by Sadie Carter
“I’m sorry. You are right. I won’t go up there in the future.”
Rye stared at her in amazement. What was up with her? He’d told her just that, and she had totally blown him off.
“Is it hard for you living here?” Lucy asked softly.
Elika shrugged. “Living here is wonderful. It is just easier if I have a quiet place to meditate and practice. I will find somewhere else. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go get ready. I don’t want to be late for work.”
“Elika!” he called out, but she raced off. “Fuck.”
“Rye? Everything okay?”
Anyone else asking that and he probably would have brushed them off. But this was Lucy. He couldn’t help but feel protective over Lucy since he’d rescued her from Husan’s clutches the first time. Besides, there was something about her that brought out a man’s protective instincts.
“I’m fine.” He sighed. “Just wish I had handled that differently.”
Lucy stared after Elika. “It’s hard to find yourself suddenly free after spending years in captivity. I’m only just adjusting to it now, and it’s been over a year since you rescued me. Well, the first time.” She made a face and Thor pulled her closer.
“It is okay now, my mate. I will let nothing happen to you.”
Lucy smiled up at him. “I know.”
Rye knew Thor was still upset that Lucy had volunteered to exchange herself for some of their people. Even being back in Husan’s clutches for a short time had to have reawakened some nightmares. Lucy had barely spoken for the first six months after he had rescued her. She’d been a shell of the woman she was now, jumping at every little sound, suspicious of everyone except him.
“She’s actually adjusting remarkably well; don’t you think?” he mused.
Lucy frowned. “Now that you mention it, yes she is.”
“Perhaps she is merely hiding how much it affected her?” Thor suggested. “Burying it?”
“Maybe I should talk to her,” Lucy offered. “See if I can help.”
“Maybe,” Rye agreed. “But not sure Elika will be all that receptive to your questions.”
“No, she isn’t one to open up about herself. I get the feeling that even before Husan took her, she wasn’t the talkative type.”
“It is sad that she had no one to return to.” Thor held Lucy close.
Lucy squeezed him. “Not all of us are as lucky as you two. But she’s got us now. We can be her family.”
Rye wondered if Elika realized that.
“I was on my way to see the two of you. Well, Lucy, actually.”
“You were?” Lucy asked.
“Perhaps we could go back to my place to talk?”
Elika stripped naked and turned around in front of the mirror. She felt certain she’d have huge bruises on her ass. But disappointingly the only evidence of what had just happened was a slight red tinge on her cheeks.
She ran her hand over her ass. A shiver of delight raced through her body. Rye had touched her. Spanked her. Like she was a child. That shouldn’t have turned her on. What was wrong with her? Had being held by Husan done something to her mind? Did she now think violence was sexy?
Elika moved into the bathroom and climbed into the shower. Her hands trembled as she bathed herself. What was it about Rye that both infuriated and intrigued her? Yes, he was attractive. But so were the Zerconian warriors and they were bigger, more muscular. She kind of found all those muscles intimidating, though. She wasn’t scared of the warriors, not precisely. Just wary.
Why was she attracted to a grumpy male who decided he disliked her before he had even got to know her?
“There is something wrong with me. Husan has changed me, twisted me.” She leaned her hands against the shower wall, taking deep breaths to try to calm the fear saying his name brought forth. It was almost as though saying his name gave him power over her.
“But he has no power. None.”
So why did he still haunt her dreams? When she wasn’t dreaming about Rye, she had nightmares about Husan returning from the dead. Returning for her.
Legs too shaky to hold her any longer, she slid to the floor, clasping her bent legs to her chest. Laying her forehead on her upturned knees, Elika let the tears free. Sobs rocked her body forcefully. She cried so hard she almost felt ill. She cried for all the years she had lost. For the things, she’d been forced to do. She cried for those who had died during their captivity while she had lived.
She would never go back to being a victim. She had a new life.
“I can do this. I just need to forget. That’s the past. The past.” Maybe if she said it enough, it would finally penetrate. Because try as she might to pretend that everything was okay, she knew it wasn’t. Maybe she should try talking to that counselor again. The one that Mila had found to work with Ciara.
But she wasn’t Ciara. Poor Ciara, she no longer spoke or ate or reacted. She was almost comatose. Elika didn’t know how they were going to bring her back from that. At the moment, she was being monitored closely by her counselor and some of Zerconia’s healers.
No, she didn’t need a therapist. She was fine. She could get through this on her own. Talking about it might even make everything worse. All she needed to do was keep her calm and make everyone believe she was this nice, helpful female.
Not a powerful witch with a temper.
She didn’t know how long she sat there, but the cramping in her legs finally forced her to move. Reaching up, she turned off the shower and crawled from the cubicle. Sometimes she wished Husan had let her die.
It would have been easier.
***
Rye was nervous.
He was never nervous. No matter how dangerous the job, no matter whether he faced capture, torture or death, he never lost his cool. It wasn’t a feeling he enjoyed.
“Umm.” Lucy looked over at him then Thor who stood behind her, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Rye pace back and forth. “Rye? What did you want to talk to us about?”
