Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) (7 page)

"Agreed. I hadn't thought of
that." The idea of not being able to take a Fey's fury and having to fight
them left a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She held out her hands.

"Does it matter where you touch
me?"

"No, but that is something we
should try later, to see if I can learn to do it without having to touch them.
That would make it a lot easier."

"And safer."

She grinned. "That, too."

His eyes shifted from yellow to orange
to red so quickly she barely saw the change.

"How do you do that?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "The fury
is in me. I just call it." He paused a moment. "It is what gives us
the power to change."

She nodded. "Claws and…teeth."

"Yes. We are also faster, stronger.
Our senses are more heightened."

"Impressive."

"We were made to kill," he
said softly.

What could she say to that? Since he had
taken the role of teacher, and was actually telling her things, she asked
another question. "When you're angry, or whatever…your eyes change, too.
Do you call it then?"

"Not always. No," he admitted.
"It is tied into our emotions. Especially anger. It's hard to control, at
least for me. I don't know if others can."

His words reminded her how he'd grown up
in her world, his parents dying when he was young. What he knew of the Fey he'd
learned from them, and he certainly had a lot of gaps in his knowledge. He'd
also been lost in the fury a few times, though at least he hadn't been trapped
in it for centuries like so many others.

She grinned, trying to set him at ease.
"I think you're doing wonderful. Really."

He snorted and held up his hands.
"Ready?"

Hands palm to palm, they practiced for a
while. She pulled small amounts from him, and when he said he tried to stop
her, she found no difference. "Well, that's good to know."

"It feels strange."

"Does it hurt?"

He shook his head quickly. "No,
just strange."

"Let's see if I can do it without
touching." She tried removing her hands while she pulled, but the
connection stopped. Even almost touching didn't work.

"We can keep working on it,"
Kei said quietly, noting her growing frustration as time passed. "How are
you doing?"

"Good. I haven't taken a lot."

"I know. Your eyes are barely
orange." He held out his hands. "Let's fill you up and work on you
handling that."

His fury flowed into her, building and
pulsing through her body. Would she ever get used to the strange feeling? Her
body didn't reject it, but at the same time it didn't feel quite right. The
pressure within built quickly, and she sucked in a deep breath as her heart
sped up. The fury wrapped around her, urging her to fight, to kill. She managed
to keep hold of herself even as her body felt like it would shatter.

"Stop?"

"No," she whispered.
"A…little…more."

He complied, and a small gasp escaped
her. How could he be so strong? She must have said something out loud, because
he answered.

"I'm supposed to be."

She looked up at him in confusion, but
he only gave her a small, wry smile. He knew something she didn't, probably
another line from the stupid prophecy, and apparently he wasn't going to tell
her.

Anger rose within her, destroying her
control. Pulling on his fury once more, hard, she then pushed herself away.
Twisting to the side, she planted her hands on the bed, arms braced to hold
herself up as she bowed her head and tried to control the rush.

Her breathing came in ragged pants as
the fury roared within her. Too much, it was too much. "Tell…me…" She
felt the bed shift and curled her fingers into the blankets. "Tell
me!"

"I'm…not sure. I don't remember it
all."

The roaring in her ears filled the
silence for a moment. Clenching her teeth, she squeezed her eyes closed, trying
to keep control of herself. The fury rose, and she feared it would burn her
from the inside out. Could it even do that? Her body began to shake.

"Aro," he whispered. "Let
it go."

"I can't." She struggled to
breathe. "Tell me!"

"More than once, the Seer speaks of
me standing by the Queen's side. One says, 'He is by her side. Where he was
meant to be. Where he will always be.'"

Her mind tried to make sense of his
words and failed, finally she turned her head to look at him. "What?"

He looked away. "I haven't
remembered anything more specific."

"What does it mean," she
demanded. The fury rolled and whipped through her body, and she winced.

"There is one called the
Guardian," he said quickly. "It could be that. He, or she, is bonded
to the queen. He protects her. Or it could mean…"

She didn't hear the other option, if he
even said it. She choked and trembled. "Her mate?"

"Her consort. Mate. Yes."

