Chapter 33
Sana ran through the black forest, calling out for Kal as he flew above the treetops with his black scales and wings glittering in the moonlight. He roared and fire spewed from his nostrils as he raced through the sky without a care for her stumbling through the brush below him.
Why wouldn't he stop? Why couldn't he hear her?
She ran out of the forest and her heart pounded in panic as snow crunched under her booted feet, stained in the blood of mangled snake-like creatures strewn across the barren landscape with Kal nowhere to be found.
Why did he leave her in this cold valley of death?
A scream tore from her lips as a hand shot out from the snow, gripping the hem of her cloak. She looked down at her captor, and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as Rhyel's watery blue eyes looked up at her.
"Sana," he croaked, coughing as blood drooled from his mouth, joining the blood pooled around him from the gashes in his armor. "I'm sorry," he whispered as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and the vibrant dragon's breath hanging from his neck cracked and turned gray.
"Rhyel, no!" Sana said, shrinking to her knees as she cradled his head in her hands. "Come back to me," she cried, pressing her forehead against his. "You promised."
He lied.
A cackling voice whispered around her.
"Who are you?" she called out, looking around the barren snow covered land for the body the voice belonged to.
He will never come back. He belongs to us now.
It whispered again as flames erupted around Rhyel's body, engulfing him just as it did to her mother.
You did this Sana.
"NO!" Sana screamed as she frantically tried to stop the fire engulfing Rhyel's body, but it was no use. His body crumbled beneath her fingertips, turning to ash as she tried to hold him together.
It's your fault. It was always your fault.
Sana gasped, shooting up in her bed with tears streaming down her face and sweat beading on her forehead.
"N-no," she murmured, sucking in gasps of air. "Please Gods no." She scrambled out of her bed and darted across the room.
Sana! Little Flame! What's wrong? Where are you going?!
Ignoring Sune, she ripped open her door and dashed into the hall.
Rhyel couldn't be dead.
He had to be alive. It couldn't be her fault!
Sobbing, she ran as fast as her legs would take her up the stairs to his quarters.
He promised! He promised he'd come back!
The dream. It was a lie. It had to be. She couldn't lose him like her mother.
"Rhyel!" she cried as she reached the top of the stairs and the intricate wolf carved into his chamber door shone in the fleeting moonlight like a beacon calling to her.
"RHYEL!" she screamed, bursting through the door, startling the night maids stoking the fire and preparing tea.
"My Lady! What—"
"Sana?" Rhyel said, stepping out of his steaming bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist as he hastily shrugged a black robe over his shoulders while droplets of water glistened against his skin and clung to his black hair.
Relief washed over Sana as she gazed at him with her lip trembling. There wasn't a scratch, a gash—nothing marred his beautiful, muscled body. "I...I th-thought...y-you were—" she cried as a sob choked from her mouth.
"Leave us." Rhyel snapped at the maids as he stalked across the room and gathered her in his arms, tangling his fingers in her frizzy hair. "It's okay, Sana. I'm here."
She clung to him, breathing in his musky pine scent as her tears mixed with the droplets of water clinging to his chest. "I-I can't...I can't lose y-you too."
Rhyel's arms tightened around her as he pressed his head into her hair. "That will never happen," he whispered.
The tenderness in his voice rolled over her like a comforting blanket as she sank into his embrace, crying in relief that her dream wasn't a vision of truth.
Rhyel guided Sana to the couch in front of the fire and pushed his pillows and blankets to the side before sitting down with her tucked under the crook of his arm.
"I-I'm sorry I b-barged in like this," she murmured, clinging to him as if she were afraid he might disappear.
"It's okay. I don't mind you barging in," he whispered against her head as he rubbed her back to calm her. "Do you want to talk about what made you so upset?"
She gripped his robes tighter and let out a shaky breath. "I saw you in my...my dream. You were lying in the snow. There...there was a battle," she said, looking up at him with tears pooling in her violet eyes. "You...you died in my arms."
Rhyel's heart clenched at the fear dripping in her voice.
Kal, what the fuck did you show her? I know it was you.
Rhyel seethed.
