4. Rehn

FOUR

REHN

O nce Rehn and his men had the academy in view, they split to cover more ground. It was a large campus and too many places to hide.

Idris remained with Rehn when the team split. They wouldn't part until they had entered the building.

Rehn and Idris nodded to one of the staff members as they entered the academy's front doors.

"What did you tell the administration when you called?"

"Just the truth. We're hunting an escaped convict and it will be handled swiftly."

"I know it's not my place but remember to not rip his head off when you see him, as much as he deserves it."

Rehn simply nodded to Idris, acknowledging his warning, but unable to vocally promise anything.

So, without another word, the two split through the halls to find Drystan. And based on the strength of the scent Rehn just had hit, he would find him soon.

Rehn felt his inner bear growling to break free the stronger the traitor's stench became in his nose. He held it together as he approached a closed office door where the scent seemed freshest.

As he took a big whiff to make sure, Rehn heard a woman scream on the other side.

Without a second thought, he kicked down the door. Drystan was in mid-shift pushing a raven-haired sorceress against the wall. The ugly half-bear-man snarled at Rehn.

The woman looked terrified. Rehn needed to get her away from Drystan before the rogue completely shifted.

The bear king started his shift, lunging at Drystan.

Then, in midair, a purple flash of light blasted him. It had originated from the sorceress, sending all three of them flying in separate directions.

Rehn found himself slightly stunned lying flat on his back.

Shaking off the dust, he sat up. He looked around more confused than before.

They were no longer inside the office. Hell, they were no longer inside the building.

Rehn lifted his arm to dim the brightness of the sun. The place seemed familiar, but different all at once.

"Ughh," came a moan beside him. Rehn jumped in surprise. He was too focused on his new surroundings to realize the woman beside him.

She was starting to stir. Her dark waves of hair covered her face. Rehn laid his hands gently on her shoulders to help her roll onto her back.

Her hair fell from her face and Rehn found himself staring into chocolate pools coated in honey. He pulled his stare away from her intense eyes.

She still looked groggy, but unhurt.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think so." She pushed herself onto her elbow, her eyes somehow becoming wider with recall. "That… that man—shifter, guy! He… he…" She looked around quickly. "Where is he?"

Drystan! Rehn snarled to himself, standing abruptly. He was pissed he hadn't looked for him immediately. He had let himself become distracted.

"What did he want with you, anyway?"

"I…I don't know. He was waiting in my office and wanted my help. I told him he was crazy?—"

"Bad idea."

"Yeah, no shit. I see that now," she snapped back. It made Rehn smile hearing her voice that way. He wasn't sure why.

"Anyway, he started to shift and I screamed then you busted in, and now here we are."

"He has to be here somewhere," Rehn huffed after not even seeing or smelling a trace of him. Magic was always stronger than a scent.

He turned back to look at her, still sitting on the ground. She was checking her body for injuries, but Rehn couldn't help but notice her curves as her fingers traced over them to check for bruising. She looked up at him after a moment. Rehn cleared his throat and looked away.

"That man in your office? His name is Drystan Sahylnd. You hit him straight in the chest with your spell. If we're here, he should be." He held his hand out to pull her up to her feet.

"What sort of spell did you cast?" he asked, looking again at the foreign, yet familiar scenery.

"To get us outside? I don't know."

"I don't think we're just outside," Rehn said skeptically.

The sorceress looked confused. He gestured around and that was when she finally looked.

"Where are we?" she finally asked after walking around the spot where the academy had stood moments ago.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he replied.

Rehn had also tried to scan the area again, but his eyes continuously settled on the woman. There was something familiar about her… somehow he knew her.

"So, you don't recognize anything about this place?"

She shook her head slowly. "Actually… Wait."

Rehn watched her hesitant walk become purposefully directed toward a tree.

Her eyes closed as she neared it. Her arm went out to touch the tree with her fingertips.

"Huh." She looked around again.

Rehn watched her expression shift from fearful, curious, and almost… shock?

"Oh my… holy…" she trailed off, now her energy shifting to excitement.

"What? What is going on?" Rehn demanded.

