Safira

The dry leaves cracked under his feet as he fled from Lord Stanley’s men. Their shouts surrounded him. Arrows whizzed by. Heavy breathing. They pursued him deep into the ancient forest. His lungs were on fire.

Another step. Keep going. He pushed himself to outrun the soldiers, knowing he needed to escape if he wanted to keep his head upon his shoulders.

He turned and watched the whites in their eyes grow brighter with each step. He ducked and rolled across the rocky path, and as his momentum was waning, he shrank backward, trying to remain out of reach of the claw-like hand reaching out to grab him.

Closing his eyes, Jax knew his time on this earth was over, feeling the nails graze his face. The sharp talons drew blood, but he tried to fend off the creature. Rolling to the right, his body accelerated in a free fall.

Tumbling over and over, he felt the pull drawing him further down the black hole. There was nothing but blackness. No beginning and no end. Weightless. Accelerating through the miasma, he felt tethered to a hidden energy. Calling him. Grasping for him.

His stomach wrenched, and he was seconds from losing his lunch when he landed with a thud on a snow-covered hill.

Pain ricocheted through his body as he tried to catch his breath. Jax's eye caught a glimpse of a black hole from above the treetops. It disappeared into the gloaming, leaving him bewildered. He was trying to grasp what the hell just happened to him when he felt a spear stab him in the ribs.

Whipping his head around, he was about to scream at the soldier stabbing him when his heart stopped beating, registering the sapphire eyes glaring at him. He was lost in the depths of her eyes. Lost!

They were as deep as the sea and bore into his soul, draining him of every desire and rational thought. The longer he stared into the abyss, the weaker he became.

Slamming his eyes shut, he knew he needed to avoid the temptation of her eyes. He hissed at her, “Who the hell are you? Where am I?”

The vixen rolled him over and straddled him, grabbing his face and forcing him to look into her eyes. He immediately felt all of the energy in his body start to fade away until there was nothing left but the void.

When she finished stealing his memories, Safira stood over him and brushed the snow off her hands before turning to her men, ordering, “Seal the portal and bring him to my chambers. He’s the one. I am certain of it.”

Master Finley stepped forward, asking, “You have read the hidden recesses of his mind?”

Without answering him, Safira disappeared into a cloud of blue smoke. She appeared miles away in the mountains and marched straight into the Library of Memories.

Taking one look at Anya, she demanded, “Take these memories from me and store them in the Orb of Protection. Hurry!”

Anya stood up slowly, trying to get her creaky bones to move. As she walked over to Safira, she whispered for the Orb to reveal itself. Once in hand, she replied, “Kneel, and I shall take the memories.”

Falling into a trance, Safira swayed as the tendrils of memories moved from her consciousness to the orb. Hours later, she collapsed on the floor and slept there until the morning sun hung in the sky.

Jumping to her feet, she yelled at Anya, “Why did you let me sleep? There’s no time!”

Anya smiled and opined, “Child, you've done the impossible and found your mate. Go to him and forge your union. The prophecy shall hold.”

”You'd better be correct, old lady!” She winked at Anya before disappearing. Arriving in the hidden fortress, she avoided the gazes of the servants as they passed by and rushed to her chambers.

Jax was chained to her bed and didn’t look too thrilled to see her when she entered. He bellowed, “You better explain yourself!”

Safira walked across the room and looked at him with her sapphire eyes, whispering, “Jaxon Miller, such a common name for one destined to rule this land.”

He was bewildered. Glared at her and opened his mouth before shutting it again.

”Very wise. I shall explain. The ancient mages have foretold a prophecy of a young man that would one day rule this land by my side. However, he had been stolen through a portal as an infant and never knew the healing powers of our land. The prophecy said that the veil between your survival and death would thin with each passing day. I needed to rescue you before you got yourself killed. From the looks of it, you were pretty damn close to death when I found you."

He was perplexed, holding up his chained hands. He shook it and mumbled, “Thanks for rescuing me. Glad to be chained to your bed.”

Safira smiled. She was embarrassed about that, knowing it wasn’t the greatest way to start a relationship. As a peace offering, she replied, “I needed to take your memories from the other realms to free your mind of your past burdens. They are safe in the Library of Memories.”

”None of this makes any sense,” he growled.

She sat on the bed and looked at him with sympathy. "I'm very sorry for all of this. I needed to pull you from the other world, and there wasn't any way to do it without incident."

"Did you have to steal my memories and bind me without explanation?"

Safira cringed, whispering, "I'm sorry. Let me release you, but please give me a chance to explain."

"Fine. But I want answers!” He growled at her.

Smiling sadly, she placed her hand on his forehead and transferred her knowledge of the prophecy and how he was stolen. When she finished, she replied, "Jaxon, your birth name was stolen from you along with the life you were meant to live. I know you've been through a lot, and I don't expect you to fall in love with me today or tomorrow, but I ask that you give this a chance. I'll give you time to wash and regain your strength, and then we should take you to your familial home. You still have family that lives within this realm. They'll want to meet you."

Turning to leave, she heard Jax yell out, "What is your name?"

Her sapphire eyes bore into his soul as she replied, "Safira."