Chapter 51
Raine met her first at the door as they landed in Mydalsa, the sky now pitch black and clear above them.
“How is he?” she asked in panic knowing they had landed a few minutes behind the rest.
“Xander got him to the healer just in time, a few more minutes and it would have been bad.” Raine answered, her arms wrapping around her in comfort.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek.
“It’s not your fault.” Raine added. “You saved him, that’s what matters.”
She pulled away and could see the truth in her friends eyes, her anxiety lessening inside her.
They walked the rest of the way into the main area, Titus and Boone leaning against the table in conversation. Both looked towards them in relief and met them halfway across the room.
“Glad you are both alright,” Boone said, pulling her into a hug.
“Me too,” she mumbled and pulled away, realizing his touch didn’t bother her.
Kaden was behind her, his eyes back to being clear and she could see his face held more stress than she had ever seen from him.
“What is our plan now?” she asked hesitantly.
Boone and Titus glanced at Kaden, but no one said a word. She knew they were all in danger now, and it was partially her fault.
Finally, she saw Xander exit from a far room and make his way over, his dark presence setting everyone on edge. He wasn’t just mad, he was furious.
She braced herself for his wrath, but when his eyes met hers, they softened.
Before she could calculate what was happening, Xander grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug.
He wasn’t quite as large as Kaden muscle wise, but he kept her braced against him for a few seconds longer than she expected.
“Thank you for saving him,” he mumbled, his voice the most vulnerable she had ever heard from him.
She glanced at Kaden next to her, his eyes just as surprised as she was and when she was released, she met Xander’s gaze.
“Just returning the favor.” She shrugged and tried to give him a teasing smile.
For the first time, she saw a hint of a smile on his face and knew right then they would be friends.
“So this masked man, any idea who he is?” Boone asked behind her.
“My guess is Silas,” Xander growled.
“You think he would be so bold?” Boone asked.
“That doesn’t make sense though.” Titus started. “If he wanted her so badly, why would he want her sold off to Oak in the first place?”
“He said Oak failed him right before he cut off his head. Maybe instead of trying to get rid of her, he was trying to make sure she stayed there.” Xander's voice was getting darker.
“Ok so let me get this straight.” she sighed. “Silas orchestrates a plan for me to go to Bromel to be essentially sold to Oak in order to make sure he could find me, while also hiring people to kidnap me on the road? What was the point of the bandits if he was already planning on Oak taking me??”
“He didn’t count on me being with you.” Kaden snarled. “He had already planned on Oak detaining you but when you chose me to go instead, he needed a backup plan.”
Color drained from her face and she stepped backwards to sit on one of the chairs along the table.
“He knew if we made it to Bromel, his plan with Oak might fail and tried to hire bandits to kill you and bring me straight to him,” she breathed quietly.
Silence stayed between them, all of the men around her staring at her with mixed expressions.
The crack in her chest Silas left chipped away a little more, the pain of betrayal slamming into her once again. She tried to fight it, but a tear slipped down her cheek, Xander instantly kneeling in front of her.
“Don’t let that pain tear you down,” he whispered, his expression hinting he was familiar with her current feelings. “Use that pain to fight back Alyra, we all know you are the strongest of us.”
He lifted his hand and she felt his calloused finger gently wipe away the tear that had fallen down her face. His eyes stared at hers and she realized it was the first time had really looked at him this closely.
That feeling of familiarity tugged at her and a sudden memory slammed into her, her breathing hitching viciously sending her reeling backwards from him against the chair.
“You.” Her mouth gaping open.
She could feel a familiarity between them since the day she met, but he had kept himself closed off in the beginning and she didn’t think about it again.
“Finally remember me?” His voice was soft and everyone around her looked confused.
“You’re Victor’s grandson.” she breathed. “That summer, you came by to visit while I was still healing him.”
He just nodded and she felt the tension around the group melt away.
“Did you know who I was?” she mumbled.
“Not at the time.”
“Is that why you refused to talk to me when we saw each other again?”
“I was mad at myself for not realizing who you were back then and knew if I had, things would be much different now.”
She looked at Kaden, his face showing no emotions but she knew he was trying to figure out what was happening.
“In my village, there is a meat vendor named Victor and I saved him in a storm decades ago.” Her eyes went back to Xander. “You were so different back then.”
“A lot of things can change in a short amount of time.”
Her heart sank at the realization Victor might be dead, his home being in Helen and the attack that happened. Her eyes widened towards him and he raised his hand calmly towards her.
“It’s alright, we will worry about that when the time comes. I love my grandfather but this is more important.”
He stood, her eyes still lingering on him and when he relaxed against the table across from her, she let her head fall into her hands.
Exhaustion was taking over, the day feeling like an eternity along with trying to process all the new information.
“I need to process everything.” she groaned.
Her friends nodded and she started towards her room after getting to her feet, Kaden following her.
As soon as the door shut, he grabbed around her waist and pulled her front against him.
She barely had time to react before he took her face in his hand gently, his thumb brushing her cheek.
Their eyes met and neither made a sound as they moved toward each other slowly, her eyes closing and felt his lips press tenderly against hers.
He kept it soft, never pushing further and she knew he was just as relieved as she was that they made it home.
“You fought like your old self,” he whispered against her lips. “How are you feeling?”
Their foreheads rested against one another and she let out a long shaky breath. Her hands gripped his shirt and she tried to let her mind calm for a small moment.
“If this is all Silas’s doing and I spent a century thinking he cared about me, then I feel like the stupidest person in the world,” she mumbled.
“You wouldn’t have known.”
“I should have. Like you said when we first met, one of Mavros’s soldiers doesn’t just change sides.”
“He took advantage of you at your most vulnerable time, you cannot blame yourself.” His hand reached up to cup the side of her face. “If it is all true, I will make sure he regrets his decisions for the very short amount of life he has left.”
A smile formed on her face, the possessiveness in his voice turning her anxiety into heat in her core. Their bond vibrated, his hand gripping her face a little harder and she knew he sensed it.
“Go take a bath,” he whispered, his lips grazing against hers. “I’ll come back in a little while.”
“Where are you going?” She pulled back and felt a slight panic slam into her.
“I’m gonna go get myself cleaned up and get updates from the rest of the group. I promise I will be here when you come out.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before releasing her and exiting the room. Taking in a long breath she started towards the bathroom, stripping off the now ruined dress splattered in Trencher blood and lowered herself into the full bath.
The familiar smell of lilac stopped her mind from spiraling further and as soon as her body submerged in the water, she felt herself melt into it.