by Ashley Nemer
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nasir and Zayn pulled out of the house and drove in silence for an hour. Zayn watched the landscape pass by, moving down interstate 24. The silhouette of the mountains in the distance had him thinking about the past. How he missed the mountains back home, especially when he and his abb would go hunting. He and Nikole learned how to fight on mountaintops. That’s why they’d settled in Colorado, so they could be reminded of home, watching the leaves change color, the skyline in late September before the chill started taking over, how the evening smelled after the first snow of the season. Nikole and he cherished these, memories. He could remember it like it was yesterday, the last family hunt. The animals gave the most challenge during a hunt, never knowing which direction they would take or how they would respond.
Looking over to Nasir he quietly whispered, “Do you think she is ruined?” He couldn’t bring himself to think about what condition she was in. What she’d had to endure through the torture and pain.
“No, she isn’t ruined. She is probably hurt and in pain, but ruined? Never. She comes from a long line of warriors; nothing will ever hold her down.”
Zayn listened to Nasir and what he said but didn’t really absorb his words. All he could think about was letting her down. He fought with her and look what had happened. She could have died because of him. Many already had lost their lives because of his decisions; Kevin and Zeus, to name a couple.
Never again would he act like he had; never would he make her feel like she had to fight alone. She needed to know he would always stand behind her, no matter what. Sitting in the car, listening to the sound of the tires driving along the road, his heart ached from the pain, his eyes sore from the tears. Deciding to close them and let the darkness take over, he thought about what she must look like. Would she be like omm and have bruises from beatings all over her body or like abb knife wounds on every inch?
He let the sound the car made while driving down the road hypnotize him into a daze. Images of their parents’ death began flashing in his mind, the blood, the pain, the agony came flooding back. Visions of his abb hanging from the tree, blood dripping down his body, his omm lying in her own blood, racked his mind. He couldn’t stand the idea that Nikole looked like that too. His fists started to ball up in his lap, his anger flaring inside, waiting to be let go. Nasir looked over at him. He could tell Zayn’s jaw was clinched tight. Taking his hand off the wheel, he moved it to his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “Zayn, you have to stop beating yourself up over what happened. The reality is something would have happened had you both never fought. You know that. Thinking that it is your fault and this would never have happened had you done something different won’t change anything. You need to just accept this and move on. That way, when we see her and bring her home, she knows it’s over.”
Zayn slowly opened his eyes, Nasir’s words resonating in his mind, thinking about what he’d said. “It might have happened, but at least our last words to each other wouldn’t have been in anger. Maybe she wouldn’t have been careless had she not been out trying to prove me wrong. I know I caused this. It is my fault, Nasir, and you won’t talk me out of thinking that.”
They finished the rest of the drive in silence; Nasir knew that, whatever he said, Zayn wouldn’t believe. He had watched Zayn and Nikole grow up, been a substitute abb for them both. He couldn’t sit there and do nothing to help children he had loved like they were his own. Seeing the base of the mountain off in the distance, he knew it was only a matter of time before Nikole was safe again. Nasir parked and the two of them exited the car to begin their silent hike up the mountain.
Alec walked from the bedroom out to the living room, bringing Nikole a pair of shorts. “Here you go. This should work for your ride home.” She took them from him and smiled as he turned his back to her, giving her the privacy she needed. Taking the blanket off of her legs, she slowly edged off the couch and slipped the shorts on. Doing her best to maintain her balance alone, she walked to the other end of the couch and put her hand on Alec’s arm.
“Thank you, for everything.” He reached up to her hand and cupped his left one over her right one. She felt the warmth of his touch run through her hand when she realized his thumb was caressing her palm.
“You are most welcome; it was really no trouble at all.” He looked as though he wanted to say something else but stopped, looking at her with a bit of longing, still keeping her hand in his. He stroked the inside of her palm and looking into her eyes.
Nikole wanted to say yes but didn’t want to sound desperate. Instead, she looked up into his violet eyes. While smiling, she started to light their hands on fire, their magik essences blending together. She watched his eyes dilate in excitement as they started to form a bond. They stood there for a few moments, connected to each other in a way only the magik could allow. Alec leaned his head down, placing his soft lips over hers, when all of a sudden they heard a knock on the door. Biting back a curse, he pulled away from her. “Time to go home, Princess.” Nikole was forced to pull herself together, subduing the magik she was releasing into the atmosphere to hide what had been going on between the two of them.
Alec walked to answer it, knowing it had to be Zayn. He looked back at Nikole one last time, not sure if he would ever get a moment alone with her. She nodded at him and he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open to reveal the King and his General, standing on the porch.
“Please come in, she’s ready to go,” Alec said as he moved aside for the two men to enter. Zayn saw Nikole, and relief overwhelmed him as she was standing and not hurt like their omm or abb. Rushing to her side, he pulled her in for a tight embrace. They held each other for a few minutes in silence. Tears had started flowing from Nikole’s eyes.
“Zayn, I’m so sorry, I really…”
Zayn cut her off by shaking his head at her. “No, Nikole, it is my fault and I’m truly sorry. I won’t do that again; I won’t try and dictate your life to you. If you want to fight with us and be a warrior, you can. Just never go out alone just to prove me wrong again.”
Nikole looked up at her akh, the one person she had loved most in the world. She saw his yellow eyes shining bright while looking into hers. She could feel his emotion. Placing her head on his chest, she let his arms protect her and hold her as if nothing else mattered. Zayn looked over to Alec, who he noticed was having trouble watching the reunion. “Thank you for saving her life; we are indebted to you.” Motioning for Nasir, he opened the front door. “Come on, Nikole, let’s get you home. I know Adara can’t wait to see you. She will be staying with us to help take care of you during your time of recovery.”
Nikole’s eyes drifted over to Alec’s. She hadn’t really gotten to say what she had wanted to with everyone there. His blood was in her; she could feel him, feel a small part of his emotion. Why was he angry? She slowly pushed off of Zayn and tried to make her way over to Alec. Her legs not seeming to work properly; she started to fall. Moving with stealth Alec caught her in his arms, her light body but a feather in weight to him.
“Princess, you need to be more careful.”
She couldn’t help but smile up at him, his eyes… she was drawn to his eyes. “Will you come see me? Come and visit?”
Alec was taken aback by her request. Come and visit her? Where had that come from? Not wanting to upset her, he smiled and nodded. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek letting his lips brush her skin, whispering in her ear, “I won’t ever forget you.”
Zayn’s wasn’t sure he liked this scenario. Who was he to be touching her like that? And kissing her cheek? He felt his eyes start to glow a bright yellow, his protective nature starting to flare up. Growling low, he walked to Nikole’s side and took her from Alec’s embrace. The two men looked at each other, Alec understanding immediately. Bowing his upper body at the royal siblings, he backed away and watched as Zayn helped walk Nikole out of his cabin and out of his life. Forever.