Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
“Anna, it’s not real.” Torin’s voice pierced through the hallucination.
I tried to focus on his words, but my mind was a swirling maelstrom of panic and despair. The vision of Hayden seemed to grow stronger, driven by my own fears. I could feel the poisonous pollen seeping into my thoughts, trying to drag me under.
At that moment, the specter of Hayden vanished, replaced by the solid, comforting figure of Torin.
I locked eyes with crimson ones. He stood in front of me.
As the last traces of the vision vanished, Torin pulled me close, his arms wrapped protectively around me.
We stood there together, amidst the treacherous beauty of the Poison Garden.
My body floated, drifting in a sea of darkness again. A warm sensation spread across my lips, followed by a soft pressure. Torin's lips on mine. He was kissing me, gently pulling me back to reality.
His breath tickled my ear as he whispered, "Little witch wolf."
His new pet name for me—I kind of liked it. It was playful and special at the same time.
My eyes fluttered open, and the sight of his worried face greeted me.
His eyes looked wild, his expression pained, as if he had endured unimaginable torture.
An image of the same expression on his bloody face popped into my mind from when I saw Torin chained next to the vampire Queen’s throne.
I pushed away the thought and focused on the man leaning into me.
"How were you able to withstand the hallucinations?" I asked breathlessly. "Weren't you afraid?"
His gaze softened, and he caressed my cheek with trembling fingers—the same gesture that he’d always done to me, signaling his love, although I was too oblivious to understand at the time.
Torin was this gentle only with me.
"Oh, I was afraid. But I fought through my fears because I saw you in distress. I had to get to you first."
The intensity of his admission sent a shiver—the good kind—down my spine. He’d put my needs before his own, making him stronger to overcome his worst fears.
"My fear was about to become reality as I saw you going under, unconscious," he added, his voice cracking.
A surge of emotions erupted within me, overwhelming yet exhilarating.
As I looked into his crimson eyes, my heart skipped a beat. I’d always loved this man. The noise of the world silenced, and at this moment, I only saw Torin before me.
Now his love made sense to me—loving me from the shadows, rejecting me to protect me, waiting for me to acknowledge him.
I couldn’t see a future without him by my side. As tears welled in my eyes, I swallowed hard. The uncertainty of facing Hayden and freeing Willa from prison loomed over me and my future with Torin.
“I’m grateful I’m spending this time with you, Torin.”
He placed his index finger over my lips. “Don’t talk as if our time together will be cut short. I won’t allow it.”
I gave him a smile, but it wobbled weakly.
Torin helped me straighten up and took the sword from me. I clutched the piece of bark in one hand and grasped his hand with the other, strolling back to the hidden fairy city.
The next day, as we approached the ruined City of Water, I knew we were close to the hidden one. Torin and I entered the dark forest, searching for the rock made of illusion, blocking the burrow opening.
Finding it, we entered the tunnels and crawled inside. When we emerged on the other side, the bustling fairy city greeted us. A fairy child spotted us in the distance, smiling at us. Then he turned and bolted toward one of the cottages.
Seraphina, a few of her men, and Robert sprinted to us. She halted, but Robert was a force of nature. He embraced me so tight, lifting me off the ground.
“I’m so glad you saved my brother, Breanna. Thanks for bringing him back to me,” Robert said and chuckled.
He was pulled away from me roughly, his body flying backward. I laughed at Torin’s antics. Some things hadn’t changed.
“I think it was the other way around, Robert,” I said.
Robert steadied himself, and smiling, rushed to Torin. He hugged him, firmly and briefly. “Thanks for bringing my sister-in-law back in one piece, Tor.”
Torin rolled his eyes in an exaggerated way, but his lips tugged upward.
I handed Seraphina the piece of oak tree bark, and her eyes grew wide. The piece was double the size of my palm, and I hoped it was enough.
Smiling, Seraphina darted her gaze between Torin and me. She was right. We survived the Poison Garden because we had each other’s backs. The fairy warriors she’d sent must have succumbed to those terrifying hallucinations, trapped in their own minds.
But Torin—he was able to put my needs before his own, breaking free from his trance to pull me back to reality.
Torin and I were escorted to our cottage to rest while Seraphina prepared tea with the bark for Niall. Robert followed us inside and sprawled on the wooden floor, waiting for us.
