Chapter 16
HEKLA
Eventide stirred, blinking slowly and yawning as we came to our senses. The first thing we noticed was the blurry haze of sunrise, and something warm and tingly pressed against us. Eventide froze, and her heart hammered in fright.
Hekla… she warned, pausing her breath as she tried not to move. Something is behind us. Something that wasn’t there last night...
Oh gods, I replied, trying to shake the sleep from my mind as well. It can’t be that dangerous, though. It could have eaten us in the middle of the night… right? Let’s just move slowly away, I suggested, trying to calm her with reason.
Wait… we both said at the same time as we recognized the scent.
Eventide scooted slowly on her belly, extremely confused, stressed, and scared. Before she could turn around and see what was behind us, something settled on top of her to halt our escape.
Ahhh! Heklaaa! Eventide wailed.
Stay calm, stay calm! I hushed. It’s not hurting us !
YET! she cried in a panic.
A new voice somehow popped into our head. Now where do you think you’re going, you sexy thing? Mmm, you smell so damn good, Eventide . It was smooth, devilish, and… arousing?
Who are you,and why do you smell like Belenus? Eventide whined, scrabbling to get away from whatever was pinning her to the ground.
I smell like myself, sexy thing, he purred, and we heard sniffing by her ear. And I must say that your scent is wild.
Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods! Eventide moaned. I watched her big black paws rake at dirt and rocks as she tried to escape.
Yup, you’ll be saying that to me again someday... and we’ll be in the same position too ,he chuckled.
AHHH! Eventide was about to lose her mind. The weight shifted, and she darted out from the creature’s teasing clutches.
Now is that any way to treat someone who brought you breakfast? Guess I’ll have to eat this enormous elk all by myself… the voice lamented playfully. Eventide slowed, and her stomach rumbled.
Should we look? I asked. I’m scared... I don’t know what we’ll see. She whined and shifted uncomfortably, trying to decide. Should we run or should we investigate?
Unable to fight our combined curiosity, she turned to see who the Belenus imposter was and shrunk to the ground, tucking her tail between her legs again. There was an enormous elk, like he’d said, and standing next to the offering was an enormous blond wolf. He stood tall and proud, the breeze sending gold ripples through his luxuriously soft-looking fur. We were not a tiny female, and Eventide wasn’t particularly submissive, but we both balked at his size.
Like what you see? It’s all yours. Now come over here, and eat my… meat, he said suggestively.
What did he say? Eventide choked, dumbfounded. Wha…
What is happening? I added unhelpfully.
Eventide crawled toward the kill and stayed as far away from the golden wolf as possible while she tore open the elk. I didn’t caution her away. She was ravenous from our being silvered, and I doubted we could outrun that imposter.
This must be some kind of fae smell-alike… I murmured. I don’t like it. I don’t want to think of… his scent. Eat fast and… let’s leave? Memories of Belenus and Eislyn tore at my heart. It made me want to cry all over again, but I couldn’t as long as Eventide was in control. I supposed it was for the best; it’d only dehydrate me further. At least we were getting fluids through the elk’s meat.
My heart aches too… and my lady parts are starting to as well. I’m afraid that… that wolf is triggering my heat, Eventide lamented, worried. What if he tries to mount me? What if I want him to mount me?
The words shocked me. What was coming over her? Oh gods, Eventide, I’m in no place to emotionally handle that. Seriously, eat your fill and leave .
The golden wolf padded toward Eventide and brushed her ear with his snout. Do you like it? he asked seductively. Neither Eventide nor I knew for sure if he was referring to the meal, but she shifted uncomfortably and slowly heated.
He instantly noticed. Oh, now that’s a smell I can… get behind, he growled and leaned to sniff between her legs. She yelped and tucked her tail, keeping him away from her lady parts.
B-behave! she yapped at him, raising her hackles and kicking back with a paw. She then yelped loudly in pain when that action shifted some of the burned flesh on her neck. It’d started healing, but it needed more time and was still so very painful. The wolf growled in anger, and she froze in place with a heart that threatened to give out entirely.
