Reclamation: The Sacred Isle Series Read online

  Reclamation

  The Sacred Isle Series

  K.E. Miller

  Copyright © 2020 Kayla Miller

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9798678728272

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Art Painter

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  To Lisa,

  Best friend and editor extraordinare.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Books In This Series

  Acknowledgements

  About The Author

  Prologue

  Cole

  As I walked down the long dark hallway, I was unsure what fate awaited me in the large office at the end. I barely controlled the urge to tremble as I walked, fear all but consuming me. My life was in danger and I doubted that I would be able to talk my way out of it this time.

  I paused briefly outside the large oak door, attempting to gather myself. I pushed the door open without knocking, knowing I was expected. I walked over to the oversized ornate desk and bowed, staring at the floor until I was acknowledged.

  “Well?” Dominic demanded.

  I straightened and looked at the man sitting behind the massive desk. His long jet-black hair accentuated his pasty skin and bloodshot eyes. His severe cheekbones only added to his sinister otherworldly appearance. His beard was kept carefully trimmed, which he only grew to hide the ugly scar on the right side of his face. The irises of his eyes were as black as his pupils and the only true indication that he wasn’t as young as he appeared.

  He had been reading a copy of the newspaper and smoking a cigar, but both were forgotten as his eyes bore into mine. I struggled not to fidget as I calmly gazed back at him.

  “My lord,” I began, somehow managing to keep my voice even. “my men were unable to eliminate the girl.”

  My hands started to shake.

  “What do you mean they were unable?” he asked, standing. He placed his hands on the desk and leaned toward me, formidably. I fought to remain calm.

  “It was just one little girl,” he growled.

  “My men tell me she was not alone. Apparently, there was a Bard present, as well as an exceptionally skilled Warrior.”

  “Do you mean to tell me that is all that prevented you from killing her, Blake?”

  I swallowed hard, before relaying the most distressing part of my news.

  “Aaron Tremain was there as well. He helped her to escape.”

  Dominic’s fist hit the table and I jumped.

  “I knew he couldn’t keep out of this! Damn him!” he bellowed. “This will make it even more difficult to get rid of her. She must be removed from the equation before she remembers her full power.”

  “She may already remember, sir.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice so quiet and dark that a shiver ran down my spine.

  “She dropped all of my men at the same time, without touching them.”

  “This is worse than I thought,” Dominic mumbled to himself as he began pacing back and forth behind his desk. I waited patiently, having enough experience with Dominic to know when to keep my mouth shut.

  He finally turned to me and said, “Take a full unit of Warriors and go to the U.S. Use whatever resources you think are necessary. I want her head on my desk and Tremain in custody.”

  “Yes, my lord,” I said and turned to leave.

  “And Blake…” he added.

  I couldn’t breath as I turned back to Dominic.

  “Don’t forget your oath.”

  I gave a sharp nod before turning and leaving the room. I massaged my hands as I retreated down the hallway, trying to stop them from shaking. The moment I had spent centuries preparing for was upon me. I knew I would only have one chance to do what had to be done; what I had promised would be done.

  Chapter 1

  Shaylee

  I opened my eyes to see the ceiling of Jaden’s car. I sat up with a stretch and glanced out the window. We were parked at a gas station and I was both relieved and shocked that I was alone in the car. It was the first time I’d been alone in almost two days.

  The back door opened and I jumped. Aaron got in next to me and handed me a package of mini doughnuts and a bottle of orange juice.

  He smiled apologetically and said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you might get hungry soon. They didn’t have much of a selection.”

  “Thanks,” I said, opening the juice. “Where is everyone?”

  “Jaden is in the restroom and Drew is having some difficulty with the coffee machine.”

  I couldn’t help but smile as I imagined Andrew trying desperately to get coffee from a broken machine. I looked out the window, but I couldn’t make out any of my surroundings in the pre-dawn light.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “Somewhere in Georgia.”

  “Georgia?”

  “I think Drew and Jaden are waiting for you to give them a destination. Until then we are just going to keep zigzagging around the country.”

  “Me?” I asked. “How am I supposed to know where to go?”

  I was absolutely shocked that they would even look to me for answers. Yes, I knew who I used to be and I had a few little memories, but that didn’t make me the decision maker. I had no more wisdom today than I’d had a few days ago.

  “Drew isn’t sure where any of the Resistance locations are since the Council attacked New York. I think he thought that you would have all the answers and solutions once we got past your Transition.”

  “Oh,” I said, as I considered things. “Is it bad that I don’t have any answers?”

  The idea that I was somehow supposed to suddenly know enough to take charge was troubling. Sure, Sophia had given me a pretty clear idea on the big picture. Long term I understood what I needed to do, but I had no idea what to do other than destroy Dominic.

