Broken (23 page)

“Who started the fire?”

“I did. I opened the portal here so I could wash up and change before I came for you.” He released her and took her hand. “Come. I want you to see the inside.”

“Is this where you went the other night?”

“Yes.” He walked her to the door, turned the latch and led her inside. “It is a mess. I have not had time to clean.”

The glow from the fire made the room warm and inviting. She’d spent so much time in his chambers at the castle that she hadn’t given much thought to the fact that it held no personal effects except for a few books and clothes. Now she knew why. This place screamed Octavion. The rich woodsy aroma of musk and leather filled her senses as he coaxed her further into the room.

“Do you like it?” he said as he closed the door behind them, the rusted hinges groaning and squeaking from lack of use.

“I never want to leave. It’s . . . home.” The bed shoved against the wall in the far corner had posts and rails made of tree branches—their bark removed and rubbed smooth. The thick and lumpy mattress was covered with several worn blankets while the pillow cases appeared to have once been fine linen, but were also worn with tattered edges.

Bookshelves lined the opposite corner of the room, filled with old books, glass bottles and metal vials intermingled with wooden boxes, stacks of papers and a glass jar holding paint brushes. In front of the shelves sat an overstuffed chair that had seen better days and a small wooden bench used as a foot stool. She could visualize Octavion sitting there reading or enjoying the warmth of the fire.

To her left, the cobblestone fireplace stretched to the ceiling adorned with a large hand carved mantle that ran the entire width. A simple hearth raised up from the floor just enough to provide more seating, especially on cold nights. The pelt of a black bear-like creature covered the floor beneath it.

“Kira, are you all right? You are so quiet.” She hadn’t notice he sat on the edge of the bed. He patted the mattress beside him, releasing a small poof of dust. “Care to sit with me?”

“Sure.” But instead of sitting on the edge like he had, she hiked up her dress and climbed into the middle of the bed to sit cross legged. He smiled and turned to face her. The flicker of the fire made his eyes glow. Although they were the deepest blue, she could see hints of gold hiding inside. He studied her eyes as well and she wondered if their darkness bothered him. His silence made her uncomfortable, so she looked down at her hands.

“I had a dream last night,” he finally said.

Kira nodded. “Luka told me.”

He sighed. “Then you know how terrified I was that I had lost you.” He put his finger under her chin and gently raised her face so their eyes met again. “I am glad it was only a dream.”

“I never would have jumped,” she lied.

A deep crease formed between his eyes. “I did not tell Luka how I saw you die, only that you took your own life.”

Kira cringed. “I . . .” Nothing came. She didn’t want to think about how close she came to not only taking her life, but Altaria’s and Cade’s as well.

“Kira. What did you do?”

“Don’t be mad. I didn’t go out there to kill myself. I just needed to feel something. I felt so numb about what had happened to me and heartbroken about Lydia . . . and Altaria. I thought you were never coming back. And then Cade showed up and Arela saw me. I tried to get down off the rock, but my foot slipped. I didn’t . . . jump, I . . . slipped.” She pushed away the burning in her eyes. She was sick of crying. “Cade went in after me. He got hurt, and it’s all my fault.”

Octavion pulled her into his arms and held her there for a moment. His chest heaved and his breathing deepened. “Kira,” he said, his voice deep and throaty. She wondered what she’d said to make him transform, but when he pushed her back and looked into her eyes, they weren’t yellow, but wet. He took her face in his hands. “Never again, do you understand me? My life would end as well.” He shook his head. “You must never think your life . . . is worth nothing.”

“I didn’t jump.” She pulled his hands away from her face. She couldn’t tell him the real reason she wanted to take her life—to rejoin Altaria and Lydia’s spirits. “Cade was there—ask him. He’ll tell you I slipped.”

He straightened. “Cade saw the whole thing?”

“Yes. Arela saw me go out there and called him.”

He took his hands back and stood. “Then I shall have him show me.”

“Show?”

He stepped to the fireplace and stirred the coals with a section of rod iron he’d retrieved from a hook at the end of the mantle. “We all have gifts. Cade can send his thoughts, but he is also able to send images of things he’s seen. Like when you shared your memories with Lydia.”

Her stomach swelled into her throat. She had to swallow to keep from getting sick. “You mean you’ll
see
me . . . when I fell?”

He slowly turned to face her. “Yes.”

“Octavion, you don’t have to do . . .”

He put his hand up to cut her off. “I need to see it.” He closed his eyes, his face wrinkled in concentration. A few moments passed before his expression changed and she knew he was there, seeing her step closer to the edge of the cliff. She could almost tell what part of the night he watched by his body language and the way his brow furrowed. She knew the exact moment she slipped off the rock—he sucked in a quick breath, then stopped breathing altogether. A few seconds passed and his eyes opened. He looked at her, but said nothing else until he’d returned to her side.

“Cade . . . is fine,” he managed. Then he took in a deep breath and turned to face her. Rage flicked around the edges of his eyes. “You lied to me, Kira. You said you did not go out there to take your life. And how long have you been sharing thoughts with Altaria?”

“What? I’m not. I mean . . . I didn’t go out there to kill myself. I just wanted to feel the rain on my face, to feel
something—anything
. I was so numb I couldn’t even cry. But then . . . I thought about Lydia.” Her tears flowed freely now, despite her efforts to hold them back. How could she explain this? The very thought of his sister’s spirits spending eternity apart would crush him. And how would he treat Kira if he knew? Even kissing her would be different knowing Altaria saw and heard everything Kira did. But then she’d promised not to keep anything from him. No secrets between them. “Um . . . I can’t
hear
Altaria’s thoughts. But . . . I speak to her all the time and . . . I can
feel
her.”

Confusion washed over Octavion’s face. “What do you mean by feel her?”