I swear to you, brother. It was not me. I would never do that to our phoenix.
"It felt so real and I-I had to see you to know it was a lie," she said as her lip trembled. "Because y-you promised you'd come back to me."
Pushing down his anger, Rhyel slid his hand to her cheek.
"I will always keep my promises to you, Sana," he said, catching another tear rolling down her face.
"But your dream didn't lie. There was a battle in Mortend.
" Rhyel sighed. "I planned to tell you everything when Zena and I returned, but it seems your dream beat me to it.
" He slipped his hand into his robe pocket.
"And I'm sorry, but I owe you another gem. "
Sana gasped as she took the cracked grayed out stone from him. "I... I saw this happen. The dragon's breath died with...with you."
"I don't know why you saw that," he said, wrapping his hand around hers. "But your gem warned Zena and I of the attack and saved us from what could've been a deadly battle. I'm glad you insisted on me taking it."
"You're welcome. I'm glad it protected you," she said, looking at him with worry clouding her violet eyes. "But what happened?"
"Yesterday, Junak informed Zena and I of a few Issian soldiers he followed to Mortend.
They left a basilisk amulet at the base of the wall on the border between the north and the east. That's why Zena and I left so quickly to destroy it because we knew that's what caused the breach and if we left it there, another breach was bound to happen. "
Rhyel leaned away from her to pour her a cup of tea.
"The Issians have always had an obsession with the otherworldly powers that lie in the beyond," he said, handing her the cup.
"They haven't done anything like this in a long time, and Zena and I weren't prepared for the amulet to be enchanted with such a strong safeguard. "
"Is that what those snake-like creatures were that I saw in the snow?" she said, taking a drink. "Guardians of the basilisk amulet?"
Rhyel nodded. "Yes, and it's been so long since I've dealt with one of those," he said, dragging a hand through his damp hair. "I'm embarrassed that your dragon's breath had to protect us, but we managed to defeat them and destroy the amulet."
Sana sat her cup on the table, frowning as if she were troubled by what he'd said. "I know you're here and you and Zena are safe, but I can't shake what I saw and...and the voice I heard."
Rhyel gripped his mug. "What voice?"
"I don't know who or what it was, but it said you'd never come back, that you... you belong to them," she said as her lip trembled and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "And it was my fault that y-you died."
That must've been a wraith in her mind again.
Kal growled, baring his fangs.
I know, and we weren't here to protect her from it.
Rhyel's heart sank at the tears rolling down her cheek. He sat his mug on the table before sliding his hands to her cheeks. "Sana, nothing that voice said to you was true," he said, wiping her tears away. "I belong right here with you and even if I died, it would never be your fault."
Sana sniffed, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be the first time," she murmured, biting her lip. "And I-I would've believed it if you weren't here."
"Is that why you said you couldn't lose me, too?"
She nodded, letting out a shaky breath. "I-I wasn't sure how or when I was going to tell you this," she said, wrapping her hands around his wrists.
"But that dream, seeing you burn in my arms the same way my.
.. my mother died in front of me, I...I think you should know that she died because of me and I d-don't want.
.." Her face crumpled as a sob broke from her lips.
"I don't want that to happen to you, too. "
"Oh, Sana," Rhyel said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "I'm so sorry about your mother," he whispered into her hair. "But that's not going to happen to me, and your mother didn't die because of you. I could never believe that."
"I-I don't know why you always believe in me, b-but thank you," she said, holding him tight. "You've given me more grace than my...my family ever has and I-I don't know why."
"Because you've never given me a reason not to," Rhyel said, pulling away from her to gaze into her tearful eyes. "And I know what it's like to lose someone like that. I lost my mother to the wraiths."
Sana's eyes grew wide. "You... you did?"
"Yes, and I would've never thought my father was the reason for her death, even though he was with her when it happened.
I know there was nothing he could do to stop it," he said, sliding his fingers under her chin.
"And I feel the same about you, Sana. I know we're still getting to know each other, but I care for you and I.
