Page 65 of A Trial of Fate

“I was screaming under the waves…”

“Hence the bubbles,” Daxton answered with a sarcastic tone, his deep voice vibrating along the nape of my neck. “What plagues you the most, Skylar? I know you’ve overcome the physical pain of your torture with Shaw, but something else is weighing you down. What is it?” Crap. Was it that obvious? “And before you begin questioning your lack of strength to hide that pain…”

My eyes widened with surprise, “How did you—”

“Like calls to like,” he said with a heavy sigh.

I couldn’t help turning my chin to glance back at him. “Daxton?”

“Like you… and Shaw, I have my own experience with capture and torture. I understand the shame … the guiltyou feel at breaking under the hands of another. Regardless of the reasons, it is—”

“You don’t need to explain, Daxton,” I answered quickly. I could see the pain in his face reflect my own. His own past was torn and broken just like mine.

Instinctively, I reached out to grasp his arms floating in the water beside me. I gulped, slightly terrified at initiating contact with him, but to my surprise, he didn’t fight me or pull away. We simply stood together in the water, allowing the memories of our pasts to float away with the churning waves. The rhythm of the waves crashing along the shoreline reminded me of the magical music from the trickling waters in Blade’s torture chamber. The melody was simple, but it helped protect and transport me to a place of protection during my torture.

I began humming the soft tune aloud, the deep melody rising and then falling like the gentle rolling waves. The song held no words, only the ebb and flow of tranquility that wrapped around us like a comforting warm blanket. I was about to finish the song when Daxton’s deep baritone voice fell in step with my own.

I was speechless. Falling silent to his beautiful, mesmerizing tune. He continued humming the song I heard from within my prison cell. He knew the song.

I tilted my head, and Daxton’s eyes opened to meet mine. No words needed to be said between us. None could.

I turned to face him in the water, our bodies almost touching as our stares bore deep into each other’s souls. I saw a world ofbeauty and strength lingering beneath his storm-gray eyes, coupled with unwavering courage and power. I felt myself lean toward him as I placed my left hand atop his firm chest. I felt him tense and close his eyes before his left hand drifted into the water to find mine.

“You.”

Daxton nodded, his stare never leaving mine. “Skylar…I--” His voice unexpectedly trailed off as he tensed in pain. “Ahh,” he groaned as he staggered backward from me, placing a hand on his head.

“Daxton, what’s wrong?” I asked with concern. I could see that he was in pain, but I had no idea what it was from.

“I-I have to… go,” Daxton said through gritted teeth. Regret radiated through his expression as a flash of silver appeared, and he teleported away.

A long wolf howl echoed off in the distance, followed by a voice hollering over the cliffs leading to the beach.

“Sky!” Shaw’s voice bombed over the edge of the towering cliffs. “They’reback!”

Chapter Fifteen

Alistar and the High Fae queen had returned from their meeting with the human king Taran. Details, of course, were not shared with me and that really pissed me off.

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with, Skylar,” Magnus had told me. “War is not at our doorstep just yet. We were able to gain some ground through diplomacy for the time being.”

I highly doubted that.

Much to my dismay though, my uncle didn’t reveal anything more.

I was under strict orders to continue to rest at home for the next few days, even though my wounds were no longer on the mend and completely healed. The scars would remain, but everything else seemed to return to normal.

Since Rhea’s return, she was my constant companion at home with Talon in tow. They were not allowed to attend the negotiations, but they did tell me that things were tense with Gilen, Alistar, and the fae queen. The High Fae were growing anxious, but Gilen constantly argued on my behalf that I still needed more time to recover. I could tell there was more they weren’t telling me, but I decided to bide my time and wait. Regardless of their timeline, however, I knew I was still committed to the trials.

Shaw visited in the mornings, and he was glad to see progress in our sessions. I didn’t tell him exactly what happened to cause this shift, only because I really didn’t understand it myself. I told Shaw I went to the beach and screamed under the waves until I didn’t have anything left in me. Resurfacing with a deeper connection to Valdor that helped ground me to the present and forget the past. Leaving out the details about Daxton.

Gilen was the only one I had not seen since they all returned. The rock he had painted for me sat on my bookshelf, reminding me of all the questions I had hanging between us. I was not fuming mad at him anymore. On the contrary, I had worked through the possibility of forgiving him. Whenever I heard footsteps outside mydoor, my heart skipped, wondering if Gilen would finally visit, but it never was.

Time had become our greatest enemy.

The wilt was progressing, and many of the coral reefs along the shores showed signs of decay, along with the trees near the meadows. Shifters were more in tune with nature due to our dual animal souls, and we could sense the looming doom encroaching on our lands. We could all feel the change.

Magnus was unhappy about me refusing Shaw’s offer to take my place, but I knew he would respect my decision. I asked my uncle about the fae, but Magnus brushed it aside and refused to give me any details. Despite Daxton and Castor’s aide in my rescue, he was still uneasy around them. However, throughout my month of recovery, I had formed a different opinion about them—especially Daxton.

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