Page 87 of Rescued

Which meant there was no other option than to take Nate straight to the Sacred Grove and get their partial Bond severed as soon as possible.

“Will you excuse us?” she asked Commander Sylvania as she beckoned for Nate. “I’m afraid we have some urgent business in the Sacred Grove.”

“Oh? Is everything all right?” Commander Sylvania raised one eyebrow but didn’t try to stop her from going.

“I’ll tell you later…if I can,” Lan’ara promised.

“Very well.” Sylvania nodded. “I do have some news for you—about the human girl you asked me to look for earlier,” she added.

“Really?” Lan’ara’s heart jumped. “Is she well?”

“We’re not sure—but we are tracking her. I don’t have anything definite yet,” Sylvania admitted.

“Then let me know when you do, please.” Lan’ara sighed. “For now, we have to go.”

“Of course.” Sylvania squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. “I can tell you have a lot on your mind.”

“I do,” Lan’ara admitted. Then, with a heavy heart, she nodded at Nate. “Come—we need to go find a priest.”

“Coming, sweetheart.” Nate nodded at his two old friends and followed her towards the lifts.

Lan’ara kept her chin high as they walked, but inside she was in turmoil. She just hoped they could get this over quickly because she was afraid she was going to break down completely.

The thought of losing Nate was so awful she couldn’t bear to contemplate it—all she could do was forge ahead and try not to cry.

FORTY-EIGHT

NATE

“I see no need for the two of you to be parted—or for me to sever your Bond.”

“What?” Nate looked up, feeling a mixture of surprise and hope. The Kindred priest was a tall male with green streaks in his dark brown hair. He also had the strange green-within-green eyes which Lan’ara had told him was a sign that the priest had been serving the Kindred Goddess for a long time. A long white robe swathed his tall form and fell to his feet, which were bare.

Nate and Lan’ara were kneeling in the Sacred Grove—a place in the middle of the Mother Ship that looked like an enchanted forest out of a Disney Movie—at least to Nate’s eyes. There was lush green and purple grass underfoot and all the trees had green and purple leaves.

After landing in the Docking Bay of the huge ship, Nate had scarcely had time to greet his old friends, Oliver and Simon, before Lan’ara had taken him to the Sacred Grove.

“I can’t bear to put this off any longer,” she’d said and Nate had thought she looked like she might cry. “We must go and get our Bond severed.”

Nate had wanted to ask her why and beg her not to, but he understood where she was coming from. He was a danger to her—both emotionally and physically. So though they were incredibly attracted to each other, he would have to give her up. Though God knew he didn’t want to.

But now the Kindred priest, who was the only male Kindred Nate had seen on the whole huge ship so far, was saying that wasn’t true. He was saying…what was he saying?

“Wait a minute!” Nate exclaimed. “Are you saying we should stay together?”

“Do you want to stay together?” The priest cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Hell yes, I want to stay together with Lan’ara—I’m fucking in love with her!”

The minute the words left his lips, Nate knew they were true. He’d started falling for Lan’ara from that first moment he’d opened his eyes and found himself floating in the milky blue waters of the Outermost Lake with her lovely face looking down into his. And his feelings had grown exponentially in the days to follow. But still, he was wary of being with her.

“I hurt her though,” he admitted, looking at Lan’ara, whose eyes were also filled with hope. “I mean, not just with my emotions—though those are hard for her to stand too. But also, I, uh, blacked out several times and choked her!”

It was hard to admit and he saw the grave look on the priest’s face when he finally got it out.

“He didn’t mean to do it, though!” Lan’ara said quickly. “He was triggered by different noises or situations and it drew him back to his violent past. He thought I was the enemy—the Scourge!”

“I will look into you again—more deeply this time,” the priest said to Nate. “Brace yourself.”

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