Genesis (22 page)

Luke stared at me
expectantly.

I cleared my throat. “I’ve decided that
Jett should come with us.”

“
Out of the question,” spat
Luke. “He will be in the way.”

I sat beside him and touched his
shoulder. “I would feel more comfortable with both of you there.
Besides, he could continue to work with me. I still haven’t
mastered earth manipulation.”

Luke grabbed my hand before I could
pull it away. “You won’t have time for more training from him. I
haven’t begun to show you how to harness water, Rayla. This is a
bad idea.”

“
I’m sorry. I know how you
feel, and I will make sure we have some alone time together, but
considering what came after me today, I need to have as many of you
around as I can. What if it had tried to steal my soul?”

Luke scoffed and turned toward Jett.
“Spreading superstition, I see. Why don’t you tell her about the
boogiemen, as well?”

I suppressed a shiver. “What about
them?”

Luke jumped to his feet. “You see what
you have done?”

Jett didn’t flinch. “Being cautious is
not a fault.”

Luke shook his head. “She is already
bombarded by fear because of you. Did you have to give her more to
worry over?”

Jett folded his arms across his chest.
“I have made a point of not lying to Rayla. I intend to keep it
that way.”

Luke shot Jett a glower. “Oh, and I
have made a point of lying to her?”

I stepped between them. “Please stop.
We’re going to be late for dinner.”

Neither of them smiled, but they did
shut up.

Tension sat between me and the two
lords flanking me. Mom eyed me from the head of the table while her
jerk for a husband glared. What fun.

Luke leaned in. “What makes you think I
couldn’t protect you if something happened?”

I glanced at him and smiled,
hoping to reassure him. “It’s not that. I’m dead positive you could
keep up with any of the lords, but I want to learn to
protect
myself
.
Having both of you to help me get up to speed just makes
sense.”

Jett peeked around me. “Listen to her,
Luthais. I am not trying to invade your time with Rayla. I am
merely worried about her. With all the rumors floating around, we
need to take precautions.”

Luke threw up his arms in a huff. “Why
not invite the rest of the lords to Altasia? Make it a real
effort.”

Sarcasm dripped from his tone, but he
didn’t have a bad idea there. “Actually, that would be great,” I
said. Somehow choosing who to bond with didn’t seem like the most
important thing at the moment. I wasn’t going to officially do it
until I had my family home and safe anyway. Besides, I might get a
better idea of who I wanted by having them all in one
place.

Luke scraped his chair back and stormed
out of the great hall faster than I could react. Well, that was a
side of him I had never seen. Hmm.

Mom chuckled. “Rayla, it appears you
have much to learn about men.”

I grimaced. “Tell me something I don’t
know.”

“
All right,” she said.
“Tabitha has sent an emissary with a message just for
you.”

My ears tuned in. “When was
this?”

Mom smiled. “While you were
straightening out sleeping arrangements.”

She was just telling me this now? Why
would she wait so long? “Where is the messenger?”

“
Here,” said
Zach.

Even now I could recognize the soft
lilt of his voice a mile away. The sound sent ripples of gooseflesh
along my arms. I turned and time slowed, just like my first glance
of him. His smile was exactly how I remembered, sure and strong.
His strange blue eyes, dreamy as ever. He looked at Jett who got a
cold appraisal and swift dismissal then his eyes glided over Mom.
For her he gave a slight nod and waited.

“
Sit, lord of void. You are
welcome to eat.”

“
Thank you, your highness.”
He settled in next to me and my heartbeat picked up. Taking a chunk
of bread, he turned toward me. “So, I hear we are headed for
Altasia. Might be good. Haven’t been there in a while.”

“
Hi,” I said, giving him a
pout. “It’s good to see you too.”

He smiled around a mouthful of bread
before he swallowed it. “Thought that was a given, Rayla. Of course
I’m pleased to see you.” Using the tip of his finger, he traced the
delicate flesh of my wrist. “Although.” He hesitated then brought
his eyes to mine. “I wasn’t quite sure how I would be
received.”

A cringe wanted to take over my face,
but I managed to tone it down to a slight grimace. I’d been awful
to him. It hadn’t been his fault I was dragged into this mess, but
I had treated him like it was. I gave him a genuine grin. “It
really is good to see you.” When I touched his arm, electricity
jolted up mine. I swallowed. “You look like you’ve healed well.”
There was no outward sign he had been tortured. I just hoped his
insides were fairing as nicely.

Without giving anything away, he
studied his food. “That sort of thing stays with you forever, but I
have a feeling you know what I’m saying.”

I did. No matter how much time passed,
I would remember the horrid events that happened on that island. I
just hoped someday pain wouldn’t accompany my memories.

I gave him a nod. “I hear you have
something to tell me?”

He laughed. “Oh, I have lots to tell
you…” He gave me his roguish grin. “And show you, but I think what
you speak of is the message from Tabitha?”

Blood rushed into my face, heating me
up. Darn him for affecting me like this. “Yep. Exactly what I was
talking about.” His smile broadened. I cleared my throat. “What
does she want?”

“
I have a missive for you.”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a large
envelope.

The rough paper abraded my skin when I
opened it. I stood, pulling out the letter with trembling fingers.
I was too caught up in what Tabitha wanted to notice Jett and Zach
behind me.

“
What is it?” asked
Jett.

I shook my head at him but gave him a
smile. “I haven’t mastered reading minds, so you’ll have to wait
until I finish the letter for the answer to your
question.”

He shrugged.

I walked away and the room might as
well have disappeared when I started reading.

