Survival -Guardians of Vesturon [1] (11 page)

Talasi walked away leaving me more bewildered than ever. I wanted to scream at her to come back, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know everything right then. I was still too curious about Rayn and why he had left.

That night was the first time I dreamt about Rayn. We were running through a forest in a place where the colors defied description. I had never seen anything like it before, and I could barely think of anything besides their magnificence. The trees, flowers, and overall landscape were bursting in this newly discovered rainbow of mine.

I awoke with a start, and the first thing I detected were deep pools of emeralds. His eyes drilled into mine, and he wore the same puzzled expression on his face. I felt like he was trying to assess my thoughts. I began to feel ill at ease, so I averted my gaze. He stooped toward me and grasped my face in his hands, forcing me to look back at him.

Words would not surface; I could not think of anything except how much I wanted him to put his arms around me. It was at that precise moment that he did exactly that.

I thought I heard him murmur, “This cannot be happening.”

Then, he continued in that unrecognizable language. I didn’t want to know what he was saying now. I just didn’t want this moment to end. I felt a sense of contentment, a warmth seep into my bones that I couldn’t explain. I felt like I belonged there, like I had come home.

I wanted to reach up and touch his face, his hair, but I feared I would break the spell. We sat together like that for a very long time. Words seemed unnecessary.

Eventually, he arose, bent down, placed a kiss on the palm of my hand, and strode out of the room. I wanted him to turn around and come back, but he didn’t. I fell back to sleep, and my strange dreams resumed.

* * * * *

I knew my strength was returning. I was ready to deal with my final injury: to go home and learn how to live without my legs. But I felt like everyone was avoiding that issue. I asked Talasi about it earlier, and she would not give me an answer. I was overcome with frustration. I wanted to pull my hair out!

After what seemed like years, I fell into a restless sleep, filled with unpleasant dreams. When I awoke, I was drenched in sweat. I threw off the fur covers and let the air hit my body. I was dressed in a cotton gown, so I pulled it up around my legs to try to see my wound.

I touched my calf, and it felt like I was touching someone else. I pinched my legs to see if I could feel either of them. Then I scratched them. Nothing. That’s when it all came crashing down on me. I would never walk again.

Many minutes passed by before I realized that someone was shaking me and calling my name. When I could finally focus, I was looking into his beautiful eyes. He had a disconcerted look on his face. I was so angry at the unfairness of it, how my life had taken yet another dastardly turn for the worst. I wanted to hit something, throw something, stomp my feet, and scream. Instead, I started accusing him of holding back information on my condition, my frustration and anger evident in my emotions.

I confronted him with my voice raised, and through gritted teeth, I said, “I’m tired of lying here, days on end. I want you to take me home where I can start mending my life.”

I stopped suddenly, guilt washing over me for speaking to him in such a manner. I continued on in a softer tone, “I need to move forward. I appreciate everything you and the Nunne’hi have done for me. I wouldn’t be alive without you, but it’s time for me to go home.”

“There is nothing I can do about your dissatisfaction, and for that, I am sorry. I am trying to work something out, but I cannot tell you more right now,” Rayn said.

“Ugh. This is driving me bonkers. You are driving me crazy!” I exclaimed.

“Again, I am sorry. That is all I can say right now,” he said curtly.

“No; I want more of an explanation than that. Right now, you’re telling me I can’t leave and go home. You’re so circumspect with everything. I want to know why!”

He sighed deeply and said, “It is the way things must be. You must trust me in this.”

My frustration and anger were not being assuaged one bit. I had to have answers now, or I would tear my hair out.

I sighed, letting my breath escape raggedly. “How can I trust you when you won’t give me any answers? Am I to just sit around and wonder about it?”

I was about as exasperated as a person could get. This man refused to give me any straight answers, and it was driving me to the edge.

“You may huff and puff and be annoyed all you want, but it will not change the way of things. I am sorry I do not have a better answer for you, but in time, you will understand. Now, you must rest because you will need your strength.”

“I’m sick and tired of resting; I just want to understand what’s going on here. Can you not understand that?”

