Chapter 10
Waves of confusion crashed through Raiden, and the pounding of his heart drowned out all sounds. They weren’t here to harm Daya; they were rescuing him.
The woman—his sister, if she was to be believed—had tears running down her face, not hiding her emotions at all as she tried to convince him of her sincerity. Her words muddled in his state of shock, but he caught enough.
Instincts leading, he shifted to keep himself squared with the hunter. The woman would never hurt him, but this man was a stranger.
Movement drew his eye as the warhorse tossed his head impatiently, balking at standing still against his wishes. Watching him intently and waiting.
The chaos in Raiden’s mind went quiet, the horse grounding the wild emotions tumbling inside him.
The woman—Celina—proceeded to confirm what his mind was suddenly very clear on. A soft command from her released the horse, and he flew toward him with focused intent, slamming to a perfect halt right in front of him.
“Rogue.” The name settled with rightness in his mind as the horse butted against him with a forceful but affectionate shove. His horse. “My rogue beast.” Fingers trembling, he greeted his partner. “I knew you were out here somewhere.”
The huge, brutal-looking gray beast nuzzled his chest, nipping at his shirt.
He bit back a wince as Rogue grazed one of his scars.
The flash of pain was cleansing as it sparked through him.
He flexed his bad arm, knowing he needed to make a choice soon, before the hunter decided Celina’s attempt was going nowhere and forced the situation.
“You have to decide, Connor. Are you a warrior or not?” The mentoring voice he kept hearing whispered in his memory, the woman crystalizing in his mind as she spun the sword she’d just picked up and offered it to him.
Blonde hair tied back, her expression serious yet somehow full of warmth and encouragement.
Willing him to make the choice to follow her.
“The rest of the decisions stem from that one. Make that choice, and the rest will follow.”
Raiden struggled as he pressed his free hand to Rogue’s neck. He didn’t want to make the choice that would tear the peaceful solitude he’d come to know away from him. Tear Daya away from him.
He’d just wanted a moment to clear his mind with all that she’d shared. He wasn’t going to get it.
“You’re a warrior, Connor. Trust your instincts.” The hunter’s deep voice was firm. His time at the mountain was up. “We’ve traveled a long way to find you, brought you your horse, and we need your help. So, either fight me or we’ll call a truce and talk. Innocent lives are at stake.”
It was the final words that broke through his desire to hold on to who he’d become at the mountain.
An overwhelming need to guard someone precious rose inside him.
The memory his mind gave him had nothing to do with Daya or his sisters.
The fierce pull on a tender bond bloomed in his chest. A very new bond.
Small arms wrapped tightly around his neck as the girl curled trustingly into his embrace.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you,” he murmured as he stroked her golden-brown hair.
He hadn’t felt such a strong pull on his guardian instincts since he and Celina had taken over raising their baby sister so many years ago.
“Please don’t leave us.” The girl’s voice was a muffled sob in his shirt. “We’ll be found and sold again.”
Over his dead body. He hugged her tighter. “We killed those men. They can’t hurt you anymore, sweetheart,” he said softly. “And no one is selling you ever again.”
“Even later?” she asked. “You promise we’ll be safe?”
“You’re safe, and you won’t have to hide anymore.” Following instincts that had yet to lead him wrong, he tipped her head so he could see her eyes. “I’ll guard your heart and soul with mine, and give my life for yours, Veda. My vow.”
A responding zing of energy wove through his magic as the commitment took hold, binding them together by his vow to become her soul-guardian. Tension leeched from her as she nodded and dropped her head to his shoulder, relaxing into him trustingly.
He focused on the delicate bond and knew the memory was true. Remembered taking his own soul-guardian’s pendant from around his neck and putting it around hers. Claiming her as his to protect. His soul-daughter. Veda. What had he done?
Daya’s heart churned with distress as she made her way to the back corner of the house. Heavy silence echoed in her wake, as Raiden had already taken the other two inside.
Breathing in the cool air, she tried to settle her turbulent emotions before she joined them. She was in no mood to be accommodating to a bunch of strangers, especially since they’d come to take Raiden from her.