Rye forced himself to stop pacing. He came to a stop in front of Lucy, placing his hands behind his back he just stared at her.
She gave a nervous laugh. “Rye, you’re starting to scare me.”
“It is hard for me to ask for help.”
Immediately, concern filled her face. Lucy was a complete sweetheart. Almost too sweet for her own good. Rye was pleased she’d found someone so protective in Thor. He would look after her without being too overbearing.
“What is it?” Lucy leaned forward. “You’ve never asked me for anything. You know I would do anything for you.”
“I know.” He forced himself to sit. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees. “I never wanted you to think you were obligated to me.”
“You saved me, Rye. I might not be alive if it weren’t for you. I probably would never have met Thor. I do owe you.”
Thor moved forward, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We both do.”
Rye stared down at his clasped hands, then back up into Lucy’s kind eyes. “I want you to do a search for my brother.”
Her eyebrows raised. “Your brother?”
“Lochlan. He’s the closest in age to me. He went missing on a hunting trip. We searched for him for weeks.”
“What do you believe happened to him?”
Rye ran his hand over his face. “Everyone else believes he is dead. But we found no trail, no trace of him. Even if a beast had killed him…” he paused, letting the pain of that wash over him. The years had dulled the pain, but it was still there. “There would have been some trace, surely.”
“Unless the beast carried him a long way before eating him.”
“Thor!” Lucy whispered, aghast.
“What?”
She shook her head then reached forward and patted Rye’s hand. Rye almost smiled at the small growl emanating from Thor. These Zerconian warriors were very possessive.
“I’m so sorry, Rye. I knew you had another brother, but all I was told was that he
had died in an accident. I didn’t realize you’d been left not knowing exactly what happened.”
“The thing is, I’ve never quite believed that he is dead. Maybe I’ve just been deluding myself all this time, but…”
“You needed the hope. I can understand that. Without hope, we haven’t got much. You want me to try and trace him?”
Rye nodded. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you ask before? You know I would have done it in a heartbeat.”
“Partly because you were so fragile. I didn’t want you to think that I had rescued you from Husan just to use you for my own needs.”
“Rye, I wouldn’t have thought that! Well, not after the first few months anyway.”
“The other reason is that I guess I didn’t want to know for sure.”
“But you’re ready now?” she asked.
“I’ve spent years chasing down leads. Following up any reports of a man with his description. I’ve spent, shit, I don’t know how much money on rewards and private investigators. It’s all come to nothing. It’s consumed part of my life. It’s time I put this to bed.”
“Do Willa and your brothers know you’re doing this?” she asked.
Rye shook his head. “No. And I’d rather it stays that way. They’ve all made their peace with Lochie’s disappearance. They don’t need to have it dredged up again just because I can’t let it go.”
“And you have something of his for me to use?”
Rye reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crudely carved figurine. “My father carved this for Lochie when he was a kid. It was his favorite thing in the world and the only thing of his I found when we searched for him.”
He fingered the rough edges of the carving, which was no bigger than his palm. “Is it enough to find him?”
If he’s still alive. Rye blew out a deep breath. A big part of him didn’t want to know for sure. But he realized not knowing was eating him up. He had to move on.
“It should be. Usually, I use the objects that have been touched recently, though. However, if he had an emotional attachment to this, then this should do well. Are you sure about this, Rye?”
“I am.” He handed over the object and Lucy took it, holding it carefully. “You’ll know for sure if he is dead?”
A sad look crossed her face, and she gave a small nod. “Do you have anything else of his? Just in case.”
“I have one of his shirts. That sounds weird, huh?”
“Not at all.” Reaching out, she clasped hold of his hand. This time, Thor was silent. “If I can’t find him using this, we’ll use the shirt.”
And if she couldn’t find him then Rye would know for sure he was gone.
“You won’t do both readings today, though,” Thor warned.
“I’m fine, Thor. I can handle it.”
Thor crossed his arms over his wide chest, giving her a stern look. “No.”
“Thor—”
“No.”
“You can’t just say no without any discussion,” she said with exasperation.
“It’s okay, Lucy. I agree with Thor. For once. We’ll wait for tomorrow to do the second trace if needed.”
Tracing people tired her out, often leaving her with a headache, sometimes unconscious for a time. Thor didn’t like her using her powers because it wiped her out.
“Fine. Overprotective males,” she grumbled, but there was a small smile on her face. “Let’s do this.”
Her eyes widened, her whole body growing still as her eyes bled from blue to white. Rye held his breath as Thor moved around in front of his mate, crouching down.
Suddenly, she let out a deep gasp then slumped back into the chair, her face pale, sweat covering her brow.
Rye resisted the urge to ply her with questions, knowing she often took some time to recover.
“I found him. Rye, he’s alive.”
“Do you know where?” he asked. Lochlan was alive. Alive. Overwhelmed by emotion, he turned away. Alive! He had never given up looking. Never given up that last bit of hope. And he’d been terrified he was wrong. That his brother was gone forever. Out of his reach. Now that he knew Lochlan was alive, he would do whatever he had to in order to find him. No matter where he had to go or how long it took, he would find his brother.
