4. Going Home
four
ORYM
“Well, if Amber doesn’t have Garnet, then who does? She couldn’t have just disappeared. That’s not physically possible. We need to find her so we can save James and defeat Amber,” I insist. This meeting is going on forever, and I’m already tired of listening to Ryland berate Luca for daydreaming. I’m pretty sure he was trying to figure out how to find Garnet, which is the whole point of this conversation.
“I don’t know who has her. There’s no way to find her unless whoever took her lets us,” Ryland replies.
“Okay, I haven’t had the bond as long as either of you, but what if the reason we can’t communicate with her through the bond is because she’s in another realm?” Luca offers.
“What do you mean?” Ryland growls.
“I think he means their Fae friend may have stepped in. Right?” I respond. Ryland glares at me, but Luca nods.
“Exactly. And if he’s the one who took her, then she’s safe. We just have to figure out how to reach out to him so he can send her back. There has to be a good reason why he took her. It’s the only explanation I can come up with for why we can’t talk to her. You guys said the bond works anywhere.” Luca’s explanation is the only thing that makes sense.
“So, how do we call a Fae?” I look at Grammy and the old woman blushes. I figured that she would know the answer, even if she doesn’t want to share the information.
“There are stories, but I’ve never tried it,” she answers, her cheeks turning even more pink. Just as I thought. She knows exactly what to do to get the Fae’s attention. As much as I hate the idea, if this Fae man is helping Garnet, I’ll work with him or at least have a civil conversation with him.
“Tell me what you need to make it happen, and I’ll take care of it.” I lock eyes with Ryland, and he nods at me. I’m still trying to make up for disrespecting him by ignoring his orders. I’ll do whatever it takes to bring this family back together again.
“I’ll make you a list. It won’t be easy to get everything. And there’s no guarantee it will call the specific Fae you want it to.” Grammy’s warning stings, but I understand her caution. She doesn’t want us to get our hopes up too much, since there’s a chance that we won’t be able to find Garnet this way.
“We’ll find her. You’ll see.” Luca’s confidence is contagious, making me feel more sure of this plan than I was a moment ago.
“Guys, I’m worried that this won’t be as easy as the two of you think. I don’t want either of you to be disappointed if we can’t find her,” Ryland says, staring out the window. I know he means well, but we need to be positive here.
JAMES
Garnet confirming that she has two very different types of powers inside of her is a terrifying thought. I don’t know if it’s possible for a person to survive such a thing, especially if Trevan is right, and she’s the only one to ever have this much power. “How does she control it, then?” I ask, pulling his focus from her to me.
“Practice. It’s the only real way to ever learn control,” he responds. I figured as much, but I know it’s not what Garnet wants to hear.
“Well, if that’s it, then we should go home. Because I’ve unlocked my powers. That was what you wanted. And you’ve successfully gotten me to use them. So, James and I should go home now. Then I can save him, and we can defeat Amber,” Garnet says dismissively.
“Oh, you’re already prepared to leave. I see. Well, I suppose I can open a portal.” The hurt in his voice stabs at my heart.
“Of course, we would love for you to come with us,” I offer, glaring at Garnet. She doesn’t seem to notice the way I’m looking at her.
Trevan’s face lights up. “You would?” He turns to Garnet and looks at her with hope shining in his eyes. He’s been trying to connect with her the whole time we’ve been here, and she just keeps pushing him away.
“What? Why?” she asks. I elbow her in the ribs and she coughs. “Of course. Please, come with us.” The glare I get from her is worth it, since Trevan’s happiness is nearly palpable.
“I supposed I’ll get things arranged. We’ll leave in an hour,” he says before darting off.
“What the fuck was that about?” she whips around to face me. “You can’t be serious about bringing him home with us.”
“Of course, I am. You need him to help heal me. And to help defeat Amber. Just give him a chance. For me?” I hate using guilt to get my way, but I know it’s the only thing that will work right now.
She groans and rolls her eyes at me. “Fine, but you are responsible for explaining him to the others. Oh! I’m going to get to see Ry, Luca, and Orym!” I can tell that she’s excited, and I realize it probably has more to do with the possibility of sex than with being tired of me.
I don’t know how to explain my theory to her, but I felt like if we had sex here, it would trap me. I don’t want to take the chance of being stuck here forever because of some trick her father played on us. But I also don’t want to accuse him without proof, because that will turn her further away from him.
I’m walking a thin line here and trying to figure out what’s best for everyone. Hopefully, I’m right, and Trevan will be able to help Garnet heal my body. My soul is growing weaker every day.
