Heart Fortune (Celta) (32 page)

Narrowing his eyes, he saw that it
was
confined a little by a spell.

She stopped a meter from him, hands on hips. The tunic she wore had the square pocket sleeves, that nearly brushed the ground.

Drawing in a big breath, she just stared at him for a full minute, her eyes hurt, and that squeezed something painfully in his chest. “I’m sorry I got distracted last night, and that you’re hurt. I don’t like hurting you,” he said. “Come sit and talk.”

She hunched a shoulder. “I’ve been thinking and thinking about this. Right now you have everything your way. You get sex. You get good food. You get loving from me.”

“I give sex and . . . and loving,” he said.

She jerked a nod. “And affection. But I want more and you won’t give me that. I want a HeartMate marriage.”

He stood. “I told you, I’m not ready.”

Nodding, she said, “You’re frightened.”

“What!”

“Frightened of being in a Family again, that you’d have to change your ways to accomodate others. Selfish.”

That stung.

“Just selfish.” She sighed. “You’ve lived on your own for so long.”

“I’ve scraped by for so long.”

But she was shaking her head. “And I admired you for your adventurous streak, for following the wind.”

He didn’t like the past tense. Straightening tall, he reached out for her hands, she let him take them, but they were cool and she didn’t intertwine her fingers with his. “My life hasn’t been as easy as you think.”

Her eyes, brown and deep, met his. “I didn’t say that your life was easy. I did say that you have grown accustomed to living life on your own terms—and that works when you don’t have close Family. You don’t have to accommodate them, don’t have to please anyone more than yourself.”

“I want to please you,” he said.

But she was shaking her head. “I don’t know that you do. You haven’t had a steady lover, either, not to mention a HeartMate.”

He flinched.

Her laugh was unamused. “You rarely say it, refer to me as your HeartMate. Call me HeartMate.”

Putting on a smile, he squeezed her hands. “Getting used to it.”

She nodded solemnly. “But you aren’t accustomed to change . . . and maybe it’s too late.”

“What?”

“You’ve gotten by on your charm, on your friendships. Is that all you want, Jace? Surface relationships?”

His throat began to dry.

“You’ve continued to do what you want, and I’ve allowed you to, because I’ve done so much what everyone else has wanted for so long. Obeyed all the rules to do what I thought I wanted.”

Surprise spurted through him. “You don’t want to be D’Licorice?”

She blinked fast. Somehow he felt her slipping away from him.

“I don’t know,” she said. She glanced around. “I don’t think I want to live in Druida City, though. I’m not sure.” She pulled her hands away, stared off in the distance, to the tall forest.

“Glyssa, H—lover.”

With her sigh he felt the last of her anger dissipate. She tilted her head so she matched his gaze. Her eyes were liquid with tears. When she answered, he heard them in her voice, too.

“You can’t say it. You have this scary, adventurous life, following rules that only you wish . . . Situations that change around you, events that might possibly move you one way or another, but you don’t truly change much. I think that
I
am more flexible than you, since I’ve always had to bend to the uncomfortable demands of loving Family and friends.” She swallowed. “And I don’t know if you can do that. Perhaps it is too late for us.”

Yes, her eyes were hurt, nearly despairing. But her words had thrown his mind into a scramble to find defenses. And he couldn’t.

Thirty-four

G
lyssa continued, “I won’t give up my Family, no matter how irritating,
or my beloved friends.” Her beautiful breasts rose with a deep breath. “I am going on a stridebeast journey to the Deep Blue Sea. You know that will take me three days. I wanted to go as a
HeartMate
couple. But I guess that’s too scary an idea for you, too. I think you should stay.”

“I—no!”

Her gaze had clouded. “I
do
expect a lot from you. More than you seem to be able to give. Stay, Jace. Please move your things from my pavilion into your tent while I’m gone.” Another humorless smile flicked on and off her face. “You’re the one with charm, the one people relate to better, so I think you should be the one to deal with our changed circumstances in the camp. I won’t be sleeping with you again, and I won’t have sexy dreams with you, either.”

Her face was utterly serious. “I understand that this encampment is too small for the both of us, so I will leave on the next airship shuttle back to Druida City.” She bit her lips, met his eyes again. “I’m not sure where I’ll be going, but you’ll always be able to reach me through my Family and friends.”

Turning on her heel, she said, “Blessed be, my HeartMate, Jace.”

She walked away and he couldn’t seem to see her. Chills chased heat through his body. He felt nauseous.

She was leaving him.

That couldn’t be.

He caught up with her in two strides, whipped around to stand in front of her. “Wait. That’s not true.” He waved his hands. “None of it. I only want to make a . . . enough gilt that we can live together on
my
income.”

She shook her head. “You’re deluding yourself, Jace, making gilt an excuse. If a fabulous treasure was found on the ship tomorrow that would keep the entire camp for the rest of our lives, you would still not want to live with me as a HeartMate.”

His hands were on her shoulders, but he stopped himself from shaking her. “No.”