When he nudged her thick fur aside to look at her injury, he snarled. Silver, he said in disgust. Belenus should have killed her.
What did you say? Eventide gasped and jerked away from him. And why do you also smell like him? What’s going on ?
We don’t want anything to do with Belenus! I cried out to her. Run, Eventide!
Without waiting for his answers, she bolted. She veered toward the morning sun, hoping that it was roughly the right direction, but before we could get much farther, the gold wolf caught up to us. He simply ran next to Eventide, which surprised us but also made us wary. We’d expected him to tackle us again, but maybe he didn’t because he knew she was injured?
I don’t understand any of this, I said numbly. I just want to forget about Belenus, but it’s like he’s haunting us now. How is he mind-linking us?
He knows Belenus, but he can’t be Belenus. Belenus isn’t a shifter, Eventide sighed. She addressed the golden wolf, barking, Go away! We want nothing to do with you or Belenus! He’s dead to us!
Pft!He’s innocent, he said with a snort. He’ll probably never touch soup again for the remainder of his life, hahaha!
You don’t know anything! she shot back at him, snarling.
Oh, I know everything, Eventide and Hekla Himinn, vessel of the Sky Gods, he said with a smirk in his voice. Hekla is quite the little… minx.
Who are you? Eventide practically shrieked at him.
He knows too much... This exchange unsettled me more by the heartbeat. I couldn’t have imagined anything this bizarre.
I’m a devilishly good-looking wolf named Escort, he answered. You can decide for yourself which kind of escort you’d like me to be…
Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, Eventide gasped. Hekla, he is arousing me. Help!
I can’t help you with that! I yelled, almost feeling betrayed by her response. Eventide spied an outcrop up ahead and made it look like she was moving right of it but feinted and turned left at the very last second, putting the stone and shrubbery between them. I gave her a little energy to burst her speed, and she raced toward… more moorland .
There is no place to hide! I can’t… I can’t escape him! she cried.
Should we shift? I have Rakel’s dagger and my own claws… I replied, but I was uncomfortable with the thought of attacking him. He hadn’t hurt us… yet.
No… no… She groaned and plopped down on the ground in defeat. Maybe we can keep traveling, and he’ll just… be a weird shadow. I hate this. I hate smelling Belenus, but I love smelling Belenus. My heart hurts. Oh gods, it hurts!
My heart hurts too, Eventide. I feel shattered, I said quietly. Everything has changed.
Escort trotted over to us. What are you thinking about, lovely lady?
That I hate your scent, she grouched. That Hekla’s and my dream has been destroyed. That I feel like I’ll never experience joy again. Is that enough or would you like to hear more? I can go on for hours.
What was your dream? he asked, standing before Eventide. My dream is sitting right in front of me.
Augh, make him stoop! she whined to me.
I can’t help with that! I repeated.
Eventide just stood and walked in the direction we suspected was east. We held on to the small hope that if we ignored him, he’d eventually go away and bother some other fae creature. It was a very small hope… the size of a pea. He seemed too invested in us. How in the name of all the gods had he gotten all that information?
As she began her lope, Escort made his way into her peripheral vision. She snorted in aggravation and continued to ignore him, though it was hard with our heat returning. She groaned and scented something on the wind that—once again—reminded us of Belenus.
I smell a storm… Eventide informed unhappily and looked around the moor for any sort of cover.
I scent a wood fire over those hills, Escort noted. Could be someone has a home with a barn. Let’s look. I’d love a good roll in the hay with you.
Starlight preserve my miiind, she lamented and followed him through the purple heather. When we reached the top of the hill, there were several very sad-looking towers. One had a small pillar of smoke rising from the top, but the other two appeared quite abandoned, dilapidated at best.
We entered the worst of the three, and Escort deemed it stable enough to last. A crazed, grated shriek startled Eventide from behind, but Escort sprang forward to address the threat. A tiny, lean, man-like creature was pinned to the ground before the wolf ripped its ugly head off its shoulders.
Ahhh! Eventide and I shrieked in unison. Escort threw the head out of the tower and tossed the body out with it. A pikestaff and a little red cap lay at Eventide’s feet, and she gave an internal grimace.What was that creature? Was that a monster?Escort looked like he was about to reply when we were ambushed by six more little men with the same weapon.
