Chapter One
“ Y ou stubborn asshole mate! Where the fuck are you?!”
I scream into the nothingness.
Even though I’m not attached to my body, I can feel the sharp pangs in my heart and the labored breathing as my soul tries to panic. The pain of pure terror. I don’t want to lose him. Not when I just found him.
No…
I can’t lose him. If I had eyes, they would be sore and swollen from all of the crying right now. Not that crying ever solved anything, but damn… I’ve never felt a pain like this before.
My mind flashes back to the field where our bodies lay. I was so busy squeezing the pathetic life out of that disgusting piece of shit Hudson, that I didn’t hear Blake or Orobas screaming for me. When I rushed over, it was too late. Lucian was gone.
In that moment, all thoughts left my body and my veins turned to steel. Lucian and Blake make me feel whole. Without one of them… I’m only part of me.
Thankfully Blake was using his beautiful brain and jumped into action. We were able to encase his body in ice, preventing his drys genetics from trying to pull his physical body back into the earth. The rest is up to me.
Deep down, there is a piece of me that is missing, and I intend to find it. Even if I have to drag it back with me kicking and screaming. Although, that would mean that Lucian isn’t as keen on coming back with me. The thought pulls me to a stop and the sharp pain digs its nasty claws in deeper, squeezing painfully at my heart.
Fuck that. He doesn’t get to leave me. Not yet. Not when we have so much living to do.
I got here as quickly as I could, mere minutes after Lucian. I mean, there really is no way that he could have moved into the Ether so quickly, and he would never have left me so willingly…
Right?
To be fair, I’m not really sure how the Between, or the Ether passing, works for a fae. Fuck, I don’t even understand most of this enough to know what I’m doing. I’m just winging it.
Story of my life…
Pushing the shapeless ball of light that serves as my vessel here in the Between, I travel further along into the nothingness.
There is no concept of time here, so I have no clue how long I’ve actually been searching for Lucian. I only hope that Blake and Orobas– I mean, my father –are holding up ok.
We eliminated the Creatori followers, so they should be relatively safe. But I know that Blake is probably worrying himself sick.
At the thought of Blake, I feel a slight pull. I focus hard on the feeling, and with it brings the ebb and flow like waves, and the smell of the sea. That’s Blake’s tether. I try not to get frustrated, but I don’t need his tether right now.
I need Lucian’s.
At that thought, a blinding pain makes me stop. I shouldn’t be able to feel pain here. I don’t have a body to feel pain. But it’s there. Sharp and nasty. Like a knife in my chest, twisting and twisting and–
Wait…
In my chest..
Where I feel my mates’ tethers. Maybe… maybe it’s Lucian?
With a renewed sense of purpose, I push as hard as I can through the sensation and focus on the pain. It intensifies, but not before I get a brief scent of moss… and an urge to turn right. Ignoring the pain and running on the excitement that I may actually be making headway, I push my light ball along in the vague direction I sensed and go as quickly as I can.
It doesn’t take long before I find… a tiny tree?
“Who is there?” the voice of a small boy calls out to me.
“Uhm, Forsythia? Are you lost? Do you need help?” I can’t bring myself to leave a child alone, even if I am trying to find the man I love. I just hope I can find where he belongs or get him some help quickly, because I need to find Lucian.
“Forsythia? That is the name of a flower bush. Are you a flower fae?”
Oh my Gods, how sweet. I can’t help but chuckle a little at the innocent question.
Sparing him the confusion of announcing myself as the Noctifer Witch, I respond simply. “No, I’m just a witch. Are you here alone?”
“I am waiting for someone… I think. I cannot remember much. It is all sort of jumbled.”
“That’s okay, sweetie. What is your name?”
“L– Lucian.”
Uhmm… excuse me, what?!
“Lucian? My Lucian?”
The tree– er, boy? Doesn’t respond.
Reaching in deep, I focus on my tether to Lucian. The pain blossoms quickly but then dulls almost as fast, and I get no indication of direction.
Of course, this can’t be easy.
Trying again, I push the little tree for a response. “Lucian, is that you? I’ve been searching for you. Why are you hiding?”
“I cannot let the elvish court to find me. If they find me, they will take me back. I will not go back.”
“But Lucian, it’s me. Not the elvish court. It’s Forsythia, your mate.”
At my words, the branches begin to shake before the tree slowly pulls into itself. Leaving a single leaf behind.
“Forsythia?”
Lucian’s gruff voice is a beautiful symphony of comfort to my ears. I would jump up and down, but you know… no body.
“Yes! It’s me, Lucian. I’m here.”
“You came for me.” His voice almost sounds awed at the idea. Of course, he would hold this fear so deeply when he has never known love before. At least, not a love like ours.
“Yes, Lucian. I am yours. I will always come for you.”
He doesn’t respond, but that’s okay. I don’t need him to. What I do need him to do is get his leafy butt in gear so we can get back to our bodies. Like now.
“Lucian, we have to get back.”
“I– I do not know the way.”
“It’s ok. That’s why I’m here. Just follow me.”
Now hopefully, I can remember which direction to actually go in, or this will be really fucking embarrassing.
Damn the Between and all it’s weird nothingness.