Chapter 16
Sixteen
MANU
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
T elar keeps his distance from me, and every time I get too close, he walks the wind and appears ahead of me, but not far enough to trigger his invisible cord.
He’s leery of me now, but I can’t tell if it’s because he wants to fuck me or is afraid I’ll drink his blood.
Besides his odd behavior of doing his best to maintain a separation between us, I don’t detect any changes in his pulse or demeanor.
The male is like a robot, not only in the sense that he’s a master of controlling his emotions, but also that he doesn’t appear to be getting tired at all.
Vampires have better stamina than humans, but we do get winded eventually, especially if we haven’t fed in a long time—which is my case.
“Hey, asshole. Do you mean to make me walk all day?”
“Don’t tell me you’re tired already.”
“As a matter of fact, I am. And I’m also hungry. So if you don’t want me to enter bloodlust, you’d better let me rest and find me something to eat.”
He stops and turns around. “Do you want me to procure a poor victim for you to chomp on?”
I smile, showing him my fangs. “Or you could offer me your pretty neck.”
“I will chop your head off if you come close.”
My eyes narrow. “I thought you were instructed to not harm me.”
He never provided that information, but it’s a safe bet. “Who told you that?”
I open my mouth to reply, but I sense we’re no longer alone. I tense and observe our surroundings. Then comes a whistle, which Telar replies to with one of his own. Hell. It seems I’m about to meet a friend of his.
The foliage parts to my left, and a tall Nightingale male with dark blue skin and short aquamarine-colored hair emerges from the shadows. I recognize him from the battlefield. He’s someone important. A royal.
“Castiel, what are you doing here?” Telar asks, annoyed.
“It’s Prince Castiel, and I don’t answer to you.”
Oh, tension. I can use that to my advantage.
Telar squares his shoulders, glowering at the prince. “I don’t answer to you either.”
His retort doesn’t seem to bother the Nightingale royal. He turns to me and shakes his head. “Tsk. I can’t believe he was right about you.”
“Who was right about me?”
He approaches, making me even more tense.
I’m still unable to use my hands, thanks to the vines binding my wrists.
Up close, I see tiny freckles on his face that resemble stars.
His eyes are the same color as his hair, which makes for a striking combination.
He is a very attractive male, I’ll give him that, but he’s a Nightingale, and I don’t trust any of these suckers.
“You look awful,” he states matter-of-factly.
“Gee, thanks.”
He continues staring at me as if appraising a horse. “You’re also hungry.”
How does he know that?
“Is it that obvious?”
“No, but I overheard you saying as much to that one.” He nods toward Telar.
“It’s not my job to feed the savage,” Telar grits out.
“No, your job is to bring her to the king, and you are extremely late. Why do you think I’m here?”
King? Shit, do they mean Vivi and Rikkon’s father?
My mind begins to work at warp speed. King Ruel seemed to be on our side after the showdown between him and his wife.
But he was adamant that we leave Ellnesari at once, and now it appears he’s expecting me.
Did he know I was planning on staying behind?
Maybe he can see the future like Rikkon can.
Telar’s brows shoot up. “He sent you after me?”
“Yes. I don’t understand why you didn’t walk the wind.”
He crosses his arms. “Walking the wind would mean getting close to that vile creature. I didn’t sign up for that.”
Prince Castiel rolls his eyes—a reaction I wasn’t expecting. It makes him almost likable. “One of these days, Telar, you’ll get your head out of your ass.”
I snort, earning a glower from the Aquila soldier.
Prince Castiel turns to me, offering me his arm. “I don’t have any problem getting close to you, Princess.”
I wince. “Please don’t call me that.”
He cocks his head. “But aren’t you a princess?”
I haven’t felt like a princess in centuries, but the reason I don’t want to be called a princess is that Karl used to call me that. It was an endearment in the beginning, and it later turned into something meant to hurt.
“Call me Manu.”
“As you wish, Manu. I doubt you want to continue suffering Telar’s company. I’ll walk the wind with you.”
I glance at Castiel’s arm, then at Telar, who’s standing ahead of us with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. “He needs to unbind me first.”
Castiel looks at the soldier. “You heard her.”
Telar’s jaw drops, and he shakes his head. “You’re insane, but go ahead.” He waves his hand, and the vines around my wrists disappear. I massage them, though they don’t feel tender.
“Ready?” Castiel offers me his arm again.
“Sure.”
Like I have a choice.
KARL
I didn’t want to waste time updating Selor on all the events that led to my current situation.
I summarized it, skipping the parts that might make him not want to help me.
Then I shifted to my wolf form, not worried that Selor would simply abandon me.
One thing I learned from Rikkon is that words spoken out loud in Ellnesari create a magical binding contract.
Selor will have to fulfill his end of the bargain.
He doesn’t seem inclined to betray me, though. He appears as confused as ever, and from time to time, I catch him massaging his temple. He really doesn’t remember anything that happened in the past few weeks, which works in my favor. He was Queen Maewe’s lackey, after all.
I keep following Manu’s trail, running as fast as I can. Selor has no trouble keeping pace with me. Nightingales can move pretty fast. But just as the sky starts to turn orange, indicating sunset isn’t far away, Manu’s scent and the scent of her companion vanish.
Fuck.
I stop in my tracks and sniff the area, identifying a new scent.
“What’s the matter, wolf boy?” Selor asks.
To answer him, I need to shift back, and it takes a moment. “I lost her trail.”
Selor nods. “Yes, she walked the wind with…” He looks up and takes a big whiff of the air. “I’ll be damned.”
“What? Who took her?”
He looks at me, sporting a smirk. “A sneaky lynx.”
“What? Are you saying a lynx shifter took her?”
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be daft, wolf boy. There aren’t shifters in Ellnesari. I’m saying she went on a trip with Castiel of Lynx.”
The name sounds familiar. It takes me a moment to remember the male. Tall, dark, and ridiculously attractive. Jealousy pierces my chest at once, making the wolf inside me snarl. I haven’t felt this side of the bond in so long, it takes me by surprise.
“Oh, settle down, Fluffy.”
I take a step toward him. “Can you track them if they walked the wind?”
He rubs his chin. “It depends.”
“On what?” My voice rises. Desperation is making me lose my patience.
“On whether they wanted to be followed. You see, when you walk the wind, you leave a trace in the air.” He raises his hand and flicks his fingers as if to demonstrate the trace. “But if Castiel didn’t wish to be followed, he would mask his trace.”
Fuck. I’m going out on a limb here and guessing he took the extra precaution.
“This can’t be the end of the road. There’s gotta be a way to track them.”
Selor shrugs. “Sure. Your girlfriend left a trace in the wind as well. It’ll be weaker, though, since she doesn’t have the magic to travel in such a manner by herself.”
“Could I track her while walking the wind? Would that be possible?”
He tilts his head and stares at me intensely. “To be honest, I don’t know. This is a first-time situation for me. We could find her, or we could become lost in the ether forever.”
I grimace. Great. Now this fool is talking as though he’s a completely baked hippie.
“Let’s do it. Tell me what to do.”