Blood Yellow (10 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“
Z
ayn, where are you?”

Zayn heard Nikole call out his name while he was in the study, assessing all the work that had been done since he left. The last time he was here it’d looked like the whole house was covered in a flood. He didn’t know what to say to her. He didn’t know how to handle this situation.

He walked past the portraits of his parents that used to hang on the walls but were now on an easel having repair work done to them. He was sorry for the damage he’d caused to their house, but he had no other option. How was he to explain to his okht that he failed everyone he loved? He was supposed to keep her safe, and instead he had led her into the lion’s den.

“I’m in the study, Nikole,” he called out.

He walked over to the desk against the wall and palmed the family diary in his left hand. He started to thumb through the pages, reading about each of the ancestors they had had and the different things they had created and accomplished since their births. Thankfully the diary had been in the safe during the flood and wasn’t destroyed. The weight of his rash decision weighed heavily on him. He stopped turning the pages when he reached his omm sketched photo. Slowly he started to read what had been written about her, the things she had done for her people, the love she’d had for her children. He didn’t even hear Nikole walking up behind him, he was so focused on what was in front of him.

“She would be proud of us, you know.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I really did a number on our home.”

“She would understand. Remember, women have quite the temper. Don’t you remember when Mama destroyed Baba’s throne?”

Zayn took a moment to laugh with his okht. No matter what he said to her, it wouldn’t correct the mistake he had made. Maybe words were not what they needed, but just compassion. They were both hurting and both in desperate need of love from one another.

“Abb would have been proud of you too, little okht.”

She gave him a bit of silent approval by slipping her hand into his. She held it gently as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Asshole or not, she loved him more than anything else.

“I’m gonna be an amma, huh? Gotta say, I know Mama and Baba were not around for the condom era to explain it to you, but I was pretty sure you knew how they worked.”

“Nikole, stop, you know this wasn’t planned. We just need to pray she can keep the baby. I will never forgive myself if anything happens to Adara and our child.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened? You know it isn’t like you to hurt someone like this.” Nikole gave his hand a squeeze before reaching up and taking the book from him. She scanned the lines on the pages written by hand about their omm. She didn’t know who kept this information current, but they had her omm written perfectly.

“Little okht, believe me when I tell you I don’t know what was going through my mind. I’ve relived that moment over and over, and I just kept thinking, ‘I have to see her, I have to make her see reason.’ I have no justification. It’s like something went off in my mind. Nothing, no one, was going to stop me.”

Zayn watched her closely while she read about their ancestors; he remembered the day she was born and the oath he had sworn to the king, their abb.

“I’m sorry I left and treated you the way I did, for all of it. What you said about me causing all of this was right. I never should have behaved like that, especially to you.” He turned away from her, unable to face the look of disappointment that he was sure was written across her face. Everything he had done, he now had to fix and make up for, and he had do it alone. No one could fix his relationship with either woman except for him.

“I forgive you for what you did to me, but I will not tolerate you arguing with me about my life and what I choose to do with it. I believe I have proven myself to all the Algula, about what kind of leader I can be. And if I want to lead our military, I’m no longer asking permission.” Nikole took the diary and closed it before putting it back in the safe they kept hidden in the room. She took one last look at her akh.

“It’s going to take some adjustment having you again, so be patient with everyone. I’ll be in my room unpacking and thinking about what to do about Alec.” She started to move toward the door for a few seconds before Zayn reached his hand out and touched her arm. She turned around, and he could tell she had pain in her eyes. She’d been hurt by everyone she’d loved. There was nothing in this world that justified that.

“What did he say that has you so hurt?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Zayn.”

“Why not? What did he say?” Zayn started moving toward the door to block her from leaving. He turned around and saw her face flushed. He knew that look, the look of disappointment and sadness. “Little okht, come. Tell me what happened. Maybe we can fix this together. We can both try to be happy.”

