Page 23 of Taken By Fury
In that moment, she had never felt more vulnerable or alone. She was desperate to find her true self and understand what he was trying to tell her. As she stared into the depths of his gray eyes, she knew her own gaze pleaded.
“Please, help me.” She had just opened a door she prayed didn’t get slammed in her face.
CHAPTER10
Zander pushed through the forest, silence between himself and the female who followed him. He wasn’t sure who he was angry with at the moment. Himself for showing her a piece of his world, her parents for abandoning her to the humans, or her for opening up and showing just how vulnerable she was. He should probably be mad at himself because he was the one who created the blood bond. Her parents may not have had a choice in where they left their daughter, and Sheila certainly had no say in the matter. All he wanted to do was retrieve the artifact, get back home, and figure out what to do next. Severing the bond he had created while Zolar still breathed would likely prove fatal for the doctor. Yet, every time he looked at her, he felt his desire for her grow. This bond was going to test every bit of resolve he had…and a lot he didn’t.
“I feel like I did or said something to upset you,” she finally broke the silence. “It was wrong of me to ask you for help like that. I am sorry, and I’m sure Aimee can point me in the right direction so I can learn more about who I am.”
They had finally made it to the edge of the lost city when he stopped, turned and faced her. That was his biggest mistake of the day. As she pushed aside a piece of hair that had fallen free, she looked nothing like the composed doctor he had seen before he took her. Or even the pissed-off female he had tied to a bed. She was covered in sweat, her face was flushed and her eyes held something he had never seen in her before.
Uncertainty.
This female who had fire in her gaze when she looked at him before now wondered who she was. She appeared small and fragile, and he hated that she felt that way. He needed to help her find her way back to that fire. To help her become strong again. He simply needed her.
“Don’t apologize. I said before I would help you.”
“I know, but… never mind.”
He stepped closer. “Speak what is on your mind.” Great advice from one who kept all of his shit bottled up inside him.
Her chest rose, then fell with the deep breath she took. “I just felt like maybe you and I were becoming friends. Perhaps that’s the wrong word, but at least not enemies.”
He worked his jaw. “Do you want to be friends?”
The blue in her eyes sparked into the flame he had seen before, but it wasn’t ice cold. Her gaze was heated. “I do.”
“You realize the risk you take by becoming my friend?”
She licked her bottom lip, and he nearly groaned. “Not really.”
“Then I will explain it once we retrieve what I came here for. Time is ticking.” He spun and headed toward the ruins, elated with himself that he had not kissed her because he had wanted to. So fucking bad.
“This place is amazing.” Sheila spun in a circle, taking in the walls of rock that towered over them. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”
He scanned the remnants of what was once a bustling city. The signature of his people was everywhere, and it hummed in his blood. If he had to guess, his people lived here for hundreds of years. They would have blended in as best they could in order to stay under the radar, but this city only caused wonder and speculation among humans. Zander wondered how many of the ancient cities archeologists uncovered were really created by Valarians? His people didn’t need special tools to build impressive buildings. They held the power in their very blood to lift and carve stone. They also had a goddess. Uuna’s father had built Oshivana, and it would stand to reason that Uuna herself might have constructed many of these now ancient sites before sending her people into the outside world to survive.
“I don’t know what I seek, exactly, but I feel its presence.” There was a power that beat like a pulse, and he headed in its direction. “You may explore if you wish. Just be careful.”
“I will, thank you.”
He left her in the center of the ruins while he followed the beacon of power that held Uuna’s signature. As he navigated with a watchful eye and careful footing, he made sure to not disturb even so much as a pebble. While the forest had reclaimed much of what he figured had once been a grand city, he didn’t want to leave any mark that indicated someone had been there. The place was old, and the symbols carved into the stone were those of his people. If he stood still for a moment, he might be able to close his eyes and relive the past through the energy that still hung in the air. There was no time for exploration, however. He dared not linger any longer than he had to.
As he rounded a corner, Uuna’s power reached out and touched him, and he knew he was close. When he looked at his surroundings, he realized he was on the edge of the city now. He continued to follow the thread of power that pulled at him until he came to a dead end. It only took him a moment to realize something lay behind the thick stone wall. Placing his hand on the symbols etched on the stone, power filled the air and suddenly the magic that had been hiding his treasure dissipated and revealed a small nook. He reached inside and grabbed the wooden box, tucking it into his pants. His mission complete, he suddenly needed to get to Sheila.
Using his blood bond, he picked up her location, but rather than portal to her, he walked in case there might be something else of interest along the way. When he was back in the city’s center, he veered to the left. Her trail led him to a much larger structure and his royal blood immediately recognized the place. This had been where the king and queen lived and instinct kicked in, leading him through what once had likely been a grand passage but was now nothing more than a wall on either side, its ceiling gone, and open sky towered over him. When he found himself in a room that still had all its walls and most of the ceiling above, he realized the significance of his find. Reaching out, he placed a palm on the stone and closed his eyes. The energy from within pulsed a very familiar beat and as he stood there, allowing the energy to flow through him, a vision formed. A young boy sat on the floor playing with a wooden toy and when the child looked up, Zander stared into his own eyes. The eyes of his father. This had been his room and Zander’s grandparents, the king and queen of this lost city. Grief struck him and buckled his knees, threatening to send him to the ground, but he kept upright. He missed his parents, and it had been a very long time since he allowed himself to mourn them.
Today was not a good day to fall into mourning. He had to get to Sheila, and they needed to get out of here. He sent a quick prayer to Uuna to keep watch over his parents in their next life and then he broke free of the energy and continued toward the doctor. She was on the other side of the palace, in a room of a generous size that had likely belonged to someone of wealth and power. When he stepped through the entry, he found Sheila staring intently at the wall. She didn’t hear him approach.
“You should take better care to know who is sneaking up on you.”
She jumped, then slapped her hand to her chest. “What the hell? You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”
“You could be dead right now.”
She only narrowed her gaze further at him. “Like I could stop you, anyway. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I did.” He pulled the box from his pocket, and she turned her full attention to the small hand-carved piece of wood.
