Chapter Nine
P ain.
It’s all I feel.
All-encompassing, all-consuming, pain.
If I couldn’t actually see my left hand, I would’ve thought that it was just chopped off with a dull sword, and magma was poured on the stump.
A gruesome thought, but nonetheless accurate to the way it feels.
I have honestly never felt pain like this. Lucian has checked my arm over twice, and there are no visible injuries. I shouldn’t be in pain. I’ve stopped screaming, but I don’t even try to hold back the tears that flow freely down my cheeks. I have always had a higher pain tolerance, but this feels absolutely horrendous. Not to mention that I can’t even move my entire arm right now.
Lucian suggests that we begin moving down a trail he has chosen. I nod, afraid to open my mouth again, and he gently plucks my pack from my back and slings it across one shoulder, then clasps my right hand before moving forward. I vaguely register a small shiver of electricity from his touch.
I truly wish I was able to concentrate on my surroundings. I have always loved the forest and I’m sure this one would be quite lovely. If I could just calm my mind a bit more, I may even enjoy the trek.
Thankfully, the pain has lessens after a mile down the trail, but it has been replaced with an odd numbing sensation that creates painful twinges down into my fingertips.
Now that I am able to consider the situation better, I have a horrible feeling that I know what the pain is from. I don’t want to talk about it, but I need to know. And Lucian seems to know more about this type of thing than I do. I wonder if that’s because he has a soul-bond? And why does that thought make me irrationally angry?
“It was from the soul-bond, wasn’t it? Not my pain, but…” I trail off. Unable to actually voice the words after all. I hope that doesn’t make me a coward because I will need some serious strength going forward. I just hope we find him before–well...before there is nothing of him left to find.
“Yes.” Lucian answers.
For once, I find that I’m grateful for his one-word responses. I’m trying to fight it, but I can’t deny to myself that I can feel my anger rising. The wind around us is picking up, proving that my control is beginning to fray. My thoughts begin to collide, and all I can think about is how I want to get to Blake faster and punishing those who hold him captive. The beings that are keeping him from me . Those vile, disgusting things that are doing the Gods knows what to my soul-bond mate.
We take another step forward and there is a loud snapping sound, before Lucian and I are tumbling downward. At first, I’m so disoriented that I tumble freely. However, I quickly pull my attention to what is going on around me and begin to grasp around for something, anything, to help slow my descent.
My anger must have triggered my abilities and I transported us further down the path. The only problem is that I transported us at the top of a small drop and now we are going head over heels down a slope-side. Thankfully we don’t have far to go and there is nothing sharp at the bottom. Unfortunately, the drop ends in a larger creek and we hit the cold water in a splash.
That’s one way to cool down my anger.
At least the water is shallow enough that we can sit up. However, once I do, I realize that there is an incredibly odd sensation at my back. Strange flappy noises have me spinning around to see my wings and tail, getting pushed around by the water. I chuckle at the sight and a similar noise coming from Lucian proves he isn’t fairing much better.
He is on his knees in the water, with a small scratch on his cheek that heals almost instantly. He has his arms held out to his sides, with his eyes wide and his breathing is labored. Clearly, the trip must have unraveled the poor guy a little. His hair is plastered to the sides of his head and across part of his face. The sight would be laughable, if not for the soaking wet shirt clinging to every inch of his chiseled abs. I think I whimper, or maybe that was just an internal noise.
He shakes his head and little sprays of water flick across my face, causing me to laugh even harder. He smirks at me and I melt at the sight. He truly is a handsome giant of a man. My mouth begins to water and I lick my lips.
When he arches his back in a stretch, two massive leathery wings with coloring only slightly darker than his magnificent eyes expand from his back. The sight of him makes my own wings spread behind me and flutter in response.
There is a need inside of me, pulling me harder and harder. Telling me to go to him. Making me want to go to him.
No. Making me need him.
I stop fighting and am in front of him faster than I’ve had a chance to consider my choices or movements. My breath comes out in heavy pants and goosebumps cover my skin, as I reach my hand forward and run the tips of my fingers across his glorious wings. He sucks in a breath and I feel his body shift to move away, but something inside me protests hard enough that my tail wraps around his leg, holding him in place.
