Chapter Fifteen
Skylar Cathal
“Rhea!” I screamed as we crashed into one another. “Rhea.” Sobbing, I held her as tight as I could.
“Gods above, Sky,” Rhea answered, her voice wavering as tears dampened my shoulder.
I pulled back, watching Rhea look at me with a forced smile.
She was happy beyond words to see me, but I could see the broken pieces of her pain lingering in the cracks of her joy.
I silently grasped her hands, giving her a knowing nod.
War was brewing. The chaos of blood and lives lost was a heavy burden to carry.
“You’ve looked better,” I said.
She rolled her eyes and managed a small laugh. “Not everyone gets to be ferried away to a magical land and doted on by towering High Fae princes.” Rhea chuckled with a witty smirk. She leaned in and sniffed me. “That’s Daxton’s scent, right?”
“The Silver Meadows high prince,” Talon answered, entering behind Rhea and pulling a shirt on over his head. “I knew it.”
I glanced at Talon, his shaggy black hair and pale blue eyes shining like beacons against the oil lamps illuminating the space.
“Hey, Sky,” he said, arms opening wide with a smile that made his crooked nose shift.
“Talon.” I sighed as I eagerly fell into his embrace. “Rhea won’t admit it,” he whispered in my ear. “But I told her, the night you almost killed him, that there was something there. Technically, I won that bet.”
“All right, don’t hog her attention,” Rhea demanded, pulling me in for another hug as Talon greeted Shaw and Neera closed in around me.
“Glad to see you in one piece,” Shaw said to his brother, clasping him on the shoulder.
“It was a close call this time around. Istar is sending in mages, along with King Taran’s personal guard,” Talon said, embracing Shaw.
I couldn’t help but notice how Shaw tensed at Talon’s news. With war at our doorstep, who knew which moments could be our last?
“Those bastard hunters don’t go down easy, but we were lucky in this last fight. The Satellite pack to the south of Solace is thankfully safe, for now,” Talon continued.
Istar was the lead mage of the human king, rumored to be as powerful as he was cunning. A deadly opponent known to hate our kind almost as much as the king.
“Have they told you about—” Rhea whispered as she squeezed me tighter.
I nodded in response, unable to say or do anything more than that, or risk falling apart in her arms.
“Julia will never be forgotten,” Rhea said. “She lives through Neera and through you, Skylar. She lives through all of us who carry her memory and name.”
I hugged her tighter, grateful for Rhea’s kind words of comfort.
There would be time, I told myself.
Time to grieve Julia’s passing properly and visit her final resting place to say goodbye.
I wanted to tell her how much I loved her and thank her for everything, for the strength she instilled in me and the love she freely gave an orphaned child.
I promised myself I would honor Julia’s memory by never giving up. To hold my head high and keep fighting.
We’re not just shifters; we’re Cathals! I remember her telling me when I was just a child. When we fall, what do we do? It was her favorite lesson to teach me. We get back up and try again.
“All right,” Rhea announced, clearing her throat. “Now spill.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything. Starting with why you smell like the High Fae prince,” she said with a wink, pulling me with her as she reached out for Talon.
“Daxton,” I whispered. Everyone tensed, sensing my hesitation. “He’s… He’s my mate.”
“Oh, Skylar.” Neera sighed, clutching her hands at her heart.
“You can pay up later. I have some ideas on how we can settle this score.” Talon snickered in Rhea’s ear.
“So, it’s more than just sex, then?” Rhea asked, shooing away Talon’s taunting.
“Yes,” I said, unable to keep the crimson flush from finding my cheeks.
“Well, I wouldn’t blame you.” Rhea sighed, ignoring her mate’s loud eye roll. “You’ve been keeping yourself locked up for far too long, in my opinion.”
“She was waiting,” Neera said in my defense.
“Okay, fine. To each their own,” Rhea said, waving Neera off. “Continue, Sky. How do you know he’s your mate?”
