Chapter 33 #2
“Put her here.” Kai gestured to a bed the moment they entered. “I’m sure more injured will be coming.”
Raine laid Maeryn down, trying not to hover.
“Raine, you take that bed beside her,” Kai instructed.
“I don’t need a bed. I just need to know if she and my sister and father will be alright.”
“You have an arrow in your shoulder,” Maeryn scolded. “And look…the healers are working on your family now.”
Raine followed her gaze. Several healers feverishly cleaned Fanya’s wounds as another worked on his father. Jorrar stood in between the beds occupied by his grandchildren, soothing them as their mother, Isolde, examined their injuries.
“She’s alright,” a healer said to Pax who stood beside Fanya’s bed, eyes filled with fear. “She’ll wake up soon.”
“Your father will be alright, too,” the other said to Raine. “And the children.”
Raine blew out a breath and collapsed onto the mattress.
Ava and Casimir appeared in the doorway, carrying an injured Jareth between them. Kai gestured to an empty bed, and they laid him down, not gently in the least. Jareth cursed and glared at the two of them.
“You’re welcome,” Casimir grumbled and left.
Ava approached Raine and plopped beside him. “Is everyone okay?”
“We are.”
Kai was bent over Maeryn’s leg, extracting the venom. And somehow, she was silent, eyes closed as she pushed through the pain. A healer approached Raine and inspected the arrow protruding from his shoulder.
“I need to pull this out,” he said. “Lie down please.”
Raine did as he asked. “Do it quickly.”
The healer gripped the arrow, holding it still as he made several incisions, widening the entrance wound. He carefully pulled the arrow out, sharp heat coursing through Raine’s shoulder.
“Fuck me, that hurts,” he said through gritted teeth.
With the arrow out of the way, the healer continued to treat the wound. Raine turned to Ava. Her face was pained, and he could tell she was on edge.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “When I was on the Elderoak journey it showed me visions.”
He frowned. “Of what?”
“I don’t know. The future supposedly. Of what would happen should we fail. It feels like they’re coming to pass.”
Raine winced as the healer cleaned his wound with antiseptic, waiting for Ava to continue.
“There was one of Casimir being tortured and that ended up happening…”
“But he’s safe now. He’s okay.”
“I know. And then there was a vision of them attacking Mosshaven. Killing citizens. Like what happened tonight, except it was much worse…and they had killed—” She paused, shaking her head.
Raine squeezed her hand. “Go on.”
“Everyone was dead in the vision. All of you.”
His stomach turned over. “That’s not going to happen. We won’t let it happen.”
Maeryn shifted on her bed, looking at the two of them. “We won’t, Your Highness. We go to the Wastelands the day after tomorrow.”
Raine met her eyes. “You’re too injured. We must delay it.”
“No time to delay,” Maeryn insisted. “With a good night’s sleep, I’ll be just fine in the morning.”
“She’s almost as stubborn as Cas,” Ava murmured.
Maeryn raised a brow, having overheard. “Then that makes us both strong leaders.”
Raine chuckled, shaking his head. The healer finished bandaging his shoulder. “It should be completely healed in a couple of hours.”
Raine sat up. Kai had wrapped Maeryn’s leg and stood, turning to help another injured. Ivy, his deer companion, trotted over to Maeryn and nuzzled her hand. She took her job as assistant very seriously.
“Kai,” Raine said. “Will she be alright to leave when we had planned?”
Kai hesitated. Maeryn gave Kai a withering look and he cleared his throat. “She’ll be sore, but she can go.”
“See? Now off with you. I must sleep.” Maeryn waved her hand.
Raine stood. “Thanks a lot,” he whispered to Kai as he and Ava passed.
Kai chuckled quietly.
Raine approached his sister and father, both now awake. Sitting on the edge of Fanya’s bed, he grabbed her hand. Her eyes filled with tears.
Pax tucked a curl behind her ear, seated in a chair on her other side. “You’re alright now, sweetheart. You’re safe.”
“I thought—the kids—they were trying to get to the kids…I couldn’t let them…” Fanya’s lip quivered. “We tried to hide…and then the—the house was burning…”
“I know, sis,” Raine said. “They’re safe now.”
Pax continued to soothe her, cupping her face with a tenderness that seemed at odds with his massive size, wiping a tear from her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.
Raine turned to his father. A relieved smile pulled at his mouth, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. “You did well, son.”
A lump formed in Raine’s throat. “The farm is gone.”
His father reached for him and Raine took his hand. “We’ll rebuild. All that matters is that you and your sister are safe.”
