Chapter Eight #2
Relief and trepidation flooded through her. She pushed her sister’s hair away from her face. A couple more days and Ellie would have healers who could tend to her properly.
Arianna sat back again and allowed her gaze to drift toward The Demon. He walked just behind the wagon, and for once, he wasn’t looking at her. It gave Arianna a moment to study the male.
He strode beside the wagon like a sentinel, his back straight, arms at his sides, and sand swirling at his feet. She hadn’t seen his magic at all inside the cabin. She hadn’t even smelled it.
The morning light spilled over his auburn hair, revealing threads of copper within the fiery strands. His skin held a slight golden hue, as if it carried warmth from the earth itself. His clothes hung neatly around his frame, neither too tight nor too loose.
He was every bit the warrior legends painted him to be.
His sharp eyes roamed across the landscape, cataloging every minute detail.
She found herself wondering about the inner workings of his mind.
Was he searching for weapons? Hiding places?
Where his magic might prove most effective?
Talon had once told her water slowed his abilities.
It was only slight, but perhaps that would be enough for her to use against him when the time came.
Arianna clenched her fists. She could beat him. She just needed to plan her escape carefully. And if the opportunity arose, she’d kill this creature and rid the world of another monster.
He turned his head again, looking at something closer to their wagon.
She followed his gaze but couldn’t find whatever had caught his attention.
But the way he’d turned—her lips parted.
The sun illuminated the sharp features of his face.
Breathtaking. The strong jaw. The cheekbones.
His eyes. Arianna swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry.
His eyes—The Demon’s gaze snapped to hers, and Arianna quickly turned away, her cheeks burning.
She could feel his stare boring into her.
Arianna focused on the furs around her instead, rearranging things that didn’t need to be fixed in the slightest.
Her heart was hammering. She hated it. Hated this body that seemed to betray her at every turn.
But Ellie. He’d helped Ellie. Without him, Arianna wasn’t sure if or when Ellie might have eaten. She should be thanking him, but … she didn’t want to. Being in his presence was bad enough; thanking him after all the atrocities he’d committed? No way in hell.
She chewed her lip, her mind—no, heart—at war with itself. Did she hate him or not? Why was she being pulled in two different directions?
A dull ache lingered just behind her eyes as the day wore on. She watched the sun slowly fade, night descending far too quickly for her liking. They’d stopped a few times for the horses to rest, but Talon pushed their pace. She was secretly thankful for his urgency.
The mountains had slowly taken form in the distance, but they weren’t nearly close enough.
Arianna fiddled with the edge of a blanket, glancing toward her sister who’d laid her head against a pillow.
She wished they could push the animals faster, but these weren’t warhorses.
They’d probably only ever taken the couple across short distances.
Now their party was asking the poor creatures to carry them across half the continent.
The party fell silent as darkness crept across the landscape.
They were just north of Ruadhán now, still deep in Pádraigín’s territory.
Tierney had warned them about rumors of an increased number of Dark Fae prowling the land.
Arianna wondered if Vairik had set them loose on purpose, or if the destruction of his stronghold had led to their release.
She prayed Gavin’s glamour would hide them from such sinister creatures.
It certainly hadn’t helped at the village.
An even darker fear surfaced. Had Vairik already enacted his plan to eliminate the Fae of the continent? Maybe he didn’t care about finding her now. What if, by destroying Ashling, she’d set off ten thousand years of rage?
Arianna chewed her lip and looked at Gavin, who was studying the surrounding trees just as intently as everyone else.
Vairik didn’t even value his own family if they couldn’t reach a specific threshold of power.
They were nothing more than a means to an end.
A resource he could use and dispose of. She needed to get to Nàdair.
Fast. They were about to go to war with the oldest Fae on the continent. She’d need all the help she could get.
She studied Gavin a little closer. Niall had taken the young male to Ruadhán. He was strong enough that Niall and Vairik both had recognized something in him. Which meant the male had more power than he’d been letting on. Was he hiding it or simply not confident in his own abilities?
“We should stop here for the night,” Saoirse said, pulling on the reins.