"We're at the academy."

"I don't think so."

"No, no. We're at the academy, just not in the present."

Rehn thought for a moment at her words, taking in his surroundings again.

"You time-jumped us with your spell?"

Before she answered, a species of stag that no longer existed in any of the realms due to extinction jumped out in front of them before bounding off.

"Into the past?"

All the woman could do was nod, biting her lip in her own astonishment.

"How far?"

She shrugged.

"How many times have you done this? What do you know?"

"I… I have never done this. I mean, I've been trying to, but I have never succeeded."

"Well, you sure as shit have succeeded now."

The woman looked stunned as she continued to look around. Rehn watched her, still unable to figure out what his inner bear was still so wound up about.

"Listen, I don't know what happened exactly. But it's going to take a minute for me to try and figure out how to get back," she finally said after a few moments.

"We need that sooner rather than later. Because if Drystan didn't come with us into the past, he's making sure havoc is ensuing upon your academy."

"Okay, okay. Just give me a moment."

Seeing her face scrunched in concentration made Rehn feel slightly bad for the pressure he put on this already strained sorceress, and he didn't even know her name.

"By the way, I'm Rehn Tahyrst."

She looked up at him, almost amused. "You're King Rehn of the Tahyrst Forest Realm?"

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She smirked. "Just that I have some pretty jealous students right about now."

Rehn was confused, but she continued.

"I'm Leila Camor." She stuck out her hand, but when Rehn took it, his body stiffened and ignited all at once.

His bear roared within him, making no doubt as to why he had felt familiarity toward this woman. She was his fated mate.

No wonder his bear was restless. He thought it had been from the pursuit of Drystan, but Leila was causing the constant pacing of his animal senses.

She must have sensed his shock because she gave him a concerned look.

"Are you all right?"

He noticed he was still holding her hand.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." Rehn let go and cleared his throat. Now was not the time or place to be distracted, fated mate or not. "So, uh, what exactly did you say Drystan wanted from you?"

"It was crazy," she said simply, leaving it at that.

"Well, what did he say to you that was so crazy? I'm asking because it may help me figure out what he's up to so I can catch him."

Leila put her tan hand up to her forehead. "It all just happened so fast. I came into my office, he was there and told me how he wanted me to do a spell for him."

"What kind of spell?"

"He wanted me to alter the past."

"The past? Why?"

Leila threw her arms in the air, obviously agitated with the whole situation. "I don't know. We didn't get into details. He said he had been wronged, I told him he was crazy and to leave, then he attacked me."

Rehn started laughing.

"It's not funny to me," Leila snapped.

"You're right. It's not. Just that he is going through all of this trouble because he feels wronged. Just because he didn't succeed in overthrowing my kingdom, he goes to find you to change it." Rehn knew Drystan had to be desperate if he was searching out magic not only to escape, but to overtake what he thought was rightfully his.

But why did he go to this sorceress?

"You say you've never seen this shifter before?"

Leila shook her head, her kind brown eyes now narrowed in irritation with Rehn.

"But he just assumed you could do this time-jump thing? When no one I, or anyone else I know, has heard of anyone alive being powerful enough to wield this type of magic. Why?"

Her annoyance left as she bit her lip in place of an answer.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I've never done this type of magic before. I'm known for foresight. I am told I can manipulate timelines, but I've never done it successfully… Until now."

Rehn's inner bear rumbled for action, making it hard for Rehn to control his rational thoughts on what would be their next move.

"Well, that's going to have to be something we figure out sooner rather than later. We need to get back because the more time we spend here, the less I believe that Drystan was transported with us." He walked past Leila, looking for any lingering signs of the spell she had cast. There had to be something to go off of. They couldn't be just stuck here.

"But I don't know what I did—" Leila's words were cut off with a scream.

Rehn turned and saw Drystan lunging from the forest in his bear form. He was charging straight at Leila.

Rehn shifted immediately, his auburn bear barreled into the side of Drystan's black body before he reached Leila.

He wasn't sure if it was because of Drystan trying to attack his mate, or that he had been waiting for this battle, but Rehn was letting his bear take full control.