Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

" Y ou sure you can do this?" Kyle asks for the millionth time.

We're in the armoury behind the castle, strapping ourselves with as many weapons as we can possibly carry. I attach several smaller blades around my thighs as Kyle eyes me doubtfully.

"Look, it won't be easy, I'm sure. But I can try," I say.

"Try what?"

I look over as Em yanks two large swords from the wall. She slides them into two holsters on her back and then snatches up some daggers. She widens her eyes at me and gives her head a shake as if to say, Hello? Did you hear me?

"It's not your concern," Kyle tells her.

She rolls her eyes and storms across the room for more weapons.

"Thank you," I quietly say.

The last thing I need is anyone else knowing what I'm going to attempt to do. The pressure riding on my shoulders is enough already without their added concerns. Opening a portal is one thing; opening one for us all to travel through, including myself, is another.

Lacinda and Demetros walk into the armoury and immediately head our way.

"Looking good, you two," Lacinda says with approval.

Demetros claps Kyle on the back, and it warms my heart to see him getting on so well with my friends. I knew he would, and I knew they would love him, too, but still.

"Any weapon suggestions?" Demetros asks Kyle.

Kyle takes him across the room to where the larger weapons are, leaving Lacinda and me to chat.

"Do you feel okay about this?" she asks. "If you're not sure, we should just travel through the gateway."

Even the gateway has its dangers, though. We don't know what awaits us on the other side in Galespo. For all we know, it could be guarded by watchers, ready to fight us as soon as we pass through. Despite its dangers, opening a portal into Galespo, in a location I know won't be guarded, is much safer in my opinion.

"I can do it," I say. "We can't trust the gateway for this."

There better be some weapons left for me, Finlay says.

I laugh. Finlay, had you seen the armoury, you would know there is no need to worry about that. Where are you, anyway?

Silence stretches for too long before he responds, I'm walking in now.

As I glance up, there he is. He shoots me a wink and then heads straight for Em.

Lacinda leans in close to me. "Something going on with those two?"

I shake my head and reach for some daggers. I have my mother's daggers strapped to my thighs already, but I could use more. Always more. "I think he would like there to be."

Lacinda chuckles and takes some daggers for herself. "Good luck to him. That's all I can say. You know, I bet she and Astelle would get along."

We both laugh.

Lacinda and I step outside the armoury where the skies have grown dark, allowing us the cover we need. The others soon join us, and we glance around at one another before we release our wings and fly toward the forest. We land just outside the treeline in the field. Everyone looks the part, covered in weapons, and I don't sense any nervous emotions.

We're ready for this.

Kyle flips a blade in his hand and slides it into a holster at his hip. "As we agreed earlier, we're going to split into two teams once we get there. Zarla, Em, Nilo, and I will look for the weapon. Lacinda, Demetros, Finlay, Zed, and Marlo will look for Astelle. Is everyone clear on their role?"

I only briefly met Zed and Marlo, Kyle's trusted guards, earlier in the armoury, but they both seem like trustworthy males to have with us.

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Right, then. Zarla, you ready?" Kyle asks.

All eyes focus on me, and I gulp. Needing a little privacy, I turn away from the others and close my eyes. I take several deep breaths as I ready myself.

"What's she doing?" Em asks sceptically.

"Quiet. She needs to concentrate," Kyle shoots back.

I smile to myself, thankful for my mate, and dig for the familiar sensation deep within. The wind picks up, blowing the salty sea air across my face. It soothes my mind enough to focus. Picturing Galespo, I will my ability to the surface and channel it into my hands. I hold them up and focus on opening the portal. By the gods, this better work. It has to.

Several gasps sound behind me, but I don't dare open my eyes for fear it will fail. Instead, I focus harder. Push myself even further.

"Zarla, it's working," Kyle says. "We're going to pass through it, but I'll wait for you."

I nod and continue to focus. Once everyone is through, Kyle gently touches my shoulder, and I open my eyes while still holding on to the portal. Sweat beads across my skin, and my muscles strain. I don't think I've held a portal open this long before.

"Can you get closer to it?" he asks.

I bite my bottom lip and take a step forward. "I think so. You go through it."

He steps through the portal and waits for me on the other side. I gently ease closer and ready myself to step through it.

Please don't close, please don't close.

I leap thorough the portal fast. It snaps closed right behind me as I fall onto my back. I lie there for a moment, my breathing quick as Kyle's face comes into focus above me.

"You did it." He reaches down and clasps my hand, pulling me to my feet.

And then I realise where we are. Oh crap.

"Smart idea sending us through a portal into an apartment. How did you know it was abandoned?" Lacinda asks.

Someone clears their throat. "It's not."

I whip around to face Grazen, who stands in the doorway to his apartment. Where we all are. He folds his thick arms over his chest and leans against the doorframe. I risk a glance at Kyle, who doesn't appear impressed.

"Who are you?" Kyle demands.

"I'm Grazen. But the more important question here is who are you? And why are you in my apartment?" Grazen turns to me and arches a brow. "Zarla?"

Em scoffs.