I look up into Lucian’s eyes as the words slip easily from my lips. “You are truly magnificent.”
His hand shoots up to my chin, grasping it gently in his large hand, and leans in close until our lips are only a breath away. His voice sends a mass of shivers straight down my back and his words light me on fire.
“You, Animus Meus , are a true ethereal beauty, and I am honored by your mere presence.”
My heart begins to beat aggressively in my chest and I almost fear that it is going to burst out of me. In the span of mere seconds, and without giving myself a chance to back down from the need that is growing inside of me, I press forward, smashing our lips together. His wings snap around my body and pull me flush against him, while he groans in the back of his throat. I slowly part my lips and our kiss instantly shifts. His movements become slow and almost timid, as he dips his tongue forward and caresses mine.
We stay wrapped in one another, exploring tongues, for what seems like an eternity, and yet no time at all. I briefly wonder why I fought so hard when Blake tried to kiss me.
And it’s the thought of his name that has my eyes snapping open, and throwing myself backward, falling on my ass into the creek again. I look up at Lucian, my eyes wide and my breath sawing in and out of me.
He knows. He knows Blake is my soul-bond mate and yet he let me kiss him. Worse! He kissed me back!
“Why did I do that?” I nearly screech at him. “What is wrong with me? I have a soul-bond with someone who is being held captive and clearly tortured! Why didn’t you stop me? Why did I kiss you? Why do I want to do it again? Why do I feel so much for a stranger? I think I’m officially going nuts. That has to be it. Stay back! Who knows what I will do next!!”
Lucian runs his hands through his hair in exasperation, and a small part of me fears that he has finally had enough of my madness, and is leaving me here. Instead, he holds his hands out in front of him and crouches down, like you would when approaching an angry wounded animal.
“Please. Let me help you up.”
Huh.
Well, that is not the response I expected.
He reaches out and offers his hand. I reluctantly take it and he helps me stand. My eyes haven’t left his, needing that contact focus or I fear they may trace the shape of his lips again. I notice him shifting uncomfortably under my gaze.
Good.
He knows something. I know, he knows something. Now he knows, that I know that, he knows something. Wow… I’m truly a wreck. I’m actually rambling nonsense inside my own head.
He sighs and finally gives in. “Blake is not your only soul-bond.”
Excuse me, what?
I mean, mother had mentioned something about that, but how would Lucian know? Unless he knows who they are?
That can’t be right. If I actually had another soul-bond I would be feeling the tug like I do with Blake. And the urges would be powerful. I think I would notice if I suddenly wanted to jump a complete stranger like Ooh…
Oh, what the actual fuck?!
Lucian looks down at me through his lashes and I fight the urge to kick him in the nuts. I know I probably look crazy and I can feel my eye twitching in irritation. Actually, I kinda hope I look as crazy as I feel right now because it’s his fault!
“I see. And you just so happen to come out of nowhere, offering help, lying about knowing Blake, and hiding the fact that you are my other soul-bond mate. Were you planning on telling me, or were you just going to let me continue wandering around like an ass?”
He flinches back as if my words physically slap him.
“No,” he says in a dejected voice. “I would have told you, I promise, but finding Blake is more important to you right now. I apologize for not distancing myself better. You do not have to worry about my interference with your soul-bond to Blake. I am not fit to be your mate.”
What. The. Fuck.
Did he just...
“How dare you act like you know who I am,” I say pointing my finger at him until the tip touches his chest. “We only just met!” I yell and give him a poke. “And I will decide who is fit to be my mate and who isn’t.” Add another poke. “No one gets to decide that for me.” And one last hard poke for good measure before I drop my hand to my hip.
I’m angry. I know a lot of it is at myself, for getting swept away in gorgeous eyes and a killer body. But a little is mad at him, too. Almost in a defensive way. Hearing him say that he is not fit to be my mate makes me feel very… confused. It’s like I am angry at him, for insulting our bond and himself like that.
His next words cut through my inner thoughts like a hot knife.
