Chapter Thirty-Three
Thrasher awoke feeling as if he’d slept for days. He rolled to his side to find the bed empty.
Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, Thrasher stood, swaying on his feet for a moment before gaining his bearings. “Kaspyn?”
When no answer came, he staggered into the bathroom, relieved himself, and then made his way toward the kitchen.
Scratching at his chest, Thrasher poured himself a glass of water and downed it to fight off the hunger pangs clawing at his insides.
Why the hell was he so hungry? he wondered, his gaze falling on a piece of paper on the table. He ambled over and snatched it up.
With his heart in his throat, Thrasher read Kaspyn’s words in a daze of disbelief.
He dropped heavily into a chair, rereading the unbelievable words through tormented eyes.
“This can’t be real,” he repeated again and again.
“Kaspyn?” he sent through their connection, only to come up against a wall.
Dropping the note to the table, Thrasher surged to his feet, his legs shaking with the power of his emotions. Kaspyn had left him. The love of his life was gone as if she’d never existed.
A moan of anguish ripped from his chest. “No…God no.”
“Kaspyn!” he shouted, rushing back to his bedroom to don his shoes, shirt, and Ray-Bans. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain the tears swimming in his eyes. For the first time in Thrasher’s life…he cried.
He jogged down the hall to Zyen’s room, only to find it empty. Same with Pyre, Syrina, and the other Arkadian’s that had arrived in Aukrabah with Kaspyn.
Remembering Syrina’s friendship with Fiona, Thrasher rushed to Gryke’s apartment next. He had to fight the urge to simply barge on in. “Fiona?”
The curtain slid back and Fiona stood there, wearing fatigues and a matching cap. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Have you seen Syrina, today?”
A shadow passed through Fiona’s eyes. “I haven’t seen her since she left a couple days ago.”
Days ago? Had he really been asleep for two days? “Where did she go?” But he knew.
Fiona shrugged. “I’m assuming she went home. I can’t believe she didn’t say goodbye. She just left without telling anyone. Did you ask Kaspyn?”
More unimaginable pain sliced through Thrasher’s chest. “Kaspyn’s gone, too.”
“She didn’t tell you where she was going or when she’d be back?”
Swallowing around the painful lump in his throat, Thrasher shook his head. “She left me.”
“Left you, as in left you?” Fiona had paled significantly.
Thrasher clenched his teeth in order to fight back the emotion threatening to unman him. “I found a note on the table that said she was returning to Arkadia and for me to move on. She couldn’t be saddled with a land walker.” His voice broke on that last word.
“Oh, my God, Thrasher. I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
Unable to cope with the pity he could see in Fiona’s eyes, Thrasher spun on his heel and strode to the great hall to precure an ATV. He needed a drink; anything that would help dull the pain now taking his breath.
* * * *
Thrasher wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Kaspyn’s departure. He’d gone to the surface, purchased a case of dark labeled whiskey, and hadn’t left his apartment since. He knew he was in need of a bath and some food.
Tony suddenly appeared at the foot of his bed. “Get up.”
“Get out,” Thrasher snapped back.
“I’m not leaving. Naura sent you some food and made me promise I would stay until you ate at least half of it.”
Thrasher’s stomach rebelled at the thought of food. “I’m not hungry.”
“I didn’t ask if you were hungry, shithead. Now, you can either get up, eat some of this food Naura spent so much time preparing, and then wash your ass, or I’ll hold you down and do it for you.”
Thrasher raised his bloodshot eyes to his closest friend. “You would wash my ass?”
“No, but I would hold you down while Leo did.”
Though Tony’s words were meant to be humorous, Thrasher couldn’t find the will to laugh. “How much longer is Leo gonna be locked up in that dungeon?”
“I reckon until Braum is satisfied. After all, it was Braum’s mate that Leo betrayed.”
Hearing the word “mate” spoken aloud, brought on a new round of pain for Thrasher. He got off the bed and shouldered his way past Tony.
The food sitting on the table turned Thrasher’s stomach, but he knew enough to understand he needed to eat.
He sat down and uncovered the tray to find grilled snapper and new potatoes. “Give Naura my thanks.” His voice sounded wooden to his own ears.
“You can thank her yourself. I told her I’d invite you to dinner tonight.”
Thrasher inwardly growled. “You don’t have to babysit me, Vaughn. I’m not a danger to myself.”