“High Fae can sense a mate bond, but that doesn’t matter, because honestly… I fell in love with him.”
“That’s not shocking news,” Talon huffed.
Rhea playfully slapped Talon’s chest. “We were surprised that Talon was able to pick up on the fact that Daxton was drawn to you, and you hadn’t yet,” Rhea muttered.
“Before the second trial, I told him I loved him,” I said, “and he…” My voice trailed off, fondly remembering that night with perfect clarity.
“He confessed that he’d known since the first time he met me in the meadow…
That his soul had found its other half. That I was his mate, and he was hopelessly and eternally in love with me. ”
Neera sighed as her eyes softened.
“Which was so obvious that even my brother could see it,” Shaw replied, giving me a half-smile.
“Both of you can go suck on a rock.” Talon glowered at them, crossing his large arms over his chest.
“Am I going to be able to finish this story?” I asked.
“Not likely,” Shaw answered for the group. “But you can try.”
“Right.” I chuckled. “You remember my dream? The one I had in the meadow?”
“Yes,” Rhea and Neera answered, curiosity sparking in their expressions.
“That meadow is in Silver Meadows. And the orange and silver flower with an ebony stem?”
“That imaginary flower you obsessed over for years?” Rhea asked.
“Yes.” I smiled. “It’s real. Daxton created it.”
“Gods above,” Talon breathed. “That very well might be the new standard for fated mates.”
“But you haven’t shifted yet, right?” Neera asked.
“Our bond is unsealed, but it is there,” I said, absently rubbing the scar on my wrist. My animal stirred to life in my chest, the thought of Daxton’s love surrounding me like a shield of armor.
Rhea reached out and grasped my hand. “Like a spark, or the feeling of liquid fire stirring in your veins. You feel a pull toward him. Always aware of where he is and a sense of what he’s feeling.”
I nodded.
“Love is the bridge.” Neera sighed.
“So, I have to ask, why is Daxton not here with you?” Shaw questioned.
I clenched my eyes, fighting back tears. “He was captured. And is being held as a bargaining tool for my return.”
“Who the hell is powerful enough to capture Daxton?” Rhea asked, leaning to the side with her arms crossed.
“Queen Minaeve.”
The room went silent.
“If I haven’t said it before, I fuuucking hate her,” Neera cursed.
We all raised our brows in surprise.
“Settle in and listen. I’m about to fill you in on everything,” I said to my friends.
I recounted my time in the Inner Kingdom, backtracking to Crimson City, Aelius, Seamus, the scroll, and the trial of the mind.
I even told them about how I healed Nyssa and the other fallen creatures in the wilt.
And then I spoke of Silver Meadows. About Idris, Adohan, Zola, and Gunnar.
I told them about the Ice Gauntlet, showing them the silver mountain peak on my black leathers.
Then I told them about the trial of the body, the basilisk, and then the unfortunate plan that involved my mate being captured by the High Fae queen.
“Gods a-fucking-bove,” Rhea cursed at my side.
“Right?” I said, glancing across the kitchen island at Shaw and Neera. My eyes darted between them, their familiarity and intimacy no longer something I could ignore. “Are you… Are you two…”
“Don’t start,” Talon warned with a palm raised.
“Please.” Rhea sighed, squinting her eyes and pinching her brows.
“What?” I questioned.
Shaw reached for Neera’s hand, giving her a soft smile. “No. We are not a mated pair, but—”
“But,” Neera added, “perhaps a mate bond is not the only way to find happiness with another in this life.”
“Oh,” I replied with surprise—no, shock, actually.
Neera swore to us time and time again that she would only be sharing a claiming mark with her true mate. We all knew this.
I glared at Shaw, pinning him with my stare. He blinked at me, understanding my protective intent, and wisely shifted a half step from my cousin.
“Like we said.” Talon chuckled with amusement. “Don’t start.”
