Chapter 43
Maddox
“To hope is folly.
To love is misery.”
— Gryffin Hew, A Reality
From the moment Raven appears in my cavern to the time we reach the crowd of villagers, my smile has not stopped growing.
Nia has returned for me, just like I knew she—
Where is Nia Quill?
Ever has come, along with Thorne and Forest and three other young males from our clan, but there is no sign of my Seelie fae among them.
What’s more, Ever will not remain here, so that leaves us one male shy of what the Chieftain has demanded.
Where are all the others? So many males in our clan are anxious to find a mate, and yet they have chosen not to make this trek. What does this mean for me?
None of this matters nearly as much as Nia’s absence.
Has she changed her mind? Was Raven right all along? Has she chosen the Nolan instead?
“Are you well?” Ever asks me.
When I nod, he turns to the Seelie hostages and asks them the same.
The Chieftain’s dark eyes narrow into slits. “You may take the Seelie with you, but Mad-dox will remain with our clan.”
Ever’s expression darkens with his frustrated sigh. “As I have told you, there was a hunt. The others are either mated or chose to remain behind to protect our clan.”
“This was not part of the deal we negotiated. Six males by nightfall. Those were the terms. You are taking advantage of our generosity.”
“Generosity?” Does this female understand the meaning of the word? “You barely fed the Seelie and kept them locked away. Why would anyone choose to remain here of their own free will?”
Her chin lifts in defiance, refusing to see reason. “My decision is final.”
Two of the females cross their spears over the path, stopping me from joining the other hostages next to Ever.
A red mist falls over my vision even as panic races through my blood. This is not how my story ends. “I am not a member of your clan. You do not command me. Even if I were to stay, I would not choose a mate among your females. There is another who holds my heart.”
“I do not believe your heart is what these females are concerned with,” Thorne murmurs under his breath.
His attempt at humor is not helpful.
One of the Seelie steps forward and raises a tentative hand into the air. “I’ll stay in his stead.”
Ever glances toward the male with hair the color of the sky. “Do not feel as though you must sacrifice yourself for this female’s irrational demands.”
The Seelie lifts his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t mind, Your Highness. I’ve no family in Rosehill, and since they started feeding us, this place isn’t so bad.”
The guard’s gaze swings past Ever to fall on an Unseelie female, smaller than the rest, waiting at the front of the crowd, her hands wrenching beneath her chin.
Perhaps not all the Unseelie treated the males like hostages after all.
Ever stands taller, his hands braced on his hips and voice ringing with authority.
“You have your six males,” he says. “But know this: I will be sending scouts to check on my people. If at any time they no longer wish to dwell in your village, you are to escort them back to Rosehill, or you will face the wrath of Willowhaven’s army. Do you understand?”
The Chieftain’s neck and cheeks darken with her rage. “You dare threaten me?”
“You threatened my people first.”
I might poke fun at my friend, but he is a fearsome leader indeed. Willowhaven is lucky to have him as their king.
The Chieftain’s crinkled lips flatten, but she nods.
“I am not a heartless male,” Ever goes on with a swipe of his hand through his hair.
“I understand your worries. We share many of the same woes in the Unseelie lands above the canyon. When our hunters return, I will tell them of your village so that any who wish might visit in hopes of finding a mate.”
“This would please me greatly.”
“Then it will be so.”
Hands are shaken, females fawn over my kinsmen, and no one seems to spare me even a glance.
This is how I have lived most of my life; after the last few days of being drowned in attention, I do not mind being invisible.
There is only one fae whose attention I seek, and she has not returned.
Perhaps she was too exhausted from the trek. Perhaps she was wounded or became ill—although if that were the case, Ever surely would have told me.
Unless he is not aware of our connection.
There is, of course, another reason Nia might not have joined them.
One that involves the Nolan and my heart shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.
The hour is too late for us to climb the cliffs this night, so we are given places to stay. I return to the cave-house for one more lonely night but come up short when I find a Seelie female with wild snowy hair sitting on the edge of a bed we once shared.
Is this my imagination? I rub my eyes, but when my vision clears, Nia Quill is still on my bed. “You are here.”
She tucks her hands beneath her thighs, a small smile playing on lips I long to kiss. “Everett told me to remain hidden in case negotiations went south.”
Of course he would look after his mate’s cousin. Put her safety first. I want to step forward, erase the distance between us, but fear keeps my feet rooted to the stones. “We return to Rosehill at dawn.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Are you certain you want to leave all these women?”
Almost as certain as my love for her.
I dare to step forward, hope flickering in my heart. “There is only one female whose attention I desire.”
Her smile grows a little wider. “She must be very special, indeed.”
“The most special. The most beautiful. The most stubborn.”
Her huff of laughter is a spark in my veins. “That last one doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
All I have for Nia are compliments. There is not one bad word I can speak about this stunning female holding out her hands.
My own hand longs to cradle hers, but first, there must be answers.
I swipe my clammy palms down my thighs. “Did you make amends with your Nolan? I have been told there were many intimate embraces.”
Her hand falls to the mattress, no longer reaching for me but balling into a fist. “He had some mad notion that we should reconcile, but I told him we couldn’t be together.”
I step closer, the leg of my trousers meeting the silk of her mauve skirts. “Why is this?”
“Because I’m in love with you.”
Love. She said love.
“You love me? Maddox Finch?”
“How could I not? You are the best man I know. I cannot imagine life with anyone else.”
She says this even after being stuck with me for many days. I do not believe my ears. They have never lied to me before, but I am afraid they have chosen this day to tell tales.
Her riotous curls spill across her shoulders when her head tilts. “This is usually when you say that you love me too.”
“Have I not shown you in all ways that I do? You are to my heart what air is to my lungs. Without you, I would cease to exist. I love you, Nia Quill. My Nia.”
She pushes to her feet and throws herself into my arms, and I am home.
Her lips cover mine, heady and sweet. Sunshine and jasmine.
Nia. My Nia.
Fae of my heart.
This is my new favorite day.