“So are you going to tell me what happened yesterday?” Caesaria asked when we went for an early morning practice at the archery range.

I shrugged. “Nothing special. Darius helped me begin to learn how to control my powers in combination with some combat training. But we kept it strictly professional.”

Caesaria snorted. “Yeah, because those glances you shared at breakfast this morning definitely screamed professional.”

“We were not sharing glances! He’s my trainer and that’s all.” Heat crept to my cheeks.

“Uh huh. So there’s nothing else on your mind about him?” She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows.

“Absolutely not. And even if there were, Raydir and I have been really good since getting back from Gwyniar. He trusts me with Darius and that’s all that matters.”

“Fair enough. He wasn’t mad about what happened?”

I shook my head. “No. In fact, he was really supportive. Iz made sure I had what I needed and Ray was there during the night to help me with the medicine. And here I am back to normal today.” I gestured down to my ankle. It only ached if I kept pressure on it for too long, so I’d promised Raydir I’d keep things easy for the day.

“That’s good,” Caesaria commented, tucking away some loose strands of hair that had escaped her braid. “Listen, Ar. I’ve known Darius a really long time and there’s something else you should know about him.”

“Yeah?” I stepped up to notch a new arrow.

“It, well, he—how do I say this? It’s probably not what you’re gonna wanna hear, but I think you should know.”

“Oh just tell me, Cae!”

Snap.

Caesaria and I froze, sharing worried glances. She put a finger to her lips. There was definitely someone or something lurking in the woods.

The wind stilled, leaving the only sound the beating of our hearts.

Hesitantly, I stepped forward.

Caesaria drew her bow, her eyes locked on the woods. “On my count. Get your bow ready.”

I copied her maneuver and aimed my bow at the woods. Now what?

Snap. A deep growl exploded from the bushes in front of us and my heart sank. The rogue was back, and we were in its way.

Yellow eyes filled with hunger latched onto us. The rogue stalked forward as Caesaria and I stood as still as we possibly could. Maybe it won’t notice us. I took another tentative step forward, a twig snapping under my foot.

The rogue bared its teeth, its head jerking in my direction. I let out a small yelp which wasn’t helped by Caesaria releasing the first arrow. It was meant as a distraction, but it only seemed to anger the rogue as he charged forward.

“Change in plans. Go!” Caesaria yelled.

I shot my own arrow, somersaulting out of the way and twisting my ankle again in the process. Pain shot up my leg, and I winced.

If I make it out alive, Raydir is so going to kill me, I thought to myself.

Limping away, I tried to call upon the water, but we were too far away from the lake. The rogue charged us, and Caesaria tried to slow it down with her arrows while I attempted to make my escape. I pushed through the bushes hoping to keep the rogue at bay, but my instincts were pulling at me to stay with Caesaria. Never leave another behind. That’s what Fletcher had taught me.

The rogue turned to follow me, and Caesaria kept shooting to no avail.

I was its prey, and this was not going to end well for one of us.

Come on, come on, come on! I raised my bow, but didn’t have a clear shot. The rogue kept approaching, and I backed away slowly. Moments of recent events flashed before my eyes. Raydir’s proposal. Our journey to the valley. The first smile from Darius at our initial meeting. The Alignment. Our first time. Darius’ kiss to shut me up. A flash of green. A flash of blue.

Make your choice.

Help me! I screamed out through the mind link. Help!

Then the rogue pounced and the world went dark.

***

Laughter echoed in my mind. I was chasing Arabella through the palace on a rainy afternoon.

“Bella! Where did you go?” I called out.

“Come and find me!” my sister answered back, her giggles fading down the vast halls.

“Bella! Slow down!” I stopped in the empty hallway, my sister nowhere to be found. To my left, the door to one of the rooms sat wide open. Curious, I wandered inside. The room was covered from floor to ceiling with books. “Bella?”

No answer.

I sat down on one of the bean bag chairs and picked up a stray book. This one was about somewhere called the Darqua Valley. As I opened it up to read, something rammed against the window.

I screamed. “Mama! Papa! Bella!” The creature at the window locked its eyes on me. Icy blue. I froze, trying to still my beating heart, hoping it wouldn’t attack.

“Arwyn, what is it?” my mother came running into the room.

“Outside there—hic—was—hic—something. It scared me.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

My mother tucked me into her arms and stroked my hair. “It’s ok, baby. You’re safe inside. We won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

Someone’s hand covered mine, rubbing small circles on it with their thumb. “Arwyn, come back to me.” His voice floated over me, silky and smooth.

Raydir. I smiled.

“How’s she doing?” another asked, this one deeper and more gruff.

Darius. I was sure of it.

“Stable. Can you do me a favor and grab me some more of that salve over there?”

“Sure thing.” Several objects clattered around before Darius spoke again. “Listen, about everything with the pact—”

“It’s cool, Darius. Your connection with Arwyn—I should’ve been prepared for it to get stronger. Although we were both under the impression it should’ve gone away by now.”

“You’re letting it get stronger,” Darius retorted. “And to be honest, I don’t know why we still have the link. You’ve marked her and she’s made her choice.”

“Yet you still had the audacity to kiss her in the woods the day she found out we’d hidden her wolf spirit.”

There was a pause from Darius. Then, “She told you about that?”

“Of course she did. We don’t keep secrets, or at least we didn’t until I got involved with the likes of you.”

Darius laughed. “So you’re blaming me for keeping the pact a secret from your girlfriend.”

“Well, yeah!” Raydir yelled, exasperated.

Easy there. I winced, hoping one of them might be able to sense it.

