love my daughter. If you saw your child killed before your eyes you would have a momentary break down also.”
“Aviana, if I were to ever have a child who was killed before my eyes, I fear the world may not survive my wrath.” Voyager’s eyes changed just for a minute promising death to whoever dared to mess with what was his.
A shiver went through her. “What do we do? I’m ready to leave.”
“You have chosen not to soul-bond with Rylan?” Voyager asked.
Her eyes flew to Rylan whose shoulders squared when she looked at him. It was the sadness in his eyes that reached her.
“I didn’t say that.”
“This is a trial, if you leave before it is over the chance to soul-bond will be lost forever.”
She opened her mouth then closed it without saying anything.
“So many rules. I think the trial is about tearing you down, not soul bonding.” This came out low as she followed Voyager up the steps followed by Rylan.
Thoughts of the job she held for a few hours came back to her. It was what she always thought she wanted. A place where her brilliance could shine. The people around her who worked for her would be excited and maybe even a little awed by what she could accomplish.
It hadn’t felt like that at all. The work was something she knew she could do, but her life had felt empty. There were no real friends she could call. Even though she’d only been there for a day, a piece of her longed for something different.
The door that was forever open, screaming that she’d been cheated out of her perfect life, began to slowly swing shut. She didn’t have a choice about Mckayla, but she would never give her up to work in an office or to flaunt her intelligence.
The lingering question in the back of her mind was answered. Had she made the right choice? Yes.
Chapter Fourteen
They walked through the city that seemed to be deserted. Aviana walked up to Rylan and bumped her shoulder against his. He looked at her.
“Sorry.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For not believing you and for all the drama I just dished out.”
“There’s no need to apologize. You love Mckayla; I would expect nothing else.”
“I expect better of myself. Believing in another person has become harder for me. Every day I take care of her alone, and I thought that is how it would always be. It wasn’t easy for us and the world has its own problems. No one ever took the time to help. Then I find myself at Victor and Selma’s and everything seemed to change almost overnight. Friends and maybe even family came into my life. Mckayla’s laughter was like a balm to my tired soul. And then you were there.”
“Was that a good thing?”
“Have you looked in a mirror lately?”
“Yeah,” his voice didn’t convey that he saw what she saw.
“It’s a very good thing. You’re so handsome; I can barely believe you’re real. But this is about so much more than your physical looks. You’re brave and domineering. I find I like both qualities. When you…” her cheeks heated. “When you had me pinned under you the other day, I’ve never been turned on like that. Until that moment, I thought I would never respond to a male. Instead of feeling scared or used, I knew you would keep me safe. I understood you for a few moments. Your pain and your rage.”
“I was sure I scared you away.”
“You didn’t. What would you do if I wanted to be on top and pin your wrist against the floor?”
“I’d give you a piece of twine to bind them together.”
“Why?”
“Because I trust you.”
She smiled as her heart did a little two-step. Trust was such a valuable feeling, one you couldn’t just award to anyone, and he trusted her.
“I trust you, too. I think we could have a strong soul-bond, but I don’t know how to do one.”
“Neither do I. We can learn together.” Rylan reached out to stroke the side of her face.
“We rest here tonight.” Voyager’s voice stopped them.
They were back in a wooded area; the city had
“Aviana, if I were to ever have a child who was killed before my eyes, I fear the world may not survive my wrath.” Voyager’s eyes changed just for a minute promising death to whoever dared to mess with what was his.
A shiver went through her. “What do we do? I’m ready to leave.”
“You have chosen not to soul-bond with Rylan?” Voyager asked.
Her eyes flew to Rylan whose shoulders squared when she looked at him. It was the sadness in his eyes that reached her.
“I didn’t say that.”
“This is a trial, if you leave before it is over the chance to soul-bond will be lost forever.”
She opened her mouth then closed it without saying anything.
“So many rules. I think the trial is about tearing you down, not soul bonding.” This came out low as she followed Voyager up the steps followed by Rylan.
Thoughts of the job she held for a few hours came back to her. It was what she always thought she wanted. A place where her brilliance could shine. The people around her who worked for her would be excited and maybe even a little awed by what she could accomplish.
It hadn’t felt like that at all. The work was something she knew she could do, but her life had felt empty. There were no real friends she could call. Even though she’d only been there for a day, a piece of her longed for something different.
The door that was forever open, screaming that she’d been cheated out of her perfect life, began to slowly swing shut. She didn’t have a choice about Mckayla, but she would never give her up to work in an office or to flaunt her intelligence.
The lingering question in the back of her mind was answered. Had she made the right choice? Yes.
Chapter Fourteen
They walked through the city that seemed to be deserted. Aviana walked up to Rylan and bumped her shoulder against his. He looked at her.
“Sorry.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For not believing you and for all the drama I just dished out.”
“There’s no need to apologize. You love Mckayla; I would expect nothing else.”
“I expect better of myself. Believing in another person has become harder for me. Every day I take care of her alone, and I thought that is how it would always be. It wasn’t easy for us and the world has its own problems. No one ever took the time to help. Then I find myself at Victor and Selma’s and everything seemed to change almost overnight. Friends and maybe even family came into my life. Mckayla’s laughter was like a balm to my tired soul. And then you were there.”
“Was that a good thing?”
“Have you looked in a mirror lately?”
“Yeah,” his voice didn’t convey that he saw what she saw.
“It’s a very good thing. You’re so handsome; I can barely believe you’re real. But this is about so much more than your physical looks. You’re brave and domineering. I find I like both qualities. When you…” her cheeks heated. “When you had me pinned under you the other day, I’ve never been turned on like that. Until that moment, I thought I would never respond to a male. Instead of feeling scared or used, I knew you would keep me safe. I understood you for a few moments. Your pain and your rage.”
“I was sure I scared you away.”
“You didn’t. What would you do if I wanted to be on top and pin your wrist against the floor?”
“I’d give you a piece of twine to bind them together.”
“Why?”
“Because I trust you.”
She smiled as her heart did a little two-step. Trust was such a valuable feeling, one you couldn’t just award to anyone, and he trusted her.
“I trust you, too. I think we could have a strong soul-bond, but I don’t know how to do one.”
“Neither do I. We can learn together.” Rylan reached out to stroke the side of her face.
“We rest here tonight.” Voyager’s voice stopped them.
They were back in a wooded area; the city had
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