“May I?”
They stopped and Wyatt looked over with a surprising smile and took my request well. “Zayden, why of course.”
Meg’s eyes were wide when Wyatt handed her off into my arms and we started dancing along with the music.
“How are you, Meg?”
Her eyes were still wide and for some strange reason, I didn’t know why at first. “You’re the Zayden? Zayden Vendel?”
Her heart was fluttering and it must have been some kind of fear but I remained completely relaxed so maybe she wouldn’t see me as a danger. “I’m fairly positive. You seem awfully unhappy to be here, don’t you?”
“It’s not my place to say.”
“You know it is. I could get you out of here.”
Meg’s heart almost stopped. It was clear she was one to the idea but she didn’t sound like it. “You mustn’t even think such things. There isn’t a place I could go where they wouldn’t find me.”
“Come back with me. I have a place that no one would ever find except for those who already know where it is and it’s few.”
“I couldn’t—the consequences—”
“Wouldn’t apply to you there. No woman deserves to be forced into a life such as this. I could take you away from here where you’d never have to worry about it again.”
“That’s very kind of you but he will always find me.”
“Not if you’re with me. You’ll have to learn to trust again. You don’t want to be here. That I can see.”
“And out of curiosity, how would you attempt such an escape?”
I almost had her agreeing and explained the plan so that she may. “We leave tonight. We’ll be taking a ship back to the mainland.”
“But it takes hours to get to the docks. There’s no way they let even you use the trading docks.”
“They didn’t but you have to trust me. It won’t take hours for me.”
She looked up in my eyes but I don’t know what she was thinking. She was still afraid on some level but her response made her wants clear. “Where do I meet you?”
“Right after this. Whenever you can get away and dress darkly. I’ll take you to the ship first and come back in time before the others leave.”
“That makes no sense to me.”
“It will. Be ready.”
The music ended and we clapped for the performance.
“Okay.” Meg replied. “I’ll try.”
I smiled as we bowed to each other and walked our separate ways back to the tables. It was all working out. She agreed within just a single dance. It was good progress and now I had to wait it out a little longer for the opportune moment.
Another hour passed and that’s when I watched Meg get up from her table and leave the ballroom completely. The partying started to slow down and other guests started to leave anyway so no one found it suspicious that she was. That was the signal and I waited a few more moments to give her time to change before I too got up.
I didn’t leave right away. I knew someone would come looking for me if I just left without an explanation and I gave it to the one who would need it most; my father. “I’m going to go make sure I have everything ready to go and then I’ll be ready to take everyone to the docks.”
“Okay, son. Take your time. No rush.”
That was a relief to hear. I backed away and started to leave. It would surely give me the time I needed to take Meg all the way to the docks and hide her on the ship without the others having to know at all.
I walked the halls as if I was going back to my room and Meg pulled me into the shadows unexpectedly with fear in her voice. “I’m a little nervous about this.”
“It’s all right to be but we’re going to get you out of here. Come on. I have the time.”
Meg nodded and put her dark hood up so it shadowed her face from anyone trying to view it and she walked casually out of the palace with me.
So far it was going well. We got out which is farther than she probably thought she’d get and I could feel that it made her hopeful.
“I need you to close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to get us to the docks really fast and you need to keep them closed or you’ll probably throw-up.”
“What are you?”
The question wasn’t asked in terror but awe and I smiled. “I’m a new breed. You have to trust me.”
She closed her eyes and the moment she did, I picked her up in my arms and started for the docks. We left the city in the matter of seconds without anyone seeing us and Meg’s hold around me was tight like she felt something that scared her. It might have been the wind.
The trip only lasted a few minutes until I stopped in the cabin on the ship. “Okay. We’re here.”
I put her down and she opened her eyes. “Whoa.”
“I need you to stay here and hide like in the closet or something. No one is supposed to find out that you’re here until we leave Hintin waters completely.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going back to get the others. I’ll be back with them in just a few minutes. Wait here and don’t leave.”
“I won’t. Thank you, Zayden for doing this. I never thought I’d—”
“I know. I’ll be back as soon as I can and this ship will sail. You’ll be free.”
Meg nodded and I turned to head back. I made it to the palace but didn’t slow down until I got to my room. No one would see me and it was the easiest way.
Rift was excited to see me and knew we would probably be leaving.
“Ready? Everyone else is getting their stuff and heading outside.”
I turned and my father had unusual timing for coming through the door. “Yeah. Let’s get to the ship. I’m ready to get home.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
I took my bag I had packed and waiting all day and we left the room to meet the others outside of the palace.
“We ready?” Darius asked. “I need sleep.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get there quick. Just hang on.”
“To what?” Troy asked.
“Each other.”
Darius and Troy looked at each other for a moment.
“Couldn’t we ride in the carriage and you be our horse?” Darius asked.
“Or—I could just leave you here.”
