Chapter 28
AUREN
It’s colder this evening than it was last night. It wouldn’t normally concern me, but Vivienne is human. Her kind do not tolerate cold temperatures as well as mine do. I line the tent floor with thick furs and add an extra blanket to our bedding to ensure it’s comfortable enough for her liking.
A wistful sigh escapes my lips. These past few nights, she has practically melted into me as we sleep. She’s soft and warm, and I love the feel of her in my arms… as if she were always meant to be mine.
As I fluff her pillow, I decide to tease her. “I hope this meets Her Majesty’s high expectations,” I pretend to speak to myself, knowing she’ll hear.
I bite back a grin, already anticipating our usual back-and-forth. She’ll roll her eyes, cross her arms, and toss back something biting that will only make me want to kiss her senseless.
I wait a moment for her reply, but there’s only silence. A prickle of unease moves through me, and I turn, expecting to see her standing nearby, waiting to ambush me with some sort of playfully condescending remark about barbarism and such, but she isn’t there.
"Vivienne?"
I walk out of the tent, scanning the fire and the forest around our camp. Panic constricts my chest. She wouldn’t have wandered off. Not in the dark, not in this gods-forsaken forest. She fears it, loathes it… she wouldn't have left the fire.
"Vaelen!" I call out, already charging into the trees.
My nostrils flare as I track her scent. It’s everywhere and nowhere, tangled with something rotten… something wrong. Magic thrums through my body as I grip the hilt of my sword. Blue flames curve along the edge of the blade as I follow her trail deeper into the woods.
Something must have taken her… lured her away. Green mist rises from the ground, thick and heavy, like wading through mud. This is the work of dark magic.
Terror rips through me with brutal force. “No, no, no,” I murmur under my breath as I quicken my pace. “Vivienne!”
A low snarl fills the air, and Vaelen barrels toward me, his massive form emerging from the shadows. I leap onto his back in one swift motion, gripping his thick fur.
Then it hits me—a sharp, tearing spike of fear through the bond, and I realize it’s hers. It yanks at something deep in my chest, dragging me forward with brutal certainty.
“This way,” I growl, urging him toward it. “Vivienne’s in danger!”
The Dire wolf lunges forward, racing through the trees. A cottage comes into view up ahead, golden light spilling from its windows in the darkness.
My stomach churns as we rush toward it. Warm and inviting, it’s the perfect trap. The illusion wavers at the edges as we draw closer.
My heart stops as Vivienne’s terrified scream rips through the night. “Auren!”
Blinding panic tears through me as I race toward the cottage. “Vivienne!”
Whatever has her will beg for death before I grant it. It will meet a violent end. I swear it to the old gods and the new.
When we reach the cottage, I leap off Vaelen’s back and race through the door. The golden light collapses instantly as the entire structure rots before my eyes, the beams blackened and sagging, walls crawling with mold and shadows.
Ice fills my veins when I see Vivienne. A monstrous and twisted hag looms over her. Her body hangs limp in the creature’s grasp. Her head lolls, and her eyes are unfocused and glassy, caught in a dark enchantment.
Rage blisters through me. “Release her,” I growl. “Now.”
Magic arcs between my fingers and blue flames lick along the edge of my sword as pitch-black eyes meet mine. The hag’s mouth stretches wide, needle-sharp fang lengthening as her gray lips curl up in a sinister grin. “This is my prey, Elf.”
Magic explodes from my palms as I charge forward. The cottage shatters around us in splintered beams and choking smoke as I swing my blade in a wide arc slicing through skin and bone.
An ear-piercing shriek erupts from the hag as she stumbles back, releasing her hold on Vivienne.
Dagger-sharp claws rake across my arm, but I barely feel it as I continue my attack.
The hag thrashes, shadowed limbs striking out. With a loud snarl, Vaelen lunges forward, his massive jaw closing around her left arm, tearing through sickly gray flesh, shattering the bones beneath.
Raising my sword overhead, I bring my blade down to bear, removing the hag’s head from her shoulders in one fell swoop. Her headless body writhes on the ground, her clawed hands searching for her head to reassemble her body.
Raising my hands, I unleash a powerful burst of magic, watching in cold satisfaction as she begins to burn. This monster dared try to take my mate from me, and for that I will unmake her.
“Auren,” Vivienne’s soft voice calls out, and I rush toward her. Falling to my knees, I crush her to my chest, my hands shaking as I hold her. “You’re safe,” I whisper into her hair, my voice breaking. Gods, I almost lost her. "I’ve got you."
She clings to me, tears streaming down her face. “You came for me.”
Cupping the back of her head, I tighten my other arm around her waist, thankful she’s alive. “I’ll always come for you, Vivienne.”
"I—I don’t know how it happened,” she whispers. “I saw a strange hovering light, and I couldn’t look away. It made me follow.”
“It’s not your fault.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “Powerful witches use will-o’-wisps to lure their prey. Not everyone can resist the pull. Especially humans."
She buries her face against my neck, still trembling. I hold her tighter, thanking the gods I reached her in time.
Vaelen nuzzles her side, and she strokes his fur in response.
“Let’s get you out of here.” I lift her into my arms, cradling her to my chest and then carefully setting her atop Vaelen.
Vivienne is quiet as we make our way back to camp. When we finally arrive, I carefully set her on the ground. She looks down at her tunic. It’s covered in dirt and dried blood from the hag. Her hands shake as she tries to brush it away, tears spilling down her cheeks.
She’s in shock. Placing one hand on her back and the other arm up under her knees, I carefully scoop her up and walk toward the river. The current ripples around us as I wade in, my boots sinking into the soft riverbed.
She gasps as the slight chill of the water touches her skin, but then relaxes against me. Her arms slide around my neck, clinging to me as she presses her face into my shoulder, her breath warm against my throat.
“It’s alright,” I murmur, and I’m not sure if I’m speaking to her, or to the part of myself that is still caught in that moment of nearly losing her. “I have you, Vivienne.”
Carefully, I lift one hand and drag my fingers through her hair, rinsing away the grime and blood, watching as the river carries it from her in slow, drifting ribbons.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
My hold on her tightens without thought, pulling her closer to my chest as I press my nose briefly into her damp hair, grounding myself in the delicate scent of my mate. “Always.”
When I saw her in the monster’s grasp, strangling tendrils of fear coiled tight around my spine. They are rooted there still. I almost lost she who is more precious to me than anything in this world.
We are two days away from my kingdom. Once we reach it, we’ll meet back up with my guards and travel from there to the capital—Elyrith.
I’d wanted to travel alone with her for a bit longer, to win her heart before she learned who I am, but her safety is more important. We need to reach my guards as quickly as possible.
I nearly lost her tonight. Never again. I will not risk her for anything.