Chapter 7
Raighne
I tried to be as patient as possible, but with the visions happening more often and that bastard, Robert, attacking Alchera, I had to bring her home.
With my charge in my arms, I start to make my way to the training camp, where Aster should be at the infirmarius.
I glance down at Alchera’s unconscious face, and seeing her without the glamor of the elixer, an intense sense of possessiveness fills my veins.
Mine.
I’m relieved to have my charge back on Vaalbara with me. Pretending to be a seventeen-year-old boy was frustrating as fuck.
I have to remind myself I’m still a stranger to Alchera. She never got to meet me before she was sent to Earth, even though we were bonded the moment she was born.
As I carry Alchera while I make the trek to the training grounds, I don’t grow tired at all. I could walk with her for days on end without any rest.
I keep glancing at her, checking for signs that she’s regaining her consciousness, but as the hours pass and she doesn’t come to, worry fills my veins.
I focus hard, and entering her mind, I find nothing but blissful darkness. Even though it sets me at ease, I pick up my pace and start to run.
When I finally carry her through the opening of the large tent that serves as an infirmarius, one of the caretakers calls out, “Aster! Come quickly.”
I head to the nearest bed and gently place Alchera on it. As I straighten up, Aster rushes into the room, and the moment she lays eyes on my charge, emotion washes over her face.
“Praise be to Awo for your safe return,” she says as she begins to take Alchera’s vitals.
“Will you remove the spell you cast over her?” I ask, impatient for Alchera to remember Vaalbara.
I hate how scared she was because she didn’t remember her world and people, and I want her memories back as soon as possible.
“Yes.” Aster nods her head, and a moment later, Janak comes rushing into the room.
I take a couple of steps backward to give them space so they can tend to Alchera.
My eyes never leave my charge as they begin to reverse the spell, the air filling with swirls of lights and sparks.
It takes too long for my liking and once they’re finally done, I ask, “Will she remember?”
Janak nods. “But it might take some time for all her memories to return, and some might be lost forever. We won’t know until she wakes.” His eyes meet mine. “I’ll send word to the King and Queen that Alchera has returned.”
I suck in a deep breath as I move closer to the bed. “How long before she wakes?”
“It all depends on her,” Aster says. “She’s in good health, Raighne. There’s no need to worry.”
Easier said than done.
I bring my hand to Alchera’s face and brush strands of her hair away. Positioning my palm over her forehead, I close my eyes and focus on her so I can enter her mind where I don’t find any dreams. There’s only the peaceful darkness of a deep sleep.
That’s good. Rest, my little dreamer.
I let out a sigh as I pull my hand away from her, and staring at my charge, I start to worry about the training. We have a lot to learn so we can communicate telepathically and strengthen our bond.
With time, it will get easier for me to feel what she feels and hear her thoughts.
Alchera
Coming to, I feel groggy, and whispering voices break through the fog in my mind.
My head lolls to the side as I pry my eyes open, and the first thing that registers is I’m lying on a bed in a large room of sorts.
I blink a couple of times before I notice a row of identical beds.
Turning my head, I see a stand with cotton balls, bandages, and other medical supplies in the far corner. Shelves line the walls, stocked with various brown bottles.
Am I in a hospital?
An elderly man and woman stand not too far from me, the woman holding a small bottle in her hand. It looks different from the ones on the shelves. This one is clear, with a small base.
The longer I stare at the elderly couple, the more familiar they start to look.
Wait a second.
The woman is the first to notice I’m awake. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and seems to be in her fifties.
I remember her. Aster. She’s the head priestess.
It feels as if the words drift to me from afar. “Aster?” Clearing my dry throat, I try again. “Aster? Janak?”
“Welcome back, child. How do you feel?” she asks as they hurry closer to me. “Do you remember us? ”
“Yes.” I still feel out of it as I glance between them. “What happened?”
Janak takes my hand and squeezes it softly. “You’ll feel better soon. The effects of the spell are still wearing off.”
Spell?
Aster gives me a serious look. “Don’t fight the memories. Let them in.”
Already feeling tired again, I close my eyes, and then one memory after the other trickles into my mind.
I remember being brought to Aster on my sixteenth birthday. She gave me something to drink.
I gasp as my mind is suddenly flooded with muddled flashes of my past.
My family! Mom. Dad.
I remember my older sisters. Brenna and Thana. And my brother, Roark.
An overwhelming emotion makes tears sting my eyes.
