Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) Read online

  Everything had changed. She had changed. The future held much more in store for her. The prophecies she hated made that clear. Learning all she could gave her a better chance at survival. The other races and the Vor were dangerous, especially to a mortal human like her.

  Kei grinned at her as she approached the fire, running his hands through his messy hair. "Morning."

  "Good morning to you. You slept well."

  "I did," he admitted ruefully. "How did you sleep?"

  She shrugged. "Well enough." She began digging through the packs to find something to make for breakfast.

  "I’m going to check on the horses."

  "I’ll find a bit more wood," Bo offered.

  Turning, she saw the low fire and lack of a woodpile. "Thanks. That’d be great."

  Busying herself with cooking, she let her mind wander again. With Prince gone, she’d lost the person most likely to answer her questions. Kei had grown up in the west and lost his parents when he was young, so he didn’t know much about magic or his history. Garen mostly spoke in riddles. She wondered if he just didn’t know either. He’d left his pack at a young age when for some reason he’d lost the ability to shift back into his human form.

  Bo dropped an armful of wood beside the fire. "Anything else you need?"

  "No, this is good. Unless you want to cook?"

  His loud laugh echoed through the trees around them. "I want to be able to eat the food."

  "Good point," she said with a smile.

  She concentrated on getting breakfast going. Prince had given her and Bo each a horse. The Elven seer apparently saw him coming home, what he would have gifted them, and prepared everything. She wasn’t sure how much to trust the seer. Hopefully the packs weren’t full of old socks. At least they now owned two beautiful Elven horses.

  She glanced over at Garen. Prince gave him an Elven glamor rune. It somehow hid his size, having him appear to be a large dog, and encouraged others to stay away and not look. He could now safely go into the cities with them without causing panic in the streets.

  Elves didn’t change forms like the Were or shift into killing beasts with claws and fangs like the Fey in their fury. Their magic consisted of spells. The only Elven magic she’d ever seen had been the glamor rune. Prince wore one when she’d first met him, hidden on the back of his neck. It made him appear human, hiding his pointed ears and softening his beauty. She hadn’t even known it was there until Damon showed them and tore it off. Magic was power though, or something like that. While with them, Prince had been too weak to ever use any.

  Did all their magic use runes? Why had she never asked?

  From now on, she’d have to ask more questions. She ground her teeth in frustration at the opportunities wasted with Prince. She’d learned to build a fortress in her mind to protect her thoughts and memories from people who would try to read them. But she’d never learned how to enter another’s mind like Prince and Garen did with her. She didn’t know how to read someone’s thoughts and could only speak to other telepaths like the Were and Dragos. She paused, wondering if she could speak to Elves. She’d only been able to talk to Prince when he touched her, but that had been before the pack bond, and back then, she’d known even less. Perhaps he’d been too weak to speak and hear her without touching?

  Mulling that thought over, she finished cooking. "Time to eat, boys," she called.

  They gathered around and ate quickly.

  "You’re quiet this morning," Bo commented between bites.

  "I’ve been thinking," she admitted. "About magic. I have a lot to learn."

  Bo sat back. "I don’t think that’s something you want to meddle with."

  She nodded her agreement. "I know. I need to find someone to teach me, like Prince was doing." Looking over at Garen, she grinned.

  Don’t give me that look.

  "There must be something you can teach me."

  The Were don’t have much magic, and I can’t see you learning to shift.

  She snorted and choked on a bite of food. "No. But you can come into my mind like Prince did. I don’t know how to do that. Or how to pick up others' thoughts, I can only speak to them. Things like that."

  We learn when we are young, surrounded by our parents and elders. Leaving your own mind is dangerous. Things can go terribly wrong.

  Aro bit her lip at the tenseness of his voice. "Is that what happened to you," she asked quietly.

  Not…quite. I at least had my wolf. If you became separated from your body, you would simply be lost.

