by Hope Hart
Beth wraps her arm around me. “I’ve seen him look at you, Alexis. Do you truly believe he only wants you around for some weird prophecy?”
I shrug. “I don’t know what to think. And I don’t know why I suddenly care. I’m meant to be doing my time here until we can find Ivy and Charlie and get the hell off this planet. So why am I suddenly so devastated?”
Beth looks at me like I’m being particularly obtuse, and I frown at her.
“You obviously have deep feelings for Dexar,” she says, “or you wouldn’t be so hurt.”
I’m instantly shaking my head, and she raises her eyebrows.
“Would you prefer if I left you to your denial?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “I feel like he manipulated me,” I say, choosing to ignore that.
“Would anything have changed if you’d known about the prophecy?”
I stare down at the deep-green pillow beneath my butt. It reminds me of Dexar’s eyes, and I scowl.
“I wouldn’t have slept with him, that’s for sure.”
Beth snorts. “Really? You would’ve slept next to that fine man every night and you wouldn’t have slept with him?”
“Shut up,” I mutter, cheeks burning.
“You want to know what I think?”
“I dunno. You’re kind of mean,” I say, and she laughs.
“You were lying to him too, right? You had no intention of staying here for a year.” She holds up her hands as I squint at her. “Just saying it like it is.”
“Dexar said that too,” I say. “But it’s not the same.”
“Really? Why?”
“’Cause he made me feel things! Things I thought he felt too! But they aren’t even real.”
She tilts her head. “How do you know they’re not real? Did he say that?”
I sigh. “No, he said the opposite. But I let my guard down, Beth. And he hurt me.”
“So now you get to decide how much it matters to you. If you could be guaranteed a long, happy life here with Dexar, would you take it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me this, then. Why do you think he didn’t tell you about the prophecy?”
“He said it was because I’d think he only wanted me here for that reason.”
“And is that true?”
“Yes.”
“So can you blame him for lying? If the guy truly has feelings for you—and anyone can see that he does—then he lied to you because he didn’t want to hurt you. And because he knew you wouldn’t believe him. Was he right?”
I pick at a loose thread hanging from the cushion. Truthfully, I’ve been pushing Dexar away since the moment we slept together and I realized that I was fascinated despite myself. I would’ve jumped at a reason to replace my growing attraction with anger.
“It doesn’t make it right,” I say stubbornly, but some of the heat has gone from my words, and now I just feel depressed and exhausted. “I hear what you’re saying,” I sigh. “I was lying to him too. So we’re both a couple of lying liars who got caught out.”
“You can see it that way. Or you can see it as you both trying to protect yourselves. And people only do that when they’re scared to be vulnerable.”
“How did you get so wise?”
Beth laughs, stretching her legs out on the floor in front of us. “Sometime between getting caught in that trap and agreeing to move back to this camp with Zarix, I realized how short life is. We survived something incredible, Alexis. The fact that we all made it through that crash is nothing short of a miracle, and finding the Braxians? That’s just plain luck.”
“Or fate,” I murmur darkly, thinking of the stupid prophecy.
Beth laughs again, the sound musical. “Or fate. Whatever it is, we get a choice: Do we live in the now? Or do we hope for a future that we’re not guaranteed?”
“Is that why you decided to stay?”
She shakes her head. “I decided to stay because the thought of being without Zarix was intolerable. If I were you, I’d imagine a life where you don’t see Dexar ever again. If you’re fine with that life, then you’ve got no problem. Shake off this prophecy shit and bide your time until you can get the hell outta dodge.”
I attempt to ignore the denial that instantly shoots through me. “Do you think I overreacted?”
Beth shoots me a sympathetic look. “I think you reacted based on your life experience. Do you think Dexar will blame you for being upset? He was expecting it, which is why he didn’t tell you. Was that a dumb move? Sure. But the guy’s used to being in control one hundred percent of the time. He’s probably floundering just as much as you are.”
