Chapter 35

I trained with Diana and Gideon’s help for days. I had progressed considerably with defensive stances and attacking spells. I was happy with the new techniques Diana had found and translated from one book. It had brought me back to when I was studying with Otis. The thought of my old magic teacher had cramped my heart.

We had set a training area in the library. We had placed all the tables and chairs on the sides, and we sparred in the middle. No one came in here, so it made for a perfect hiding spot from the rebellion leaders. I had been avoiding them. Lord Heron and Count Robin still agreed that I should marry Silas, whereas Lord Junco and another Lord named Swallow seemed to have mixed feelings about it. As for Silas Starling, I had not seen or heard from him since our initial meeting with the leaders.
Their pressure to marry fueled my anger and made me a formidable opponent.

Gideon also offered to help with non-magical combat. He had been away for some days before recommending this to me. He had been more than happy to teach me since we both knew that anything could happen to me at this point. At least, should I be abducted, I would have a fighting chance. I wasn’t as good as I would have liked since I was used to countering moves with magic spells, but I quickly learned that my small height made it easy to evade his attacks. Not only that, but the years of hard work as a maid had made my body strong and allowed me to give good enough hits to earn yelps from Gideon. Gideon, however, had the advantage of being a shifter. He was big and tall, and his keen sense of observation and predicting movements made me work harder. At one point in the training, he had knocked the air out of my chest with one blow.

“Done for the day?” He asked while helping me up off the ground.

I rubbed my sore ribs and nodded.

“I’m quitting before you actually break something. You’re not managing me at all.” I pointed out to him, still cradling my side.

“Do you think Osprey or his men would go soft on you?” He raised his eyebrows and crossed his thick arms across his chest.

I grumbled, “no.”

He smirked and tapped my shoulder.

“You did good today, Ida. If you mix those moves with your magic, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

I laughed at his comment but quickly stopped when the pain returned to my left side.

“I’ll go to the hot spring and hang there for a while. I need to soak the aches from my body.”

“Do you need me to accompany you?”

“It’s fine, Gideon. Thank you, but I know the way. Besides, with the way I smell right now, no one would dare approach me.” I added teasingly.

I had found that the spring water had a healing effect on me. I would go there and come out each night better than when I got in. My bruises faded, and my muscles relaxed. I thought that the legend of the spring was true, but when Diana went there after I had burned her with one of my attacks, it had not healed her. It seemed to respond only to me, making me even more curious about the water source.

I returned to my room to get the basket with towels and soap and began the small trek to bathe. Once I neared the water, the heightened smells of the forest caused by the steam made me yearn for Xander. We had not received word of him in days. Gideon had said to me they informed Xander of a warehouse that could be destroyed without causing too much harm to the rebellion. He was to use it as a decoy and report to Duke Kestrel and Baron Mallard. Gideon had tried to soothe my nerves, but I noticed worried lines on his face when we had discussed it. I knew Xander was okay since I could feel him through our mate bond, but nothing settled the nervousness I had in the pit of my stomach. I thought it was taking him too long.

I removed my clothes and entered the hot water, swimming near the center and diving under, swaddled in warmth and peace. I felt the water tingle on my skin, and slowly, my ribs ceased to hurt, and my mind cleared. I resurfaced and came face to an undressing Silas.

His golden skin shimmered under the night’s light, and the moon showed me the curves of his sculpted body. I dipped my head lower in the water and moved silently near the side where a giant boulder would hide me. I watched as he made his way in, his member dangling between his hard thighs with each step he took. I felt my cheeks burn hot and spun around, not wanting to stare at him. I knew that seeing Silas like this was not proper. Sure, the spring was frequently used by the rebellion, but undoubtedly, two young people such as us, me especially being mated, should not be seeing each other naked. It felt wrong.

I heard a splash and looked to see where Silas had gone. The water rippled from his entrance, but he was no longer visible. He must have gone under. I took that as a sign to leave and swam near the shore.

“You don’t need to leave on my account, Princess. You are welcome to stay.” Silas’s deep voice echoed between the rocks that shielded the spring.

I turned around, expecting to see him behind me, but he wasn’t there. The echo must have made him appear closer than he truly was.

“So, you came in very well knowing I was here?”