“Really?” Tony snapped, moving to take the seat across from him. “Because you sure as hell look like shit to me.”
Tony softened his tone. “Look, I know where you’re at, Escabar. I’ve been there. And it wasn’t that long ago.”
Thrasher glanced up and met Tony’s gaze. “I remember.”
“It’ll get better with time.”
“I don’t want it to get better, Vaughn. I want her back!”
Tony blew out a breath. “I know you do. But you’re gonna have to face the fact that she might not be coming back. You’re a soldier, Thrasher, and you have Bracadyte blood flowing in your veins. Man up, and get a grip before you fall apart.”
Thrasher didn’t need to be told about his Bracadyte blood. Kaspyn’s life force flowed through his veins. He could feel it with every breath he took. He nodded and picked up his fork.
* * * *
Weeks went by with Thrasher attempting to survive. Abbie had given him something to help him sleep at night, which only made things worse for Thrasher. The medication brought on dreams; dreams of Kaspyn in various states of unhappiness.
“Again,” Thrasher growled, demanding the Bracadyte in front of him to come at him once more. “Harder this time.”
Gryke rose from the bench along the wall, tossing his towel down behind him. “Perhaps you should slow down, Thrasher. You have been training for hours. Besides, I think Baulkor has had enough for the day.”
Thrasher blinked, his muscles tense with anxiety. He inhaled deeply, slowly relaxing his shoulders. “Take a break, Baulkor, we’ll resume training tomorrow.”
Baulkor nodded and moved over to the wall to grab a towel, leaving Thrasher and Gryke alone.
“Let us go for a swim,” Gryke suggested, clapping Thrasher on the shoulder. “I believe it will do you some good.”
Fiona stepped into the training room wearing sharkskin shorts and a tank top. She stopped next to her mate, kissed him on the cheek and then shifted her gaze to Thrasher. The pity he saw swimming there, tightened his stomach.
“How are you doing?” Fiona quietly asked.
Thrasher thought about her question for a moment. “I—”
“One of the Arkadians has returned,” Baulkor announced, poking his head back inside the training room.
Thrasher’s entire body tensed up. “What did you say?”
“I heard someone speaking of it in the hall.”
“Is it a male or female?” Thrasher asked, already rushing toward the exit.
Baulkor turned to jog beside him. “It is a female. She is in your apartment waiting for you.”
Thrasher’s heart surged into his throat. He jumped onto the nearest ATV and drove like a bat out of hell to reach his room. He would thank Baulkor later.
Sliding to a stop outside his apartment, Thrasher jumped from the ATV and rushed inside. “Kaspyn?”
Syrina stood next to the table, her hands folded in front of her. “I am sorry to disappoint you, Thrasher. But it is only me.”
Thrasher’s disappointment couldn’t be hidden if he’d tried. “Did she—Is she here?”
Syrina shook her head. “No, and she does not know that I have come. It has taken me three days to return here. I am certain that my presence has been missed in Arkadia.”
Taking a step closer, Thrasher swallowed hard and asked. “Why have you come?”
The pretty Arkadian’s hands fidgeted in front of her. “I—I was not sure if I should come. I only knew that if I did not, and something happened to Kaspyn—”
“What’s wrong with Kaspyn?” Thrasher rushed out, lurching forward to grip Syrina’s arms. “Tell me.”
Syrina’s worried eyes met his. “Kaspyn carries your child.”
The room tilted beneath Thrasher’s feet. “She—Kaspyn is pregnant?”
“Yes,” Syrina whispered. “She needs you, Thrasher.”
Though Syrina’s words penetrated his brain, Thrasher couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around their meaning.
Syrina jerked free of his hold, reached up, and cupped his face. “You carry her blood in your veins. See for yourself.”
Images of Kaspyn suddenly flooded Thrasher’s mind in torturous detail. The tears that lingered in her eyes day after day. The loneliness and heartbreak she’d experienced with every waking hour since leaving him. The joy and fear at discovering she carried his child.
Syrina’s hands slid away and the images left as abruptly as they appeared. “You must help her.”
“She didn’t want to leave me,” Thrasher numbly murmured.
“It was the only choice she had at the time, Thrasher. Her father would have killed you all.”
Thrasher’s lip curled. “He could have tried. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” Syrina called out as Thrasher bolted toward his room to pack a bag.
“To Arkadia to take back what’s mine!”