I sigh. Now that I’ve had some distance, I get it. I blew up at Dexar, proving that he was right not to tell me. Do I wish he’d told me sooner? Sure. But can I blame him? Not entirely.
“Being an adult really sucks sometimes,” I mutter.
“It sure does. What are you going to do?”
“I’ll give him a few hours to cool off, and then I’ll go talk to him.” I sigh. “Distract me. Tell me what’s up with you?”
Beth grins. “Well, I have my lovely new dance studio. I believe I have you to thank for—hey!”
We both whirl as someone appears in the tent, and my mouth drops open.
“Tavis? What’s wrong?”
He ignores me, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up as I stare at the sword in his hand. His eyes are cold as he looks at Beth, who is already scooting back on her butt as she reaches for a knife.
“Don’t move,” he says, striding forward and placing his sword close to my throat. I’m still frozen, sitting on the ground as I attempt to wrap my head around this new development.
Turns out Tavis isn’t the blushing, bumbling kid he pretended to be.
Beth freezes, glancing at me wide-eyed.
“Are you going to kill me?” I ask, strangely calm.
“No. But if your friend doesn’t stop looking for a weapon, she’ll die next.”
I choke at that. “Who did you kill?”
Please, God, tell me it’s not Dexar. But no, I’ve seen Dexar train. There’s no way Tavis could take him.
Unless he attacked him when he least expected it. Someone would’ve found his body by now though. Dexar is almost always surrounded by people.
Tavis ignores me, throwing a piece of material at Beth. “Put this in your mouth and tie it around your head.”
Beth’s hands are shaking as she ties the gag, and I glance around, frantically attempting to come up with anything that can get us out of this situation. Tavis is alert though, and the blade of his sword is so close to my neck that I barely dare to breathe.
Tavis drops a piece of rope in my lap. “Tie her hands.”
I slowly move forward. Beth’s smart, and she keeps her wrists apart while I tie her as loosely as I dare, attempting to make it look good. Hopefully, she’ll be able to get out of here and get help as soon as we’re gone.
It’s all for nothing, though, because as soon as I finish, Tavis steps forward and backhands Beth across her head, and she slumps to the ground, unconscious.
“What are you doing? You could’ve killed her!”
Tavis smiles at me, and it’s clear that he gives no fucks. “You’re going to walk with me to the mishua pen as if we’re just out for a stroll and Dexar put another guard on you. You’re not going to say anything to anyone, or I’m going to make sure that Rowax comes in here and slits that female’s throat. Understood?”
Rowax is in on this too?
“Understood,” I grind out. I can see the writing on the wall. If Tavis isn’t going to kill me, it’s likely because he has something even worse in mind. Whatever it is, I’m unlikely to like it.
“Get up.”
I slowly get to my knees, and Tavis stows his sword. I tense, and he shakes his head warningly, glancing at Beth. “Don’t make me kill her.”
“You’re scum. Dexar’s going to make you pay for this.”
“Dexa
r will think you ran away.”
I stare at him, and he smiles again. How did he fool me so easily? Reading people is my superpower. He’s right though—after our argument this afternoon, Dexar will for sure assume I ran away.
Whatever. He needs me for his stupid prophecy. He’ll hunt me down for sure.
Yup, I’m still not over it.
I grind my teeth as I walk toward the mishua pen. I don’t know how Tavis is planning to get me out of here. The moment I’m seen getting on a mishua, someone will immediately inform Dexar.
“Wait here,” Tavis says.
I wait, watching as Tavis walks into the mishua pen. All of a sudden, he’s the shy, awkward, young warrior who asks another warrior for help as he pulls one of the mishua from the herd.
I shift on my feet, desperate to run. The problem? I don’t know if Tavis is bluffing. If someone’s watching me right now and they see me run, Beth could end up dead.
If she’s not already.
No, Alexis, she’s knocked out, that’s all. Zarix will find her.