Something had changed in him, those last moments before he’d made his decision.
The small flinch followed by complete stillness a hallmark of one of his memories taking over his mind.
She’d felt the visceral shift in her world right then.
His reluctance disappeared, and the seriousness of the man she’d first found on the mountain came back to life in front of her eyes.
They wouldn't have to drag him. He'd be going of his own accord. She breathed the pain of that knowledge away. There would be time to grieve later. He was still here. Hers to guard until he returned to his former life.
Mind refocused, she reached out to Ereven. Where are the others?
They had to be somewhere close by. Holding back your deadliest skill until you needed it worked well when hunting. She presumed warriors would act the same and keep the most dangerous member of the group out of sight.
Ereven immediately let her into his mind to see the other pair skulking in her trees. A second Eldrin hunter and a warrior kept hidden, observing and waiting. Their horses were not with them. Probably stashed somewhere.
There was something about the female warrior that had Daya narrowing her eyes. An energy that was contained yet brimming over.
The warrior woman. Does she have magic?
Lots, Ember responded tartly.
Yes, Ereven confirmed. She vanishes into shadow with it.
Like Raiden does?
No. He hides. She vanishes. Different.
That could be a problem. Can you track her when she’s using it?
Only when she reappears, Ereven explained.
She moves like a predator, even without it, Ember added.
Careful, you sound almost impressed, Daya admonished.
Almost, Ember said.
Let them be for now, but watch them.
Until they were positive about the situation, separating the visitors was a good choice.
Feeling the need to get to Raiden, she resumed her path toward the house. The hidden entrance looked very much like a piece of the mountain because it was, in part. Pressing the earth lock with both hand and magic, she opened the crevice in the earthen wall that made up this corner of the house.
Entering, she crept quietly past the bedrooms toward the front of the house. Resting against the dividing wall where she could hear soft voices but not be seen, she paused to gain her bearings while she listened to them discuss his healing progress.
Ereven and Ember kept lightly linked with her mind but stayed outside, watching the rest of the rescue party hiding in her forest. Little did they know they were being hunted in turn by her winged companions.
They’d have to be dealt with before dark, but for now, she needed to confirm their intentions.
Rescuers or not, they were trespassing and brought enough skills to the mountain to make her wary.
A familiar, ravaged cry ripped her from her hiding place. No! Raiden! Bolting into the living area, she found the man she loved convulsing in pain.
Ember shot through the open window with a screech and darted at the strangers until they backed up. Landing on the nearest perch, she faced them with wings stretched out in a threatening manner, shrieking in warning.
The shock on Celina’s face indicated that this was not the intended result of whatever had occurred. She completely ignored the hawk as she stared at her brother.
Trusting Ember to guard them, Daya dropped to her knees in front of Raiden. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
“Hurts. Too much, too fast.” His head dipped to her chest, breathing still erratic, voice hoarse with pain.
Alarmed, Daya reached out. Ereven! Get Neka!
What happened? Ereven asked.
Magic. Ember hissed. It glitters over him.
Ember sent her a visual flash of sparkling gold with streaks of white and blue light that was quickly dissipating from Raiden’s body. It had completely covered him, the colors concentrated around his head, particularly the blue magic.
Pushing down her rage at the careless actions, she focused on calming him. Cradling his head, she ran her fingers through his hair and laid her other hand on his back. “Just breathe with me. Slow and steady.”
She stroked his arms in a soothing rhythm as she assessed him for injuries. Nothing seemed wrong. In fact, the damaged skin on his shoulder felt smooth to her touch, and the scar on his cheek had disappeared.
Healing magic. They tried to heal him.
Daya vaguely recalled hearing his sister say something about boosting his body’s ability to heal when she’d been hiding in the hall. She should have been with him. Not that it would have changed the outcome if she had.
They should have been more careful, Ember said.
The intensity of color around his head concerned her most. They’d obviously tried to heal more than just his physical wounds. Why in the world would they do that? Nature had been running its own course just fine.
