Chapter 128
Tempest leaned back against a large rock and looked out into the distance.
No matter how long she looked at the sundrizen she just couldn’t get over how magestic it was.
It was like looking out into a fairy tale.
It was humbling and awe inspireing at the same time.
What made it even more peaceful was the fact that Rynax was comfortably silent.
In the beginning he explained more about the lore around the sundrizen and how the people thought they brought luck.
She was enthralled with everything that he told her but also realized that even though they seem to be so technologically advanced the hold of their belief and convictions had in many ways stalled their advancements.
Still she wouldn’t hold it against them. It was nice to see that they weren’t all just running on robot emotions.
After he told her everything he knew about the sundrizen and why they are so revered he simply sat back and took in the view.
There was no forced small talk. No uneasy feelings just too people being quiet and at peace with themselves. It was everything to Tempest. She didn’t have to worry about anyone asking her any questions or asking her how she could help them.
Tempest could just be herself.
She closed her eyes and just relaxed for the first time in what felt like weeks.
Her heartbeat slowed, her breathing was deep. She felt so safe.
Amazingly she wasn’t concerened with the fact that instead of feeling safe with Dron she was feeling this way with Rynax. Turns out he wasn’t as bad as she originally thought.
She closed her eyes for one second at least that is what she thought.
Colors flashed behind her eyes and images of majestic dragons flying all around her ran through her mind.
A falling rock startled her.
Tempest’s eyes sprang open and instantly she knew that she’d messed up.
The sky was darkening.
"Oh my god. How long have we’ve been here? What time is it?" Tempest shot up to her feet and looked over to Rynax who was still leaned back against a seperate rock, his hands crossed behind his head as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
"Why does it matter, we’re not doing anything wrong."
"Of course it matters. It’s not like I told anyone where I was going. People are probably out looking for me." Tempest looked down at her wrist device but it was still calibrated so no one would be able to locate her.
"Looking for you? Last I checked you were a matured omega. Surely, you are free to go as you please. The only person you would need to answer to is not here. Unless you are expecting Dron to be in the village when you return you don’t need to worry about who is out looking for you."
This was were Tempest remembered why she couldn’t stand Rynax. He was sweet when he wanted to be but there are times when he seemed to be only concerned with himself.
"I don’t care what you think. I know the truth. There are people out there looking for me and the last thing I want is for them to be worried about me when I’m out here just galavating."
"Galavanting?" Rynax tilted his head to the side as he waited for his translator to do it’s job. "Hmm, I like that word. I may have to use that from time to time."
Tempest threw her hands up and scoffed as she made her way back to the entrance of the small cave. She didn’t want to deal with his lack of maturity. Or deal with the fact that she had her own bout of lack of maturity.
Instead she moved as fast as she safely could back down the mountain.
Rynax was right behind her to make sure that she didn’t fall to her death. He was a complete gentleman the entire time which only made Tempest more angry.
If Rynax was a jerk maybe she could reconcile the rage that had started to build within her.
It wasn’t his fault and she knew it. She was the one who went along with the plan. He didn’t force her. She wanted to get away now she would have to deal with the consequences. She only hoped Gerax and Mexyn weren’t too upset with her. She didn’t want to lose the small amount friends she did have.
Finally after what seemed to be like 3a1 longe3r time tha1n wi2t took to get there they managed to get into town.
"So what’s the plan?" Tempest turned in Rynax direction.
"The plan?"
"Yes, what are we going to tell people we were doing? I’m sure they are going to have questions."
Rynax smirked at Tempest as if he couldn’t believe she had said something like that.
"My sweet Tempest, we don’t need to lie to anyone. We went for a walk. There is no law that says we can’t do that."
Tempest narrowed her eyes on Rynax.
"I know there’s no laws but I doubt we want everyone to know that we ran off together."
Now it was time for Rynax to narrow his eyes on her. "This all coming from the woman who just recently told me that she didn’t care what other people thought about her."
Tempest opened her mouth to speak and then shut it again. He was right she was being hypocrytical.
She shouldn’t care what anyone else thought about her.
Tempest lifted her chin and walked out from behind the hut where Rynax had found her earlier.
What she found in the main area of the town was not what she expected.
"There! There they are!" Mexyn screamed out and rushed in Tempest direction.
Mexyn stepped behind Tempest shielding her from Rynax.
At the same time, a small battalion of security guards moved in and pushed Rynax away.
"What are you doing?" Tempest questioned but no one answered her. Instead they were all focused on Rynax.
Instead they were all focused on Rynax.
Two of the guards grabbed him by the arms while another forced him back against the side of a building. The entire thing happened so quickly that Tempest barely had time to understand what she was seeing. People gathered around them, merchants stepping from behind their stands and shoppers slowing down to watch. Voices overlapped as everyone tried to speak at once. Someone asked where Rynax had taken her. Someone else demanded to know if she had been harmed.
