by Sarra Cannon
The green stuff she’d drunk last night had tasted wonderful. She half expected a headache, or even a bit of queasiness this morning, but nothing. Energy vibrated through her as though she’d had the best sleep of her life, which she had. No dreams had disturbed her at all.
She remembered a lot of laughing last night. Too bad everything got fuzzy after she’d taken the shot of green yumminess. Stretching again, she wondered if Katie and Chantelle had made it back home safe and sound. Giggling, she remembered how Chantelle had walked to the door without saying a word and opened it. When Sebastian turned to look at her, she’d grabbed his shirt and kissed him long and hard before turning back to the women and saying, “I’ve fantasized about that for months.” Sebastian just grinned before rubbing his jaw, shaking his head, and closing the door again.
It wasn’t until she walked past her open closet door heading for the shower when she spotted the white garment bag hanging there that the memories came rushing back. The dress, her dress was hanging in her closet, just waiting for word from The Elders. Her heart raced as she pulled the zipper down to look at the beautiful gown. How could she not have figured it out sooner? She had to talk to Drake.
She’d slept so well, she half expected it to be almost lunch by now, but the clock on the table showed eight o’clock. Drake was coming by later this afternoon, and she couldn’t wait. Heat stole up her cheeks. Drake had been by last night. She'd kissed him, right there in front of both Katie and Chantelle, who’d hooted and hollered. She’d tried to tell him he was to be her mate, and it was okay, but he’d just grinned and told her they’d talk later.
After sending Katie and Chantelle on their way, he’d helped her undress, and like a true gentleman, had done nothing more than stolen a few kisses then tucked her into bed before leaving himself.
Smiling from ear to ear, she practically skipped to the bathroom. Last night, just the idea of The Elders’ return filled her with dread, now she could barely sit still while waiting for them to come. She wanted to hold the joining ceremony as soon as possible, tomorrow even, if they’d let her.
Though she’d hoped to talk to Drake before meeting with The Elders, when she was summoned to the library late that afternoon, he had yet to return to the castle. No matter, they could celebrate his naming together later, in private.
When she got to the library, all four of her brothers had gathered, along with her father. She couldn’t help but smile at their worried expressions. For all they knew, she was still a basket case dreading this meeting, when it couldn’t be further from the truth. She couldn’t wait to get this done so she and Drake could be joined. Reaching out, she took her father’s hand as The Elders entered in single file. Dark circles hung below each of their eyes. Even their robes, immaculate on their previous visit, were wrinkled. Their glacial blue eyes bore into her as they had at their first meeting, making her want to bolt out the door.
Had she not seen the dress last night, or figured out why she’d been dreaming of Drake, she might have, but knowing what she did, she just smiled as she waited for them to name him as her mate.
“Queen Rhiannon, thank you for seeing us on such short notice.” The elder woman’s features gave nothing away.
“I’m happy to see you again. Thanks for coming.” She didn’t know the proper etiquette for receiving The Elders. “Would you like to sit?”
Her father cast her a sidelong glance as though he thought she’d finally lost her marbles, but then smiled when she grinned and squeezed his hand.
“Thank you, but no. We have deliberated on this for some time now as you well know, and we are now ready to reveal to you the name of your mate.” The woman’s gaze didn’t stray from hers as she spoke each word succinctly.
Rhia nodded, still smiling. She already knew what the purpose of the visit was. She just wanted to get through the official naming so she could start making preparations. “That’s wonderful. I appreciate all you’ve done. I’d like for the joining ceremony to take place as soon as possible.” She’d already spent far too long apart from Drake as it was. The sooner it ended, the better.
“As you wish. We’ll hold the ceremony tomorrow if it is to your liking. We would have to confer with your mate to ensure it is possible but I can see no reason to delay it.”
The hair at the back of her neck rose as she waited for the woman to continue. Something wasn’t right.
“Our meditation took a long time, days in fact. The answer was not clear or easy to decipher. What once had been obvious had muddled somehow.” The woman’s haughty attitude set her teeth on edge.
“I’m sorry?” She wasn’t about to tell this woman or any of the others anything about her relationship with Drake. It just wasn’t any of their business. Period.
“It matters not, child. We were able to sift through the haze and reveal the man beneath it all. This man is your predestined mate.” The woman’s eyes narrowed. Time stood still as the woman held her hand out to the man on her left, not bothering to grace him with a glance. He stepped forward with an old-fashioned golden scroll, handed it to the woman, and then resumed his position without uttering a word. Did any of them ever speak other than this snooty one in front of her?
Rhia’s heart clenched as realization sunk in. Heat flooded her face and her head spun. Drake’s name wasn’t on the scroll. She swallowed hard, her worst fears about to be realized. They thought someone else was her mate. They expected her to join with another man. She squeezed her father’s hand as the fear sank deep into her bones. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way she could join with someone else.
“Are you ready to find out who your predestined mate is, Queen Rhiannon?” The woman’s voice held no emotion, no inflection.
