Page 62 of The Pactbound Angel (The Soul Mirror Duet #1)

Marked for the Hunt

“Where were we?” I asked. We stood, dusting ourselves off and getting an idea of our new surroundings. “And where are we now?”

We were right next to a road, just a small distance from a fork to our left. A bright city was just ahead, perhaps a mile or two away. The tell-tale red roofs of the buildings, and the silver spires of the castle in the center, told us it was Carpatha.

Ramiren answered, “Looks like we’re still in Wistran. We need to head east, toward the grove. And get back to Laeth.”

A dull horn blew in the distance.

“But now, we need to hide. We’re still not in the clear,” Ramiren warned. He took my hand in his warmer one and squeezed once. “Come.”

I followed, my lavender skirts hampering my movement. He led me to the treeline off to the right. “Well, I’m glad I gave you my pouch.”

He glanced at me over his shoulder as we hurried into the forest. “As am I. Are your armor and weapons in there?”

“Yes, they should be.”

“Good. As soon as we can, you’ll need to change.” He grinned at me, helping me over a fallen log in front of the brightly-colored trees. “Unless you feel like wearing your wedding dress a while longer.”

“Uhm. No, thank you.”

We hunched down behind some orange brush, and I prayed it was enough to cover my contrasting lavender gown when the hoofbeats got louder.

The riders slowly came into view. Jaylin, still dressed in his wedding finery, led the pack of guards that was hot on his tail.

He stopped at the fork and called out, “You and you, take the road to the south. You, take the road north. You will follow me east towards the Ivory Grove. If you find her, bring her back to the castle.”

“My prince, she was with someone when she disappeared. Tanner saw him. A broodling, by the looks of him. What if they resist?”

The look on Jaylin’s face turned from angry to practically raging.

He spat out, “You will kill the bastard with her and bring my bride back, in manacles if need be! If she fights you, it will be with her fists only. She carries no arms. He is of no concern. Words are his weapons. No matter what, no harm is to come to her. Now! Go !”

All three groups took off simultaneously, going their designated directions. After the sounds of their horses had faded, we stood up. My jaw dropped, I peered at Ramiren. “Kill you? Manacles? Did I hear him right?”

“You did, my dear,” he said with derision.

He silently handed me my pouch, dropping the tiara under a bush to hide it.

That pact concluded; he did not need to keep it anymore.

“Best get changed. We cannot take the roads, so through the woods we must go. They’ll get there first, but hopefully they’ll search the grove, see we’re not there, and double back.

After they leave, we’ll talk to Leraska and go home to Laeth. ”

What would happen once we got to Laeth? Would we stay together? Part ways? Our new pact from last night was still in place; it had not yet been dissolved. Would he end it and go along his merry way, leaving me in …

The right word eluded me.

I took the pouch, stuffing my whole arm into it to retrieve my armor, clothing, and weapons.

Taking them out one-by-one to lay them out on the forest floor, I began to slip out of my wedding dress.

The sharp brambles and dirt had wrecked it entirely, but it made me glad to see it so destroyed.

What a ridiculous man I almost bonded myself to.

Manacles? Threatening to kill Ramiren? This is not the man who proposed to me.

I felt like an idiot, finally seeing the real him.

And him trying to lock me into the Great Hall as I ran from the altar?

He showed me what he was. I owe Raewyn an enormous apology. Probably on my knees. With a chocolate offering.

Ramiren had turned his back toward me as I changed clothing. It made me smile. “You know, it’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”

There was amusement in his voice, but he still did not turn around, “I am watching for the riders.”

I smirked, pulling my trousers on. “I see.”

“Besides,” he finally looked at me over his shoulder, a wry grin on his face. “I found you just as beautiful in your gown as I do out of it. Lavender suits you, even if the groom did not.”

The compliment washed over me like a balm applied to a painful wound. “Well. In hindsight, it is a good thing you did not come to the wedding. I’m not sure we could have escaped.”

“That is almost certainly correct.”

“Why did you not come to the wedding?” I tried to keep my tone neutral, but the question had been burning inside of me ever since he said he wouldn’t attend.

There was silence from him for a long moment before he spoke softly, without turning around again, “Orange.”