  The thought sent a shiver down her spine and left her breakfast feeling like a hard, cold lump in her stomach.

  Bo cleared his throat, startling her.

  "I know," she muttered.

  "Promise," Kei said softly. "You won’t try on your own."

  "I promise," she said quickly, meaning it. The thought of losing her body still gave her chills.

  If you remain with the Were and can find someone to teach you, I will help. I just wouldn’t know what to do if something went wrong.

  "I understand. Thank you, Garen." She appreciated his honesty and concern for her safety. "So," she said into the silence. "What’s the word? What do we do now?"

  Bo slapped his hands on his large thighs. "I think I’ll see what Prince sent us while we talk."

  She looked over to Kei as Bo fetched one of the two large double saddlebags and hauled it over. The Fey stared into the fire, chewing his lower lip.

  "Well," she said into the silence. "I’m tired, and sore, and think wherever we go should have nice soft beds. And lots of food."

  "And warm," Bo added, with a smile. "What is in this?" He grunted and thumped back down to sit next to the bag he’d dragged over.

  She grinned, remembering how often they’d been cold the previous winter when they’d run out of fuel to burn. "Warm would be nice."

  We are welcome with the Were.

  "So they said," Bo answered. "But I don’t know where they’d keep us. I don’t want to overstay our welcome."

  "Prince said if we were to stay in a city to go to Westport. It’s the one north of this one." She jerked her head at the city beyond the hills. "He said they have the largest port."

  "We might hear some word of home then," Bo said, pulling bags from the pouch. Opening one, he peered inside and whistled before setting it to the side and starting on another.

  "We might," Aro agreed, her thoughts turning to the home they’d lost, and to the family she’d lost when the slavers captured her. Clearing her throat, she shook the dark, sad thoughts away. "What are you finding?"

  "Lots of coin so far," Bo answered with a wide grin.

  "We could rent a nice place then, and should be able to afford food and anything else we needed." She glanced over at Garen. "Would you be able to winter in a city?"

  With the rune Prince gave me, it shouldn’t be a problem. It is not uncommon for Were to live undetected in the human cities for a time.

  Her eyebrows rose. How many Were had she passed in all the cities they’d traveled through and she hadn’t noticed? "What do they do?"

  Work. Make things that are needed for the pack. Gather supplies. His tongue lolled out. Gather information on the humans.

  She chuckled and shook her head. His words shouldn’t have surprised her. Glancing over at Kei, her heart sunk. He didn’t look happy. "Kei? What do you want to do?"

  "I’ll go where you go," he whispered.

  "No," she said firmly. "What do you want to do?"

  Lowering his eyes, he shrugged a shoulder. "I want to help my people. Find them. Heal them." He shook his head and smiled up at her sadly. "We’ve been through much. You need to rest. The forest in winter is not an easy place to be."

  Her heart went out to him. She didn’t know what to do.

  This far south the winters are milder.

  "I still don’t want to tramp around in the cold and snow," Bo said. He grimaced and rubbed a knee. "I’m not getting any younger." He turned to Kei
. "Is there a plan for having Aro heal the Fey? Wandering through the woods hoping to come across them could take a long time."

  "No." Kei’s lips turned down and he ran his fingers through his hair. "You’re right. We need to talk about it."

  "And what we’ll do once we get started," Bo continued. "Will they stay with us or go on their way? What is it you want to accomplish?"

  "To return to Furia and make it our home again," Kei said softly.

  Aro reached out and rubbed his shoulder. "Then we’ll make plans to do that."

  He nodded and smiled at her faintly.

  "I mean it." She let her hand drop, unsure what to say or do to break his dark mood. "It's been a long year," she continued quietly. "We just need some rest."

  "I understand." From the tone of his voice, he didn't.

  She couldn't really blame him. Finally the Fey had someone who could save them from being constantly locked in their fury, and she wanted to take a break.

  Clinking sounds turned her attention back to Bo and the growing pile of small bags around him.

