Threads of Fate, page 23
“Let’s get you some water,” he said.
He hadn’t responded to what she’d said, and she wasn’t sure if he was supposed to. She was the one keeping him away. She was the one who wouldn’t allow whatever it was between them to happen. The bartender placed a large glass of water in front of her and her stomach rolled at the thought of drinking anything. She knew, however, that she had to sober up to be able to walk back to the manor. Movement and a rush of wind beside her pulled her away from her drink and she glanced up to find Roan staring at Jes, still sitting at the table across the room.
Turning back toward her, he smiled and leaned down. His whisper tickled her ear and the hair on her arms stood in response to the brush of his lips. “For what it’s worth, Orah. If we do get you home—I will spend the rest of my life searching for a way to find you again.”
The music in the room flooded back into her ears and she blinked, finding him now across the room with Jes. Her chest heaved up and down and her head swam. She wasn’t sure what to make of what he said and she couldn’t keep herself from staring at him. He didn’t glance at her again, but she knew he was still somehow paying attention.
After a few glasses of water and an hour later they were all heading back to the manor. Lahana had joined Orah at the bar while they both sobered up. Orah listened, captivated, while Lahana told her all about her time in the Spring Region. From what Orah learned, Lahana had the power to become the next Goddess of Spring but her Father refused to name Lahana as successor of the Region. With all the time Lahana spent with the Goddess of Spring, learning about the Region and its people, she had grown close to Fawn. Who, to Orah’s surprise, was the Goddess’s daughter. Lahana explained that as the daughter of the King of Gods her ascension to Godhood overrode any offspring from that Region’s Governing God or Goddess. Because her powers manifested as a near replica to the Goddess of Spring’s it was assumed Spreng would be where Lahana would one day Govern.
“If that day ever comes,” Lahana grumbled.
Fawn, however, didn’t seemed bothered that Lahana was expected to become the Governing Goddess. Lahana’s description made Fawn sound like a wonderfully interesting person. She was the calm to Lahana’s wild storm. Where Lahana could push important matters to the side, Fawn brought her back down to face them first.
Strolling down the city streets, Lahana’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, but she knows how to have fun!” She grinned at Orah. “She may be serious, but once the work is done, she is wild. We literally jumped off a cliff the other day. Just jumped and I had to guide the wind to help us land.”
Roan stopped abruptly in front of them and whirled around. “You did what?”
“I. Jumped. Off. A. Cliff.” Lahana puffed out her chest as she emphasized each word.
The expression of rage on Roan’s face was almost enough to scare Orah but then he sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I might have to have a word with Dagny about this daughter of hers.”
“You will do no such thing, Roan. We’re both adults and can do as we please,” Lahana replied, glaring at her brother. Pulling her gaze from the standoff, Orah realized they were now in front of the manor.
Jes slinked over to her and whispered, “Don’t get in the way. Lahana’s just trying to remind Roan she’s not a helpless little girl.”
Orah fidgeted uncomfortably and looked back at the house. Jes’s own discomfort appeared to get to him and he cleared his throat. “I don’t know how long you both want to have your little standoff but I’m going inside to bed.” His comment pulled Roan and Lahana’s focus to him and a wide grin spread across Jes’s face. Turning to Orah he put out his hand. “Orah, care to join me?”
Taking his hand, Orah choked on a laugh and grinned back at him. “I would love to.”
Roan stumbled, his eye darted frantically between Orah and Jes as though he were trying to decipher if she had just accepted an invitation to Jes’s bed. Coughing he shook he head and turned to his sister. “Okay, Lahana, you’ve made your point. Just be careful.”
Amusement flashed across Lahana’s face. “I could say the same thing,” she replied.
Jes gripped Orah’s hand and whispered, “Roan is so much fun to tease.” Nodding, Orah glanced back at Roan, who appeared as though he were going to burst his own hand from how tightly he was holding it in a fist.
