Marked By Destiny, page 13
“Not very fun being ignored, is it?” Nela gave a playful smile as Ira half-heartedly scowled at her.
“Okay, dead parents is an actual reason to ignore someone. So what if I indulged in a little bit of liquor? What is his deal with it?”
“I’ve already told you,” Nela chimed, leaning her head back to look up at the sun. The golden rays washed over her porcelain skin, bathing her in a soft glow.
“It’s not your place to say anything,” Ira finished, rolling her eyes. “I’ve tried to talk to him, but every time I come near him, he storms off.”
“He’ll come around. You already knew he was moody.” Nela gave her a sympathetic smile.
She stretched her hand out toward Ira, letting it hang in the air. Taking a deep breath, Ira reached her hand over and the girls intertwined their fingers. Nela gave a firm squeeze before letting go.
“Just keep trying,” she urged with that same soft smile.
“We’re getting closer to StoneGlass. It won’t be much longer now.” Thameus’ words cut through the painful silence of chewing at supper that night.
“I can’t wait to be back in my bed,” Nela sighed dreamily, her smile so big it showed all of her teeth.
“Ira, I thought perhaps you would be interested in starting some of your training early to see what comes naturally.”
Ira took her time finishing her bite while Thameus looked at her with expectant eyes.
“I would rather wait until we got to StoneGlass.”
“It won’t be a lot of training, only what Kaiden can show you each night while Nela and I set up the wards.”
Ira’s brows shot up as she gave Kaiden a hopeful look.
Without looking up from his plate he simply said, “Probably better to wait until we’re at the village.”
Ira gnashed her teeth. Thameus looked between Ira and Kaiden with his brows knit together, and Nela gave Ira an encouraging nod.
“I love the idea,” Ira ground out through her clenched jaw. Now, Kaiden lifted his gaze to shoot daggers in her direction. She only smirked in reply. She figured getting him to look at her had to be some kind of progress.
“So, that settles it then?” Thameus made the question in his voice more obvious than necessary.
“I’m sure Kaiden will be so helpful,” Ira practically sneered shoveling another large bite of food into her mouth.
Shaking his head, Kaiden stood up, dropping his half-eaten plate to the ground and mumbled something about losing his appetite. Ira’s knuckles went white around her plate as he stalked off.
Thameus leaned over to Nela. “Do I want to know?” He pretended as if he was whispering even though he made it easy for Ira to hear.
Nela shook her head, and Ira scowled at the two of them.
“I would tell you if I knew.” Ira dropped her chin in her hand and rested her elbow on her knee. Suddenly, she wasn’t very hungry either.
Ira’s alcohol supply had run out three days ago, but after Kaiden’s reaction, she didn’t ask Nela to conjure any more for her. Instead, she found herself strolling around at night, trying to woo her body into such heavy exhaustion that she didn’t dream. Tonight, her feet led her down to the small stream at the outer edge of their campsite. When she saw a shadowed figure hunched over on a rock, she practically screamed.
“Perfect,” Kaiden scoffed.
“What are you doing here?” Ira hissed.
“Best guess is the same thing you are, clearing my head.”
“Oh.” Ira couldn’t decide where to look, so she settled on the ground in front of her after darting her eyes to and from Kaiden’s face a few times.
“I’ll find another spot.” He stood from the rock dusting off his pants.
“No.” The word left Ira’s lips before she had much time to think through a full response.
Kaiden paused, his typical glare of steel in place.
“We could both stay.” Ira cursed herself for the hope that dripped off her words.
“I’ll find another spot,” Kaiden reiterated.
“Why are you so mad at me over having a few drinks?” Ira spat.
“A few drinks? Ira, I could smell it on you.”
“Your weirdly strong sense of smell is not my fault.” Ira tried to smile, but Kaiden’s face remained still. “Is it because I asked Nela to conjure it?”
“Yes.”
“So, if I found it on my own, you wouldn’t be mad at me? Then, fine. I’m sorry I dragged Nela into it. I won’t ask her to conjure liquor for me again.” Ira huffed planting her hands on her hips.
