by Kaitlyn Hoyt
I don’t see how this situation could get worse. If I attack, they’ll find a way to get to everyone and use them against me. Colton is probably planning some insane rescue mission. If the roles were reversed, I know that’s what I would be doing. This compound is run by Gadramicks who aren’t afraid to fight for what they believe in, and if Colton were to come here, he’d be killed instantly. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel right now.
Wow, she’s deep in her thoughts. Knowing that I just missed something, I glance toward Adam. “Would you like some food?” he repeats. I shake my head and sit down on the ground. Leaning my head against the wall, I close my eyes and attempt to tune out the slight headache I’m getting.
“You need to eat.”
“Adam, I’ve gone a week without eating. Thank you very much,” I mumble. That happened to me the first time I was at this stupid compound with these Gadramicks. They refused to give me any food or water unless I cooperated. Since stubborn is my middle name, I never got anything to eat. Adam was there, so he should know all about that.
“I would think you wouldn’t want to go through that again.”
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” I retort.
“Fine, if that’s what you want.”
“Adam,” Liam calls.
“Yeah, yeah. I know,” he replies as he slams the door. I can hear footsteps walking down the hall, so I know that he actually left this time.
“We’re not going to get out of here alive, are we Liam?” I ask. “I want an honest answer. I’ll know if you’re lying to me.”
Liam sighs and sits down beside me. I lean my head on his shoulder. He moves so that he can wrap his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. Before Colton, I used to sit like this with Liam all the time. It’s comfortable and familiar. “I don’t know, Ryanne. I’m honestly going to do everything in my power to make sure we do though.”
Chapter Fifteen
Colton
“So, we’re heading out in two days?” Natalie asks Tom; the hope in her voice is obvious.
“We’re going to get them back, Natalie. If we can get everyone together in two days, then yes, we’ll head out then. I don’t want to leave them there any longer than necessary either. We don’t know what the Gadramicks are planning.”
“They’ve been gone for two days already, Tom,” I tell him. “Two days more is all I’m waiting. I can’t let her stay there for any longer. This is already pushing it. She was gone a week before and you saw what she looked like when she returned.”
“I don’t think they’re going to hurt her this time. Something is different.”
“Why hasn’t Liam contacted us? That’s what I want to know. He has to know how worried we are,” Natalie says as she paces the room. Since our first meeting, about fifty more people have shown up. Our odds are looking much better with each passing day. However, the chance of Ryanne and Liam’s safety dwindles as more time passes.
“I don’t know. I’d like to know that too,” I reply as I hear my phone ring in my bag across the room. I look around confused. All the people who would contact me are in this room.
I pull the phone out and grimace as I read the caller I.D. “Who is it?” Tom asks.
“Jane,” I say as I answer. Jane and I exchanged numbers when she stayed with us overnight after Ryanne saved her and Ross. She’s worried about Ryanne and wanted me to keep her updated…and I’ve neglected to do that so far.
“Colton, is that you?” I hear her say before I even get the phone up to my ear.
“Yes.”
“Is Ryanne there? She won’t answer any of my texts or calls. Is she okay?”
I look toward Tom. How much should I tell her? “Tell her, Colton. She deserves to know.”
“Oh my god, what do you have to tell me? She’s not dead is she? I swear—”
“She’s not dead, Jane. Calm down.”
“Then what’s wrong with her? Where is she? Why hasn’t she answered?”
“Dravin has her.” I go on to explain everything. “We’re doing everything we can to get her back. We’re going to get her, Jane.” I hear silence on the other end. “We are going to rescue her.”
“Don’t let anything happen to her, Colton,” Jane whispers.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she comes back to us, I promise.” Jane sniffs on the other end. I know she’s crying, but there’s nothing I can really do to help her.
“I know you will. Thank you for telling me. Please keep me updated, Colton. I need to know.”
“I will. Stay safe, Jane.” She hangs up without saying goodbye, and I end the call. I can’t believe none of us thought to alert Jane before this.
