Chapter 31 #2
The morning after my horrible nightmare, I flat-out refused to ride with Dion.
I knew the dream hadn’t been his doing, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
After our fight yesterday and the nightmare, I couldn’t deal with him.
Instead, I rode with Ireas, who tried his best to touch me as little as possible.
I’d briefly considered joining Thain, but it seemed mean and wrong to use him when we were still on shaky ground because I wasn’t amplifying for him anymore.
Ireas and I were silent as we rode together.
Since I was lost in my own thoughts most of the time anyway, I had no objections to this.
But I nearly fell off the horse when we suddenly stopped.
I caught myself just in time, and—once my butt was safely back in the saddle again—I scanned the surroundings.
The path we traveled on was narrow, and I could see the edge of the forest in the distance. We must be close to Rastialla.
“Someone is following us. We have to hide.” Ireas words were a mere whisper, and I tensed.
It’d been a long time since we’d encountered other people.
And what did he mean when he’d said that someone was following us?
Did he mean someone was pursuing us or was simply traversing the forest on the same path as us?
Fig gave us a hand signal, and everyone guided their horses into the trees.
I was on edge, but when I spotted the two riders coming down the path we’d just been on, I couldn’t believe my rapidly widening eyes.
How was this possible? I vibrated with the need to get closer to confirm that this wasn’t just another cruel dream.
For once, I was grateful for Ireas’ loose hold on me because I could easily free myself.
Without even thinking further, I jumped from the horse and ran on the path, ignoring the panicked protests of Ireas. I ran as fast as I could and stopped directly in front of the two people on horseback, staring at them in disbelief.
Riding without Nayana in front of me felt wrong, and the hot beast of jealousy circulated through my veins whenever I caught a glimpse of Ireas holding her.
It was for the best, and I’d known it from the start.
The only way to get enough distance was to make her hate me, even though it tore me up inside.
She could never be mine or conduct the Rite with me.
Even getting as close as we’d been—it’d been a mistake, and now we were both suffering thanks to my idiocy.
I wasn’t blind to her hurt and how she didn’t understand why I was so distant from her, and it fucked me up every minute of every day.
It felt like I was constantly driving my own dagger into my guts, twisting and then twisting some more.
To keep my magic from reaching out to her was also putting a strain on me.
Only recently had I noticed that I sometimes wrapped her up in black tendrils without making a conscious choice to do so—my power had developed a dynamic of its own, and to clamp down on that habit was harder than expected.
So yes, even my own magic fought against me because I was just plain stupid.
To make things worse, I still hadn’t been able to silence all my instincts that demanded I had to protect her, keep her close, make sure nothing could harm her.
That I wasn’t able to turn off those visceral demands—even though no one else was to blame but myself—was pure torture.
Last night, when Nayana had first broken down crying and shaking and then had later woken up from a nightmare, I’d almost caved.
Her long, blonde locks had been plastered around her head with sweat, and the haunted expression on her face still hurt worse than every battle wound I’d ever received—combined.
Something primal had ordered me to soothe her and to make all the pain disappear.
Before I’d even realized it, I’d risen and had been on my way to pick her up and settle down with her in my arms when I’d stopped myself.
Scolding myself, I’d returned to my bedroll, repeating mantra-like that I’d need to keep my distance.
But when I noticed her rushing toward the approaching riders, leaving the safety of the trees, everything else became insignificant.
The world was immediately reduced to a single pinpoint—her.
Instantly, I was off my horse as well, racing after Nayana and jumping between her and the strangers like a beast possessed, crowding her back toward the safe line of the trees.
I emphasized how little I tolerated her attempts to step around me with a menacing growl.
When she eventually came to the realization that dodging me was impossible, she stopped her vain struggle and stayed behind my towering form as my attention shifted to the two riders who’d halted.
A man and a woman stared at us in disbelief and confusion. Both had dismounted, and it seemed they weren’t heavily armed. As if I would trust that. Just because they pretended to be harmless didn’t mean it wasn’t simply a good act.
