38. Tye
Acool cloth rested against my forehead, and I opened my eyes to see a kind-looking older woman looking down at me. Wrinkles creased her cheeks, eyes, and lips, and she grinned, revealing a full set of bright white teeth.
I sat up, reaching for my ax, but it was gone. Sharp pain shot through my skull, and I winced.
”Get Faera and Alpha!” she shouted. ”The newcomer has woken.”
Did she have to be so loud?And where was I?
Worn stone walls surrounded me on all sides, and nothing was remotely familiar.
I pressed my fingers into my skull and closed my eyes, trying to remember what had happened.
I was on the beach when … fucking hells! Some asshole knocked me out!
”What”s your name, boy?” the woman asked. She seemed friendly enough, but she was likely Forsaken.
Gods. Not only had I lost my ax, now I wasn”t even sure where I was on the Isle. There wasn”t even a shred of my plan left!
I looked at the old lady and the unfamiliar surroundings. She didn”t seem threatened by me, at least, and that may be my only chance for surviving this mess. I would have to conceal my identity and pretend to be harmless … like a gremlyn tricking the hounds.
Kings alive, though — I was not good at deception. That was more of the Fae prince”s skill set. I was more of a ”fight now, ask questions later” type.
Surely it wasn”t that hard, though. I just needed to be … friendly. That”s what he always seemed to do, at least.
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak, so I cleared my throat and tried again. ”Tyelire, ma”am.” My voice was gravelly, but at least understandable. ”But most people just call me Tye. Ah, do you know what happened to me back there, by chance?”
There. That was friendly. Wasn”t it?
She hummed softly. ”My idiot grandson, that”s what. He”s still angry about losing his challenge for leadership again. I”m sure he knew you weren”t a threat and decided to knock you out anyway to get out some anger. He”s got a temper, that one.”
Shaking her head, she wrung out the cloth and set it to the side. ”We both know better, though, don”t we? Even as a stranger to this pack, you wouldn”t hurt your own kind. Especially not after they saved you.” She nodded to herself. ”Speaking of. What were you thinking?!? Surely your ma taught you better than to explore unshielded?” Her eyes narrowed and she wagged a finger in my face. ”You”re lucky Alpha happened on you! From what I hear, them wraiths would have gotten you if they”d been a few minutes later. Those twisted ones like our magic a bit too much if you ask me …” She shook her head. ”But back to the question — why weren”t you shielding? When I was young, if a man was foolish enough to —”
My head spun as she rambled on.
My own kind?The wraiths were drawn to my magic?
That potion was worth far more than I paid if these shifters were able to mistake me as a body mage and trust me for it.
I rubbed the sore spot on my skull.
Well, most of them. One had seen through me.
Perhaps I could get the information I needed before the potion wore off and they found out I was an impostor …
”How long have I been out?”
”Just a few hours,” she said, shaking her head before standing to tidy the room.
I”d need to be both quick and cautious. How long would the potion last?
”And don”t think I”ll forget about that shielding issue. There”s no way you”d go your whole life without knowing —”
A rustling in the hallway drew my attention and stopped the older woman mid-sentence.
”Ahh. That would be Alpha Blackwood,” she said, smiling as she gathered her supplies. ”He”ll be able to help you. Don”t worry.” She patted me twice on the head and shuffled out.
I stared, mouth agape. When was the last time someone dared pat me on the head?
The older white-haired man from before cleared his throat and moved to stand next to my bed. He was tall and lean, with short white hair and a smile that reached all the way up to his brown eyes.
It was a deceptively welcoming smile for a gods forsaken monster.
”Ahh. Sorry about that,” he chuckled. ”She”s like that with everyone.”
I twisted my lips into what I hoped resembled a smile. ”I understand.”
”I apologize for my son back there,” he continued, shifting on his feet. ”He — well, he got a little overzealous. He should never have hurt you after I promised safety.”
I forced my smile to widen and shrugged. My anger at the fellow was cooling, and honestly, I didn”t blame the other man. In his position, I”d have done the same thing. Plus, he was Forsaken, so fits of violence were to be expected.
”Thank you for taking me in,” I said, voice raspy as I moved to stand. ”But unfortunately, I need to leave. There”s a woman that I need to find …”
The man grinned and nodded as he held a hand out to stop me.