“Zayn.” She started to talk but silenced herself as she attempted to contain her tears. “He said he didn’t want to come here with me. He said, he said I had to leave him, essentially.” She looked over at her akh; she knew that he was angry at hearing that, because his eyes began to flash flecks of yellow. “Zayn, stop. He doesn’t need you going up there and attacking him. It’s his choice.”

Zayn wasn’t going to listen to that. Who did Alec think he was?  Someone to just use his okht and toss her aside? “You can do better than him. If he doesn’t want you, it’s because he knows he doesn’t deserve you. We will find you a good man, a Ghul in good standing, someone who you can be proud to have on your arm.”

“Stop it! You don’t have the right to speak about him like that. He didn’t run away from me, leave me to run the race, and abandon all responsibility because he was having a fit. Before you judge him, look in the damned mirror. I’m going upstairs. Don’t follow me.”

Nikole moved Zayn’s hand off her arm and walked out of the room. She didn’t need to sit there and listen to his judgments. She knew Alec was a good man and must have had his reasons to say and do what he did. Nikole walked up the stairs, her hands trailing along the wooden banister, completely repaired from the damage Zayn had caused a few months ago. The spots on the wall where pictures of her parents had hung were empty, the outline of their places still evident. When she reached her room, she noticed her door was ajar. She pushed it open all the way, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw all of her things unpacked.

“Alec, oh Alec.”

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

Z
ayn was not sure if he should chase after her or give her space. He got that she didn’t want to have this talk with him, but that didn’t change the fact that every male should be begging to be with her. This Alec must have something to hide from or be ashamed of something to turn her away.

The sound of his cell phone going off interrupted Zayn’s thoughts. He pulled it out of his pocket and immediately answered it when Nasir’s name came across the screen.

“Is she okay?” Zayn asked.

“She is fine for the moment, but she still might lose the baby. They have to wait a bit more to see which direction it will turn.” Nasir spoke into the receiver. “She wants you to come see her and wants you to know you are having a girl; can I tell her you will?”

“A bent.” Zayn paused, his heart started to race and his breath began to quicken. “Wow. If she wants me there, I’ll be there right away.”

Zayn hung the phone up, shoved it into his pocket, and gave a signal for one of his lieutenants to come into the room.

“Mehmet, I need to go to the hospital again. Please go to Nikole’s room and help her do what she needs to settle in. Do not let her leave this house. Do you understand? I do not want to put her at risk for any reason, so keep her at home at all costs.”

Mehmet gave his head a low nod while saying, “Yes, Your Majesty. I shall protect her with my life.”

“Good, and don’t let the past between you two stop you from doing the right thing, now go. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Zayn watched him leave the room and then flashed out of the house and began his journey to the hospital. Nasir’s phone call had given him the hope he needed. His woman and child were alive, and by the Gods they would survive. He had moved in the right steps to fix his damage with Nikole, but would Adara forgive him as easily?

It took Zayn ten minutes to teleport his way to the hospital. He rushed through the double doors barreling into the hospital help desk.

“Zayn!” Nasir called out from across the floor.

“Where is she? How are my girls?”

“They are okay right now. Adara is stable. Come with me. They just got her settled down for the night. She’s really doing well. She’s a fighter, you know.”

They walked back to her room in silence. Zayn tried to keep his composure as he entered into the room and saw Adara’s face light up.

“Hey, you.”

“Hey. Did you hear?”

Zayn nodded and his smile came out when he touched her hand. He sat in the chair next to the bed as Nasir closed the door and took his post outside of their room, standing guard.

“A little girl, we are having a baby girl.” Zayn placed his hand on her stomach, and Adara watched his eyes start to tear up.

“Yes, we are, Zahra. She will be here in close to three months. I have started to get a nursery ready, but now that I know it’s a girl, assuming she survives this, I can decorate and start buying clothes.”

“Adara, don’t you dare talk like that. She is going to be okay. She’s a fighter, like her parents.” Zayn looked into Adara’s eyes and brought his hand up to her face. He tried to cup her cheek, but she pulled away from him. She didn’t know what she wanted just yet.

