Chapter 10 #3
The passageway opened into a small alcove with a balcony overlooking the Glass Sea.
Moss climbed the stone walls framing it, and the sunlight warmed my skin the moment I stepped forward.
I rested my forearms on the railing and closed my eyes, breathing in the salty breeze.
The wind threaded through my hair, soft and cool, and for a moment it reminded me of my mother.
“I thought I might find you here,” Alaric said softly behind me. I turned, smiling as he approached.
“Hey.”
“I brought you a sandwich.” He held it out, and I accepted it gratefully.
“Thanks.”
“You doing okay, Ryn?” His brows pulled together, concern edging into his voice.
I nodded. “Yeah,” I replied quietly, taking a bite. “Remember when we were younger, and we used to sneak off to explore this place?” The sunlight hit his warm skin just right, catching in his bright blue eyes as they softened with nostalgia.
“Yeah,” he replied with a grin. “God, we used to get into so much trouble.”
I giggled. “Our dads were so pissed when we knocked down that suit of armor.”
Alaric laughed. “Right, they made us do like fifty push-ups.”
I smiled, warmth blooming inside me at the memory. “I miss those days.”
“Me, too, Ryn,” he murmured, leaning against the railing close enough I could feel his heat.
He took my hand, his thumb brushing my knuckles gently.
The moment hung between us, quiet, familiar, safe.
For once, the grief in my chest, the power humming beneath my skin didn’t seem so impossible to handle.
We stood there in the afternoon sun, reminiscing about better times before heading to class, and my heart felt a little lighter.
That night, as I laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, the dim moonlight slicing across the stone walls, my mind raced with all the death that had happened.
The power that was granted to me… was insane.
Of all the powers I could have been given, I got the one that ties me to the one person I hate most.
How was that even fair?
I let out a long sigh, shifting under the covers.
My body ached in places I had no idea had muscles, but the real pain wasn’t physical.
Suddenly, the room faded. The blankets vanished.
The stone walls melted into golden fields and blue sky.
The warm sun kissed my skin, and white clouds drifted lazily above me.
Of course.
“Hello again, Rynlee,” Hemera greeted with a radiant smile. I looked down. Of course I was in my nightwear, thin black tank and gray sweat shorts. I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Uh, hey. Also…what the hell?” Hemera tilted her head, brows furrowed in mock confusion. “You could’ve told me I was going to be mated to the Moon God’s person-thing!” I snapped, waving a hand in exasperation.
“Oh yeah,” she replied with a sly smile. “Sorry about that. Kinda forgot.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You forgot to mention I’d be magically shackled to the sole man I can’t stand?”
“Well, would you rather I only told you about the bond and not the gifts?” she added.
Fair point.
I huffed, “You could’ve mentioned both to me. Instead, I found out from the guy I actually have a crush on that I’m mated to his brother, the one I can’t stand.”
Hemera tilted her head again. “You don’t like Aiden?”
I scoffed. “Do I like him? Gods, no,” I froze. “Wait, you knew the Moon God chose him?”
“Well,” she replied, smiling faintly, “he looks like him, doesn’t he?” Then, softer, “And you two have always been destined to collide.”
“Collide is one thing,” I shot back, pacing now. “But destined? No. If you’ve been watching us grow up, you’d know we hate each other.”
“Do you?” she asked, stepping closer. There it was again, that unsettling sensation of seeing myself staring back at me. But I pushed that aside.
“Have you not heard a single thing I’ve said?” I replied, “he’s infuriating. Arrogant. Cocky. Sarcastic. He gets under my skin like no one else.”
“Sounds to me like passion,” she murmured. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.
“Passion? No, no way, Hemera, there is absolutely nothing passionate about Aiden and I; the only thing we can agree on is our hatred for each other. “Isn’t there an option to deny this mate bond?” I asked, wincing, even saying the word mate made me want to cringe.
“Well, yes, there is but—”
“Perfect!” I interrupted. “How do I do it?”
She grabbed my shoulders, stopping me mid-pace.
Her expression had shifted to serious, solemn.
“Listen to me, Rynlee,” she said firmly.
“Something dark is coming. Something ancient. Evil. If you and Aiden don’t learn to work together, if you let this bond fracture, you won’t survive it. None of us will.”
My breath caught.
“Evil? Like Kerian? The Blood Assassins’ leader?”
“No,” she replied, her voice dropping. “Something far worse. Something I fear may destroy everything we know.” That stopped me cold. If the Sun Goddess was afraid…then maybe a darker presence really was coming. My brows furrowed and after a moment I finally responded.
“Alright,” I said, groaning and dragging a hand down my face. “I’ll try. Try to work with him. But I am not letting this bond control me. I don’t like him.” My voice was sharp, final.
She smiled. “That’s all I can ask for.” She gestured toward my arm. “Oh, and you have the ability to use your healing powers now, by the way.”
My brows shot up. “I can?”
“Yep. Just focus on the wound. The light will come.” Skeptical, I placed my hand over my injured shoulder and concentrated.
Within seconds, a golden glow bloomed from my palm.
A sharp crack sounded as the bone popped back into place, I gasped from the jolt of pain, but just like that… it was gone. My arm moved freely.
“Nice,” I whispered, smiling a little in spite of myself.
“And one more thing,” Hemera added. “Your healing applies to both you and Aiden. If you heal yourself, it heals him. And if you heal him first, it will heal you in return.”
I frowned. “So, we’re… mutually hard to kill?”
She laughed softly. “Exactly. A safeguard. The bond won’t allow you to die easily.”
“Well,” I muttered, “that’s… comforting. I think.”
“I’ll be watching,” Hemera said. “And Rynlee, Aiden’s power is vast. He can protect you.
But only if you let him.” And with that, the golden field faded.
I blinked and found myself back in my dorm, the sheets tangled around me.
My shoulder was healed. But the weight of what lay ahead pressed against my chest. Working with Aiden? Surviving whatever darkness was coming?
That was going to be the real challenge.