“You should’ve never come out here, Darius,” Raydir continued. “The night of her Fate Ceremony, she recognized you, which was also clear when you got to the valley after I specifically told you I’d take care of the situation.”

“I told you, Raydir, I had to come. The only way for Arwyn to have gone through the Alignment was if I was here.”

Raydir scoffed. “Yeah, because clearly I can’t do enough.”

Darius sighed. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

“You knew by coming here she’d see that you had a mind-link. Do you have feelings for her?”

Come on, wake up. Let them know you’re still with them.

“I…Arwyn is certainly special. I’ve never met anyone quite like her.”

Smooth. But wait—did that mean what I thought it meant? And did that matter?

“So the connection. Can it really be only one that remains?” Raydir asked.

Excuse me?

“Yes. But I think it might be best if I distance myself from her. There’s so much about this she has yet to learn, and I don’t want to take her away from you.”

Raydir sighed. “She trusts you. And I may not like it, but she needs you in her life.” He brushed his fingers over the back of my hand, sending a tingle up my arm.

“I thought you just said you wished I never came out here?”

“I did, but this isn’t about me. Ever since you arrived in the valley, something changed in her. Maybe it’s because you were her Chosen. Maybe it’s something else. But I truly believe you and her are meant to be part of something bigger together.”

“Maybe. But—”

“And you saved her life! If anything, she needs you more than ever.”

Again with the protecting. Come on, wake up!

“No, what she needs is—Raydir, I think her finger moved,” Darius said, a surge of excitement and relief evident in his voice.

Just my finger? Great, not what I was going for.

“Yeah, I see it too. Arwyn?" Raydir brushed his fingers over my forehead. “Ar, can you hear me? If you can hear me, tap the sheets twice.”

A sigh of relief.

“Arwyn.” A kiss on my cheek. “Please wake up. We need you back here.”

I let out an involuntary groan, and my eyes blinked open. Two grinning faces stared down at me, but I only had eyes for one.

“Ray.” I winced as I tried to sit up. “What happened?”

“Don’t move, you have a few bruised ribs.” His green eyes shone with relief.

“How long have I been out?” I asked.

“Two days. Darius got to you just in time. After the rogue attacked, he found you and Caesaria passed out.”

My heart lurched. “Caesaria! Is she ok? Did the rogue attack her too? Oh my gosh, this is all my fault!”

“Arwyn, slow down.” Raydir lightly pressed my shoulders back against the bed. “Easy. We’ve tended to all your scratches and the swelling in your ankle—which by the way, you were supposed to be going easy with—but your ribs are still bruised. There’s only so much that the salve can do.”

“But Caesaria,” I said. “Is she okay?”

“As I’ve told everyone about a million times over the last two days, I am fine. Just a few minor scratches. I passed out because I spent my energy trying to keep you, Arwyn, alive. Darius, as I keep reminding these two, had nothing to do with it. Or at least less than everyone thinks.” Caesaria walked over to my bedside, holding her left shoulder but smiling all the same. “It’s good to see you awake, Ar.”

“Cae, I told you we could help with your shoulder,” Raydir said.

“And I told you, Raydir, I am fine." She bit back a wince as she crossed her arms over her chest. “For all we know, I sustained this injury while practicing archery.”

“What did Darius do?”

Darius scratched the back of his head. “Our link sort of alerted me that you were injured. So naturally, I went to help and found the two of you. It really is good to see you awake.”

My cheeks flushed. I wasn’t used to all this attention, and now both Raydir and Darius were looking at me with equally expectant gazes.

Shouldn’t my link have alerted Raydir and not Darius?

“Um, do you think Caesaria and I could have a moment?” I asked.

“Sure thing.” Raydir leaned down to press a kiss to my temple.

I rubbed my fingers over my ribs, wincing at how tender they were to the touch. Then I turned to Caesaria and let loose. “Okay, you’ve known Darius the longest. So how the hell do I break my connection to him?

“Right. The one that you found out you had right with him after the first Alignment."

“Yes, exactly. I get my connection with Raydir, but I’ve shifted. So my link with Darius should’ve gone away.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Is it really so bad? You seem to enjoy arguing with him every time the two of you are together.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s because he gets on my nerves. I told you before—it’s something about him that draws me in. Kind of the same way a siren lures a sailor to his death.”

“Wow, that’s harsh.”

“It’s reality, Cae. I need to break this connection with Darius. It’s causing too much trouble for me and Raydir. And he has feelings for me.”

“Wait, what?" She stepped backwards. "When did he tell you that?”

“Technically he didn’t tell me.” I paused to take a breath. I had no idea how much talking could hurt. “I overheard his conversation with Raydir. He tried to circle around the answer, but it was definitely there.”

Caesaria scratched her head. “For some reason, the link with Darius is still there. Maybe the fates don’t believe all your attention is still on Ray.”

“Ugh, screw the fates!” I said a little too loudly.

Raydir raised his eyebrows. You okay?

Just peachy. I leaned back on my pillows.

Raydir returned to my side, locking his gaze on mine as he approached.

“Whatever is happening with you and Darius, something is there,” Caesaria said. “Give yourself some time to sort out your feelings”

“I will. All of my training will probably have to be on hold while I recover, so that’ll give me some time.”

“Not all of it,” Raydir said. “We’ve talked to Fletcher, and your combat training is paused until you’ve been cleared. However, there is nothing preventing you from working on controlling your powers with Darius.”

I nodded, my eyes scanning the room. They landed on Darius who was on the far side talking—or rather, flirting—with another healer. Something burned inside of me.

Was I jealous? No. There was no way. I had Raydir and he was all I ever needed.