Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2

by Jennifer Collins

  Noelle smiled. “There is something. It doesn’t have to do with Syney, but it would help me.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  She took a deep breath. “I was hoping you could perform a joining.”

  “If you’re asking, then it either hasn’t been announced or…won’t be,” Helen said.

  “More like won’t be.”

  “And this is for you?”

  Noelle nodded.

  “And…”Helen looked around before lowering her voice. “Gabriel?”

  She smiled and looked down. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Only to someone who sneaks around with someone they shouldn’t as well.”

  Noelle looked back up at her. There wasn’t anyone Helen was around a lot, so the idea that she also was with someone she shouldn’t be was a little surprising. She bit back the urge to ask who it was, although she did mention Leaf earlier in the conversation. First things first—if Helen was willing to help her, then questions that put her on the spot should come second. “Will you help?”

  Helen looked at her silently for a while before nodding. “I’ll look through my schedule, but I’m pretty sure I can clear the chapel at night if I need to. How soon do you want to do this?”

  “Very soon.”

  “OK. I’ll be in touch then.” Helen glanced at Syney again. “I found something I think might be of some use to Syney. It’s the journal of the first Crystallianna queen.”

  Noelle forced herself to breathe. Maybe Helen knew more than she was letting on. “I think it would be helpful.”

  Helen slowly smiled. “I thought so. I’ll give it to her. I’ll be in touch about the joining.” She and Ivy stood and bid Noelle good-bye before heading out of the hall.

  More and more people were getting involved, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Gabe certainly thought it wasn’t—but Gabe was always overreacting. Noelle smiled and wanted to run and tell Gabe about the joining, but that definitely wasn’t going to happen—the running part, that is. She slowly stood from the table, almost feeling the energy drain out of her as she made her way across the dining hall. By the time she got to Gabe’s room, she was completely out of breath and a little lightheaded. She really needed to do something about feeling this bad. Maybe Gabe would know what to do. Hopefully.

  He couldn’t put the troops off any longer. Fern stared at Hunter from across their tent, her hands on her flat hips, her face clearly showing her disappointment and anger. He had been putting off the mission over the border for weeks with one inane excuse after another. There was no shaking the bad feeling he had about the mission, and pushing it off had seemed to be the only thing he could do—that, and pray someone in the Village would come to their senses and recall them sooner rather than later. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to happen. And now he had to deal with Fern.

  “We’ll leave next week,” Hunter said, sitting down on the pile of blankets he called a bed. It was made for one now. Fern had taken to sleeping in one of the women’s tents, which garnered a few comments around the camp. She hadn’t given Hunter any explanation—not that he was really looking for one.

  “You can’t go,” Fern said simply, moving only to cross her arms.

  “And why exactly is that?”

  “Because you’re in charge. The commander can’t lead a mission.”

  He gave a bitter laugh. “Normal rules of engagement don’t matter out here.”

  “Why? Because you don’t want them to?”

  He stared at her for a moment. “Why don’t you want me there?”

  “Because you’re weak.”

  Hunter bared his teeth at her, tempted to change into his wolf form and see whether she would still have that thought.

  “You’re weak,” she said, “because you don’t want to be here. You don’t believe in this mission.”

  “I believe in bringing everyone home safely.”

  “That’s not the mission.”

  Hunter jumped to his feet. “Excuse me?”

  Fern let out a breath. “I’m prepared to go on this mission and not come back.”

  “And what would the point of that be? You’re going over there to gather information on the Shifters. If you all die, how will you bring that information back here?” Hunter asked, his voice and temper rising.

  “That’s not the point of this mission. Only you would think that. We have enough information on them. This is about showing our willingness to fight for what’s ours.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am, and everyone knows it’s true, except you.”

  Hunter stared at her for a moment before closing the distance between them with only a few steps. “What’s wrong with you? Is it me? Do you hate me or something? Because what you’re saying is crazy. We aren’t violent like that.”

  “Maybe it’s time for us to start.”

  “My mom wrote to you again,” he said, abruptly changing the subject. “How’s she doing? I wouldn’t know, since she only writes to you.”

  Fern’s solid exterior slipped for only a moment. “She’s fine. She’s worried about you, though.”

  “What do you two have so much to talk about?”

  “She understands what I’m going through and is a good comfort. If you want to order me to stop talking to her, I will.”

  “Really?” Hunter asked with a shake of his head. “Where are you, Fern? I’m getting sick of the woman you’ve turned into.”

  Finally she looked away. “I am what you made me.” She turned and headed out of the tent, stopping only to turn back and say, “I have nothing to live for, so why not fight like it?” And then she was gone.

  Hunter stared after her, thinking back on his actions over the last year. He’d been cold but never downright mean, as far as he could remember. How could Fern blame him for her self-destructive behavior? And why was his mother her confidant? When did his mate start to hate him, and how the hell hadn’t he noticed? The last questions hurt. He was the one who was supposed to care about the people out here. How had he let one of them slip through the cracks?