“It’s not just that.”
Ira groaned and threw her head back toward the sky, taking a moment to count ten stars before dropping her gaze back down to Kaiden.
“Then what is it? We finally got to a somewhat good place, and now you won’t even talk to me. Even worse, you won’t tell me why. At least you knew why I wasn’t talking to you.”
“It’s my business.” Kaiden’s teeth were clenched.
“You make it my business when you refuse to talk to me.”
Ira wasn’t sure at what point the distance between them closed, or who closed it, but they were standing practically nose to nose. Both glaring at each other. Both panting. Kaiden caved first and blew out a frustrated breath before taking a step back.
“Goodnight, Ira.”
Ira grabbed his arm.
“Kaiden, please.” Her shoulders sagged and her eyes turned to pleading. “Just talk to me. I want to be sorry, but I don’t know what I’m sorry for.”
Kaiden’s eyes appeared softer than they had in days as he scanned her face. He looked at where her hand still firmly held his bicep before letting out a long sigh.
“It was my dad.”
“He drank?”
“After my mom… died.” Kaiden paused and Ira could see the pain this memory caused him. “He drank to cope with the pain, and he wasn’t very nice once he had too many goblets of wine.”
Ira’s grip softened, but she didn’t let go of him. Instead, she trailed her hand down his arm, gingerly wrapping her fingers around his wrist.
“He blamed himself for not being with her, but the reason he wasn’t with her was because he was back at the camp… watching me. After enough liquor, he make sure I knew that it was because of me he couldn’t be there to protect her.”
Ira gasped, and her grip slid to his hand intertwining their fingers. “Kaiden, I’m so sorry.” Her eyes became misty as she watched him.
She could see the ghost of a memory swimming in his eyes, leaving them somber, but he didn’t shed any tears. His features remained neutral for the most part as if he was simply sharing a story that he had told many times. This left another crack ripping down Ira’s heart.
“Eventually, after a night of copious amounts of liquor, he decided he would rather join my mom than stay with me.”
Ira’s hand that wasn’t clasping Kaiden’s flew to her mouth as she swallowed a second gasp.
“So, as you can imagine, I don’t really enjoy the idea of liquor all that much.” Kaiden pulled his hand away from her, an edge back in his voice.
“Kaiden…” Ira’s voice trailed off. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I know. And I know it wasn’t fair of me to stay so angry at you, but I just don’t want that influence around Nela. She’s good. Better than anyone I’ve ever met.”
Kaiden ran his fingers through his unruly hair. The hypothetical thought of Nela falling under the alluring influence of liquor had him showing more emotion than the story about his parents.
Ira reached out and grabbed his arm again. “I promise I won’t ever ask it of her again.” Ira’s eyes were pleading, but now she didn’t know what for. For forgiveness? For him to believe her? For him to share more with her?
“What about you?” Kaiden asked.
“What?”
“I don’t really like the idea of anyone I care about falling under that influence.”
Though his words left Ira’s heart skipping, she withdrew further into herself. Clearing her throat, she shook her head.“Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil for me.”
Kaiden’s lips pressed into a tight line. He gave her one curt nod. “Understood.”
“It’s not like I have a problem,” Ira defended, digging her fingers into her arms as she wrapped them around herself.
“No, you just like to drink it alone before bed. Not a problem at all,” Kaiden seethed.
“Kaiden, I—” Ira struggled to find the words to explain everything. Instead, she hoped her expression told him what he needed to hear.
“It’s fine. Forget it. Just leave Nela out of it, and we’ll be… fine.” Kaiden turned his back to her, and somehow, not having to look into his eyes made Ira’s confession come easily.
“I have nightmares,” she blurted.
“Nightmares?” he asked turning slowly to face her again. Ira immediately dropped her eyes to the forest floor, unable to meet his gaze.
“Pretty bad ones, actually. Some of them are so bad that I wake up and my entire head feels like it’s splitting in half. When I drink, it dulls them. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, I won’t get any nightmares at all. I won’t dream either. It’ll just be a night of… nothing.” Ira began twisting her fingers in her dress. The silence was deafening.
