Fated Release (Fated Keepers Series Book 2) (4 page)

Chapter 1

Tris

              I can hear Lyon and Orin chatting with each other just outside of the realm of my consciousness. I try to drag myself back to the surface, mostly so I can tell them both to shut the heck up! No one wants to hear their incessant nagging. I mean really! I'm lying here on the frozen, wet ground after getting the shock of a lifetime and these two are whining to each other about the timing of breaking the news to me! The timing! Seriously! Well, how about we discuss how long they have known. Or how about this one…HOW THE HELL DID I NOT KNOW? You would think that a supernatural bond is something you would notice immediately. Well let me tell you from experience, it’s not! Oh my God, I need Arsema.

              That thought brings me back. Instantly I am wide awake and I'm pissed.

“You two whine more than a set of two year olds, who missed their nap. Grow up!” I yell at them while sitting up and hanging my head in between my knees. Not that I needed to catch my breath or anything, I just didn’t want to look at either of them. So I chose to look at the wet, mushy ground underneath me instead. On the bright side, at least I didn't hit my head on the way down. One of these nerds managed to catch me as I passed out. See, I am appreciative. It’s the small things, you know.

“Tris, are you alright m'anam? I’m sorry you found out like this. I know it is a shock to you. It was to me as well.” I glance up and glare at Orin, daring him to say more. Thankfully he gets the hint and shuts up, so I turn my attention to Lyon. The weasel. I purposely raise my voice to a higher level and wave my index finger at him as if I am scolding a naughty school boy.

“Don’t think for one second, I don't see what you did there mister. You think you can make me worry about myself and I’ll leave you alone? Well you’re wrong.” Lyon glances at the ground sheepishly before replying.

“I’m sorry Tris. That was not my intention. I truly thought you had realized you were his keeper…” A small blush creeps up his neck and I know he is truly being sincere, but I don't care. I am still as mad as hell.

“Eh! Zip it! I don't want to hear more about what you two think I am. Get it?” I say slicing my hand through the air in the universal gesture for silence.

              “Ok, you can pretend it doesn’t exist all you want. But one day soon you will have no choice but to accept it.” Ughh, the nerve of this man! Lyon is starting to work on my very last nerve. How am I going to survive this?

              “I wonder how Arsema is feeling today. You remember her, right? The reason we are out here searching for some elusive shaman to begin with?” Elmeri actually sent us on this wild goose chase in the off chance that we would we would be able to find one of the remaining shaman and that she would be able to bring Arsema out of her coma. I think we are wasting our time, but I am willing to do anything to help Arsema.

Yes. I know this is a low blow directed at solely at Lyon and I almost feel bad, but it’s time to turn the topic of conversation back to something that actually matters. I see my comment has the desired effects when Lyon drops his head and turns away from me. I know he cares for Aresma. Probably more than I do. That is the effect of the bond. Once you accept it , you and your keeper become one, for eternity. I also know this is why he is starting to look so withdrawn. He is a shell of himself without her. I hate to think of her condition right now. This is even more reason for us to continue searching and praying that we find the one person able to help us.

“You’re right Tris. If you are sure you’re going to be alright then I'm going to get going.” I start sputtering when I realize he still plans to leave, alone. Seriously! I literally just fainted! I would kill him myself if I was not worried the effects that would have on my best friend.

“But… I think…” He cuts me off before I can start protesting the idea again.

“Tris, you will be fine. There is no bond. Right? So there is nothing to worry about.”

Oh, touché you little brat. I can't argue with him any further without wanting to face the giant pink polka dotted, elephant in the forest. Ehhh. Great. I look over to see Orin looking straight at me, that tell tale smirk on his gorgeous face. I feel the blush rise up, coating my neck and face, causing me to look away embarrassed. My body is betraying me and I don't like it one bit. Ok, now I'm lying to myself. I do like it, but not at this moment. Not when I am trying to point out that I am mad. Not when I am trying to stop Lyon from leaving. This can’t happen.

              Lyon starts packing his things into his sack and after slinging it over his broad shoulder, he comes to say bye. It is a quick goodbye and before I am ready, I am alone in the woods with no one except Orin and the many woodland creatures.

“Do you want to camp out here for a while? Or would you like to go ahead and start north?”

See, this is already an epic fail. The way I see it, I can either ignore him for the next umpteen days or I can suck it up and at least try to be civil. I mean it’s not really his fault that he is delusional, right?

