He stood up so abruptly that I flinched, and began pacing the room. “When did you see her?”
“I went for a run, and I wasn’t paying attention to how far I was going… Then she threw rocks at my head and threatened me with a stick.”
He shook his head and one side of his mouth pulled up in a half smile. “That’s Soraya, alright.”
“She showed me the village.”
He stopped his pacing, standing in front of me before I even had a chance to blink. “Did anyone see you?”
It was intimidating, having him stand over me like that, but I looked up and met his eyes. “Not the first time.”
He stared at me for a moment before sitting down next to me. He released a slow breath and rubbed his face with his hands. “You went back.”
It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t answer. When he just sat there, I said, “Of course I went back. Those people need help, Kayden.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Well, then you won’t mind answering some questions so I can figure out how to help them.”
His face was unreadable again, but there was pain behind his eyes. “There’s nothing to be done.”
I threw up my hands. “The hell there isn’t. There has to be someone behind this, and I’m going to find out who that is, so you can save me some trouble if you want. But with or without your help, I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
He remained silent, so I scooted down the couch and took his hand in mine. “Please, Kayden,” I said. “I know you want to help Soraya, and so do I. Even if it is impossible, we have to try.” He still didn’t respond, so I added, “You know she’s worth it.”
I’m not sure if it was those words, or the fact that I was touching him, but finally, he gave a small sigh and answered. “If I knew what to do,” he said quietly, “I would’ve already done it. But… what do you want to know?”
I considered my questions, and asked, “Does the queen know about the village?”
“I’m sure she does. Her rule extends everywhere within the walls, so she is bound to know what’s going on there.”
I figured this much, so I asked, “Did she put them there?”
He pushed his hair out of his face and said, “Someone in power did. But you have to understand, Alexa, the queen is not the ultimate ruler of our world. She is high up in the chain, but there are people even she has to answer to.”
That wasn’t something I had thought of. “Who?”
His eyes met mine, and his voice was fierce when he spoke. “People you do not want to question.” When I just stared at him, he continued. “There is a king, a king whose will everyone must obey. He’s considered a sort of savior of our races. After the Warriors were extinguished, he built the cities our people live in, like Two Rivers, and he stopped the reign of the Lamia, who were killing us off in devastating numbers. Everything that goes on is a result of his bidding.”
I considered this for a moment. “But people here are afraid. I know they are. I’ve seen it. Why don’t they revolt if they know that people are being sent to live as blood donors in places like the village?”
He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Because they don’t know that is what awaits them after they’ve outgrown their use. They know that something is wrong, but they don’t know the severity of the situation. There is magic that keeps them from being able to travel to the village, and there is something that influences their thoughts and moods.” He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “But I would assume you knew this, since you almost died in your refusal to eat the food.”
I nodded slowly. “So how do you know all of this?”
He hesitated, and his golden eyes filled with so much pain I almost told him to forget about it. But this was too important, and I needed answers if I was going to try and help Soraya. “Please,” I said softly. “Tell me what happened, Kayden.”
He was silent for so long that I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to answer. But then, he pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me, taking the comfort only I could give him.
“My brother died in the Arena,” he said. “And the day after, his pregnant wife just disappeared. I asked everyone about her, but no one even seemed to recall him having a family. I searched the entire city for her, and I almost drove myself mad obsessing over her disappearance. But after a few weeks, it became difficult to remember anything about her at all. It felt like every time I tried to picture her face, her memory stayed just out of my reach. I knew something was wrong, so I did the same thing you did. I stopped consuming the food.” He looked down at me and another smirk crossed his face. “But unlike you, I fed off the animals of the land. I got lost one day while I was hunting in the forest and felt so disoriented that I didn’t know my way back. That’s when I came upon the village.”
I laid my head against his chest and tried to will the pain from him, as Akira had done for me. I didn’t know what I was doing though, so I don’t know if it helped. “I’m so sorry,” I said.
He ran his fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes and tried not to shiver at his touch. “It’s not your fault,” he said. He tilted my head so that I was looking into his eyes. “And it’s not your responsibility to do anything either, Alexa. I know you may feel obligated because of what you are, but that doesn’t mean you’re required to risk your life. And if you go questioning the ways of the king, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.”
I was sick of hearing that. If no one expected me to do anything, then they wouldn’t be giving me stuff for free and treating me like I was the only one who could help them. Maybe, just maybe, I was. I turned my head so that I was looking down at my hands. “I’ve already made my decision.” Before he could argue, I asked, “Why do they need the blood?”
Kayden sighed. “That, I don’t know. Our kind owns multiple blood banks around the world that supply our cities with human blood, so I don’t know why they would need it.”
I had already figured that out too, so I moved on. “Where can I find this king?”
He gripped my hands and sat back so that he could look at me.
“You can’t.”
I pulled back a little. “Yes. I can.”
