Irresistible

Chapter 16

The hallway outside Jade's bedroom was crowded with soldiers. Byron Falkner, head guard in Chryseos, and two younger guards Jade had never met before named Kace and Titus, who had just arrived the day before from Selene to train under Alec's command. They had just returned with the search party Alec had sent to find their attacker. The three men had ridden hard and were parched and covered with a layer of dust. Jade knew from her time with Byron as her guard that he was a good friend of Alec's. The two men had grown up together. Like Alec, Byron was no stranger to danger on or off the battlefield. He had once in the heat of battle single-handedly taken down a giant before carrying four other soldiers off of the Battlefield. Byron had done and seen it all. Deeply tanned with creases at the corners of his brown eyes and jet black hair, he looked more like one of the Spartan Warriors Gram had told her about than a Vampire. Nothing ever seemed to faze him. 

After giving Alec his report that they had found the attacker's body a few miles outside the castle walls, and that he had nothing identifying on him, he tossed back the flask of blood Alec offered him and sat on the bench in the hallway. The two guards leaning against the wall beside him. "It seems to me that this attack was personal," he remarked as he stretched his long legs out and crossed one ankle over the other. Raina heard the comment as she came to the door. She had just returned from changing Blake's bandages. Byron introduced her to Kace and Titus. "I'm sure you both know of Alec's sister Raina," he said. 

"She's somewhat of a healer around here." The guards rushed forward to shake her hand and she could see by their pale hair and sky blue eyes that they were from Selene. Kace looked awestruck and asked, "Is it true you can read minds? Are you that Raina?" "Yes," Raina answered. "We've heard all about you." "Is that right?" she asked, wondering what they had heard. "Yes," Kace said. He looked at the other guard and whispered, "She's a legend in Selene." Titus was dutifully impressed. Byron saw Raina roll her eyes in exasperation and grinned in reaction. 

"Why don't you boys go to your rooms and get cleaned up. After you eat, take the watch from the guards on the wall for a while." "Yes, milord," Kace said. He nudged Titus in the direction of the guards' quarters but paused to look at Alec. "Milord? Is it true what happened in Syreni last year?" "Don't believe everything you hear," Alec replied. "But it's true, isn't it? You took down all four of the Broderick Brothers before any of them could get their wands out, didn't you?" "Get going, Kace," Byron ordered. 

"You're embarrassing Alec." Jade chuckled behind him and he shot her a warning look. As soon as the two guards were out of sight, he said, "They look young." "They are young," Byron agreed. "But they're fast on their feet and they want to be warriors. They're both tougher than they look." Byron said and then Alec changed the subject. "I've decided to change the plans. Raina's going to take Blake to Selene, and you and I will take Jade to Syreni. We'll split up until Blake is well enough to stand on his feet and then we'll all meet in Adearia. It's no longer safe here in Chryseos. Byron nodded seeing the logic in Alec's plan. But both women were shaking their heads in unison. "We can't split up now, and you forgot about Ivy!" Jade argued. "And I'm not so sure it's wise to move Blake in his current state." Raina protested.

"Shouldn't he have woken up by now? You said the arrow didn't hit anything vital." Alec questioned a little confused and more than a little frustrated at the current situation. "It's true he should have woken by now, but I'm afraid the arrow was laced with a powerful tranquilizer of some sort. This was no ordinary attack, Alec. They were being hunted. I believe the shooter intended to collect his prize." She explained.

Jade gasped as the implications of what she was saying sank in. It was just such a horrifying thought, and not only did she believe that what Raina was saying was true, but she knew that the arrow had been intended for her. She couldn't leave Blake in his current state, she just couldn't.