“The horses need to rest.” Arianna sat up on her knees to glance at the creatures whose heads hung low.
They panted, one even coughing with the bit in its mouth.
Empathy tugged at her heart, but they had to keep moving.
Once they reached Nàdair, she’d make sure they’d never pull a cart again. Just get us there, please.
Arianna checked on Ellie before carefully climbing out of the wagon.
Zylah watched her a moment, but Arianna gave the half-breed a reassuring smile before stretching her back.
Her entire body had grown stiff from sitting so long.
She looked at Ellie again, wondering if she could convince her sister to walk a short distance around the wagon just to keep her joints mobile.
She’d wait until the camp was set up first. Arianna strolled toward the horses. She loosened the reins of the first and led it away a few steps before running her hands down one of its strong legs.
The muscles were taut, its body trembling slightly. She wished they didn’t have to push them so hard tomorrow, but it was unavoidable. Maybe she’d try to walk a bit just to take some of their load off.
The Demon appeared next to the other horse. He stared at her a moment, then pulled the bit from the creature’s mouth. His callused hand stroked the animal’s thick neck, pulled it forward a few steps, then began massaging the horse’s legs.
Arianna watched him carefully, continuing her own task of caring for the animal before her.
The Demon lifted his mare’s hooves, inspecting the area as if he knew exactly what he was looking for.
He moved to the second, then the third, where the creature resisted.
Arianna waited for his anger, but The Demon remained patient, tapping the horse’s leg until it finally relented.
He pulled a knife from his side, balanced the foot between his knees and dug something out of the creature’s foot.
The beast jumped and promptly stamped its hoof back to the ground, but he spoke to her in hushed tones, coaxing the leg up again.
“She could use your help when you’re finished.” He didn’t look at her. The Demon inspected the horse’s final foot before returning to her muzzle. He stroked the beast with a level of affection she’d never thought him capable of.
He met her gaze. Both went still. Even the horses seemed to sense the tension.
Their ears perked, and their eyes grew wide, staring as if waiting for an oncoming explosion.
She wondered if any fast movement would cause the animals to bolt.
The Demon’s gaze traveled down her horse’s legs, and he inclined his head. “May I?”
She wished she knew more about horses, but if there were something wrong with their hooves, she couldn’t fix it herself. Not without him pointing it out, anyway. Arianna stepped back and moved toward the one with the injured foot.
“Be careful, she’s a bit jumpy.”
Arianna nodded and reached for the horse’s muzzle first, then slid her hand down the animal’s back and to its hind leg.
She didn’t need to lift it the way he’d done.
Arianna simply let her magic flow. The creature jolted, but Arianna maintained her hold, patting the horse’s hip and whispering in reassurance.
The wound was small and easy to fix. She wondered how long the poor thing had been walking like that.
“They could probably use some water, too.” Gooseflesh rose on her arms. Why did his voice do that to her?
“Right.” Arianna stared at the ground, but before she could summon her magic, his engulfed the space.
Arianna’s heart thundered when the ground began to move a few feet away.
It pulled back, creating a deep uneven crevice.
She waited, breath held, but his magic disappeared as quickly as it had risen. She stared up at him in confusion.
“For the water.”
Arianna nodded, shifting on her feet. She needed to get away from him, yet when she stepped, part of her grieved his proximity. Arianna gritted her teeth, then pulled at her magic, filling the hole with fresh liquid. Whatever he’d done ensured the ground didn’t simply absorb it.
The horses’ ears perked again, but this time in excitement as they rushed toward the cool water. The Demon looped a loose rope around both their necks before unrolling the length and fastening them to a small tree. They’d have plenty of room to graze the surrounding area.
As if someone else thought the same, grass and other plants suddenly sprang from the ground, growing from tiny sprouts to tall blades of grass in seconds. Both happily trotted over, the stubborn mare pushing the other aside so she could get there first.
The crack of falling branches had Arianna’s head whipping around to find Raevina brushing dirt from her bare arms. She broke the pieces down quickly and arranged them in a neat pile, then a flame sparked from her fingertips.
Talon gave her a withering stare. “Is that a good idea?”