Chapter 27

27

REYA

I throw myself down on my bed and curse. That man. I hate him. I do. He is one of them and everything they represent, so why do I ache for his touch? When he pressed his lips to mine earlier, I tried to fight it. I truly did, but he's as addictive as a drug. Every time I take a taste, I fall deeper into my addiction.

I'd heard girls in the village talking about what it was like to orgasm, and I thought they over-exaggerated, but Mother of Crystals, it was the most pleasurable experience I've ever had. The feel of his fingers inside of me felt so wrong, but so good. His mouth on my breasts, his shadows caressing my skin. I shudder and focus my attention on other, less dangerous thoughts. He'd talked about traitors here in the valley, and I was now one of them. I'm helping the rebellion to destroy the Shadow Borne dominance on Asen and take them down.

My thoughts flick back to the kidnapped Shadow Kissed females. Arkynn had said I was extremely valuable to them. In which case, could I make some more demands of my own?

My thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door and when I shout to enter, Orna pops her head in.

"How are you doing, Reya? Is your headache any better?"

For a second, I wonder what on earth she is talking about? A lot has happened since yesterday evening when I went to bed early, feigning a headache. I nod my head. "All gone. I'm feeling a lot better, thank you."

She takes that as her cue to enter my room and light the fire before she sees to the heap of clothing on my floor. Tidiness has never been my strong suit. Mother would always be on at me to not leave my discarded clothes all over the floor. My heart aches at the memory of her chastising me. I miss her and the twins so much. I'd do anything to hug them and smell their hair once more or to feel my mother's soft kiss on my forehead. I would have to hold on to the hope that one day soon we would rid ourselves of the Shadow Borne and I'll be with my brothers again. My purpose is clear, and I won't let my attraction to Raegal divert my focus.

I meander down to breakfast, not ready to suffer through Moryen's company and her assessing and disappointed looks. Saveya beams when I enter the room.

"Oh, you're up! Are you feeling better?" She places the back of her hand on my forehead. "Your temperature's fine."

My heart warms at her concern and I feel bad for deceiving her like this. "I'm much better," I reassure her. "Regular activities can resume today."

Saveya looks delighted. "Thank goodness. I can't tell you how much more fun it's been since you arrived. It's great to have a friend."

I swallow as emotion threatens to seep through. A friend. I think she genuinely likes me and doesn't have some ulterior motive, but I still feel myself holding back, just in case. It's not like I've ever needed friends before, and I don't want to become too used to it in case it's all a ploy.

"You look well today, Eretreya. Glowing in fact," Moryen states, studying me. I squirm under her scrutiny. There is something about this woman that makes me feel like she can see inside my head. My mind returns to what occurred beyond the valley walls this morning and my cheeks heat at the memory. "Before you relax in the garden, I have an errand for you to run. I require this taking to the Lord Commander's office. I must update the queen on preparations for the girl's arrivals."

"The queen asks for updates," I say, surprised. "I wouldn't have thought she would be interested in us."

Moryen nods her head, dabbing at the corner of her mouth with her napkin. "Oh yes, Her Majesty takes a keen interest in you girls. She wants updates on each female. After all, she is hoping her son will choose a wife at this year's reaping."

"Have you written to her of us?" I ask, my curiosity piqued. I shouldn't care what she has been writing about me, but I have to know.

Moryen's pointed glare focuses on me. "I have. Considering the circumstances of your arrivals, she has been concerned for both of you."

Saveya sighs and puts her hand over her chest, her purple eyes tearing up. "That's so kind of her. Do you suppose she passes the updates on to her son?"

"From what I understand, she sees him when she can, but he's often gone because of the war."

Saveya claps her hands. "The prince will hear about us, Reya! Isn't that exciting?" She grabs hold of my hand, bursting with excitement.

"Yes, very," I say dryly, and I don't miss the look Moryen sends my way. Saveya rolls her eyes at me and says that the only thing that excites me is swords and sparring. She isn't wrong, but I doubt that is what the queen is looking for in her son's future wife. I remind myself that Corlan said it was imperative that I impress at the academy and get myself in the elite selection. I need to try harder at being a lady of elegance.

Moryen stands and come rounds the table and I blink when she offers the note to me and not Saveya. "Saveya is too easily distracted, and she may drop it. However, be aware that I sealed this with my shadows, so if anyone but the queen opens it, I will know."

I take the letter from her. "Message received. I mustn't try to read what's inside."

Satisfied that I've got the message, she heads towards the door. "Oh, and Eretreya," she adds, pausing at the door. "Please tell the Lord Commander if he wishes to take you out riding again at dawn, then he needs to run it by me first. You are my charge and therefore under my authority."

I gulp, almost choking on the piece of bread in my mouth. How in the world did she know I had gone for a ride with Raegal? Saveya is almost foaming at the mouth at this news and no sooner has Moryen closed the door than she is in my space and practically on my lap.

