Chapter 16 – Sera #2
A loud groan comes out of Alex when he hits a large branch below me.
My fingers strain as they wrap around a smaller branch and I hang, legs dangling awkwardly beneath me.
A surge of strength fills me, and I’m moving hand over hand to the trunk of the tree.
My legs still burn from whatever those tentacles were coated with, and I’m afraid to put weight on them, but I gingerly test them on a wider branch with the tips of my toes.
It’s not as bad as I thought, and I wrap my arms around the trunk, letting myself slide down to the thicker branch.
The familiar sounds of the forest fill me with such a sense of peace, I want to cry.
While I have yet to see the suns, I know deep in my soul that I am home.
The scent of the air, the distinct bird calls, the way my magic has awakened in my blood—I am home.
Unfortunately, fire magic will not get me down from this tree, so I slowly make my way to the branch Alex is wrapped around.
“Are you okay?” I call out. When he doesn’t answer right away, I panic. “Alex!”
A groan is the only sound I hear, but he’s alive.
“Can you move?”
“I’m terribly afraid of heights, Spitfire,” a low voice grumbles.
As I get closer, it’s obvious how every muscle of his is clenched. I really don’t want to laugh, but a half chuckle leaves me as I reach out and put a hand on his leg. “My lord, surely you don’t expect me to carry you down this tree, not with my injured legs.”
He looks over his shoulder, his face paler than normal. “Are you okay?”
I shrug. “I’ll heal, but I don’t think you want to stay up here all night. We have snakes.”
“Snakes!” Alex sits up so fast, scurrying toward the trunk of the tree where I am.
“Gods, if I had known I only needed to mention snakes to get your ass moving, I would have done so sooner,” I tease.
Alex glares at me. “Are there snakes?”
“Possibly.”
“Damned female.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back a snicker. “Not to worry you, but the purple sky we fell through tells me we’re close to sunset, and I have no idea how my curse will behave here.”
Alex nods somberly. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
This time, I do snort. “You weren’t supposed to come with me. I have no idea where we are or if it’s safe.”
“Let’s get to the ground. The sooner we are off this tree, the better,” he says.
“Have you ever climbed a tree?” I ask.
The look he gives me speaks volumes. “Not since I was a boy, and never one so damned high.”
“Well, just try not to look below,” I say.
We carefully make our way down the tree, my legs healing significantly faster than in the forsaken realm. Before we know it, the forest floor is within jumping distance. Alex surprises me and drops to the ground first before turning and reaching up for me. “I’ll catch you.”
Considering my legs do still hurt, I take him up on the offer and push myself off the branch to fall the short distance into his waiting arms.
He cradles me to his chest and smiles down at me. “We made it.”
My breath hitches as I look up into his hazel eyes and swallow. “Yes, we did.”
It’s darker here within the forest, and the stirring beneath my skin warns me we’re running out of time.
I’m not sure how time flows between our realms, but the air carries a slight chill. Despite the lower temperature, the humidity is making my hair stick to the back of my neck.
“Are your legs okay?” Alex asks. “Should I put you down?”
“I think I can stand.”
“Okay.” He lowers my feet to the ground, keeping an arm on my back just in case I falter. There’s a dull pain but nothing I can’t manage.
“Thank you, Alex,” I murmur.
“For what?”
“For coming to save me,” I reply, looking down. “You didn’t have to.”
“Sera,” he growls, his hand moving to tip my chin up so I’m forced to meet his gaze. “I would never let anything happen to you if I could stop it.” He pauses as if struggling for words. “I thought my heart stopped when I heard you scream . . . when I saw you hit the ground.”
I place a hand on his chest, his heart thudding beneath my fingers. “I’m all right thanks to you. I’m just sorry you ended up here. You were never supposed to come.”
“Are you upset I’m here?”
“No, I don’t mind.” The truth surprises me. I shouldn’t want him to be here as much as I do.
Something tightens behind his eyes, but he smirks. “Well as long as you don’t mind. Not exactly sure how I’d get home anyway.”
I sigh. “I guess you’re stuck here, for a little while at least. I don’t doubt Rae will try to find a way to get you back.”
“Her portal skills leave much to be desired,” he grumbles. “Sending us through the damned skies and trees?”
I can’t help but let out an almost hysterical giggle. “Silly baby goddess.”
Alex crushes me into a surprising hug, and at first, I stiffen at the contact, but then melt into him. I hate how good he feels wrapped around me. Still, there will never be a future for us. I can’t allow myself to care for him more than I already do.
“You can let go now,” I murmur awkwardly into his chest. “We need to figure out where we are before night falls.”
He lets go almost hesitantly. “Sorry.”
Our bodies slowly peel apart, as if they don’t want to separate either.
“Your glamour is gone,” Alex says, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my pointed ear.
I didn’t even realize. It must have dropped during the fall between realms.
“Does it bother you?” I ask.
“Absolutely not,” he replies. “If anything, you’re more beautiful . . . more you.”
His words warm my heart, and I quickly turn away to hide my smile. I can’t let him in.
I limp away from the tree, adjusting the pack on my back. “We need to move,” I say too breathily.
“Let me take your bag.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine.” I let it fall off my shoulders and hold it out for him.
“Oh! My staff!” Alex cries out, rushing ahead and picking it up off the ground. “I thought it was lost in the abyss of the portal.”
“Are you really attached to it?”
He chuckles. “A little. It was a gift from my father a few years back.”
“It’s not too shabby,” I admit.
“Glad you think so.” He grins and snatches the pack from me. “I prefer wielding a weapon less lethal than a sword.”
“Oh?”
Without asking, he loops an arm around my back, giving me a little extra support as we make our way out of the dense forest. “Yes,” he continues. “I’d much rather incapacitate than kill.”
“I’m glad you found it.”
“Me too.”
“It looks like we’re not too far from the edge,” I remark as the trees thin out and the path becomes more worn. “Hopefully we’re close to a village or a landmark I recognize.”
“You mentioned things not being safe. Should I be worried about scary fae beasts?”
“Nothing in nature is ever completely safe,” I say. “The closer we are to civilization, the better.”
“Are there humans in your realm?” Alex asks curiously. “The texts weren’t clear.”
“Very very few,” I reply. “If anything, there might be more demi-fae from the races mixing over millennia. I doubt there are many full-blooded humans left at this point.”
“Interesting . . . so fae and humans mate in this realm?”
Now is not the time to get any ideas, Alex. “When I was growing up, it wasn’t entirely uncommon, but it was difficult for those couples.”
“Why is that?”
“Our lifespans are so different,” I say softly. “It’s painful to mate with someone and watch them grow old and die.”
“So why would they mate then?”
I swallow. “Not all fae are so sentimental. Some enjoy going from one bonding to another.”
“I don’t think I could ever go into a bonding with the expectation of it ending like that.”
“Well, you’re not fae, now are you?” I tease. “Unless you’ve been hiding a bigger secret from me.”
He lets out a brittle laugh. “Fairly certain I’m as human as they come.”
The reminder stings, but I shake it off. “So yes, while there might be some human settlements in the fae realm, their numbers were dwindling quite a bit when I resided here.”
“That’s kind of sad,” Alex muses. “For a race to die out.”
“It’s the way of things here in Lunesai. It’s not the same as the forsaken realm.”
We almost make it to the tree line when the second sun finally sets and I find myself ablaze with pain, the change from fae to swan more potent, more painful.
“Alex,” I gasp. “It’s happening.”
I look up into his worried hazel eyes, and he reaches for me. “Sera! What can I do?”
I back away, the world shrinking around me once again.