“We have to get her back,” I mutter as I lean back against the bed. I haven’t gotten any sleep the past two nights. I toss and turn wondering what’s happening at Dravin’s compound. Is she hurt? What’s she experiencing? There are too many unknowns and I need answers before I can even think about getting my much needed sleep.
I close my eyes as Tom and Colin talk over further plans. I rest my head against the wooden headboard of the bed. I’ll just rest for a couple of minutes. I feel the bed dip down beside me, but I’m too far gone to see who it is.
“Colton?” I open my eyes. I’m sitting on the small wooden bench in the garden behind Colin’s house. I stand up and look behind me. Ryanne’s standing behind the bench, staring at me confused.
“Ryanne?” I ask her. Her eyes widen when I say her name. She runs forward, jumps over the bench, and barrels into me. I catch her in my arms, wrapping them tight against her small waist. Her floral scent knocks into me as I bury my face into the crook of her neck.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispers against my neck.
“I’ve missed you too.” I pull back, but keep her in my arms. “Ryanne, are you safe? Are they hurting you? You need to tell me.”
She looks up at me and sighs. “They’re not intentionally hurting me. Dravin’s trying to get me to use my magic, so he keeps trying to get me to fight these Gadramicks. I’m only defending myself, physically. I’m not infusing any magic, so they are able to overpower me extremely fast. Dravin stops the fight before I get too hurt, but some of the men take advantage of the situation.”
I lean my forehead down against hers. She’s not being beaten…so-to-say. Ryanne attempts to make herself taller. She snakes her arms around my waist and leans against me
“You don’t know how good it feels to just be near you. I don’t like being away from you,” she whispers. She leans her head up and her lips brush against mine. “I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t do anything because I’m so worried about you guys.”
I lean forward and lightly kiss her. Ryanne sighs and melts into me. It feels so good to hold her like this—to feel her body pressed against mine, the taste of her against my lips. “Ryanne,” I whisper.
“Mmmmhmmm,” she says without pulling back.
I kiss her lightly once more and pull back. It takes all of my willpower to pull away from her, especially when she’s pressed up against me like this…kissing me like that. “How is this possible?” I ask. “How am I talking to you right now?”
Ryanne takes a step back and bites her bottom lip. This just makes me want to lean forward and kiss those very inviting lips again. She looks up at me once more. “I don’t know for sure. I was leaning against Liam, trying to sleep and I started thinking about you. The next thing I know, I’m standing behind that bench, looking at you. What were you doing?”
“I was sitting in another hotel room listening to Tom and Colin rattle off strategies. I got really tired, so I sat back and rested against the headboard and closed my eyes. The next thing I know, I hear your voice behind me.”
“Maybe you have a new power,” she suggests.
“Or maybe you have another power,” I tell her. It’s more likely that she’s the one with the new power than me.
“Maybe it’s a soulmate thing.”
<
br /> “Maybe.”
“Wait, rattling off strategies about what?” she asks. I know that she won’t like hearing about this. I reach forward and tuck a loose curl behind her ears. Despite this being a dream…it’s surprisingly realistic. I can feel the air moving around us. The slight breeze is blowing Ryanne’s hair and causing mine to fall into my eyes. The crickets and other insects are buzzing around as they fly amongst the greenery. The sound of water cascading down into a small pool emanates from the fountain behind me.
“About our rescue mission.” Ryanne opens her mouth to argue, but I cover her mouth with my hand. “We know what we’re doing, Ry.” I slowly draw my hand away and wait for her response.
“It’s a suicide mission, Colton. Please don’t do this,” she pleads with me. I sit down on the bench and pull her down beside me. She’s always been so concerned about our well-being. Why is it so surprising that someone could be concerned about hers?
“We have plenty of mages in our group willing to help out.”