My dearest
Rayla,

I have attempted to stay
out of your decision, but I have an obligation to my people to make
sure you are following the right course.

Current intel has led me to
believe your life is in danger. Be wary of those seeking their own
interests. I cannot caution you enough. Your choice affects fae and
human alike. Remember that. None of the lords would knowingly cause
you harm, yet those same lords are the only fae capable of carrying
out your demise.

I do not tell you this to
worry you, and I do not tell you this lightly. Keep a close eye on
those you would make your mate.

Best regards,

Tabitha

Seriously? What kind of horse crap was
that? She tells me to watch out, but doesn’t say who I need to be
worried about. I folded the letter and wished it would just go
away. Without a second’s hesitation it burst into flames. I
screamed, releasing the charring paper before it could hit my
fingers. The flames consumed it within seconds until all that
remained was a floating flurry of ash that drifted to the
floor.

Zach’s brows furrowed. “That good,
huh?”

I stepped away from him, from Jett too.
“Excuse me for a minute?” I didn’t wait for a reply.

Mom was watching us, so I gestured for
her to follow me. I raced out of the room and waited in the hall.
Sweat beaded along my back. What was I going to do? Tabitha
basically said one of the lords could kill me. Kill, like in
dead.

Ainessa was behind it, that was a
given, but how could I find out who she controlled and who she
didn’t? For all I knew, she had them all under her spell. Maybe
Gibbit was right and Luke had been tainted?

Gentle hands touched my shoulder, and I
flung myself into Mom’s outstretched arms.

Her tender voice should have soothed
me, yet I doubted anything could right now. “Somehow, I was hoping
for good news, but I should have known better. What is it,
baby?”

Now I wished I still had the letter.
Explaining things would be difficult to get out. “She said someone
will try to kill me.”

Mom’s face flashed to white. “How did
she word it?”

Should I tell her this? I would do it,
no problem, if it wasn’t for her husband. This was just the sort of
thing that could get me in trouble with the council. I was making
rash judgments about him, but by the way Mom acted, and what I had
seen from him, it was the only conclusion I could reach.

“
I don’t really remember.
She just said for me to watch my back.”

She nodded. “I understand your
hesitancy to share her true message. I don’t know what I was
thinking even asking you. You mustn’t tell me things you wouldn’t
share publically.”

A dark shiver slivered over my arms.
Why had she waited to tell me that? I gave her a slight smile.
“Thanks for the warning.”

Her hands clamped around my arms. “This
just proves the point I made earlier. You’d better choose, and
soon. Your life is more important than anything else…including
love.”

A hiss escaped me. Pressure sure as
heck wasn’t what I needed right now, especially from my own mother.
“I’ll do my best,” I said.

She pulled me in for a hug. “That is
all any of us can ask of you.”

When I entered the great hall again,
the room hushed to a low buzz. It seemed every person there watched
me with cool reserve as a mask. I squared my shoulders and made my
way to three, no four, waiting lords. When had Taylor shown
up?

I glanced at him and he gave me a real
smile. I cocked my head at him. Wasn’t he mad at me?

When I got close enough for him to hear
me I asked, “When did you get here?”

“
Just a few minutes ago.” He
shrugged. “Seems I missed all the action.”

“
I wish I had,” I said. A
slight grimace worked its way onto my face.

Zach clasped my elbow, startling me.
“You’d better finish your dinner. Then we need to get to
bed.”

I chuckled. “Okay, Dad.”

The other lords smiled, but Zach just
tugged me over to my chair. “You need your strength. It’s bad
enough you haven’t been sleeping well.”

I sighed. Zach was sweet. He was also
bossier than that guy on TV that likes to fire people for a living.
I glanced at him sidelong, lifting my brows. “What’re you gonna do
about it?”

I was surprised by his response to my
flippant remark. His eyes shone with a secret. “Remember back at
school at the football game?”

How could I forget? It was the first
time he kissed me. I hadn’t even known my own name by the time he
was done with me, so why did it feel like that was years ago? Like
I was another person back then. Like he was someone I used to know?
I nodded for his benefit.

He went on as if he hadn’t noticed the
sadness that crinkled my eyes, but the slight slump of his
shoulders let on that he had. “My brothers searched for you the
entire evening. Why do you think they couldn’t find
you?”

I studied the crystal goblet in my
hand, twirling it between my fingers. “You cloaked me?”

He smiled. “I knew you’d get
it.”

“
So that’s the
plan?”

He licked his too sumptuous lips,
reminding me of that first kiss again. “For now.”

I skewered a vegetable of some kind. My
fork skidded along the plate, creating a peal that set my teeth on
edge, just like the rest of me. I focused on the tidbit. It was
bright purple, but had the look and consistency of a cooked carrot.
It smelled more like a potato and tasted like a mixture of both.
Either way, it was pretty good. Not my favorite.

I sighed. Distracting myself wasn’t
working. The buzz of electricity Zach created still had me on an
exquisite blade. Without even realizing until I had done it, I
scooted closer to him. He smiled.

I cleared my throat. “What do you know
about wraiths?”

One shoulder lifted in a lazy shrug. He
angled his body closer to mine so our knees touched. “Not much.
None of us do.” His expression turned grim. “When they first came
to the planet, they offered us a service.”

Oh, this was going to be bad. It had to
be if he was actually giving me an answer. My throat caught when I
swallowed.

He picked up another chunk of bread and
shoved it in his mouth. This time he chewed it completely before he
went on. “We needed to be able to police ourselves. Too many times,
we had argued about justice and punishment. The offer they made
took responsibility away from us. If one of us disobeyed the law,
the wraiths would escort them to the dark realms.”