“No!” Darius and Troy shouted at the same time and grabbed each other’s arm.
I laughed to their sudden anxiousness. “I wish Ruby was here. She’d have a great sarcastic comment for you right now.”
Darius immediately let go of Troy and pushed him away from him with some of his gifted strength. Troy flew to the ground hard and rolled right up to his feet from the force. “You’re so dead.”
He stepped towards him for his revenge but my father got in between them and simply dropped Troy to his back. “Later, son. We have to go.”
Once Troy got his breath back, he saw my father over him, holding down his hand. “Was that you?”
Darius laughed. “That was so great!”
“We don’t have time.” My father said. “You’re both going to play nice and we’re going to get to the ship. Zayden.”
“Yes, father.” I picked up Rift with one hand and held out my other. “Hold on tight.”
He locked wrists with me and looked back at the others. “Aleks.”
Aleksander stepped up and locked wrists with him and they looked at the last two. They both sighed and stepped forward.
Troy locked wrists with Aleksander and held out his hand to Darius. “Just don’t break my wrist or I’m letting go.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Darius said as he grabbed him tight. “You let go and I’ll take your whole arm.”
He rolled his eyes but I cut into it. I didn’t have time for this right now. “Okay. This will be the short trip. Close your eyes.”
Everyone did it and I started us towards the docks. It didn’t feel that trying having to do it again. It wasn’t far compared to the one I
had to make tomorrow.
“Finally.” Darius fell back on his bed the moment he opened his eyes to see it. “Don’t bother me until we get there.”
“We should all get some rest.” Aleksander suggested.
I wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on around me. I sat on the edge of my bed, looking at the cracked open door next to me. Meg was inside and I was focused on making this plan work.
“Zayden!” My father said my name loudly like he’s been trying to get my attention.
“Yes?”
He looked at me strangely for a second and shared a look with Aleksander. “What did you do?”
“What?”
He looked at the door next to me and his eyes narrowed as he went to it. I couldn’t do anything but sigh and my father opened the door just a little bit to see Meg inside with a smile and a small finger wave.
He huffed and slammed the door shut. “Troy, go tell the helmsman to turn this ship around.”
I stood up. “Father, no.”
“Why?” Troy asked.
“We have a stowaway.”
“Father, you can’t.” I said. “Troy, stay!”
“Go!” He demanded. “I thought we had this talk, Zayden? I will not go to war over this. Take her back.”
“Wait a second.” Troy said. “What are we talking about?”
My father opened up the closet and pulled Meg out of it, removing her hood.
“You kidnapped the Princess?”
I laughed. “Kidnapped? Troy, come on. You know it’s not like that.”
“Zayden, this is serious.” My father said in his classic deep voice.
“Darius, you have to see this.” Troy whispered.
Darius sighed and slowly started to sit up just a little bit and open his eyes. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Yes.”
Darius laughed and sat up the rest of the way. “You’re bringing a girl home? Adele’s going to be pissed.”
“I’m pissed!” My father shouted loudly, making Rift whine and back himself under the bed at my feet. “What were you thinking?”
“Father, I couldn’t let them keep her there.”
“That’s not really our business, is it? You should have just left it alone like I said you should.”
“Don’t worry. They’re not going to find out.”
“You’re right because we’re bringing her back. Troy, go!”
“Troy, wait!” I cut in, making Troy stop again, confused as to who he should listen to. “Father, they won’t know it was us.”
“So, what do you plan to do now? She’s out. Now what’s your master plan?”
“We take her back with us and keep her safe.”
“For how long?”
“However long it takes.”
He was pacing the floor. Breaths heavy with his thoughts, trying to come up with a solution.
“You should think about all of the options here, Izin.” Aleksander said. “Taking her back could lead to problems.”
“And keeping her wouldn’t?”
“They’re all about rules. They could never prove that it was Zayden. Women make a run for it on a daily basis. They’re first assumption would never be that someone stole her. It wouldn’t even be their second.”
“Okay, so we do nothing?”
“It would be the best way.”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Fine but if this accelerates, you’re going to give me no choice but to answer with force for this family and every death will be on you.”
“I’m willing to take that risk, father.”
“Troy, you can relax. Get some sleep. We all need it.”
I looked over at Meg and she’s just been standing quietly through the yelling. I only gave her a quiet nod to let her know that it was going to be okay. She was out. She at least had to be grateful for that. I’d do the rest.
Chapter 11
Jaylyn
I could no longer watch him ride away from me, knowing I wouldn’t see him for weeks. The thought of it hurt and I just had to go inside.
It was quiet when Adele closed the door behind her and we went into the first floor lounge.
“So—” Ruby said, breaking the long silence as we sat down. “This should be a new experience. It hasn’t been just us in a while.”
“Doesn’t make it a good one.” I muttered.
“They’ll be back soon.” Adele assured me. “Zayden’s going to make sure their trip is quick. Travel time will be cut really short. So, they should only be gone for like four days.”