“I have known you from a distance for three years now,” he admits in the quietest voice possible.
“What? How?” I no sooner ask the question, before I raise my own hand to cut off his answer with my own. “Tree dryad… You were watching me this whole time? Why?”
Lucian sighs and brushes a hand through his hair. “I will explain, but we need to get out of the creek and eat something. You can eat while I explain, and then we will be tackling two tasks at once.” He looks at me and waits for me to argue.
I chew on my cheek a little but reluctantly give in. I mean, I am hungry, although I’m pretty sure I’m almost always hungry. And I know it’s a logical course of action, but I’m feeling lots of… things right now. Anger. Desire. Fear. Desire. Rejection. Desire. Confusion. Other things that I’m having problems understanding or putting a name to. Four letter things…
Things that just make me want to be bratty, okay?
We exit the rocky creek and squish about ten feet into the dense forest until we reach a large fallen log and plop down on it. When I glance down at my pant leg, I notice a rip stained with blood. When I poke my finger inside, though, all of my flesh is completely intact. I must have hurt myself in the fall.
Mother did say that my vessel was hardier. My clumsiness breathes a sigh of relief at that. Speaking of Mother, I do remember her words vaguely talking more about my other soul-bond, but I had many more things on my mind at the time. Like, you know, coming back from the dead and all that.
Lucian hands me a bottle of water and granola from the pack he is still carrying for me. My stomach growls and I grumble a quick ‘thanks’ before taking a huge bite of the granola. It’s a pitiful excuse for dinner, but since I have merely been sitting for the last few hours since I ate, I have no complaints about it.
Mmm… cherries and oats. One of my favorites.
Lucian seems to be struggling with his words, so I offer him a small pat on the leg. “Just start at the beginning.” He nods and does just that.
“When the female imp forced herself on my father,”
Well that escalated quickly...
“their… the human word for it is ‘genetics’ did not mesh well. When she birthed me and discovered I was male, she immediately gave me to the brethren. After all, it’s widely known that any male born of tree dryad blood, is tree dryad himself. Only that was not the case with me. Half of me held onto the imp features.”
“Your eyes and wings! Oops, sorry,” I say, covering my mouth. I hadn’t meant to interrupt.
He simply nods at my outburst and continues. “Yes, and some of my magick abilities.” He snaps his fingers and a flame dances along the tips. He closes his hand, and extinguishes it. “The imps learned that there was a hybrid, and they wanted him. In the fae realm, hybrids can fetch a lot of money if sold to the right person.”
He takes a long drink from his water bottle. I know that he is sharing some deeply personal information, so I don’t dare interrupt him again. Instead, I shove some more granola into my mouth to serve as a distraction.
He closes the bottle and continues on. “My father refused to hand me over. He hid me. We knew there would be ramifications for his actions, but we never thought… the imps were always cruel but…”
Seeing him struggle to get the words out pulled at me, so I try to help him. “They killed him.”
He turns his head towards me, the haunted look in his eyes clear for anyone to see.
“All of them,” he says. “The Imps murdered the last colony of the Drys. Once they were done with that, they burnt down the forest we lived in and it forced me out of hiding. They caught me. All that sacrifice, and they still got me.” He shakes his head and clears his throat.
“The imps sold me to the elves. In their kingdom, you are sold for two reasons. Either as food or as a plaything. I was only fifteen at the time, but I was already the size of an average human male, and attractive by their standards. So, the highest court members went into a bidding war over me. My first owner was an elder elf male with deep pockets and little care for hygiene. That was the last time I wished for anything from the Gods. I prayed that he had bought me for food.”
A sob catches in my throat, and I wrap my arms around him. He stiffens at first but relaxes a little. A deep ache pierces my heart.
“I’m so sorry Lucian.”
He pats my arm awkwardly and carefully leans me back to my side before speaking again.
“After a handful of years, he grew bored with me and sold me for twice the amount he paid to an older elven woman, who I later learned was the King’s sister. She…”
I hold my breath as he stumbles over his words a little.
I have a bad feeling about how the rest of this went down.
As if the worst of it all hadn’t already happened in this terribly tragic origin story.