Aligning Stars (Fate's Intent Book 1) (12 page)

Chapter 15

Darius

I watched Ruby take another swing toward Jaylyn and it was like watching her in slow motion. Her body in action was incredible and I wanted to see it firsthand. She just seemed so energetic and fun, not to mention downright sexy. I wanted to know everything about her, experience everything with her. She was probably every bit as fun to have in bed. There wasn’t a moment when I wasn’t imagining her taking control over me. That would be worth allowing but I didn’t know if that could ever happen. I knew what we were doing. I knew why they were with us now and it wasn’t going to end well. The longer it was on my mind, the worse I felt.

They walked back to us and tossed the sticks into the fire.

“What?” Ruby asked, probably seeing me still watching.

“Nothing.” I answered, finally getting the chance to eat what I had been cooking before it burnt from me being distracted for so long. “That was pretty impressive. So, I guess it’s better?”

Ruby smiled and sat herself next to me just a little closer than last time. “Of course. Jaylyn is a miracle worker. I didn’t doubt it. I just needed my foot to wake up.”

“Well, now that it is, you want to show us how yours works?” Zayden asked.

“You haven’t seen enough?”

“We saw you get angry but I know more happens. I want to see that part.”

She was still at first. I didn’t exactly know what this gift of hers was. Zayden seemed to only know a little bit. It had to have been something he squeezed out of Adele.

“Well, who do you want dead besides us because I can’t kill her this way. Believe me, I’ve tried. Her healing power counteracts mine.
Annoying
.”

“I didn’t say you had to kill a person. Kill a tree or something.”

Kill something? She could
just
do that?

Ruby lifted her eyebrow like she was confused and only made that expression sexy coming from that face. “
A tree
? You want me to kill a tree?”

“What’s the problem? Don’t think you can?”

She took a breath and her eyes turned red again. I couldn’t look away even if it did look like a red dot covering up her golden iris. “Shit, that’s hot.”

“Watch it. You don’t know who you’re messing with.” Her eyes were still on Zayden but they were still amazing.

“Then impress me.”

I felt the wind when Ruby stood up and she started walking over to the closest tree.

Jaylyn let out an amused girlie chuckle. “Well, that got her mad.”

“As was my plan. So, do all of your eyes change color when you use your gift?”

“Mine doesn’t change color. They just glow so no. Ruby’s are the only ones that actually change. Adele is more discreet when using her gift. They don’t change. You saw that.”

“I saw hate in them. That’s not a change?”

Jaylyn giggled. “Not for Adele.”

“What is her gift?” Troy asked. “Watching that was weird.”

“She has the
Manipulation of Matter
enchantment. She can use any form of matter to her advantage but she can only reform them. She can’t create them. She can make armies fall. Although, right now, she’s not the one you have to worry about but I’m sure that will come later because you left her alone where she has time to think. That’s always a bad idea.”

Zayden glanced towards us. For once it seems he actually had a bad idea.

“You better be ready for this!”

“Only when you are!” Jaylyn shouted back to Ruby. “And make sure it doesn’t fall on us!”

“I don’t determine which way it falls!”

“Well, try!”

The wind started to pick up around us more, blowing brush through the cold air. It made everything seem colder for a minute but I didn’t seem to notice when I saw the tree start to wilt and rot right in front of us. Simply incredible.

The longer it happened, the more Ruby seemed drained. She pulled back her hand and fell to her knees, taking deep breaths.

“Ruby?”

“I’m fine. I’m—” She passed out and fell to her side, hiding her red eyes from us.

Jaylyn gasped and didn’t hesitate. She went over to aid her.

“Maybe you should assist her back over here, Darius. She can’t stay over there.”

I looked over at Zayden with the widest smile. Of course I wanted to help and was glad he was letting me. “Fuck yeah I should.” I got up and walked over to Jaylyn, bending down on one knee next to Ruby. “How is she?”

“She’s all right. She just has to get her energy back.”

“Let me get her back over by the fire and she can do it there.”

“Good idea. Ruby, Darius is going to take you back over there so don’t accidentally hurt him, okay?” Ruby didn’t respond. “Can you please try to nod if you can hear me? I want to make sure you know.”

Ruby slightly nodded as best as she could and Jaylyn looked up at me, giving me the okay. I lifted Ruby up enough so I could get my arms under her and picked her up the rest of the way.

We walked back over to the fire and Jaylyn took her seat next to Troy. I walked passed them and sat down with my back up against a rock and lowered Ruby down next to me.

“How long is she going to stay like that?” Troy asked.

“It shouldn’t be that long. She usually takes a quick power nap to get her energy back. She should be fine in a few minutes when she wakes up.”

“Are you sure she’s not dead?” I was looking down at her, almost showing a small sign of worry. “I don’t think she’s breathing.”

Jaylyn laughed and moved over towards us. “She can’t die from doing that. It’s probably the corset. Harder to breathe in them since they have to be laced so tight. I just have to undo it a little bit. Hang on.” She used her fingers and squeezed them into the front of Ruby’s corset and opened three of the hooks down her chest. “See? Alive.”

I was still looking but a little more intensively now that her breasts were more exposed where I could see just the slightest darker tone of her nipples.

Her chest was moving steadily with her breath and I was entranced while watching. My hand moved closer and I was yearning to touch her.

“Darius!” Zayden snatched his voice at me before I was able to come in contact with her skin. “Don’t even!”

