I looked around the room. It was nice, fancy even. There was a huge sitting area with hanging seats in what looked like little, wooden pods. They swung softly, again a soft breeze seemed to randomly blow through the room, just enough to feel refreshing. A massive bed took up another space. It was built into a wooden frame with vines wrapped around it. The room smelled similar to the sweetgrass growing near my home in Lixny. It was a sweet blend of vanilla and warm hay.
Homesickness washed over me as I started to think about Ma and little Ellie. Da was dead, so it was just the two of them now. Did they know he was dead? Were they mourning him? Were they able to retrieve his body?
I didn’t know. No one ever told me anything. Were they managing? I hoped they weren’t too worried about me. Last I was told, they would at least have been contacted about my safe arrival at the academy. I should have written them a letter.
Heart heavy and aching, I went over to the large windows. They were massive, looking out into an unfamiliar land of enormous trees, thick vines, and a lot of wildlife fluttering about from birds to butterflies. And color. Everywhere. Intense colors that threatened to blind me if I stared at them too long.
At least the wildlife was living well here. I couldn’t say the same about me exactly. I settled into the window bench and just stared out, trying desperately not to feel so completely alone in unfamiliar lands. I wondered how my guys were doing, if they were safe, and if they searched for me. I missed them so hard, my chest ached.
4
Idreamed of familiar hands touching my body, giving me the comfort I desperately wanted. But then there was a harsher grip on me, grabbing me painfully. I cried out, sitting up, and blinked through the early morning light. I realized I’d been sleeping.
Aylia hovered over me with a small frown, as she blinked innocently at me. “Rayna? Are you okay?”
I cleared my throat, trying to shake the dream off. “I’m fine,” I croaked out.
The touching in my dreams had felt all too real. I almost expected to see the guys in the room with me, but that was obviously not the case. We were still apart.
No soft caresses from Zilon.
No scorching touches from Philit.
No rough play from Landers.
They weren’t here.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Aylia didn’t look like she believed me. “You need to sleep in your bed, not by the window. It can get cold at night.”
I glanced around slowly, noting I had fallen asleep at the window seat. Once I parked my butt there, I hadn’t bother moving. At some point, I must have fallen asleep. I wiped at my face, trying to get rid of the loss that seemed to have settled in my heart from such an intimate dream. I didn’t see anything or anyone, only felt impressions, and they definitely felt like my mates.
“Come on, sleepy head. It’s breakfast time, and you should meet the others.”
Aylia kept talking to me like she was still my best friend and that she had never betrayed me. It made me feel uncomfortable as she dug through a drawer and pulled out clothes. She tossed them my way, and I barely managed to catch the pale, green dress. It seemed like a simple dress, but as I unfolded it and studied it, I realized that wasn’t the case, not with how flowy it was, decorated with twinkling silver woven into the lace around the waist. This made the fabric also see through but not really. It hinted at the body hidden underneath the fabric without giving anyone a free look.
“The others?” I asked, unable to hide my suspicion.
All the lessons, stories, and rumors said that Neyil and the Fae raped the riders, forced them to have more little riders or at least some kind of hybrid human-fae child. The Fae controlled the riders, giving them no choice but to follow or risk suffering dangerous consequences. I shuddered at the thought, my skin prickling at the idea of any Fae touching my body.
It was almost as disgusting as that old dragon king trying to rape me.
For a moment, I remembered the feel of the dragon king pressing against my body, holding me in place as he tried to do what he wanted with me. Only the timing of the Fae attack saved my life.
“Hurry up. I don’t want to miss breakfast too, and it’s almost over,” Aylia said.
She snatched the dress out of my hand and then forced me to change as she tugged off my old, dirty school uniform. Aylia made a tsking sound when she realized I had worn nothing underneath my skirt.
“I should have dunked you in the bath last night,” Aylia said. “After, I’ll make sure you get a bath. I’m sure you want one.” She leaned in and took a deep breath. “Not too bad, surprisingly, but you still definitely need a bath.” She kept mumbling that as she shoved the dress over my head, pulled out my hair, and then turned me to the door, nudging me forward.
I got turned around as Aylia led the way. A guard was once again at my back; he was a different one with white eyes and also taller and leaner than the last one. I did my best not to rub at the back of my neck. All the while, I hated how trapped I felt.
Aylia stopped at dark wooden, double-set doors and turned to me with a big grin. “This is the best part,” she said before pushing the right door open and holding it with her body as she waited for me to step inside.
I took in a deep breath, wondering what the chances of me running and finding my way out were as I stepped into the room. Very quickly, the mess hall grew silent as all eyes turned to me. A ton of eyes, of all colors, surrounded by various skin tones from bone white to dark black. I blinked, taking in all the white hair of the unmated riders. Not a single one of them had color in their hair.
“There she is,” a young man said, climbing to his feet and coming over with a big grin. More cheers broke out after that; their excitement was palpable. “Come sit with us, Aylia. Introduce her to use.”
“Patience, Kilven,” Aylia said, her cheeks growing red as she stared at the man about our age.