Page 15 of All's Fair in Lion and War
“What?” It didn’t add up. “Yesterday I was home. I was with Tallix. I don’t understand.”
“You are injured worse than I first thought. Your mind is confused. Lorelei, you have been away from Reylea for nearly a year. Do you remember Exodus Day?”
“I remember we were preparing for it.” Dread crept into her heart like a dark infection threatening to consume her completely. “It was close. I know it was, but my mind is cloudy. My memories are veiled like someone has filled my mind with smoke.” Tears ran down her cheeks unchecked. She didn’t care to be strong or stoic any longer. The pain was too much.
Her mate.
Her husband.
A year?
How could a whole year have gone by and she not remember it?
What had Rivian done?
“I am sorry, Lorelei. I would give you more time to process were the situation not so urgent. But we must leave this cabin. Rivian’s warriors hunt you now that the storm has passed. We must get to my Tribe’s land. MyVrakawill be able to protect you. You will be safe.” He put the bag ofgorchainto a sling of sorts and swung it onto his back. The straps went over both his shoulders. She’d never seen anything like it before.
She’d never seen anything like what surrounded her before.
He handed her a heavy garment. “Put this on. It is cold outside.”
“Cold?”
“We are not on Reylea any longer. This is the planet the magics-benders found. This is where the portal sent us on Exodus Day. The world is Earth. We are in a land called Alaska.” He kept his voice even, quiet, and soothing.
Still the tears flowed.
Still it was too much to process.
She’d lost everything.
Everyone. And now he was saying her mate’s brother had survived and was here and had been in possession ofher.For a year?
No.
She ran her hands up and down her body, wincing under the slight pressure of her fingers. She was bruised all over. Her arm ached like it had been ripped from her body and reattached.
“I don’t remember anything.”
She thought her admission to this male would help ease her horror over the situation. She didn’t know why she thought that. He was a stranger. But not.
And she did trust Saul.
Perhaps it was thesoul call, perhaps another reason. He claimed to have saved her yesterday. But even that memory as of right now was inaccessible.
“I know. I am sorry he took you from your mate, from your life. He will die for that transgression. I vow that on my life.” His tone dropped to a dark and deadly level.
“You said you have a home here. A tribe?” She knew what Exodus Day meant for their world. She knew her mate was gone. Thesoul callwould not manifest for her in this male otherwise. But she didn’t want it. It was too much. Everything was too much.
She wanted to curl up and forget all the painful things she’d learned.
“It is a good place. With good people. They are happy. Two have children with their mate. We all take turns caring for the babies so the mothers can rest. It is how it should be.”
Lorelei nodded and then looked away from him. What he described sounded nice. Sounded like home where Tribes took care of each other like one big family. It was what she had with Tallix.
Had with Tallix…but didn’t have anymore.
“How will we get to your home? You said Rivian and his warriors hunt for me. You said they were waiting for the storm to pass. I don’t hear a storm.”