“I get nightmares too,” Kaiden finally said.
Ira’s head snapped up drinking in his ocean eyes.
“You do?”
“Constance made me a strong sleeping draught. I don’t have much left on this trip, but I can give you what I have. It’s a much better solution than alcohol. You’ll actually dream.”
A faint smile twitched at the corner of Kaiden’s mouth.
“You don’t have to give me any. If you need it for your nightmares, then—”
“I would gladly endure nightmares every night for the rest of this trip if it means you can get some restful sleep, Ira.”
Ira’s throat constricted, and Kaiden’s ears singed pink.
“Without the help of liquor, I mean,” Kaiden hurriedly explained.
“Of course.” Ira nodded, dropping her head to hide her flush.
“You have to promise me, though. No more liquor.” Though his words seemed serious, there was a playful smile curling at the ends of his lips. Ira was momentarily transported back to that night in the barn, when he first introduced her to Marigold. It felt like eras ago, before her heart was weighed down with the pain and anger it now seemed to cling to.
“I promise.”
Kaiden playfully narrowed his eyes while keeping a smirk on his face. “Do you swear?”
Rolling her eyes, Ira matched his mischievous grin before raising her hand to her heart. “I swear it.”
When they walked back to his tent, Kaiden gave her a small vile of a milky liquid that tasted like blueberries. It only took a few drops before Ira felt its effects working and her mind drifting off into a peaceful slumber.
That night, Ira dreamed for the first time in a very long time, and she dreamed of Kaiden.
Chapter 20
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Kaiden teased, coming up from behind Ira and Nela. The two girls squealed and jumped in surprise. Ira’s cheeks immediately heated.
“Don’t do that!” she hastily snapped, stepping away from him.
“Don’t make me splash you. I’m getting very good at my water elemental magic.” Nela swatted Kaiden’s chest.
It had been six nights since Kaiden shared his sleeping draught with Ira, and she had never felt better. Now that she knew what it felt like to actually have a good night’s sleep without a raging hangover the next morning, she never wanted to go back.
“You three are going to be trouble when we get back to StoneGlass.” Thameus chuckled behind them. “I can feel it.” He shook his head as he walked past the trio.
Nela skipped ahead to keep pace with Thameus. The group was making camp early to give the horses some rest and allow them time to grow accustomed to the mountain terrain. According to Thameus, they were roughly four days ahead of schedule.
Kaiden and Ira trailed behind Nela and Thameus as they started setting up the wards for camp. Nela was quickly becoming one of Ira’s favorite people in the land, so she loved any excuse to hang out with her. She also loved avoiding having too much alone time with Kaiden; the more time they spent together, the more Ira thought about her flashback of his body pressed against hers. She wondered what it would feel like to have his lips crash against hers.
“I thought I made it very clear that I don’t need your protection.” Ira bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smirking as she looked at Kaiden over her shoulder.
“That may be true once you’re trained, but for now, I would say you do.” Kaiden smirked as he walked back toward the trees they had just emerged from.
“Oh really?” Ira mock scoffed.
Kaiden waggled his eyebrows before taking an abrupt turn down a path. Narrowing her eyes, Ira followed suit, doing her best to stay alert to what Kaiden was plotting. They were soon walking among a shallow path of trees while keeping the creak in sight.
“Where are you going?” Ira’s eyes narrowed further. Kaiden stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged nonchalantly.
“Shouldn’t we be heading back toward the camp?” Ira asked nervously. She looked over her shoulder to see if Thameus and Nela were still in sight.
“Why? Are you scared?” Kaiden gave her a toothy grin, taking another long stride in the opposite direction. “I told you.” Kaiden reached forward, grabbing Ira’s hand. Ira’s eyes snapped back to him. “I’m here to protect you.”
He gave a mocking bow before dragging his eyes back up to Ira’s. Her stomach clenched at the intensity behind them. When she felt his lips brush the back of her hand, she couldn’t stop the small gasp that caught in her throat. A twig snapping behind them left Ira jumping so high that she practically leaped into Kaiden’s arms. Clearing her throat, she pulled her hand out of his grasp and smoothed her palms down her skirt. Kaiden gave her a knowing look, his lips twisting to the side.
