12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Kya
I t was stupid of me to vomit on the floor of the cell. The smell, mixed with the putrid odor of Paxtor’s decaying dick on the floor, was an assault on my nostrils. I’d taken the only sheet I had and tried to gather the vomit as best I could, depositing the entire thing in the bucket they left for my waste after tearing off a piece to cover the penis. I wasn’t touching it.
I felt revolting and dirty. I could still feel Paxtor’s hands on me, the detestable echo of his body on mine. I craved to scrub it away, wishing more than anything I could wash despite my aversion to water. It didn’t help that I could still see his shadow as he sat against the door.
I wanted out. I wanted to be back in Ryker’s arms, feel the familiar vibrations through the ground beneath me, hear the sound of Malina’s laugh, Nikan’s grumbling tone, and Eamon’s soft words. I wanted to go home.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I pulled my legs to my chest, sitting on the bed with my back against the wall. I tried to blink them away. I wouldn’t break because of some fucked up male.
Daegel had threatened that my experience here would be unpleasant, that I would wish for death, unless I complied. If that was some sort of sick attempt to get me to submit, he’d have to try harder.
But then why did he stop it? Why did he tell Paxtor not to defile me if his goal was to break me?
It was all making my head spin.
I’m in another realm with beings that have rounded ears and magic. I’m a prisoner, collared and isolated, with no access to my magic. What do I do now?
I pondered this for some time, getting lost in my thoughts. Glancing at the door, I noticed blood seeping into the room from underneath. I guessed it was from Paxtor’s body on the other side.
Good.
I could only stare as it crawled its way across the floor for several minutes until it stopped and began to pool.
It had been a few hours, and I lay back on the bed, staring out the small window. The only thing I could think of was Ryker. Every moment of every day, the drive to be back in his arms grew achingly desperate. Even in such a short amount of time as his mate, having his presence, knowing his thoughts, feeling his emotions as if they were my own, had become a comfort—the completion of my soul. The fractured bond cut like glass every time I caressed it.
And it hurt even more that I had lost so much of what had become a part of me. It wasn’t just the bond. I had lost Odarum, the tether to him having gone dark. The magic from him, as well as every gift I was given by Kleio, was locked away—inaccessible as the orbs lingered like lifeless bodies floating in water. I lost my terbis, leaving me feeling blind.
It pained me that I didn’t know if Malina and Nikan had made it. But I was hopeful, since I took Daegel from Taeralia, they at least had a better chance than before and they could live in a world without that monster to haunt them.
My mind reeled endlessly as the hours passed, and my eyes grew heavy as night fell. I tried to stay awake, the memory of Paxtor’s touch keeping me on edge, but I still had little energy and the events of earlier were taxing.
My eyes flung open when I heard steps approaching. I sat up straight. Two sets. One sounded heavy—perhaps Daegel’s. The other was lighter, likely a small male or a female. They stopped in front of the door. A moment later, Paxtor’s shadow and all the blood beneath the door disappeared as well as the small lump under the sheet on the floor.
The door opened, and Daegel stepped into the room with a female—one with pointed ears. Daegel pushed her farther in, while he remained in the doorway.
“Don’t forget,” he told her. His tone was ominous.
She looked to the ground and nodded. She seemed fully submissive, and it filled me with rage. No one should have that amount of control over another.
Daegel didn’t even glance at me before he left the room, closing the door behind him.
The female continued to stare at the floor, her body still facing the door, and I watched her awkwardly. She had long, wavy brown hair loose down to the middle of her back, covering the side of her face. The color was bold against her golden skin. The dull clothes she wore—a long-sleeved shirt that was too big and pants that were slightly too short—hung off her tall, slender frame.
I remained wary, not knowing the purpose of her presence. But I couldn’t stop looking at her ears. The only people I had seen here so far had rounded ears. And knowing I was in a different realm, I wondered if none of their ears were pointed, or …
She took a deep breath, and I thought perhaps she would finally turn to face me and say something, but after another couple of minutes, she remained still and quiet.
Tired of the anticipation, I broke the silence, “Who are you?”
She didn’t respond. She didn’t even move, and I wondered if she could understand me.
“Why are you here?” I tried again after a few more moments.
She sucked in a sharp breath and raised her head, revealing the side of her face. Then she turned to face me fully.
I nearly stopped breathing. A set of bright, silver eyes met mine, eyes I knew in the depths of my soul. The same eyes passed down to the one who had followed me across the continent.
“Hello.” Her voice was low.
“Oh Gods…” I breathed.
“My name is—”
“Leysa?” I asked in disbelief. The eyes. The pointed ears peeked out from her long brown hair. She was from my realm, and she was the mother of my mate.
Standing before me was the one who had been believed dead for half a century—by all but her mate, Cadoc.
Her eyebrows creased, giving me a look of suspicion. “Yes,” she said slowly. “Daegel has assigned me to you.”
“What?”
“You asked why I’m here.” She gestured to the room. “It’s because Daegel assigned me to you.”
I gaped at her for a moment, wondering if she knew who I was—who I was to her .
