Page 18 of Tempted
Evil has corrupted my mate and he needs me more than ever. I can feel it resonating through me like that very thunder in the skies. Echoing within me in the most maddening way. Between that and the loss of my other mates, I could crumble to my knees at how weak I feel. They are my light, my strength, and without them I am not whole, but that also makes them my most crippling weakness. Only my determination to save them all from whatever has caused all of this suffering that’s clawing around inside of me keeps me moving forward.
I have to remind myself that I am powerful in my own right and will do whatever is necessary to protect my bonded from harm. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep our tribe from harm, our families. There’s so much discontent pulsing against the walls of my mind. It’s hard to grasp onto any of it beyond the fear and heartbreak that’s spreading throughout the hearts of my tribal members.
But can I really help? Without being fully bonded, I’m not at my most powerful, despite it being the day of my eighteenth year. My mates and I, we’ve not technically completed the bonds, our official ceremony is set for one days’ time when the earth has made its eighteenth trip around the sun since the birth of my mates. We’ve always been connected, being goddess blessed and all. My bonded and I more privileged than our common peoples, being the first born’s of the head families. Though the magic runs through our bloodlines so each of our siblings hold a small amount of power within them as well, meant to continue our quest beyond their lifespans and into further generations to keep the world at peace.
We’re meant to finish our bonding with the ceremonial magic of our goddess when we come into our full power at the eighteenth year from our births, and though that is today for me, we cannot do it until tomorrow because my bonded mates, the goddess blessed men of our tribe, were born a day after me.
My magic has been thrumming wild and free through my veins all day, and I’d stupidly sought out time alone to find oneness with it as my body adjusted to the changes. I’ve always been able to manipulate the elements and attempt small incantations of healing but that power was minimal to what I’m feeling now and it’s reacting of its own accord to the panic growing inside of me.
Never before could I sense the entire tribe, only that of those who are a part of me—my soul.
Now I can feel it all and something is so very, very wrong.
I need to get back to my tribe faster so I push myself harder, running with all my might to get to my home, jumping over errant tree roots and avoiding the small creatures roaming the earth, thanking our goddess that she made us faster, stronger, and bigger than most beings. Almost everything is small compared to us, only the old trees of our forest outreaching us as they continue to grow towards the heavens.
Some days I think the goddess made us bigger so we’re closer to the sun and the moon, from which we draw our magic. I call on the light of the moon now and let its power seep into me as I skid to a halt at the horrifying sight before me, finally falling to my knees as my body is wracked with sobs, the wetness of my tears leaking down into the wet dirt beneath me making the earth once again vibrate its anger, though this time on my behalf. The raging storm seemingly echoing its sentiments.
A large fire roars to life at the center of our people’s village, the circle of their homes surrounding the great, wide ceremonial space, yet all of the tribal members are being held back with an unknown force, locked within their homes but able to be onlookers to the terrifying sight before them. How is this possible? I should be the only one strong enough to manipulate magic that way and I don’t even know how.
The only ones present to openly view this dishonorable display before me are the council, made up of the head families—also known as our parents. Mine and the men’s—but even they seem to be stuck in their places, seated on a sitting log. The one exception being the father of Tanda, who is standing at my mate’s side seemingly encouraging this madness with a look of unrepentant glee adorning his face. The rest of the council look stricken with fear, grief, and detestation at the goings on in front of them.
Standing tall and proud are my mates, despite the brutal beating they’ve clearly been subjected to. They’re growling and fighting to be free of their ties to five of six stakes in the ground, forming a semi-circle around the fire. Each of them is clearly attempting to get to their sisters who lay still. So still. Too still as they lay bleeding at their feet. The sixth post in the ground is holding up a young girl who looks so brave as she meets my eye. Still so little at only nine years of life, yet she’s growling just as fiercely as my mates, somehow growing stronger now that we’re making eye contact, as if I’m fueling her own power, and belatedly I realize that I am in a way. I’m feeding her my own power to keep her strong, my very own baby sister who’s apparently standing in a place meant for me.
I’m going to be ill, violently so.
It’s almost too hard to breathe and while I know everyone needs me to be strong, seeing my loved ones like this is sickening and my heart can’t stand that it’s my very own mate at the helm of the apparent attack on them. They need me to be better, stronger.
Hell, Tanda himself needs me to be all of that and more as I see the shadows in his own eyes taking control. This isn’t right. None of this is right.
None of this is HIM.
With that reinforced thought, I stand at my feet, willing myself forward to put a stop to all of this and find out why my lost mate is so determined to ruin what we have—what we are, both to each other and our world.
“What is the meaning of this?” I bellow, righteous anger burning hot through my veins. I can only hope that my tears are being washed away with the fierceness of the pouring rain. I don’t want him to see my hurt just yet. “Tanda, why? You know this is wrong!” I scream, my voice cracking slightly at the end, giving me away anyway.
I can feel the self-loathing emanating from him, but it’s quickly overtaken by anger and a tinge of jealousy. Malice coats his heart and it blocks away anything good left in him from me.
At first he can’t meet my eyes, though I know he can feel my searing gaze on him. I know he can sense my disappointment and regret for trusting that he could work out his feelings on his own and make his way back to me. His shoulders slump, in defeat or shame, I do not know now that he’s guarding himself from our bond. Then his father says something to him but between the thunder claps and the furious beating of my heart, I cannot be sure what he’s said to his son. All I know is that when Tanda’s now blackened eyes meet my own, my lost boy is too far gone for me to save and my heart shatters into a million tiny pieces at the realization.
This is dark magic. This is not our goddesses’ power.
But why?
“You are mine and mine alone. Together we shall be the most powerful beings to walk this earth and we can control it how we see fit. I’ve already obtained what I needed from the sisters to be powerful enough to cement our bonds. Right now.”
“You killed the sisters and stole their magic so you could complete the bonds we’re meant to take at first light anyway? It makes no sense, Tanda!”
“I’ve not killed them. They’re merely asleep to allow them time to heal from their wounds. By the time I’d finished with the first five, I’d only needed a droplet from your sister and some of my own. The only ones dying today will be them,” he says, nodding to my other mates who all shout and yell for me to run.
As if I’d ever leave them.
Never.
Never, ever.
Raini sees my stubborn determination first and he quiets immediately. Resignation and love written all over his face. As our leader, he sets an example and right now, he’s reading my every thought and standing strong in the face of it—with me and for me. With the nod of his head, he waits patiently to see what my next move is.
Caiya, his second in command, closes his eyes and chants loud enough to be heard over the wind, calling every source of power he can to try and fuel me even with our bonds severed. It’s who he is at his core, the backbone of us all.
