Filed to story: The Chosen Saga Novel PDF Free
“Rai?” Talon pleaded.
“What, Talon? Tell me why you closed yourself off. Tell me why I had to feel you try to shatter our bond every Goddess damn day I was in the hell hole.” The others froze except Korine who snarled.
“Him?” Araiya nodded. Korine walked over and smacked him across his face before wheeling back to stand with Araiya.
“What…”
Araiya swatted at the tears. “I reached out to you for strength, to share the pain. Anything at all. You turned your back on me as quickly as I was taken.” Araiya rubbed at her face again. “You were my friend, my protector, and you betrayed me like I was nothing.” The growl that ripped through the area caused everyone to step back. “Why?”
“Why?” Talon took a step.
“Actually, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that I will dissolve the bond once I am strong enough. I will break our bond so that we never have to be around each other ever again. You can be disgusted of me and hate me all you want.”
“Araiya. Please understand.”
“I understand, Talon. More than you think. I still love the male who became my friend. So, for that love alone I will set you free, but after I set you free I cannot, will not, see you every day. I cannot see my old friend and know what I know.” Araiya shook herself. “Mckenna? Can you hold my power a little longer? I need to heal, and sleep, and be strong enough to accept it. I want to be able to do it without inflicting even more pain. Can we get to Water first? I need to sit with Warryn, to cleanse the darkness and anything else that might have been done to me first.”
Mac nodded. “Let’s go.” With those final words, Mac shifted to his dragon form, causing Korine to gasp, and Araiya to purr.
She stroked down his body and felt the heat of his scales. He was a gorgeous male. A perfect male Dracoy specimen, and by the will of the Goddess, he was all hers.
“Let me help you up. One will be the stead, and another the teacher.” River walked closer. He picked Araiya up and walked closer to Mac’s head. “See here, where the wings meet his back? Right in front is a natural perch, wide enough for two.” He kicked off the ground and landed perfectly seated in the saddle-like plate of the scales on his back.
“Lady Korine? I am Terran.” Terran walked over to where Korine still stood, awe and wonder on her face. “Would you prefer to ride with me or with Talon?”
Korine turned around and looked up at Terran. “I am allowed to choose?” Terran nodded, and Talon just looked away from everyone. “Could I please ride with you, I think I would try to throw off the other male.” Talon whipped his head back to look over Korine, who just shrugged. “While I do not know you, I will not apologize for my statement. You have to understand I have spent most of my life treating Yaya like garbage to protect her. Now I can openly protect her, and that includes from you, dragon or not.” Korine shrugged as Terran and River laughed. Talon just looked at Araiya, who purposefully kept her eyes straight, and then he shifted.
“He is just as big as Mac.” Araiya whispered to River.
“Yes, which was always surprising. When he was finally able to shift after coming of age, he should have been smaller, and then over the years he would grow into a full-sized dragon. But he was always this big, hasn’t grown in size since his first shift. We assume he will be the biggest of us, since he is so young.”
Terran and Korine jumped up on to Talon, whose dragon hadn’t shifted from staring at Araiya. The pain in his shifted form’s eyes was clear and evident. Araiya kept straight ahead, she could not look at him, for fear of breaking her own damned heart.
The two shifted took to the sky, and they were off, flying out of the stifling desert toward the cool, balmy beaches of Water. She felt the warm air rise up toward the wings of the two shifted and then they really flew.
Korine screamed in joy and panic as she watched the land below her shift so quickly beneath them. They flew for hours. Araiya, who had collapsed against River, looked up into the sky to watch the stars as they flew. Araiya watched the stars for the first time in what felt like forever. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was of the moon, and her Goddess.
Araiya curled over herself. The pain was too
much again. Even here she felt it. Which says something since she was currently passed out from said pain.
Again.
Every day that she had the unfortunate fortune to wake up, that is.
“Araiya?”
“Mac?” Araiya uncurled and looked around in the dark tent. “I thought I told you not to come back.”
“We both know that I was never going to listen. We are close to finding you.”
“I thought…” Araiya looked around again.
Mac finally materialized in front of her through a curtain. “Thought what?” He walked closer and crouched down in front of her.
Araiya looked over at her mate and her heart lurched. “This isn’t right.”
“What? What isn’t right. Talk to me.”
“We aren’t supposed to be here. You aren’t supposed to be here. I’m…I’m not supposed to be here.”
“You have been gone for a long time, Araiya. You have been here for four moon cycles. What’s going on with you?”
Araiya took a deep breath in and let out a sob. She was free. She was free. This is wrong. It’s all wrong.
“Araiya? Love, talk to me.”