He shook his head and blew out a frustrated breath. “He moves from place to place, Alexa. And even if you could find him, these people are not ones to see reason.”
I crossed my arms. “I’ll make them.”
“And when you can’t?”
My answer came before I had a chance to really consider what I was saying. “Then, I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.”
Chapter Sixty-One
My response didn’t surprise him. It didn’t surprise me either. I knew what I was, what I was capable of doing. I suppose I had known a long time ago. Killing just seemed to come easy to me. My reaction to Victoria proved it. I was a killer; it was in my blood. All I had to do was make sure that I directed it to those who were worthy, and only kill when absolutely necessary. If getting this king to make things right with his people required death, then, to save Soraya and others like her, I would be the one to deliver it. If I didn’t die in my efforts, and I was beginning to think that that could be the case.
Kayden took my hand again. “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll help you.” He paused and added, “You’re important to me.”
I looked up into his golden eyes, and almost didn’t have the nerve to ask a question I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to. “Why?” I asked, almost in a whisper. “Because of what we are?”
He stared at my face for a long time, just studying me. Then, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “That may be part of it, yes.”
I tugged at a loose thread on my jeans, not wanting to meet his eyes. “And the other part?”
He spoke his next words slowly. “The other part doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is that we need each other. We need to be around each other as much as possible.” I stayed silent, not wanting to think about what he
was saying. He continued, “We both know how dangerous we can be without each other. I want to help you, Alexa. I need to be around you too, so you can help me.”
I didn’t want to hear this. I didn’t want to tell him I couldn’t just hang out with him and ignore the feelings he made me have. I was almost sure now that he wasn’t attracted to me in the way that I was to him, and it broke my heart to hear him say it. So, I kept my face blank and reverted to my usual reaction to rejection—denial. “We don’t need each other,” I said. “We’ve made it this long without having the other around. I don’t see why we should develop a dependency now.”
My words seemed to hurt him, but a second later his face was unreadable again. “That’s because you’ve just recently inherited your Warrior. I’ve been struggling to control my beast for years now, and I would be willing to bet that when yours comes out, you have trouble controlling it as well.”
I thought back to my most recent fight with Victoria and my fight with Daniel. I had kind of blacked out during both of them. All I’d been able to see was red. It had ringed my vision and made me burn all the way down to my soul. I’d almost killed Daniel because I couldn’t control it. And the very sight of Victoria’s blood had made me want to stop her heart from beating. Kayden was right. I was having trouble controlling myself, and I knew it was only getting worse.
Kayden got up and left the room, returning a few minutes later with blankets and a pillow. He laid them out on the couch and laid me back so that I was resting on them. After he spread the blankets over me, he leaned down and ran his rough fingers down my cheek. “Rest now, Warrior,” he said, with that soft Scottish accent. “You can save the world tomorrow.” Then, he kissed my forehead and left me to my own thoughts.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Kayden walked me back to my dorm room the next morning. We didn’t say a word to each other the entire way. When we got there, I noticed a Warrior standing on the steps to my dorm and got the feeling that he was waiting for me. It made my chest ache that it wasn’t Mark.
As if he had read my thoughts, the Warrior came down the steps to greet us as we neared the building. He turned to Kayden with a smile. “Wallace. Didn’t expect to find you here.”
Kayden shrugged, and they shook hands. The warrior turned to me. “Warrior, your presence has been requested at the Council building.”
Kayden asked the question that was on the tip of my tongue. “What for?”
The warrior raised an eyebrow at Kayden. “Both of you have been requested. I was going to retrieve you next, but seeing as how you were together, you saved me the trip.”
Kayden and I exchanged looks. Why would the queen request both of us? I wasn’t sure, and all the possibilities that ran through my head were not good. I asked the Warrior if it was all right if I went up to my room first and changed clothes. I didn’t want to go to the queen looking like I had just been mauled by a bear. He told me to hurry, and I ran up to my room and pulled on fresh jeans and a gray T-shirt. As I reached into my dresser drawer to retrieve my brush, my hand brushed something smooth and cool. It was my Gladius, the sword my mother had given me. I’m not sure why, but I tucked it into the back of my jeans and pulled my shirt down to conceal it. After running the brush through my hair and brushing my teeth, I headed back down to meet the others.
We walked in silence to the Council building. Well, I walked in silence. Kayden and the Warrior who came to get us knew each other, and they talked along the way. The guy’s name was Sam, and he seemed to be friendly enough, but my stomach was too tied up with nerves to attempt chit-chat. Kayden was trying to play it casual, but I could tell just by looking at him that he was as nervous as I was. We had no idea what we were walking in to.
When we reached our destination, Sam told us he had other errands to run, but before he left, he asked if he could look at my arm. I pushed up my sleeve, and he stared in wonder at the silver tattoo. Reaching up, he touched his fingers to the sun on my shoulder. “Beautiful,” he said. Turning back to Kayden, he smiled widely and said, “She’s absolutely amazing.”