I miss them so much.
I remember a younger and happier me. Because my brother and sisters are so much older, I used to be adored by everyone.
I was loved.
The day of my sixteenth birthday fills my mind, and remembering how I was brought to Janak and Aster makes me feel sad.
They cast a spell over me, and before I lost consciousness, I saw a man.
He held me as if I was the most precious thing to him.
When I woke up, I was alone at Fish Creek Falls.
They left me all alone in a foreign place.
For five years!
Oh my God.
My breathing speeds up, and my heart beats faster and faster as an intense feeling of abandonment forms a crack right down the middle of my soul.
Then Ryan came and pretended to be my friend, and I was once again ripped away from everything I held dear.
“Ryan,” I whimper. It hurts to think of him and how he played me for a fool.
“Ryan’s name is Raighne,” Janak informs me. “He’s your guardian.”
I open my eyes and look at the two elders who played a part in deceiving me.
“Well, you’re home now,” Aster says. “Do you remember anything from before we sent you to Earth?”
“Not much,” I whisper as anger and heartache bubble in my chest. “Why was I sent to Earth?”
Before they can answer me, my chest fills with every emotion I felt on Earth.
The fear of being a vulnerable child, alone with no memory.
The intense loneliness of not belonging anywhere.
The hatred I felt for Robert.
The rejection when I didn’t fit in at school.
“We had to do it, child. You needed to live as a human in order to understand them,” Janak answers my question. “It was spoken so by Awo.”
“You sent me to a foreign world,” I bite the words out, my anger growing by the second. “I was left alone for five years!”
Aster smiles gently at me. “You have every right to be upset, but we did what was best for you.”
I shake my head at her. “Wow, that makes it all better.” Then I remember my family again, and ask, “Where are my parents? My brother and sisters?”
I desperately want to see them and be with my own people.
“Your family is well. They’ve been waiting for the news of your return with great excitement.” Janak’s face falls as he looks to Aster for help.
My muscles tighten, and I worry they’re going to give me bad news.
Aster looks at me with sympathy. “You can only see your parents after you’ve completed your destiny. It’s too dangerous for them to meet with you right now as they might lead Adeth to you.”
What the hell?
“What destiny? Who’s Adeth?”
My anger doubles, curling around me like a thick cloud while I try to deal with the disappointment of not being able to see my parents .
“You have to learn how to be a warrior, Alchera. You need to be able to protect yourself and the chosen ten when you go to retrieve them from Earth. There’s barely enough time for you to train.”
The vague reply to my questions confuses me. Then it sinks in what Aster just said.
“Hold your horses,” I pull myself up into a sitting position. “I have to learn how to be a warrior?”
“Yes,” Janak answers. “Now that you’re home, you’ll regain your strength, and soon your talents will appear.”
“What talents?”
“You’ll have visions of the chosen ten and the future.”
I almost mention the dreams but decide to keep the information to myself.
“You’re no ordinary, fragile human anymore,” Aster says. “You need to practice your strengths and talents so you can master them.”
Just fucking perfect.
When I scowl at them, Aster clears her throat. “We have to leave you now. Thana is anxious to see you, and Raighne and his brother are also here. There are so many others waiting to welcome you home. Your life will soon be full.”
“What?” I sit stunned and watch as Aster and Janak leave without another word.
What in the everloving hell?
Sitting alone in the room, I shake my head as I try to wrap my mind around everything.
I’m home.
After five long and lonely years, I’m home only to be told I have to train and get ready to fulfill my destiny. They’re insane.
I was sixteen when I left, which means I’m turning twenty-one next week and not eighteen.
I’ve lost so much time.
My thoughts turn to the Calder family, and I wonder if I’ll ever see Molly again. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to her.
Holy crap. I can’t believe what the elders did to me .
When the realization hits again, I’m so angry my body’s trembling.
Just as I throw the covers away from me, Ryan, or should I say Raigne, comes into the room.
My eyes lock on him, and for a moment, my anger is forgotten as I stare at the hot as fuck man that’s apparently my guardian.
The leather pants look downright sinful, where the fabric clings to his muscled thighs, and the matching shirt does nothing to hide his strong arms.
Damn, the clothes look ridiculously good on him.
“Raighne,” a woman calls, and he turns to face her, “Princess Alchera’s quarters are ready.”
“Thank you, Fleur,” He replies, but I’m way too busy staring at his back as I realize I’ve seen him before.