Eventide! Everything has a throat! Everything has a belly! Rip into them. Just stay away from the pointy bits! You can do this! We’ve trained to handle rogues much bigger than them! I yelled to her, giving her all my energy to defend ourselves.
I must have helped flip a switch in her because she emitted a deep, powerful growl and bounded to the creature on the outside of the group, jumping over a pikestaff thrust and grabbing him just under the rib cage to push him into the other small men. About four of them toppled into an angry, sputtering pile of violence.
Eventide managed to gut two of them, finding their small necks too difficult to grip. Escort killed three, but the last one seemed to be missing.Where’d it go? There was one more!
I saw movement at the top of her peripheral vision and shouted, The stone landing!
Eventide’s eyes flickered up and spotted the mean creature jumping with its weapon pointed down, aimed for Escort’s neck. She snarled, bunched her muscles, and sprang into the air to bite the incoming staff just behind the metal head. The tiny man went flying and hit a wall where Escort proceeded to rip him to shreds.
He paused, his ears moving as he listened for more. Stay here, he ordered and left the tower.
I don’t want to stay here… Eventide gagged at the pile of wretched bodies and wrinkled the top of her muzzle. She turned to go outside, saw lightning hit a nearby tree, and turned right back around to enjoy the company of the gentle dead.
Girding her loins, she began tossing out the corpses, trying to throw them far enough where she couldn’t smell them as strongly. They reeked of blood, and it wasn’t necessarily their own. Each one somehow contained the scents of dozens of other creatures’ blood. When she picked up one of the red caps they all seemed to wear, she almost threw up her stomach contents. That was where the smell originated.
Redcaps, Escort’s voice said from the entrance. Goblins. They have to kill travelers and keep drenching their hats in their victim’s blood or they’ll die.
That’s… a pitiful existence. If they hadn’t tried to murder us, I’d almost feel bad for them, Eventide murmured as she dragged the pikestaves out of the tower. This probably was their territory. She sighed. I should have scouted it better before entering. This was foolishly done.
You are showing your wise, fair side again, Escort said, tilting his head. Your fighting was excellent too. Can I mount you now? There are no more goblins.
N-no! she gasped, appalled. I think not! She tucked her tail as he laid his chin across her back, chuckling.
Alright, but you’ll come begging to me soon when your heat hits you, he said slyly. She groaned and tucked herself into a corner, starting slightly when thunder rumbled over the tower, and rain came down like a wall of water.
Summer storms… is it just impossible to escape our nightmare? I asked Eventide sadly. She whined and set her chin down on her paws. Escort settled his massive blond body next to hers and began removing the blood from her coat with licks and nibbles. She grudgingly accepted it, finding some small comfort in the grooming as the storm roiled above the old tower.
Eventide sulked as the rain poured. How long is this going to last? she sighed, not really looking for an answer. Escort continued to clean her, sometimes licking a little harder than we suspected was necessary. The tingling continued with each touch; that couldn’t possibly be the mate touch, though... could it?
What are you thinking about, stardust? I like that one. I think I’ll stick with stardust. Sexy stardust, Escort said while nibbling at the middle of her back and around our bag. Eventide gave a withering sigh and flattened with her snout on the ground, like she was a flower with too much sun and too little water.
How do you know Belenus? You keep avoiding answering that, she grumped and added, and there’s nothing about me that looks like stardust.
Nope, you got little white and grey hairs in there. I’m snout deep in you. I should know, he said lasciviously.
You’re killing me. She scooted away from him. Now answer my question, because it’s all Hekla and I can think about. We came here to run away from what broke our fucking heart! she snapped, snarling out the last sentence. Your presence torments us!
Belenus didn’t do anything, Escort argued, nipping her leg lightly. You assumed and broke your own heart, stardust.
Eventide stood up at that and growled, showing her teeth aggressively. You weren’t there! Don’t speak of things you don’t know, imposter!