“I am not scared,” Ira more defiantly stated, slanting her eyes at Kaiden.
Kaiden began whistling as he weaved in and out of different tree trunks again. Ira did her best to keep up with his fast feet without tripping over her own. Her long skirt seemed to make this a practically impossible task.
“How do you plan on protecting me, oh fierce warrior, when you’re so keen on walking ahead of me?” Ira huffed. Her frustration began to pound in her veins as her foot caught in her skirt, leaving her grasping at a thick tree trunk for support.
“Simple. It’s easy to keep you safe when I’m actually observant.” Kaiden didn’t even look back at Ira as he spoke.
Ira angrily bounded forward so that she was now facing him and walking backward. Her eyes morphed into narrow slits as she glared at his icy ones that were filled with mischief.
“I’m very observant!”
“Is that so?” Kaiden taunted.
Ira met his gaze and responded with one curt nod. Her chin titled, face set in determination.
“Careful.” Kaiden pointed in front of him, but it was just a second too late as the back of Ira’s head made swift contact with a low-hanging tree branch.
“Ow!” she gingerly rubbed the lump already forming on the back of her head. “That doesn’t prove anything,” she huffed.
Kaiden chuckled. “It isn’t fun is it?”
“You deserved that branch hit on the horse,” Ira grumbled, referencing the very beginning of their trip.
“So, do you want to prove that you’re observant?” Kaiden mused.
He abruptly stopped walking. Ira also stopped and nodded vigorously, eager to prove her skills. Kaiden gently grabbed Ira’s shoulders and pulled her closer to him so that their faces hovered mere inches apart.
“Without looking, tell me what is in the third tree to your right.”
Ira tried her hardest to look at the tree out of the corner of her eyes.
“It’s… well… umm…” Ira tried to rack her brain, but to no avail.
“Exactly,” Kaiden annoyingly gloated. “I’m sure you also didn’t realize that there is a vilart’s nest ahead of you,” he continued.
“A what?”
“You know, burrows underground, covered in incredibly poisonous spikes, long snout with even longer protruding teeth, oh, and incredibly hateful and territorial.”
Ira ground her teeth, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Fine, you’ve made your point.”
Kaiden’s gloating grin spread wider, which didn’t seem possible to Ira.
“You know arrogance really brings down your attractiveness,” Ira sneered, turning on her heel.
“Are you saying you find me attractive, Ira?” She could feel his breath tickle her ear causing goosebumps to line her flesh.
Without another word, Ira moved to rush back to Thameus and Nela. Before she could take a step though, she felt Kaiden’s arm tighten around her waist and pull her backward. His sturdy physique pressed against her, and his warm breath washed against the back of her neck. Ira’s heart pounded in her chest.
“Don’t move,” Kaiden breathed. Her jaw locked as she felt his muscles stiffen against her.
In one smooth motion, Kaiden removed his shirt and draped it over Ira.
“What are you doing?” She tried to swivel her body, but he only held her tighter.
“Shhhh.” Kaiden brought Ira with him as he took a small step backward. “Just try not to move. It’s tracking your scent.”
“What is?” Ira’s heart began to pound harder now, and she was sure she was one beat away from cracking a rib.
“Try not to talk either. It spreads your scent further.”
Ira’s teeth clattered with how hard she snapped her mouth shut.
“If you two are quite finished sneaking off together, Thameus and I are—”
“Nela, no!”
Kaiden effortlessly slid Ira’s body behind him as he reached forward for Nela, and that’s when Ira saw it. A long, snake-like body darted out from a pile of leaves. Ira had never seen anything like it. She watched the colors of its skin practically morph as it sailed through the air, changing to blend better into its rapidly changing surroundings. It looked like a ripple in the air. The small arrow-shaped head snapped open wide, revealing two long fangs. Where there should have been beady eyes in its head, there were only two vacant holes.