“Zayn…I don’t know what to do about what happened to me. You could have killed our baby…” Adara pulled his hand down into hers while looking away. Her eyes focused on the monitors and their heart rates, the lines of her bent printing out on the paper beside hers.

“I was angry and mad. I am truly sorry. Please let me make it up to you; for the rest of my existence, I will make this up to you.” Zayn slid down on the floor, her hand still holding his as he knelt on bended knee and looked up at her.

“Adara, with all my love, all my being, all my soul… I am yours. This baby, she is ours. Please, come home with me; come home to my house and my soul. Perform the nexus with me. Be mine.”

Adara looked down at him in shock. She heard the words he said, but she didn’t know what to say. Seconds turned into minutes… Minutes that killed Zayn, like a dagger in the heart.

“Adara, please. Please say you will.”

“Zayn, you know when you left me I was falling in love with you.”

It was as if the Gods knew that this wasn’t the right time to have this discussion, because at that moment Nasir burst frantically into the room, his face clearly upset about something,

“What, Gods? Damn it Nasir, what? What is so fucking important?!?

“I’m sorry Zayn, but Mehmet just called to tell me that Nikole left him to go after Alec. She flashed away from him, and he is on the road now, heading to Alec’s location.”

“FUCK!” Zayn bellowed as he stood up and marched to the door, his eyes swirling yellow. “She wasn’t supposed to leave. We are not done. I thought I had made myself CLEAR!”

“Zayn, she has been fine for three months without you. I’m sure she will be fine going to see him. Calm down, you are upsetting the peacefulness,” Adara said quietly from her bed.

“Adara, this doesn’t concern you.” He spoke out before looking at Nasir. “Bring her home. Then find him and bring him back, or else he will be working in the pits for the remainder of his life.” Zayn walked back to Adara and pulled her into his arms, engulfing her in a hug. “I am sorry this moment for us was ruined. Nasir will be leaving, and we can finish.”

“Zayn.”

“Your Majesty!” Zayn said looking over at Nasir. “You say, Your Majesty.”

Nasir nodded out of reverence while biting his tongue. Now wasn’t the time to hash out respect issues, especially in front of a lady. “Your Majesty, I will go bring Nikole home myself if I must.” He turned to leave, closing the hospital room door behind him.

Zayn and Adara sat there in silence. Zayn was fuming about the fact that someone had disobeyed a direct order, and Adara sat in shock at how he had reacted to Nikole going after her man. It didn’t seem right to her. How could she marry someone who didn’t see the need for a woman to go after the man she loved, just like Zayn came after her?

CHAPTER
TWENTY

 “
H
e left the house? Are you sure he doesn’t know you are following him? Good. We will be there as soon as you give us the location.” Jonothon hung up the phone and looked over to Haydar and Leigh. “Nikole’s boyfriend has left the house. I have someone tailing him. We will have his location once he goes home, so we will be able to find Nikole next time she runs to hide.”

Haydar did a once over on his bent’s trusted companion. He hoped that she had picked accurately; a lot of things were riding on this operation working smoothly.

“I want you there when this plan goes into action, Leigh. I do not trust this to just any old subordinate. If you picked wrong, it will be your head. Do you understand, bent?”

Leigh held back the snide remarks that were flashing through her mind. Who did he really think he was fooling? His ways were out dated and inefficient; he didn’t have the knowledge of modern times to give proper direction to the military.

“Yes, Abb, I understand.” How badly she wanted him to be out of the picture. Her life would be perfect without him. The throne would belong to her with no one to fight about taking active and rightful control over their people.

“Jonothon, you can stay with me. Your services with my bent are no longer required. I will keep you to myself. Why, if you are the best like she claims, then you should be serving me and not her.” Haydar gave a pointed look at Leigh, warning her to stay quiet.

She knew what he was doing, he was holding collateral.

“When this mission is done, Abb… we will discuss what is mine.” Haydar watched his bent leave and immediately turned to Jonothon.

“I told her to stop fucking you… Well, since she refuses to listen to me, it’s time I remind her who gives her the power she so enjoys wielding.”