GARNET
I’m going home! I can’t believe it. I was beginning to think it wasn’t possible. Terror at the thought of being trapped in the Fae realm forever has started to sink into me. I’ve been fighting it the whole time we’ve been here, but I’d started to lose that battle. I can’t tell James, but I’ve noticed that he’s starting to fade.
That tells me that his body is getting weaker. I don’t know how much longer Trevan can keep him away from the light. I can’t lose James, though. So, I’ll be nice to my father and take him home with me. We’ll save James and defeat Amber. Then we’ll have a conversation and set some boundaries about our relationship.
We’ll start with kidnapping. There will be no more of that, because it’s annoying. And he’s going to teach me how to open one of those portal things, too. I refuse to get stuck anywhere ever again. If I can make a portal, then I can come and go as I please.
I hug James and dance around a little. I can’t hide my excitement. I’m going home! And I’ll get to see my other mates. It’s going to be surreal, giving up talking to James, but being able to see the others. We have to save him. I’m desperate to find a way.
True to his word, Trevan returns an hour later. He has three backpacks with him, and they appear to be filled to capacity. “This one is for you, and this one is for you. These are loaded up with everything we could possibly need once we’re on the other side. Of course, I don’t know if you’re spirit will be corporeal once we get there, so giving you a backpack is probably a bad idea.”
He hands each of us a bag, then takes James’ back. “I’ll carry this for now. You just focus on staying with our girl.” I’ve noticed that Trevan rarely uses my name. He prefers to call me Daughter or Princess. Both are annoying. And I’ve decided I don’t like our girl any better.
Once the bags are organized, he motions for us to move closer. Then Trevan moves his hands in a circle in front of his abdomen. A small band of bright blue magic forms a circle in front of him, growing as he parts his hands.
“Quickly, step through. Both of you. We’ll see what happens to James once we’re on the other side. I’m right behind you,” Trevan urges. I grip James’ hand and walk through the portal, dragging him with me.
Tears fill my eyes when James evaporates as soon as he’s out of the portal. “Where did he go? Is he…?” I can’t bring myself to say the words, but Trevan puts a hand on my shoulder.
“He’s not. It’s okay. We’ll figure out a way to heal him. His spirit probably just went back to his body. Give me a moment, then we’ll head to your cabin,” he insists.
“A moment for what?” I ask, watching as he pulls something small out of one of his bags.
“Here, put this on,” he says, handing me what looks like a friendship bracelet. “It will hide us from the witches. If there are any searching the forest, they won’t be able to see, hear, or smell us.”
It seems odd, but I do as he requests. I slide the bracelet onto my wrist. The air around me feels warmer suddenly, as if I’ve become a part of it. I look around, but nothing else has changed.
“Let’s go. Lead the way,” he says after sliding one of the bracelets on his own wrist. Again, I do as he asks, heading toward the cabin that’s been my home since Ry and I became bonded.
A noise in front of us stops me in my tracks and I almost duck behind a tree. Trevan’s hand on my arm stops me. “Just watch,” he says quietly. Three witches approach us, but they don’t seem to see what’s right in front of them.
“I swear, a portal just closed. I sensed it. But it doesn’t make sense. Why would someone open a portal if they weren’t going to come through it?” one of the witches asks the others.
A second one shrugs. “Maybe it was just to pick a flower or something. Fae are weird like that.” I smirk at her comment, and Trevan tenses. I’m certain that she’s offended him, but I can’t hide my amusement.
“It doesn’t matter. Amber wants us to keep an eye out for anything strange. We need to go report back to her. She’ll tell us what we need to do next,” the third witch states before turning and walking back the direction they came from.
I didn’t know that witches could sense Fae portals. That could explain why Trevan was so hesitant to bring us back this way. I should have asked him to open it closer to the cabin. It never occurred to me that we would be stepping from one world into another and come face-to-face with danger immediately.
“Will this thing block my mate bonds?” I ask, suddenly realizing that I can feel my mates again.
“No, you should be able to talk to them, since we’re in your realm again,” Trevan explains.
Ry? Luca? Orym? Can you guys hear me?I call through the bond, holding my breath while I wait for their responses.
Red? Luca’s voice is hesitant.
Garnet?Orym’s voice is relieved.
Where are you? We’re on our way.And Ry sounds pissed. I should have known that he’d be the one to blame me for disappearing.
We’re coming home. Don’t worry. The witches can’t see or hear us. We’ll be there soon. I respond carefully through the bond, not letting my annoyance go through. I don’t want to fight with any of them, and I already know they’re going to be hesitant to trust Trevan.
