Rylan's Heart (8 page)

“What happens when you leave here is different for every couple. What and who you see will be tailored to your needs. One of you could be tested or both of you. You will go into this unknowing and when the trial is over you will come out either bonded or not.” Selma’s soft voice finished the instruction.

“That doesn’t tell me much,” Aviana said looking at them but concentrating on the warmth of Rylan’s hand.

“It’s all we can tell you. Now you choose to enter or run.” Victor’s strong voice challenged her.

Aviana tightened her grip on Rylan and closed her eyes with a big yawn. Her mind slowly crept away as sleep took her.

*~*~*~*

As far as dreams went this one sucked. She was in a room that was pitch black except for a tiny shaft of light that really didn’t illuminate anything. She heard someone call her name as she tried walking around the room looking for a door, but she kept hitting her shins on things she couldn’t see. Finally, she sat down and refused to go any further.

“Aviana!” There was her name again. Who kept calling her and why?

She ignored the call. There was no way she was getting up again to keep hitting herself in the dark. It hurt. She would wait until she woke up to analyze this dream.

“Aviana!”

There was that voice again. It went over her like a blanket keeping her warm in the coldest winter. Her body trembled. She wanted to, no needed to find that voice. Something about it touched a memory she couldn’t access.

Without thought she stood, determined to brave the mine field that was this room. She’d do anything for a chance to bask in that voice. She moved slowly as her shins came into contact with razor sharp wires. Blood poured down her legs in little rivulets but she couldn’t stop.

She stumbled into the wall and gave a cry of relief, part one of the plan was accomplished—find the wall. Now that she found it, she could follow it until she found a door and was able to release herself from the room.

“Aviana,” the voice called again fueling her desire to find it.

Finding the door wasn’t easy. After the first time of walking the room, her heart sped up, the beat making her chest hurt. Fear was a nasty taste in her mouth as her thoughts told her to stop trying, all was lost. Nothing but sheer determination made her walk the room again. By the time she walked the wall the second time, she knew were every trap was. On the third time she avoided every one of them making her feel a little better and on the fourth time around, she finally found the door she was positive had not been there the first three times.

Turning the knob, she entered a room that was so bright she had to shield her eyes from the light. Even after closing them, she could still feel the rays of light like shards of glass.

“Aviana!” Thick arms wrapped around her. A remembered masculine smell tickled her senses. Peace invaded her body.

“Rylan!” Happiness warred with desperation and desolation. She had been so alone in the black room and scared although she refused to acknowledge it.

“Where are we?”

“It’s a way station in your mind. Turn down the light, Aviana.”

“I can’t.”

“You can. Act like there’s a dimmer switch on the wall and turn down the lights.”

She pictured the bright room looking at each wall until she saw one with the desired switch on it. She walked over to it in her mind and turned it, causing the light to burn even brighter. With fumbling fingers, she turned it in the other direction.

Her shoulders slumped in relief when the bright light stopped attacking her eyes. Cautiously she opened her eyes to peer around the room.

“We’re in my mind?” She turned around in his arms so she could see his face. He nodded.

“How can that be?”

“This is the start of our mental connection that will be cemented if we pass the trial and bond.”

“Have there ever been any failures?”

“A few I’ve heard whispers about. No one shouts out a failure when it comes to soul-bonding.

She moved out of his arms and turned to look around. They were in one of her mental rooms. This was one of the places she tried to push deep into the dark recesses of her memory. There was a huge desk on one wall with a picture of a beautiful waterfall that spilled into a river.

A small laugh left her as she looked at the desk and waterfall. It was so her. The Aviana she no longer showed the world. There was a wall of bookshelves lined with textbooks and a few books that were simply pleasure reads. She no longer had time for either kind of book.

“Why did you pick this room?”

“I didn’t, you picked it. When I asked for permission to enter, you directed where I would go.”

“So what’s in the dark room that I was in?”

