Page 29 of Fated Unkindness
“Well aware.” I side-eye him as we ride side-by-side on the seat of the carriage. He takes a deep breath, “I will set you up with lodging once we arrive. As payment for your family’s hospitality when I found myself in a situation of need,” he says flatly. I don't respond.
The bumpy road and squeaking wheel are the only things I focus on for at least an hour. He doesn’t say anything, and I have not opened my senses up to read him either. I sneak a glance in his direction. He might as well be asleep with how relaxed he looks. The arrogance radiates off him.
“So, do you think any of the others in your convoy made it to safety after the Raskin attack?” I ask, trying to prod information out of him, whether that be words or thoughts, I didn’t care. He sucks on his teeth, as his eyes slowly make their way to meet mine.
“One could only hope.” He purses his lips and then continues looking ahead. Digging into his brain it will be then…I open myself up to his thoughts only enough to let him reach me, and not the other way around. There is an anger in him that is almost tangible, rippling in a constant wave, but there is also uncertainty. He’s worried about what the leader of Demetrey Territory will think of his shortcomings, seeing that he has lost the precious cargo. Trying to get more, I ask him another question.
“What was the convoy for?” I get an immediate response from his mind.
“That fucking prick Trent and his whore Kait. Next time I see them, I won’t hesitate to burn them to a crisp or cut their fucking heads off”However, that colorful response is kept in his head as he speaks.
“Classified information, darling.”
“Ambriel, thank you.” I spit at him. Pet names are a hell no, and nicknames are only reserved for family or friends, of which we are neither. “Look, we don't have to talk. I just thought that since we are on the road for the time being, I would ask about your business since I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my farming routines.” I roll my eyes and adjust myself on the seat as I look anywhere else but at him.
“You look, I’m not used to anyone asking me questions in regard to my affairs. I run the show, and there are no questions asked for the most part. There is no small talk in my line of work.” He pauses briefly, and I get a glimpse of his thoughts.“Only Dax ever questioned me, and hopefully he is dead and Raelle captured by now.”The vision of a raven black as night with molten copper eyes flashes to life in my head, and I swallow hard, choking on the air I inhaled in too quickly. I try to cover it with a cough. He doesn’t notice the slight nervous energy developing in my gut at what I heard in his mind that conjured a vision. Dax has to be the raven my mother spoke of.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. Perhaps I will try another tactic to get the information I seek.
Shock vibrates off of him. Sneaking a glance his way, his brows are furrowed deep in thought, so I listen in again.“No one is ever actually sorry, but Dax will be for what he did. I will murder every last one of them, and I will take what I’m owed. I will find all ofthem and destroy them before anyone finds out the truth I hold. Ravendene will become one with Demetrey, and we will take over Loema, Lesa, and the wastelands. The kingdom of Aldramani will once again be whole and under MY rule. King. Elenora Demetrey, my queen, as agreed. We will burn the kingdom to the ground if anyone tries to stop us.”
A shiver creeps over my skin that I can’t stop. I must find Raelle before Cano.
Chapter twenty-eight
“The journey to Loemafrom the manor is about a two-day ride,” he says as he helps me to the saddle.
The family who takes care of the manor only had one horse to spare for our journey, but I'm thankful. If we had to go by foot, it would likely take double the time to arrive at our destination. The proximity to Dax causes my breath to catch as he settles into the saddle behind me; it’s both distracting and calming. As his warm body presses into my back and cups my ass with his lap, my mind races with dirty thoughts. The indecent things we did within the manor were left there as we began our travels, though. Dax, beingthe soldier he is, is on high alert as we move through the heavily wooded area.
The sun is bright, and flashes of it break through the canopy of pines as we make our trek through the dense forest. The horse has to work hard in some areas where storms have caused trees to fall and large areas of water to collect. The muddy ground is thick with debris. We ride silently for a few hours, but as the trees begin to clear, the sun beats down on us. My skin warms under the cloak the further we escape the canopy cover.