With a cry, she flung herself at him. As
if he expected it, he easily caught her and grabbed her wrists, though she did
manage to knock him back against the wall. Struggling against him, she growled
and cursed even as she fought the wild torrent of emotions inside of her.
"I'm not…I'm not…"

Somehow he shifted, trapping her arms
and wrapping an arm around her. Her head cracked against his. He raised his
hand, burying his fingers into her hair and guiding her head to his shoulder.
"I know. Easy."

"I'm not…the queen," she
insisted through ragged breaths as she continued to squirm and fight against
him. Why did he have to be so rotting strong?

His grip tightening, he rested his head
against hers. "I know. Shhh."

Whispering calming words, he held her
until the fight left her. "Can you let it go now?"

Though she no longer wanted to hurt him,
the fury still raged within her. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea. "I
don't know."

"Can I let you go?"

She nodded against his shoulder and his
grip on her wrists disappeared. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Wrapping both arms around her, he
stroked her hair and sighed. "We'll sort it out. You can do this."

She closed her eyes and wished she could
believe him.

"What do you feel?"

Startled, she tilted her head back to
look at him. "Angry, the fury is all wild inside."

"The anger, the fury, it drives us
to fight. That is normal," he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers.
"When we have our Queen, she will guide us. We are all connected."

"Even me?"

He smiled a little. "You are only
connected to me. Can you feel it? Look beyond the fury. Can you find it?"

The hope in his voice made her breath
catch. Closing her eyes, she tried to do as he asked. Looking inside herself, she
dove into the swirling mass of black and red, fighting to see if there was
anything beyond it. What she found stole the breath from her lungs.

Strings of black and red twisted and
intertwined with two brilliant lights. Her. Kei. It brought them together.
Connecting them. Binding them.

The feelings of love and trust and utter
devotion overwhelmed her and made her forget everything else. She was
everything to him…but it wasn't one-sided. Kei was her best friend, her family.
More than that. She would do anything for him, trusted him with her life, and
yes, even loved him. The feelings themselves were not surprising. She knew how she
felt for Kei, but feeling them so suddenly, so fully, shook the very
foundations of everything she knew. It was one thing to say the words, but
another altogether to feel them with every part of her being. Finally, she
understood.

Pulling back, she opened her eyes.
Dazed, she stared up at him in shock. "What is…?"

His eyes glowed golden as he smiled
brilliantly down at her. "That is us. You see me now."

Chapter 7

Westport

After the shock of actually seeing and
feeling their bonds, Aro finally managed to let go of the fury and let it fade
away. Immediately afterward, she fell asleep, still wrapped in Kei's arms.

The next morning she once again woke
before him. Staring into the darkness, she blinked away sleep. For the first
time in what felt like forever, she'd had a wonderful night’s rest. No
nightmares. The warmth of Kei's body curled around her reminded her of the
safety and love she'd felt the day before.

She'd never felt such strong feelings.
The intensity of them honestly frightened her and left her confused. Kei's
response had been so different, but then he'd been feeling such things for a
while, hadn't he?

As gently as possible, she shifted out
from under Kei's arm and slipped out of bed. Washing up in the basin quickly, she
tried not to overthink everything from the previous day. Instead, she decided
to try to contact Rhee-En and see if he'd be returning soon, or not.

Good morning, Arowyn.

She winced at the obvious irritation in
his tone. Had he still been asleep?
I'm sorry to disturb you.

What can I do for you?

Will you be returning soon? Or should
Kei and I head to the city.

A long pause began to worry her, and she
chewed on her thumbnail as she waited for his reply.

My daughter was injured. It will be some
time before I return.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise.
I'm
sorry. I hope she recovers soon. Please let me know if there is anything I can
do.

All will be well, and thank you. Do you
wish to leave today? I will arrange for a guide to take you.

She didn't take his abruptness to heart.
That would be wonderful, thank you.

His mind voice softened.
I am sorry
that we did not get our talk. Please contact me in the future, if you like.

I will. Thank you again, for everything.

Striding over to the bed, she poked Kei
in the side. "Get up. We're leaving today."

When he opened his eyes and saw her, his
smile lit the room. "Morning."

A flustered feeling overcame her, but she
managed a quick grin before quickly escaping.

After leaving him with the task of
making sure they had everything packed, she headed out to find Cassia. Of all
the Were, she felt closest to her and wanted to say goodbye.