I tense as I watch Tavis saddling the mishua. Then he leaves her tied up and waiting, taking a few moments to joke with the other warrior before he moves back toward me.
“See that cart?” He points at it, and dread makes my hands shake. “You’re going to wait for my signal, and then you’re going to climb into it and cover yourself with the blanket.”
“You son of a bitch.”
He smiles at me, and I resist the urge to knee him in the nuts and run like hell. He’s obviously going to pretend like he’s been sent to trade with one of the other tribes.
By the time Dexar learns what has happened, we’ll be long gone.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he murmurs, lifting his hand as Brix walks past. Brix shakes his head at me, and I hope he’s about to tell Dexar I was hanging out near the mishua.
We wait several more minutes, and I’m practically vibrating with the need to scream for help. Unfortunately, everyone’s busy living their lives, barely paying me any attention. No one would ever suspect Tavis of something like this.
“Go,” he tells me, and all of a sudden, he’s not smiling anymore. This is it. He’s feeling just as tense as I am, if not more, because if anyone catches him trying to take me out of here, he’s dead.
I hesitate, and he keeps his eyes on the mishua as if we’re discussing the beast. “Go now, or I’ll make sure your friend suffers before she dies.”
I go.
Dexar
Alexis is nowhere to be found.
I wasn’t at all surprised when she didn’t return for dinner, but she knows better than to avoid my kradi when it is time to sleep.
I spent a few minutes with my mother, reassuring her that I’ll convince Alexis to see my side. My mother doesn’t care about the prophecy. Oh, she wants the tribe to be safe, but she’s mostly concerned with my happiness.
“I see how you two look at each other,” she said as I watched Alexis stalk away. “Only true love can inspire such pain.”
I scowled. I’m still attempting to come to terms with my feelings for Alexis, and she doesn’t have any warm feelings left for me.
When I told my mother this, she laughed. “If Alexis didn’t care for you, she wouldn’t have been so upset. You’ve never had to work for female company, my darling. It pleases me to see that you have found your perfect match.”
“Qatai?”
I turn, shaking off my mother’s words.
“Yes?”
“The last time I saw her, she was near the mishua with Tavis,” Brix says, and I grind my teeth. Alexis has obviously decided that none of our previous agreements matter anymore. Her actions confuse me though. The fierce female is not the type to back down from a fight. We both needed time to come to terms with the harsh words we exchanged, but I expected her to meet me in my rooms so we could continue our discussion.
Choosing not to return to my kradi is beneath her.
“I want the camp searched,” I grind out. Brix nods, and we both turn at a high voice.
“Qatai,” Yari says, out of breath as she reaches us. “You’re needed in the healers’ kradi.”
Alexis.
I sprint toward the kradi, but it’s not Alexis I find being healed. It’s Beth. Zarix’s face is hard as stone, and he clutches Beth to him as if worried she will disappear.
“What happened?” I growl.
His voice is tight with fury as the healer bandages a deep cut on Beth’s temple. “Tavis happened. He took Alexis and tied up Beth, hitting her hard enough in the head that he nearly cracked her skull.”
Beth winces and reaches up her hand, stroking it along his cheek. “Shh, baby, I’m okay, I promise.”
Zarix doesn’t seem convinced, but he falls silent as he presses a kiss to the top of her head.
I frown. “Tavis?”
Yari clears her throat, and I turn to her. “The young warrior who guarded the qatal’s rooms, qatai.”
“The one who cannot yet grow a beard?” I ask, shocked anew at the sheer ludicrousness.
“Yes, qatai.”
He had us all fooled. And he took Alexis. I thought she was sulking, refusing to return to my kradi, when really she was being taken against her will. She must be terrified.
“When did they leave?”
“I noticed them before the evening meal,” Brix says, his face hard.
“I do not blame you. This young warrior deceived us all,” I reassure him, and he nods, but the guilt doesn’t leave his eyes.
“Get me that adviser,” I say. “The one who went up against Orcan.”
“Andon.”