“I don’t care either way.” I say to him attempting to sound as unconcerned as possible. I see him look at me out of the corner of my eye and I can almost see the thoughts racing through his mind before he answers.

“We can stay here for the night. I think we both could use the break.”

I pull my shoulders up and let them drop with a shrug. In my head my hands are high-fiving each other but thankfully they stay put and allow me reply with a snarky “Sweet!” comment instead.  I am silently pleased with the thought of an extended break. The blisters on my feet are festering again and I’d love to soak them in cool water and apply some of the aloe Orin found for me.

Now that everything has been settled I am free to get comfy so I bounce off to find a partially dry place on the forest floor to set up my make-shift tent. I try to find a place sheltered by some type of shrubbery or large tree trunk when I set up. The weather is still chilly, especially at night. Lately the winds have been blowing fierce. It’s like Mother Nature is angry about something and she has no problem voicing her opinion at all.

              Over the last four months I have pretty much perfected the ability to set up a subtle sleeping arrangement. I mean, I may be living in the woods for the time being, but that doesn’t mean I can't be comfortable. The guys picked on me when we first began this journey, watching me carry arm loads full of leaves and pine straw around. They laughed, when I picked up certain branches that I found acceptable. I am sure they probably thought I was some sort of hoarder, but after the first night when I made my little lean-to in the shade of a giant tree and laid down on a pillow as soft as the down filled one I had on my bed at home, they quit joking and picking on me. By the end of the next week, they had swallowed their pride and asked me to make them one also.

              It just goes to prove that all those years of girls scouts paid off, not that I was ever a member. No I just watched them on Nick Jr and did loads of googling. I remember Arsema and I having Girl Scout wars in the backyard of Grans house. Each summer we would make a list of things that we would have to do or perfect and Grans was always the judge. If she couldn't decide then we brought in Casher and made him the tie vote. It’s almost like we were preparing ourselves for this life without ever knowing.

              I finished setting up and looked around in search of Orin. I see him off to my left, starting a fire and getting ready to roast what looks like quail. My stomach growls in response to the thought of food and Orin looks up from his task to see me staring longingly at the fire and dinner to be. I may have mastered the comfort part of the trip, but I had still not come close to being able to kill and cook my own food. Regardless of the fact, that I have become very adept in the use of the bow, anytime it comes down to the actually killing part of the hunt, I flake out. Hey! Don’t judge me! You try killing a poor defenseless bunny and see how well of a shot you are. I look away pretending not to notice it. From the corner of my eye, I can see his chest bouncing up and down with silent laughter. I lean back and close my eyes. Letting my mind drift away, I think about Arsema. I miss her so much. I wish I could find the Shaman, so she can help her. I need my friend back.

Chapter 2

Tris

              The sun is slowly setting across the horizon. The forest grows darker and darker with every drop as it passes the tree line. Soon, it will be pitch black. I slide closer to Orin out of instinct, not even realizing that I have moved. Being held captive for so long in a dark, damp basement by a sadistic freak has honestly screwed with my head. Orin seems to sense the path my thoughts have taken, the way he always does and he instinctually tries to calm me.

“Did I ever tell you about the day I first met Lyon and Haas?” He asks trying to take my mind off of my past.

“No, I don't think so.” I tell him instantly intrigued.

“I was around seventy three years old then I think, living back in Sholoam with the rest of the coven.” He whispers gently, causing me to lean in closer to him so I can hear him better. This is the first time, I have heard of his home or anything of his past and I would be lying if I said, I was not curious. Of course I would never admit to wanting to know these things. Otherwise he may think I am interested in him. Which I guess you would have to be dead not to be, considering the ungodly beauty of him, but I don't need him to know I feel that way.

              Oh God, I should never have started thinking about his beautifulness, now all I can think about are his dark soulful brown eyes, and his long, messy hair that just begged for my fingers to run through it. How is it his hair isn’t greasy and nappy as all get out like mine? Seriously! I want to know his secrets!!! I close my eyes and try to block out all images of him, only to see him appear behind my closed lids. I can now practically feel his week old stubble graze my cheek. He reaches over and lightly touches the side of my face causing my eyes to fly open. He pulls his hand away quickly and coughs into it.

“You had a bit of mud caked on your face there m'anam, I didn't mean to startle you.”

Yea, sure you didn’t. I let his white lie go seemingly unnoticed. If I call him out on it then I would be admitting he got to me as well. Or was I already admitting that by not calling him out on his lie? Oh God! I don't know anymore. Thankfully I don't have to think about it anymore because he starts his story again right where he left off.