  He sat down on his bed again. He had patrol the whole next day, so if was going to get any sleep, it had to be now. But his mind was reeling, and he doubted he would sleep at all. He thought about apologizing to Fern, but what did he have to apologize for? He was a strong believer in knowing what the crime was before taking credit for it. And Fern was in no position to start talking. To try this from another angle, he thought about sending his mother a letter, but that was even less appealing than talking to Fern.

  Sleep eventually overcame him as he lay thinking about the past months. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know Syney was there with him. She still had her scent when they met in their dreams. And she was close. He opened his eyes, but instead of looking at her, he looked out onto the Village. They were on her balcony in the daylight. He had forgotten what the Village looked liked from this perspective, all beautiful lines and majestic buildings.

  “Do you miss it?”

  Hunter finally looked at her. “Sometimes. Most of the time.”

  She bent her legs, bringing her knees up to her chest and laying her chin on them. “It must be nice to get away, though. I think I want to soon—just get out of here for a few nights.”

  He stared at her, not really wanting the small talk. He longed for the days when seeing her in his dreams meant carnal pleasure and loving embraces. “I’m guessing you didn’t find a way to break this.”

  “I did actually.”

  “I told you—”

  “We have to both say something while we’re in the dream, so I couldn’t just do it on my own, or I would have. To be honest, this is the first time I actually don’t want to be here. My life is actually better than being in here, amazingly enough.”

  Hunter looked away quickly, trying to hide the sting of her words.

  “I’m sorry. That’s…never mind. Anyway, we just need to say Rumpere nexu three times to
gether.” He nodded, and Syney stood. “Ready?”

  Hunter took a deep breath and gazed at her. He might never see her again after this, especially if he went on the mission the following week. Maybe he should just take Fern’s advice and not go. At least that way, his survival was guaranteed, unless of course the Shifters decided to cross over to their lands. That was a stretch, but it could happen if they pissed them off enough. “Are you sure you want to do this? It might be helpful to have a line of communication between here and the troops,” he said standing up.

  Syney laughed.

  “What?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just that someone else suggested the same thing. But…I have to do this for myself. This is more than a line of communication. I love you, and I always will, but I can’t move on if I can just close my eyes and you’re there.”

  Hunter stepped forward and placed a hand on her cheek. “Then leave it open for that reason. So I’ll always be there.”

  Her eyes clouded over in tears, but she shook her head. “I can’t.”

  He rested his forehead against hers and took a deep breath. After a moment he pulled back and kissed her. Nothing felt as good as that.

  She pulled back after a while but stayed close, looking into his eyes. “Rumpere nexu, ” she whispered.

  Hunter stared down at her and kissed her forehead. “Rumpere nexu.”

  They said it together again, but before he could even open his mouth, for the third time she kissed him with everything she had in her. When they broke apart, they looked into each other’s eyes and said, “Rumpere nexu.”

  Hunter jerked awake and tried to catch his breath. He felt as if something, some kind of weight, had broken free from his chest. Their dream connection really was broken now. For the first time in a while, he felt completely alone. He felt for the stone he was wearing under his shirt and squeezed it. This was all he had left of her until he got back to the palace, and he would, he decided. Even if that meant not going on the mission. Maybe Fern was right. Maybe his place really was here at the camp. And that’s where he would stay, and when the time came, he would go home and be with Syney.

  They could have had it all. That was all Syney could think as she sat on the edge of her bed, her hand absently playing with the necklace Hunter had made for her. What if things had been different? Thinking back to that last night before he left, she knew how stupid they’d been. There was so much going on in the Village—hell, in the whole Realm—and there was no way they could have left, even if that was the only way they could be together. She just wished that giving up Hunter wasn’t the only way to stay. Even so, she knew that breaking their connection was the only thing she could do if she wanted things to work with Adam. She just hadn’t been prepared for this empty feeling. That could have been the last time she’d ever see him, and that thought didn’t sit well with her at all. But she wasn’t being fair. There was no way to have both Hunter and Adam, even though they both were so different and gave her different things. And God help her, she loved them both.

  “You OK?”

  Syney looked at Adam and plastered a smile on her face. “Of course.”

  He sat next to her. “You worried about this whole Gabe thing? Because you shouldn’t be.”

  “I’m not. But you obviously are. Maybe you should talk to him.”

  He made a face. “No, thank you.” He leaned toward her, his eyes concentrating on her neck.

  “What?” Syney asked instinctively, placing her hand on the spot he was looking at.

  “It’s just…I think I’m leaving a mark when I bite you,” Adam said, brushing her hand away.

  “But that doesn’t happen with Vampires,” Syney said, standing up and heading to her vanity mirror. She looked at her neck, and sure enough, there were two small red marks. They looked more like blemishes than bite marks, but it was still unnerving. “Why? I don’t get it,” she said, turning back to Adam.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t normally bite people, remember?”

  Syney frowned. “You know who would know?”

  Adam gave her a stern look and shook his head. “I’ll look it up in the Vampire book. You want to get a look at the Daemon one anyway, so I’ll get them both.”