She found the Were by the long table in
the common area, setting out food.

"Good morning. You're up
early."

Aro shrugged. "We're heading to the
city today. I wanted to say goodbye."

"Oh!" Rushing around the
table, she pulled her into a tight hug. "You take care, and keep up with
your stretches."

"I will," Aro promised.
"I'll miss you. Hopefully I'll see you again after the winter." She
left unsaid that if things didn't go well with the king, they might not ever
meet again.

Cassia drew back and gestured to the
table. "You have to eat first, and take something for the Fey as
well."

Browsing over the multitude of platters and
bowls, she nibbled as she collected things for Kei. "Rhee-En said his
daughter was hurt," she blurted out.

Cassia paused and then nodded. "You
sound surprised. That she would fight?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. I
didn't know he had any children. He's never mentioned them."

The Were laughed loudly. "He does.
Twins. They have been a handful. Though grown now, they still try his patience
often."

"Twins?" She grimaced.
"That would be hard."

"We're used to it. Having twins is
about as common as just having one with us."

She still couldn't get over the thought
of Rhee-En having kids, even if they were grown now. "Their mother?"

Cassia's face sobered. "She died a
few years ago. Such a tragedy, losing her."

"Were they mates?"

The Were shook her head in confusion.
"Of course. Only with our mates can we have children. This goes for Fey
and Elves as well. There are no–what is the word you humans use–bastards. All
our children are cherished and born out of love."

Aro looked away. It was clear from
Cassia's tone what she thought of humans and their ways.

"I suppose this is why so many go
to the cities for lovers," the Were mused. "There is never any chance
of children. They are too different from us, you see?"

Clearing her throat at the sudden
awkwardness of the conversation, she held up the armload of food she'd
collected. "I better get this back to Kei so he can eat before we
go."

"Safe travels, Arowyn. I will hope
to see you again soon."

Heading back to Kei, she nibbled on an
apple and thought about what Cassia said. Had the Were forgotten she was human
or been making a point? The realization she and Prince couldn’t ever have
children caused a sour taste in her mouth. The topic wasn't something she
thought about much, but being denied something before you can even want it
turned out to be more painful than expected. Could a Fey mate with a Were, or
an Elf, or any such mix?

She pushed the thoughts away. More
important things needed her attention, like reaching Westport and making sure
the Were king didn't eat her.

∞ ∞ ∞

Kei stood outside when she reached their
cabin, their packs by the door. A woman waited as well, and Aro wondered if
Rhee-En had arranged a guide for them already.

She smiled at the woman as she handed
the armload of food over to him. "Eat."

"Arowyn Mason," the Were
greeted her.

"Good morning."

The woman regarded her for a moment.
"My name is Neena. Rhee-En has asked me to guide you to Westport."

Aro nodded. "Thank you."

Neena's brows rose slightly. "No
thanks are needed. I do as my alpha wishes. Fetch your horse. We can leave
immediately."

Confused at the woman's harsh manner, she
stuttered over her response. "I…I'll not be riding."

"You are walking?" Neena
looked to Kei and back to her. "You are human." With an irritated
huff, she turned on her heel. "We better get started then."

Picking up her pack and settling it on
her shoulders, she shook her head. "This should be fun."

Kei laughed quietly as he donned his
pack. "She'll see." He lightly punched her shoulder as they followed
the Were. "Don't overdo it though. You don't need to prove anything to
her."

She smiled but didn't promise anything.

Once away from the settlement she
settled into an easy jog next to Kei. The sun rose higher, sending more light
into the trees. Though she didn't see Neena again, Kei seemed to have no
trouble knowing which way to go.

She found it comforting to be out
running with her best friend again. Unfortunately, their slow pace gave her
time to think. It didn't take long for worry to tense her whole body.

Kei…what I felt. I don't… Is it because
of the bindings?

She stopped running when she heard
laughter behind her. Turning, she found Kei stopped, a hand braced against a
tree, and laughing uncontrollably. Frowning, she headed toward him.

"You think," more laughter cut
off his words, "the most ridiculous things sometimes."

A smile curved her lips as she crossed
her arms and watched him try to stop laughing. She didn't care if he laughed at
her. The relief his words brought took a great weight off her mind.

