Page 36 of Magic & Secrets
Despite my amusement, my heart felt heavy. The corners of my mouth refused to pull up. I couldn’t hide the pain of his rejection.
Were my sisters in the same position with their mates in other parts of the world?How could this be what Solme Divige desired?
“Perhaps, I am wrong,” I said, choosing to toy with Roque. “I could be confusing what is happening.”
“Yes.”
“I fell into your arms and assumed you were the one making me feel strange. It’s possible Koda or Delta are my mate.”
“No,” Roque sneered, storming toward me.
“No, what?”
Roque blinked rapidly, confused by the territorial need bubbling inside his belly. “Not them.”
“You, then?”
“No, not anyone. Stop trying to confound me.”
Despite the urge to touch him, I stepped back. “I believe your presence is distracting me. I need to travel alone.”
“When you can focus on reality rather than whatever is happening in your head, follow me,” Roque said and stormed off in the direction he had originally headed.
Admiring his wide, muscled back as he walked away, I already felt the sting of longing. I tried to tell myself these feelings were simply a magic spell meant to bind Roque and me.Why should we bow to these uncontrollable urges?
While walking in the opposite direction as the Shifter, I accepted how Roque was an anchor around my neck. He had distracted me since we met. Even now, I heard his laughter echoing in my head. I still felt his arms cradling me when he thought I was dead.
Roque felt what I did. If he was strong enough to ignore our connection, why shouldn’t I fight it, too?
I was a warrior, created by the magic of an ancient beast. Becoming so flustered by a male seemed beneath me. I ought to focus on what I could do to improve my situation and get back to the Citadel. I assumed my sisters were sensible enough to follow the same plan. Logically, I needed to leave Roque and concentrate on the mission.
Except magically-bound mates defied the natural world. The link between creatures didn’t work like human relationships. I couldn’t simplychooseto stop craving Roque.
I also couldn’t change my species. As much as I wanted to remain close to Roque, this mate bond spelled my doom. If he learned I was New Armgard, he would destroy me like he had my ancestors. What kind of guilt and pain would he feel afterward? Why should I willingly end my life and sentence Roque to misery? If I walked away, I could return to the Citadel while Roque remained blissfully unaware.
Heading in the opposite direction from the beautiful Shifter, I steeled myself against the magic luring me back to him.
My mind wandered to the past. As a young Armgard, I felt such pride over my first sword and shield. We were told remarkable stories about the Armgard’s triumphant battles. Only when we got older did we learn why our kind was forced to hide. I’d been heartbroken to learn how the word “Armgard” elicited hatred within the Territories.
“Admitting your lineage will beckon a death sentence!” Warlock Gregory had announced to my class.
Recalling those days long ago hurt my heart. I began to worry over Mina and Enya. Was I fooling myself to believe they were alive? I knew Mina’s power outpaced mine. I could easily imagine her traveling back to the Citadel. Was Delta with her?
Once again, I felt as if the New Armgard and Bane Shifters were mere pawns of a powerful entity. Was this Solme Divigeplaying her tricks? Or did another ancient beast pull at our strings?
Replaying my vision from within the void, I brought the sounds and images before me, making them vivid as if I were back in the great hall with the massacre’s plotters. I detected the scent of the sea in the air. The cult was located somewhere near a beach, likely the Isle of Midsomer, where Ivitithi was thought to rest.
I replayed their words many times as I walked through Pandorium Forest. Eventually, I turned off all the surface voices and listened to the hum underneath. A distinctive chant could be heard below the others. The language wasn’t of any magic folk taught to me. These words were older. They belonged to Ivitithi.
Were the ancient ones rising from their slumber? Had they ever truly been asleep? Was the pain and pleasure in the surface world no more than the entertainment of powerful creatures forced to hide in the dark?
Pandorium Forest suffocated me. I felt stripped of my bearings here and wished my sisters were nearby. I could still sense Roque somewhere, but my mind got lost in the quiet hum of the ancient creature hidden deep under this forest. Like Ivitithi, the beast hidden underground was alive and speaking.
Pandorium Forest’s trees blocked most of the sun, leaving the ground cold and wet. I moved in a straight line, yet felt like I never created any distance from where I started.
Sensing deliberate movement in the woodlands, I paused my trek and looked around.
From behind me, a small male voice called out, “Don’t be sad, little lady.”