  "We're good." A broad grin split his face as he gestured to different piles. "Gold, silver." He selected a bag and tossed it to her. "Gems."

  Her eyebrows rose as she opened the small bag. It wasn't full, but the shiny cut stones within could likely purchase a small town. "You're saying we're rich?"

  "Is there a word for more than rich?"

  She chuckled, her mind still not grasping the wealth sitting on the ground in little bags. "What was he thinking?"

  Bo smiled softly. "He wanted you to have everything you might ever need or want. We can buy a house now and fill it with anything. We can hire servants to cook and clean. We can do anything. There is enough here we can all live royally until the day we die."

  "I can have a real bed," she murmured. Looking to Kei, a huge grin split her face. The pensive look on his face killed her smile. She wracked her brain, trying to figure out why he wasn't happy they were all rich now. The realization struck her swiftly. Reaching over she punched his arm. "Think how prepared we'll be for our next adventure, Kei. We can buy anything we might ever need to search for the Fey."

  His eyes flicked over to hers and finally, she saw a smile. He nodded sharply once, yet his shoulders relaxed.

  "There's more," Bo said, stopping her from trying to pry more out of Kei.

  "More?"

  He held up a large wrapped parcel, his brows drawing together as he studied something on the top. With a grimace of annoyance, he held it out to her. "There are three, each with a note."

  Taking the awkward bundle, she understood his annoyance. Of them all, Bo was the only one who couldn't read. She read the small note tied to the strings and held it out to Kei. "This one's yours."

  The next was for Bo, and finally she held one with her name. They all sat for a moment, exchanging glances before attacking the knots. Unfolding layers of cloth, she came across a leather belt first, small yet with beautiful etchings in the leather of leaves and vines. Glancing up, she saw the boys each finding their own. Next came a sheath, mostly plain, yet studying it she marveled at the craftsmanship.

  Unwrapping further she smiled, not surprised to find a dagger as the final gift. Lifting it gently from the cloth, she held her breath as she studied it. The quality was unlike any she'd ever seen, the size and balance perfect for her.

  Bo let out a low whistle of appreciation.

  Holding it up to the light, she bit her lip at the markings on the blade and hilt. "Are those Elven runes?"

  Garen stood and moved closer to Bo, looking at his dagger. Yes, though what they represent I do not know. They are simple in form. I would assume they stand for things like staying sharp, not rusting, not breaking. Simple spells.

  "Simple spells," she muttered in disbelief. "Wither me." She slipped the sheath onto the belt and stood to put it on. The dagger slid in perfectly.

  "And this, for Kei." Bo handed over another package.

  Kei frowned, but opened it, revealing a small, intricately carved wood box. He flipped open a folded note, his jaw clenching as he read. Muttering under his breath, he crumbled the small piece of paper and tossed it in the fire.

  "Kei! What is it?"

  Clearly annoyed, he shook his head as he stood and jammed the box into his pack.

  While she cleaned up breakfast, Bo repacked everything while Kei got the horses ready. It was early yet, and if they made good time they hoped to reach the Were settlement by mid to late afternoon.

  Though breakfast and discovering Prince's gifts distracted her for a time, they barely got moving before her thoughts again returned to Prince.

  The new dagger at her side certainly didn't help. Every so often her fingers would brush the pommel, a constant reminder of him.

  Too soon, her sad lonely thoughts returned.

  Chapter 3

  Think of Me

  After a while of riding in silence, lost in her thoughts and memories, Bo startled her by calling her name loudly.

  Turning in the saddle to look over where he rode the other Elven steed beside her, she held in a blush at the frown on his face. How many times did he call her name?

  "I said we should discuss what we're going to do with all of this." He gestured to the packs. "I don't think it would be wise to carry it into the city."

  She quickly pulled her thoughts back to the present. "True. If anyone knew what we carried we'd be robbed in an instant." She turned to her right, searching the trees for Kei. Though they had three horses now, he still preferred to run. The extra horse plodded along behind Bo's mount. "Kei?"

