Chapter 82 - Agreement

Adalyn sat next to Mya's bedside. Despite her still not being well, she already looked better than before, after seeing the doctor. Rae held her hand and gently stroked her face. She was still fast asleep but her fever had finally broken. The doctor had prescribed her a range of potions, most of which she was sure Mya would have had available in her shop if they hadn't needed to leave so suddenly.

A quite knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

As Rae turned to see who it was, Tsuna peered through the doorway. "Hello. It's good to see you again." Tsuna smiled warmly at her. "May I have a moment with you?"

Despite Rae's changed appearance the look in Tsuna's eyes showed that she recognised her as the brunette that Kai had originally brought back with him.

Rae nodded quietly at her then released Mya's hand to follow her to the hallway.

"I'm pleased to see that you're looking well." Tsuna added.

Rae nodded in polite thanks. Despite everything that had gone on so far, she was doing well and overall feeling good. Much better than she felt that she had the right to, considering how Mya was doing.

"I didn't get a chance to see the doctor, do you know what they said about her condition Tsuna?"

Tsuna nodded. "They said it will be quite a long road to recovery. She's expended quite a lot of energy. Lots of rest and rehabilitation is the only cure unfortunately. It could take weeks or even months, but she'll get there in time."

Rae frowned. Mya had endured so much for her safety.

Tsuna tilted her head and offered Rae another smile. "Don't worry, she can stay here as long as she needs. You're all family here."

"Family?" Rae questioned.

Tsuna motioned with her eyes towards the claiming mark on her neck, acknowledging her connection to Kai.

Rae ran her hands over the little ridges of the bite mark and smiled to herself.

"I'm so glad that his highness has taken you as mate. You're both good for each other. I could see early on how much he cared for you.

Rae tried to smile again, but it felt weak. She couldn't help but feel slightly awkward in her presence. She wanted to thank her for her kinds words and for her willingness to look after Mya, but she didn't want to say too much about who she really was incase it put her in danger too.

"I must admit it was a surprise to see how much you had changed from your last visit. I can tell there is something different about you other than your appearance, but it's not my place to pry," Tsuna replied, picking up on Rae's anxiety. "I know his royal highness would have told me more if he felt I should know. But I will say this." Tsuna picked up Rae's hand and clasped it between hers.

"Please look after him. Look after each other."

Rae placed her hand over hers. That she could and would do, always. "I will."


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As Rae returned back to the guest house, it was suspiciously quiet. She wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not considering the way she had left Kai and Gabriel. She opened the door and walked in to find Arrow sitting on one of the sofas eating a piece of fruit and reading some papers. He looked up at the door as Rae pushed it open.

"Hey," he called out to her, forgetting that wasn't her real name. "Sorry, I mean Raeliana, that's going to take some getting used to."

"Hey Arrow. Rae is fine too."

"Okay princess," Arrow gave her a cheeky salute.

"Where's Kai and Gabe?" She asked as she quickly scanned around the room.

Arrow pointed towards the door. "They went out together about twenty minutes ago." He lowered his gaze back to the papers in front of him as he pushed a segment of orange in to his mouth.

Rae's stomach dropped. The thought of them two alone made Rae feel a bit panicked. She had wanted them to sort out their differences, but now she had no idea where they went and Arrow wasn't with them either. Her mind played out dramatic scenes of them trying to murder each other. She'd feel much more at ease if she was with them.

Rae tried to play down her anxiety physically but it still came across in her words. "Were they okay when they left? Do you know which way they went??" She peered through the window to see if she could spot them.

Arrow looked back up her and swiftly swallowed the piece of orange he was chewing. He didn't look like he was worried at all. "Relax, they were civil. They were trying their best to be anyway. Kai knows he's important to you. Let them try and talk it out."

"But what if they start fighting? Don't you think it would be better if at least one of us was there?"

"If they start fighting, they start fighting. Let them get it out of their system. Trust me, it's good for them. Who knows, they may even start to get along after."

Rae looked completely bemused. "By fighting?!"

Arrow laughed. "Yeah, let their fists do the talking. It's how men communicate best." Arrow winked at her in jest.

Rae sighed heavily. If Arrow didn't seem worried at all then perhaps she was best to leave them to it. She just hoped that things didn't end up worse between them. Although she wasn't quite sure how that could be possible.


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Kai led Gabriel to an old outhouse at the back of the manor house property. The place was deserted and it offered them the opportunity to talk without anyone overhearing or interrupting them.

Gabriel already had his guard up and was leaning against a tree with his arms folded.

"Well?" he prompted. He was keen to get back to Rae. He was still feeling guilty about what had happened to her and wanted to stay close to her.

"I'll try and make this quick then," Kai started. He leant against the side of the wooden out-building. "I'm taking Raeliana back to the capital with me."

Gabriel's face twisted in both confusion and defiance. "Are you crazy? No way! I won't allow it."

The word 'allow' made Kai agitated but he did his best to remain calm. "Don't misunderstand here. I'm not asking you for your permission."

"Then what the hell *are* you doing?! The whole point of us taking her away from there in the first place was to keep her under the radar. Why would you take her back there?"

Kai shook his head. "Heading south of Galas was too predictable Gabriel. How do you think I found you? If Colton sends people that work for him to try and find her, that's the first place he'll look. Look at what happened."

"Woah, wait a minute. Colton?" A small growl escaped Gabriel's lips as he suddenly became suspicious of Kai. "How do you know he's the one looking for her?"

