Page 40 of Fated Unkindness
We step out of the darkened alley and are greeted with a beautiful garden courtyard between the tall buildings, with bright light filtering through in patches. The greenery climbs the tall walls in areas, and so many different colored flowers and shades of green foliage surround us. The red brick ground is a stark yet stunning contrast. Raelle’s eyes sparkle as she takes in the beautiful space. At the center, there is a large fountain bubbling with water, and at its top, two birds carved from stone. As we get closer, Raelle drops my hand and picks up her pace. I reach for her to stay with me, but as I do, Sariah places her hand on mine to stop me. She shakes her head and then points ahead to Raelle.
“She is being drawn to the magic there. Let us wait and see how they interact,” she whispers for only me to hear. Her eyes narrow on Raelle, and her lips curve up slowly at the corners. I have no choice but to watch in awe as Raelle reaches the fountain and extends her hand out to touch the carved birds. Ravens. One black as night, the other white as snow. Her hand brushes the black raven, and she smiles, the look of pure happiness brightens her face. She then turns her gaze to the white raven, and curiosity paints her features as she brushes her fingertips along the bird's wing. I see a visible shudder run through her; a glimmer of power ripples across the water of the fountain. I hear Raelle take a sudden breath. Her gaze is stolen by whatever she sees there in the water.
“Go to her now,” Sariah whispers again, and I don’t hesitate. I close the distance between Raelle and myself. I come up close behind her and wrap my arms around her waist from behind. As I do, I'm sucked into a vision she’s having.
We are flying; below us, chaos is breaking out everywhere. Confused and terrified, Fae run from where they were gathered at the royal Colosseum. Thunder rolls and lightning lights the sky in flashes of purple and white. Screams of terror carry to us on the wind, deep green and black smoke begins to engulf one corner of the arena. A sudden shock illuminates where I hold Raelle in my arms… our attention is snagged by an intense fire that is unleashed and aimed toward the black and green smoke. That’s when I realized that I was not even holding Raelle. I am seeing all of this through her eyes. She—is flying... The shock of light is coming from her. Her hands, her body, illuminated in an ethereal bright white light… she’s not flying, but rather ascending, floating. Her body bows at the back as she is lifted to the heavens above us. Below, I hear my own voice screaming her name.
The vision blurs, and I am brought back to the present, where I am holding Raelle in the courtyard. Raelle begins to slump in my arms, and I am forced to hold her up. Panicked, I immediately look back to Sariah.
“What's happening?” I ask as my heart lurches in my chest. I lift Raelle into my arms, cradling her so her head rests on my chest.
“She is ok. The power of the vision just took a lot of energy from her. She could still be within its grasp. Bring her to my study. This way.” She guides me to a short staircase, which leads to a door painted forest green with an ornate golden handle and knocker. She swipes her hand down the center of the door, and there is aripple of magic undoing whatever protective spell was on it before the door clicks open and she walks inside.
Once inside, I look around the area. I have not been here in many years now. Not since I was seeking answers of my own after my parents were killed. I didn’t get the answers I was looking for then; Sariah just kept telling me I was asking the wrong questions and looking for the wrong answers. Ever the cryptic, which I was hoping wasn’t the case today with Raelle. Though, I thought Raelle would have had more opportunity to speak with her…
“You’ve come here for answers once again. Have you changed the questions you ask?” She asks me this as she places a pillow at the end of a couch and gestures for me to lay Raelle down. I place her on the couch and lift her legs as I sit too, with her legs resting over my lap. I keep one arm across her thighs, where I trace small circles into the skin that is exposed above her waistband.
“My questions remain the same, but they are not the answers I seek today. I brought Raelle here to seek her truth.”
“But you know her truth already, do you not?” She asks with her pierced eyebrow raised.
“I suspect there are things that she doesn’t know, even from before she lost the memories of her time in Ravendene.” My gaze drifts to Raelle, then down to my hand that rests on her knee. My voice drops to a whisper as I watch and paint delicate lines and circles onto her skin. “I believe Raelle to be the daughter of the fallen Queen Selene and King Algerone Aberra of Aldramani. The heir to the kingdom. Our Queen.” I close my eyes and then open them before finishing, “I believe I saw a prophecy while I was cursed, and I think it was about Raelle.”
“Perhaps,” Sariahsays cryptically. She sits silent for a moment, as though she is thinking about what she is going to say ornotsay next, and I narrow my eyes at her. She smiles but continues speaking, making my shoulders relax from the tension that was building with her silence. “I believe I have also seen the prophecy you speak of, and you are right to conclude it is about Raelle. Although you don’t see all that it is, and it is not something I can give you the answer to, Dax. Raelle and you are destined; the bond marked on your skin says as much, but how that ends up is up to the two of you. What paths you take… Raelle, her destination, how she gets there, and what that looks like at the end.” Her eyes darken as she thinks about whatever she knows, but isn't saying. “There are many outcomes to how that unfolds.” She smiles again, but this time it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You have not told her what you suspect.” She asks, but it’s not a question.