Escort just laughed and rolled onto his back, submitting playfully. Oh, I very much recall watching Eislyn bully her way into Belenus’s room while he was planning his takeover of the throne. He had designs that very night about sneaking you out!
That little whore snuck into his bathroom, snagged one of those emission rags he told you about, and stuffed one down her dress to fool you. All she had to do was get him shirtless by spilling soup on him and make herself look like she’d just been ravished. I admit, it was perfectly executed. Belenus should have killed her too, he said more soberly. I hate these fae women…
You’re a fantastic storyteller, but you have no proof, Eventide growled more quietly as we digested his words.
What will make you believe me? he asked curiously.
Nothing! You’re a liar who got his hands on some… very specific information! Eventide snapped, but she sounded uncertain. He knows too much, Hekla, she said quietly to me, eyeing the large wolf who was still lying on his back, swishing his tail.
And yet I haven’t told a single lie since I snuggled up to you last night and kept you safe from all those night crawlers, he replied, amused. Eventide shuddered at the thought of monsters sneaking up on us while we were sleeping. Had he kept them away from us?
So, tell me who you are, Eventide said, slumping a little from the exhaustion of dealing with this wolf.
What? It’s not enough that I’m Escort? It’s not enough that I’m a fine, strong male wolf who wants to please and provide for the she-wolf he wants? He rolled back onto his feet.
But you smell like Belenus, and you know things that Belenus would know, and your touch is… like a damned mate touch! Eventide protested.
So, I’m not allowed to just be Escort for a day? he asked flatly. Fine, take him back then. As much as you say you don’t want Belenus, you seem to be pretty obsessed with him.
A swirl of light rippled across Escort’s coat, and Belenus stumbled into sight where the wolf had disappeared. He was donned in armor, with a sword at his side and an unstrung bow on his back. “Shit! Blisterin’ wolf…” he grumbled. Then his hopeful almond-shaped eyes fell on Eventide. “Oh, gods, I’m so happy you’re safe, Eventide and He—” he began, but Eventide shot out of the tower and into the pouring rain.
How? How! she choked out as she raced across the thundering moorland. Her paws splattered unevenly into the boggy, sodden soil. I reeled. No, it’d been an illusion. We were still asleep. This was a nightmare.
Yet I couldn’t ignore it. How can he have a wolf? That’s no shape-shifted fae form. That’s a wolf! That’s a shifter wolf soul! How?
Emer shape-shifted… Eventide reminded, but we just didn’t have enough information. And maybe they can mind-link too...
But then why didn’t he tell us he could do that? I asked. Unless this is still a monster in disguise.
No… No, Hekla. That was Belenus. That was him, and he had a wolf! she insisted.
Then what’s he doing here? Shouldn’t he be off fucking tha—
Eventide’s escape was cut off by a blur of blond fur, and she yelped in surprise. Neither of us were paying attention to our surroundings, and Escort herded us left, back toward the run-down tower. Leave us alone! I shrieked at the wolf, who was looking more golden brown under the pelting rain.
No! he roared back at us. Not until you talk to Belenus! And there’s a storm! What are you thinking? You can’t be out on the moors right now! You want to be struck dead?
It’d feel better than betrayal! Eventide cried, sobbing inside her heart and soul.
You were never betrayed, Eventide! How m— Escort froze, and his gaze darted to the direction we’d come. His fur bristled, and a low growl formed in his throat. Fear pricked at Eventide when she turned around to scan the hazy moors.
Wh-what is it? Eventide whispered, shuddering from the downpour and the thought of something stalking us.
Back to the tower. The main one. Now, Escort said quietly.
Eventide remained frozen, though, trying to find what he was sensing. The mist from the rain was so heavy that we couldn’t see much at all over the thrashing purple heather. We were hoisted up into a colossally strong grip, and she started to yelp when a large, rough hand wrapped around Eventide’s snout .
“Quiet!” Belenus hissed into her ear and ran toward the towers. Eventide’s eyes rolled around in fright and finally spotted a figure, maybe two, in the distance. A third seemed to flutter down from the air, beginning a slow roaming in our general direction.