“Towards the east. He’s too far away for me to pinpoint exactly,” she said regretfully. “I could come with you if you want to find him.”
He knew what that took for her to offer. Lucy was just settling into her life on Zerconia with her mate. To offer to uproot herself and come with him into the unknown had to take a lot.
Thor stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Now probably isn’t the best time, my mate. I am needed here.”
Rye understood what Thor meant. Zerconia was on the brink of a full-scale war. Things were uncertain. More than three months had passed since the Coizils had attacked a Zerconian ship that was carrying Koran and Mila, as well as the Empress and Emperor. The Emperor had been killed, sending the Empress into a coma. When one mate died, the other often followed. Dex was now the Emperor of Zerconia.
Almost immediately, the Coizils had pulled all their ships back, leaving the Zerconians little chance to retaliate.
Dex’s mother had yet to waken, and Thor was in charge of her care. Rye knew that Dex wouldn’t be happy if his cousin left now to help Rye find his brother. And Thor wouldn’t let Lucy go without him.
“Thor is right,” he replied, although a large part of him wanted to leave now.
She glanced up over her shoulder at her mate. “Maybe not right now, no. But when everything settles down, I’ll help you. I promise.”
“Thank you.”
Chapter Three
“Elika, is that you?”
Elika rushed into Mila’s office at the sound of her voice. “Yes,” she said, slightly breathless. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”
Mila brushed that away. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone runs late at some stage.”
Except Mila was always there before Elika. Even when Elika tried to get here early, Mila beat her. Elika wondered whether she slept here, but if Mila were smart, she’d be home every night wrapped in her hunky mate’s arms. Koran wouldn’t let his mate work all night, especially now that she was pregnant.
Koran was one Zerconian that Elika definitely wouldn’t want to cross. The man was scary. He wore an almost perpetual scowl on his face. When he gave an order, everyone around him jumped. Except Mila.
It was easy to see how much they loved each other. Mila was Koran’s world. Any fool could see that in the way he watched her, how he gave her his full attention. What would it be like to be the focus of one man’s attention like that? To know he put you first, above everyone else?
Elika had never felt that.
“You look flushed, everything okay?” Mila glanced up from her tablet in concern. “Is it Ciara? Is something wrong with her? Did you go visit her this morning?”
Guilt filled Elika. She hadn’t been to see Ciara in the last week. It was just too painful to see her lying there, so immobile and blank. There was nothing of the smiling, sweet girl Elika had known.
“Ah, no, I thought I’d go tonight. As far as I know, she’s the same.”
There had been a time when it was only Ciara’s sweet smile that had kept her going. Her sense of fun, her ability to be cheerful in a hideous situation had always astounded Elika who was often too serious.
But something had happened to Ciara. One day, Husan’s enforcer had come for her. When she’d returned, she’d been bruised, bloody, and terrified.
She hadn’t spoken since.
She had round the clock care. Someone made certain she ate and bathed. She was looking a lot healthier. Physically, that is. Mentally, Elika didn’t know if she would ever fully recover.
“Are you sure everything is all right, Elika? You’ve been very quiet these last few days.”
“I had a run-in with Rye a few days ago,” she blurted out. Shit, she h
adn’t meant to say that. What was she thinking?
“Oh. What happened?”
“Nothing. Forget I said that. I’ll get started on my work.” Working for Mila gave her a much-needed distraction. She would go mad without something to do each day.
“No, wait. Elika, sit. Tell me what happened. It’s obviously upset you. Did Rye say or do something to scare you?”
The concern on Mila’s face filled her with longing. What would it be like to have a friend? A real friend? She’d never had one of those. She thought she had, but now she realized they’d been acquaintances, they’d pretended to be her friends because they’d wanted something from her. She’d watched the way Mila, Willa, and Zoey all interacted. They truly cared about one another.
She’d give anything to have that.
“No, nothing like that. I was meditating on the rocks where I slipped the other day. He got upset with me for being up there. Started bossing me around, telling me I wasn’t allowed up there. Like he can tell me what to do.”
Mila bit her lip and glanced at something behind Elika. Shit, if he was standing right behind her, then she was going to do something drastic. Like, turn herself into a lizard. She could live out her life as a lizard, right? Seemed like a pretty easy existence.
Much easier than trying to navigate through her own messed-up little world.
“You shouldn’t have been up on those rocks,” a deep voice rumbled. Not Rye, but not much better either. She stiffened as Koran moved past her to stand next to Mila. He scowled down at Elika. Goddess, he had the ability to make her feel like a naughty child.
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” she muttered. “He didn’t need to yell at me.”
Yep, that was a really grown-up response.
“You could have fallen and injured yourself again. From now on, you will not climb those rocks.”
Elika opened her mouth to tell him exactly where he could shove his order when someone cleared their throat behind her. She jumped, spinning to find Rye standing there, leaning against the doorway. His biceps bulged as he crossed his arms over his firm chest.
He wasn’t as large as the Zerconians, but it didn’t mean he was less powerful or muscular.