“It was you,” I whisper, shocked from learning I’ve been dreaming about Raighne coming for me.
“Alchera,” he murmurs to get my attention, and it’s only then I realize I zoned out for a moment.
Swinging my legs off the side of the bed, I rub a hand over my face as I mutter, “God, this is all too overwhelming.”
“Your visions started earlier than we expected. I would’ve come sooner had we known,” he says.
“Visions?” Lifting my head, I look at him. “Who are the ‘we’ you’re referring to?”
“King Eryon, Queen Mya, my father, and Janak.” He sits down beside me on the side of the bed and tilts his head to catch my eyes. “And me. Awo bonded us the day you were born.”
“Bonded?” I shake my head and try to remember what it means.
The corner of his mouth lifts, and he actually looks proud as he says, “I’m your guardian, and you’re my charge. You’ll learn what it means during training.”
I vaguely remember my sisters had guardians, but I can’t remember what it entails.
“So you all decided it was a good idea to ship me off to Earth and just leave me there all alone?” I climb off the bed and take a few steps away from him. “All because of some destiny I’m not even aware of?”
I remember the past two weeks and how I thought he was my friend.
God, I was falling in love with him.
Anger and hurt explode in my chest, and glaring at Raighne, I say, “You betrayed me. You can take our bond and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.”
He rises to his feet, his features drawn tight. “I did what was best for you.”
“You didn’t!” I snap. “Instead of pretending to be my friend and playing me for a fool, you should’ve just dragged me back here and gotten it over with.” I throw my arms in the air, intense disappointment filling my chest as I let out a bitter chuckle. “I really thought you wanted to be my friend.”
When his lips part, I shake my head and continue, “You lied to me. Everything I thought I knew about you was a lie.” I let out another bitter chuckle. “I have to admit, you’re a damn good actor. You had me going there for a while.”
As a tear spirals down my cheek and I angrily wipe it away, Raighne suddenly moves so fast, and for a moment, he’s nothing but a blur.
When he grabs hold of my shoulders, I gasp and stagger a step backward.
Then I see the anger in his eyes, making his purple irises much darker.
“Don’t you dare say that! I have never lied to you about our friendship. Everything we shared on Earth was real.” His features soften a little. “I understand you’re angry, but it will pass.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” I shake my head at him. “You’re supposed to be my guardian, but you hurt me.”
Once again, I realize I’ve lost the only friend I’ve ever had, and it breaks my heart.
I really cared about him.
My voice is hoarse when I say, “I don’t care about bonds and destinies, and my anger won’t just pass. My feelings don’t come with a switch you can flip off when you feel like it.” I step away from him, my whole body trembling. “You took my trust, and you threw it back in my face. So no, Ryan, or Raighne, or whatever the hell your name is, I don’t accept the bond. I don’t trust you and don’t want you as my guardian.”
“With time, you’ll accept me,” he says as if it’s an inevitable fact I have no choice in.
Maybe it is. But right now, I’m too heartbroken and angry to care.
Lifting my hand, I rub my tired eyes. “Do you know how it feels to have your world ripped out from under you? I don’t know what’s real anymore.” I choke on a sob as my feelings overwhelm me, and I quickly wipe the tears away, feeling embarrassed for crying in front of him.
I’m stronger than this.
“All will be well.” He doesn’t give me a chance to pull away as his arms wrap around me, hugging me tightly to his chest. I feel his warmth spreading through me, and I hate that I find it soothing.
As much as I want to deny it, his touch makes me feel better, and I can’t fight it as my body relaxes against his.
With one hand, he gently caresses my back while his other arm stays firmly around my waist.
All I can do is close my eyes, rest my very confused head against his chest, and breathe in his familiar scent.
“You’re not alone in this, Alchera. I’m here for you. I’ll help you through the training. I’ll be right by your side every step of the way, no matter what happens.” He pulls back and frames my face with his hands. With his thumbs, he wipes away my tears. “Our bond is the most important thing to me, Alchera. I live for you, and I’ll die with you, but I will never leave you.”
God, then he goes and says something like that. How’s a girl supposed to stick to her guns and stay angry?
Even though I just want him to hold me, I step backward and glance around the room so I don’t have to look at him.
“I need time. This is all too much for me to deal with.”
“Okay.”
Feeling exhausted, I ask, “What happens now?”
“Your sister is outside. She’d like to see you.”
My sister.