“Twenty mages is nowhere near enough. Don’t come for me. If they start hurting me, I’ll find a way to leave. I’ve been looking, but it looks like the only way to leave the compound is through the back door. It’s too risky, Colton.”
“Ryanne we have more than twenty mages coming,” I tell her. She arches her neck up and looks at me confused. I pull her closer. “We have over 150 mages willing to help rescue you.”
Her mouth falls open and her eyes widen. I almost laugh at the obvious look of shock on her face. “Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t lie about that.”
“How did you get that many?” she inquires. “I don’t know anywhere near that many mages.”
“I know some people who know some people who know some people. It doesn’t matter how it happened, just that it did. We’re coming to rescue you and Liam whether you like it or not.”
“It scares me. I don’t want anything to happen to you guys. At least if something happens to me, you all will be fine. If anything does happen, it’d be my own fault, because I don’t know when to shut my mouth and mind my own business.”
“Well, it scares me to leave you there. I know you have Liam to protect you, but I still worry, because you don’t know when to shut your mouth and mind your own business.” She laughs when I repeat her. My stomach tightens at the sound of her laugh. I’ve missed that.
“Just promise me that you’ll be careful.” She turns and faces me completely. “If you get backed into a corner, retreat and regroup, because if I find out that you got killed fighting a Gadramick, I won’t be a happy camper. I still don’t think this is a good idea. Don’t forget about our plans,” she whispers to me. I know that she’s referring to what we talked about when we sat out here the other night. How she thinks I could forget is beyond me.
I kiss her forehead. “I promise to be careful.”
“Thank you,” she says as she leans against my chest and closes her eyes. I don’t know how it’s possible, but she falls asleep in a dream. I sit back and get comfortable. I might as well try and get some sleep too.
“Hey, Colton, wake up.” The bed beside me starts moving. I open my eyes and look straight into the eyes of two blond girls.
“What do you guys want?” I mumble as I sit up. Emma and Natalie sit down on the bed Indian style and face me.
“Liam contacted me,” Natalie says with a smile.
“Ryanne contacted me too,” I tell her. Both of their smiles fall with that statement.
“What? How is that possible?” Emma asks. Everyone takes a step closer to me. I rub my eyes and sit up further.
“I don’t know, but I just saw her.”
“Liam doesn’t think it’s a good idea for us to come,” Natalie says.
“Ryanne doesn’t either, but why? She just said she was worried about our safety. What did Liam say?”
Natalie turns and faces Tom. “Umm, he said that they are safe, but he’s a little worried about Ryanne,” I instantly turn toward her. “Apparently, Dravin’s had her fight against a bunch of Gadramicks and she’s refusing to use her magic. Dravin attempts to stop the attacks, but some of the guys have gotten a hit on her. Liam mentioned that she has a lot of bruises. Apparently, she can’t sleep and has been refusing to eat anything.
“Adam has been protecting her though. They allow her to leave the cell, but she has to stay with him at all times, because everyone in that compound has vendetta against her. Oh, and get this, apparently Adam thinks he’s in love with her.”
“What?” I yell.
“Yeah, Adam’s in love with her, but he hasn’t acted on those feelings. He’s just been very protective of her. Some guy tried to attack her yesterday, and Adam beat him up. Ryanne had to pull him off the guy. Liam doesn’t like it, but Adam and Dravin are the only reason why they’re still alive.
“Also, Dr. Arden couldn’t extract any magic from Ryanne even without the protective enchantment. She talked to him once, but that didn’t turn out too well. Liam said that since that conversation, Ryanne’s gotten more and more depressed. She tries to put on a brave face around him, but he knows. Ryanne doesn’t think that they’re going to get out of there, and she doesn’t want anyone risking their life to come save her.
“They haven’t come in contact with Zahtri yet. Ryanne knows that he’s there. She can sense his magic around the compound, but doesn’t know where he is exactly. Zahtri is the only thing keeping them alive right now. Liam and Ryanne both know that Zahtri has a plan for them, but they don’t know what it is yet.”