“It’s your mind, Aviana. Go have a look for yourself.”

She moved away from him and found the door she used to enter her study room as she was now calling it. Her stomach tightened before she placed her hand on the knob and turned.

The room was still darker than night. The only thing she could do was slide her hand along the wall where the door opened to see if there was a light switch. Touching an object her fingers played with it to turn on the lights.

The blackness faded some as a weak light cast the room in shadows. Her throat worked as if she wanted to talk and breathe but was unable to do either. Every fear she ever encountered, and a few that were waiting to grab her, were locked up in this room.

One reared up at her like a deadly snake about to attack. She stumbled back and closed the door with no time to spare. The fear hit the door with a loud thud hissing it would be back.

“Can I eject that room from my mind?”

“No, eventually you will have to face your fears. Is this the place you would come to in your mind when you were studying?”

“Yes, it seems so weird, but I guess it makes sense. I always heard the phrase I have to get ready to do something…like go to the store or watch the kids, etc.…I always thought of it more like getting physically ready. It makes sense to me now; in my mind I have a place to go that got me ready to study. It’s like a room for my brain. I bet I have more rooms in here.”

“I know you do. Are you ready to see them?”

“I am, but I think it’s only fair to tell you when I wake up, I’m going to think this was all a dream.

“We shall see. Let’s go.” She took his hand.

This wasn’t what she expected. The landscape was beautiful, wide meadows filled with flowers. There were rolling hills in the background. It was the perfect place for a picnic and not one bee in sight. This was someplace she could stay.

The only thing breaking up the beauty of the scene was an ancient door that was so tall she couldn’t see the top of it. It was cast in black metal that shone in the sun.

Shaking her head, she walked around it. It was just a door standing there in the middle of the meadow. It made no sense.

“Why is there a door here?”

“It must be the entrance to the trials. Calix mentioned he and Paige went through a door.”

She guessed it made sense, or at least as much sense as anything else made.

“How do we get in?”

“We wait for it to open.” Rylan reached out to touch the door that turned out to be cold. “There isn’t a handle. We wait.”

There was a loud noise breaking up the peace and quiet. It came closer.

“Is that a motorcycle?”

The bike stopped and one of the largest men Aviana had ever seen hit the heel of his boot against the kickstand, allowing it to rest as he climbed off the bike.

Aviana hid behind Rylan, unpleasant memories coming back to haunt her.

The man was close to seven feet with tattoos down both arms. His long black hair was clipped at the nape of his neck with a piece of leather. His intense gaze was ruby red. He wore a leather vest minus the shirt. His pants were leather too. They stretched over him showing off every well-defined muscle he possessed.

She shivered against Rylan as the personality from their unexpected guest wrapped around her, stroking the fear she felt.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“We are here for the bonding trials.” Rylan told the stranger who hovered over him by almost a foot.

Aviana felt Rylan’s body hardened as he prepared to defend her. He wanted to keep her safe from the man who reminded her of that dark night in the alley. She shivered as the memories came back in a rush.

The man laughed. “Do you really think you can take me?”

His eyes flashed and the ground around them began to shake.

“Rylan?” she said his name softly.

“Don’t worry, he won’t hurt us.”

“Don’t be too sure. That’s what happens to lots of couples; they are so sure until they’re dead. Then there are no do overs.”

“I won’t let you hurt her.”

“Really? Look at you. I can see your anger and hatred hovering over you like a cloak. How can you protect someone when you’re too busy letting your feelings dictate what you do?”

Rylan growled and the male laughed.

“Come get me. Show your woman how badass you really are. I think I like her, wouldn’t mind sampling the goods. Come to Poppa, Baby.”

Rylan moved a little closer to him after moving Aviana further back.

“Take your time. I’m willing to wait for her, she’s cute. You should know the name of the male who is going to take your female away from you. It’s Voyager. Use that name, Precious, when you scream for me.”

