59. Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Kya
W e spent the day in the cave, in our own world, eating and resting in preparation for what was to come. Ryker and I had lay in bed to get a couple hours of sleep. I closed my eyes and quieted my mind until I heard his heavy, even breaths.
I watched him sleep, trailing my eyes over his face, memorizing every part of him in that moment. The way his hair flowed over his forehead, the slight movements of his eyes beneath his lids, the way his mouth was shaped into a straight line as he slept.
His thoughts from earlier came back to me. That he wouldn’t leave me here, that I would resent him for it.
I hoped the same couldn’t be said for him.
But I had lost enough people I loved. I wouldn’t lose anymore. I wouldn’t allow any more of Oryn’s people to die because of that bastard. Not Ryker, not Mavris, not Hakoa. None of them.
I lay there awake while my mate held me in his arms, and his warm embrace made me wish I could stay there forever.
Our bond purred with contentment. But I had made my choice.
It would fight me, I knew it would. It would pull and thrash against my soul, begging me to stay.
It was unnatural, wrong, to be away from one’s mate.
I had never imagined that I would ever find my mate and when I had fantasized about it, I hadn’t imagined that I would have to leave him.
At least at this distance.
Slowly and carefully, I crawled out of his arms, already missing the warmth of his body, and out of the bed. Quietly grabbing my clothes and my weapons, I left the alcove and went into another to dress.
I’d had to make sure that I hadn’t actively thought of any of this while Ryker had been awake.
This is a bad idea. What am I thinking? This will hurt him. He will just come for me anyway. My shadow will always come for me.
No. I need to go. I’m the only one who can do anything against Daegel anyway. There’s no point in putting others at risk. I just need to take care of him then get Nikan.
I knew that Malina would be pissed when she found out that I left her behind too.
Nikan was just as much her brother as he was mine.
No matter what, no one would be happy. But at least they would be alive.
I would rather them hate me than be dead.
I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to him.
I kept my steps silent as I went back to the alcove where Ryker was asleep. I stood at the side of the bed, watching the rise and fall of his bare chest, and bent down to gently kiss him on his hair, running a loving caress down that swirling tether.
“Beyond the bond,” I mouthed.
I turned to leave but stopped when I noticed Odarum’s feather on the bedside table where I had left it during Nailu.
Picking it up, I twirled it in my fingers.
Carefully, I removed my jacket, hanging it over my arm, and shifted my wings quickly to pluck a feather from them.
Then, I went into the jeweled chamber to pry one of the gems from the cave wall, and left both on the table beside Ryker.
After one last glance at my mate, I left the alcove and headed down the tunnel to the mouth of the cave. My heart ached with every step.
Theron was there at the opening. He had stayed, waiting to take us when we were ready.
The setting sun created a silhouette around him, making him look regal and formidable as I approached.
I stood beside him, looking out over the snow-covered mountains.
I was dressed in my tight black leathers and armed with daggers.
My bow and quiver of arrows with the different colored feathers were strung across my back and my braided hair moved up and down over my shoulder with the slow rise and fall of my breaths.
“I need you to do something for me. For Ryker,” I said to the Spirit dragon.
He tilted his head and I turned to face him.
“I need you to take me to the Rip.”
Theron growled with his lips curling up, showing his teeth.
“Just hear me out.” I put up my hands. “You want to protect Ryker. It’s your purpose as his Spirit Guardian. And I want to protect him too. This is how I can do that, how we can do that. Let me do this.”
Theron rumbled a sound in his chest, like a mix between a purr and a growl.
“Please, Theron. Take me to the Rip. I understand your reservations. If anything happened to me, as Ryker’s mate, it would hurt him. But he would still be safe,” I begged.
He looked down the tunnel of the cave then back to me, contemplating. Then he lowered his massive head, his yellow eye level with mine.
“Thank you,” I whispered. I placed my hand on his muzzle then everything went black for a moment as he Traveled me away.
But not to the Rip .
He took me just outside of Hakoa’s barrack. I looked around then back to the dragon.
“What are we doing here?”
Theron jerked his head toward the barrack, toward Hakoa, toward Malina.
“You want me to take Mal?” I deadpanned.
He narrowed his eyes and growled.
I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “The whole point was so that no one else would be at risk.”
“I think his point is that Ryker wouldn’t be at risk.”
I whipped my head around to find Malina coming out of the barrack, dressed in her leathers and armed with her daggers. Hakoa stumbled, half dressed, out of the doorway after her.
“What are you doing, Mal?” I snapped.
“Coming with you, obviously.” She stepped off the porch and walked toward me. “Don’t worry. I already cleared it with the lizard. And apparently he agreed with me.”
“Malina, stop.” Hakoa grabbed her elbow. “You’re just going to leave?”
“Hold on.” I shook my head. “Theron agreed to what?”
“To take me with you, dumbass. You really think I didn’t know what you would do?
You can go without your mate, but you’re not going without me.
I have every right to help Nik just as much as you do.
” She snapped at me then turned her head to Hakoa.
“And yes, I am leaving.” She gently pulled her elbow free from his grasp and her eyes softened.
She wasn’t wrong. I glared at Theron from the corner of my eye, but what was I going to do? Argue with a temperamental Spirit dragon and my sister? I hated this, I hated that she knew me so well that she was able to plan this.
Hakoa looked at me then back to her. “Let me come with you. I can at least help.”
Malina cupped his face, and I realized then that what they had between them was more than I had thought. The look they shared held something much deeper than they had let on, deeper than I think they knew themselves. It made me hate this even more.
Crossing my arms, I turned away to give them some privacy while they whispered quietly to each other for several moments.
My impulsive plan was already going to shit. I hoped that Hakoa would convince her to stay, but ultimately she was right. She had every right to help Nikan just like I did. He was her brother too.
“And Kya,” Hakoa said louder. I turned back around to see him glaring at me. “You really think Ryker would be okay with this? Does he even know you’re gone?”
I didn’t answer.
“So you just left.” He shook his head in disbelief at both of us. “You’re both just…leaving.”
Malina started to walk away from him with a hard look on her face. “We’re Roav. Get used to it.”
“No. Stop, just—” he started to reach for her but Theron lowered his head between us and Hakoa, then snarled with his teeth bared at the chief, smoke billowing out of his snout. Hakoa jumped back with his hand up. “Fuck! Alright!”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Sorry, Hakoa.”
Malina and I placed our hands on Theron’s shoulder. The last thing we saw before we left was Hakoa running off, cursing up to the skies.