  "I doubt he's far."

  Grimacing, she turned back to Bo. "Well… maybe we could hide some in the woods."

  "Or see if the Were will hold it for us. Garen insists they are quite trustworthy."

  "We can bring it up with Rhee-En."

  He nodded and scratched at the long scar on his cheek. "How are you doing?"

  She blinked at the change in subject. "I'm…I'm fine. As can be, I guess."

  He gave her a small smile. "It will get easier with time. You know that."

  Lowering her head, she nodded slightly. She knew. They'd lost so many friends. Prince wasn't dead, but he was still gone. It was almost the same thing. The thought of Avery's death didn't steal her breath away anymore. She could even talk about him sometimes. Cain's being more recent still hurt. She couldn't talk about him without feeling the pain of his loss, but his death didn't constantly haunt her now. While awake, anyway. Her nightmares often included the deaths of all the boys she'd lost. Prince had helped her with them. Now that he'd returned home, would they get worse again? At least she still had Kei. Even though he couldn't calm her dreams, his presence at night still helped.

  They rode quietly through the morning. Multiple times Bo would begin to speak with her and then change his mind. Kei returned a few times to give her strange looks she didn't understand before running back into the woods.

  After he made another such venture, she watched his retreating back for a moment before turning to Bo. "What's wrong with him?"

  He snorted and shook his head. "He's worried about you."

  "He shouldn't be. I'm not crying hysterically."

  "You're not really here though, pup." He tapped his temple.

  "I haven't lost my mind, if that's what you're saying. I've just been thinking. He's not even been gone a day. I should be allowed to miss him."

  "Of course you are," he said quickly. "You're just not acting like most girls would."

  She clenched her teeth for a moment, not sure what to yell at him for first. Finally, she settled with, "Since when have I ever acted like most girls?"

  "True." He smiled ruefully. "And we are thankful for that at times."

  She cast a glare his way, not sure if she should be offended or not.

  "I remember," he said slowly, "my first love. I was around your age. A barmaid at a tavern in the city."

  When he didn't continue, she p
rodded him along. "Was she beautiful?"

  He chuckled. "I thought so. As did a number of others. She had curves in all the right places and–" He stopped abruptly and cleared his throat.

  "What happened? Did you court her?"

  "I did. But like I said, so did a number of others. I got into many fights over her. She was the type who liked to play games and would set us against each other. I lost a good friend because of her." He shook his head, trying to toss the memory aside. "In the end she wed none of us. Broke a lot of hearts. Mine included." He turned to look at her. "Even us men feel the pain of it, Aro."

  She didn't know what to say. Prince hadn't really broken her heart, not this time. He just…was gone.

  "Young love is the hardest," Bo continued. "But it's the most wild, the most exciting. As you grow older, the feelings are there, but don't overwhelm as much."

  "Did you ever fall in love again?"

  His loud laugh echoed through the trees. "A few times. That is the thing with falling in love. You can do it more than once. You can fall in, you can fall out."

  "Were you…" She hesitated. "Were you ever married?"

  "Ah, no, pup. I wasn't the settling down sort."

  "Or you didn't find the right girl."

  "That, too," he admitted with a crooked smile.

  She wondered if he wanted to have a wife one day, or children, but bit her tongue to keep from asking. Now wasn't the time, and perhaps the question would cause him pain. Her thoughts instead jumped to the idea of him being her age. Studying him for a moment, she tried to picture how he would have looked. He was almost thirty now, with some gray in his hair and lines crinkling at his eyes and around his mouth. Did he have the scar back then? She didn't know, and for some reason just couldn't make a younger version of him form in her mind.

  "If you want to talk, you know we are here."

  She scowled and looked away. Talking wouldn't work when she didn't even know how she felt. "I'm fine! I wish you'd all stop acting like I was made of glass."