Rhia wanted to tell her to leave, and take her damned scroll with her, but she couldn’t. “Yes” Closing her eyes, she swallowed past the fist-sized lump in her throat. What could she do, tell them no? She was the one who had asked them to do this in the first place.
“Queen Rhiannon, you have requested the assistance of The Elders’ Council to name your predestined mate. We, the Council, have taken up your request and have brought forth what you seek.” The woman spoke with all the pomp and ceremony of a judge handing out a verdict. “As the head of the Council of Elders, I announce to you, Queen Rhiannon, as well as to all others present, your predestined mate is…” She paused for what seemed an insurmountable amount of time as she opened the scroll. “Master Broderick Gardiner”
Even though she’d been expecting it, she still couldn’t help the stabbing pain, or the small sob from escaping past her lips.
“You seem disappointed, child.”
Disappointed couldn’t even begin to describe what she was feeling. She was going to be sick. This couldn’t be happening. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but it is not the name I wanted, or expected to have revealed today.” She could barely speak the words aloud. She couldn’t meet the woman’s gaze as she fought to keep from screaming.
“Everything is as it should be, child. Do not fret.” She paused for a moment. “We will arrange for the ceremony to take place tomorrow as you requested. We will advise your mate. He may call on you to assist in the preparations if you wish.”
“It won’t be necessary.” She stood on wobbly legs and turned to her father. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to go.” She didn’t wait for The Elders to leave, and ran out of the room.
Unable to contain it any longer, her agonized scream echoed throughout the palace. Tears blurred everything around her as she made it to her suite and slammed the door, startling Sebastian who had stood waiting for her return.
It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. She’d just arranged to be joined with some stranger and she had no idea how to get out of it, or even if she could. Who knew what kind of crazy laws they had about this kind of thing around here?
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.” Screaming the obscenity over and over didn’t fix anything, but it made her
feel better. She’d been raised not to say such words, but if ever there was a time to use profanity, this was it. What the hell am I going to do now?
A sombre Markus followed her in, locking the door behind him. “Rhiannon, I know it’s not what you expected, but it’s not all bad. Brody’s one of my closest friends. He’s a good man.”
“I. Don’t. Care.” She spat the words at him through her tearful sobs.
“It might help for you to meet him. I hear the connection between predestined mates is very strong even before the joining. Perhaps it would help make this a little easier for you.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She was losing it and she knew it. “Don’t you see? Even if you’re right, my heart already belongs to Drake. It’s not fair. Not to Broderick, not to me, and especially not to Drake.” She stumbled more than sat into her chair, her legs unable to hold her upright anymore. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “Do what you have to, Markus. I’m sorry, I know this isn’t your fault, or even Broderick’s, but I have to try to figure out what I’m going to do.”
“Drake? Can you,” she tried to contain her anguish as she spoke, “can we talk when you get back to the palace?” Maybe she needed to meet with The Elders again. Maybe if she explained the situation they would understand and help her.
There was a long pause before he responded. “I don’t know if that would be wise.” His voice slid into her mind, making her ache for him. He sounded so desolate, so angry. She’d done this to him—again.
“Evan told you, then?” Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. How could she blame him for being so angry when she was the one to cause him such pain?
“Yes, he did. I’m sorry. It’s best if I don’t see you right now.” Just like that, he’d distanced himself.
“Don’t. Don’t do that to me, Drake. Don’t pull away. I need to see you.” Pulling her legs up, she hugged them, lowering her forehead to her knees as the sobs welled up, threatening her very sanity. The cold detachment in his voice was more than she could bear. She couldn’t breathe. It hurt too much. The same jagged-toothed vise, which had torn her apart last week, squeezed the very life out of her. Only this time, it would never get better.
“I’m sorry. I can’t.” Even knowing all of Avalore depended on her to join this other man, she couldn’t go through with it.
Chapter 25
Rhia’s heart beat so fast she thought it might come right out of her chest. If all the practicing she’d been doing didn’t pay off, she’d end up splattered on the ground below, but what choice did she have? She couldn’t stay here. Not now. And they’d never let her just walk out the front door. Why couldn’t her suite be on the ground level?
She thought she was strong enough to do what was right, to sacrifice her own happiness for the people of Avalore, but she wasn’t. She couldn’t join with Brody, no matter how great of a man he was. Shaking her head, she wiped at the silent tears trickling down her cheeks. Joining with anyone other than Drake would kill her just as surely as turning her back on a pack of Erritrols would.
It’s easy, nothing to it. Just gather energy and form a moving ball beneath you. Yeah, right, easy for you to say. Markus had made it sound like the simplest thing in the world, but she still wasn’t convinced. She’d managed it a few times, but never alone, and never from this high up. Okay, focus, Rhia. You don’t want to wind up in the roses down there. Taking a deep breath, she pulled it close, concentrating it in a large ball beneath her before closing her eyes tight and stepping off the ledge.
When she didn’t plunge to the ground right away, she forced herself to open her eyes. Her heart pounded so fast she couldn’t catch her breath, and her arms flailed like those of a bad tightrope walker, but she hadn’t plummeted the hundred or so feet to the ground yet. Had she not been scared half to death, she might have laughed.