Leigh heard a scream from a man as she walked out of her abb’s office and down the hallways. She felt a mild twinge of guilt, but she knew Jonothon was a fighter. He would live through whatever torture her abb pushed on him. This power play they were in would be ending soon. She would not have him thinking that he had her backed into a corner.

Keep it up, Abb, and your time here will be ending quicker than planned.
Leigh heard the words echo in her mind as she flashed herself out of the compound. She traveled down the highway, taking a few miles at a time. She’d watched him treat her akhs like they were nothing but waste, which of course was what they had been. Leigh was damned sure though that her abb would regret the day he had ever considered her as weak and foolish as them.

While she was contemplating her abb’s death, her cell phone began to vibrate. When she checked the message, she noted that her men had successfully tracked down where Alec was staying and that Nikole was not there. Without wasting another breath, she flashed across the distance, narrowing in on their location.

“He’s in there alone?” she questioned her men as they pointed up to the house.

“This appears to be his home. He arrived alone and hasn’t left.”

Leigh motioned for her men to back down and initiated a survey of Alec’s home. She walked through the forest and assessed different angles of entry and exit; she began the process of sealing off all openings, except the front door. Closing her eyes, she lifted up her arms and the vines of the plant life started to work their way up the walls of the house. Her men watched as her eyes flashed numerous shades of green. The vines wove in and out of the wooden frame of the house, silently trapping the lone occupant inside.

Leigh took a step back to survey her progress. She was pleased with the results; Alec’s sanctuary was now his prison…her bent amty was now her prey.

She walked back to her men and gave them orders to hide in the tree lines. Watching the men disappear, she walked up to the front of his cabin. She took a moment to analyze the burned trees, noting that it appeared some sort of fire had struck. With a movement of her arm, she watched as leaves started to grow and the bark of the trunks changed from charcoal to brown. Her omm had taught her one thing during the time she was around, the only being on this planet stronger than them was Mother Nature, and respect must be shown to her. Whenever she was in pain, ease it; that was the best way to recharge one’s own life force, to give back to the true giver of power.

Pleased with the change in the life of the ground and trees, she resumed her quest. With a firm knock, she banged on the door and stood awaiting his response.

Alec was in his bedroom when he heard the knock. Thinking that Nikole had come back for him, he sullenly walked to the door. He really didn’t want to see her so soon, but it didn’t surprise him that had she come back, seeking him out. She was a stubborn woman, and sadly, that was one of the things he was attracted to the most. Pausing just a brief moment after answering the door, the confusion on his face was evident as he looked at the beautiful redhead standing on the other side of the door.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, I believe you can.” Leigh pushed her way through the door and stalked towards him. His defenses immediately came to the forefront, causing his arms to flare with fire as his internal fight or flight instinct kicked into motion.

“I am here for your girlfriend, Nikole. Please hang around for a while.” The metal of the house pipes came out through the ceiling and wrapped around Alec. He was pulled against the wall and fastened in place. The plants on the other side of the room started trailing along the ceiling, quickly making their way to Alec’s body. The vines wrapped around his neck and moved up to his mouth. Leigh laughed as his oxygen started to deplete, causing the fire on his arms to burn out.

“Pet of my bent amty, when is she coming back?”

He shook his head back and forth, a growl of possession and protection apparent in his struggle.

“What was that?” She let the vines loosen around his mouth, freeing him for speech.

“Fuck, you.” He said, spitting out leaves from his plant. “I’ll never help you or tell you when she is going to return. Kill me now, because you won’t get anything from me!”

“I love it when the men fight; it is amusing to think they actually stand a chance.” She made the vines go tight around his mouth again, gagging his muffled reply. Leigh walked to him and pulled her knife out, pressing the short side of the blade against his forehead. “Let’s begin.” In one swift motion, the blade moved from left to right, slicing the skin clean to the bone. Blood trickled down his face as his body thrashed in the vines, trying to fight what was about to happen to him.