They all walked toward the front door while Jes pretended to whisper sweet nothings in Orah’s ear. She could feel Roan’s annoyance boiling. Like his anger was a palpable heat that he had no control over. She wasn’t sure if it were funny or cruel, but Jes seemed too preoccupied with annoying Roan to notice.
The front door slammed open in front of them, startling Orah. Jes sighed then turned back to Roan. “Fiiine, Orah. I guess my Governing God prefers guests to stay in their own rooms, alone.” With a smirk, he winked at Orah. “That is unless the guest is inviting him into said rooms.”
A low almost snarling sound came from Roan and Orah turned around. Her eyes widened and she could do nothing to hold back her laugh while she stared at him. “For all the books I’ve read, I’ve tried to imagine what it meant when the man snarls and you’ve just given me a free demonstration.”
Lahana’s eyes widened as she dropped to her knees. “Orah!” Holding her chest Lahana couldn’t seem to get out whatever else she wanted to say through her laughs.
Orah’s eyes connected with Roan’s and they both laughed. He sighed, “I’m being ridiculous. We’ve all had too much to drink. Let’s head to bed and talk tomorrow.”
Nodding, Orah walked toward the stairs, expecting everyone but Jes to head up with her but was shocked when Roan motioned for Jes to follow him to his study. Lahana, shrugged. “Probably some business they need to attend to.”
Lahana looked at the stairs then down the hall to the kitchen. “You head up. I need more water. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Orah watched Lahana walk away, she was tired but didn’t think she could sleep. Sighing, she walked up the stairs and stopped at the top. She glanced down the hall then to the second stairs case in front of her. She wasn’t sure where to go when her eyes traveled back to the end of the hall and door at the end—Roan’s door. An electric buzz flowed through her while she imagined what it would be like to surprise him in his bed. The shock that would be on his face. Her palms warmed while she thought about the way his eyes lingered on her lips and the way his arms felt wrapped around her. Closing her eyes, she imagined what the brush of his lips would be like. The ways their hands could explore each other.
Right as the thought of his hands on her crossed her mind a burst of flames shot out from her palm, lighting the carpet in front of her into flames. “Shit!” she whispered, rushing to stomp them out. Panicked, she waited to see if anyone would rush up the stairs. After a few silent seconds she breathed out a sigh of relief. No one had seemed to notice her outburst or the smell of charred carpet. Looking back down at the carpet she gasped, watching while it mended itself back together.
An embarrassed flush heated her cheeks, and she shook her head. Get a hold of yourself. She stared at his door for another moment before deciding to go up to the roof.
Orah kept finding herself called up to the roof, unable to get enough of the beautiful sky. She observed what appeared to be a version of the aurora borealis that she knew from home. She had seen it before, but the colors now were bright and overwhelming. With pinks and purples mixed with the blues and yellows. Each color swaying as if they were calling to each other. Despite her searching she hadn’t found any more shooting stars. She was aware that the ones she’d seen earlier had been from Roan, but she still felt disappointed that no more appeared.
Orah turned toward the sound of the roof door opening, already knowing it was joining her. She found him casually leaning against the door frame with his arms across his chest. “I keep finding you up here,” he said.
“Finding me or following me?” she replied.
Smiling, Roan pushed off the door frame and made his way to the chair next to her. “Despite what you might think, it is finding. I come up here often. That's why there are chairs out here.”
They sat in silence staring up at the stars and she resisted the desire to stare at him. She watched the sky, thinking about the events of the day. How ready she had been to leave the house. She didn’t know what she had been thinking. What would she have done once she’d gotten to that inn? Where would she have gone? Shaking her head, she scolded herself. If she left, she would lose the resources Roan had to help figure out how to get her home. A dull ache built in her head while she thought about what happened with Marek and how close he had been to grabbing and forcing her to do whatever he intended in that moment.
“What’s a Beskermer bond?” Orah asked.