Still grinning, he walked to her side
and threw an arm over her shoulder. They started walking and he tipped his head
toward her. "You felt what I feel for you. Our bindings have connected us.
They don't create feelings."

She mulled over his words for a moment
and then glanced over at him. "So you felt what I feel for you?"

A wide smile lit his face.
"Yes."

From his reaction, she assumed he was
happy with how she felt about him and relaxed even further. Even though she was
in love with Prince, things were still good between her and Kei.

"So then what does it do?"

"It is a promise."

"I know that," she said in
irritation.

He laughed again, making her smile. It was
good to see him so happy and relaxed. "If you find that spot within you, then
you can find me. If you ever need me, I am there. No matter where I am."

"So I really will never be alone
again."

"No," he answered softly.
"We'll always have each other."

∞ ∞ ∞

Aro managed to easily keep up with Kei
throughout the morning. When they stopped around noon to eat, she only felt a
little stiff. Neena regarded her thoughtfully but remained quiet.

When they finally stopped as the sun set,
Aro welcomed the fact they wouldn't set up much of a camp. They ate dry food
from their packs, and both she and Kei spread out their cloaks to sleep on next
to a small fire.

"Humans do not run like that,"
Neena stated suddenly into the quiet.

Aro blinked at her, unsure where that
comment came from or what exactly to say.

"I suppose it is true then, what
they say about you," the Were continued.

"That depends on what they
say," Aro said carefully.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Neena nodded, as if to herself. Her gaze
moved to Kei. "You can heal them? Their fury?"

"Yes."

"And yourself, I hear."

"With their power, yes." She
looked down, uncomfortable with the memory. Many things had faded, but not the
pain of healing.

"You can mind speak him as
well," Neena continued. "Because you created a pack."

Silence hung between them. She wasn't
sure what to say, not knowing how much Rhee-En had told his pack.
"Yes," she said finally.

Neena looked away and sat quietly for
long moment, clearly lost in thought. Aro glanced at Kei, who just shrugged and
yawned. Not helpful.

"The king will not be pleased.
Packs are only created by his leave. You are not Were. It is not done."
The Were frowned and shook her head. "Yet you are different. Having the
Fey fight by our side once more would work in your favor. I am curious though,
how far you would go?"

"I don't understand," Aro
admitted.

"To gain favor with the king. He
will not just let this pass. Even should he allow it, I wonder what it will
cost you."

Holding in a wince, she shrugged.
"I guess we'll see." She didn't regret doing it. It had saved
Prince's life. "Good night, Neena," she said, ending the
conversation.

∞ ∞ ∞

In the morning, Neena told them they
would reach Westport before noon the next day. Shortly after they started out,
Aro heard from Bo that they'd possibly found a suitable house. Though she
enjoyed running, the silence of the forest threatened to overwhelm her. The quiet
set her mind to spinning. Between Prince, the Were King, and Kei, her head
quickly began to ache.

Kei darted ahead of her and she was too
slow to dodge the branch he'd pushed out of the way. Stumbling to a stop, she
raised her hand to her cheek. "Rot!"

"Are you hurt? I…I'm sorry,"
Kei stuttered, his cheeks flushed as he appeared in front of her.

Pulling her hand away, she found streaks
of blood. "It's just a scratch. I'll be fine." She grinned.
"I've gotten worse."

He frowned and reached out to touch her
before pausing and letting out a low growl. Instead of dropping his hand, he
instead pressed his palm against her chest. The shock of power and fury
startled her.

"Heal it," he said quietly.

Staring at him, her lips formed words
that didn't come.

"You know how," he insisted.
"You need to practice."

He was right; she couldn't deny that.
Still, she frowned anyway as she closed her eyes and went within herself.
Pushing herself deep inside wasn't hard now that she knew how to do it. The
strange lack of sensation disorientated her for a moment, but eventually she
sorted herself out. Finding the wound took a little more time, but once she
did, pushing the power Kei had given her into it came easily enough.

Slowly, then it won't hurt as much.

If she could have glared at him she
would have, but she did as instructed. The wound closed, and she began to pull
away.

Not yet. Give a little more and will it
to be as it was.

Though vague, she understood what he
meant.

Good. Now you're done.