Destined for Vengeance ✔️

Chapter 16

Jade sat on the forest floor, her back propped up against a tree, her legs drawn up against her chest. She wrapped her arms around her knees, staring into the distance.

"Four years," she said. Her voice revealed no emotion. Ryleigh studied her face for a hint towards her state of mind, but though Jade's features weren't tranquil, they were neutral. Not knowing what Jade was feeling was an entirely new sensation.

"Are you alright?" she asked, tilting her head. She sat down in front of Jade, cross-legged, hoping to draw Jade's attention by intruding in her field of vision, but Jade's gaze went straight through her.

"I've had a mate for four years."

"Yes." Had Ryleigh been prone to use her conscience, she might have felt guilty for keeping the secret from Jade all that time – but Jade had asked for it, and it had been the only logical thing to do. Any other decision would have ended in disaster.

"I asked you to make me forget."

"Yes." Ryleigh drummed her fingers on her legs. "You had no choice, J. What other options did you have? Go back to the castle? 'You don't know me, but my sister and I broke into your garden yesterday and it turns out I'm your mate. By the way, I'm a Shadow Walker.' You might as well have pulled the noose around your own neck."

Her eyes flicked to Ryleigh, focusing at last. "I know. But still. He's my mate. Prince Aaron is my mate." She brought her hand up to her mouth, fingers fanning over her lips. "Prince Aaron is my mate. Goddess. I can't believe this."

Ryleigh glanced around her. They were in the middle of the woods, but caution was still warranted. "Careful where and to whom you speak those words."

Jade dropped her head on her knees, closing her eyes. Ryleigh could only guess what was running through her mind. A plethora of what-ifs and if-onlys.

"Do you think he looked for me?" Jade lifted her face just enough to glance at Ryleigh.

"Probably."

She perked up. "You've seen him, haven't you? You've met him. What is he like? What does he look like? Has he changed?"

Ryleigh pulled her brows down from under her messy hair. "I was on the brink of death at the time, so I don't remember everything very vividly." She rubbed her forehead. "Alright. He was amicable. Optimistic. He really wanted Austin to take me with him. He loves fate as much as Ellis. That's because of you, I'm guessing. He knows what it's like to lose a mate and he didn't want Austin to go through the same thing."

"You think so? He hasn't mated anyone else?"

Ryleigh shook her head. "He had no mark, and we probably would've heard about it if he had."

Jade pulled her legs up a bit higher. A sparkle had appeared in her eyes, telling Ryleigh that Jade had moved on from what-ifs to what-nows. She was starting to envision things that were dangerous and risky and neigh impossible.

"I haven't felt the same since that day," Jade said.

"What?"

"I didn't remember anything – you did that masterfully, as always. But I felt different. Like something was pulling at me, and I never understood what."

Ryleigh's fingers – still tapping her knees – fell silent. "You never mentioned that."

"What was there to say? 'Hey, Ry, I suddenly feel really weird, like half of my soul is missing'? You would have laughed at me. Or at least I thought you would."

"You should have said something. I wouldn't have laughed at you."

"But you couldn't have done anything either. You might have been able to erase the memory, but you couldn't erase the workings of fate. And you couldn't exactly tell me what was going on either." She pushed a slow breath past her lips. "Now I get why you don't want me to go to the festival."

"He'll be there and he'll recognise you for sure."

"He didn't recognise you, though."

"No, but that's because he never got a good look at me. It's different with you. If he sees you, he'll know it's you, even if he's never looked at you before. All he needs is to pick up your scent and he'll know. It's too risky."

Jade lowered her head back onto her knees. Ryleigh picked up a twig from the ground and started snapping it into little pieces.

"I want to see him."

Ryleigh froze, a piece of twig in both her hands. "Jade –"

"I have to see him."

"Be reasonable," Ryleigh said. "I get it, I do, but –"

"I have to." She nodded, stretching out her legs and leaning closer to Ryleigh. "I have to see him. This might be the only chance I'll ever get." She latched her gaze onto Ryleigh. "What if it were Austin?"

Ryleigh exhaled through her nose. "Yeah, I get it." She thumped her hands against her legs again. "If we're going to do this, we have to be very careful."

Jade's head snapped up. "We're going to do it?"

"You say you have to see him, and when have I ever refused you anything? We'll make it happen."

Jade's lips curved into a smile, and she nodded. She drew her legs under her, scooting closer to Ryleigh.

"He can't see you, that's for certain, so we need to make sure to stay out of his way." She cocked a brow. "You do realise we can't let him see you, right?"

"Yes." She chewed her bottom lip, that sparkle in her eyes again. "What do you think would happen if he did see me?"

"We'd be in deep shit, that's what would happen."

"But beside that. Would he be angry, you think? He must feel like I abandoned him. Like I evaded him on purpose, which I guess I did."

"You had no choice. He'll understand that."

"Do you think he'll reject me because I'm a Shadow Walker?"

"No. He can't. Royals don't reject their mates. They have to promote the Goddess' decisions. He might kill you, though. Or if he doesn't, Alder will. You realise that, right? That your mate's father is our worst enemy?"

Jade's face fell. "Yeah. You're right. Yeah. He can't see me."

"It's for the best." Ryleigh felt for her, and she understood why Jade wanted to meet him, but it was a tragedy waiting to happen. "So, listen up. We're going to tell Ellis we haven't made up our minds yet but that we might pop in for a few minutes. That way there won't be any expectations. We'll be able to do what we please. It's important you stay downwind at all times. He can't catch your scent or we're screwed. It's tricky, but we can do it. Do you follow?"

"Yes. Downwind." She fumbled with her fingers. "I can't believe this is happening."

"If you'd just trusted my judgment, it wouldn't be. I can erase the memory again, you know. If you want me to. It might make things easier."

Jade shook her head. "I can't. I know I should, but I can't."

"I feared as much. Ah well." Ryleigh slapped her knees and got up, brushing leaves and dirt off her backside. "Can't say I didn't try."

Jade pushed herself off the ground, pushing her hands into her lower back and stretching. "You wouldn't want to forget Austin either. Don't tell me otherwise."

"I don't know. I never got a chance to run away, so I never had a chance to forget him either. If the circumstances had been different, I don't know what I would've done. I didn't plan for any of this, and if it doesn't work out, I might just erase everything to do with Midnight Moon."

"I don't believe you," Jade said.

Ryleigh shrugged, clasping a hand on Jade's shoulder and directing her back towards Midnight Moon. "We'll see." She removed her hand. "One more thing. If he does see you, you run like a rogue and let me handle it." 

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A/N: Jade wants to see Prince Aaron... No way that anything could possibly go wrong, wouldn't you say? ;) 

Thank you for reading!