Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
ELARIYA
We lay together in the bed, watching the twilight sky through the window. It hung over the snowy mountains like a sheet of velvet, waiting for the onset of dawn.
Wolfe had his arm draped around me and I was pressed against his chest. Neither of us spoke.
We’d made love a few times during the night before we settled into this stillness.
I knew it was almost time for him to leave. No magical spell or illusion could keep the sun away. Tomorrow was already here, and I was just biding time.
A few stolen hours of peace.
He ran a finger across my waist and pressed a kiss against my shoulder. I turned inward, facing him. He had his hair tucked behind his ear, showing off the subtle point of his Fae ears.
I didn’t know why, but my mind kept drifting to the very first time I saw him. All those moons ago at the tavern. He was the first of the Fae I’d ever met. I never knew at the time that he’d become so important to me.
He rested his head against the pillow and gazed at me. His eyes had dimmed from their usual brightness, a heads-up that his departure was closer than I thought.
“I couldn’t speak to you through the bond because it was too dangerous,” he muttered. “Mercenaries tracked my scent. If I’d used it even once, I would have put you in danger here.”
I reached out and touched his face. “I sensed something was happening.”
“I hoped you would. It drove me crazy not speaking to you.”
“Me too.”
He took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “The cottage. I picked it up in your thoughts. That was where you were when I felt the presence of great evil.”
Goose bumps prickled my skin. “Yes. I followed Thayden there. I think what we’re looking for is there. He just hasn’t been back since.”
He released me and sat up.
I pulled the sheet over my breasts and sat, too. “Wolfe, what is it?”
“Perhaps it’s for the best that he hasn’t gone back.” He spoke without looking at me.
“How can you say that?”
Finally, he turned his head. “You don’t understand. For me to feel that sort of evil through the bond… whatever was inside there was powerful. Powerful, and yet no sentinels came. They had the place cloaked. You were lucky.”
“They couldn’t detect me.”
“If you’d gone closer that night, they would have.”
“I’ve gotten better at it—controlling the magical suppression while in the Obscura.”
“Can’t rely on that, Ziyka.”
“What are you suggesting?”
He sighed and looked away. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to see you since. Thank the gods for Kaem.”
Thank the gods, indeed. My gaze dropped to the sheets, and for a moment, I allowed my mind to get lost in the embroidery. “I have to go back, Wolfe.” I lifted my head and met his troubled gaze. “If I have a chance to go back, I have to take it.”
“I don’t want you to.”
“I think… this might be one of those times when I have to do what I think is right. And you have to trust me.”
“A male never puts his mate in danger,” he hissed. “What am I if I can’t protect you? You shouldn’t be here. With him.”
“I’m not here with him.”
“You know what I mean.”
I did.
“I should be doing this,” he huffed out.
“It’s best you don’t.” I shook my head.
“Best for whom?”
“Everyone. We all agreed that me being here was a good idea. And time is running out, Wolfe. We can’t jeopardize things now.” I breathed out a frustrated sigh. “How long till the Citadel annuls our marriage? Have they said anything?”
The deep frown on his face said it all. “Don’t worry about that.”
“Gods. Wolfe, how can you tell me not to worry?”
He swiveled around so he was directly facing me. “A threat is a threat. They can do whatever they want. I’ll just marry you again. And again and again. I’d love to see them try to fucking stop me.”
Sometimes I wondered what I did to gain such devotion. To be loved so fiercely by a male who’d do anything to be with me. I prayed he knew, truly knew, I’d do the same for him and I’d love him until my last breath and after.
“I know,” he said with conviction, answering my thoughts. “I feel you.” He reached out and cupped my face. “I see you. Even when you don’t share your thoughts with me, I feel them. So, I know how you feel about me. I have always known. That’s stronger than any marriage bond.”
“Oh, Wolfe.” I pressed my forehead to his.
“One week, Ziyka. One week, then I’ll come and get you.” He inched away to gaze into my eyes. “You will not walk down that aisle and marry that bastard. Not while I draw breath. Do you understand me?”
I nodded. “One week.”
“One week.”
“How will I contact you if I need you?”