LUCA
The moment I hear Red’s voice in my head, I freeze. It has to be my imagination. She can’t really have magically appeared the moment we decided to summon the Fae to find her. I’m terrified to hope that it really is her.
Ryland and Orym turn to look at me and I know it was not my imagination. “Is it really her?” I whisper.
Neither of them says a word. The three of us stare at each other as we respond to our mate’s call. Fear grips me again when she tells us to stay put. “Who’s with her? She keeps saying we. It doesn’t make sense,” Orym wonders aloud.
Ryland shakes his head. “I have no idea, but we need to be ready in case this is an ambush.” Of course, Ryland would expect the worst. I can’t blame him, though. I’m not sure I believe that she’s back either.
We take our places near the door to wait. I’m ready to shift at Ryland’s signal. Orym stands in the kitchen, with Grammy behind him. When the door opens, everyone is on edge, but frozen in our places.
“It’s okay, just come inside. Hurry up, before Ryland tackles you and pins you to the ground,” Red says to whoever she’s brought with her.
It’s really her. She’s back and it seems like she’s okay. Relief washes over me. I step forward to grab her and come face-to-face with the Fae man who helped me escape from Amber. “You. What are you doing here?”
“Helping my daughter save her mate, of course. What are you doing here?” he asks me. I can tell from his tone that he’s teasing, but I still hadn’t expected him to be the one escorting Red.
“Wait, did you say daughter?” Orym steps into the room.
Red rolls her eyes as she walks in behind him. “Yes, he did. But that wasn’t exactly your news to share, was it, Trevan?” Her annoyance is clear, but the Fae man does not seem fazed by it. If anything, he’s amused at her irritation.
“Darling daughter, you cannot expect me to meet your men and not let them know who I am,” he says with a smirk.
“Red, I’m so glad you’re okay!” I pull her into my arms before either of the others can. I have to reassure myself that she’s real, and this isn’t a dream.
“Luca, you’re squeezing too tight,” she squeaks out. I let go, and Ryland drags her away from me. I watch as he kisses her deeply, then shoves her toward Orym so he can face her father.
“Why did you take our mate? Give me one reason not to tear your head off right now,” Ryland growls.
Trevan holds his hands up in surrender. “I took her so she could talk to the injured one over there. His soul was moving on when I stopped it. I basically trapped it in the Fae realm so that he couldn’t die.
RYLAND
“You kept James alive? And that’s why you took Red?” I’m astounded by this revelation. If what he’s saying is true, what does that mean for James now that they’re both here?
“I did, and yes, that is correct. There’s a little more to it than that, but that is the basic gist of it all,” Trevan says. This man is way too confident for his own good. Especially since Red is already annoyed at him.
“Then I’ll welcome you into our home. But I will warn you, one wrong move, and one of us will take you out. Being Red’s father won’t save you here,” I threaten.
I smirk at the look of fear that crosses his expression before he schools it again. Red notices it too, and we exchange a look. “How is James?” she asks, rushing to the couch where he’s been since his injury.
“It doesn’t look good. We’re not sure what else to do,” Grammy says, walking out of the kitchen to wrap her arms around Red.
We all turn to Trevan, somehow expecting him to have the answers. “What are you looking at me for? I can’t heal him. I don’t have that power.”
Red’s face lights up. “But I do! Right? I just don’t know what color that is.” She turns to her father and stares at him, waiting for the answer to her unspoken question.
He sighs before he responds. “White. Please don’t kill yourself saving his life. He wouldn’t want that.”
Dropping to her knees next to James, Red sticks her tongue out at the Fae man. Then she turns her attention back to her unconscious mate. As I’m watching, a faint white glow starts to come out of her hands.
“What is that?” Luca asks, stepping toward Red. I wrap my arm around his waist to stop him, pulling him back against my chest.
“Let her do this. The Fae is right there if things start to go wrong. If he can’t be useful, I’ll help you tear him in half,” I threaten. Luca seems satisfied with my suggestion and relaxes against me. It should be strange to hold him this way, but something about it feels right, especially with Red only a few feet away.
“It’s up to her to figure this out. Like I said, I don’t have that power, so I can’t help her. The only thing I can do is pull her away if she starts to use too much of it,” Trevan states. He doesn’t look concerned, but there’s something in his voice that makes him appear uncertain.
My chest aches, and I know it’s coming through the bond. If she’s unsure, then this won’t work. Guys, we need to show our girl how proud we are of her and how confident we are that she can do this. I send the command over our bond, blocking her from hearing it.