Taking one last look behind her, she pushed forward, rolling the energy in the direction she wanted to go. The quicker she got out of here, the less her chances of being spotted. No one lingered in the gardens at this time of evening, but you never could tell who might be out for a stroll.
Wave after wave of nausea twisted her stomach, getting stronger and stronger the further she got from the castle. Swallowing hard, she pushed the rising bile back down. Darkness hadn’t fallen yet, but it was coming fast, and she wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was safe out there. She still had to find shelter, but not yet. If she stopped too soon, they’d find her and she’d be back in her suite before sunrise.
She should never have agreed to come to Avalore in the first place. She should have known better than to believe she could have a family, a mate, her very own happy ever after. It just wasn’t in the cards for her, and the sooner she got it through her head, the better off she’d be.
Pink and orange tinged the sky as the sun sank closer to the horizon. Looking back, she couldn’t see the mountain at all anymore, so she knew she’d gone a fair distance. She’d been looking for an abandoned building or a cave, but since when did she have any kind of luck? She’d just have to make do for tonight. It wasn’t not like this would be the first time she’d had to spend the night under the stars, only this time, there would be no city lights to push back the darkness. She could only hope the moon would be big enough to soften the night.
Tall trees lined the small clearing she chose. There was no real place to hide here, but at least the trees could provide some shelter from wind or rain if need be. How had her life gotten so out of hand? Being happy a few short weeks ago hadn’t mattered. She hadn’t expected it, and so she never missed it. She survived the day to day, and moved on. No more, no less.
Leaving everything and everyone behind tore her soul out, but she’d survive. She always did, only this time the pain was far worse than any physical pain she’d endured in the past. This time, she’d fallen in love and seen how good life could be. How wonderful having the love of a family was, a place to belong. She hadn’t had that in the four years since Mariella’s death. Too bad having all those things wasn’t meant for her. Why the hell couldn’t it be for me? Sniffling, she brushed away tears she hadn’t even known she’d started shedding again before she tilted her chin up and straightened her shoulders. Thinking of what could have been never solved anything. She had to come up with a plan. How was she going to get back to New York?
Swallowing, she tried to keep from breaking down again. The vise she’d managed to ignore since she’d made her escape from the castle tightened its grip around her heart, making it hard to breathe. She knew the moment they discovered she was gone. Hot pain sliced through her mind as each of her brothers and her father tried to summon her at once, making her clutch her head and moan, but she ignored them all. What was she going to tell them? She was a coward and running away. They already knew that.
When the pain eased up, she took a steadying breath, bracing herself for the next onslaught, but it didn’t come. She should have been prepared for Drake’s attempt, but she wasn’t. Sure, she’d expected he’d try talking to her when they discovered she was gone, but the aggression and fury beating at her mind was all dragon. It was frantic and wild, demanding her response.
Deep inside, scorching pain seared each of her organs, churning and spiraling out of control. Her lungs burned as though a blowtorch seared them, stealing her breath. Whatever had reached for Drake back in New York was back, and she was pissed. She tried to breathe through the pain, but nothing helped. Whatever was in there was fighting for release and she couldn’t hold it back. Heart pounding, she threw her head back and roared to the heavens, scaring herself with the violent force as it rushed out of her shaking body.
Stumbling, she fell to her knees on the moss-covered ground. All the emotions she tried to suppress came crashing down on her. Screaming and pounding the ground with closed fists, she released it into the silent forest around her.
Memories of her short time with Drake invaded her mind. His unwavering loyalty and duty had brought him to New Yor
k to find her when he would have rather stayed in his homeland, but he’d gone just the same. He’d done everything he could to find her, and once he had, to keep her safe. He’d almost died, and for what? For her to run off when things didn’t go her way? What did it say about her?
Visions of her father and brothers weeping by her mother’s grave scorched her mind. What was she doing? What kind of monster would subject the people she loved to such pain, such anguish? It didn’t have to be this way, did it? She was the damned Queen of Avalore, for crying out loud. Who were they to tell her whom she could and couldn’t join?
The beast within her stretched and shifted, lifting her head again. Rhia got the impression of sniffing the air around her, but the air was clean.
She’d left the city behind a while ago but she hadn’t paid attention to where she was going. All she knew was she’d had to leave, and now, she had no clue where she was, or how to get back. “Drake?” She reached out to him, knowing he’d already be out there looking for her, hoping she hadn’t strayed too far. Nothing but silence greeted her. She’d just have to wait until he reached out to her again. He would, it was just a matter of time.
The sound of a snapping twig had her jumping up and turning towards the tree line behind her. Not twenty feet before her stood a woman with long black hair.
The waning sun created shadows, making it impossible to see her face, but Rhia had the sinking feeling she knew who the woman was. Taking a small step back, she tried to get a bit more distance between them. She shouldn’t have left the castle grounds.
“Drake!” Heart pounding, she tried to reach him again.
“What has you so upset, miss?”
The fine hairs on her arms stood on end as a fresh wave of nausea rolled over her. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I wasn’t alone.”