Page 238 of A Warrior's Fate

Warmth eddied through her trembling body from the firm hold on her shoulders. She turned her head and nearly sobbed when she could not only move but also found Kai’s face—his handsome, beautiful face—there, inches from hers.

He’d gone down to the ground with her, knee to knee. One of his hands went to her cheek as his eyes, tinged the slightest hue of crimson, furiously darted over her features. She felt him everywhere. His power, his presence. On her body, tugging at every thread of the bond. “What the hell was that?”

Isla put her hand over his, happy to have the touch, barely able to catch her breath. Immediate answers eluded her. Both because she had no idea, and her mind was still fuzzy and jumbled, trying to recover.

“What is wrong with you two?”

They both turned to look at Ameera, at everyone. They were concerned, as they had been for Dhalia, but there was no outright fear. Not the same fear that Isla and Kai were feeling.

“What was…” Isla trailed off, turning her head and losing Kai’s touch to see Dhalia still unconscious, laying with her head turned away as if she’d never moved at all. “What?”

She didn’t have time to protest as Adrien bent to Dhalia’s side. He lightly jostled her, and as Dhalia sputtered a cough, groaning, Isla tensed. Kai secured his arms around her as she sunk further into his embrace.

Dhalia slowly peeled open her eyes to reveal a dulled green.

“Thank the Goddess,” Adrien mumbled, sliding his hands underneath Dhalia’s arms, behind her back, to help her sluggishly move into a sitting position. “You’re okay.”

“What happened?” Isla asked.

“You were out of it,” Kai said. “It was only a couple of seconds, but the bond…something was wrong.”

A couple of seconds?

“What happened?” Kai echoed the question.

Isla swallowed. “I don’t know.”

Dhalia’s words—her warnings—swirled in Isla’s head as she watched the now coherent woman sit up.

“Thank you,” Dhalia said, soft and unsure, with a tilt of her head. Her voice was her own. “Do I, um, do I know you?”

Adrien jerked back, and a collective noise of shock filtered throughout the group as Dhalia loosened herself from his hold. Her eyes scanned the rest of them in a hurried sweep. “Do I know any of you?” She struggled back to the alley wall, crawling on her hands, pushing with her feet. Leaning against the brick, she curled her legs to her chest. “Where am I?”

Nausea bubbled in Isla’s stomach, and she held onto Kai tighter. He pulled her in close, and Adrien cast his eyes their way. They were all remembering the same thing.

Lukas.

Not again. Not again.

Isla wriggled from Kai, and despite the tug at the bond, she inched forward. This was Dhalia, not whoever, whatever, she’d spoken to…somehow.

“You’re in Abalys,” she said, easy and tentative, even though her stomach was in knots.

“I am?” Dhalia looked around. So, she remembered something. “Where?”

“By the western bank of the Eyre Canal,” Kai said.

Dhalia turned his way, and her eyes went so wide that Isla could see the whites around the green. “You—you’re Alpha Kai.”

“I am.” Kai offered a soft smile and moved in even closer than Isla. He was the only person here Dhalia recognized. “And you are?”

She swallowed and relaxed her shoulders. “Daisy.”

Isla whipped around to Adrien, whose eyes were wide as if saying, “I swear, she said her name was Dhalia.”

Dhalia—no, Daisy—wasn’t paying attention to him. She only focused on Kai, bowing her head. “I’m sorry, Alpha.” She sobbed into her hands and shook her head. “I don’t know—I don’t remember how I got here.”

Kai closed the space between them, stopping about a foot away. Enough distance, but enough closeness for security. Another side to an alpha. Along with the dominance and the power, there was also the comfort they offered that earned even more trust from their people.

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