Aligning Stars (Fate's Intent Book 1) (6 page)

“Didn’t.” I argued. Zayden glanced up to my head where I remembered the two metal rods stuck in my hair. “Those aren’t weapons. They’re an accessory, not even sharp.”

“Show me.”

I sighed and reached up to one, pulling it out while the other still held my hair. I showed him that the tip was blunt and watched him give in.

“All right but don’t make me regret it. Darius. Troy. Search the others. Take whatever they’re concealing.”

Ruby and Jaylyn were untied and stood in front of them with smiles. They seemed all too happy about this. Troy held his hand out, waving Jaylyn to start taking them out. She never took her eyes off his and took out three daggers, delivering them to his open hand while Ruby stood in front of Darius. “This might take a while.”

My eyes rolled to her tone and she opened up the front of her coat under her cloak. I watched Darius hold his breath with his eyes down. He was seeing the daggers attached to her or maybe it was just the red velvet corset that was wrapped around her. It was almost like she was teasing him while she took out all of the daggers, handing them to him one by one slowly until he had six in his hand.

“Is that all?”

Ruby put her hand on his metal chest and leaned towards him for balance while she was reaching behind her. “Wait. There’s one more.” She pulled out a dagger from her back that had a solid ruby gemstone handle. “This is my favorite one. Don’t lose it. It’s worth more than your life.”

Darius took the dagger from her hand and they were looking into each other’s eyes while Ruby still had her hand resting on his metal chest.

I was not impressed with their behavior towards the men at all and I took each of them by the wrist and pulled them away. “That is quite enough of that.”

They put their eyes towards the ground, knowing I was disappointed but I wasn’t the only one that didn’t like it. Zayden stood looking at his men with a more angered expression.

“What?” They chorused.

He didn’t say a single thing about it and looked to me. “Before we get on with leaving, I have to ask.”

“What?”

“What’s with your masked friend? Is she horribly disfigured or something?”

I looked over at Jaylyn with her leather mask just up over her nose and gave a quick answer. “Yes.”

“Adele! I am not!”

“Shush!”

“Well, I’m not.”

“So, she’s wearing a mask. What’s the big deal?”

“I’d like to know who I’m taking prisoner.”

“Well, that’s too bad because removing it was never part of the deal.”

“Then there is a reason she’s wearing it.”

I wish he would just let this go but we probably would have stood out here for days arguing about it. I didn’t want to tell everyone why and signaled him to get closer so I could whisper it to him.

He seemed to go with it and I told him but he backed away to reveal it anyway which completely defeated the purpose of me having to get that close to him in the first place. “Wait. I’m confused. She’s so pretty that she needs to wear a mask but the two of you aren’t wearing one? Does that mean you’re considered not pretty because, if so, I must have been out here for way too long.”

“Awe, thanks, Zayden.” Ruby smiled.

My eyes rolled. “Ruby, please don’t and that’s not what I meant. It’s her smile. She can convince anyone of anything. It’s a weapon we can’t take so we hide it.”

Zayden seemed unsure and looked at Jaylyn again. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do but he didn’t really do anything. Instead, he turned away and started walking east, farther into Seni. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Darius and Troy stepped up behind us and started herding us to follow. I almost can’t believe what I did next but I did turn and I did follow. This mission would be seen as a complete failure but we were days away from reaching the White City and I had no intentions on seeing it again.

Chapter 8

Darius

We walked silently till dawn, making our way out of the mountains. The sun just rose over the hills and woke my eyes from the dark. Spring was arriving in Seni and the sun started to warm everything up. The trees dripped with water from the morning dew almost like it was raining and became the overall sound being heard besides our own footsteps.

This is normally when we would sleep but I guess this little endeavor means we’ll be switching our routine back to nights so trying to stay awake was a chore.

It was a long road ahead and I was already feeling tired of it with no sleep. Plans so far haven’t worked out the way I had hoped and the whole way I’ve been looking at Ruby walking several paces in front of me.

Something was different about her, not just her beautiful crimson red hair or sparkling golden eyes but something else. It just made me want to have her more but I knew I couldn’t—yet. For now I needed to get my mind straight and focus on getting them to the city.

I looked at her swords as I walked with them and barely even noticed the weight. I was use to my large sword that was in no way made to be light but took an interested liking to the ones at my side.

I took them in my hands and started swinging them around to distract my mind from the journey. They were easy to move and cut through the wind.

It only lasted a minute before her voice caught me. “Hey! Watch it, Muscles! You’re going to break them if you keep doing that. They obviously weren’t made for you.”

I immediately stopped and she just gave me a smile, turning back around. Great. That didn’t work. My mind went right back to focusing on her again which was something I was trying not to do. Now I was daydreaming about what it would sound like to hear her call me
Muscles
while I was ramming her from the angle I’ve been watching her at.

“Wow, Darius. You never do anything for anyone.” Troy’s voice helped with the vision but we still talked about her.

“I’d do anything for her.”

She must have heard what I said for speaking it just a little louder than Troy had because she looked back with a wanting facial expression like she was interested in testing my statement. I was more than interested to let her but it was broken. The blonde one Troy so early claimed pulled her back so she was walking forward again and whispered so we couldn’t hear.

Ruby looked back one more time though and it was that same look. It made me smile and there was no way to hide it. “She wants me.”

“I’m sure the feeling’s mutual.” Troy sighed, rolling his eyes. “But you better watch it, that’s not part of the agenda anymore.”

