He doesn’t say anything either as he walks closer. He just smiles broadly. When he gets a few feet from me, he bends down into a crouch, knowingly just out of my reach.
“I wanted the pleasure of seeing your face when you lay eyes on the masterpiece.” He laughs darkly. I spit at his feet, my lip curling back in disgust. He laughs harder in response as he stands, claspinghis hands at the base of his spine. “BRING HER IN,” he bellows toward the entrance.
My heart stops as two guards carry a body in, one holding the feet and the other holding the wrists. They drop her to the dirt as Cano stands. The sound of her body hitting the ground echoes through my brain, and I can feel my whole body begin to vibrate from the intensity of my fury. Heat rises to my cheeks as I seethe at Cano.
I watch as Kait lies unmoving on the cold cave floor. Her body is broken, one leg is bent at an unnatural angle, and blood seeps from the multitude of wounds across her entire body. My eyes track over all of the cuts and bruises, and my blood begins to boil as my eyes catch on each one. When my gaze reaches my best friend's face, ice enters my veins; I can feel my face blanch. Her face. The damage there leaves her almost unrecognizable. “Kait.” Her name comes out as a choked whisper, and wet sobs break out from Mel nearby. Kait isn’t moving. They don’t even bother with securing her. I can’t tell if she is even alive. Anger continually wells in my body, a fire deep in my gut. Even with the power-dampening magic wards around us, I feel my magic surge inside me, but it has nowhere to go. It’s locked down in the confines of the caves.
I turn my gaze from Kait, facing Cano, who is still smiling like he just won a carnival game. “You. Motherfucker. I. Will. End. You. For. This.” I growl with each word.
“Oh Trentikins, you keep telling yourself that.” He chides. “I promise you, the only end you will see is that of your sister, this bitch, and your own.” He laughs once. “Have you felt the power transfer from Dax’s death yet? It’s only a matter of time, if not. Youknow there is no way Raelle made it to him in time.” One corner of his mouth tilts in a half smile.
Dax is still alive, and I have to believe that Raelle made it to him. If Cano isn’t saying that he knows Dax is dead or that he has caught Raelle, there is still a chance they’ve survived. They will come for us; they just need time to recover and plan. Until then, I just hope that we can survive. I will do everything I can to ensure that the females with me receive no more suffering. I will take it all.
“You know, Cano, denial of the truth is a huge mistake. In your case, that could mean many things, couldn’t it? Oh-great-leader of our people.” I mock him. He knows he is not meant to be our leader. I agreed to allow Cano to become the leader when our parents died because I was not ready to do so, and Dax was simply not himself. Both of us were broken by their deaths, but Dax… their deaths broke something vital in him. I knew eventually the time would come when either myself or Dax would take his place, as is our right to do so. Cano had to know it too. This bullshit he is pulling, whatever it is, ensures the fact that a Fornax-Ravendene will take that seat once more because if Dax isn’t able, I sure as hell am ready now.
Cano doesn’t respond, but the look on his face says he knows I’m right, and he knows where my thoughts have drifted. He turns on his heel, and as he walks through the arching entrance, he yells over his shoulder, “Rest up, Trentikins. You’re going to need your strength if you want to live longer than a few days. Before I outright kill you, I think we will have some fun with you, or your girls...”
Hours turn to days, and only guards come into the cave to throw scraps of food and a half-full bucket of water at us. The first few hours after Cano left the cave, there was nothing but Melani’s racking cries filling the cavern we were confined to. I tried to talk to her and calm her, but everything I said seemed to make her cry harder. I eventually gave up and just let her get it out. When she finally grew tired, she drifted into a fitful sleep and has been that way since. Three days of little food and water has me feeling weaker than I have ever been. I still try to stay awake and aware as much as I can. I’m worried about Kait; she has barely moved since she was thrown to the ground. The protections on the cave are slowing her healing time, and the lack of food and water is making it that much harder for her to heal. If we don’t get out of here soon, she will die.
I was at least relieved to see that she was breathing.
Just as the thought enters my mind, the stone grinds as multiple men fall into the space. The Ravendene crest branded on the black metal chest plate of the armor they don burns into my vision. I grind my teeth, thinking of how my father is likely watching this play out with outrage. Because two men, who are supposed to be loyal to the Ravendene family, grab Mel. Roughly covering her facewith a canvas bag, they hoist her away. Kait gets the same treatment immediately after. An additional four men move to surround me. I don’t fight their advance though, even as it takes everything in me not to. I know we need to get out of these caves if we have any chance to survive. One of the men takes a pair of iron cuffs off of his belt. “Put your arms behind you and we can do this the easy way. Or don’t, and we can do it the hard way. You choose how much fun I get to have today,” the big, ugly, ogre-looking guard with a snout-like nose and bushy caterpillar eyebrows says to me. I chose the former and he snorts. “No fun.”
They place a canvas bag over my head next. The only thing I see as we begin moving is the change in light and darkness. After walking through the dark tunnels, I sigh with relief as a bright warmth hits me. We’ve exited the caves. I only feel the sun’s warmth for a moment before being shoved into a carriage, and the door slams behind me. I scramble, trying to sit up, but the carriage begins moving before I’m able. I fall forward, cracking my head.
The world goes dark as I lose consciousness once again…
Chapter twenty-three
Dax hesitates at thedoor, his eyes slowly tracking my movements as I rise from the bed. He’s leaving me to my own devices while he goes to gather supplies for our voyage to Loema. He said a family nearby who takes care of the manor grounds would supply the horses we need, and it wouldn't take long for him to retrieve them, clothes, and food. He brushes a soft kiss along my brow before sauntering to exit, but his lingering gaze brings a coy smile to my face.