Kira scooted to the edge of the bed and stood. It was pretty obvious what Altaria wanted. The ache in Kira’s chest was so severe, she could hardly breathe. She wanted out. “Stop it,” she whispered, pressing against the pain.

“Kira, you need to tell me what is going on. Are you hearing Altaria’s thoughts? And why are you grabbing at your chest? Is it your heart again, like when you healed?”

“No, it’s not my heart.” She walked to the little window and tried to peek outside through the ivy that covered it. She turned to face him. “I should have told you, but I promised Lydia I’d keep it a secret, and then when I found out she died, I thought about how upset you would be and . . .”

Octavion jumped to his feet, crossed the room and took Kira by the shoulders. “Tell me what?”

“It’s Altaria. She’s not dead. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.

Octavion dropped his hands to his side. “Kira, there are things . . .” He groaned. “You need to tell me everything—from the beginning.”

Kira nodded. “It happened in the canyon, right before you came back. Remember? You asked me if Shandira bit me and I told you that it was Altaria, but it wasn’t her fault.”

He pulled the chair from under the desk and motioned for her to sit, then sat across from her on the hearth. “I remember, but what does that have to do with thinking she is alive?”

“I’m not sure what happened exactly. I just know that when I cut my hand to heal Altaria, the smell of my blood made her transform and she wanted to kill me. Lydia must have known that and the only way she could think to save my life was to force Altaria’s spirit to leave her body . . . and . . .” She closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat before opening them again. “She gave her to me.”

“What? What are you saying?”

“I’m saying Altaria’s spirit is locked inside me. She’s stuck, Octavion, and she’s so mad.” Kira’s heart raced and the pain was almost unbearable.

Octavion’s face suddenly lost all its color. “Altaria . . . is inside
you
?”

“Yeah, and she’s really pissed.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, stood and began pacing. “And you are certain? You hear her? Feel her?”

“Not exactly. It’s like she’s living inside my heart or something. I ask her questions and she makes my heart race or my blood flow faster which warms me. I think she has control of your blood—the Royal inside me—but that’s it. She hasn’t been able to control anything else. At least I don’t think she has.”

This time Octavion knelt in front of her. “So she can hear me now?”

Kira’s heart skipped a beat. She smiled. “Yeah. She can hear me speak and see what I see, but we can’t share thoughts.”

She hadn’t noticed until then, that Octavion’s eyes were filled with tears—which was a complete contrast to the smile that slowly crept across his face. He took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. “I brought you hear to tell you something—to tell both you and Altaria. Promise me you will hear me out before you get angry.”

Kira straightened. So he’d kept secrets too. “Tell me what?”

“Promise first.”

She withdrew her hands and folded her arms. “I promise.”

He sat back on his heels. “Before I left, Luka and I fought because I was angry with him for not telling me about the Royals who attacked you, but then he reminded me that I was the one keeping a secret. The night I brought Lydia home I had to leave her in my father’s arms. My hunger was so strong I could not help him with her. My thoughts were on feeding—nothing else—not even you.”

“Ussay told me about what happened—about Luka and the old man.”

He nodded. “Good, then I will leave that part out.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Two days passed before I returned to the castle. After checking on you, I went straight to Lydia’s side to find her wound mending, but she would not wake. She was so weak and now I know why. Without Altaria . . .”

“She died,” Kira finished.

Octavion wiped a tear from Kira’s face. “No. That is the truth I kept from you.”

“I don’t understand.”

He smiled. “I am sorry Kira. I gave an oath to my father—
my king
. I would rather die than go against that. I only tell you so you understand that what I am about to say could bring a heavy price.”

Kira felt her blood boiling insider her. Maybe Altaria had figured his secret out before she had. “Tell me what?”

“Lydia . . . did not die.”

Kira pressed her hand to her racing heart. “She didn’t die the day before I arrived?”

He didn’t answer at first, just gazed into her eyes. Then he gently caressed the side of her face and smiled. “No, my love. She is still alive.”

Kira didn’t know whether to dance around the room with joy or punch him in the face. Altaria picked the latter. Kira actually felt heat rush down her arm and into her hand, forcing her fist to clench. The next thing she knew she’d raised her arm and made contact with Octavion’s face. Unfortunately, her hand wasn’t nearly as strong as his jaw. When it hit a sharp pain shot through her hand, accompanied by a popping sound.

“Crap!” She grabbed her hand and pulled it to her chest. It felt like she’d hit a brick wall and Octavion didn’t even flinch.

“Let me see that.” Octavion tried to pry her hands apart, but she pulled away.

“Don’t touch me.” She stood and walked to the door, leaned her back against it and tried to examine her hand. The knuckle on her middle finger had already started to swell. “Look what you did.” She held it up so he could see.

“You hit
me
, remember?” He crossed the distance between them, a smirk on his face. “What is it with you women? Can you not express anger without hitting?”

“Look who’s talking. Your knuckles were bruised and scabbed over when I woke in your chambers. They didn’t get that way by themselves. Care to explain
that?
”

“No.” He took her hand and carefully inspected it. When he touched her middle finger, a jolt of pain raced up her arm.

“Ouch!” she screamed. She took her hand back. “Just leave me alone.”

He stepped back and folded his arms across his chest. “It is broken, Kira.”

“Oh,
really?
I’m so glad you told me that. I don’t think I would have figured it out on my own.”

“Let me take you to Gregor.” He tried to take her hand again, but she slapped him with her good one.

“See? Again with the hitting,” he teased.

“You’re not taking me anywhere until I see Lydia. I have to figure out a way to give Altaria back to her.” She marched back to the bed and sat on the edge. “I’ll never forgive you for this one, Octavion. Keeping this from me could have killed her. What if it’s too late? What if she’s too weak to accept Altaria’s spirit?”