A moment later, I feel Orym and Luca pushing emotions at Red, and I join them.
GARNET
I’m anxious and terrified that I can’t save James. I have no idea what to do. What if I make it worse? Panic grips me, and I start to freeze up. Then, as if they’re reading my mind, my guys send their love and confidence along our bond. It hasn’t been that long since I’ve felt them this way, but it feels like it’s been forever.
Tears stream down my face as I soak up their emotions and use them to bolster myself for what I have to do. I can’t afford to be scared. I have to clear my mind and focus on healing James. Stopping those magic tendrils from getting to his heart is my number one concern right now.
As the white glow coming from my hands gets brighter, James starts to thrash. “Hold him down, please,” I bark at Ry and Luca. I pour my magic into him, begging him to heal, praying that this works and I’m not too late.
The more magic I push into him, the more it seems to hurt him. I’m ready to back off, but Trevan steps forward. “It’s working, keep going.”
I close my eyes and focus on pushing as much healing magic into James as I can. My legs buckle, but strong arms wrap around me, and a hard chest holds me up. Orym’s fresh cedar scent fills my nose. I lean back against him and continue to give everything I have to saving James’ life.
After a few more minutes, I know I can’t keep this up. I’m getting weak and the world is spinning. “It’s okay, Red, you can stop now. It worked,” Ry’s voice cuts through the pain in my head.
I open my eyes to see that he’s right. All that’s left of James’ injury is a small scar on his calf. The black streaks that had covered his leg and were climbing toward his heart are gone. I did it. With that thought, I collapse and the world goes dark.
I have no idea how long I was out, but I hear voices, and everything feels like it’s a dream. “Is she okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine. She just needs to rest. Using that much power at once is taxing for any Fae, but more so for one who isn’t as experienced. Since she’d never used that particular type of magic before, it was more difficult for her. I’m certain that she will wake when she’s recovered, just like James will.” I know that voice, but my brain doesn’t want to process it.
“If they both don’t wake up soon, I’m going to take you outside and enjoy every single punch that it takes to knock you out,” Ry says. Oh, shit. Ry is going to kill Trevan if I don’t wake up. That’s who he’s arguing with.
I groan as I fight my way back to the light. The darkness calls to me, making me want to sleep. But I need to save my father from my mate. I slowly open one eye, looking from Ry to Trevan and back before closing it again. “Stop fighting. I’m tired.” It comes out whiney, and I hate that, but it works. They both instantly stop arguing and focus on me.
“Are you okay, Red? What can we do for you?” Ry asks. I smile at him being so sweet. It’s not like my big, bad wolf. He’s usually gruff and hateful, but not with me.
“I’ll be fine. How’s James?” I ask, finally forcing both eyes open. I’m lying in our bed, with Ry and Trevan standing guard.
“Luca and Orym are watching him,” Ry says.
“I hate to ask, but will you carry me out there? I need to see him, but I just don’t have the strength right now.” I smile at him, knowing that my love can’t deny me anything. He scoops me up without another word and carries me to the living room where James is sitting up on the couch, talking to Luca.
“Garnet!” James exclaims. Ry sets me on the couch next to him, where I’m pulled into a huge hug.
“How do you feel?” I ask, trying to check him out.
“I’d wager that I’m feeling better than you are, from the look of it,” he answers, not letting go of me. “Thank you. Luca told me what you did. You saved my life.”
Before I can respond, Orym brings in a tray with tea and cookies on it. “You both need to drink some tea and eat something. Then we need to talk about Amber and your father.”
I wondered how long it would be before one of them brought that up. “We should get started. I feel like that’s gonna be a long conversation.”
Everyone gathers around. Ry brings a chair in for Trevan, and another for Grammy. When they’re all settled in, I start. “Trevan is my father. He’s also the king of the Fae realm. He’s here to help us, well, I’m not sure now. He came back with me to help heal James. Now that I’ve done that, I’m not sure if he’ll be staying to fight against Amber or not.”
We all turn to look at my father and see what he says. “I cannot stay indefinitely, but I am able to hang around for a few more days and offer my assistance.”
“That will have to do. Thank you,” I answer. It’s not what I wanted to hear, but some help is better than none. And I understand that he has a kingdom to take care of. I just wish I was confident in my ability to take on Amber.
“I’m guessing from how freaked out you guys were when we got back, that Amber escaped.” I look at Ry for confirmation. His subtle nod is all I get. “And you were worried that she’d taken me. I understand.”
“We found out shortly after you disappeared that it wasn’t her.” Orym says.