Chosen (4 page)

She reached out a hand to Cassandra. “You must know some way.
I have to get back, now! I have to save her.”

Tallon forced his guilt down, and made his tone harsh. “Don’t be a fool. It’s not possible. She’s in the dungeons beneath the keep.” There was nothing for Shayla on Arroway now, but death. She needed to understand. “Take the Witch’s advice. Make a new life for yourself here. Forget Arroway and your mother.”

Shayla froze, her mouth tightening into a harsh line. “What is it with you two?” she asked, her voice vibrating with anger. “How can you even think I could forget the woman who risked everything for me?”

She spun away from them. Her small fists clenched at her side. When she swung back around, her face showed grim determination.

“Have neither of you any sense of what is right?” She glared at Cassandra, fierceness in every rigid line of her small body. “How can you live here so complacently while your sisters suffer on Arroway? Mutilated, you said, yet you calmly talk of making a ‘good life’ here.”

Cassandra opened her mouth to speak but Shayla had whirled from her and now stalked across to stand in front of Tallon. She only came up to his shoulder and had to tilt her head to look him in the face. “And you!”

Tallon raised an eyebrow. He had no clue what was coming.

“You,” she continued. “You know The Order is wrong. I know you do, else you wouldn’t have helped Leah and the others. Yet, you don’t stand up and speak out against a system that is evil. How can you stand by and watch Arroway die?” She dashed a hand up, rubbed at her eyes, which were bright with unshed tears. Her body sagged, shoulders drooping in misery. “You captured my mother. You gave her to The Order. How could you?”

Tallon watched in dismay as she turned from him. He wanted to speak, to tell her he had done it for Arroway, to defend himself and then to give comfort, wrap his arms around her, and promise it would be all right. But he could do nothing.

One of the reasons he’d taken the job as Enforcer was because it got him out into the world and away from the confines of the Order, where life had become almost unbearable. Then they had sent him after Shayla and her mother. They had told him both the mother and daughter were evil, and that their magic was draining Arroway of power. And he’d known that something was happening with their world, so he’d agreed. Only when he’d seen Shayla had his doubts risen up to taunt him.

How could someone who felt so right be a thing of evil?

Now he wanted desperately for a chance to put things right, but all he could do was watch as Shayla walked from the room, leaving him alone with the dark-haired Witch. He looked at her warily. She was not like any Witch he had met before. There was a flavor to her that spoke of age and power, but held tightly in check. In some ways, she reminded him of Shayla, though their appearances were nothing alike. He studied her, trying to understand the resemblance. She was beautiful in a hard way, flawless except for a small scar high on her right cheek. His skin tingled, some old knowledge stirring deep in his mind.

She caught him staring and twisted away, so she stood in profile, and he could no longer see the mark.

“Well, that was interesting,” she said after a moment’s pause.

“Interesting?”

She leant against the wall, arms folded across her chest. “Hmm. You know, I think she likes you.”

Tallon shook his head in disbelief. “I tried to kill her. I took her mother. She’ll never forgive me.”

“I think she already has forgiven you for trying to kill her. The capturing her mother, no. With that one, I think you may be right. Anyway, I didn’t say she would forgive you, I said she liked you.” She regarded him thoughtfully. “You know, in the past, before the Laws of Segregation, Witches and Warlocks were natural mates. And Witches did the choosing. A Witch would be drawn to a particular Warlock. There was a ceremony where the Warlock was ‘chosen’, and they formed a mating bond that was unbreakable. It doesn’t work with the poor wretches with no magic, which is why it doesn’t happen anymore. But Shayla is pure Witch. You can sense the raw power in her, even here. And I think she may have chosen you as her mate.”

Tallon tried to reject the idea—he had never heard of such a mating—but couldn’t quite dismiss it from his mind. Could it be one more thing The Order had kept from them? “I don’t believe it. Besides, we only met today.”

Cassandra raised one eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear her? She’s been watching you since she was twelve. A very impressionable age, that. You saved her friend. You’re her hero. It must have been doubly upsetting for her to realize that the man sent to kill her is the same one she believes herself in love with.”

Love?

Could Shayla really believe herself in love with him? Tallon thought back to that moment when she had first caught sight of him in the clearing on Arroway. He was sure he’d seen recognition in her expression, but he’d dismissed it as impossible. He closed his eyes and remembered his strange reluctance to carry out his mission. The feel of her soft and yielding beneath him. The touch of her lips. A thought occurred to him, and he opened his eyes.

“Has she bewitched me?” he snarled.

Cassandra snorted in derision. “Isn’t that typical? Blame the Witch! And I would guess no more than you’ve bewitched her. Well, this is going to complicate matters.” She crossed the room, but paused at the door, her brows furrowed. “You know, I actually think she’s succeeded in making me feel guilty.”

“Does that mean you’re going to help her?”

“Probably not. But I will give you until tomorrow to think about cooperating—you won’t be bothered before then. After that, I’ll let Rachel have another go at convincing you.”

She cast one last lingering look down his naked body then strode out of the room, leaving Tallon staring after her.

Chapter Five

Shayla had stalked out of Tallon’s cell, but came to a halt outside the door. Blood pounded in her head, her whole body was rigid with tension. She forced herself to breathe slowly, to push back the rage until it seeped from her, leaving her drained and scared.

She pressed her forehead against the wall, listening to the low hum of voices inside the cell, letting the conversation flow over her consciousness. Until one word caught her attention—
chosen
. Emotion had stirred inside her at the sound, a sense of rightness. Could Tallon really be her chosen mate?

She’d never heard of such a thing, but then, so many of the old ways had been forgotten on Arroway. And there was something between the two of them—a bonding she had never experienced before.

“Mine.”