“You’re alive.” It was a statement and not a question.
Leysa looked at me strangely. “Good of you to notice.”
She wasn’t understanding. Clearly, Daegel hadn’t told her who I was.
I reached up and tucked my hair, revealing my pointed ears. Her eyes flicked to them, and her face softened slightly, but she offered no recognition.
“You’re from Taeralia,” she said nonchalantly. “A shame you have to be here.”
Anger began to rise in my chest. I didn’t know much about her, but seeing as she was Ryker’s mother, I had a hard time understanding how she could be so callous. “He didn’t tell you?”
“No.” She shook her head.
I stood up and held her eyes with an intensity that made her waver. I pushed up my sleeve, revealing my Trial mark and the bruising of the chains around my wrist.
She tilted her head. “A contestant. Interesting.”
“I was a contestant. The Trial already happened.” I pulled down the collar of my shirt, revealing my Worthy mark. “My name is Kya, terbis wielder and Roav of Morah, deemed Worthy of Kleio—the Silent Goddess and Mother of Atara, which has been decimated by the Glaev.”
Leysa’s eyebrows rose, and she crossed her arms.
“And,” I pulled up my other sleeve, showing my mating mark and the marriage band around my wrist. I met her eyes. “The mate to your son…”
Her mouth fell open.
“…Ryker.”
She stared at me with wide eyes, and I swore she wasn’t breathing. “Ryker,” she whispered, her fingers covering her mouth as her bottom lip trembled.
“Yes.”
“But you’re a Worthy.” It sounded more like a question than a statement.
“I am,” I said firmly. “And I need to get back to him. Now. Do you— ”
“But that’s impossible. Two Worthy can’t be mated. Can they?”
I raised my eyebrows and gestured to my arm. “Apparently.”
She snatched my arm and pushed up the sleeve just enough to see the marriage band. She studied it for a moment before a smile crossed her face, and a light laugh escaped her lips. “And you’re married?”
Her eyes lifted to meet mine. They were filled with unshed tears. My shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t even realized I was so tense, but meeting my mate’s mother for the first time—one I thought was dead—was unexpected, and significant.
I nodded. “It only just happened a— Well, I don’t actually know how long I’ve been here, but it wasn’t very long ago.”
Her face fell, and she squeezed my arm. “You’re here. That means that your bond…” Her tears began to fall. “He’s suffering so much right now. And so are you.”
I dropped my head. “Yes. As are you and your husband.”
“I’m sorry you know…”
We stayed like that for a few moments in complete silence.
I couldn’t help but reach for the bond, trying to speak down that once swirling tether.
“Ryker. Your mother lives! I’m with her! I wish I could tell you. I wish I could feel your joy.”
Nothing. Nothing but the burning pain in my soul, urging me to get back to him. I rubbed at my chest, wishing I could relieve the ache.
A sniffle returned my attention to Leysa. She brushed a finger across her cheek, swiping away a tear. “I would love to be able to give you some comfort and say it gets better, but it doesn’t. You never get used to the constant ache. It only gets more intense, so prepare yourself.”
She had had to find out all on her own. I felt a wave of pity.
“You’ve been fighting this for fifty years.” My chest tightened. I couldn’t imagine… Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision.
Ryker…
“But there’s nothing that can be done. So, I suppose congratulations are in order.” She smiled softly, and I was taken aback at how unaffected she seemed. But then I remembered, this was something she had already learned.
“Congratulations?” I said thickly.
She grinned, but there was a sadness to it. “You’re my daughter now.” She took my hand and led me to sit next to her on the bed. “Tell me everything.”
Sitting cross-legged on the bed across from each other, Leysa and I spent hours talking about Ryker, and Mavris too when she asked, though I didn’t know too much about his life. It was mostly me doing all the talking, but she would ask questions, veering us off topic onto something else. She was so personable and kind. I had very few memories of my mother and it was refreshing to talk to the female who had raised the male I fell in love with.
“And…have you met Cadoc? My mate.” She perked up with a hopeful look in her eyes.
“Once,” I said, trying to keep any sadness from my voice. But she had the right to know his current state. I would want to know about Ryker’s, even if it hurt me. “But he’s…different now, from what I understand. He’s—”
My voice was cut off when the door to my cell slammed open and Daegel walked in. “Time’s up. Let’s go,” his voice boomed in the small room.
Leysa didn’t even look at me before immediately obeying his demand. She hopped off the bed and rushed out of the room. I hadn’t even considered the fact that our time was limited, and I internally kicked myself for not asking more about where we were and how she got here. My thoughts had been consumed by the bond and our mates.
Daegel looked at me with hard eyes. “Do you see how easy it can be, Diamond?” He jutted his chin in Leysa’s direction. “It doesn’t have to be painful.”
A flood of defiance coursed through me even though I didn’t fully understand what it meant. He swiftly left, locking the door behind him. I could hear them walking away until I heard another door open and the sound of…wind?
She’s not a prisoner? Does her compliance allow her to leave this place? If it does, why hasn’t she escaped? Why hasn’t she found a way back? Why hasn’t she gone home?