“You
have
gilt, Jace. You never went back to your village after the trip you took with your parents.”

That stunned him. She knew about that? Yet . . . no one knew exactly what had happened on that trip. He’d told no one.

“You walked away from your mother and your friends and your community—”

His lips were cold. He should try and tell her about his mother, but his mind was equally cold, frozen in panic so he couldn’t
think.
He laughed bitterly. “My mother didn’t want me. Wouldn’t even have missed me. If she said so in whatever info you got, she lied. As for the rest . . .” His mind couldn’t even contemplate returning to the village, meeting his mother again, even after the fevers of Passage had subsided.

Glyssa stared. “I heard your mother wasn’t . . . a good person.” Glyssa’s eyes were still sad and bruised looking. “But one of the things you do also is never look back.”

She wet her lips, but didn’t need to because now tears were sliding down her face to dampen them.

Jace wasn’t sure whether all his guts were twisted inside him or whether with her slicing words, they’d spilled to his feet.

“You never looked back at our wonderful fling, though subconsciously you must have realized eventually, as I did, that our connection during that time was more than casual lovers, we were HeartMates. You never looked back,” she repeated.

He opened his mouth but couldn’t deny that truth.

“And you never looked back when you left your village. Your father wasn’t a smart man, but he was a better man than you believe, I think. He didn’t give your mother all of his pay. He had some set aside for you by his employer in an account she didn’t know about.”

That notion simply skewed his life in a different direction so fast that he barely heard her words.

“One of the merchants you apprenticed with for a while invested that gilt . . . and when your mother died, the merchant liquidated her estate. You have a respectable inheritance, Jace.” She reached into one of her sleeve pockets and pulled out a piece of papyrus, handed it to him.

Complete disbelief. He mouthed, “How?”

“
My
father and
my
good friend Laev T’Hawthorn talked together, looked into the matter,” Glyssa said.

All right, a little anger to burn away the panic. A good thing. “Checked me out.”

“Yes, I am precious to them. I’m sorry you’re only precious to me and Zem.”

Another emotional blow.

“Good-bye, Jace. I’ll make sure to stay out of your way when we return. It will only be for a day or two.” Her eyes gushed and she whirled and ran this time.

Ran away from him.

Women didn’t do that. He was smooth in his affairs with them.

He stood there, hollowed out, unable to think. Only able to hurt.

His lover, his HeartMate, had run from him.

* * *

S
he’d taken too long with Jace. Worse she’d dawdled on the way back
to the encampment. Anyone who glanced at her would know she and Jace had broken up. Resorting to a glamour spell, she ensured her eyes weren’t red and face swollen, though tears continued to well and her calm expression must look forced.

People in the camp bustled around. Not a lot of them would stay. Most were packing into the luxury airship for the shortish flight to the Deep Blue Sea. Ten were leaving with Del Elecampane for the overland journey. All of the stridebeasts were lined up, most packed, and most of the riders standing near their animals.

Camellia caught sight of Glyssa, flinched, then distracted Laev who was turning in Glyssa’s direction. She hurried into her pavilion, changed into riding gear, finished packing, distractedly moving furniture around, shrinking some of it, dithering over the research materials and her origami supplies.

Her hands would need work, she took a lot of papyrus.

Lepid strolled in, stared at her, locked his legs . . . and hit her with betrayal.

With narrowed eyes, his muzzle set stubbornly, he said,
I don’t want to leave the camp.

Glyssa stared, her throat closed and she had to clear it. “You don’t want to visit the Deep Blue Sea?”

Her Fam shook his head.
We can go there lots of times, but the camp won’t always be mine!

“Yours?”

That Shunuk fox and those Elecampane cats are going away. I will be the alpha Fam of the camp. I want to stay with my friends Zem and Jace, too.
Lepid’s glance slid away from hers.

“You broke up with Jace?” Camellia entered the pavilion. She grimaced. “I think it’s the right thing to do and the right time to do it. You’ll have the trip to put a little distance between you.” Glyssa sighed and shook her head. “But Del sent me to get you. We’re leaving now.”

“Lepid wants to stay in camp,” Glyssa choked out.

Camellia stared down at him. “He is little.”

Glyssa decided not to whine that she wanted him with her. So unattractive.

“And my Fam decided to stay home at T’Hawthorn Residence,” Camellia smiled. “Where it’s safe and she can be pampered. So did Laev’s.”

You see, I will be the primary Fam of the camp!
Lepid pranced in place.

Camellia chuckled, then aimed a stern gaze at Glyssa. “Come
on
.”

Glyssa looked around at the pavilion and winced. “I’m running late. This place is a mess.”

“Maybe Jace will clean it up after he moves his things out,” Camellia said.

“Dream on.”

“Let’s go. It will be better for you on the road. You can put your troubles and Ja—the past behind you.”

“D’Hawthorn! Licorice!” Del Elecampane yelled.

Swallowing hard, Glyssa bent and rubbed Lepid, scratched his head. “I wish you’d come with me, and I’ll miss you.”