  “Of course not,” Aaron said, reassuring me. He took my hand and I found myself relaxing at his comforting touch. We sat together in companionable silence as we waited for the others. I closed my eyes and relaxed as Aaron’s thumb traced patterns on the back of my hand.

  “Shay,” he said, quietly. “We can go at your pace. You don’t have to be anything other than yourself. We can go hold up somewhere and you can take your time. I’ll teach you and help you remember.”

  I sighed, knowing he meant well, but feeling in my gut that his plan would never work.

  “I don’t think we have that kind of time. Something tells me I need to figure things out now, or at least really soon. I really think we need to get to the Resistance,” I told him.

  “Okay,” he replied. “Nolen was one of your dearest friends. If you want to find him, all you have to do is picture him in your mind.”

  “The only memory I have of him is my death,” I said. “I don’t even really remember what he looks like.”


  “It’s not really an image that you need, but a feeling. Follow the feelings you have for him. Let them lead you to him.”

  I concentrated on the one memory I had of Nolen. As I thought about that terrible night, I remembered the gratitude I had felt toward his loyalty. I remembered the fear in his eyes as he helped me with the spell, knowing what the end result would be. Underneath all of that was my faith in him. I followed that feeling of faith and suddenly it felt as though I could almost see him. This was the connection I’d needed to find. It pulled my consciousness towards his location.

  “I think I can see him,” I told Aaron, my voice barely a whisper as I concentrated.

  “You can do it.”

  Aaron took my hand and I was reassured by his confidence and support in my abilities. I focused on Nolen and followed the pulling sensation I felt. In my mind I could suddenly see tall buildings. There was bustling traffic and lots of people walking down the sidewalk. It was clearly a big city, but which one?

  “Where are you?” I whispered. The answer came to me suddenly, as though it had always existed in the back of my mind. “He’s in Chicago.”

  “Chicago it is,” Aaron replied with a smile.

  As far as magic went, finding Nolen was not very impressive. I’d performed far more impressive magic when I’d taken down all of those Warriors. Even though Aaron seemed confident in me, I had little evidence to support the idea that my abilities were anything special. How could Aaron be so certain? What memories did he hold that convinced him that I was so capable, even when I had no idea what I was doing?

  I bit my lip as a question that had been running through my mind came to me again. I hadn’t dared to ask it before with Andrew and Jaden in the car, but now we were alone and I didn’t know how much longer I could contain it.

  “Aaron,” I began, trying not to sound as timid as I felt. “I have to ask you something.”

  He nodded; his eyes serious. I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. I didn’t know when we would be alone again, so I couldn’t afford to chicken out.

  “I know this is forward,” I blurted, desperate to get it over with. “I would never ask this, but so much has changed and I just don’t know where we stand. Are you in love with me?”

  I saw the shock that crossed his face. My question had caught him off guard. I immediately regretted asking. It was selfish of me to put him on the spot, regardless of all the confusion I was experiencing since my Transition. An uncomfortable silence filled the car.

  “I know you were in love with Sophia,” I added, desperately hoping to make things less awkward. “and I am sort of Sophia. Even if I don’t feel like Sophia. It’s just that it’s been seven hundred years. That’s a long time and I did what I did without even telling you about it first. I’ll understand if you didn’t wait for me. It’s okay if you’re only here because you feel like you have to be.”

  I inwardly groaned at the disastrous direction the conversation had taken. I was lying to both of us and would be devastated to find out he had moved on long ago. There was also the issue with differentiating between myself and Sophia. I wasn’t sure if that muddied the waters for Aaron the same way it did for me and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to find out.

  “Shaylee,” he said as I warred with myself. “I thought I’d made my feelings clear.”

  My heart leapt, but I wouldn’t allow myself to be happy just yet.

  “Your feelings for who? Me or Sophia?”

  Looking taken aback, he replied, “You are the same.”

  “No, we aren’t,” I argued. “She said the same thing, but I’m not at all like her.”

  “What do you mean she said the same thing?” he asked, clearly confused.

  “Right after we were attacked, I had some sort of vision thing. We talked. She said I have her strength and that she wouldn’t have planned all of this if she didn’t know I could do it, but I don’t think I’m anything like her,” I explained.

  “Maybe you aren’t exactly the same, but your similar in all the important ways. You just had a different childhood. But you have the same smile and the same laugh,” Aaron said with conviction. “When you look at me you see right through me. You have this ability no one else does to see what I am really feeling. You look at the world with the same compassion. You care about everyone around you. These are just some of the reasons, but I promise you, everything that made me fall in love with you and made you a magnificent queen is the same.”

