Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2 (45 page)

But nothing happened, and she was still broken when the lights came on.

“I think she’ll like it.”

Reed glanced at Adam and nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

Adam ran the long white silk cloth through his fingers once more before folding it and placing it in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “I hate buying things for her because I never know what she’ll think.”

Reed suppressed a laugh. Syney was complicated, and it amused him to see Adam so flustered. In reality no matter what Adam bought her she loved, mainly because it came from him. Not that Reed was going to tell him that. He needed to get his amusement somehow. They started across the great hall when he spotted Poppy at the far end, standing guard at a meeting room door. He stopped walking and eyed her curiously.

“What is it?” Adam asked, stopping with him.

“Poppy.”

Adam followed his gaze. “That must be where Syney’s meeting is.”

“Probably.”

“You don’t sound OK with that,” Adam said, looking at him.

Reed shrugged. “It’s just odd.”

“The location?”

“No, it’s…Poppy’s outside.”

“Maybe the queen didn’t want Protectors in the meeting?” Adam asked, sounding a bit suspicious as well.

Reed looked at him. “Then where’s Grass?”

Adam stared at him for a moment before they took off at a run toward the door.

Poppy eyed them as they approached.

“Where’s Syney? Inside?” Adam asked, reaching for the door. He opened it, but Poppy quickly pulled it closed.

“You can’t go in there,” she said forcefully.

“The hell we can’t,” Adam barked.

“Move,” Reed ordered.

She gave him a nasty look. “I’m done taking orders from little boys.”

Reed growled at her before pushing her aside and forcing the door open. His eyes adjusted immediately to the darkened room. He saw the back of a man running out a door at the back of the room. He immediately flicked the lights on and took a deep breath. A wolf. Syney. Blood. He looked at Adam, who was racing around the table in the center of the room, and followed suit. Syney was on the floor, sobbing and curled into a ball. Adam reached her first, sliding onto his knees. At first Reed couldn’t register what was going on. Her knife was sticking out of her leg, and a pool of blood had formed underneath her, but there was something else going on. Adam pulled off his coat and wrapped it around Syney. Reed swallowed some bile and disgust as he realized Syney’s clothes were ripped and littering the floor, including garments that no wolf had business anywhere near. Reed knelt and looked at Adam. This wasn’t something they’d trained the guards for; he needed some kind of direction.

“Should I press the master alarm?”

Adam looked at him, his arms wrapped around Syney. He shook his head. “I smelled wolves.”

“Me too,” he said, not even wondering how Adam had smelled them. He knew he was different.

“You sound the alarm for wolves, and there’s going to be hell to pay. There is no way anyone will believe she was attacked by wolves. But Leaf should know.”

Reed nodded. “Can you get her back to her room?”

Adam nodded.

“I’ll get Leaf and meet you there.”

Adam whispered something to Syney as he lifted her and took off out of the room in the blink of an eye. Reed knew only Vampires moved like that, which answered some questions he had.

He pushed all of that out of his head as he ran down the long hallways to Leaf’s room. He pounded a few times but got nothing. The second best place
to find the commander was the training gym. He took off in that direction and almost ran into Leaf halfway there.

“Reed? What’s the matter?” Leaf asked.

Reed tried to regain his breath then told him.

Leaf nodded slowly and stared off down the empty hall. “I’m going to ask that we keep this to ourselves.”

Reed nodded.

“She’s not going to want any of us,” Leaf said, almost to himself. “I’m going to get someone and take her to Syney’s room. Everyone is off Syney’s detail except you until I say so.” He placed a hand on Reed’s arm. “Go. I’ll meet you at her room.”

Reed nodded again and took off in the opposite direction from Leaf. He walked right into Syney’s room and eyed Adam, who stood in front of the closed bathroom door.

“Come on, Syn. Just open the door,” Adam said.

“Did she lock herself in there?”

Adam looked at him and nodded. “The second I put her down. Is Leaf coming?”

“Yes. He said he was getting someone first.” Reed leaned against Syney’s dresser. He tried to catch his breath but couldn’t. It was more than just running around the palace. This wasn’t something he knew how to deal with, and he hadn’t been there. The last part made him clench his fists. He had become suspicious of Poppy, Posey, and Birch a few weeks ago. When he walked into their last Protector meeting the three had been in deep conversation with Grass. Reed had told Leaf about it and the two had been keeping a close eye on the three other Protectors. He should have been there with Syney. And now…He stared at the closed door and felt a pain in his chest. Just the thought of what her attacker had done to her made him sick. And it never would happen again, he vowed. He would stay with Syney every second of every day. That was the only way he could guarantee her safety.

“I need you,” Leaf said, staring down at her.

Helen smiled at him. Those were the words she loved to hear. But then she noticed he wasn’t smiling back. This was a serious visit. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Leaf looked around the empty chapel before answering. “Someone…Reed came to get me. Syney was attacked.”

Helen’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t hear the master alarm.”

“I didn’t sound it.”

“Leaf, you have to.”

He took her hands in his. “A wolf—or possibly more than one—trapped her in a room and…sexually assaulted her. I need you because I’ve seen things like this before, and a woman is the best way to reach this type of victim.”