One minute, he was across the room, and the next he was by my side, grasping my arms. His movements were lightning fast, so much so that I had trouble comprehending what I had seen. It startled and frightened me. I wrenched my arms away from him.

He reached out for them, but instead, I balled my hands into fists and started hitting his chest. I wanted to scream at him and run away, but I was helpless in that regard. I kept throwing punches at him, and he sat there and allowed me to do it. Finally, he took both of my wrists in one of his hands and held them steady, forcing me to a halt. The sobs came then.

They took over my body, shattering my hold on my emotions. I cried my heart out for the unfairness of it all. I mumbled incoherent words through my tears. I shuddered at the force of my grief, and then, I felt myself becoming ill. He held me while I couldn’t stop myself from throwing up. He wiped my face with a cool cloth and whispered soothing words in my ear, attempting to ease my pain. I had ached inside for so long that the inevitable dam had ruptured, tearing me apart in the process.

I was humiliated by my ghastly outburst. If he was put off, he gave no indication. He calmly and serenely continued to hold and soothe me. My hair had become a massive tangle, so he ran his fingers through it, attempting to smooth it from my face. He was tucking an errant lock behind my ear, when I opened my eyes to gaze upon him.

He had treated me like a precious piece of porcelain, gently wiping my face and brow, while caressing my arms and back. No one had done this for me other than my parents.

This would become another defining moment in my life. I think I fell in love with him at that very instant. He never said a word, never tried to get me to stop grieving. He knew it was precisely what I needed, so he allowed himself to be my punching bag. I somehow knew he cared, and no one had cared about me in that manner in such a long time.

My tirade had exhausted me, but I forced myself to stay awake.

I cleared my throat, but my voice was raspy nevertheless. “Please forgive me for that outburst. I—”

“There is no need for words of apology,” he interrupted. “It is good for you to release this. You must not hold this back. Your experience with your abductor must be dealt with. You cannot bury this with you lest it will destroy you. Do not let this happen Maddie.”

“Um, I don’t quite know what to say. I’m embarrassed for being such a mess here.”

He tilted my chin up, so I faced him. “Do not feel as such. You have been a most brave female and have endured a great deal. I do not think less of you for this.”

He gathered me in his arms and held me securely.

Talasi entered the room with a cup in her hand. She handed it to me to drink, so I did as I was told. Within a few minutes, I felt my head swirling, and I figured that they had given me something to relax me and make me sleep. Who would blame them? I was positive they were tired of having a weeping mess on their hands.

When I awoke, I was lying in Rayn’s arms. He must have held me throughout the night. I felt the burning flames of embarrassment return. I had never allowed my emotions to escape before, so I was most uncomfortable with him.

He arose from the bed and offered me something to drink. He then became very inquisitive and wanted to know everything about me. Because of my unstable emotional state, my feathers started getting ruffled. Had I been honest with myself, the reason I was uncomfortable was I couldn’t bear the fact that he had seen such vulnerability in me. It was something I never wanted anyone to see, much less him. For years I had painstakingly built a concrete fortress around myself, allowing no one to gain entrance. Cat had barely made it in, so there was no way I would allow Rayn in. I didn’t want him poking or prying into my psyche. Not to mention, it was like pulling teeth to get him to tell me anything, so why on earth would I want to share any secrets with him?

The nastiness in me decided to make an ugly appearance. What a short memory I had. I completely disregarded his kindness from such a short while ago.

“Why should I tell you anything? You won’t tell me a thing,” I retorted harshly.

“You should tell me because you are helpless to do otherwise,” he so matter-of-factly responded.

He was really starting to get under my skin. The audacity of this man. Of all the things to say, who did he think he was that he could boss me around like this?

I saw his brow lift. Maybe his super-duper telepathy thingy was picking up on my anger.

A bark of laughter escaped from him.

“I’m glad you find me so amusing,” I said bitterly.

“Amusing? Not exactly. Bold? Yes. You do realize that it would not be difficult for me to find out whatever it is I want to know about you? So, with that being said, why not be a nice little tot and tell me?”

