Broken Road (Fate's Intent Book 7) (25 page)

Chapter 50

Jaylyn

Things he does for me. The list keeps growing. This time it was killing someone who posed a threat, not to the world but just to us personally and I loved him for it. I knew he was still upset and he had every right to be but what he did was the right thing and I would never punish him for it.

Our bond was stronger than ever and we showed it while we ate dinner in the dining hall that night. The guests were finally gone so it was just our family that remained.

“So, how does a year older feel?” Aleksander asked.

“Is it supposed to feel different?” Zayden replied.

“I suppose not until you reach my age.”

“Or you could do what he does and pretend to be much younger.” Izin said. “Be with younger women, have younger friends.”

“I was only that way just so I would never get attached to anyone.”

Adele’s fist hit the table. “Is there really nothing else to talk about?”

“As you can see the main reason.”

“I wouldn’t guess there would be any recent event that anyone would like to talk about.” Izin said. “Unless you changed your mind on that.”

Though I was proud of him, I most certainly didn’t want to bring up what Troy had done. I’m sure it would have been reviewed negatively and I didn’t want him to be punished.

“I didn’t think so.”

“Your majesty?”

A man came in with a letter and walked briskly to the King.

“What is it?”

“News.”

Izin was handed the letter and the man left without a thank you, though I guess he wouldn’t need one from the King. It was his job.

We waited in silence while he opened it and read it to himself.

“Izin, what is it?” Kathryn asked.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to take back what I just said. Troy, where is it you went this morning?”

My heart raced and I feared for him. Someone must have found Marina’s body and this was Izin’s way of getting it out of him.

“This morning?”

“After all the guest left, you left.”

“I just walked.”

“You walked?” He already knew; I could see it but he must have just wanted Troy to tell the truth and I still feared there would be a punishment involved.

“Yes. Walked to think.”

“Walk by your friend Marina’s house by any chance?”

Troy’s heart started pounding just as mine did and now I knew I had a reason to fear this if he was afraid of his father’s tone in asking.

“Father, what happened?” Zayden asked.

“She was found dead earlier today.”

Zayden’s head snapped towards Troy and he was showing the same disapproval. “You killed Marina!”

“No! I mean, well, I—”

“I did!” I stood up from the table with my heightened voice just so everyone would see me. “I killed her.”

“You?” Izin asked.

“I didn’t want her in the way.”

His face hardened and Troy took my arm and pulled me back down into my chair. “Father, no. She’s just trying to cover for me. I’m the one that did it. It was me. That’s where I went this morning when I walked.”

“I thought you stopped doing that.” Izin said. “You assured me that you did.”

Troy became awfully quiet and I didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t seem like he was angry about this exact situation but something about the generalization of it.

“Stopped doing what?” I asked.

Izin looked between us. “You didn’t tell her?” Then he looked around at others sitting quietly. “No one told her?”

“Told me what?” I was more confused than I’ve ever been and looked to Troy for the answer.

He turned his head to me and seemed very uneasy about telling me. “You probably remember hearing about what it was like for us after we got back from a long trip away.”

“Killing, you mean?”

“Yeah, except I never really did it on accident. It was just a short phase because of all of my traumatizing mother issues. I would do it after I intimately—”

“Fucked them.” Darius said to finish his sentence.

“Yes. Thank you but I did it because I didn’t want any one of them to mother my child and be a poor one like mine was to me.”

It was surprising news but I wasn’t mad. Why should I be? It’s not like he was ever that way with me. “It’s okay but maybe you should explain one thing.”

“What?”

“Not to me, to them. Your father seems to think that you did it because you slept with her.”

Troy’s eyes widened just a little bit and he turned them to Izin. “Oh, no. That’s not why.”

“Then why?” Izin demanded.

“I firstly went there to get answers because I didn’t even know what happened last night. She gave me reassuring news followed by really horrible news that led to me basically stopping her proceedings.”

“So you didn’t sleep with her and revert to your old ways?”

“No, of course not.”

“What was the horrible news?” Adele asked.

“She was going to tell me differently so I would leave him.” I said. “And that led to a discussion of who I was and what I’m therefore carrying right now. She called him a mix breed bastard, Troy killed her and I’m happy. Any more questions?”

“No but Troy, you will visit her family and give your sincere condolences.” Izin said.

“But father—”

“No! They will get much quicker closure hearing it from you.”

“Hearing what exactly? That I killed her?”

“No, that she committed suicide. She was found in a puddle of her own blood, no signs of forced entry or foul play and the dagger was right next to her only an inch from her hand. It’s all believable.”

“Except for the reason.”

“That’s easy. She returns after spending months away to find the love of her life married and no hope to rekindle an already dead flame so she feels she must die herself.”

Troy abruptly excused himself from the table and stormed out of the dining hall, slamming the doors behind him as a sign of his rage. Izin made things sound like it was going to be easy to just do but I knew Troy didn’t feel that way. He just wanted someone to understand.

“Is that not what would have happened?” Izin asked.

“Possibly.” Zayden said. “But we couldn’t know for sure. She’s the one that chose to leave.”

