened.
“We could get food from the Market, then go to the gardens?”
Accepting her decision, I gave her hand a light tug back towards the main stairwell. It followed the ravine, one side open to the wind, but it was still normal grains of sand pelting my arm as we descended.
I picked a new food vendor in the Market, using a side entrance instead of the main one, and then slipping out once again.
I made sure we were seen by enough people that someone would talk and word would get back to whoever needed it that I left her alone on occasion.
I hadn’t been more than a few steps away, but they would be looking for any opening.
I let Elaina lead as we walked over to the Fungus Gardens. It wasn’t a place I’d spent much time since it was somewhere mainly meant for couples and families.
My heart gave a painful thump at the reminder, but I ignored it and followed Elaina until she chose a bench in the main cavern. It wasn’t in view of the entrance, but it was close enough that several Morraki passed us on their way deeper into the gardens.
“It is hard to choose the most beautiful place in Korvashan, but this is one of them.”
I knew she was referring to the glowing fungus all around us. Many considered the Fungus Gardens beautiful, even more so than stars in the night sky, but I couldn’t pull my eyes from her to look around. Her scent filled each breath I drew, and it was taking all my focus to keep my limbs to myself.
Halfway through eating, Elaina let out a strange grunt, her brows drawing together as she stared at the food in her hand. It was something she’d enjoyed before, so I wasn’t sure what could be wrong as she let her hand drop to rest on her leg.
“What’s wrong?”
Since I hadn’t been feeding her myself, I hadn’t realized how little she’d eaten, and concern bloomed in my chest.
She looked up at me, brows still scrunched even though she tried to pretend that she was fine.
“Nothing.”
Narrowing my eyes, I set my food aside.
“You stopped eating.”
It still bothered me to hand the food over to her, as if I didn’t care whether she ate it or not, but feeding an omega was part of courting, not something you did to one planning to leave.
“I...”
Her voice cut off as she leaned forward, frowning again. She pressed one hand against her stomach as she set her food back in the container on the bench between us.
“My stomach doesn’t seem to like the dakrethin today.”
Taking the piece she’d been eating from, I lifted it to my nose to be sure I could smell it over the other scents around us. Even after several deep inhales I didn’t find any concerning scents, so I set it aside.
“You never complain.”
She glared at me while holding her breath, as if trying not to gasp.
“I'm not complaining.”
The words were growled through clenched teeth, and I would have grinned if it hadn’t seemed as if she were in pain.
“Don’t hide from me, rethari.”
It was the first time I’d used the name I’d given her since our argument, and her arched brow said all the things we had avoided talking about.
“I'm trying not to. I don’t know what it is.”
I couldn’t ignore my growing concern, and it forced me to rise. I couldn’t face a challenge sitting on my tail, but I still wasn’t sure what she needed.
“Are you ill?”
Elaina still frowned but she shook her head.
“I don't think so.”
I reached out and brushed my hand across her brow before I could stop myself. Usually her skin felt cool to the touch, her body temperature naturally lower than mine, but she felt like another Morraki.
“You have a fever.”
She swatted my hand away and it was a struggle not to let out the growl that built within my chest, but I managed to contain it.
“I'll be fine. You can finish eating.”
When she reached for the food once more I snatched the container out of reach. Even if I didn’t smell any sign of poison, I wasn’t going to let her keep eating food that had possibly been contaminated.
She opened her mouth to protest but all that came out was a gasp. Both hands gripped her belly and she leaned forward, knees clenched together.
Three other alphas had been passing by the bower where we sat and all three heads turned in our direction. I saw their nostrils flare a blink before I drew my next breath, the problem hitting me like a varkuun strike.
One took a step closer and my snarl ripped out before I could stop it. I shifted between Elaina and the trio, blocking their view of her.
“Mine.”
The word echoed around us, too loud, but it made the three alphas move on as my tail wrapped around Elaina’s leg.
Her fingers gripped my wayward limb, making my shaft tighten as I turned to face her. Glazed eyes looked up at me from flushed cheeks, her lips parted as she panted.
“Drazien?”
I took her elbow and pulled her to her feet.
“We're leaving.”
She gave a slight shake of her head before looking around. Another group was approaching along the trail, and we had to get moving before they caught up to us.
“What?”
Urging her away from the coming group, I wrapped every strand of control I possessed around me.
“I have to get you to the shuttle. Now.”
Confusion replaced the pain on her face, and she tried to slow her steps, but her strength was nothing compared to mine. I’d carry her if I had to, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to let her go once I had my hands on her.
“Wait. Why? Drazien?”
My jaw tightened and I looked into the deep black pools in the center of her multicolored eyes. Eyes that were different to any I’d ever seen before I had looked at the picture in her file.
“You’re out of time, rethari. It’s your trehvyr.”