There has been no sign of anyone trailing us, and the only thing I’ve noticed around is the rustle of leaves when a rabbit hopped out of the trail we were on. Dax shifts behind me, reaching around, and wraps an arm around my waist. His hand finds its way under the cloak, and he splays it across my stomach. Then he dips his chin, his mouth brushing against my ear.
“We’ll stop just up ahead to let the horse rest and so we can stretch our legs,” he says, laying a kiss on my cheek that flushes on command at his touch. While I don't know how to react to Dax just yet, my body has no such issue. We reach a clearing with a small stream at the edge. Dax dismounts and helps me to my feet.
“Do you think Trent is ok? Would Cano hurt him? Or Kait?” I ask as he ties the horse to a tree near the water.
“I believe he would hurt them, yes, and if he has them captured, I think he has hurt them badly.” Concern etches into his forehead. “We will get them back, love. We will put together a team when we reach Loema. They will aid us in taking back Ravendene as well. It won’t be difficult to take Ravendene back from Cano. I know that as a fact. He has a smaller group of loyal guardsmen, but for the majority, they are loyal to me.” He saunters back to where I standand lifts his hand, clasping my throat. “I just worry about what he has up his sleeve; he’s been very secretive over the last few years, intentionally leaving me out of missions outside of Ravendene.” He releases the hook of my cloak, brushing it off of my shoulders and folding it over his arm. “I fear that he has tied himself to the evil in Demetrey somehow.”
Gods. I feel so bad for leaving Trent and Kait, but I know that they did it so I could get to Dax. Save him from the curse that plagued him. Seeing him before the cure took effect. I knew that if I had not been transported by the magic of the gods, I would not have made it in time. He didn’t have much time left. I wondered how he came to be cursed in the first place. I know he was looking for Mel, but I didn’t know any details about how he was cursed, or if I did, I didn’t remember. His fingertips trail a path across the thin fabric of my tunic, sending a shudder through me.
“I have a question,” My voice comes on a slow exhale.
“You can ask me anything.” He blinks, then scans the forest. His movements languid as his hand falls away from my body and his gaze returns to mine.
“How did you become cursed? Were you just sleeping during all that time? Were you aware of anything?” His shoulders tense for only a moment before they relax again and heat rises up my neck as a blush rushes across my face.
“That is more than one question.” He laughs. “I’m not sure how I found myself cursed exactly, but I was in a state of sleep, I guess you could say. My body was in a deep sleep and deteriorating rapidly but my awareness was not. I was able to project my shifts into a raven and see you for parts of your journey,” His eyes flick across my face. “ I saw that you were looking for what was needed for the elixir.Parts of the journey you had to take to get it.” His hand brushes mine. “However, that’s not the only time I felt aware. There were times when people were near my physical body, and I could sense or hear them. I think it was Cano who put the curse on me, or he was working with the one who did.” His eyebrows pinch, and he rubs his fingers from the bridge of his straight nose to his hairline. “He visited me a few times—my body, I mean. The things he said…. It makes me believe he planned this.”
“Are you ok?” I ask him.
“I’m ok. Just…There’s more. I was waiting for the right time to talk to you about the rest. I guess now is as good a time as any.” A lopsided smile tugs at his lips before he grabs my hand, slowly pulling me into him. “There were dreams. Vivid dreams. I’ve been thinking a lot about it, and I think it may have been a vision, and I keep thinking it’s about you, Raelle. I'm not sure exactly, but I have a sense that it is.” He presses me into his chest, my hand clasped between our bodies. My eyes track from my hand, and I lift my chin to meet his gaze, my brows stitched together as I think about that information.
“A prophecy?'' I know there have been prophecies in the past. My mother, being a seer, has seen something akin to them, but I have never known anyone without the gift of sight to see a prophecy. That doesn't mean it isn't possible.
“I'm not sure.” He shakes his head.
“What—what was it?” I ask, unsure if I'm ready to hear it. His eyebrows raise as he takes a contemplative breath and blows it out. Taking a step back, he begins to pace.