”Of course. Corinne said she heard you muttering in your sleep. The Witch, I believe you called her. Your mate?”
My cheeks heated. While awake, I hated the woman with every fiber of my being, but in my sleep, her dark magic twisted my mind into dreaming of protecting her, embracing her … and worse. I shuddered.
That woman — my mate?! Forsaken mages, he couldn”t be more wrong.
”I believe we can help with your mate, and your shielding, if you stick around,” he continued, undeterred by my silence. ”Tomorrow night is our annual banquet to celebrate the end of the solstice festival. I”m sure you and your mate will love it. All kinds of delicious food, dancing, and music. Most of the shifters on the island will be there! But of course, you”re free to leave at any time.” He gestured toward the door.
The idea of letting them think that woman was my mate made my stomach hurt, but I kept repeating my mantra in my head —
What would Jaiel do?
He”d certainly not reveal himself so soon. I was supposed to blend in, and growling about Witches cursing me drove people away. No. If I couldn”t just come out and say that, I”d have to go along with the sickening lie.
”Do you all live here?” I asked, changing the subject. If I could gather intel on them, perhaps we could mount some sort of mission to bring them all to the Capital. Surely the kings wouldn”t rest with so many Forsaken roaming free, even if it was on the Isle.
His brown eyes lit up, and his lips curled into a smile. ”Not all of us. At the moment, we”re more full than usual. The different shifter strongholds say they come every year to vote for the pack leader, but I think what really brings them out of the pipeworks is the food and festivities. Have you come to join in?”
I could lie about it. But I knew nowhere near enough about these people or this society to pull that off. A modified version of the truth would have to do.
”I”ve actually just arrived from the mainland.”
His eyes widened. ”The mainland? How spectacular! Well, welcome to the Isle, my boy! We”ll help you and your mate get situated however you”d like.”
”I — we”d appreciate any help you can offer,” I said, trying not to cringe at the repeated use of the M word. ”Though I”m afraid I don”t have much to repay you with.”
He slapped a hand on my shoulder and grinned. ”No need. We take care of our own here.”
I sat there, stunned for a moment. He seemed genuinely happy to help a complete stranger.
Not that it mattered.
This was a gods-forsaken mage. And a body one, at that.
Sure, he seemed normal, but the gods only knew how long that would last. One day, he”d be spending time with his family, and the next, he”d be doing his best to consume their flesh.
I”d seen it repeatedly across the Empire.
A small boy rushed into the room, tray held aloft in his hands, a playful smile tugging at his lips. He looked like a miniature version of the older man.
”Tyelire, meet my grandson — Finn.”
The little boy grinned up at me, then leaned closer and sniffed. He stepped back and looked up, and my stomach twisted.
His eyes were a familiar bright yellow … a color of eyes I”d seen nowhere but my own reflection.
”Ah — it”s nice to meet you,” I said, leaning down to get a better look. ”You have such unusual eyes.”
Finn smiled, front four teeth missing, then held his hands out like claws and let out a low growl. ”Gramps says they mean I”ll be a strong shifter someday. Grrr.”
Ha. Unlikely. It was probably just a recessive trait the boy and I shared.
”Gramps says we body mages can”t shift into anything but wolves anymore, but one day, I”m going to shift into a dragon. I”m sure of it.”
The old man crossed his arms and shook his head, patient smile twisting his lips.
”Hey, it could happen,” the little boy said, sticking his chest out. ”Grammy says it could, and she said this is one thing you know gremlyn-shit about.”
The older man tsked and playfully nudged the little boy”s shoulder. ”What have I said about using that kind of language?”
Finn giggled and jumped away. ”I didn”t say it. Grammy did, and she”s your ma, so it”s okay!”
My lips twitched despite myself.
”Anyways. We have a run tonight,” the older man said, meeting my eyes before stepping out the door and motioning for the boy to follow. ”If you”d like to join us, we can keep an eye out for your mate. If you washed up here, she”s likely nearby and searching for you, too. Mate bonds are strong! Just about take over your mind.” He chuckled. ”Bring something of hers along for us to scent, and we”ll keep an eye out.”
I nodded slowly, mind racing. I needed them to find the witch, but not ask why I couldn”t shift.
How was I going to manage that?