I desperately needed a shower, which involved bathing in cold water inside a large barrel. I was grateful even for this much. During war, the small things could make a person happy. Plus, the water didn’t feel as cold when I had Torin’s heated gaze on me.
In the late afternoon, a light knock sounded at the door. Robert opened it, letting Seraphina and Niall inside.
The fairy man’s face looked flushed, his gray eyes sparkling with life, and the skin on his throat and face was no longer gray and blue. He wore a long, dark-blue tunic over black leather pants.
I smiled at him. “I’m glad to see you recovering.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “I owe you my life,” he said, lowering his gaze to the floor. “I will forever be in your debt.”
Torin came to stand at my side; on the other, Robert pressed close to me. I’d guess the men didn’t trust Niall yet, understandably so.
Niall bowed in front of me and finally lifted his head. “From this day forward, I pledge my loyalty to you, Breanna, Queen of the human realm.”
Something fluttered in my chest, warmth spreading around my heart.
“It was me and Torin together who were able to reach the Goddess Oak Tree. Without his help, I wouldn’t be here,” I said, glancing at Torin and sending him a smile of gratitude. “We need to leave for the fairy castle as soon as we can, and I would appreciate your help, Niall.”
He nodded, straightening. “Before that, I’ve promised to restore the wall of illusion.”
The five of us headed to the small pool of water at the edge of the hidden city. My cheeks heated as we approached the lake, and Torin’s not-so-subtle glances didn’t help with my hot flashes at the memory of us here.
The wall appeared as a shimmering mirage, casting a mesmerizing glow over the water. The veil was made of air that seemed to shift and change, playing with our perceptions.
Finding the few places where the air didn’t glow, Niall stretched his arms out, palms almost touching the barrier.
With a deep breath, he focused his energy, and I watched in awe as an invisible wall of illusion began to form before us.
The air shimmered with power, and the landscape of the ruins on the other side became distorted.
"The illusions can affect your sight and your other senses. You may hear things that aren't there, or feel things that don't exist," Niall said, his voice strained from exerting his power. "While I can create this barrier for a time, it will eventually fade. My energy is limited, and the King…"
He grimaced at the thought.
I nodded, understanding the implications.
“The users of this power can distort the shape and size of an object or area. Also, they can cause you to misinterpret the distance. The object can appear and disappear, hiding and masking items or even people,” he said, lowering his hands.
The thought of fighting the fairy King and Hayden, who possessed this power, made my stomach churn.
“Let me show you how the fairy city looked before the King’s wrath,” Niall said, lifting his arms again.
The silver shimmer of the lake faded, and my surroundings blurred, colors merging as new shapes and forms appeared.
The crooked, abandoned-looking cottage covered in vines disappeared, and new structures grew from the ground around me.
The fairy houses were adorned with delicate flowers and surrounded by blooming gardens.
The images continued to shift as Niall’s hands moved.
An enchanted forest surrounded the fairy village, with trees growing in different shapes and sizes.
Fairy symbols, unknown to me, carved their trunks.
Shining mushrooms lit up the forest floor.
Deep into the distance, the glowing waters of a waterfall appeared.
Niall waved his arms one more time, changing the illusion before us.
The narrow path in front of us seemed to lead nowhere in particular, disappearing into the dense foliage and ending abruptly at a large, seemingly purposeless stone.
At the sides of the path, tangled webs of braided branches and grass looked ready to capture people and creatures.
"Fairy paths are treacherous, full of traps and deceptions," he said.
Goose bumps slid along the back of my neck as I marveled at the fairy power of illusion.
But the tightness in my chest didn’t go away.
Hayden must have used his power of illusion to deceive me and the entire werewolf kingdom all along, but I couldn’t fully understand how he could shift into a wolf. Was his animal form an illusion, too?
Niall dropped his arms to his sides, and the images around us changed back.
“Then did Hayden use his power of illusion to change his appearance to a wolf?” I asked.
Niall gave me a strange look. “No, fairies of the purest royal blood can shape shift. Hayden and the King can do so. I can’t.”
By the Gods, was there something Hayden couldn’t do?
I blinked repeatedly and shook my head. Hayden had fooled us all. But why exactly? From the thick, furrowed brows on the brothers’ faces, I could tell they still hadn’t figured out Hayden’s agenda, either.