"Because he told me." Kai sighed. "I hadn't had a chance to speak to Rae about this yet, but right after her seal broke, when we were separated, Tara called out to me somehow. She brought me to their dream world. Rae was unconscious and Colton was there. I don't know how, but he was trying to find out exactly where she was through her mind"

Gabriel paled. "Are you sure it was him?" he said seriously.

"I'm positive."

"That's not good." Gabriel started pacing.

Kai's eyes followed Gabriel as he paced. "Why?"

"Colton has a gifted wolf working for him. Her name is Vara. She can inject people's consciousness in to other people's mind. It's nowhere near as powerful as Rae's dream world ability but they are similar. Because of that, it makes her mind easier to access, particularly over long distances. It was the whole reason why Mya sealed her memories and her abilities, to try and keep her hidden."

"Can't she block it?" Kai asked anxiously. The thought that Colton could get to her through her mind gave him access to her in a way that he couldn't defend.

"With practice, maybe, but she's still not quite figured out how to fully control it yet. Vara's ability on the other hand takes a big toll on her. If Vara used it back then to push Colton in to her mind, she'll need time to recover before she could use it again. Even then, it would only offer Colton the opportunity to track her location for a short period of time, he wouldn't be able to physically hurt her."

"Are you sure?" Kai recollected his fight with Colton in his mind. It all felt pretty real to him.

"Yeah, I'm positive. He wouldn't risk hurting her. Her gifts make her too valuable."

"Gifts?" Kai questioned. "As in more than one?"

Gabriel turned up a little knowing that he knew somethings that kai didn't. "She's not said anything to you about her other gift I take it?"

Kai sighed. They hadn't yet had a chance to talk much since they found each other. He assumed that was the main reason why he didn't know. Kai shook his head to get himself back on track

"Regardless, this is why I need to get her back to the capital. I'm certain the man that attacked her last night, did so under the instruction from someone in Galas. When I mentioned to Colton that someone under the palace tried to have her killed, he seemed enraged, like it wasn’t part of the plan. Whoever is working for him now has their own agenda. Colton needs her alive. He's not our only concern right now. None of this will end until we find out who these people in Galas are.

"*'These people'* you speak of are probably working alongside you. You'll be putting her right in front of them if you go back!"

"I know."

"You know?! Then why the hell would you do that?"

"Whoever is trying to kill her is getting more unpredictable in their attempts. If we truly want to protect her from Colton, we need to find out who's working for him. If she's back in the capital it's going to be too tempting for them to not make a move. They're going to slip up and make a mistake."

Gabriel's eyes suddenly widened. "You're talking about using her as bait!"

Kai tightened his lips. What Gabriel was saying wasn't exactly wrong and Kai had thought long and hard about it, but time was not on their hands. They were going to have be more proactive in their attempts to draw them out.

"If I announce her as the lost princess and as my fated mate, she'll have everyone's eyes on her. I know my father will protect her with his life. She'll have the royal guard at her disposal. The perpetrators won't be able to attack her in the open without fear of being discovered. This will give us the opportunity to plan everything out. Make them come to us on our terms. And when they do, we'll strike. End this once and for all. Then we can concentrate on Colton without having to worry about someone stabbing us in the back."

Gabriel violently shook his head. He wasn't happy with what he was hearing.

"Before we head back to the capital, I'll start training her. She's stronger than we've both given her credit for. I won't leave her vulnerable."

"This is a crazy idea! What if something goes wrong? What if they get to her?"

"They won't. Her life is mine and my life is hers. You know I won't let that happen." Kai's eyes almost looked like they started to glow as he spoke.

Something about his words seemed to sway Gabriel's thoughts for a moment. He could feel the dominant waves that Kai was unintentionally releasing. It had never bothered Gabriel before but this time around something felt different. There was something inside his wolf that wanted to follow along with what he was proposing. It made him want to obey. *'This can't be right. He's not my alpha,'* Gabriel questioned himself.

Gabriel shook his head and took a few steps back from him. The momentary sway in his mindset disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked, seeing the disorientated look in him.

"Nothing," he replied dismissing the thought. Gabriel turned away to gather his thoughts. He couldn't deny Kai's logic. If they could weed out the culprits in Galas, then they could at least offer her some level of safety, instead of being continuously paranoid and on the run. Gabriel turned back to Kai.

"If she agrees to it, I'll do as *'she'* asks but on the condition that I accompany her as her guard."

"Okay..." Kai nodded. "I won't turn down more offers of help to keep her safe."

Gabriel nodded.

"Good," Kai confirmed. Satisfied that they could find common ground for now, Kai started walking back towards Gabriel in the direction of the guest house. Just as he was about to pass him, Kai stopped alongside him.

"One last thing." Kai said out of the corner of his mouth. "And this is one thing that's not up for debate. If you physically try to take her from me again, I'll end you." Kai's eyes glowed red. "I don't care how she feels towards you, I won’t allow that to happen again and I promise you that things won’t play out the way they did last time."

Kai briefly made eye contact with Gabriel to show his intent then made his ways back towards the guest house.

Gabriel remained frozen on the spot where he originally stood. He could actually feel a pull in his wolf to yield to Kai, like it did earlier in their conversation. Something in Kai must have changed to cause this reaction in him, but Kai didn't seem to be aware of it. He was starting to have the same effect on Gabriel as Rae did when she used her dominant alpha energy. *'This can't be good,'* he said to himself. If something in Kai had shifted, Gabriel was determined not to let it show. At least for now.