I sighed too but in a manner of disappointment rather than Troy’s annoyance. “I know. Thanks to Zayden and his
noble intentions
but I think I could get her to willingly.”

Troy laughed, trying to hold it in so the sound of it wouldn’t carry. “Really? But you know he wouldn’t approve. She seems like a handful anyway.”

“You know how badly we’ve been waiting for a chance like this and I know I could handle it easily when I want it bad enough. Could you handle yours?”

“First of all, she’s not mine.”

“Please. You were the one demanding the blonde one before we even saw her. What does that mean?”

“Not what you think. I was merely looking forward to our original plans.”

“Ha! I knew it. We’re on the same page. So, here’s what we do—”

“No. Stop. That’s over. Get used to it. It’s been six months already. You can wait a little longer.”

“No I can’t!”

Troy’s eyes rolled again and he just stopped talking completely. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed him with me on this. With the two of us fighting it, Zayden may at some point give in.

“Troy? Troy?!” I tried to get his attention but he never said a word. “Come on, Troy. Don’t you want to remember what a woman feels like pressed up tight against your body, her breathing heavily in the nook of your neck, crying your name, nails in your back?”

I may have went a little overboard by leaning into him and breathing the words softly and sexually in his ear but it got to him somehow. “All right! Please stop.”

“See? You want to!”

He started to smile and I was close to having him right where I wanted him but his eyes moved ahead and his face lost the smile he was about to have.

I looked too and Zayden was coming towards us, eyes narrowing, nostrils flaring. I could almost see the steam coming out his ears but I acted casual. “Hey.”

He didn’t let me get out anything else. He pushed us back farther so his words wouldn’t carry. “What is wrong with you? You both need to get your minds away from that subject right now. We’re going back to silence so I don’t want to hear another word out of you about it. Understand?”

“But you said—”

“Just leave it. Things change. Neither of you are to have any kind of relations with the Assassins so long as they are with us. Is that clear?”

“Yes.” Troy muttered.

I stood without a word. I did not like this at all.

“Is that clear?” He asked again.

“I think I could get her to willingly.”

“No. Control yourselves both of you! They are not to play with, willing or not. So, can we please just make it there quickly? I don’t want to be out here any longer than you.”

I kept my silence and didn’t push the matter with Zayden’s temper. I had my own to try and keep under control.

Thankfully, Zayden turned back around so it wasn’t escalated. “Let’s keep moving.
Quietly
.” He walked back up in front of the girls with an obvious dissatisfied tone and they moved silently after him. They must have heard something or just noticed the behavior I couldn’t hide.

I was angry about this and I didn’t care if everyone knew it or not but trying to hold in the attitude building up inside was the worst. I trusted in Zayden, I respected him greatly for giving me this new life and this promising future but I’ve waited too long for this. I was in need of a companion, even if it was for just a short while, to feel her skin under me and guiding her body to pleasurably induce mine. It was Zayden’s fault I wouldn’t get it and I should hate him but our friendship condemned me from that hate. I could be mad at him but never at the intensity to hate him and it’s the only thing that kept me silent.

I walked steadily next to Troy but the slightest arm graze between us set me off and I pushed him over by his shoulder to give myself some more room. “Hey, watch it!”

“What? I’m walking.” He gave me just a light push back.

“Well, do it better.”

“What’s your problem?”

“Don’t start with me.”

I kept walking without another word and it was making Troy angry just because I wasn’t answering and he pushed my shoulder again but a little harder this time so it might affect me. “Hey, it was just a question, all right?”

I stopped completely with him and closed my eyes for a moment to myself with an angry breath. This wouldn’t end. I needed to take it out on someone.

When I opened my eyes again, everything was clear and I shoved the whole of my body into Troy. We fell to the ground, wrestling to gain control over the other. It was easier for me. I was larger which meant stronger but Troy put up a good resistance and it was helping burn off some of this tension I was carrying.

“All right, that’s enough.” Zayden was there out of nowhere and pulled Troy off me to get us to part.

I wasn’t ready to stop. I was just getting into it.

“I said, that’s enough!” Zayden repeated, standing between us. “Get a hold of yourselves!”

“If he did, we wouldn’t have this problem.” Troy muttered it almost in complete silence but I heard him. I shook my arm quickly to get whatever was touching me away from me. I didn’t want to be touched right now but a screech followed and I turned my head.

Ruby was down on the ground and I let go of my anger completely. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I didn’t know it was her.

“What is wrong with you?” Adele asked me in a fit of rage while Jaylyn kneeled down to Ruby behind her.

“I’m sorry.” I said. I tried leaning around her to look at Ruby still on the ground and give my formal apology to her. “I didn’t know that was you or else I never—”

“Save it!” Adele cut in, holding up her hand. “We don’t need to hear your fake apology.”

“Adele, stop.” Ruby said. “I’m fine.”

“Jaylyn?”

“No, she’s not fine.” Jaylyn hit the back of Ruby’s head like she had lied.

“Well, I’ll live.”

“Think you can walk?” Zayden asked.

“Doubtfully good enough for your pace but she can help.”

I curiously watched Jaylyn reach her hand out and was about to touch Ruby’s ankle but Adele stopped her. “No! I’ll carry you!”

Zayden took a step closer and examined the situation. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I second that.” Ruby added in a hurry. “Why—”