He emerged from the steam, and I could see his beautiful blue eyes shine roguishly. Half his chest was out of the water as he slowly made his way over to where I was standing. The water lapped over his stomach and arms with each step. I lowered myself to hide my body under the darkness of the spring, my face still hot from the sight of him.

“I did.” He replied with a grin.

“Then I’ll take my leave and give you some privacy.”

I turned my back to him, walked close to the edge, and placed my hands on the ground to lift myself from the water. I felt his hands hold me back, and Silas pressed his chest to my back. I stilled, unsure why he had done that. I felt his hard-on nudge between my butt cheeks and squirmed to get out of his hold.

I let pass an electrical current of magic on my skin, which zapped his hands off my arms in warning. I heard him cuss from the sudden shock, but he didn’t back away as I hoped he would have. I couldn’t hurt him, not with Silas being part of the rebellion leaders. This situation was making me more and more uneasy by the minute.

“You’re even more magnificent than I could ever have hoped for.” He whispered as he rubbed the palms of his hands together. “Imagine what we will accomplish together once we sit on the throne.”

I scoffed. Silas couldn’t possibly think that we would rule together.

“I thought I had made myself clear at the meeting with the leaders. I am mated to Lord Alexander. I cannot marry you!”

“I’ll make you change your mind.”

I had just found myself in a risky position. Silas fisted a bunch of my hair and crashed his lips to mine while hooking his other hand under my leg and lifting me against him. His staff throbbed near my entrance, and my heartbeat sped up at an alarming pace. I bit his bottom lip hard, strong enough to feel my teeth slice through his delicate skin.

He head-butted me after my assault, and it broke my nose. I could feel blood dripping over my mouth and down my chin. Tears watered my eyes from the pain it was causing me. He took the seconds of me being disoriented and forced my hips down on him. I screamed at the force of his entry and clawed his face with my nails.

“I’ll make you mine, and you will no longer be under that shifter’s spell.” He thrust deeper into me and kept pounding me with force. I thought he would rip me open.

The hot spring glowed brightly at that instant, illuminating the sky almost like a beacon. The earth shook, and small bits of rocks and twigs lifted off the ground like there was no longer any gravity. I felt my eyes glaze over, and my body seemed no longer my own. I could feel the power flow through me. A power I had never felt before.

My arms moved of their own accord, making a series of movements that I had no control over nor knew what it would create. A rush of energy exploded around me, and it lifted me in the air, hovering over Silas. The magical surge was so strong that I thought I would lose consciousness. My body couldn’t hold that sort of power. I was being torn apart by its force. I fought with every fibre of my being not to succumb to it.

Silas looked petrified.

“You dare defile the sanctity of this place?” Said a hundred voices through my lips. The sound of those voices chilled me to the bone.

My arms raised simultaneously as a water barrier rose from the spring, separating both of us. Waves slapped Silas moments before the water curtain crushed him, sending him spiralling on the other side of the pool. I watched in horror as I heard his back snap against the hard exterior of the boulder he hit. His limp body floating on the surface of the spring.

“Ida!” Shouted someone near the edge of the forest.

I wielded myself to stop, regain control of my body, but the force within me was much too strong. My body turned towards the newcomers, and I saw Gideon and Diana gasping at the sight of me. Lord Junco was also there with a few members of the rebellion, his hand over his mouth in shock.

“Balance must be restored,” the choral of voices shouted, “what was taken must be reclaimed.”

Something inside me snapped, and I fell from the sky, hitting the water with force. I couldn’t move, my chest burning while I tried to breathe, choking on liquid.

The sky that had been illuminated brightly returned to its usual darkness.

Strong arms dragged me out, and I felt something thrown over my body. Gideon slapped my back, and I spewed all the water from my lungs. Air burned my throat when I could take a breath.

Scorching pain ran through my shoulder and slivered its way near my heart. I thought I was going to pass out and die.

I lifted my head and let out a horrible scream. Gideon’s eyes went wide as he stopped my nails from clawing at my skin. I thrashed, almost convulsing. Diana looked at me in horror, her face devoid of colours. I followed her eyes to where Xander’s mark sat on my shoulder. It was turning bright red.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you are enjoying my book. What do you think happened to Xander? Don't forget to leave a comment and share this book with others. Thanks for all the love!