“I haven’t. I'm afraid it will hurt her, and I'm afraid of what it means for me.” I admit, guilt thickening in my throat.
“Being afraid is understandable, Dax, but secrets can fester and poison what is good and growing. Do not dwell in the shadows when you have the light among you.” She reaches down to the wrinkle that has formed on Raelle’s forehead between her eyebrows, smoothing it and swiping it away with her thumb. “She will sleep for a while. Take her somewhere to rest. When she wakes, tell her what you know—if you care for her like I believe you do. Otherwise, I see that your paths are alreadychanging.”
I chose to fly Raelle to a place I have not visited since I was much younger, just a boy. Trent and I would come here often to escape the confines of the castle when our parents were in meetings or out on missions. Sometimes Maki, Kait, and even Cano would join us, but it was more so Trent and my spot. Trent and I found the cove off of the Blackwater Lake while flying one day and decided on a swim, the memory of that day surfacing as the cove comes into view as the clouds break from below us.
I cross the sky towards one of the grassy areas that have a tree covering. Landing with a light thud, I move to lay Raelle down. As her body touches the grass there her eyes flutter open briefly.
“Don’t leave me, please. I need you here.” Her eyes roll back into her head as they flutter shut again. My heart sinks into my chest; her plea makes me ache.
“I won't leave Raelle. I’ll be here until you wake. Rest, Love.” I brush her hair back from her face. I sit with my body leaning against the tree, the rough bark pulling at the fabric of my tunic. Raelle sleeps with her body between my legs, her head resting on my chest and stomach. As she gets comfortable, she reaches around my waist, hugging my body to hers. I run my fingers along her jawand through her hair as I think about what exactly I'm going to say to her when she wakes. I have to tell her.
The truth can be hard to tell someone who’s only known lies their entire life, but there is too much at stake not to reveal it to her. Who she is, who she is meant to be. Who she’s not. I close my eyes, tipping my head to the heavens, the sound of leaves rustling in a light breeze calming me. I cannot be selfish about this. Though the feelings of unfairness linger in my heart, it is unfair for her that she has never known her true heritage. Her parents and brother were not who she thought them to be all her life. Not getting the time to bask in the feelings of just being mates. Bonding emotionally, physically, and in all the ways bonded mates should. Our bonding feels rushed, but the potency of it is no less than what I would imagine a bond should be regardless.
I feel like I only closed my eyes for a moment, but when I open them again, I see that the sun is setting on the water of the cove. The orange and pink reflecting on the black surface, and the first stars already twinkling to life. My gaze drifts down to Raelle, and I see that she is awake in my arms, twisted so she is watching the sunset there also. Her eyes turned to mine, as though she felt my gaze on her. “Hi.” She smiles shyly.
“Hi.” I smile in return, my eyes hooded. She blinks slowly, taking a deep breath and releasing it.
“It's peaceful here. I felt it the moment you brought me here. My nightmares turned into dreams of the future.” As she says the words, she shifts, sitting up and spinning around to face me. She straddles my lap and places her hands on my shoulders, then brushes them up to either side of my neck, eliciting shivers to roll down my spine. “Our future.” She leans in and kisses me softly,our lips lingering in a slow dance. I pull back, looking into her deep emerald eyes.
“I don’t deserve you,” I whisper, lowering my head. She pushes me to look back into her eyes.
“You do.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask, needing to change the subject as guilt tightens my chest.
“I'm—okay. I'm confused a little, but I have a feeling of calm washed over me. Almost a sense of rightness, if that makes sense.” A blush creeps into her cheeks, and I give her a lopsided smile.
“This place.” I look back out to the water as the sun dips below its surface. “It will do that to you,” I tell her, leaning in and kissing the tip of her nose. “There is something important I need to talk to you about, and I must admit I'm worried about having the discussion. For multiple reasons. However, I know that it must be done.” I rub my hand up and down her spine, and she leans into me pressing our foreheads together.
“Dax, we are bonded. There are going to be many discussions we are going to have in our lifetime, but nothing will change that fact.” I can think of a couple that could change that, but I say nothing as I listen to her. “I'm starting to understand why you were chosen to be my mate. You are strong.” She rubs her hands down the muscles of my arms. “You are smart.” She kisses my forehead, then presses hers against it again. “You are passionate.” Her hand presses between us and rests upon my heart, and it thunders under her touch. Her words made my head swim. I place one hand between us and lay it over hers; the hastened beats match my own. The need I feel for her is nearly overwhelming, but I need to getthis out.
“Raelle, I believe your parents are not who you think.” The words spill out of me, my brows pinched and nerves bubbling. I rub my thumb over the skin on the back of her hand, where I hold it to my heart. She doesn’t say anything. Just stares into my eyes, and the green penetrating brightness dims as she processes what I just said. “After you passed out, I spoke with Sariah. She confirmed my assumption,” I said quietly.