The woman overcame whatever had stunned her first, and she narrowed her eyes at me, her expression as murderous as mine. “Whoever you are, get away from Naya.”
I growled again and showed the stranger my teeth. I didn’t even care that the female knew Nayana’s name, and I readied myself for an attack, carefully tugging at my Amplifier’s Potential to fuel my magic with hers.
“Stop that, jerk.” Nayana was done staying in my protective shadow but failed to shove me out of the way. She tried to step around me another time, and I easily caught her arm. Finally, she stopped struggling.
Instead of paying me any attention, Nayana spoke. “Rewi. Bryon. What—is it really you? How did you find me? Shit, Dion—get out of my fucking way and let me go!”
Dumbfounded, which was a state I rarely found myself in, I had lost my grip on her and let her slip out of my protective range as I watched her run back to the woman and the man whose names she obviously knew. What in Kalag’s name was happening?
“Rewi!”
“Naya!”
Both women embraced as if it were the last time they would have the chance to do so. Maybe it would be if I had it my way.
I stood there, feeling foolish, taking in the scene, and my anger at myself intensified.
I was furious that my instincts had overruled my rational side and that I’d lost my composure after pretending not to care even a little bit all those previous days.
As I shook myself out of my self-reprimanding state, I couldn’t suppress another low, menacing growl.
Nayana had left the embrace of the one she’d called Rewi—the female—and was deep in the arms of the male, holding him the same way she’d hugged the woman. No. No, no, no. Fuck no!
I had enough. Angrily, I stalked over and ripped her away from the male asshole who’d dared to lay his hands on her. “What the fuck, Jama! What are you thinking?”
She was struggling against my tight grasp as I carried her out of danger’s range, no surprise there, and the strangers yelled at me to let her go.
Scoffing, I witnessed the male draw a puny sword.
Yes, that settled it, the boy had a death wish.
I’d known it before—he had his hands all over Naya, after all—but this was the last confirmation I’d needed.
“Release her—or I’ll make you.”
“Cute.” I tightened my hand on Nayana’s arm, not enough to bruise, but surely she’d feel it later.
“You giant oaf, those two are my friends. Let me go!”
I ignored Nayana. I was too busy staring the male down, who confirmed his serious death wish yet again as he didn’t back down. Once more, I tugged some of Nayana’s power toward me.
“Stop it, Dion, or I swear by the gods, I’ll make sure you never can do that again.” Snarling, Nayana had used the distraction my staring contest had created to free herself, and she placed herself between the male and me. “And you, Bryon, put down your sword. No one will hurt anyone here.”
Wrong move. She shouldn’t make promises on my behalf.
I absolutely felt like slaughtering that male who had his hands all over her just minutes ago.
And now she was protecting him? I wasn’t having it.
She’d learn that no one could touch her like that and would live to tell the tale, and if she didn’t agree to that—well, all lives lost would be on her. “Don’t speak on my behalf, Jama.”
“Oh, because you never do it for me, hmm?”
“Who’s that?” The dark-haired woman turned to my Jama questioningly. Shit, I needed to stop referring to her as mine in my head.
“I’m Dion. The person who’s made sure your friend is still alive.” I was absolutely sure the others were watching us closely, staying in hiding, ready to jump in if it became necessary. As if.
Nayana sighed. “Sadly, he’s right. He and his friends took me out of Credenta and helped me to hide ever since.”
“Then, I guess, thank you. Still, that doesn’t give you the right to go all feral beast on us.” The new woman glared at me. “I’m Rewani.”
“My best friend since we were little,” Nayana said and smiled at her. “But why are you here?” Her attention stayed on Rewani and the insignificant male—who’d reluctantly put his sword away again—while she ignored me.
I wouldn’t allow that for long. Also, the memory of her and the boy and his hands all over her had been burned into my retinas, so every time I blinked, my anger resurfaced with a vengeance.
Fuck. It was so much harder to keep myself in check around those new people than around the others who’d already more or less accepted that they had no claim on Nayana.