“I’ll be fine, Dax. Go.” A grin appears on his face. We will have one more night of rest and will leave in the morning at first light. Butterflies take flight in my chest, and as though hecould hear the flutter of my heart, he pins me with a smoldering wink before strolling from the room.
I’m grateful for the time to myself, as I try to process everything I can without his eyes on me. I let out a deep breath. I pick up the dagger and turn it over in my hands. The thrum of the bond to Dax beats like a drum in my chest. Pounding and resonating through me and the keen sense of rightness to it. I know that this is real. This is likely why I was pulled to help Trent after losing my memories. Perhaps this is the greatness my mother told me I was destined for… It's still bizarre to feel what I do about someone who also feels like a stranger.
We have spent most of our time together in the last couple of days sleeping, or at least I have been sleeping. Losing everything I have and breaking the curse has sapped all of my energy. I’m sure that the magic it took for the bonding mark also has something to do with it. Especially since I’m not ascended. In the hours I've been awake, we have spent our time talking about what has happened since he was cursed. We discuss our plans to save Trent, Mel, and Kait, but we haven’t discussed further than that. I know that conversation will come. Discussions about the future. Our future. For now, though, we need to focus on the Cano problem and whatever it is that he and his mysterious companion are planning. I’d also like to figure out why they wanted Dax and his siblings captured or dead.
Before Dax left, he prepared a bath for me to relax, and I plan to do just that. Walking into the en-suite for the first time, my jaw almost dropped at the beauty of it, even in the darkness Dax was keeping the room in. Today, though, he drew the curtains back, and as the sun filters into the room, it’s truly exquisite. Everyinch of it has a rich, dark feel. The walls are a deep green, almost black, giving the room a depthless feel. The dark colors and rich accents match the theme of the opulent bedroom. The windows are textured stained glass with pointed arches and intricate designs at the top of each. The sun shining through them paints the room in shades of red, orange, purple, blue, and green. My breath catches as I bask in the beauty of it. The floor is a flat black tile with flecks of gold and copper throughout, but the thing that catches my attention the most is the enormous copper claw-foot tub at the center of the back wall, just under the largest of the three windows. Which is currently filled with bubbles scented of vanilla and lavender, nearly flowing from the edge. All around the tub, candles of all sizes burn, casting their flickering light around the room. I think I could stay in that bath forever.
I eagerly strip out of the filthy stolen clothing, discarding them into the basket by the door. I don’t want to think about the fact that I have been sleeping in those clothes, dirty as hell, in that beautiful bed. I shake the thought from my head. Standing in front of the double copper sinks along the wall, my gaze catches on my reflection in the ornate gold-framed mirror, which shows that the clothes aren’t where the tragedy ends. I look like a hot mess. My hair has come out of the braid that’s holding my silvery blonde locks back; loose strands stick to my neck and chest, and random flyways stick up all around my face. I groan as I plod to the bath.
I step into the hot bath and sink in slowly until I’m fully submerged, letting it wash away not only the dirt and blood but also the cloudiness in my head. Dipping my head under the sudsy water, I wash my hair with the vanilla and mint-scented soap and scrub away all of the muck from my body, soaking my sore muscles.I close my eyes and let the steam, scents, and warmth flood my senses.
“Raelle?” I jump at the voice coming from the doorway. Water sloshes over the edge of the tub and splashes to the floor. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just me.” Dax says as he puts both hands up in surrender, stepping into the ensuite. My gaze whips to the water, and thankfully the bubbles have not dissipated entirely, so I am not fully exposed to him, but enough of me is on show that a blush rises into my cheeks.
“What are you doing in here?” I snap at him.
“I knocked,” A rueful grin lifts one side of his lips. “When you didn’t answer, I wanted to make sure you were okay. I’ll wait outside…Unless, you’d prefer I stay?” His grin turns seductive, as his gaze rakes over my body half concealed by the sudsy water.
“Oh, my gods, Dax. Please wait outside. I’ll just finish up.” I laugh as I throw the bath pillow at him. It hits the door as he closes it with a soft click. I hear him laughing on the other side, and my smile widens. I think I can get used to having Dax around.
I wrap myself in the fluffy white towel Dax left out for me and risk another look in the mirror. My cheeks are rosy from the heat of the bathroom, or possibly the blush from being naked in front of Dax. I’ve had men before, so it’s not that I’m inexperienced; it’s just the fact that I was caught off guard. I run a brush through my hair, working out the tangled strands, and pulling it over one shoulder. Before exiting the bathroom, I take a deep breath. With my hand resting on the knob, I collect my confidence. I crack open the door and step out into the much cooler bedroom. The air sends a peppering of goose flesh across my skin.
“Sorry Dax, you caught me off guard. I must have fallen asleep in the bath.” I tell him. He’s standing at the hearth, a glass of whiskey in hand, his eyes sweeping up to mine and flicking across my features before they fall to the towel I have wrapped around my body.
“Don’t be sorry. If you hadn’t fallen asleep, I wouldn’t have had the chance to see you naked already.” He winks at me. I raise an eyebrow at him, then roll my eyes. Gone is the sweet, sensitive guy, apparently.
“Did you get more clothes, or am I going to be stuck in this for the time being?” I ask, keeping one eyebrow raised, and I pin him with my annoyance.