  “How?” she asked, now amused.

  “I’ll…think of something. I’m a royal Blocadrian. That has to give me some powers to get into the damn restricted area.”

  Syney walked closer to him. “Have you thought more about calling Faye forth?”

  Adam looked at his hands. “No.”

  She knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his legs. “Why not?”

  His eyes ran the length of her face. “I just don’t want to. Not right now.”

  She nodded. “OK. But remember, I’ll be right here with you if you want anything.”

  “I know.” Smiling, he stood up and held out his hands to help her to her feet. “But right now I want to get rid of you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “There’s something I want to buy for the joining, and I want it to be a surprise.”

  “No.”

  “No?” He gave her a confused look.

  “I don’t like the thought of you going to the market by yourself. Not after you were attacked.”

  “I’ve been out since then.”

  “And I didn’t know that. Now that I do, you’re not allowed.”

  Adam rolled his eyes.

  “But I’ll let you take Reed. You should be getting a Protector anyway, so you should get used to it.”

  “What about you? Don’t you have a meeting today?”

  She nodded. “With Mellisandrianna. Poppy can take me.”

  After a moment he reluctantly agreed. Reed seemed even less enthused when they told him. It wasn’t the fact that it was Adam—the two got along very well—but Reed had become touchy about leaving Syney. He’d even given himself double shifts instead of relying on the other Protectors. She’d tried asking him about it, but Reed shrugged it off, saying he just had this feeling and not to worry about it. Thankfully Syney was still the boss, and Reed begrudgingly left with Adam to accompany him to the market. A while later Syney met Poppy outside her room and headed down to the main section of the palace. Syney had never had a problem with Poppy and had even had a few decent conversations with the girl, but looking at her now as they walked, you would have thought she hated Syney or at least killed her puppy. After a few attempts to start a conversation, Syney finally gave up and eyed her. Poppy’s curly red hair was pulled back, but a few curls refused to be tamed. Her face was stony, her jaw looking as if she were grinding her teeth. An uneasy feeling settled over Syney, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Something bad was about to happen. She had gotten this feeling a few times in her life, many of them here in the Village. Her mind immediately ran to Adam. Maybe something was happening out in the market.

  “I think we should go find Reed and Adam,” she told Poppy, who was a few steps in front of her.

  “No. You have a meeting to get to.”

  “It can wait.”

  “You can’t keep the queen waiting,” Poppy said simply.

  Syney rolled her eyes, knowing Poppy was right but not wanting to admit it. The uneasy feeling had subsided slightly but was still there. She started walking again, keeping close to Poppy, just in case something happened. Getting these feelings with a Protector around was the best-case scenario.

  The feeling hadn’t gone away by the time they walked up to the small room where Mellisandrianna, in her formal invitation, had requested they meet. Syney still wasn’t sure what the queen wanted but knew she couldn’t say no to a formal written invitation. “Can you come in with me?” she asked Poppy. “I’m getting a bad vibe.”

  Poppy nodded and opened the door. When Syney stepped into the dark room, the feeling rose to an entirely new level; in fact it never had been this bad before. She turned just as the door slammed shut behind her, leaving Poppy in the hallway. She felt al
ong the smooth wood of the door until she found the knob and twisted it, but it wouldn’t budge. It must be locked, she thought. The feeling of discontent hit her again, giving her an almost dizzy feeling. She wasn’t alone.

  Squinting her eyes, trying to force them to adjust to the darkness in the room, Syney turned and flattened her back against the door. “I know you’re there,” she said, pulling her knife out of its sheath.

  She stepped forward, trying to let her breathing calm her as much as it could. But breathing was no help when something grabbed her hand and bent it with enough to force for her to drop the knife. She cried out as pain shot through her wrist. The hand around her wrist yanked, pulling her across the room before slamming her hard into the far wall. Her head snapped back, banging into the wall as her breath flew out of her lungs and she became disorientated. Everything got fuzzy as she struggled to take a deep breath. She was in danger—she knew that—but she couldn’t seem to yell or even say a word.

  Whoever was with her pulled her arms above her head, pinning them there by her wrists. She cried out in pain from her injured wrist as tears streamed down her face. A solid hand clamped over her mouth, keeping any further noise she made from rising above a muffled whimper. She needed to fight back; she had to. She kicked out her legs but felt woozier with each attempt. Finally a very hard, large body pushed up against her. Definitely a Lycin and male, she thought, as she tried fruitlessly to wiggle free.

  Her attacker leaned in close, his hot breath touching her neck. “Now let’s see. What can I do to you that won’t leave a mark?” he said.

  Syney tried to turn away. She recognized the voice but couldn’t place it. Her mind was too focused on all the dangerous possibilities of what might happen, most of which made her skin crawl. When she felt his face move along hers, the lump in her throat threatened to explode. Then the hand across her mouth slipped down a little. This wasn’t an opportunity Syney was going to let go as she opened her mouth and clamped down onto her captor’s hand.

  “Bitch!” he yelled, pulling his hand away.