  I said nothing. Part of me was still having trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that any of it was possible.

  “I’m not exactly the same either, you know,” he said, hesitantly. “Seven hundred years with the Council wasn’t easy. I did a lot of things I regret. I’ve changed just as much, if not more than you have. But no matter what has changed, it doesn’t diminish the way I feel about you.”

  As I considered his words, I remembered Sophia’s most important advice. “Trust your instincts.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I allowed my muscles to relax. Feeling my hand in his, I realized just how right it felt. My heart, I realized, longed for him and I would never feel right without him.

  Opening my eyes, I whispered to myself, “That’s all I needed to know.”

  At that moment both front doors opened. Jaden and Andrew got into the car and Jaden started the engine. I noticed that Andrew was triumphantly holding a cup of hot coffee.

  “We’re going to Chicago,” I said.

  Without a word, Jaden began programming the car’s GPS. Andrew turned around and I noticed when he glanced down at my hand, still being held my Aaron.

  “Are you sure, Shay?” he asked. “It’s a big city. I’ve heard rumors there’s a Resistance base there, but I was thinking it would be better if we went someplace more remote.”

  “I’m sure. We have to go to Chicago. Nolen is there.”

  I tried to sound certain of my decision, but I wasn’t sure if I succeeded. My confidence level was my main concern with the whole queen business. If they had enough confidence in me to follow me anywhere I led, I knew I needed to have that confidence in myself. The only problem was, I didn’t know how to lead and it was one thing I hoped came back to me along with my other memories.

  Jaden put the car into gear. As we started moving, I glanced at Aaron and saw that he was staring out the window, frowning. That was when I realized that I had asked him a deeply personal question and he had been open and honest with his answer. I, on the other hand, had said virtually nothing.

  Leaning over, I whispered into his ear, “I love you too.”

  ◆◆◆

  We drove in silence. After a while, Jaden turned on the radio. Andrew scanned the channels until he found music we could all stand to listen to. I looked out the window and tried not to think too much about what was ahead.

  Shortly after passing into Tennessee, I began feeling tired again. Until my conversation with Aaron, I had carefully remained on my side of the car. After hearing him so blatantly admit his feelings for me, I felt my confidence growing. I casually moved closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder, allowing my eyes to close.

  When I opened them, I was no longer sitting in Jaden’s car. I was walking along a beach. Somewhere in my mind, I realized that this was a memory and I allowed myself to remember.

  I squished the sand between my toes as I walked and pulled my long dress up to my knees when the waves came toward me. The breeze blew through my long hair and the sun warmed my skin. I looked up and watched the birds flying above me.

  I sensed someone walking up behind me, but I knew who it was without looking. I recognized his presence and I knew he meant me no harm. He cleared his throat to get my attention and I turned to face him.

  He bowed to me, his shaggy brown hair blowing in the wind, and said, “Forgive the intrusion, your highness.”

  “What is it, Rylie?” I asked, still angry with him from our last conversation.

  “I have been sent to inform you
that war has broken out on the Mairead Coast.”

  “War?” I asked. “There hasn’t been a war in nearly a century. Who has dared to attack us?”

  “I don’t know, your highness. I’ve been ordered to escort you back to the palace. Their majesties insist for your safety.”

  “No,” I replied.

  He gaped at me, his brown eyes wide, not knowing how to respond. I’d never disobeyed my parents before.

  “I will go to Banagher. There I will be of use.”

  “But your highness-”

  “Oh, enough Rylie,” I said, cutting him off. “I’ve made my decision. Return to the palace and inform their majesties. I’ll go to Banagher at once.”

  “With your permission, I will send another to the palace. I was charged with your protection.”

  “Thank you, Rylie,” I said, smiling to indicate that I had forgiven him for our argument. “I will be grateful for the company.”

  Together we walked up the beach, away from the water. He offered me his arm to help me over the sand covered hill that stood between us and the horses. I nearly tripped but caught myself and held on to his arm tighter. Rylie chuckled and I swatted his arm as I too laughed.

  ◆◆◆

  I opened my eyes, once again in the car. Sitting up, I realized that somehow my head had ended up in Aaron’s lap instead of on his shoulder. It was raining and Andrew was driving. I could tell by the tilt of Jaden’s head that she was asleep. I realized that I must have been asleep for quite a while.

  “Who was Rylie?” I asked, turning to Aaron. I spoke quietly, but I was not afraid of being overheard. I knew the rain would make it nearly impossible for Andrew or Jaden to hear me.

  “Did you remember something?” Aaron replied.

  I felt a twinge of irritation. I didn’t like it when people answered a question with a question. It made me feel like they were keeping the answer a secret from me and I didn’t like secrets.