Chapter 15
Alchera
When we get back to the campsite, everyone stares at me as if I’m the weirdest thing they’ve ever seen.
“They’re not looking at you like you’re weird. What you’re seeing is a group of people concerned for your welfare.” Raighne’s voice sounds in my mind.
“Uh-huh,” I mumble.
“Is she rested now?” Brenna snaps, the bite back in her tone.
“Yeah, Raighne, she sure looks concerned.”
“Enough, Brenna, she’s our sister,” Roark’s voice booms over us. “How can you vow to protect her when you can’t even show her any support?”
I watch as her expression changes to respectful, then she murmurs, “I apologize.”
Oh wow. At least someone can control her.
“Do you feel better, Alchera? We don’t want to strain you too much so soon after your vision,” Roark says.
Ugh, I really don’t want to talk about the visions.
Letting out a slow breath, I nod. “I feel better. Thanks for asking.”
Raighne surprises me by speaking on my behalf. “Alchera won’t be able to talk about the vision. I felt her pain, and I can understand why. ”
Brenna steps up to us, her eyes blazing. “It’s not for you to decide what she does and doesn’t share, guardian. The chosen ones–”
“Quiet, Brenna,” Raighne’s voice is downright icy. “I’m Alchera’s guardian, and it’s for me to decide what’s best for her . She’s my charge, and I get the final say regarding her life. She won’t talk about it, and don’t forget the role you play in all of this. You’re only here to assist her.”
I’m practically gaping at Raighne by the time he’s done laying into Brenna.
I know he’s my guardian, but not about the part that he gets the final say in my life.
What does that mean?
His eyes snap to me. “It means nothing in your life happens without my approval.”
“Like hell!”
“Not now, Alchera,” he snaps. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Anger bubbles in my chest, and I decide to walk away before I say something I’ll regret.
Heading to where Storm is standing, I take deep breaths to cool my temper.
When Storm glances in my direction, a smile tugs at his mouth. “You didn’t look well earlier? Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I mutter. Stopping near him, I cross my arms over my chest. “I’ll get over it.”
Just like I’ve had to get over everything else.
Storm glances around us, and his eyes stop on Luna. When he stares for a moment too long, my eyebrow lifts, but I don’t say anything.
“We’re not stopping here,” he mentions. “We’ll camp near the waterfall.”
“Oh, I’ve just been there. It’s pretty.”
He lets out a chuckle. “It’s where we’ll bathe.”
Surprised, I gasp, “Like, all of us?”
When he nods, I start shaking my head. “I’m not bathing next to you.”
A burst of laughter explodes from him. “Stop stressing. We’ll take turns. ”
I give him a playful slap on the shoulder. “Now is not the time to joke with me.”
He shrugs. “Hey, at least I made you smile.”
Locking eyes with Storm, I say, “Thanks. I needed it.”
Everyone starts to move to their horses, and it has him saying, “Let’s move out so we can set up camp.”
“See you at the waterfall,” I tease him before I turn away and walk to where Raighne’s adjusting the straps on the horse.
When I reach my grumpy guardian, he doesn’t even bother looking at me as he mutters, “You and Storm seem to get along really well.”
I shrug. “He’s a good friend.”
His eyes flick to me for a second. “Just a friend?”
I narrow my eyes on Raighne. “What’s with the twenty questions?”
He lets out a sigh before climbing onto the horse without any effort. “Forget, I asked.”
He reaches down to me, and when I place my hand in his, he pulls me up to sit in front of him. Instead of sitting sideways, I straddle the horse with my back to Raighne.
“Comfortable?” he asks as his arms wrap around me to take hold of the reins.
I glance down at his forearms and shamelessly drink in the sight of the veins snaking beneath his tanned skin.
“Alchera,” he says to get my attention. “I asked whether you’re comfortable?”
My cheeks flame up, and I nod quickly.
Praying to all that’s holy he didn’t pick up on me drooling over him, I ask, “Did Roark train you as well?”
It’s the first question I could think of.
“No.” He nudges the horse to start galloping, then answers, “I was trained by my father.”
Hearing the love in his voice, I say, “It sounds like you respect your father a lot. I’ve heard only good things about him.”
“He’s the greatest guardian there is.” There’s a moment’s silence, then he adds, “He’s the only one who’s faced Adeth and lived to tell the tale. ”
Feeling Raighne’s solid chest behind me and his thighs hugging my hips make it hard to focus on the conversation.
I can’t stop myself from leaning back against him as I ask, “He faced off with Adeth?”
“The day before your sixteenth birthday,” he murmurs near my ear, making goosebumps scatter over my body. “She tried to kill you, but she underestimated my father. Don’t you remember?”