Zarla, what the fuck is going on here? Finlay asks.

He's a watcher I met last time I was here. He's a friend.

Mmm-hmmm.

Oh, shut it, Finlay.

"Grazen, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to come here. I don't know what happened," I rush to explain.

He pushes off from the doorway and takes a couple of steps toward me. "I know what happened. This place holds fond memories for you, I'm sure."

My cheeks burn, and I don't dare look at anyone else. I can sense Kyle's emotions all firing on full—jealousy, anger, confusion.

Shoot.

"Kyle, this is the watcher who helped me last time I was here. His name is Grazen. Grazen, this is Kyle, my mate."

They both glare at one another, the hatred clear.

This is bad.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this interesting," Em interjects.

"Oh, shut it," Lacinda says.

"What? It is. She knows where he lives."

I squeeze my eyes closed for a moment as I try to control my emotions then turn on Em. "You have no idea what you're talking about. So just stay the hell out of it."

She raises her hands in the air and mouths, "Sorry."

I laugh. "You're not sorry. You're loving this."

"Enough," Kyle states in a firm tone. "Zarla, can I talk to you alone?"

He takes hold of my wrist and drags me past Grazen, who reaches an arm out to stop him. My eyes widen, and Kyle lets out a low warning growl.

"You are in Galespo, Kyle. You cannot be seen. You can use my bedroom to speak in private." Grazen gestures to the door to his room, and Kyle takes me there instead.

Once we're shut inside, he turns to face me, and hurt and anger blazes in his eyes.

"This is the watcher who helped you?" he asks, sounding somewhat defeated.

I glance at the door and back to Kyle. "Yeah, why? What's wrong?"

He runs a hand through his thick hair. "Because look at him."

I gulp then walk over to him and take hold of his forearms. "Kyle, look at me."

He stares up at the ceiling before reluctantly meeting my gaze.

"He is a friend. He helped me, and if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have found my father."

His jaw tenses as he looks down at me.

I reach up and cup his face, gently stroking his skin with the pad of my thumb. "We are mated now. Forever connected by an unbreakable bond. You can sense me and everything I am feeling. You know I am being honest with you."

His expression shifts, and he appears almost hurt by that. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel as if I didn't trust you or believe you. It's just… He is a large, handsome male. I can't imagine he is turned down often by females."

I laugh. "Yeah, because there aren't any here."

He narrows his eyes at me, and I immediately lose my smile.

"Sorry. You know what I mean, though," I say.

He slips his hands around my neck, and without saying a word, he kisses me. The kiss is passionate, dominating, and he moves us back up against the wall. I give in to him, allowing him to do whatever he wants in this moment. He needs it. And so do I.

He eventually pulls back, just enough to break the kiss, leaving us both panting.

"You are mine. And I trust you completely," he tells me.

He then takes my hands and leads me back out to join the others.

They hover nearby when we exit, and then they quickly disperse, pretending they haven't been trying to eavesdrop.

Grazen remains leaning up against the wall opposite the room. His gaze locks with mine, and I look away, unable to hold the intensity of his stare any longer.

"Thank you for that," Kyle tells him, surprising me.

Grazen pushes off from the wall. "No problem. Now, as much as I enjoy a group of strangers breaking into my apartment, it's probably best if we find a way for you to move on. Safely."

I gulp. "Grazen, I'm so sorry we came here. It honestly wasn't my intention."

He holds a hand up. "Hang on a moment. How did you all get in here, anyway?"

Kyle opens his mouth to speak, but I stop him.

"No, it's okay. I trust him," I tell Kyle then turn to Grazen. "I have an ability where I can open portals. It's new, so I didn't really know what to expect."

His eyebrows furrow. "Portals? That can't be. I've never heard of such a thing."

I shrug. "Well, I can. Anyway, I didn't mean to bring us here. I don't really know what I meant to happen, to be honest. But we'll go."

I wave for the others to head for the exit. Once everyone's out the door, including Kyle, I turn to Grazen.

"Again, I'm sorry about this," I say. "The last thing I want is to get you into trouble."

He takes hold of my wrist, and I can only hope Kyle doesn't notice. "It's okay, Zarla. You don't need to keep apologising. I want to help you. Let me safely lead you out of here. Where are you going?"

I bite my bottom lip as he drops his hand. "Um, to Zalore's castle."

His eyes widen, and then he frowns. "Zarla, that's suicide. You can't break into Zalore's castle!"

Kyle steps back into the apartment, and Grazen takes a deep breath.

"Problem?" Kyle asks.

Grazen shakes his head and turns on Kyle. "This isn't safe. For any of you. If you're caught… I would hate to even imagine what Zalore would do."

Kyle slips his arm around my waist. "It's okay. We'll manage without your help."

Kyle leads me out of Grazen's apartment, and I glance back to see him staring after us, his brows drawn like he's fighting an internal battle with himself. We hurry down the three flights of stairs until we reach the ground level, where we all look to Kyle, who seems to be the only one levelheaded enough to rally the troops.