"He took you out for a ride! Why did he ask only you and not us both? I knew he wanted you! You can see it in the way he looks at you. Like he wants to undress you and memorise every inch of your body." She picks up her napkin and fans herself. "When did he ask you to ride with him? You were in bed all night?"

"He sent a note asking me," I say, quickly coming up with the lie. "It felt rude to decline."

Saveya grabs hold of both of my hands and shakes them with enthusiasm. "Tell me everything."

I groan. "Must I? I'd rather talk about crocheting than that," I say as I extricate my hands from hers and stand. "Beside we have an errand to run."

I make for the main doors of the mansion and Saveya hurries after me, continuing to hurl a flurry of questions at me. "Did you ride on his steed? Oh my, imagine having those firm thighs holding you in place. What does he smell like? I mean, he looks like he smells amazing. Unless, of course, he's like a boy from my village who didn't clean his teeth with drae leaves very well and had the most horrendous breath. Such a shame as he was quite good looking, but oh that breath." She grimaces. "It could knock you out cold. It was so bad."

"He doesn't have bad breath," I assure her, then chastise myself for giving her information.

"So, he was close enough for you to smell his breath! Interesting! Where did you go? Did he take you out of the valley?"

"For crystal's sake, Saveya!" I exclaim as we make our way into the army barracks. A soldier lets us straight through when I wave Moryen's letter under his eyes. We take a left and then a right until we are standing outside the commander's office. "Yes, we went out of the valley. It was a dull and uninteresting time. The commander is incapable of smiling or having fun."

"Really? Because I'm sure you had a pleasant time this morning. A breathtaking time, in fact," says a voice I now know all too well.

I gulp, my focus still on Saveya. "It's rude to listen in on people's conversations," I tell him, not having the balls to look at him.

"Then maybe, Miss Lockwood, you shouldn't stand outside my office talking so loudly if this conversation is private." I force my eyes to his and hold out the letter in my hand, hoping to swiftly change the subject. I wasn't expecting to see him again until this evening and it has thrown me off kilter. All I can think of is his lips meeting mine and the touch of his hands on me. "This is for you to give to the queen. Okay, we're done, so we'll leave. Safe trip, Commander."

"Oh, if you could just hold on a second, ladies? I have something for you to take back to Moryen." He fights the smile of amusement when I mutter under my breath and glare at him. He holds the door open. "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable."

Saveya bounces in like an eager child whilst I reluctantly lean up from his doorframe, refusing to look at his smug face as I pass him to enter inside. He insists we take a seat whilst he rummages around in his desk drawers, looking for something. I tap the desk with my fingers in annoyance. I am sure he's doing this on purpose just to irritate me. "Well?" I snap. "We don't have all day!"

"Reya!" Saveya exclaims in open-mouthed horror. "You take your time, Commander; we are in no rush."

Raegal smiles sweetly at her. "Thank you, Saveya. It's good to know at least one of you has basic manners." He taps his chin. "Actually, I think I left the correspondence in Jasiel's office, two doors down from mine. They will be on his desk. Could you be a love and fetch them for me, Saveya?"

She is on her feet in an instant, eager to please him. "Of course, Commander, without delay." She rushes from the room, and I'm left alone with him. He uses his shadows to close the open door and before I can blink, he is behind me, both hands on either arm of my chair, leaning over me. "You had a boring time, did you?"

I shudder, feeling his warm breath against my ear. His scent surrounds me, doing funny things to my senses. "Well, I could hardly tell her you ravished me with your tongue and your fingers, could I?" He chuckles in my ear, and I spin round in my seat, which brings our face less than a hair's breadth from each other. "Ravished, huh? And did you find my ravishing boring? I'm sure you moaned it was magic."

My heartbeat hitches in my throat, and I glance behind him at the door. "She's coming back!" I hiss, pushing at his chest and urging him away from me, my cheeks crimson red.

"How does she know I took you out riding?"

"Moryen knew, somehow," I say with a shrug of my shoulders. "She told me to tell you next time to run it by her first."

"Damn, woman," he curses. "I'll never hear the end of this now."

"Here you go." Saveya rushes back into the room, waving the papers in her hand. I blink when I find Raegal sitting back in his seat at the other side of his desk. He winks at me knowingly, before giving Saveya his full attention. "You are wonderful." He moves around the desk, taking the papers from her, and he takes her hand in his and kisses it. "Thank you."

Saveya blushes and giggles at his attentiveness. "Oh, it is no trouble. Will you take me out riding the next time you go?" She looks at him with expectant hope and he catches my eye just as I suspect he is about to say no to her, and I nod my head at him.

"Of course. You both must accompany me next time."

Saveya looks at me, absolutely delighted, and I plaster a smile on my face. "Together, we can make it less boring for her next time."

"We should be going. Have a safe trip home, Lord Commander," I say, jumping to my feet, eager to be away from this infuriating man and his teasing. "It must be nice to go home and see your family whenever you wish to." I can't help myself. I miss my brothers, and it infuriates me that I can't see them.