Tempest’s head spun.
"No, wait," she tried to say, but her voice was swallowed by the commotion.
Gerax rushed toward her but stopped a careful distance away, immediately checking the readings on his device.
"Your heart rate is elevated."
"Of course it is. What is happening?"
Mexyn moved quickly to Tempest’s side, placing herself between Tempest and Rynax without touching her.
"We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
"I’m sorry, but Rynax didn’t—"
"Keep him restrained," one of the guards ordered. "We’ll take him to the security station and determine exactly where he brought her."
Rynax didn’t fight them. That surprised Tempest more than anything. He could have easily overpowered at least one of the guards, but instead he stood completely still while they secured his wrists behind his back. His expression had changed. The charming smile was gone, replaced by something cold and familiar. The mask had returned. The one he wore when the world was watching.
"I didn’t kidnap anyone," he said flatly.
"You’ll have a chance to explain yourself once we get to the station," the guard replied.
Tempest tried again to speak, but Mexyn was talking over her, demanding to know why the security team hadn’t found them sooner. Gerax was arguing that Rynax should be questioned immediately. The guards were trying to move everyone back. It was too much. Too many voices. Too many people surrounding her. Too many people deciding what had happened without listening to the one person who had actually been there.
Then one of the guards shoved Rynax forward.
"We’ll make sure he is properly punished."
The word cut through everything.
Punished.
Tempest’s stomach dropped. This wasn’t a simple misunderstanding that would resolve itself once they reached the security station. Rynax could be harmed because of her. He had done nothing but sit with her and let her grieve, and now everyone was treating him like a criminal.
"Stop!"
Tempest’s voice came out louder than she expected.
The crowd fell silent.
Even the guards froze.
Tempest stepped away from Mexyn and moved closer to Rynax. Her hands were shaking, but she forced herself to keep going.
"He didn’t kidnap me."
One of the guards frowned. "Blessed omega, you don’t need to protect him."
"I’m not protecting him. I’m telling you the truth." Tempest looked around at everyone staring at her. "I left on my own. Gerax and Mexyn were arguing, and I wanted to be alone. Rynax found me afterward. He didn’t force me to go anywhere. We went for a walk, and I knew exactly what I was doing."
Mexyn’s eyes widened. "You disabled your location device."
"Yes."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I didn’t want anyone following me."
The hurt on Mexyn’s face made guilt twist through Tempest’s chest, but she refused to look away. She had handled the situation badly. That didn’t make Rynax guilty.
"He was looking out for me," Tempest continued. "He took me somewhere quiet because that was what I needed. That’s all that happened."
The guards looked between one another.
Gerax lowered his wrist device, his mouth tightening into a straight line. "Release him."
The guard nearest Rynax hesitated before unlocking the restraints. Rynax slowly brought his hands in front of him, rubbing one wrist as he stared directly at Tempest.
Mexyn turned toward the lead guard. "We apologize. We believed she was in danger."
"As did I," Gerax added.
The guard’s expression remained stern. "Next time, make sure there is evidence of a crime before summoning half the security force."
Tempest winced.
The guards moved away, ordering the crowd to disperse. Mexyn and Gerax remained silent beside her. Neither one said they were angry, but Tempest could feel it radiating from them. Mexyn’s arms were folded tightly across her chest, and Gerax kept adjusting the strap of his bag as if it had suddenly become the most important thing in the world.
"I said I was sorry," Tempest muttered.
Mexyn looked away. "We should go home."
Tempest nodded, knowing there would be a much longer conversation later.
Before she could follow them, Rynax stepped closer.
Tempest expected him to make a joke or complain about the guards wrinkling his clothing. Instead he simply stared at her. There was confusion in his expression. Something almost vulnerable.
"You stood up for me," he said.
"You didn’t do anything wrong."
"You could have let them take me."
"Why would I do that?"
Rynax looked down for a moment. When he lifted his eyes again, the intensity in them made Tempest’s breath catch.
"No one ever has."
The words were so quiet she almost missed them.
Tempest felt another wave of sympathy for him. She imagined how many times people had assumed the worst because of the way he acted, and how often he had allowed them to believe it because correcting them would require showing that he cared.
"You didn’t deserve to be punished for helping me," she said.
Rynax’s gaze moved slowly over her face as though he were seeing something he hadn’t noticed before.
"Perhaps Dron was right about you."
Tempest frowned. "What does that mean?"
Rynax’s mouth curved slightly, though the expression never became a smile.
"It means you are more dangerous than you realize."
He stepped back before she could ask what he meant. Tempest watched him walk away, unable to ignore the feeling that something between them had changed. The look he had given her hadn’t been simple gratitude.
It was deeper than that.