"Everyone, be on high alert. We have the cover of darkness, for the time being. Let us use it to our advantage," Kyle says. "Zarla, you've been there before. Can you lead the way?"

I pull my cloak hood over my head, and everyone else does the same. "I can. Let's go."

I lead the group out onto the sidewalk, where we stay close to the edge of the building amongst the shadows. There are no streetlights around here, and thankfully the moon is not in its full lunar phase, so the streets are dimly lit. We walk for about five minutes and don't see a single soul. This part of the city looks in rough shape, with trash cans fallen over and spilling into the street at every corner. Streetlights are broken, as well as windows that line the front of the buildings down here.

I catch movement ahead and shove my body against a brick building. The others do the same, and I look to Kyle, who holds a finger to his lips. I give him a small nod then follow him to the corner, where we both carefully peek around to see what it could have been. He uses his arm to gently guide me back farther behind him, which is annoying because I can't see a darn thing, but I do as he wishes.

Once he seems sure we're in the clear, he gestures for us to follow, and I move out ahead once more, leading the group through the dangerous city. It's not long before I spot Zalore's castle. It stands proudly in the middle of the city, towering over every other building in its vicinity. It's as dark and sinister as I remember from the last time I was here.

There's an alleyway not too far from the castle, across the street from us. The perfect place to regroup and hash out our next steps. Kyle spots it too, and we lead the others across the street toward it.

"That's it?" Finlay asks, jerking his head toward the castle.

I adjust my cloak and lower my hood so it's easier to see. "Yeah, that's it."

Nilo scratches his chin and shuffles from one foot to the other. "So how exactly are we to get in there? It's bound to be guarded by watchers."

"Well, the last time I was with a group of watchers, so we just went in the front." I feel Kyle's gaze on me, and I casually glance up at him.

He doesn't look impressed.

"Great. So how are we meant to get in, then?" Em asks in frustration.

Lacinda rolls her eyes, and Demetros stifles a smirk. Gods, I love those two.

"I'm going to portal us inside. I needed to be able to view the building so I could get us in."

Em scoffs. "And not accidently portal us into another males apartment?"

I glare at her.

"Look, are you sure about this?" she asks.

I swear I could slap her. Instead, I just ignore her, and she lets out a huff and storms down the alleyway.

She's just anxious, that's all, Finlay says into my mind.

I look at him, knowing he's about to go and comfort her. She is annoying is what she is. We have no other choice but to portal in there.

And you're confident you can get us in? he asks.

Yes. Without a doubt.

Shrugging, he wanders down the alleyway toward Em.

I turn to Kyle. "Do you think it'll work?"

He leans up against the brick alleyway wall and folds his thick arms across his chest. "It better. We could still go with my idea. It's not too late, you know."

I laugh. "Seriously? You want us to burst through the main doors and fight our way inside?"

He smirks, and I know he isn't serious.

The last time the watchers led me through the main doors, they weren't heavily guarded, but there could still be watchers everywhere when we get in. We have to be ready for anything.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" I ask, and they all nod.

Closing my eyes, I raise my hands and reach for the same cooling sensation. I will it to the surface and focus on opening a portal into Zalore's castle. Although I can't be certain where the portal will open, I'm confident I can open one.

"It's working," Lacinda whispers.

I continue to focus on the portal until I can feel that it's wide enough, and then I open one eye to check and to make sure I haven't opened it inside a room full of watchers. I haven't.

"I'll go through first," Kyle says.

I continue to maintain my hold on the portal as he steps through, and the others follow Once everyone is through, Kyle holds his hand out to me and I step through it and allow it to snap shut behind me.

We all follow Kyle through the vast foyer where my portal has led us. The decor is black, from the black marble floors to the black crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. Everything is black.

"I think it's time to split up," Kyle suggests. "You guys need to locate Astelle within the castle, and fast. We will meet again soon. If not here, then back in Zarquon."

Everybody nods in agreement.

"What if we can't find her or things turn to shit?" Zed asks.

Kyle pins him with a hard stare. "Then you bail and get back to Zarquon. That goes for all of you. You get out. Understood?"

Everyone agrees, and then we split into our two teams. I give Lacinda and Demetros a big hug, and then we go our separate ways.

Stay in touch, I tell Finlay.

I will. You too.

The sound of running water echoes around us from a large fountain near the side of the room. Why is this place so quiet? We haven't seen any watchers since we arrived here, aside from Grazen.

Shaking it off, I lead Kyle, Nilo, and Em through the foyer and into a wide corridor to the left.

We follow it for a bit, and I'm starting to worry we've gone the wrong way when I see it. The stone staircase Grazen mentioned that leads deep under the castle. And if I were to hide a powerful weapon of the gods, it would be down there.

I glance around, curious where all the watchers are. Was Grazen's distraction really that good? I try to shake the unnerving feeling gnawing away inside me, instead focusing on the task at hand. But I can't seem to shake it. It's just too convenient, and I'm half expecting watchers to leap out and attack us at any given moment.

"Everyone ready?" Kyle asks, pulling me back to the present.

I swallow down my uncertainty as best I can and nod. "Let's go."