Kayden gave a small nod. “She is.”
Sam headed off, and Kayden and I ascended the steps of the Council building. When we reached the doors, I looked up at him and smiled. “So, I’m amazing?”
He didn’t laugh, but I could see the smile behind his eyes. Instead, he pulled open the door and waved his hand for me to go through. The queen was standing in the foyer. She was wearing an elaborate purple gown, her hair and make-up styled to perfection. Standing with her were a few men and women dressed in equally elaborate clothing.
Kayden stiffened beside me, and I leaned over to him and whispered, “What is it?”
His eyes were locked on one of the men standing with the Queen. The man wore a perfectly tailored black suit dripping with diamonds and rubies and sapphires sparkling from every drape and fold. Kayden’s lips barely moved as he spoke. “The king.”
My eyes snapped back to study the man. He didn’t look so scary to me. In fact, he was just kind of old. With gray hair and a short gray beard, he looked like someone’s rich grandfather. I wasn’t fooled, though. I don’t look dangerous either, so looks can be very deceiving.
The king’s eyes met mine, and I found that it was surprisingly difficult to hold his gaze. There was something silently intimidating about him, and I knew then that this was indeed a very dangerous man. He whispered something to the queen, and she spun around to face Kayden and me.
“Warriors,” she said. “Please, join us.”
Kayden and I approached the group of royals, and I was suddenly glad that I had changed clothes before coming here. I still wished that I had chosen something a little nicer to wear, though. These people had a look about them that just made me feel insignificant.
When we reached them, the queen placed a hand on my shoulder and introduced us. I wasn’t sure why, but I had the impression that she was just as uncomfortable as I was. “This is Kayden Wallace,” she said to the king. “The man whose victory you witnessed last night in the Arena.” Kayden gave a small bow, and the king nodded in return. “And this,” the queen continued, “Is Alexa Montgomery, the Sun Warrior you’ve heard about.”
All eyes fell on me, and I knew that they were waiting for me to bow. It was harder for me to do than it should’ve been. I didn’t want to bow to this man. I wanted to slam him against the wall and make him give me an explanation. But I’m defiant, not insane. I clenched my teeth and lowered my head a little in what probably looked like a low nod.
The king raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. Holding out his hand, he said, “Warrior, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am King William.”
I shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” I lied and added, “Your Majesty.”
He kept his grip on my hand for a moment, and I felt an unmistakable tingling go up my arm. I didn’t jerk my hand away, though the impulse was certainly there. Instead, I threw up my walls. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, but I just focused hard on building a wall between him and me. A second later, the tingling stopped.
He didn’t release my hand immediately, and I saw small lines of concentration cross his face before he finally broke contact. I took a quiet, deep breath; that had taken more energy out of me than I’d realized.
No one else seemed to notice what had just happened, except for Kayden. I could tell he wanted to tell me to watch it, but he wouldn’t with these people around. The king smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Where have you been all this time, Warrior?”
I shrugged. “Living among the humans.”
The queen added, “She did not know what she was until recently, Your Majesty.”
Hearing her address him with the same title that everyone else used for her made me realize that I needed to tread very carefully. This was a King of Kings indeed. If other royalty was made to grovel, I could only imagine what was expected of a lowly citizen like me.
The king gave o
ne slow nod and turned back to me. “Are you trained?”
I wanted to say that I knew how to use the toilet if that was what he was asking, but the queen responded for me. “Absolutely,” she said. “Alexa passed her entrance exam with flying colors.”
The king seemed consider this, but I couldn’t tell by his face if he was impressed or just disappointed. Finally, he said, “Then I would like to see a demonstration.”
The queen smiled and shot me a sympathetic look. “Very well. I’ll have someone go retrieve a student from the Brocken school to—”
The king held up his hand, silencing her. “There is no need. We have a Warrior right here who can assist in the demonstration. She is a Warrior, and his skills are impressive. I will see them fight each other.”
Kayden and I stood in shocked silence as the royals discussed us as though we weren’t even there. The king’s assumption—that I would simply follow his will—made me incredibly angry, and if it weren’t for Kayden standing right next to me, I might have attacked him right then and there. But really, what choice did I have? Five Warriors stood nearby, and I had no doubt what they would do if I were to attack the king. I’d probably be dead before I could even get my hands on him.
If I’d thought the Warriors at Two Rivers were intimidating, then the King’s warriors were just downright scary. They stood only a few feet away from us, all of them perfect statues. They pretended not to hear what was being said, but I knew they focused intently on the King. Their uniforms were slightly different as well. They had on all black with what I assumed to be the king’s crest on their right shoulder, instead of a sun. To add to that, they were all enormous, reminding me yet again of how small I really was in comparison.
While I studied the king’s guards, the queen tried to convince him a demonstration was not necessary. But after one look from the king, she conceded, saying, “Allow us to prepare the Arena then, so you may have a proper showing.”
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