to quickly nip whatever budding feelings I was experiencing if it was an utter waste of time.
Maybe he already had a girlfriend and I was basically ruining his life. I’d heard Jordan mention something about an old boyfriend she had to let go, so maybe something similar was happening with Ryland.
Before I could begin questioning her in the middle of town, Jordan zapped us to the back side of the training center. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, your face went through a horde of emotions back there, and I wasn’t sure whether you were going to start crying or yelling when Ryland walked in the other direction.”
I laughed. “So, before I could make a scene, you ported us here instead?”
“Yep. So, spill it.” She nudged my shoulder before walking toward a medicine ball and tossing it at me.
With a grunt, I caught it and responded, “Actually, I think it’s you who needs to spill it. Why was Ryland so nice to me when I first arrived, then he became so angry?”
She grimaced and readied herself to catch the ball. “He doesn’t hate you. He’s confused by you.”
Throwing the ball as hard as I could, I took my frustrations out with my force. “I know he’s one of your best friends, and I hate putting you in the middle, but I need to understand. You have to give me something.”
Jordan dropped the ball and sat on it. “I don’t need you throwing heavy items at me when we have this conversation. Come over here and have a seat.”
Thank the Fates, she was actually going to give me something good. Sitting on the ground, I leaned back and rested on my hands while I waited for her to continue.
“Ryland is a bit older than me, so when I started training, he was already established as a guardian, but he took me under his wing when he saw what a fighter I was. Oliver and I began training at the same time, and the three of us have been pretty much inseparable since we became a team. As I got to know Ryland, I also got to know his Meraki.”
My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Had I been stupid to think that each person only had one soulmate? Was I expected to share him if we found a way to work things out? No freaking way.
Jordan held her hand up. “I know what you’re thinking, and we’re all just as shocked as you are. It’s why I left with him when you woke up in the water instead of staying with you like I planned. I knew he’d have no idea, and he’d need someone to break the news.”
“How did you know so fast?” I asked, because I had no freaking clue until I’d overheard them talking.
“His eyes. Before he saw you, his eyes were a light brown color, and now they’re identical to yours. It’s a Meraki trait. Being as though we come from a monarchy, the male counterpart always changes to match his female mate. But that’s not as important as what you want to know and what you need to understand.”
My breath held as I waited for what she said next, which was not at all what I expected.
“Ryland was bonded with another woman named Sara. They’d met during guardian training and were together for nearly twenty years before she died on a mission in one of the darker sections of the Otherworld. It took nearly a decade before Oliver and I got our friend back, but Ryland finally came around and accepted he would be alone for the rest of his life.
“He threw himself into work, became an even better guardian, and received a promotion as direct guard to your parents. It wasn’t until they knew you were coming that he ever once left their side. When they left for Earth and he wasn’t able to go with, Ryland lost his purpose, but Oliver and I kept him busy with other things like fighting dragons.”
“And then you left him as well to protect me. I bet he wasn’t happy about that one,” I said.
“Not one bit. He had wanted to go himself and thought there was no reason for you to need a girl best friend, but now we understand, he couldn’t meet you until you were here,” Jordan replied.
Cheese and rice. I understood why he was being a jerk, but at the same time, I had no clue how Ryland was feeling. Sure,