I sighed in reply and continued to lace and button my trousers. Orange. That damned word. But I did not want to pry. This somehow went beyond simple secrets. He had his reasons. He would tell me when he was ready, and not a moment before .

After all, I had asked him if he had changed himself for me. That question initially received a reply of ‘orange,’ only to be answered a scant week later. Patience was necessary, not prodding.

As I adjusted mail armor in my arms, noting it needed to be re-oiled, an errant thought occurred to me. “Ramiren, how did you change yourself for me, anyway?”

More silence, until a sigh from him broke it, and he finally faced me. Before he could reply, I interjected, “I just wanted to know, because Jaylin apparently also changed himself for me. He put up a false front to lure me into… whatever game he is playing. I trust you, truly, but I need to know.”

That seemed to mollify him, as his eyes softened from impatience to understanding. “I seduced you. Seduction requires one to slightly change, adjusting your behaviors to what you believe the other person finds most attractive.”

I raised my eyebrows. A nervous laugh bubbled out of me. “What?”

Ramiren sighed again. “Not to push you to dissolve the pact and bed you. Or anything of that nature. But to show you what desire was, truly was, so you could recognize it when it happened. At least, that was my intention. I could’ve taught you techniques until you were blue in the face, but desire?

Passion? That comes from somewhere else and is not something that can be taught.

Simply understood. Desire is a choice. I seduced you purposefully so you could make that distinction. ”

I eyed him, my smile slowly widening, until a different laugh came out. Ramiren furrowed his eyebrows, looking confused. “What is so amusing?”

“Oh my, oh…” I continued to laugh, dropping my mail armor to hold my stomach. My laugh slowly petered out as Ramiren appeared more and more annoyed. I wiped the tears from my eyes. “Ramiren, you didn’t teach me desire. I desired you well before we started the pact. ”

Ramiren looked taken aback, surprised. “Oh?”

“During the singing contest, do you remember? I found you in the crowd.”

“Yes, I remember. And?”

“Aaaand, I wanted you from then on. You mesmerized me. I’m half-surprised I was able to keep singing. And every time we had a lesson, the want increased. I wanted you so much I hallucinated this voice when we were-”

“Wait,” Ramiren’s hand lifted at my words to interrupt me. He stepped forward slowly, speaking low and eyes narrowed. “You heard voices?”

I corrected him. “ A voice. But it only ever said one word. Well, until last night.”

He leaned back, and his jaw went slack. “What were the words?”

I briefly considered using my safe word. This is so private. I wanted to be open with him. To share. “It said…” Taking a breath, my head dipped in intense embarrassment.

Oh, just tell him.

But he spoke first, “ Cordani . The voice said cordani , didn’t it? And last night, it was cordani tro acta .”

My head shot up. Eyes wide, it was my turn for my jaw to go slack. “Yes. Yes, that’s right. How did you know?” I stepped forward with my question, twisting my hands together.

Ramiren pursed his lips. He let in a long inhale then exhaled slowly, as though weighing his words. “Because I heard it, too.”

Moving towards him quickly, my hands gripped his arms. “Wait. Do you know what it means?”

He shook his head as he looked at me, dumbfounded. “I have no idea. I’ve never heard that before. I tried to use my abilities to understand the word cordani , and it’s not one that the magic allows for. I can’t even tell you what the language is.”

In his eyes, there was no lie. Only confusion and a touch of fear .

My lips pursed. “When did it start for you?”

His face became a mask as he continued to stare down at me. “At The Forever Inn, in Puldoni. The first night of the pact. Ever since, every time we had a lesson, I heard that voice.”

I tilted my head down. “And you’ve no idea what it means.”

“None, do you?” There was a glimpse of his stony expression dropping. He searched my eyes with an intensity I had only seen during our lessons.

But I had no answer to give him, only a shrug and a shake of my head. “No. None.”

“Damn,” he cursed quietly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, placing my hands on the sides of his face.

He raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you tell me ?”

Because I didn’t want you to think I was crazy and delusional.

We stared at each other for a long time before I dropped my hands to my sides. “Fair point.”

Ramiren frowned and looked behind him, into the woods. “If you’re finished dressing, we should leave for the grove. We need to get back to Laeth as soon as possible.”