Helen’s heart broke as she squeezed Leaf’s hands. Tears rushed to her eyes as she nodded and rushed out of the chapel. She didn’t realize she was still holding Leaf’s hands until he pulled them out of her solid grip. She glanced at him as they hurried to Syney’s room. This was something, as a woman, Helen was terrified of herself. The idea of being violated in such an intimate way was enough to make her sick to her stomach. She wasn’t sure exactly what she should do for Syney but knew she had to have confidence in her training. Part of becoming a
priestess involved counseling training. The religious leaders were the only real counselors the Village had.

She didn’t bother knocking when they reached Syney’s room. Adam was leaning against the bathroom door, and Reed stood by the dresser a few feet away from him. They both looked ready to kill and worried as anything. Helen rushed past them and stood in front of the door. “Both of you, go sit down,” she said, gesturing to the couches.

Adam gave her a look.

“Go. Let me handle this.”

He finally nodded and moved away from her.

Helen gently knocked on the door. “Syney, it’s Helen. Can I come in?” A moment later the lock on the door clicked. Helen slipped into the room and shut the door behind her then slid the lock back into place. Syney was on the floor, leaning against the wall next to the door. A dark bruise was forming along her jaw, and blood was slowly oozing from her leg. She gripped a black jacket tightly around her. She looked like hell with drying blood matting her hair and half of her face swollen, and Helen could only imagine what she felt like on the inside. Helen slowly knelt in front of her and reached out to pull some bloodstained hair out of her face. Syney flinched at first then let her touch her. “It’s OK now,” Helen said softly.

Syney looked up at her, her eyes red with tears and unfocused. She slowly shook her head.

“I have a friend who’s a midwife. I’d like to have Reed go get her, but only if it’s OK with you,” Helen told her.

Syney didn’t say anything; she just looked away and pulled the jacket more tightly around her.

Helen swallowed and licked her lips. “I’m worried that you’re hurt, Syney.”

She nodded. “I’m…I don’t need that. He didn’t…It was just his hands,” she whispered in a hoarse, shaky voice.

Helen nodded. “I’ll be right back. I’ll get you some clothes, and we’ll wash you up. Your leg looks bad.” Helen waited for Syney to nod before she stood and opened the door. She heard the lock click behind her but wasn’t very surprised by it. She took a deep breath and looked at the three worried men. Leaf stood with his hands behind his back, looking as if he were barely breathing. Reed sat on the couch, his head in his hands. Adam, who was pacing the center of the room, stopped when he saw her, his face red with every emotion that was running through the room.

“Is she OK?” Adam asked.

Helen sighed. “Honestly, no. Reed can you get some bandages and such from the infirmary?”

Reed nodded and practically ran out of the room.

Helen turned to the dresser next to her and pulled open the drawers until she found some of Syney’s clothes from the Human Realm. She pulled out a gray shirt and matching cotton pants along with some undergarments. “I know you want to talk to her,” she said, looking at Leaf. “But I want to get her cleaned up and bandaged first.”

“Of course,” he said with a slight nod.

“What can I do?” Adam asked.

“Just try to relax,” Helen told him. “I’m not sure what she’s going to be like once I get her out here.”

Leaf cleared his throat. “How long will you need?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure, but her leg looks pretty bad.”

“I have…some spell books that will help,” Adam said, walking over to Syney’s closet. After a few moments, he produced a small black book and a small bag. “There should be enough materials in there for you to do them.”

“I…uh…I’ve never done magic like that before,” Helen stuttered.

“Right, sorry. I can do it when she comes out.”

Helen nodded.

“I’m going to take Adam to get a drink,” Leaf said.

“No, I don’t want to leave.”

“But you need to,” Leaf said, steering him toward the door. “Trust me. We won’t be long.”

After a moment of hesitation, Adam finally left, placing the bag and book on one of the couches. Helen watched them go and took the moment alone to take some deep breaths and calm her nerves. Once Reed returned, Helen was still taking her moment but immediately regained her confidence at the sight of him.

“Thank you,” she said. She knocked lightly on the door and waited for the click of the lock to open the door and take the first-aid supplies in to Syney.

Helen poured some antiseptic over the wounds on Syney’s leg. Syney winced but didn’t say anything or yell out. The wounds weren’t too deep, but Helen wasn’t a medic and wasn’t sure whether stitches were needed. She wondered whether the spells Adam had mentioned would help.

The attack had set Helen on edge. She didn’t like the fact that it wasn’t reported and probably wouldn’t be. Any woman in a situation like this shouldn’t let what happened be swept under the rug. Whoever was responsible should be punished to the fullest. Helen didn’t doubt that Leaf felt the same way, but how he wanted to handle it worried her. She’d never seen Leaf as stoic as he’d been just now. The fact that Syney’s attacker had been Lycin was the most disconcerting. If Leaf, or even Adam, tried to do anything in retribution, there might be repercussions, since nothing was going to be formally reported.

Helen taped some gauze over the wounds, which were still slowly bleeding, and helped Syney to her feet. Syney hesitated at the door, but Helen urged her forward. “It’s OK. Leaf took Adam out for a little bit. It’s only us and Reed.”

She nodded and walked slowly into her bedroom.

Reed stood from one of the couches, but Helen gestured for him to stay where he was as she led Syney to the bed. Once Syney was in it, Helen tucked her in and gently sat next to her. “When Leaf and Adam come back, Adam is going to take a look at your leg.”

Syney nodded.

“And Leaf is going to talk to you about what happened. I know it’s going to be hard, but talking may actually be the best thing for you.”