gave me a boost like nothing else I’d found yet.
Mom raised a brow. “She has a point, and it will be an option we propose to the council. Ultimately, it’s up to them, and we should get going so they can decide. Stryx, do you need help bringing the bonded animals back?”
“No, but I will be making several trips over the next twenty-four hours. By the time I get back, the council needs to be decided on how they want to move forward. Alaryk isn’t going to give us much time.”
Mom and Dad nodded, then began moving around as they prepared to leave. I stood and moved toward Jordan and Oliver. Ryland was still right at my side, and I kept trying to avoid him, but it wasn’t working.
“Can we speak privately, Kali?” he finally asked.
“Uh, sure. Just give me a minute,” I mumbled.
He nodded, then walked toward the back deck.
Jordan snickered, but Oliver seemed just as confused as I was. At least I wasn’t the only one.
“What is happening?” I whisper-yelled at her.
“Why don’t you go find out? I promise it’s nothing horrible. I don’t know all the details, only what I could guess, and before there was time to ask questions, we had to leave. So, I expect a full debriefing when you’re done.”
Stryx landed on my shoulder, interrupting our conversation. “I need to go. Keep your crown on, and do not bond with anything while I’m gone. I’m not sure how much that crown can handle and you’re not ready for your full powers just yet, but you’re getting close.”
“What? Bond with another animal? Of course I wouldn’t do that,” I said, even more confused.
His head pressed against mine like he used to do, and I stroked his feathers as he changed the conversation. “I’ve left your daggers that you’ll need to start training with in your bedroom. Don’t touch those before I get back, either. Your power is volatile until certain things fall into place, but we’re almost ready. Just wait for me.”
“Is everything okay with you?” I asked quietly. He was beginning to freak me out, and I couldn’t lose him or I might really fall apart.
“Yes, or at least it will be. Now, I need to go. Don’t blow anything up while I’m gone.” With those final words, he took off out the back door and disappeared into the night sky.
Jordan nudged me. “Go put that boy out of his misery.”
I looked back at Ryland, who was pacing on the porch and casting glances at us every few seconds. “Okay, fine. But go find lots of chocolate. I’m sure I’ll need it when I’m done.” Remembering my last conversation with Ryland, when he officially rejected me and told me about Sara, already had my heart hurting.
Even though I understood his reasonings and couldn’t really argue them, a deeper part of me was going to take a long time to heal from knowing I’d never have my soulmate. Though, maybe if Ryland could have two, then so could I, even if I had to wait decades to find another.
As soon as I stepped foot onto the deck, Ryland stopped pacing and met my gaze. His eyes, still identical to mine, shone brightly in the dark sky and called to my soul.
Yeah, there was no finding another soulmate. No matter how much we’d fought or how rude Ryland had been over the last few weeks, there had been one too many moments where I had brief glances of his kindness, like when he’d helped that young boy near the fountain or taken me to the falls when I’d been overwhelmed with power.
Hell, I’d even seen how much it pained him to tell me he could never accept me. Somehow though, we were going to need to work out a solution, even if it was temporary until we defeated Alaryk. Then, maybe I’d walk away. Go back to Earth or find a nice place in the Otherworld, so we could let the bond break without having to be near each other.
“Kali, are you okay?” Ryland asked, wiping a stray tear from my cheek.
Crap, I hadn’t even realized I was crying.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a lot going on. What did you want to talk about? I kind of assumed we’d sorted everything out earlier.”
He flinched at the hurt in my words. “Can we go somewhere to talk? There’s a place I’d like to show you.”
“Uh, sure.” Suddenly, my palms were sweating, and my heart was racing. This bond