“Go near a natural source of water. The river is best.” Wolfe's thumb brushed over my hand. “Running water interferes with magical tracking. The current carries too much noise. Anyone trying to listen in will hear the river before they hear you.”
"Okay. I can do that."
He blew out a ragged breath. “At the first sign of trouble—”
“Call you.” I gave him a small smile.
“Be careful at the cottage. Under no circumstances must you get too close. They mustn’t find you.”
I nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”
“They believe they have you, and whatever is going on… their next step is to get the ring.”
“I know.”
“The Seer said the signs all pointed to them not being ready yet and needing to get stronger. I would imagine that they’d be stronger now. We must be careful.”
I nodded again.
His gaze dropped to the floor. “I have to take you back now. I should be taking you home.”
“I’ll be home soon.”
“Soon can’t come quickly enough.”
After spending the night with Wolfe, returning to Thayden felt like a walk to the gallows.
He was none the wiser about the night I had.
Though he probably spent his night buried in Mira, I could just imagine him losing his mind if he ever knew Wolfe was here and he was with me.
Thayden kept to his usual routine throughout the day, and the next, parading me around Zyvaris. It was as though nothing had changed.
I started to lose hope again as the hours slipped by. We stayed up late, talking, and I almost went to bed when we took our leave.
I only decided against it when my fear of missing out kicked in, so as with the previous nights, I followed him around using the Obscura the first chance I got.
I was surprised when he went to one of the guest rooms, but I understood why when he opened the door and there was a naked woman on the bed, waiting for him.
I remained in the corridor, doing my best to ignore the erotic sounds.
An hour later, I slipped back into the Obscura when Thayden left the room. My heart lifted when he headed downstairs instead of returning to his chambers.
I moved toward the landing and watched through the veil of shadows as he crossed the entrance hall below.
The moment he reached the back door, I knew. He was heading back to the woods.
Keeping to the shadows, I followed.
Thayden moved swiftly through the woods. Moonlight filtered through the trees painting silver streaks across the forest floor.
Fallen branches snapped beneath his heavy boots. I kept my distance, but I was close enough to see how nervous he was.
The further we traveled, the quieter the forest became. Nothing but the wind whispered through the pines.
Fifteen minutes later, the cottage emerged from the darkness.
The guards from last time stood outside the front door.
My stomach tightened.
This was it. Another chance.
Ahead of me, Thayden strode inside the cottage without hesitation.
Ideally, I would have preferred to follow him inside, but that would have been foolhardy, especially given Wolfe’s warning.
Staying outside by the window would have to do.
I slipped behind the hedge by the window. I was safe within the Obscura and, unlike that first time, I had full control of my powers. Still, I wasn't taking chances.
Closing my eyes, I reached for the currents of magic flowing around me and pulled them tighter, smoothing them until they flowed so silently they were practically non-existent.
Thayden walked into the room. To my surprise, his father followed behind him. The man I saw next shocked me to my core.
Prince Maelor.
Blessed Mother. What was he doing here?
Dressed in a casual black cloak, he looked so different from his usual regal self. And there was something off about him. He had an ill-favored look that gave his skin a gray pallor.
Magic was definitely involved here. He loathed everything to do with magic and what it stood for, so he was the last person I expected to see.
But he was here. At this hour. With Thayden.
Thinking he wasn’t involved because of what he showed the world would be a grave error. The correct assumption was that he was just as involved as Thayden.
I just didn’t know why.
“Everything is in order.” He spoke in that firm voice that had twisted my insides in the run-up to the wedding.
“Same here.” Thayden nodded. His father settled beside him, hands clasped behind his back.
“Perfect. Let us summon the others.”
“Wait.” Thayden latched on to Maelor’s arm.
“What is it?”
“You’re certain they will allow me to keep Elariya?”
Hearing my name sent a sharp pang through me.
Prince Maelor furrowed his brows. “We have gone over this matter many times. And I have assured you.”
“A lot has happened since. She even got fucking married. Excuse me if I need added assurance.” Thayden spoke with a bravado I had not witnessed before. It seemed that Maelor hadn’t, either, because he instantly looked infuriated by his tone.