“Perhaps but he’s the reason she came back.”

“Yeah  but—”

“Don’t quarrel over the
what ifs
.” I said, standing up. “And believe that if he didn’t do it—I would have.”

They were looking at this the wrong way and I couldn’t listen anymore. Troy didn’t need to be alone right now. He needed me and I followed.

“Troy?” He was alone in the room just gazing out the window in a chair. He looked like he completely hated himself and I did what I could by my presence to ease his guilt.

“I’m all right.” He finally said.

“I know you’re not.” I sat on the arm of the chair and leaned comfortably toward him.

“I’m not going to bore you with my troubles.”

“You won’t bore me.”

“But I know you have a different opinion on the matter.”

“That you did the right thing?”

“It doesn’t feel like it now, not when I have to talk to her family. I’m sure they thought we were going to be together too.”

“I don’t want to lie but that’s probably true from what I saw.”

“But I wouldn’t take this back. You know that, right?” He turned urgently and put an arm around me.

“Of course I know that but how could you have possibly known you were going to meet an exotic beauty like me and change the world with peace just to keep it?”

He smiled which was exactly what I wanted to see. “I couldn’t. That’s for sure. If someone told me I would a year ago, I probably would have laughed offensively.”

“I wouldn’t have believed it either but I’m glad things turned out this way. I love you and I don’t ever want to see you suffer.”

“I’m not suffering. You’re here and I’d like to just forget about all of this.”

“I’m sure you will with time. Just not yet.”

“Thank you for being here.”

“Where else would I be?”

“Troy?”

My head snapped to the left. I didn’t even feel anyone coming until Zayden and Darius were already in the room.

“He’s fine.” I snapped my words just as my head. I didn’t think it was their business to get involved because they weren’t involved and everything was fine.

“Thank you.” Zayden said. “But we’d still like to speak with him.”

One of those casual eye exchange things happened and it only took me a moment before I figured out what it meant. “You want me to leave?”

“This is just something we should do without you.”

I turned around to look at Troy, hoping he would see differently but he didn’t. He rose to his feet with a nod like he was agreeing. “It’s okay. Just for now.”

“No. Why should I leave? What are you going to do?”

I turned back to Zayden for the answer but he seemed very unsure about giving any detail. “Nothing. It’s just—he won’t really talk to us if you’re here.”

Out of all the times I’ve been so confused, this was near the top of the list. I didn’t understand why.

“What do you mean? Talk about what?”

Zayden’s eyes looked behind me at Troy and he was clearly getting frustrated with me still being here and came out with the last thing I wanted to hear. “About how he loved her!”

My curiosity left me and I stood without expression.

“Happy? Now will you leave?”

I turned to look at Troy and he looked sorry, sorry that maybe he didn’t tell me but I didn’t need it right now and I knew exactly what I was going to do. “Okay. Fine. I’ll leave.”

“Jaylyn, wait.”

“No. It’s fine; completely fine. I need to go eat something.”

I left the room before any of them could have said anything else to me but I did lie—a little. I wasn’t going to eat. I needed to see her; the one he loved.

The only problem was I didn’t know where to find her. I had to go to someone who knew her better than me from the beginning; Phil.

It was busy tonight as it was last night but I ignored everyone and walked right up to the bar.

“Excuse me.”

Phil turned. “Yes? What can I get you?”

“I was wondering if you could help me actually. I was in here last night with Troy and—”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Um, I heard about the woman he was with that you told me about, Marina and would like to pay my respects.”

“Oh, of course. It’s such a shame what happened. I don’t know how much help I’ll be but I can at least point you to her house. I think she’s still being kept there. Her parents are coming from the south.”

“Anything you could do would be great.”

“Okay. Just take a right outside and go two lit corners over. Her place is across the street.”

“Thank you.”

I took every direction I could and knew that had to be the place because there were two armed guards standing outside her door.

I approached.

“Halt.” One said. “What is your business here?”

“The deceased is a dear friend of mine.” I lied. “I’d like to see her.”

The two guards looked at each other but then opened the door for me. “We’ll give you a few minutes.”

I walked in and the door was closed, leaving me exactly how I wanted to be; alone.

Marina’s body was placed on a table for viewing with a blanket laying over her. I approached and stood next to her. She was beautiful and looked peaceful even if she was dead but I wanted to change that. There were things that needed to be done.

I focused everything I had and placed both my hands near her heart. My eyes started to glow but I closed them, not to draw attention from the guards outside and to better concentrate myself.

The sounds around me were smooth and rhythmic. A pulse traced through me that was not mine and I had to open my eyes. Marina started to breathe and I quickly covered her mouth before she let out a sound.

“Shh! Don’t alert the guards outside.”

She nodded and I slowly lowered my hand. “Who are you? Why are there guards outside and why am I on a table?”

“You’re dead—I mean, they think you’re dead. I brought you back so you could do something for me.”

“Brought me back? Who are you?”

“I’m Troy’s wife.”

Her look of confusion from waking changed to concern.

“I can heal things—spiritually. You still have a purpose.”