Roan’s head snapped away from the sky over to her. “What?”
“Jes—he offered me his Beskermer bond. What is that?”
Roan stared at her for a moment before answering. “Beskermer is the name of the race that Jes comes from. They’re sort of between Godlings and Gods. Beskermer means protector. Their lives revolve around the bonds that they bind themselves to.” Looking back up at the stars, he breathed out. “For Jes to offer you his Beskermer bond is a big deal, Orah. You will never have anyone for the rest of your life that will fight so hard to protect you.”
“But what does it mean? How does it work?”
“Well technically Jes is only allowed to offer his Beskermer bond to God Royalty and he already did that over 200 years ago to me so I’m not quite sure how it’ll work now.”
“Jes is over 200 years old?”
Roan laughed. “You always seem to focus on the most miniscule bits of information. Yes, Jes is just a few years younger than me.”
“Rude,” she replied, glaring at him.
He laughed again. “It wasn’t meant to be rude; I apologize.”
“How did you meet? When did he bind himself to you?” she asked.
Roan grinned at her and shifted as though he were excited. “Well, that’s a story in and of itself. When the children of the Governing Gods and the other Gods are young, many decide to send them to the region Guerra—our War Region. There’s a school there. Its whole point is to learn our histories and regular school lessons but also to learn the art of war. How to use your mind logically. How to train your body. How to run a successful Region. The Beskermer also have the privilege to send their children there and it’s expected by the time graduation hits that at least the children assumed to ascend to a Governing God will have a bonded Beskermer.” He stopped for a moment.
Orah leaned forward and her chair tipped. She let out a gasp, not realizing she had been on the edge of her seat. She couldn’t help it though. Every time one of them gave her more information about how their world worked, she couldn’t seem to soak it in fast enough.
Roan glanced at her engaged position and smiled. “Anyways, most of the time the bond is decided because both the Godly child and the Beskermer child are a logical choice. Either they’re psychologically compatible, physically compatible, or so on. Very few have a friendship with one another. That’s where Jes and I were a sort of anomaly. We were friends almost instantly. We annoyed each other, yes, but we have always been friends. Our friendship became more important than finding someone to protect me. When graduation came there was no other choice besides Jes. I knew there was no one else in the world who would have my back like he does. The school and my Father were besides themselves. They thought our friendship would be a weakness and that it would get in the way of the hierarchy of the Gods and Beskermer, but we didn’t care.”
Orah’s brow rose. “What do you mean, hierarchy?”
“I can command Jes to do anything I wish. If I wanted him to peel the paint of my walls slowly, I could tell him to. Technically, tonight I could have told him to take his hands off you and stop whispering in your ear.” Orah stared at him in shock, unsure how to respond. He continued, “But that’s never been how it works between us. He pushes me but he knows when to stop. He knows when I’ve made my final decision, and nothing will change that. But he also keeps me in line. Keeps my head out of my ass so to say.”
“So, what does that mean for me and Jes? Would I be able to command him?” Orah asked.
Roan’s eyes widened. “What? Oh Gods, no.” His quick response irritated her, and her brows crumpled with annoyance. Putting up his hands he shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. I mean you guys didn’t have a ceremony with the Fates involved. That’s how the bond is enacted. The families of each participant are there, and the Fates seal the bond with a blood oath. His bond is real and don’t take that lightly but it’s not sworn by blood so you can’t control him.”
Orah let out a breath of relief. “Oh, good. I don’t want to have that power over someone.”
For Orah it was cruel to command someone who was invested in protecting you. She didn’t understand why Roan and Jes’s close relationship wasn’t normal, she would assume a pair would need trust like that to have a successful bond. A thought crossed her mind and she turned to Roan. “What about Marek? Does he have a Beskermer bond?”
“Of course he does. His is actually Jes’s cousin. But they have a different relationship. Strictly business and Marek commands him to stay in his home whenever he wants. In a sense, Marek mocks the importance of the bond and having someone duty bound to protect you.”