“A ‘nice little tot?’” Of all the rotten things to say. Why, you’re a horse’s bohonkas!”

Another bark of laughter escaped from him, and he added, “This time? Definitely amusing! I know what a horse is, but please enlighten me regarding this…what did you call it? Oh, yes…a ‘bohonkas.’” The corners of his mouth were twitching with mirth.

“Why don’t you just use your super-duper telepathy thingy to figure it out; or set your pea brain in motion and use some deductive reasoning?”

“Pea brain?”

“Yes, pea brain, or maybe I should have said pigheadedness. Either one will suit,” I said with derision.

Talasi rushed in the room carrying one of her cups. She shoved it toward me to drink.

“Why is it every time I start digging for information, or refuse to answer your questions, Pocahontas here runs in to sedate me? Answer me that,” I was spitting nails and getting ready to chew them. He gave no response, but his eyes bore into mine.

“Let me tell you one thing, mister, if I could get out of this bed, you would be eating a knuckle sandwich right now!”

Next thing I knew, Mr. Hottie was bent over at the waist laughing hysterically. He was maddening!

“Go ahead and laugh. Get it out of your system. It’s obvious you were raised without any manners. You were probably a spoiled little brat with all the girls fawning over your good looks, hanging onto every one of your words. You probably never had to work hard for anything in your whole life, most likely had it all handed to you on a silver platter. Mommy and Daddy running around getting little Rayn anything his little ol’ heart desired. You were probably a bully too…to those of us not fortunate enough to have been born with the good looks with which you were so obviously endowed.”

I whipped my glance over to Talasi to see her standing there, mouth agape, utter horror displayed in her expression.

“Well, well, well. Isn’t this interesting? By the looks of little Pocahontas here, I can tell she isn’t used to hearing anyone speak to you like this. Am I right?” I had finally reached the end of my tirade.

“Talasi, leave us please,” Rayn quietly said, in a velvety voice laced with steel.

“Yes, my liege.” Talasi bowed to Rayn and scurried out of the room.

“And what’s up with this ‘my liege’ crap. Who are you anyway? King of the pirates? Are you trying to emulate Jack Sparrow? If so, you need an eye patch and a red bandanna to complete your ensemble.”

It was at that precise moment I knew without a doubt, I had severely overstepped my bounds. However, being the hardheaded idiot that I was, I refused to acknowledge it or apologize.

With only the the barest hint of movement, Rayn was at my side. He moved with incomprehensible speed, and I was barely able to track him. He bent toward me and grasped my arm in an ironclad hold. His fingers clamped down, and I had the impression he was fighting for control. He was seething with violent energy; I could feel it saturating the air. I knew with certainty it would take very little for him to snap my bones in half. His emerald eyes were now glinting, and I could all but see the sparks in them. I was, for the first time in his presence, fearful of what he might do to me.

“Ms. Pearce,” he said, with barely controlled menace, “you forget yourself, where you are at this moment, and who controls your reins. You are the most insolent, sullen, manner-less, spoiled child I have ever met. I will not justify myself by explaining things to you. You can figure it out yourself by using your own…what did you call it? Oh yes, ‘pea brain.’ But let me be perfectly clear, Ms. Pearce.” He stopped for a moment and I could tell he was fighting for control. He continued on, his voice laced with steel, through tightly clenched teeth, “You are a guest among my people. They have saved your life and done an admirable job at that. But for the life of me, I cannot figure out why they did it in the first place. It is not an option for you to treat them with respect; it is mandatory! You can throw your little tantrums at me any time you please, but never, and I repeat, never, will I allow you to speak to Talasi or anyone else here like that again. Do you understand?”

I was terribly frightened by him, but also by my own shamefully appalling behavior. I had never acted so rudely before, and I didn’t understand why I had done so. My mouth had become a pile of sawdust that I could barely swallow, let alone speak. I gaped, giving him the slightest of nods.

“Excellent! I am glad you understand. Now, then, I asked you some questions about yourself, and I command you to answer me.”