Chapter Six
Kyryl came awake with a roar of protest.
“What’s wrong, brother?”
Disoriented, he glanced around to see he was still in the rooftop garden of his sister’s palace. He tried to get up, then had to lower his head and take deep breaths to regain some control over himself. He felt dizzy and sick to his stomach.
Besides his physical discomfort, he felt heartsick from being separated from his mate. He’d just realized that Charm was his when he’d been ripped out of the dream.
Fucking hellfire, his head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice.
“What did you do?” He knew it wasn’t their fault, but he felt angry all the same. “Why did you pull me out like that?”
“Dude, you were glowing,” Rogan explained. “Not the normal glow, but you were pulsing with purple light. It was weird as fuck.”
“You weren’t responding at all,” Lucian added. “Fucking hell, you were barely breathing.”
“We thought you were dying or something,” Jais said. He was now holding Jyn, who was awake and watching everyone with wide, worried eyes. The baby held his arms out to Kyryl, but he still didn’t feel steady enough to hold him.
“You were completely cut off.” Concern made Alestra’s voice tremble. “Normally, you can hear me, even when you are in deep meditation. This was different. It was as if your spirit had completely left your body.”
“It did,” Jade growled, her voice harsh with worry. “Astral projecting is very dangerous. You should not be attempting such things without a tether who can help bring you back safely.”
“Is that what he was doing?” Lucian asked, his voice laced with a combination of fascination and horror. “I didn’t even know that kind of thing was possible.”
“It is very difficult, so few attempt it,” Jade explained. “You could have at least warned us, so we could have been prepared to bring you back safely.”
“I wasn’t astral projecting,” Kyryl said as he stood up. He still felt a little queasy, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him. “At least, I didn’t mean to. It just sort of happened. I have to go.”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Alestra snapped. “You cannot freak us all out, then just leave. I need answers.”
He tried to transport away, but his sister had him locked down, damn her. At times like this, it was a pain in the ass having an older sister by a few thousand years who was just as powerful as he was.
“Release me,” he demanded. “I must go find her.”
“Find who?”
“I think he’s lost it,” Rogan whispered loudly.
“My mate. I’m not sure how, but she found me there in my dream state.”
Alestra’s jaw dropped open.
“Well, that’s unexpected,” Jais said. “Is she some sort of dreamwalker? Is that even a thing?”
“Dragon Warrior mates can share dreams, but only after they are bonded,” Jade stated.
“Same for the Ilius,” Alestra said. “But you have not shared magic with your mate. So, how did she find you? She must be very powerful if she can astral project into your dreams.”
Kyryl shook his head. “I believe she is a Krytos.”
“That’s not possible.” Lucian’s brows furrowed. “Krytos don’t have any magic besides the ability to shift into beast form. I’ve never heard of one having the ability to dreamwalk before.”
“There is a rumor about an enhanced elite who can dreamwalk, but clearly that is not who we are talking about,” Jais said.
“That part is confusing to me as well,” Kyryl admitted. “She said she has access to Dragon Warrior water since she used it to heal a wound on her arm. And somehow, she is able to dreamwalk, but I don’t think she realizes that is what happened. She thought I was an alcohol-induced figment of her imagination.”
“She was drunk?” Jais’ lips twitched. “So, she doesn’t know you are mates?”
“I didn’t get to tell her before I was yanked out of the dream.”
Alestra looked contrite at that reminder. “I’m sorry about that. We were worried about you.”
“I understand,” Kyryl assured.
Now that his head had cleared, and he was feeling a little less frantic, he understood why they had pulled him from his dream. They had been worried about him, and he couldn’t blame them for that.
Especially since he knew just how dangerous astral projecting was.
It was something that he had never even tried to attempt before, so realizing that he and his mate had somehow managed it was truly astonishing. He was going to have to figure out how it had happened to ensure his mate remained safe.
“So?”
Kyryl blinked at Rogan, who was staring at him expectantly. “So, what?”
“Your mate. Who is she?”
“All I know is that her name is Charm.”
The last thing he expected was for everyone to look at each other before they all started to laugh.
“What in hellfire is wrong with all of you?”
“A Krytos named Charm? It has to be Charm Barra.” Rogan laughed again. “We know her. Quite well, actually.”
“She and her brothers are the owners of Wonderland, the new sanctuary on Evo. No wonder she had access to Dragon Warrior water to heal herself. Zarik, Kayn, and Rycor helped create the sanctuary,” Jade explained, mentioning her three brothers. “That means Wonderland has a mix of Ilius and Dragon Warrior magic all over the property.”
Kyryl recalled hearing that his cousins had recently helped terraform a new planetoid into some sort of gaming world. If that was where his mate was, that was where he needed to go. He was about to transport to his vessel when his sister’s words stopped him in his tracks.
“We can leave as soon as we pack some things.”
He turned and shook his head. “You are not going anywhere.”
“Of course, we are,” Alestra said cheerfully. “Jais, Jyn, and I have been looking forward to seeing the new planetoid, and this is the perfect opportunity to go visit.”
“We can take our vessel since it is larger than yours,” Jade chimed in. “Shall we see if others at Exodus want to join us?”
“Field trip!” Rogan held a fist out to his brother, and Lucian tapped his own fist against it.
“I’m sure Trip and Emma will want to go,” Jais announced as he bounced Jyn in his arms, making the baby giggle.
“I do not need an entourage to go find my mate,” Kyryl said dryly.
“We aren’t just going for you, dummy,” Alestra countered. “Charm’s brothers, Raek and Fenris, are mated to Juliet, a female we are friends with. She is the one who spearheaded the change in the Alliance’s bonding laws.”
He was aware of the situation since many people at Exodus still spoke of what had happened. While many thought it was a shame the male who held Juliet captive and killed other females was still breathing, Kyryl thought it was more fitting that his suffering continue for many years to come.
He wanted to argue against the group traveling to Evo with him. Jade and Emma were both pregnant, and his sister had Jyn to consider. But he knew if he was foolish enough to say that out loud, they would annihilate him.
Giving in, he sighed. “I am leaving within the hour.”