Filed to story: The Chosen Saga Novel PDF Free
“River, calm down,” Talon started. “You know exactly why she left.” He held up his hands.
“No, Talon. You can’t just run off with our mate and think we would be okay with it.” Mac stepped out of the gate.
“Your mate? You? You tried to kill her, Mac. She doesn’t think Terran gives a fuck either way. She severed her bond with Zeph. She knows River cares, and he’s the only one she actually regrets leaving.” Talon shook his head with disgust. “You all fucked up.”
“Please. She doesn’t have to come back. I’ll go with you just… I can’t deal with not being beside her now. Talon. Brother. Please don’t do this. At least let us ask her,” River pleaded.
“River, I know you felt the bond before. I know it was hard leaving her before training was completed,” Talon started.
“You told me I should. Just in case. You said Zeph would come back for her. You told me that I might ruin her chances if she had a full mate bond with another Dracoy.” River started to pace toward Talon and slammed his finger into his chest again and again. “You convinced me it was for the best. But you were wrong.”
“River…” Talon raised his hands up.
River’s dragon was near the surface. His blue eyes glowed with his power. “Leaving her left her vulnerable.” Mist started to drift out of his nose. “She was attacked. Firwyn was killed. I know you have a bond with her. You are sworn to protect her, even from us. But she was attacked, and I wasn’t there to protect her because I followed your advice.” River poked his chest a final time. “Do you know what that does to my dragon? Do you know what that does to me?”
“Yeah, I remember what I said. I stand by it, and I know what it does because it did the exact same thing to me. But you said it, River. I swore on the bond we have that I would protect her. Even from you. You have been my brother for over a hundred cycles, and I love you. I have always looked up to you, but what your other brothers have done is unacceptable.”
“Hey! That isn’t fair,” Terran started.
“Mac tried to kill her, Terran! He took every ounce of her essence and you had to listen to her scream just like I did. Yes, he was in his grief, but we all know his mother would have done anything to protect not only her dragons, but the Chosen there. With or without Araiya. She even said this was what was always destined for her. She charged Araiya with keeping the ember alive until you could reclaim it, so that her dragons would be able to reclaim their element.” Talon just shook his head in disgust. “Mac, you took her sacrifice, took all that pain that she had felt and used that against her to take everything. And the rest of us just watched it happen. So, what does that say about all of us?”
“I know what I did was wrong, okay? I understand that I did not make the best decisions being angry right off the hop, but I just lost my mother. I didn’t plan to take all of her Fire; fuck, I didn’t plan to take any of her power either. As soon as the Zephyr touched my shoulder, everything went black. I had no control over the transfer.”
“What do you mean you had no control over the transfer?” River turned on him.
“Exactly what I said. When we talked before, I took the blame because I felt her loss in my soul, and it broke me. I heard her screaming. I kissed my mate to death. Do you know how that fucking feels? I thought I caused her death and even after she came back, I was muddled by it all. But when Zephyr came over, he whispered in my ear that he was going help guide me because I wasn’t in my right mind. Not after the hole my mom left. I was dark inside. He was supposed to help guide me with Terran but once he touched my shoulder, everything went dark. Not just dark, but full-on black. I was pushed to the back of my own mind, and I had no control over how much I took.” Mac wiped his pale face.
“So, you’re saying that Zephyr hijacked the power transfer?” River asked in disbelief.
“I don’t know what I am saying, River. Terran, did you feel anything?” Mac almost pleaded and everyone else turned to him.
“I’m not going to lie to make you sound better but honestly, while I was connected to you two, everything was black. I couldn’t feel anything. I wasn’t in control. I wasn’t helping or guiding. I was just trapped in my own body. I couldn’t even speak. I couldn’t reach out to you even if I wanted to.” Terran rubbed his eyes and huffed out a breath. “I only got echoes of screaming and I couldn’t even breathe.” Terran rubbed his head.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“How was I supposed to know to say anything, River? I had never helped with a power transfer before. I thought that it was normal. Earth isn’t normally selected to move power because it’s slow. I had nothing to base this off of. What did you feel?”
“I was connected to her, so I felt everything she felt.” River shuddered. “I felt the pain, at first, I figured it was just the normal power transfer. But then, then I heard her screams. I tried to connect with her, but I couldn’t get through. I felt her reach out and I grabbed on. She was trying to save herself. I felt her soul. Everything that she felt.” River eyes started to fill. “She was so scared. So betrayed. We allowed that to happen. We waited thousands of cycles for her and the very first time we had the chance to prove something to her, we let her down.” River’s eyes cleared when he focused on Talon. “I do not care, Talon. You won’t stop me from protecting my mate.”
“Hey, calm down.” Talon back peddled.
Mac stepped between them. “You didn’t let her down, River, I did. I am the one that demanded, that goaded her, in to transferring the power back to me. I saw she was innocent, but I let my emotions run high, and I allowed what Zeph said after he met her to guide me.” Mac wiped at the sweat pooling on his chest and stepped away to release a jet of fire into the sky.
“Are you okay?” Terran’s eyes widened at the flames.
“Yeah, just releasing some pressure.”
“You don’t look great, man.” Talon studied the man before him.
“Well, I am going to prove to our mate that I am a good man, that I will treat her as she is supposed to be. If that means enduring the build up of our powers, like she did to protect mine, then I will.”
“Mac, just let go. Araiya isn’t vindictive. She will accept it back and you will only have the last ember left to transfer.”
“No Talon, I will hold it as she requested.” Mac shook his head.
“I am sure she…” Talon started, but a scream ripped through the clearing. Araiya’s scream. All four men turned and ran towards Chosen Village
They made their way through the forest.
Talon pulled ahead, being the most familiar with the area. Talon ran up to his cabin and froze, hand on the knob. The smell coming from the cabin shattered his heart before he even had a chance to look inside.
“Talon.” A whisper from inside kicked him back into action.
“Shavon, my love.” Talon ran, threw the door open, and stumbled inside. There she was, his heart, laying in a pool of her own blood. Talon dropped to his knees next to her. “What happened?” Talon screamed for River.
“Talon, I’m so cold.” Shavon’s limp hand reached up slowly and cupped his face. “I am so sorry.”