“Yeah.” Ruby agreed. “That’s not really that long.”
“Easy for you to say. Who’s going to help me get to sleep and keep me warm at night? Not Troy. He’ll be spending his nights with a Hintin Kitten.”
“You think Troy won’t be faithful to you?” Ruby wondered. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. He’s Troy. He would never do that.”
“Still doesn’t stop me from thinking about it. Aren’t you worried?”
Adele and Ruby looked at each other, probably thinking of past experiences. I was sorry to bring it up but I know what they were like there and I was worried.
“Trust can be hard sometimes.” Ruby said. “But when you love him enough, it’s easy. I trust that Darius won’t do anything he’ll regret.”
“And I trust Zayden but I still thought about it. We just have to remember that we’re better and know that they know that.”
It got a smile out of me. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe you’re right about that. I just miss him already. I didn’t want him to go.”
Adele got up and sat down next to me. “I know. None of us did but it won’t be long. We’ll survive.”
“Well, I know what I’m going to do.” Ruby said as she got up.
I laughed. “Sleep?”
“Absolutely! I’ll be up for dinner.”
“Okay.” Adele said. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I think I will be. I just got to quit thinking about it.”
“Okay. I’m going to check our stock to see how low we’re getting on supplies so we can get more. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just going to my room for a while.”
Adele nodded and I went up the stairs to the big empty bed in my room and laid back on it, looking at the ceiling. I felt tired but couldn’t stop thinking about Troy gone.
My hand slowly moved down and rested on my stomach and I started to smile as I rubbed it. “Hurry home.”
I closed my eyes where I laid and was able to fall asleep and sleep off some of this time just like Ruby was doing. It would be good for me. This time alone could help me figure out how I was going to tell him.
Adele just made a small meal for the three of us that night but we ate together in silence. It was weird. It hasn’t been just us since we met them and it seemed none of us knew what to talk about.
“So—” Adele said through the pause as she reached for her glass of wine. “How about a toast?”
“Okay.” Ruby took her glass in her hand as well. “To surviving our first day.”
They smiled as I picked up my glass and touched it with the other two.
Adele and Ruby brought their glasses to their mouths right away but I just set mine back down on the table completely full. I wasn’t in the mood for this for several reasons.
“Jaylyn, you have to take a drink.” Adele said. “That’s kind of the point.”
“Ah—I know but—I can’t.”
“You can’t?” Ruby asked. “Why not?”
“Ah—” I didn’t know how to word it or what to really say at all.
“Jaylyn! Shit!” Adele bursts out with a big smile like she could read my mind about all the things I wasn’t saying. “You’re not! You’re pregnant?!”
“What?!” Ruby shouted.
“Ah, yeah.” I said quietly.
“What’s wrong with you?” Adele asked. “You don’t sound happy?”
> “I am happy. I just didn’t get to tell Troy before he left. I couldn’t.”
“Is that all?”
I paused for a moment and moved food around on my plate. Confessing something like this was hard but I knew I could tell them anything. They were my sisters. I wouldn’t be tormented about it too badly. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Everything, what it’s going to be like. Ellie—” I choked up from having to say her name and tried holding back my emotions so I could go on. “She was mine but I didn’t physically have her. What if something goes wrong?”
“We’ll be here.” Adele said as she moved closer and took my hand. “Nothing bad will happen. How about tomorrow I read up on some of it for you while you relax?”
“Really? Okay. That would be—great.”
“Maybe you should get to bed.”
I laughed to her need to take care of me. “I’m pregnant not dying.”
“Still. Rest is the best thing for you so nothing bad does happen.”
That was a little incentive to do what she recommended and I got up. “Well, since you put it that way. I think that is a good idea. I’m just going to get to bed and see how well I can fall asleep again without Troy.”
Chapter 12
Adele
“Wow.” Ruby muttered. “Who knew?”
“I think it’s great. She already has the experience and Troy has proven his father skills with Ellie.”
“Yeah. I remember but what do you think will happen when she really starts thinking about Ellie?”
I shrugged while I got up. “I don’t know. I hope nothing too drastic. I’m going to get this stuff cleaned up and get to bed too.”
“Okay. Let me help.”
We started picking up the plates from the table and brought them into the kitchen. I took care of everything I used to make the meal and we went upstairs to bed.
I laid in mine and couldn’t help but wonder if I was carrying too. I looked next to me where Zayden would sleep and touched the empty space. I knew we would have a child but didn’t know when. A part of me was hoping it was soon. For now, I was going to keep my concerns on Jaylyn and do what I said I would.
I spent most of the next day in the library reading up on what she should expect when it comes to having a baby. It helped a little for me as well but it wasn’t all that bad. Women have been doing it for centuries. It was a natural thing that we were built for. She’d be fine.
Broken Road (Fate's Intent Book 7) Page 6