“What does Magnus think about this?” I asked, turning my head and sniffing the air. “In fact, where is Magnus? Why is he not home? He should be here.”
Knowing that Julia had passed less than a month ago, it was logical that Magnus would stay close to Neera, regardless of his role as beta.
“F-Father is—” Neera stammered as the room fell silent.
“Where is Magnus?” I asked again, looking at Talon and then Shaw.
“He’s alive,” Shaw answered. “But—”
I bit my lip, straightening my shoulders as my eyes blazed with the demand for an answer. The magic of my alpha command laced into my words. “Where is my uncle, Shaw?”
“He’s lost. Lost to his animal form,” Shaw answered, staggering back a step as my power filled the room.
I fought to catch my breath at Shaw’s response.
When a shifter experienced a loss too great to carry, their animal spirit took control.
They succumbed to their animal’s power, and their human half faded into a distant memory.
Some never came back, while others could return when the pain of their human soul was healed, or they were called back by something strong enough to guide them through a shift.
“What the hell was that power, Skylar?” Talon demanded, drawing me back as he instinctively moved closer to his mate.
“Oh, that.” I shrugged as I scratched the back of my head. “It’s new.”
“Explain yourself,” Talon snapped. His eyes flared as he tilted his head to the side to look me over. “That felt like a fucking alpha command, Sky.”
Neera placed her hand on Shaw’s shoulder, but he waved her off, insisting that he was all right.
“That makes a lot more sense now,” Shaw said. “It’s not the first time you’ve used it, is it?”
“No,” I said in reply. I looked across the room, knowing they all felt the power of my alpha command. “All right, just to recap,” I said, crossing my arms, “shifters and humans are on the brink of war, if not already in it.”
They all nodded.
“My aunt is—” I didn’t finish the thought. The sting of anguish cut me like a knife. I shook myself, biting my lip to keep the tears back. “Practically everyone can shift and… Magnus is lost in his bear form.”
I looked at Neera as her eyes darkened, and I wished I could take away her pain, to bring back the light that used to shine so brightly in her eyes.
“And now, I have to complete the final trial. Who is…” I took a deep breath to prepare myself. “Who is the alpha?”
“Gilen,” Rhea answered in a distasteful growl.
“Fantastic,” I replied, glancing at Talon.
“What do you need to do for the final trial, Sky?” Neera asked.
“The alpha’s dagger,” I said.
“Shit,” Talon swore.
Rhea’s face paled as Neera clutched onto Shaw’s arm with wide eyes.
“You plan to announce a challenge,” Shaw said, not as a question but as a statement.
“Yes,” I answered with confidence. “If it comes to that.”
Shaw nodded. “I’ll be there with you.”
“So will we!” Rhea added with authority.
I looked at Rhea’s mate, knowing I was asking Talon to do something practically unheard of.
“Call your alpha,” I said. “As his beta, you can inform Gilen of what I intend to do.”
Talon’s expression dropped as his face hardened like stone. “I’m… I’m not the beta.”
My eyes widened with shock. “What?”
Rhea scowled, a guttural growl sounding in the back of her throat in defense of her mate.
“I’m not Gilen’s beta.” Talon’s crooked nose twitched to the side as he tried to mask his unease with the topic. “So, I’ll have no problem standing on the sidelines as you challenge him.”
I knew there was more to this story, but the looks Shaw and Rhea shot my way were a warning not to press the matter further.
The bond between a beta and an alpha had a will of its own.
“I’ll ask Gilen to give me the dagger first and try the friendly approach,” I said.
Everyone in the room just stared at me.
Shaw, the brave one, broke the silence of the group. “You’ll have to—”
“I know,” I interjected, understanding settling within my heart with what needed to be done. “I’ll attempt to talk to him first. I have to try.”
“Good fucking luck with that,” Rhea mumbled. “My advice? Make sure your plan B is really plan A.” She sighed deeply. “You’ll have to challenge him, Sky. And you’ll need to win.”