I didn’t want to but I backed my hand away. “You sit here and try not to.”

Jaylyn laughed. “It’s okay. She wouldn’t mind.”

“See?!”

“And you said I had no respect.” Troy joked.

“Still. Don’t.” Zayden repeated.

“So, tell us about hers.” Troy said.

Jaylyn moved back away from Ruby and got ready to answer while I tried not looking down or else I’d want to touch her again. “Her gift is called the
Touch of Death
. She can take life without a weapon and just the touch of her hand. The wind shows the intensity of her anger and her strength is unmatched during that time which means she can’t be stopped unless Adele is around. Her gift has two flaws. She has to get mad in order to take life, she calls that a flaw and when she does it drains her energy and is therefore left pretty much helpless until she gains it back like you see here. She still can use her strength without risk to her energy though. It’s only when she chooses to take life that it does it.”

I had my eyes on Zayden but he slowly shook his head for me to stay quiet. I guess he didn’t want me to say anything about the things he could do in front of them just because they were sharing with us.

“If you were capable of using these gifts the entire time, why did you let yourselves fail?” Zayden asked to get away from me even thinking about mentioning something about him.

Jaylyn took a deep breath and I tried keeping my focus on her like I was interested but I already knew the answer. “Well, we don’t depend our lives on it. We only use it when we absolutely have to and yesterday was because Adele didn’t feel it was Fate’s intent to end it that way. She likes to keep things normal for the most part.”

“How long have you been like this then? Have you always had it? Like born with it?”

“No. Nothing like that. We sought them out. It’s been a little over three years. We got our gifts from Madam Carla, an Enchantress from the south seas of Maaki. We owe her a lot and always carry a part of her with us now. She’s a genius, a little eccentric but a genius.”

Ruby slowly started to move around and I looked back down. She had leaned herself to the left, resting her cheek against my cold steel chest and was practically sitting in my lap, making it worse.

Jaylyn laughed, probably seeing it but when she actually realized what Ruby was doing, she quickly looked up at Zayden.

“It’s fine. Just leave her.” He said.

“Really?”

“Can’t fight the inevitable. You’ve already gotten a taste of that.”

Jaylyn held her breath and looked over at Troy. He just nodded and she gasped, looking quickly back to Zayden with worry. “I hope you’re not angry with him, Zayden. It was
entirely
my fault.”

“I doubt it but it’s fine. You two can do that all you want but know that it’s not going to change a thing. We’re still taking you to Randal.”

Jaylyn looked over at Troy again and smiled. “Well, Zayden, you’re not known for your generosity but I feel disinclined to argue with you.” She moved a little closer to Troy, leaning against him while he put his arm around her.

“Just know it’s not towards you. It’s more for them really.”

Jaylyn laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was probably hoping it wasn’t just a dream. I’ve noticed a connection between them and Troy definitely didn’t hide from it. He looked at her and I knew where his mind was. Mine was kind of there too. We were still taking them to our capitol. They were still going to die. I didn’t want it to be true and neither did he.

We looked across the fire at Zayden but his look hadn’t changed. He didn’t seem to feel for them at all the way we already had or maybe he was just doing it the right way.

I reached to my other side to forget about it and grabbed Ruby’s cloak that was laying on the ground and draped it over her. I kept my gaze down on her and touched her cheek with the back of my fingers just as gently as possible. She was so beautiful and her skin was soft and warm under my rough hand. I was beginning to feel—something more. I didn’t want her to be killed. I saw no point in wasting a good thing as she said about me and I didn’t take my eyes off her again. I couldn’t. A part of me was just hoping that she would be okay.

Chapter 16

Jaylyn

We remained listening to the crackle of the fire but the silence among us seemed more peaceful this time. The plan to take us to our deaths was still in motion but all I could hear were Troy’s kind words coming back to me.

Could we really be saved? Is this change in Zayden how it will start, caring more about his men’s happiness than what should be done in this time of war?

These questions came up in my mind while I sat comfortable in Troy’s arms. I felt free for the first time in so long but it was all taken back when I looked up at Zayden’s eyes on me, watching, making me feel nervous about why.

“Is this your first time here?” He finally asked, ending the minutes of silence while his eyes still traced mine for answers.

“Me? Yes. I’ve never been to Seni before.”

“It surprises me.”

“Why?”

“You’re an Assassin. To you, isn’t Seni just full of evil people that need to be destroyed?” He made it sound completely barbaric like he thought that’s how I really felt.

“We don’t choose our targets. The Queen does. She’s always kept us away from Seni until the perfect opportunity arose.”

“Well, she’s not very smart, sending her best team to their deaths.”

“She doesn’t care about us. She cares about power. It makes her happy knowing she has the power to destroy us if she wishes. If this is her way then we’ll follow through.”

“That’s very noble of you.”

“We have some pride in what we do right up to the end but make no mistake, killing us won’t end things. It’ll just make it much worse.”

Zayden laughed and started to sit up. “Is that a threat?”

“You’re only walking further to your own doom by taking us to your city.”

“Why? Who’s coming after us?”

“She’s already here.” My eyes glanced over at the shelter with Adele still inside. “Don’t underestimate her just because she stopped Ruby from killing you
once
. She’s always thinking; always planning.”

Zayden’s eyes found their way back to the shelter. I knew he was thinking about Adele and whenever he did, his mood would always feel different than the dominant in-control leader. I didn’t know what he was going to do; it was always unclear.