Well, Ryanne left out a lot of details. “I still say we go. Ryanne seemed shocked when I told her how many people we have. We have more of a chance than we thought.”
“Liam thinks that we’ll still need more people.”
“Then, we’ll find more,” I say.
“It’ll take more than two days to gather up more mages, Colton.”
“I can’t leave her there any longer than that. You all know her. She doesn’t like others to think of her as weak, so she won’t give them a reason to believe so. Liam knows what’s going on in that mind of hers. If he thinks that she’s depressed, she most likely is. Think about her powers. She can read minds. She can sense emotions. Can you image what being in Dravin’s compound is doing to her mentally? All that anger, hatred, and negative emotions. We can’t leave her there for much longer. Three more days tops. If we can’t get any more, we go in there with what we have. We’ll warn everyone of the dangers ahead of time, but we go anyway. I’ll go by myself if I have to. I have to try.”
“Okay,” Tom says. He doesn’t try to talk me out of it or offer another strategy.
“Okay?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“We all love her too, Colton, and Liam’s part of our family as well. We miss them as much as you. I hadn’t thought about what being there would be like with her magic. Even if they’re not hurting her, it’ll still affect her just to be there. Three days. That’s all the time I’m allowing before we go there. I’ll go let everyone know.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Liam, will you tell me more about your mom?” I ask him as I play with the flamed pendant he gave me a few months ago. “Or how you got that scar?”
“What do you want to know?” he asks me.
“What was she like? How’d it happen? Either story. Both stories. Whichever one you want to tell.” I angle myself more toward him, so I can watch him as he talks. That sounds weird, but I love watching him when he talks. Liam doesn’t show much emotion, but when he tells stories, he comes alive.
“She was amazing. She was the type of person who went out of her way to make someone happy. She loved making jewelry. I don’t remember a day where she wasn’t making something. She loved molding something beautiful out of nothing. All the girls in our tribe would come and ask her to make something for them. They always offered to pay, but mom would never accept their money.” Liam smiles as he talks. He’s staring off into space, r
eliving the memories.
“Everyone would come to her as ask her to repair their protector pendants. The mother’s of all the male mages were supposed to make their sons their own individual pendants, but many women would come to mom and ask her to make them. My mom had a way of knowing people without meeting them. She could look at you and instantly know what your symbol should be. It was uncanny.
“When I was ten, she sat me down and told me the story of the flame. My great great great grandfather, Maitrec, was the historian for the tribe. He would keep the documentation of everything that occurred. The births. The deaths. The powers everyone had. Everything. He wrote it all down. Because of the time he lived in, he didn’t have electricity, so he wrote by candlelight. During the days, he’d watch over the tribe, observing everything. Mom said that he was all-seeing.
“One day, a woman wondered into the tribe. We don’t know exactly what happened, but she didn’t know who she was. She didn’t know her name, her date of birth, where she was from. Nothing.
“She was scared. The scrolls where her appearance is first documented say that she was a beautiful frightened woman with a fierceness never seen before in her eyes. Maitrec gave her food and a place to sleep. He was determined to find out what happened to her. He wanted to know why she couldn’t remember—what she couldn’t remember. He searched for years, but couldn’t find anything. It was like she just appeared out of thin air.
“My grandfather took her in and taught her the ways of our tribe. During the days, when he used to watch the tribe, he started working on the scrolls. He had to write everything down. Our whole tribe history has been recorded because of him. From what I hear, Bragden looks a lot like him.
“Anyway, when she arrived, Maitrec took to teaching her at night. Sitting by the candlelight, he would help her in any way that he could. She acclimated quickly. He gave her the name Rozene, which means rose. Like a rose, she was beautiful, but there was hardness underneath; she had her own set of thorns. The mystery of her past loomed in everyone’s heart. As everyone grew to love her, they wanted to help solve the mystery of her past. To this day, we still don’t know any information about her early life.