“What about Lahana?”
A sad look flashed across Roan’s face. “My father loves Lahana in his own way. He never expected to have another child, as I’ve told you before. When she was born, he refused to send her to the school. She got private tutors and an incredible education, but never had the chance to find her Beskermer. She used to get really upset about it but once she moved in here, she said Jes is hers by proxy.”
Orah’s eyes traveled to the door that led inside, unable to push down the sadness she felt. She wondered how Lahana must have felt with Jes’s proclamation to her earlier. It must have come as a shock and Orah told herself to check on Lahana later.
“She’s not upset about what happened today.” Orah whipped around to see Roan’s eyes on her.
“You don’t know that,” she replied.
He nodded his head. “I do though. She is just as relieved as I am that Jes made that effort with you. I know he’s been a hardass and he’s pushed you since you arrived. I was starting to worry that you two would never get along.”
Orah scoffed while leaning back against her chair. “I mean, I’m still not sure if we’ll ever get along.”
Orah didn’t have to see him to know that he was staring at her. His gaze felt as though a hole was burning into her skin. Her hands shook in her lap and she tried to keep her eyes on the sky. Silence settled between them and she wasn’t sure who would break it first. Her spot in the chair felt suffocating and she tried, desperately, not to look in his direction. After several agonizingly silent minutes he cleared his throat.
“Orah. About what happened at the pub.”
Flexing her fists in her lap she kept her eyes upward. “It’s okay, Roan. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I didn’t say that I did. I just—I want you to know that I’ll respect your decision.” From the corner of her eye, she watched him stand from his seat. She turned toward him, finding him looking down at her with a smile. “But I also wanted you to know that you’ll most definitely regret that decision as well.” Her mouth popped open while she tried to gather a witty response when he winked and walked away.
“Arrogance doesn’t suit you, Roan!” she yelled after him.
He let out a loud laugh and shrugged his shoulders. “You’re welcome to your opinion, Orah.” She watched him close the door behind him.
Too messy. Way too messy.
Chapter 19
Loud knocking on the door jolted Orah awake. She felt as though she had only been sleeping for a few hours and based on the way the light came through her curtains, she was sure she was right. Swinging her legs off the bed, she made her way to the door. “Yes?” she called out, obviously annoyed. No voice responded, and she angrily pulled her bedroom door open, finding Lahana standing there grinning.
“Good morning! Roan wants us all to talk downstairs. He said we can do it around the kitchen table.” Lahana did a little whirl as she turned and walked down the hall.
Muttering to herself, Orah closed her door and walked to the closet to find something to wear. She didn’t understand why Roan couldn’t have waited until they’d all gotten a few more hours of sleep. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t also been up late.
“Maybe Gods don’t need as much sleep as lowly mortals,” she grumbled while she pulled a long summer dress over her head.
Turning, she looked in the mirror, taking note of the lack of sleep around her eyes. Frowning at the bags, she admired her dress; at least she was happy with that. It was one Lahana bought her. It flowed down to her feet, covering them. The neckline was a halter style with thick straps tying at the base of her neck and long tails of fabric cascaded down her back. The color reminded her of sunrise—a mix of yellows and oranges. At least the color of the dress made her feel awake.
She rushed out of the room, curious as to why she’d been woken so abruptly. But the longer she was awake, the more irritated she felt with him. She huffed, hoping whatever he had to say was important. When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs she turned and found Jes standing in front of the kitchen doorway.
“Any idea why Roan woke us all up?” she said, walking toward him. She jumped back with a yelp when Roan popped out from the other side of the door and smirked.
“I’m not the one who gathered everyone.”
“What are you talking about? Lahana woke me up saying you told her you needed to talk to all of us,” Orah asked.
“Same here. She almost broke down my door to pull me out of bed,” Jes replied.