“Don’t let me remind you who you’re speaking to.” Maelor regarded him with a scathing look that made him back down.
“Apologies, my Lord. I am simply concerned.”
“Concern yourself with the matter at hand, not some simpering girl. I’ve already given you enough assurance,” Maelor spat, eyes blazing.
“I gave you passage to the magical realm to claim her and kill that fool. When that didn’t work, I stood by your side.
And I pushed for the Citadel to hand her back to us.
I am the reason she is here. So, do not question me of reassurance. ”
Holy fucking gods.
My blood froze in my veins.
It was him. He was the reason Thayden had been able to attack Wolfe and me when we were on the Southern Isles.
Yes, Thayden got the Scabbards, but Prince Maelor orchestrated the whole thing.
Again, why?
What was in it for him?
“How about we calm ourselves and focus,” Mattieu interjected, cutting Thayden a reproachful glance. “Time is of the essence.”
“I fully agree.” Maelor nodded.
“As do I,” Thayden said, composing himself. “Let’s not keep the others waiting.”
I settled my mind, too. I’d been right. I was Thayden’s price.
When did he, and his father, get involved in this?
Was it always?
Right from the beginning?
Did my father know about this?
My father’s actions had gravely disappointed me; why would he be innocent of this?
But the question was… what was this?
Prince Maelor spread his arms wide and began chanting. Actual chanting. As in a human man performing a magical spell.
Instantly, the air tinged with that heaviness from last time. But more potent and suffocating, perhaps because I was closer.
That strange light I’d seen of tarnished gold and vicious purple pulsed before them. It started small, a mere tear in the fabric of reality, then spread like an angry fog rolling in after a storm.
It grew into a sphere, wider and taller than the three of them put together. The magic stirred for a moment, then settled.
It looked like a portal. As a person emerged from within, I realized it was.
A hideous man—or close enough to a man—stepped out wearing robes. He reminded me of Erethis, but this being was bald and had strange moon-white skin.
He was tall and seemed to float rather than walk.
Behind him, three cloaked figures followed. The moment I saw their faces, everything inside me stilled. Their eyes and mouths had been seen shut.
Gods above.
Those who saw with no eyes and spoke with no lips.
This had to be them.
The thought hardly settled when Zyrra stepped out of the portal, a maddening smile on her face.
My breath caught so sharply it hurt, and my stomach plummeted through the earth. One horrifying revelation had barely settled before another took its place.
Zyrra was here.
Everything we feared was true. And seeing everyone here together made every warning I’d ever been given terrifyingly real.
“Wonderful. Come now, brothers,” she crooned in her usual syrupy voice, snapping her fingers at someone I couldn’t see. Brothers, she’d said. “Don’t delay now.”
The air stilled. I held my breath, keeping my gaze riveted to the portal as it stirred once more. The magic within rippled like a stone skipping across the surface of a lake.
A silhouette began to take shape within, then a face stared back at me from within the portal.
A man who looked almost Fae stepped out.
Long silver-white hair spilled over his shoulders and down his dark robes. His features were impossibly refined. Yet… gods, something about him was profoundly wrong.
I’d call him beautiful, but in the same way a corpse preserved beneath ice might be.
His dewy skin carried no life, shimmering with a faint translucence, and the edges of his form flickered and distorted. Like he was struggling to fully exist.
A second figure took form behind him. He was the silver-haired man’s opposite.
The skin on his face appeared melted and twisted across one side, exposing glimpses of bone beneath.
One eye sat too low, as if it had been shoved down his face with the back of a knife. The other eye glowed with a sickly green light.
The flesh around his mouth stretched into a permanent mockery of a grin.
And like his—brother—he wasn't entirely solid.
Parts of him drifted in and out of existence, the way smoke wavers when caught in a breeze.
What in the actual hells am I looking at?
“My Lords, welcome.” Prince Maelor bowed deep. Thayden and his father followed.
“Arise, obedient acolytes,” the silver-haired man said, speaking in a deep regal voice. “The Deathless are pleased with your service.”
Deathless.
I didn’t know what that meant.
But it seemed I just got the answer we’d all been looking for.
I knew who they were.