Page 20 of The Dark Rising
“No male, no matter how much larger, no matter how much taller, no matter how much stronger, can take the will of the wolf out of you. He may be able to quiet it down, he may be able to soften it, but he can nevertakeit. Understand?“ She blinks, her hands fisting at her sides, but she nods. I return it, moving closer to her, feeling the need to. I hesitate for a moment before my forehead rests against hers. I grip her shaky hand in mine, ignoring the male in the well that is cursing and calling for help. “Zahariss is within us all,” I tell her, and her eyes widen in shock. “She is all we embody to be. Kind, graceful, a giver, a survivor. But most of all,” I tell her, my eyes bouncing between hers. “She is a fighter. Let her will guide you to fight for yourself, and take the balls of the next male who tries to put a hand on you.”
With that, I turn and walk away, back over to Anna and Taylor who are looking around nervously. We rush down the walkway at the sound of guards being called. We don’t stop until we come out of the town and we run across the open field, aiming for the trees on the other side. All the while, I feel eyes on me. I spot Josh leaning up against one of them, scowling in our direction and my feet stutter in their pace.
“That was stupid,” Josh barks at me when we reach him, and I tense at his harsh words. He finally talks to me, initiating the conversation for the first time in days andthisis what he says? “You could have brought down the guards on us!”
“I wasn’t just going to let that male hurt her,” I hiss at him, and he shakes his head.
“We cannot be caught, we need to get Sarah,” he growls, fists clenching at his side.
“I know that,” I say between clenched teeth, before taking a deep breath. “Josh-”
“Then think about what you’re fucking doing.”
“I can’t just stand there and watch that happen when I can help!”
“You can help by getting Sar-”
“Okay, lets go and cool off,” Taylor says, coming to stand next to me and taking out a port stone.”
I hold my tongue and nod, gripping Anna’s hand and ignoring the daggers that are coming my way from Josh.
I couldn’t just let that woman be hurt, not when I saw other pack members in her place, coming from a home of those who would put their hands on them.
I not only saw that woman there, but I saw Katy, I saw Sybil, I saw Sarah.
So no, Josh can be pissed at me, he already is anyway, but I don’t regret what I did, not if my words could save her.
Because no one is saving me right now.
Nine
Rhea
Westalkthroughthelong grass, Josh on my right with Anna, Taylor, and Sebastian a bit behind to my left. Hudson and Colten bring up the rear. The dull, green stalks come up to my shoulders, our heads peeking out so we can see ahead of us in the dark night, the moon lighting our way.
It’s been a long two months since the cuffs on my wrists were removed, but the thin, red scars haven’t faded, no matter how much I try to hide them like the others. They are a constant reminder though, to never be shackled again. I vow to keep that promise to myself.
I glance at Josh and notice the tension lining his body, eager to reach our old home in Zakith. He’s bristling under the surface with anger, his desperation to get to Sarah. We have to be careful though, there are only a few of us and a lot of them in the pack at our old home. If we are going to be successful will come down to if she is even still here, all of us knowing how much time has passed with what Patrick told me. How he would have her tied to his bed. I swallow at the thought and pray that he hasn’t touched her. She had gone through enough, and even though she agreed with her father, Alpha Christopher, in the great hall about us kidnapping her, I know deep down she must have felt she had no choice.
It’s the only explanation. The only one I want to think about, otherwise the betrayal will cut deep. Some deeper for others.
My power flows inside of me, free but somewhat controlled, only flaring up and becoming an issue when my emotions run high. I imagine it like a ball, twining and thriving inside, its tendrils whipping around sporadically. I’ve managed to do a few things with my magic, and I learned I have a knack for a little healing, also growing plant life occasionally, along with a few other things that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. My control is good with some things, others? My power is volatile, wild, and I never really know what I’m going to get when I use it. It’s like you suddenly have another limb you need to learn to move as you see fit, only it doesn’t always do as you say.
I’m still new to this, and Belldame has helped me as much as she can. But she’s not exactly equipped to help an Heir, she only has some knowledge from the Heir’s before me and my mother.
But like she told me, every Heir is different and each one has had some sort of difference with their power.
Belldame thinks that I can’t fully grasp my power in a very controlled manner because I’m still not wholly connected to Runa, who still refuses to come out. She thinks once Runa and I can completely be in sync with each other, the rest will fall into place. For that to happen, we need time together as a wolf. Runa seems a little more settled now that I have my power running within me, but it’s disconnected of sorts from her. She feels it around her, just not with her, together.
We’re about an hour away from my old home deep inside Zakith, the territory of the Aragnis pack. It’s strange being inside my home lands, recognizing areas and remembering my childhood when I was free, innocent. I’m sure Josh feels the same, seeing the familiar scenery. We used to play in these fields as kids, trying to sneak up on each other and tackling each other to the ground. I instinctively move closer to him at the memory, wanting to feel him close. He glances over at me, his eyes guarded, tension lining his whole body. He moves away from me, pain entering his eyes, and I look down, hating what we have become but knowing it had to be done or he would have been killed.
I move my hand against the grass, wishing times were easier and more simple, but knowing it could never have been that way. I had so much love for Zakith. Then all of a sudden, it changed so quickly and it was filled with so much darkness. Pain, sorrow, and heartbreak. Am I ready to face this? Probably not, but Sarah may be in there, and we need to save her. I don’t know if my whole family is back in Zakith, if Kade is, but I hope he is so we can grab him too.
I reach out again for his blood link, and once again feel a sharp knife to the heart when it’s not there. I don’t know why I keep trying, knowing it will hurt me every time. I look ahead and push it to the back of my mind. Not now, Rhea, don’t go there.
The Aragnis pack was eighty-seven strong when I was younger, it’s probably a lot more now, and the chances of us trying to get Sarah out silently are slim. We were the largest pack in the lands of Vrohkaria when I was younger, well-respected and loved. I’m not sure if that’s changed. I never asked Edward to update me on my old home, the pain was too much.
“Not long now,” Josh whispers so we can all hear. “We will stake-out at the top.” He points to a hill I know all too well ahead of us, it looks over the whole village. “It’s better to take a couple of days to learn their routine, but the scouts will probably come across us.”