The word had echoed again through her mind. Now hours later, she lay in her room. The image of her mother, alone, perhaps in pain, haunted her mind. She had to get home. Although Cassandra said they didn’t have the power to send her back, something else she had said wouldn’t leave her mind.

She pulled on her cloak, its familiarity giving her a sense of security. Unlike earlier, her door was unlocked and a faint tremor of unease ran through her. She knew they didn’t trust her, but what choice did she have?

Darkness was falling as she retraced her footsteps from the afternoon. She saw no one and finally found herself outside the cell. It was also unlocked, and she pushed the door open. Tallon was still shackled to the wall, but he was awake, almost as though he was waiting for her.

She walked into the cell, coming to a standstill in front of him. She stared up into his dark eyes.

“Do you believe that I am evil?” she asked.

He studied her intently, his gaze running over her, searching her face. “The Laws of Segregation state that Witches are inherently evil. That the moon magic is a force that can ultimately destroy the world.”

A wave of irritation rose inside her. “I’m not asking about what the stupid laws state,” she snapped. “They were written by The Order. Are you incapable of thinking for yourself? Have you been so indoctrinated that you can’t have a single thought that’s your own?” She swallowed her anger down. What good did it do? “I need to know if you think
I’m
evil.”

Her breath caught in her throat as he remained silent. Then he shook his head. “No.”

The fear released its tight grip. For a second, she closed her eyes as relief washed over her. When she opened them, he was still watching her.

Shayla strode from the room. She heard him call her name but continued on. Outside, a set of keys hung from a small hook. She took them down and returned to the cell. Stepping up close to him, she breathed in deeply, and the musky male scent of him filled her nostrils. She unlocked the manacles that held him chained to the wall.

His arms dropped to his side, and Tallon released an audible sigh. He rolled his shoulders and rubbed at the circles of raw flesh on his wrists. “Thank you. But you will be in trouble for this.”

Shayla frowned. “They could have kept me away from here, but they didn’t.”

Now that he was free, he appeared bigger, more intimidating, more naked. Unable to prevent a quick peek down the length of his long, lean body, she tried to ignore the wave of heat that licked over her. She cleared her throat, swallowed then nodded to his clothes, which lay in a pile in the corner. “Get dressed.”

A small smile curled his lips. “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

Yes
.

The word hovered on her lips, and she bit it back. Forcing a blank expression, she allowed her gaze to roam over his naked body then up to his face. “I’m not the virgin here,” she snapped. His eyes gleamed and her stomach fluttered. “Okay, yes, you make me uncomfortable.”

Laughing softly, he padded across the room and pulled on his pants, but left the rest where they lay and came back to her.

“We need to get out of here,” Shayla said.

“I think we’re safe until morning. I’ve got until then to think about cooperating, and we need to talk first. I need to understand what you want of me.”

The truth was, she knew so little about their world. Her life had been spent mainly on the run, hiding with her mother, keeping her true self a secret. Now she needed to understand.

“I want you to talk to me. I want to understand what happened to Arroway, why it is the way it is. Why The Order have made me out to be a thing of evil to be destroyed.”

“Come sit with me, then. I’ve been thinking since you left. Trying to make sense of it.”

He reached out. Shayla’s small hand slid into his, and he led her across the room, sinking down to the floor, tugging her with him. He released her hand, and they sat close but not touching. He rested the back of his head against the wall, gazing at the ceiling, baring the long line of his throat, and her fingers itched to reach out and stroke him. After a minute, he began to speak.

“I think they are afraid. But I also think they are jealous of the Witches’ power. I saw you weave your magic. It was a thing of great beauty, but also of great power. They are unable to control it, and therefore they seek to destroy it. The cataclysm that nearly destroyed our world gave them the excuse.”

Despair tugged at her heart. “Then there is no hope?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. There are others like me who may be willing to listen, to try and change things.”

She bit her lip. “Why did you capture my mother?”

“She was to be a hostage to bring you in if I failed to find you. The elders told me you were dangerous. That you had already gained strength and the levels of moon magic were once again rising. I believed them.” He sighed. “Now I have met you, I do not doubt that you are dangerous. Just not evil.”

He reached out and brushed her hair from her face, and she forced herself to hold still while his finger traced the Witch’s mark, the crimson crescent moon that marred her cheek. She gritted her teeth—she hated the mark—its appearance had been the start of all her troubles.

“When did this appear?” he asked.

“When I turned twenty-one. Before that, it was easy for us to hide. Afterwards, it was impossible. Besides, I could sense the magic growing inside me. I was scared. My mother had heard rumors of someone who could help me. We were on our way there when we were separated.”

She held her breath as he stroked down her throat. It felt so good, so right. She wanted nothing more than to forget about everything, close her eyes, and experience the pleasure of those long fingers touching her skin. But she couldn’t. She forced herself to speak.

“I have to help my mother. I need to return to Arroway, but our magic isn’t strong enough here. Cassandra believes that you could take us home.”

“My staff is gone. Without it, I can do little.”

Shayla thought for a moment. The staff must be somewhere in the building. She would find it; it was hard to hide such strong magic. “And if I got it back for you. Would you help me then?”

She waited in silence while his eyes watched her, considering.

“What do you want of me, Shayla?”

“Everything.”

He smiled slightly at her vehemence. “Everything?”

“I want you to put right the wrong you did. I want you to take me back and help me free my mother. I want you to stop the persecution of Witches. To save Arroway.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Anything else?”

Shayla thought about his question. The truth was, she wanted so much more. She would never entirely forgive Tallon for capturing her mother, but she couldn’t really blame him. Tallon was a product of their world. He’d done what he believed was right, however misguided that was. And it didn’t change the way she felt. The way she had always felt.