Lightning Destroyer: (Lighting Seeker Book 3)

Resetting a Bone

Vale was alive and real in his arms and soon, he was going to have to let her go all over again. It felt unfair. Painful in a way that had become a norm. He ignored the way one set of fingers shook, a reminder that his arm would soon be too far gone for him to be a healer. 

My time in this role s short. I'll be useless soon... 

"I still don't understand why Mortem is letting me go," Vale said over the sound of the wind as Dash carried her towards the large castle that hung over the city. The house that belonged to her father, the man who hadn't known she existed until recently. 

"Mortem doesn't steal people. He frees them," Dash answered as they began their descent towards the garden outside. The lights from inside washed warm across the grass. No one had seemed to notice that Vale had gone missing yet. 

"He stole me once," Vale replied as they reached the ground. 

Dash lowered Vale to her feet, steadying her, hands on her waist. "You came to him. He never took you. You snuck on his ship and his only option was to either throw you overboard, or give you a job."

Vale searched his face, confusion flickering across her expression, her green eyes catching in the light from the party inside. "Is that why I have memories of that ship's crash? I was helping him destroy it?" 

Dash hesitated. Mortem had told him to keep his answers short. To not bombarded Vale with information. It was like yanking off stitches before the body had healed. It was too soon to show her just how much of her life had been erased and changed. 

Should I tell her who her father is? Should I tell her that she is the beacon of the rebellion? 

"The AI ship was sent to destroy humans on my ship. Two people stopped it and saved hundreds of lives." 

Vale gasped, and it was in that moment that Dash realized he was still holding her, fingers splayed across the fabric at her waist. He took a step back, embarrassed at his own want to keep her close even as he readied himself to let her go. 

Vale caught a look on his face that he had tried to hide. She took a step towards him, curiosity puckering her brows. "And what of you?" she asked. 

"What of me?" Dash asked, refusing to take another step back as the edges of her large dress brushed the top of his metal boots. 

"Who am I to you?" Vale asked. 

Dash's heart hammered, attempting to answer the question for him. But Dash refused to give the answer she was clearly asking. Instead, he took a step back, removing the temptation that her closeness brought, and offered her a small bow. "You are the girl who saved that ship of one hundred human passengers and myself along with it." 

She was so much more. Had done so much more. But he couldn't risk more. Not yet. He offered her a small bow of thanks. "This is where I leave you." He glanced towards the glass doors. "Your father would skin me alive if he knew I was here and I'd prefer to keep all of my extremities intact... well what is left of them," he said with a smile as he glanced down at his legs. 

"My Lady," he said with a tip of his head before he moved to blast into the air. 

"Wait!" Vale called, gripping his wrist tightly. "I don't... There's so much... none of this makes sense." 

Dash offered her a sad smile. "I know. But Mortem was right. I can't answer all of your questions. At least not as quickly as you will want answers. And we will not force a memory adjustment. I must go. I'd prefer to stay as far away from the life of an Elite as possible." 

"Was Mortem serious... when he said he would train me? How will I find him if I want to learn?" Vale asked, voice urgent. 

Dash smiled, removing her fingers from his wrist. "It's better if we find you. I'd be careful with what you share, lest it be snatched from your memories."