Rylan attacked with a roar. Voyager held up his hand catching Rylan around his neck. He choked him as he brought him struggling off the ground to dangle in the air.

“Your life now belongs to me. It’s what happens when you charge without knowing anything about your opponent. Now I am sure your lovely little mate will want me instead.”

Aviana launched herself at Voyager. “Let him go!”

Taking his other hand, Voyager stopped her cold before she could reach him.

“She put herself in danger because you let your darkness overtake you. Do you really think you’re worthy of a mate?”

He lifted Aviana with the invisible hold he had on her and threw her into the door that was now open. Taking one last look at Rylan, he shook his head with disgust and threw him into the void where the door had been.

*~*~*~*

Aviana’s alarm clock went off. She reached out blindly hitting the snooze button. Turning over, she snuggled deeper into the covers not wanting to get up. When the alarm went off a second time, she turned it off and dragged herself out of bed.

A huge smile lit her face when she remembered it was the first day of the new job she studied so hard to get. They took her with only the experience she picked up as an intern. She was being given a job that rarely went to first time job seekers.

She quickly took a shower and got dressed. The city wasn’t New York, but this was the first step to getting there. The hustle and bustle of the city overtook her as she left the steps of her condo.

Her parents would be so proud of her. She walked down the street until soft sobs caught her ear. No one seemed to hear the child crying. Stepping to the side, she stood at the end of an alley. She wasn’t crazy enough to walk through it by herself.

“Is anyone in there? Come out please, I’ll help you find your parents.”

A little brown skinned girl stepped out of the shadows. Aviana’s mouth opened wide. She dreamed about that little girl last night.

“Tell me who your parents are and I will help you find them.”

She was in the process of crouching down when a man put his hand over her mouth and picked up her shaking body. The little girl disappeared faded away like a mirage as the man half carried half pulled her into the alley. No one stopped to help her.

“You look like you like it rough.” The male laughed and shoved her against the wall. “I’m taking my hand off your mouth, don’t scream. No one out there cares.”

He took his hand off her mouth and she screamed. He hit her with all his might, bruising one side of her face.

“Scream again and I’ll hit you somewhere else.” He put his hands on her breast and squeezed.

She wanted to close her eyes, block it all out, and pretend it wasn’t happening. Her eyes wouldn’t close; she needed to find a way out, an escape. That wasn’t going to happen if she couldn’t see.

He ripped her top pulling her bra up to expose her breasts. He bit her on one nipple causing her to whimper in pain.

“Please, let me go,” she said softly. Then with more force she screamed. “Get the hell off of me.”

The man backhanded her.

“You’ll pay for that.” He balled his fist up to slam it in her stomach.

“Get the hell away from her,” a voice screamed from the end of the alley.

Aviana turned to look at her hero only to find him more intimidating than the man who held her. His eyes blazed a stormy blue as his long legs ate up the ground between them. The muscles in his arms bulged and his legs were so thick, she thought she could sit on them without hurting him.

It was the dark aura around him that scared her, making her want to retreat.

The stranger pulled her attacker off and knocked him off his feet. Her attacker grinned at the other male like he was crazy, and pulled a knife. Aviana quietly eased around them and hurried down the alley before the one saving her finished beating the other male.

*~*~*~*

“Are you done beating him?” Voyager asked, leaning against the wall.

Rylan let the guy drop. Seeing him touch Aviana made him lose his cool. Both his darkness and his bitterness ate him up until he was unable to control it.

“Where’s Aviana?”

“She ran. She took one look at you and was terrified. I do not blame her.”

“How could she be scared of me? I’m her mate; she knows I would never hurt her.”

“Maybe she lost her memory when she came in here,” Voyager said with a shrug.

“What do you mean she lost her memory and why didn’t you stop her?”

“You told me I could not have her, so it delights me that you cannot have her either.”

Rylan moved up to him, hands balled into fists.