Soothing him helped calm her in turn. Nothing was as terrifying as having her fearsome sky hunter collapse in her arms, except for possibly the last time he’d collapsed, when the poison had nearly killed him. Ironically, his mind was being eviscerated by loving, healing magic this time.
His heart raced at a dangerous pace as he shook and sucked in air. Ignoring her audience, she dipped her head close to his and hummed to him like she’d done when he woke up in hyperventilating panic from fevered nightmares he couldn’t remember.
Eventually, his breathing stopped its seizing and regulated to the steady sound of her voice. That’s it. Come on, Raiden.
Neka is here, hidden in trees, Ereven reported.
I’ll send him out to her. Once he felt stable, she rose, pulling him up with her. Ember, keep them here.
“Come on, come with me.” Leaving Ember to guard their backs, she led him out of the room, not stopping until they were around the corner out of sight.
“Daya.” His voice was broken as he touched his head to hers.
“I know.”
“My mind feels broken. Shattered into a million pieces.”
She stroked a gentle hand down the back of his neck. “You’re going to be okay. Just keep breathing for me. Go with Neka. I’ll come find you in a moment.”
He gave the smallest nod before moving away from her to the back door.
The breath she’d been holding left her in a rush as he disappeared from sight. Her next inhalation brought fury with it, filling her core.
Spinning around, she raged back into the living area, stopping a few feet from the visitors to dim the temptation to physically lash out at them.
“What happened?”
His sister stepped away from her protector to face Daya. “I don’t know. All I did was try to heal him. Nothing like that has ever happened before.”
“He’s in pain, and he says his mind feels shattered.” Daya barely kept the accusation out of her voice.
“He must not be handling the return of his memories well. I’m so sorry.”
“Healing his mind is not the same as helping his body heal. You were supposed to boost his natural ability, not bring all his memory back at once.”
“You’re right, that was what should have happened, but magic can be unpredictable,” Celina defended.
That was true, but Daya wasn’t feeling too charitable with Raiden’s pain echoing through her.
She tried to keep her voice calm. “His mind was keeping his memories shadowed for a reason. It was protecting him. We have no idea the kinds of things he’s done and seen that just got unleashed before his mind was ready to remember them. ”
“I would never hurt him.”
“I believe you. But while your intentions were good, he is hurting right now and needs to rest and recover at his own pace. Please let him.” She gestured toward the back of her house. “Make yourselves at home for the night. He’ll come to you tomorrow when he is ready.”
“Of course,” Celina agreed, distress still edging her voice. “Thank you for letting us stay.”
“You’re his family, so you are welcome here, as are your companions,” Daya told Celina before shifting her attention to the hunter.
“But I would appreciate it if you proceed with honesty. If they are still hiding in my trees or sneaking around when I get back, I’ll let my birds treat them as intruders, family or not.
This one in particular is not as forgiving as I am. ”
Really? Ember sounded pleased by the idea.
No. But they don’t need to know that just yet.
Ember made an angry sound as she left the room. They hurt him.
I know. Daya was still seething. But they were trying to help. The choice should be his, unless they take threatening action. Then they’re all yours. Watch them.
Gladly, Ember agreed.
Ereven called loudly to her as she ducked into the forest. He sent her an image of the cliffside lookout higher up the mountain, anticipating her question about where Neka had taken Raiden. We will guard them. Go to your mate.
Her heart panged as she began to make her way up the steep mountain side. I’m not his mate.
Ereven gave her a mental nudge of disagreement. You’ve nested together in your aerie all season. Mating dance together, yes?
She stumbled as an image of the two of them dancing by the fire filled her mind. The memory captured by her winged friend was breathtaking. Shadow and firelight transformed the scene into one of magic and mist, their bond clear and strong as Raiden held her close.
Mates.
We can’t be mates. I’m already bound to the mountain. She’d given up the ability to make separate bonds when she’d chosen to be irrevocably tied to the ancient and binding power of the sacred mountain.
Stubborn hawklet. Ember’s voice intruded.
That might be true, but it changed nothing. Her choice had been made long ago, and she would honor it, always. Even if her heart broke in the process. The fact that Raiden would understand and honor her vow as guardian only intensified the pain.