I shake my head.
“I grabbed you and took you to Janak and Aster while my father fought her. That’s partially the reason why we sent you to Earth.” I feel as he takes a deep breath and exhales. “It’s said the ground shook from the fight.”
It’s so nice talking to him that I don’t want to stop, so I think of another question to ask.
“Are you okay with being bonded to me?”
He answers without any hesitation, “Of course. It’s an honor.” I feel his breath stir strands of my hair. “Our souls became one when we were bonded. You’re my other half.”
God.
Raighne wraps an arm around my waist, holding me tighter, and I practically melt against him.
I’m enjoying being close to him when a worry trickles into my mind. Before I can stop the words, they burst over my lips, “What happens when you fall in love?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be happy sharing my man with another woman,” I say, already regretting that I asked the question, but I push through because I’m too curious for my own good. “Surely you’ll have to put your girlfriend or wife first.”
He removes his arm from around me, then says, “I’ll never marry.”
“What?” I gasp, and when I glance over my shoulder to look at him, it puts our faces an inch apart.
His eyes lock with mine. “No one comes before you. I’ll never marry. My life belongs to you. ”
My eyebrows draw together, and unable to be selfish and rejoice that I don’t have to share him with another woman, I have to think about him.
“But that’s so unfair to you,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “No, it’s not. Some guardians never receive a charge, and they have no destiny to fulfill. I’m one of the lucky ones.”
It’s the longest conversation we’ve had since we returned to Vaalbara, and seeing as he’s answering my questions, I dare to ask another, “So what happens if you want to be with a woman? Or are you celibate?”
I glance at the other riders and our surroundings while I hope he doesn’t get offended by my intrusive questions.
When he lets out a chuckle, I’m caught by surprise.
“No, I’m not celibate.”
He doesn’t explain his answer further, and I don’t have the guts to ask another question.
He’s not celibate, which means he’s probably been with his fair share of women.
Remembering the night when he laughed with the woman by the bonfire and how she touched him, I wonder if there’s something more between them.
Jealousy rears in my chest, the emotion so strong I shift on the horse.
“No, I haven’t been with her.”
Oh God.
My entire face goes up in flames, and I mutter, “Stay out of my head.”
He wraps his arm around me again and holds me tightly to his body.
Unable to stop myself, I place my hand over his forearm and close my eyes.
If moments like this are all I’ll ever have, I’m going to savor them.
When we finally reach the area where we’ll set up camp, I can hear the waterfall.
Raighne climbs off before he takes hold of my hips, lifting me from the horse. This time, he lets my body slide down his, and my eyes widen.
Sweet Jesus .
The crooked smile I love so much tugs at the corner of his mouth, then he surprises me by hugging me to his chest .
“I enjoyed today,” he murmurs, his voice low and deep.
“Me too.”
He pulls back, and lifting a hand to my face, he tucks some wild strands behind my ear.
“For the next month, we have to focus on our bond. We have to strengthen it as much as possible.”
I nod, then ask, “Is it true that your talents grow if we have a strong bond?”
He nods. “The sooner I can heal you, the better.”
I let out a chuckle. “Yeah, that would be great.”
As the sun sets, I glance over the area and notice a stream nearby.
At least we have plenty of water.
“Find yourselves a comfortable spot to sleep tonight,” Roark calls out so everyone will hear. “We rise before dawn. You’ll need all your strength and clarity of mind, so get a good night’s rest.”
I glance around, wondering where to sleep, but then Raighne says, “At the side of the cliff is a good spot.”
He unfastens our backpacks, and I follow him to the area where the cliff offers some protection against the elements.
I watch as he opens his bag and removes a tarp and blanket.
“I don’t have those,” I mention.
“We’re sharing.”
We are?
I try to suppress the burst of excitement in my chest.
Dammit, I need to control my emotions better, or he’s going to find out I have the hots for him.
I help Raighne straighten the tarp on the ground before I open my bag and pull my pillow out.
“A pillow? Really?” Raighne asks, sounding a little incredulous.
“Yep, without it, I won’t get any sleep.”
“Did I say to bring one?”
“No, but it counts as an essential item in my books.”
When Raighne takes a roll of toilet paper from his bag, my eyebrows fly up .
“This is an essential item.” He gestures in the opposite direction of the waterfall. “By the way, if you need to go, head out there.”
“There are toilets?” I ask.
A burst of laughter escapes him, then he shakes his head. It actually looks like he’s amused as he says, “You dig a hole.”
I dig a hole? Ugh. I’m going to hate the next month.