“Yes. Tell him to bring everything he has about the possible locations of Varic’s tribe. We ride tonight.”
Chapter Thirteen
Alexis
It’s hot and stuffy beneath the blanket, but Tavis has made it clear that if I push it off me, I’ll regret it.
Not long after we left camp, I took my chance and rolled out of the cart before sprinting away from him. Tavis caught me, smacked me across the face, and tied my hands and feet.
I’m going to make him pay for this.
We’ve been traveling for at least a couple of hours because I’ve mentally relived every moment of my fight with Dexar multiple times. I’ve also alternated between composing my apology to him and repeatedly demanding an apology from him.
Beth’s words run through my head. If I didn’t care about Dexar an unreasonable amount, I wouldn’t have felt so betrayed when I found out about the prophecy. I want him to want me for me. And yet, when he insisted that he does, I didn’t believe him.
Dexar has no reason to lie to me. Realistically, if he wanted to keep me in his tribe, he could stick two massive guards on me and make sure I’m watched every moment of every day. Nothing in the prophecy specifies that I have to be happy. His words run through my mind on a loop, the frustration clear on his face.
“You may not believe me, but we are meant to be. Even without the prophecy. I will wait as long as it takes for you to accept this.”
The problem? Both of us are damaged. He’s had this prophecy hanging over his head since he was a kid, and it was drilled into him that he’s responsible for the safety and security of his tribe.
And I learned early on that people can’t be trusted.
When Ini talked about my purpose, I had an instant flashback to Brian’s voice as he told Julie I hadn’t fulfilled my purpose.
They hadn’t invited me into their family because they wanted me. They’d wanted me to fill a space. Any kid could have done it, and when I hadn’t measured up, they’d sent me back, a little more wounded and a whole lot less trusting.
Dexar was taught that what he wants doesn’t really matter. I could’ve been ninety years old, and he’d still have been expected to mate with me. Regardless of how he felt about it.
And then, to his surprise, he wanted me. I think about the stunned pleasure in his eyes the night that I rode him, and
my cheeks heat beneath the scratchy blanket. We gradually spent more and more time together, realizing that as much as we butt heads, we also spar, laugh, and bargain.
What must it have been like for him—to be feeling for me but to know that if I found out about the prophecy, I’d no longer trust him?
He was right. I was pushing him away. Because deep down, I never trusted that someone like him could truly want someone like me—the reject whose own parents hadn’t loved her enough to keep her. The kid who was passed around—as unwanted as a worn-out thrift-store cardigan.
“I want you,” Dexar said in his low voice. And for a moment, I believed him. Then I shook it off, changing the subject to something lighter.
I blow out a breath, depressed. Now I’m being kidnapped by a guy who had me fooled into thinking he was about as confident as a substitute teacher on his first day at work.
Awesome.
If I get out of this alive, I’m telling Dexar how I feel.
Eventually, I must doze off because I wake to voices above my head.
“I have a delivery for Varic,” Tavis says, and he sounds so pleased with himself that I want to wrap my hands around his throat.
Another warrior replies, but his voice is too low for me to hear. Then we’re moving again, and voices surround the cart as we finally come to a stop.
Someone rips the blanket off me, and I have a moment to blink up at the star-studded sky before I’m dragged out of the cart.
I fall on my ass, and chortles sound around me. They instantly fall silent as another warrior approaches. He’s shorter than Dexar and Zarix, but he’s still built like a brick shithouse, with bulging muscles and no real neck to speak of. His eyes are hard as they examine me, and I shiver as he nods approvingly.
“I’m guessing you must be Varic,” I mutter. I gesture to my feet, which are still tied. “Do you mind?”
He glances at one of the other warriors, and the guy cuts the rope on my feet while I suppress the urge to kick him in the face. Then he grabs me by the rope on my wrist and hauls me to my feet.
“Ow,” I mutter as the rope digs into my skin. But I keep my eyes on Varic, who looks coolly amused.