38. Rae
RAE
My head thrummed as I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. Apparently, Nocturnae blood didn’t do a damn thing about headaches either. Or maybe it was that it couldn’t heal headaches that were caused by stress and not some physical malady.
And finding out your survival was linked to four others? That caused a significant amount of stress.
Gritting my teeth, I toweled off and went in search of clothes. The idea of riding a horse in a dress again wasn’t exactly on my top-ten list, but I had bigger fish to fry. Like figuring out how to unlink myself from my four fated mates.
Stepping out into the bedroom, I looked around. Empty. But I caught sight of something on the bed. And it didn’t look like some elaborate gown. I crossed to the mattress and studied the stack of clothing with its accompanying note.
THOUGHT THESE MIGHT BE MORE TO YOUR LIKING. TRY NOT TO GET DEAD, PLEASE.
—R
I scoffed. Such a poet. At least he said please.
But as my fingers skimmed the fabric, I couldn’t help softening a little. He’d seen my discomfort yesterday and had done something to ease it. Even if he was a grumpy jerk-face.
Lifting the first item, I took in the expertly woven tunic in a cream fabric. It was incredibly soft—like silk but stronger and more durable.
The pants were made of a dark-brown, stretchy material and looked like something an equestrian might wear. So did the boots. They were knee-high and made of the supplest leather I’d ever felt.
It wasn’t exactly an outfit I would’ve worn back home, but it was still a heck of a lot more me than everything else I’d been forced to wear recently. I dressed quickly, struggling a bit with the boots, but once they were on, I had to admit they were incredibly comfortable.
Pulling my hair back, I wove it into a braid to keep it out of my face. A memory flashed in my mind.
“My beautiful girl,” Olympia said as she combed my hair. “But she’s not just a beauty. She’s strong and kind and smart, too.”
I stared at my grandmother in the mirror. “What’s the most important?”
She stilled, mid-braid. “What’s the most important thing to be?”
I nodded at her reflection.
Olympia made a humming noise. “What do you think?”
“I dunno. I think kind, but I wanna be strong, too. Then no one can be mean to me.” Not even my mom.
A soft smile spread across her face. “We can be kind and strong.” Her fingers started braiding again. “Life is a balance. There are times we have to be fierce and times we need to be gentle. We get to be a whole mix of things. And I know you’ll find just the right recipe for you.”
The memory was gone as quickly as it had started, but my eyes still stung. I hadn’t been without an encourager growing up here. It might’ve been easier if I had. But I’d had Olympia, Kian, and maybe even others.
It made my desire to return to the human realm a little more complicated. I longed for my old life. My classes, my plants, the greenhouse.
Grabbing the olive-green jacket from the bed, I slid it on. “One thing at a time,” I whispered to myself. “You don’t have to figure it out today.”
A knock sounded on my door.
“Come in, if you don’t plan on trying to kill me,” I called.
The door swung open to reveal two incredibly handsome men. Kian wore an amused smile, while Rhys had an annoyed scowl.
“A high-security welcome?” Rhys growled.
I shrugged. “Well, I doubt someone knocking is going to try to kill me. But maybe the murderers here are polite. I’m still getting my bearings, after all.”
Rhys muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t quite make out.
“The horses are being brought around. You ready?” Kian asked, holding out an arm.
I hooked mine through his, and something about it was familiar. It didn’t unlock a memory in my mind; it was more like sense memory. “Did we use to do this? Walk like this?”
Pain flitted across his expression. “We did. You’d walk between Calloway and me, your arms hooked through ours.”
No one had brought up the Luminary Prince since we’d left yesterday. My betrothed. And as I studied Kian, I realized what this had likely cost him: a friend.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He looked down at me. “For what?”
“It has to be hard. I basically hijacked you. It’s not like you chose this, chose me. And it must have hurt your friendship,” I explained.
Kian bent his head to study me for a long moment. “I would’ve chosen you, Butterfly. Even though it’s the most selfish thing I could’ve done.”
My breath hitched. “You don’t even know me. Not anymore.”
“I know enough. I always have.”
“If you two are done mooning over each other, we need to get going. We have a long ride ahead of us,” Rhys cut in.
“Prince of Darkness, your jealousy’s showing,” Kian singsonged as he led me toward the door.
“That’s King of Darkness to you,” Rhys shot back.
Pax fell into step beside us, along with a woman I didn’t recognize but who looked seriously badass. Her black hair was woven into a combination of braids and dreads, her bronzed skin making her blue-green eyes even more captivating. The scar running through her brow was somehow beautiful, too.
“Rae, this is Trix, head of the Firelight guard,” Pax introduced.
“Nice to meet you.”
She gave a slight dip of her head. “You, too. I’m sorry you were attacked last night. I’ll make sure it never happens again on Firelight soil.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said quickly.
Trix stared me down. “My guard, my responsibility.”
I swallowed hard. “Alrighty, then.”
Kian snickered.
Trix glanced behind me as we descended the stairs. “Are you sure you don’t want me to ride out with you?”
“Yes,” Rhys said with finality. “I need someone I can trust to stay behind.”
“Ouch, Brother, that hurts,” Ayden called from the grand foyer below.
“You take it as the utmost compliment,” Rhys shot back.
Ayden shrugged. “Possibly.” His gaze moved to me. “She doesn’t look injured.”
“Rhys—” I began.
“Stopped him in time,” Kian cut in.
I frowned, looking over at him. He gave a minuscule shake of his head. Apparently, no one was to know that Rhys had fed me his blood.
“My brother the hero,” Ayden said wanly. “Your horses are ready.”
“So eager to see us gone?” Rhys challenged as we headed out into the courtyard.
Ayden gave an exaggerated shiver. “A witch in my presence makes me twitchy.”
I waved my fingers in his direction. “I’m already practicing how to turn you into a toad.”
He choked on a laugh. “Fuck me. She’s got jokes.”
The stable hands guided an array of horses forward, including Kian’s Shadow and Rhys’s Ash. Shadow crossed to me instantly, nuzzling my neck. I couldn’t help but giggle at the contact.
“Gods,” Kian muttered. “He’s trying to steal my girl.”
A growl sounded from Rhys’s direction. “She’s not yours alone.”
“Looks like she is right now,” Kian quipped.
Zenia strode forward in yet another stunning gown, her gaze sweeping over me. “What an odd outfit.”
“What an odd face,” I shot back without thinking.
Pax and Kian burst out laughing.
“Oops,” I muttered as she glared at me.
Her expression quickly melted into a simpering one as she turned to hug Rhys. “Can’t you send the witch with Kian? Your people have missed you.”
“I bet they have,” I muttered under my breath.
“I’ll be back when I can.” Rhys’s tone was devoid of any emotion. I couldn’t read if he’d miss her or if he wanted nothing to do with her. It was simply…empty.
Zenia flicked a finger beneath an eye as though catching a tear. “Please return quickly and safely, my King.”
I ground my back teeth together as she stretched up to kiss his cheek. Anger surged in waves that felt like lava, burning my insides.
“Uh, Rhys, you might not wanna do that. You’re pissing off Rae,” Pax said quietly.
It was then that I noticed tiny sparks of silver fire dancing around me. The shock of seeing them was enough to startle a panicked gasp out of me, and they all disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared. But Rhys was already extricating himself from Zenia’s hold.
My gaze shot up to Kian’s face. “What do those sparks mean?”
His jaw tightened, tiny divots appearing. “I don’t know.”