I scowl at Raighne. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“The expression on your face is priceless,” he admits with a grin. He glances at the others, then says, “Let’s help them get the fire going.”
Hold on. I’ve had a vision about this conversation.
The realization sends chills down my spine because if this one came true, then it means the others will as well.
I decide not to mention it to Raighne and follow him to where the others are gathered. Not knowing how to help, I watch as he, River, and Storm stack wood before Lucius throws a ball of light at it. Flames roar to life, and I have to admit that’s one hell of a talent to have.
Blair and Brenna bring a bowl with meat threaded onto sticks, and everyone grabs one.
I watch what the others do and try not to burn the hell out of my dinner as I hold the stick over the open flame.
I listen in on random conversations and smile at Storm when he comes to stand between Luna and me.
“Have you done this before?” I ask. “Camping out in the desert.”
“Yes. We do it once a year,” he replies.
“I never asked, but are you a charge or a guardian?”
“Neither.”
Curious, I ask, “Do you have talents.”
He just nods, and before I can ask another question, he walks away.
Glancing at Luna, I ask, “Did I say something wrong?”
She shakes her head. “Storm doesn’t use his talents, and he doesn’t speak about them.”
My eyes widen. “Why?”
She shakes her head again. “No one talks about it.”
I let it go, not wanting to pry any further .
Once the meat looks cooked enough, I pull a piece off the stick, and when it tastes good enough, I eat while glancing around the fire at my companions.
Turning my attention to Luna again, I ask, “Who are you training with?”
“My brother.” She gives me a smile, and glancing up at the moon, she lifts her arm and opens her hand.
My lips part with a gasp as a silver light starts to glow in her palm, and when she closes her fingers in a fist, the light snakes up her arm until it settles in her eyes, making them glow.
“Holy crap.” Impressed, I grin at her. “That’s cool.”
“Time for bed,” Raighne suddenly says from behind me.
I smile at Luna. “See you tomorrow.”
“Have a good night’s rest,” she says before turning her attention to Lucius.
Walking to our sleeping area, nerves start to spin in my stomach, and I wait for Raighne to lie down before I put a safe distance between us.
I try to get as comfortable as possible on the ground and tuck my pillow beneath my head.
Staring up at the stars, I whisper, “I can see the Milky Way clearly.”
“There’s no pollution on Vaalbara,” he murmurs.
We lie in silence, and my thoughts start to drift. The vision I had earlier pops into my mind, and I shake my head, trying to suppress it.
When I see Adeth’s face, Raighne must pick up on it because he says, “Adeth wasn’t always dark. She’s my mother’s sister.”
I turn my head, staring at him as surprise shudders through me. “She’s your aunt?”
He tucks an arm beneath his head and keeps looking at the night sky as he replies, “After my mother’s death, Adeth went to the shadowlands. To this day, we don’t know why he didn’t kill her.
“He?”
“Void. He’s everything that’s dark and will drive you to insanity while sucking your soul dry until there’s nothing left of you but an empty shell.” Raighne takes a deep breath before he continues, “Besides Adeth and Ares, Janak is the only other person who’s seen Void, and he never talks about it.”
I turn onto my side, my eyes locked on Raighne’s face.
He glances at me, then says, “He’s one of the few things that can kill us.”
My eyebrows lift. “What else can kill us?”
“Being beheaded, and Adeth has a blade forged from the ashes of the volcano in the shadowlands. I’ve heard rumors Ares can rip a soul from a body, but no one knows if it’s true.”
Horrified, I whisper, “Jesus.”
“Some of us have talents that can kill.” His eyes lock on mine, “But something like a bullet won’t be able to kill you.”
My lips part, and intense relief pours through me.
“It will hurt, though,” he adds. “We’ll have to be careful on Earth. The longer we’re away from Vaalbara, the more vulnerable we become.”
He pauses for a moment, then admits, “That’s where my mother died. She loved Earth. It was her destiny to bring the animals here before she was beheaded by terrorists.”
Oh my God.
Not thinking, I scoot closer to him and take hold of his hand. “I’m so sorry, Raighne.”
He pulls his hand free, and wrapping his arm around me, he tucks me against his side. When I rest my head on his chest, I whisper, “You can use my pillow.”
I feel his chest shake with silent laughter while he tucks my pillow beneath his head.
“Rest well, Alchera.”
“You too.”
I hesitate before I wrap my arm around his waist, and closing my eyes, I suck in a deep breath of his scent.
Besides the vision, today was actually a really pleasant day. I loved the time I got to spend with Raighne.
Maybe a month in the desert won’t be so bad after all.