He swiped his tongue against her cheeks more than once.
Salty
, he said.

“Yes.” She grabbed the full saddlebags she’d packed. “I love you, Lepid.”

I love you, too, FamWoman,
he said, and trotted out the door beside her, heading in the direction of the ship.

Camellia put her arm around Glyssa’s waist. “Let’s go. It gets better, I promise you.”

Well, Camellia’s and Laev’s HeartMate romance had been rocky, too, so Glyssa’s friend knew what she was talking about.

Pulling a softleaf from her riding tunic pocket, Glyssa dabbed her eyes and blew her nose, said a cleansing word and tucked it away again. She’d be using it some more.

Del D’Elecampane gave her a sharp look, but said nothing as Glyssa mounted the stridebeast and they rode out of camp.

Glyssa had to admit that she didn’t pay much attention to the scenery. Camellia let her quietly weep and mutter about Jace and everyone else ignored her, which was fine. Later, no doubt, she’d be embarrassed.

She’d handled herself well with Jace, but with Camellia’s sympathetic ears and soothing murmurs, she broke down. Glyssa would rather have hidden in her pavilion, but being away while Jace moved his property back into his own tent would be best. Not that she thought it would take more than one trip. He hadn’t left much of his stuff, of himself, in her pavilion.

To be honest, the scenery they passed through looked a lot like that surrounding the camp—pristine forests with a winding path wide enough for two stridebeasts, rolling land too low to be called hilly, ponds and lakes.

As the septhour wore on, Camellia stayed beside her, talking and making Glyssa think about her answers. Her shoulders relaxed—her whole body relaxed and she moved better with her stridebeast, though neither she nor Camellia were experienced riders. Good thing that they both knew minor Healing spells. They’d need them at the end of the day.

Glyssa’s emotions evened out, and she repeated the mantra that all rejected HeartMates must—life was long on Celta and people changed, their minds and their emotions.

But she was done with chasing after Jace.

He would definitely have to come after her in the future.

* * *

H
elp, FamMan, help!
The frantic call came from Lepid late in the
morning while Jace was embellishing a woman’s pursenal in the workroom. He jerked, sliced his thumb with his knife, swore at the thin, hurting cut, but better than ruining the piece.

What?
he mind-yelled back, putting down his tools.

Help, FamMan. I am trapped in the ship!

What! You shouldn’t even be in the ship!
Too late to scold the FamFox, even as fear sourly coated his tongue.

There was a smell!
the fox whined, but even his mind-voice quavered. He was scared.
I followed it. Someone trapped me. Locked me in!

Jace put away his knives with trembling hands, rolled up his work and stowed it in a satchel.
What about the retrieval spell on your collar?

I outgrew my collar and Trago gave me another without the spell. I did not want the spell and I knew he wouldn’t make me have it. Nobody noticed.

Hell!
Can’t you teleport to the pavilion or my tent?

You . . . an . . . FamWoman . . . have . . . been . . . movin . . . stuff . . . arounnn.

Too true. It was emotional pain that slashed him hard and deep, now. He set it aside.
Lepid?

Fun-ny smell. Sleep-py.

Then Lepid’s voice disappeared from Jace’s mind. Sucking in a breath, Jace opened himself emotionally to all his bonds . . . winced as he noticed the connection between him and Glyssa might be down to a stream of a few molecules. His link with Zem showed huge, about the thickness of his heart, sizzling light blue like the freedom of the skies.

What is wrong, FamMan?
asked Zem.

A villain trapped Lepid in the ship. I think he’s unconscious. I’m going to get him.
He’d made the decision.

Zem hesitated. Jace sensed the hawkcel perched on a high tree limb, kilometers from the camp.

Do not come,
Jace said.

This is dangerous. If they got the fox, they could get you. You must tell the Elecampanes. They are alphas. They will help.

They are gone to the Deep Blue Sea. Like Glyssa.
Jace tested his bond with Lepid . . . the fox was still alive, he could tell that . . . and that link was solid and fox-red and as wide as his wrist.

He felt his Fam’s hesitation, then Zem said,
I will eat and work a little on my nest, then go back to camp.

Fine.

Be careful!
Zem said.

I will.

Andic Sanicle strolled into the workroom at that moment, nodded to Jace. The man was whistling, seemed too cheerful. Especially since he’d been downright surly to Jace for weeks. Maybe it was the fact that Laev T’Hawthorn called Jace by his first name last night and this morning, but who knew?

Had Sanicle been the one to lure and lock the FamFox in the ship? Whoever had done so must know the ship better than everyone thought . . . still, venturing down the hole the Comosums had condemned while the rest of them dug and dug for the main entrance? How was that possible?

Jace jerked a nod. “Sanicle.”

“Bayrum,” Sanicle said lazily, stretched languidly. He’d just had sex? Or was pretending that? No question that Sanicle remained for whatever gilt, big score, that could happen. He hadn’t bought into the project.