“I know…it’s just…everything we know was there. Our childhood. Our memories…” he whispered.
His father placed a hand on his heart. “We still carry that here. Within us. Homes can be replaced. But people cannot.”
Raine leaned forward and gave him a gentle hug, absorbing his words. Safe. They were safe now.
A healer approached. “I apologize, but it’s getting quite crowded in here. I must ask you all to leave and give them space to rest.”
Raine squeezed his sister’s and father’s hands one last time and stood. Then to Pax, he said, “Take care of her.”
The orc nodded. “Always.”
Ava waited for him at the doorway. With one last glance at a sleeping Maeryn, Raine reluctantly left the medical wing.
“I’m sorry for what Jareth said earlier,” Ava said as they wandered the hall.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
She sighed. “Jareth is…”
“A complete and total bastard.”
They rounded a corner, heading toward her room she shared with Casimir. “He is, but we learned something about him in Caelestia. His father killed his soulbond…because she wasn’t from his kingdom…she was from here.”
“What?” Raine was horrified.
“I know. It’s awful. Come in and eat something.”
They entered, and after Ava asked her attendant to bring them food, they took their seats at the table. Titus immediately zoomed in with a chirp and landed on Ava’s shoulder. Raine couldn’t help but smile at the firefinch as he listened closely to Ava’s story about what she saw in Orion’s journal.
“I’d never wish that heartbreak on anyone,” he said after she finished. “But it doesn’t mean I like him now. Especially since he attacked you. I could kill him for that.”
“Cas almost did.” Ava scratched under Titus’ chin.
“Good. Where is he anyway?” he asked.
“Helping with clean up.”
His thoughts wandered back to all that occurred today. Jareth bringing up memories of Finnick, the way he’d touched Maeryn’s face in the gardens. How his father and sister could have been killed so easily. The loss of his home.
“Are you alright?” Ava asked. “You’re never this quiet. Or this serious.”
He tapped his fingers on the table. “I’ve just been thinking.”
“Worried about your family?”
“Yes.” Raine leaned forward on his elbows, hands clasped on the table. “But also about other things…”
“About Finnick?”
“Yes. I miss him.”
And what he didn’t want to say out loud was that he felt as though he was betraying Finnick.
Because he was falling in love with someone else.
It didn’t matter if she was his destined one.
That fate had brought them together. He never thought he’d be able to love anyone the way he’d loved that man.
It was why he’d thrown himself into trysts with whoever enticed in the moment.
It was easier to focus on having fun than getting emotionally attached.
Because his heart would always be Finnick’s.
Or so he thought.
And though he’d admitted to Ava months ago he would settle down again if he found the right person, now that he had, he felt fucking guilty about it.
“He was the love of your life,” Ava whispered, reaching across the table and squeezing his hand.
Raine quickly wiped away a tear. “He was.”
“And Maeryn is your soulbond.”
“She is.”
Cirilla entered and set down a tray of food, two assistants following her with more trays, a pitcher, and several wine goblets. Ava and Raine thanked them and piled food on their plates.
“You don’t have to do anything about it,” Ava said. “I’m sure she would understand.”
Raine gripped his goblet of wine. “You think I don’t want to do anything about the fact that she’s my fucking soulmate?”
Ava’s eyes widened. “I—oh. I mean—I’m just saying if you don’t want her. That’s okay.”
Raine smirked. “Oh, I want her. Have you seen her? With those sculpted shoulders and her pouty lips. And that lip ring…Fuck, the things I want to do to her…I’ve thought of all the ways I can use my vines to tie her up and—”
“Aaand…he’s back everyone.” Ava clapped her hands. “A round of applause for the funny blond man. Nice to see he’s returned.”
Raine ruffled her hair. “You’re ridiculous.”
Ava raised her glass. “As are you.” She paused. “Wait…did you say use your vines in the bedroom?”
He tilted his head. “Why yes, darling. There are many creative ways to incorporate our magic. Have you and Cas not…”
Ava’s face turned bright red as she took a sip of wine. “Not that type of magic…” she muttered.
Raine froze, his fork midair with a green bean dangling above his plate. “Well, Mother’s tits, he used his fucking starlight, didn’t he? I knew Cas was adventurous.”
“Raine!”
“I wonder if Maeryn can somehow heat up her hand…but I don’t know…that might burn my co—”
“Raine!” she yelled louder. “You and your dirty mouth.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Well, you asked. Thank you for cheering me up, little frog.”
“Any time, wolf man.” She gave him an exasperated look.
He clinked his goblet with hers. “You know, Ava. Ever since the day you stabbed me, I just knew we’d become the best of friends.”