              “Anyway, one day this group of guys was gathered around, obnoxiously harassing a young girl. Apparently, she had boasted that she could out shoot anyone else in the coven. Lyon had overheard them harassing her and had immediately gone to her aid. He suggested they have a shooting contest and let the girl prove her skill. I hadn't ever seen either of them shoot before but I have to admit, they caught my attention. So the contest was arranged and everything was set up. It was set to be three rounds total with the person having the most scored rounds at the end being the winner.”

I am completely engrossed in his story. I can just picture them all having this contest, believing they were the best.

“By the end of the second round, it was obvious who the winner was going to be. She had clearly smoked everyone in the contest. And rather than continue and rub it in everyone’s face that she was the best, she offered to end the contest right then, if the guy who had been a jerk before, would simply apologize and admit he was wrong. And so he did, right there in front of the entire coven.

Haas got down on both knees, bowed and proclaimed her the absolute best shooter in the kingdom and begged her saying ‘Please don’t embarrass me further, I can't stand the thought of shaming my family any more’. Of course we all burst out laughing and the contest was done. From that day forward me, Lyon, Haas, and Rochelle have been the best of friends. More like family than anything else. Until now.”

              I don't know what to say to any of this now. It was hard for me to see Rochelle as anything other than an annoying psychotic bitch. But I understood better now the bond they all had. And the pain, I am sure they are all feeling at her betrayal. I reach over and take Orin’s hand, gently rubbing the top of his palm with my thumb. My touch seems to pull him from his remorseful mood and I am rewarded with another glimpse at his stunning smile and adorable dimples.  My heart rate picks up instantly and I feel my blush return. Luckily, it is now completely dark out and he can’t see the flush to my skin.

“So, can I ask you a question? Lyon has explained some of the Craecia to me and so did Erik before we left, but I have been wondering…Why are we only searching here in the U.S? I mean, you guys are from somewhere in Africa right? And from what Erik said, there are covens all over the world. So, why are we only focusing here and not everywhere else too?” Orin is listening intently. Nodding his head, already knowing the rest of my question, but he waits patiently for me to finish before giving me the answer.

              “Well, m'anam, you know that Erik is the original Craecia. Right? He has quite a bit of pull in the community. Normally, he would be in Sholoam overseeing all the covens’ needs there, but when he received the letter from Sally, he asked the coven leader of the States to come there, allowing him to be here. Jeriah is still there taking care of things for Erik. But, when we found that a search for the Shaman was needed, he called Jeriah and informed him. Together they contacted the other covens and asked them to each appoint a few in the search. So that is your answer. We are searching in the U.S because this is where Erik told us to search. And apparently one of the coven brothers in Ireland remembered hearing of a family of Shaman here around twenty years ago. We are hoping they are still around.”

              “That makes sense. Thank you Orin.” I tell him truly grateful for his explanation.

             
I can't believe the path my life has taken over the last year. One year ago I was starting junior high, applying for different colleges, and daydreaming about Klaus from The Vampire Diaries (Damon is Arsema’s man) and then I met Tavish. A super hot band lead who swept me off my feet, both figuratively and then later, literally when he kidnapped me. Now I am tramping through the woods with a man who claims to be my soul keeper. I am eating fresh cooked woodland creatures and I can't go poo. No like I seriously can't poo. It’s been like three weeks and worst of all I can't even ask someone for help, so I have just picking and eating random berries and praying they don't kill me or worse give me the runs! How did my life change so dramatically and if I could would I even try to change it back? 

I was once just a human girl, living her life and then one day I wasn't anymore. I was thrust into another world. And some days, I felt like I was drowning in this new strange world of supernatural beings and magic. I knew that I was still me, on the inside, but I was no longer sure who that really was. All my beliefs and thoughts have been uprooted and shifted out of necessity. It is taking me a lot longer than I liked to adjust. A lot of that had to do with the fact that I felt all alone in this new world, especially with Arsema in a coma right now.

              Orin wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer to him, “I’m always here for you, M'anam. I will answer any questions you have, anytime.” My body tenses automatically and he releases me, but not before gently kissing the top of my head.

“You can’t keep denying the truth, mo ghrá. I know you feel it, just as I do.”

Pssh, he obviously has a thing or two to learn about me. I think, as I stand and walk to my bed, without replying. I am the queen of denial. Besides it’s not really denying if there isn’t anything to deny. Right? Right! Now, if I could just get my heart to believe what my mind was telling it. Gah.