Reaching Retribution(95)

Zahtri brings his arm forward to punch at the same time as his leg moves out. It was one of those moments, where I have to choose the lesser of the two evils. I chose wrong. I duck to avoid being punched and his foot hits the side of my knee. The world blurs around me as I tumble to the ground. As the grass gets closer and closer to me, I try to twist my body so the landing won’t hurt, but I don’t move fast enough. Landing on my left arm, I hear the snap before the pain spreads through me. I can’t hold in my cry as I try to roll over and get up. Pins and needles climb up my arm with the movement and I collapse back to the ground. Zahtri moves toward me, slowly unsheathing a small dagger from the belt around his waist.

So much for a weaponless fight.





Colton


“Well don’t you look handsome,” my girl’s voice says from behind me. I turn around and smile at Ryanne as she walks toward me wearing her bridesmaid’s dress.

“You’re wearing pink,” I try to hide my smile as she stops in front of me. I’ve never seen her in pink before.

“Only because I love Emma and this is her day. I’ll get back at her at our wedding,” she laughs and wraps her arms around my waist. My heart skips a beat at the thought of our wedding. Ryanne and I are going to get married. This girl is going to be my wife. My life.

“You do look beautiful, Ryanne,” I whisper in her ear. Her slight shiver fills me with happiness. It’s been almost a year, and my touch still affects her.

“Okay, everyone get in your places. Emma’s ready,” Natalie says as she walks into the backyard. She’s wearing a dress very similar to Ryanne’s, except hers is strapless while Ryanne’s is one shouldered. I let go of Ryanne and Logan, Liam, and I walk over to stand behind David at the edge of the yard.

“Hey man, you ready?” I ask him as I get into line. David is fidgeting with the cuffs on his jacket and clenching his jaw. “Relax,” I laugh at him.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” he says as he releases the cuff and clasps his hands in front of him.

Before I can answer, Violet starts playing the wedding song on the piano we brought outside. Travis is standing off to the side, watching his soulmate as she plays. She grins up at him, but doesn’t let that mess her up. After everything that’s happened to him, I’m glad he found his soulmate.

Incendia enters the aisle and slowly walks down it, holding a small bouquet in her hand. Similar to Ryanne, seeing Incendia in pink is something that just doesn’t happen. Her smile widens as she sees Bragden watching her from one of the lawn chairs. She shakes her head and steps into her place across from us. Natalie is next.

“She looks beautiful,” Liam whispers behind me. She does. I know Natalie caught that because she bites her lip and shakes her head at him. Liam laughs quietly behind me. I’m glad those two found each other too. They both deserve it. Once Natalie is in place, Ryanne steps onto the aisle.

My breath hitches and my stomach tightens at her beauty. How is this girl mine? Ryanne smiles as she takes the first step. Her eyes never leave me as she continues walking toward us. Someday she’ll be in a wedding dress, walking toward me.

A couple seconds later, her smile falls and she stops walking. The crowd starts whispering at her sudden change. I glance at David. What’s going on? Her eyes move from mine and land on the trees behind me. With tears in her eyes, she glances back at me as an arrow shoots out from the trees and implants itself into her chest, impaling her heart. Everyone gasps and jumps up. Ryanne falls to the ground where she stays, her bouquet landing at her side. As the wind picks up the loose flower petals, Logan and I push everyone out of the way and run to her, but I know it’s already too late.

Ryanne is dead.

Logan drops to the ground beside her and attempts to heal her, but he can’t bring back the dead. Only a soulmate can do that and I’ve already healed her once. We only get one chance. Seeing the blood soak through her pink dress chokes me up. I stand up and look toward the tree line. Who did this?

Dravin steps out from the shadows and waves his bow at me. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”



The vision stops playing in front of me. I’m lying on the ground in the middle of the field while the fight continues. I can hear grunts of pain echo through the area as punches are being thrown. I look to my right and see Liam still fighting Dravin, so I push myself up, but can’t join Liam right away. Closing my eyes, I try to make the world stop spinning around me.

It wasn’t real. Dravin made me see that. It didn’t actually happen. David and Emma are not married yet. That was a projection…something of Dravin’s imagination. As the vertigo passes, I look across the field and see Ryanne fighting against Zahtri. Alive. She’s alive. She wasn’t shot with an arrow. Ryanne is moving with the skill of someone who has trained their whole life. She’s ducking at the right time, deflecting his advances with the correct parts of her body, and she’s mentally in the zone. She’s not focusing on what is happening around her.