He frowns at my comment. "I have no desire to return home, but duty demands it. You had best be running along. I don't want Moryen scolding me twice in one day."

We leave his office and walk through the barracks to the main entrance. I'm lost in my own thoughts, not listening to a word Saveya says as she chats away animatedly beside me. I am a mess of confused emotions. How can one man elicit such conflicting feelings in me? My mind flits back to what we did in the wilderness today. The feeling of his fingers and his intense gaze as I climaxed. I shudder, my core heating at the memory.

"Reya!" I stop in my tracks at the sound of Ark's voice. He is walking towards us with a colleague. Dressed in his full military uniform, he looks every inch the soldier he'd trained his whole life to become. "What are you doing here?" he asks, looking at me and smiling at Saveya.

"Saveya, this is Arkynn," I say, and they smile at each other. Saveya's eyes flit to the soldier standing beside him.

"Apologies, where are my manners. This is Eryx. He is my shadow mentor."

I don't miss the appreciative gaze Saveya gives him before she flushes and looks away. "We were delivering a letter to your commander," I explain. "Could I have a quick word?" I ask him. I side glance our two companions. "In private."

Eryx clears his throat and suggests he walk ahead with Saveya to the main gates, leaving us alone. I look around us and step closer to Ark. "The missing girls. Did you know about their plans?"

Arkynn glances over at our two companions and nods his head. "I did."

"So, they're safe and unharmed?"

Ark blinks and then frowns at me. "Of course they're safe, Reya. You think they would harm them? They took them to protect them."

I place my hand over his. "Promise me you'll be careful. There is talk of traitors amongst the soldiers." I might not crush over him like I once did, but he's still the boy I grew up with and I don't want him to lose his life over this rebellion.

"I'm careful. I've had a letter from home," he tells me, and my heart skips a beat.

"How are they? Are they doing, okay?" I ask him, eager for any news about my brothers.

Ark squeezes my hand, understanding how much I miss them. "They are doing well. Mother says they're back in school and smiling once more. Even though they still have their moments of grief, my mother is there to support and guide them through it."

I release the breath I've been holding. My heart aches. "I miss them so much."

"I know," he assures me. "One day, you will be reunited with them."

I nod. I have to hold on to the hope that the rebellion can achieve its greatest desires and that one day I'll be free to live my life as I choose, with my darling brothers beside me.

"The commander is returning home to discuss the girl's disappearances, and about the attack on the crystal convoy," I inform him. A slither of guilt runs down my spine and I chastise myself for it. The Lord Commander is the enemy, and I must do what is right for our people.

"Soldier, don't you have somewhere to be?" Jasiel walks towards us and we step apart, putting distance between us.

Ark salutes him. "Captain, I was just heading to the mess when we stumbled across each other. Reya was just asking for news from home."

"You're back. Any news on the missing girls?" I ask him and he grimaces, shaking his head. "The trail went dead around twenty-five miles south of their district. We'll not give up though, we'll keep looking. Now don't you have somewhere to be miss?" He gestures with his eyes towards the exit and holds out his arm, suggesting he'll escort me.

"Take care," I tell Ark, glancing over my shoulder at him as Jasiel places his hand on my lower back and ushers me towards the gates.

"Are you asking for trouble, miss?" Jasiel asks me with a grin. "It's fortunate that I found you with the boy, and not Raegal."

I huff and frowning keep pace beside him. "I don't understand what his problem is. Am I not allowed to speak to my friend? Am I to be isolated at the mansion from everyone and everything I know?"

Jasiel chuckles. "That boy doesn't look at you like he wants to be your friend. I know it and Raegal knows it. For the boy's own safety, you'd do well to stay away. I'm sure you wouldn't want him to be sent away from here."

My eyes jerk up to his. "He could do that. Why though? Because he's worried about my purity?" I snipe.

Jasiel chuckles again in amusement. "I think your purity is the last thing on his mind. Just behave yourself, little one."

I don't have time to protest any further as we reach Saveya and Eryx, who are chatting together over by the gates. Saveya giggles at something he says, and he smiles back at her.

"Captain Graystream." Eryx salutes him. "I will take my leave. Ladies." He smiles at us, his eyes lingering on Saveya before he heads back the way he came.

"I believe you know your way back to the mansion. No dawdling and keep to the main path. I think I need to remind Moryen that, given recent events, it isn't safe for you to be walking unescorted around the valley. Good day, ladies." He tips his head in farewell to us and stalks back towards the main offices.

As we walk back to the mansion, I don't miss the way Saveya beams when she talks about Eryx, and I tease her and ask her if she has developed a crush. She guffaws at my comment and reminds me we don't get to choose who we wed. Her reminder is a cold slap to my face to remind me why I need to keep my distance from the commander and remember who and what is our enemy is.