17. Raea #2
Since accepting Ryker into my life, I’ve felt this pull, this need to be around him, in him. This whole Canticle confirms that. We are linked in unexplainable ways. I don’t fully understand it, I never have, but I hope I can with time.
“There’s more,” Ryker says, this time linking our fingers and bringing my hand to his lips as he presses a kiss to my knuckles, like he understands the settling of some ancient emotions happening within me.
He reads, “Canticle III—Fragment II: The Runesong.
“Yet the Mark alone is but the seed—dormant until it is tempered. In the shadow of awakening, the Bonded must walk the path of the Runesong—a forging older than any rite, older even than the stars themselves. Across distance and division, the souls will cry, for what is sundered yearns always to be made whole. Through trial and tempest, revelation and ruin, the runes shall rise to test the marrow of their Bond. Each mark unVeiled is a mirror—reflecting not only their strength, but their fear, their faith, their very essence. Few have passed unbroken. Fewer still emerged unchanged. For it is said that only when the final rune is claimed will the river run whole, and the Aethermark shine with the fullness of its design.”
“We have to find a way to complete the Aethermark Bond, Raea. The Lumos Ceremony means nothing. We do not have a Lumos Bond, and I’m not even sure there will be any more.” He glances at Kellan and Ciara. “Have either of you experienced any Bonding sensations since the Veil fell?”
Ciara shakes her head. “Before we left school, I was barely starting to feel anything. Some tingling here and there, nothing substantial. But now, nothing.”
The four of us go through the book again, looking for any more clues. I grab a book Elison brought about Auralan, studying what little knowledge it holds. Ciara grabs one of his maps, unrolling it across another table so we can study the galaxy.
“We have to reach Auralan,” Ryker says, his voice low and serious.
We both look at the maps spread across the table. Even with the fastest hyperjump reactors, we’re looking at years of travel through uncharted space. We might only have days or weeks before the shadowed crown rises. The math doesn't work, but the Aethermark doesn't care about math.
By the time we’re done, we’ve missed lunch.
We call it a day and head to the kitchens in search of food.
Thankfully, they’ve set some aside for us.
We eat outside on the bridge over Kyrr Falls, the largest of the waterfalls on the palace island.
Spray and mist surround us, but don’t soak us.
The plate in front of me is full of berries, bread, a slice of meat, and honey.
“I miss Tate,” I say around a mouthful of kayberry. It’s the sweetest of all the berries in Treon. “And Trysten.” I turn and smile at Ryker. “I’m surprised he didn’t come with you.”
“Didn’t have time to talk to him. My mother practically shoved me out the door,” he says with his classic arrogant smirk.
He tosses a grape into his mouth and leans back on his hands.
He swallows, and his dimple pops out. Visions of crawling into his lap and licking the column of his neck fill my mind.
“I miss Tate, too. Gods, can he come live here with us?” Ciara begs, snapping me back to the present.
I try to ignore the heat pooling within me.
As if Ryker can sense where my thoughts have gone, his heated gaze rakes over me, leaving me breathless.
I clear my throat and turn toward Ciara on Kellan’s other side.
“I mean, I would love that. There are still plenty of rooms. It depends on his parents. Thirik isn’t being evacuated, so I don’t see why he couldn’t. ”
“Would your parents get upset?” Ciara asks.
“No. We can send a communication to Thirik later after I run it by my parents when I meet them. I have a meeting with my father after lunch.”
She nods, and we all finish our food. Ezra hovers close by, alerting a servant to retrieve our plates.
“I’ll be back in a little while, okay?” I say to Ryker, kissing his neck. I feel his body heat wrap around me, anchoring me while I breathe in citrus and raging seas. My teeth graze the soft skin.
“Where are you going?” His voice trembles a bit, otherwise I’d think he was totally unaffected. His eyes dart to my lips. My tongue glides across my bottom lip before biting down on it. He groans, capturing my mouth before he bites down on my lips, slowly dragging his teeth across them.
My thoughts flee my mind for a moment before I see Kellan leave Ciara by the entrance to the garden. “I need to talk to Kellan.”
That sobers him. He pulls back and nods. I close the gap between us. Our lips brush slightly, and my breathing gets heavier, harder.
“Fine,” he growls. “Go with him, if you must. But remember whose heart beats within yours, not beside it.” His smirk spreads across his face as his eyes dip once more to my mouth. “Hurry back, love. I don't like the way the air feels when you're on the other side of the palace.”
This makes me snort. I never thought I'd see the day when Anders Rykerson, Prince of Okenen and the hottest guy I've ever met, would ever be jealous. Can’t say it doesn’t make me feel a little good, because I’m definitely reveling in it.
“Are you actually admitting you're jealous, Prince Anders?” I seal my lips with his, sending my world into a frenzy.
He pulls back, his breath hitting my lips. “I'm admitting that your soul lives in my chest, Soraea. When you walk away, I stop breathing correctly. Now go, before I decide the garden can wait, and keep you for myself.”
I don’t answer. Instead, I hurry to meet Kellan in the gardens.