..I want you to know that I'll always be on your side and I'll always believe in you. "
A watery smile tugged at Sana's lips. "I...I care about you too," she said, pressing her hand against his chest. "And I'm so sorry you lost your mother, but in a sad way I'm... I'm glad we have that in common."
"I know what you mean," he said, wrapping his hand around hers. "I'm glad you told me, and whenever you're ready to tell me what happened to your mother, I'll always be here to listen."
She nodded. "And I'll be here if you ever want to tell me what happened to your mother too," she said, threading her fingers through his. "I'm so glad you're home and you and Zena are safe. Thank you for telling me what happened in Mortend."
Rhyel brought her hand to his lips. "Thank you for caring," he said, pressing a soft kiss against her fingers. "I'm sorry you had such a restless night because of it."
A shaky smile tugged at her lips. "It's alright. I'm okay now, but next time," she said and Rhyel's heart thumped as a ring of fire burned behind her violet eyes. "Can you tell me everything before you go on another mission like that?"
He nodded, as if that look in her eyes compelled him to bend to her will. "Of course, my Lady," he said, caressing the back of her hand. "You have my word."
She blinked, and the fire that held his heart in her gaze disappeared. "Thank you."
Mm, that was quite the command. It would seem her phoenix blood is awakening in her.
Kal growled, stretching his claws as if he were reaching for her.
I liked it.
So did I.
Rhys sighed in longing.
Rhyel cleared his throat as a blush burned over his cheeks from his brothers' inappropriate arousal. "You're...you're welcome."
Sana laughed softly and he was glad for the light that returned to her eyes. "I imagine you didn't think the first time we had tea in your room would have been so... dramatic and I'm sorry for that," she said, biting her lip. "But can I...ask you something?"
"You don't need to apologize for that. You were upset and like I said, I don't mind you barging into my room." He chuckled, squeezing her hand. "You can do that any time you like and ask me anything you wish."
She nodded, pressing her hand against the blankets beside her. "Do you... do you always sleep on your couch?"
Rhyel's blush spread over his cheeks and up to his ears.
"I do now," he said, dragging a hand through his hair.
"It's a residual side effect from my time on the quest." He laughed.
"It's a bit silly as the Alpha and Lord of this House, but I'm afraid I'll conjure a witch if I sleep in my bed. " Without you.
He left those words unsaid, but something in him ached to tell her the truth of his aversion to sleeping in his bed. But they were far from having that conversation. Especially when they'd only just admitted to caring about each other. He didn't want to ruin this moment.
"That's not silly at all," she said, shaking her head and his heart clenched at the guilt that pooled in her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's my fault that—"
"No, it's not your fault. It's mine. I made a choice on that quest and I will never regret it," he said, curling his fingers around her chin. "And I won't have you blaming yourself for the way I choose to sleep. One day, I'll sleep in my bed again, but for now, I'm fine."
"Are you... are you sure?"
"Yes, I promise, but I'd feel better knowing that you won't blame yourself for this."
Sana looked away from him. "I'd feel better if you told me what happened on your quest and why you're...you're afraid of a witch."
"That's fair." He nodded. "If I tell you, will you promise not to feel guilty or blame yourself for being chosen by Sune?"
"Can I tell you how I feel after I hear what you went through?"
A smile tugged at Rhyel's lips. "Of course," he said, slipping his hand from her chin. "Why don't we take our tea on the balcony and I'll tell you everything that happened on my quest?"
His heart thumped and simmered at the smile that spread across Sana's lips and matched his own. "I'd like that."
You're not going to tell her everything, are you?
Rhys whined in panic.
No, but I'll tell her enough to ease the guilt that plagues her.
Rhyel wasn't sure if he had it in him to tell her the truth about the future that could be if he fell prey to the witch who swindled him into believing she was his true mate.
That his selfish actions caused Sana's death, the awakening of heinous creatures from the beyond, and the destruction of the realm.
How could he ever tell her that?
I'm glad they're getting closer and actually talking about the things they should be... but I'm curious how much Rhyel is going to tell Sana about his quest. Do you think he should tell her everything?
I'm also loving a bit of development with Sana. I liked that she told Rhyel what she wanted and she didn't even stutter or hesitate ??