Bonds of the Forsaken: A Reverse Harem Romantasy (Her Forsaken Mates Book 1)

46. Tye

Shaide bounded through a break in the wall, then down to the stables. A man tried to stop us, but the diyre didn”t slow.

Finally, he came to a stop and bent to the ground to let me off his back.

Climbing down, I scratched behind his ear and looked around at the busy street. I stood naked … in a crowded street … next to a giant wolf … yet not a single person batted an eye.

It was disconcerting, to say the least.

Finn poked his head out of the stalls, cheeks dusty and hair askew, as his expression fell. ”Dang. I was hoping to go out looking for you.” Shrugging, he ducked back inside and returned a few moments later with my clothes and weapon.

”Thanks,” I said, quickly getting dressed.

”Grammy said to give you this, too.” He passed me what looked like a small wineskin. ”She said a few gulps will settle your nerves for a bit.”

”A helpful potion this time. Thanks.” I offered the boy a small smile.

He shook his head. ”Watch out, though. Grammy said it”s not perfect, so you need to keep your emotions in check — especially if your wolf is strong.”

My stomach sank. How was I supposed to know if the wolf was strong?

”Emotions in check,” I repeated, staring at the sloshing wineskin in my hand before stashing it in my pocket. ”Got it. Please tell her thank you.”

If this stuff actually worked, I”d need to learn the recipe and how to brew it myself, but one step at a time. First, I needed to test it out.

”Do you know where they brought the Fae man and blond woman?”

The boy squinted up at me, brow furrowed. ”They”re in the guest wing of the Great Hall, of course.”

”And … where would that be?”

”Hmm —” His eyes darted to the stall he”d been working in, then back to me. ”Well, it”ll be faster if I show you. Everyone is setting up for the banquet, so the city is a mess right now, and you”d likely end up lost.”

”Are you sure you aren”t trying to get out of chores?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

He grinned cheekily, then bolted for the pyramid.

I stared after him, shaking my head. My entire body ached, and the boy wanted me to play chase?

”Hey, wait up!” I yelled, running after him.

How was he so fast? He was nearly three feet shorter, yet the gap between us only grew with each passing second!

It was embarrassing.

I finally reached the giant structure, gasping for air, and glared at the little boy.

He stood by the entrance, hands on his hips with a wide grin stretching from ear to ear. The kid wasn”t even winded!

”What took you so long, slowpoke?” he asked, those eerily familiar eyes staring up at me.

”Slowpoke?” I huffed. ”I”m not slow. You”re just fast.”

”That”s what slowpokes say,” Finn giggled. ”Well, come on. The guest wing is this way.”

Shaking my head, I followed him through the entryway, but as we passed the threshold, Finn collided into the back of a burly man almost my size.

The man let out a low grunt and rounded on us, face twisted in a wicked scowl.

Finn recoiled, and I quickly stepped in front of him, my hands raised and skin already tingling. ”Sorry about that, friend. He was —”

”Holden!” Faera yelled from a table to my right, her eyes tight. ”Alpha already had one talk with you today. Are you looking for another?”

Holden glared from Faera to us, then back to Faera. Finally, he growled low in his throat, then stalked past us and outside.

I nodded at the dark-haired woman. ”Thank you.”

”Sorry, Tye,” Finn said, popping out from behind me. ”I should have been paying attention.”

”It”s alright.”

”No,” Faera interjected, moving closer to us. ”The little rascal knows better.” She kneeled to his level. ”Finn, there are more people here now. You must be more careful. Especially when neither your father nor grandfather are around to protect you.”

Finn nodded, his chest puffing out. ”Someday, he”ll need to be careful around me, you know.”

She grinned and ruffled his hair. ”Of course. But until then, stay away. Okay?”

”Okay,” he agreed, but the stubborn tilt to his chin spelled trouble, and I had to suppress a grin.

How long would it be before he used his magic and turned into a wraith?

My smile fell, chest aching at the thought.

I surveyed the crowded room of body mages. How was it possible that no one was showing signs of madness and corruption?

In all my years hunting mages, I”d seen nothing like it. Something like this shouldn”t be possible.

It made no sense.

”I assume you”re on your way to see your mate?” Faera asked, looking up at me through bright blue eyes. A previous version of myself may have tried flirting with her, but lately I”d been unable to get a certain pair of hazel eyes out of my head.

I”d even tried dating other people, but the second we started getting close, my skin prickled, and my entire body ached.

More evidence for that damn mate bond …

Forsaken hells. There had to be a way to get rid of it, though. Right?

Faera waited for a response, but I”d already forgotten her question, so I just nodded.

”Wanna take him down?” she asked Finn.

The boy grinned, then grabbed my hand, tugging me down the hall. ”Come on,” he said, grinning crookedly. ”I”ll show you the way.”

Dipping my head to the woman, I let him lead me again, and we were on our way.

We eventually reached a white stone wall with a strange symbol carved in the center. Finn pressed it firmly and a loud grinding noise sounded.

I leaped back, tugging him with me as that entire portion of the wall shifted.

As it moved away, I glimpsed ropes, pulleys, and gears through the narrow gap where the wall met the door. My jaw dropped.

Amazing! Was this Alpha Blackwood”s work? It seemed like it must have been part of the original structure, so likely not.

I had no idea the mages from before The Fall were so advanced, though …

Beyond the doorway twisted a dark stairwell leading down into what I assumed could only be a dungeon.

My stomach flipped, and the wolf inside me growled.

They took her into that darkness?!Who knew what lurked down there!

Stepping in front of the boy, I took the stairs three at a time, emerging into a well-lit hallway decorated better than many rooms in the Palace.

Well … this was not what I was expecting. The wolf gave a disappointed huff and curled back up.

”Pretty cool, right?” Finn said from behind me. ”We rarely have guests, so the other pups and I sometimes sneak down here to play.” He looked around conspiratorially. ”I even found a super good hiding spot that only I know about. I”d bet you three lemon cakes even you couldn”t find me.”

I smiled at the ball of energy, as I remembered doing something similar at the Palace when I was a kid.

”Maybe later. Right now, I need to take care of some other stuff.”

”Sounds good.” He gestured toward the many doors that lined the hallway. ”You should be able to find your mate through your bond. See you at the feast!”

I recoiled at the idea of the bond, let alone the mate attached to it, but nodded and ruffled his hair. I”d find them the old-fashioned way.

He scampered off, and I heard the loud door grinding closed up the stairs.

”Erhm — Jaiel?” I tried, voice rough. The wolf hated the thought of seeing the bastard after what he and the witch had done, but I suppressed it as best I could.

A door popped open to my right and Jaiel poked his head out, hair disheveled and eyes dark.

”Tye!” he said, gripping my shoulder. ”We need to talk.”