Belenus raced past the two more damaged towers and locked us into the third. “Close all the windows!” he commanded, and Eventide panicked, shifting back into me so I could follow his orders. Damnation, I didn’t want to be near him! Swallowing a sob, I raced up the tower stairs and shut all the windows. Fortunately, Escort had been right. No more redcaps remained to attack us.
I stayed at the top of the tower, huddling and shivering in a corner just to be away from him. I cried quietly into my hands, feeling defeated. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? I kept remembering… I kept seeing them together in his room. I clutched at my heart and placed my mouth over my arm to muffle a scream of anguish.
Footsteps scraped up the stone steps and stopped several feet from me. A warm palm landed on my shoulder, and his scent filled my lungs. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for him to speak but willing him to go away and let me suffer in silence.
“Hekla…” he said quietly, “I got a fire going downstairs. Let’s talk. You’ll catch cold up here.”
When I didn’t say anything or look at him, I felt my nude body being lifted and secured to his chest before he made his way back to the bottom floor. I stared blankly at the roaring fireplace, distantly appreciating the heat that fought against the chill in my rain-soaked skin.
He placed me down on a small, clean blanket, took my backpack off, and started gently wringing the rainwater from my hair. I wrapped my arms around my legs, wishing to wake from this torment. I heard him take a deep breath, and I braced myself.
“We need to sort this out right now, my dear,” he said softly, brushing his fingers through my strands to detangle them. “Wolves can tell when others lie, yes? You can do this?”
I couldn’t bring myself to speak just yet, but I nodded an affirmative.
“If I let you ask me any question—as many as you like—you can tell if I’m lying or not?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered in a rough voice. I wasn’t extremely good at it, but if someone stayed still and let me focus, I could tell. My she-wolves and I had played many late-night games with that skill after we were trained.
He moved to sit in front of me and asked, “What do I need to do? Ask your questions, Hekla. Pull the truth from me.” He rolled his damp tunic up and over his head, tossing it aside. He scooted closer and gazed expectantly at me. Even though I was naked, his eyes were steady on mine. The firelight flickered over us both in the moment of silence. He was serious.
I placed a hand on his chest and stared at his face. “Tell me a lie,” I asked and waited.
“The stone in here is pink,” he said, and I felt what I needed to feel. I saw what I needed to see.
“Another,” I requested.
“I’m wearing frilly, silver underwear,” he said, and the dancing firelight suggested a hint of a smile in the corner of a lip, but it was gone in an instant. Once again, I felt and saw what I needed, so I started my reluctant interrogation. Anxiety immediately welled up in my chest.
“Did you… h-h-have sex with… E-E-Eislyn?” I asked, barely able to get my question out as tears sprang into my eyes. My chin wobbled with distress while I waited.
“No,” he answered firmly and calmly.
“Did y-you c-cum on… h-her?” I asked and focused everything I could on his body’s reactions.
“No.”
“Did y-you have a-a-any intimate c-c-contact with her at all?”
“No.”
“Did y-you k-kiss her?”
“No. ”
“Do you c-care about her?”
“No.”
I slumped and brought my hands to my face, holding in a confused sob. Everything told me he spoke the truth. How could the truth be so different from what I’d seen?
A banging in the distance startled me, and I sat up straight, listening for the sound again. “What was that?” I whispered, feeling my skin start to crawl. The hairs on my arms and neck rose along with alert goose bumps.
“If I say their name, they’ll find us easier. I’d rather they just pass us by while we’re doing this,” he said quietly and laid a comforting hand on my naked thigh.
“Why are they looking for us?” I asked under my breath and wrapped my arms around myself.
“They’re attracted to souls, particularly the dying or brokenhearted,” he answered softly, stroking my skin with a thumb. “They’ll want to prey on you, but they won’t get in. Even if they did, I’d get rid of them with magic. It’s safer to wait them out in here. They’ll move on.”
I brought my knees in tighter, and Belenus said, “Ignore them. We’re safe. Ask me more questions.”
I placed my hand back on his chest and thought for a moment. So much had happened. I could ask a million questions, but I think most of it boiled down to one.
“Did you do the best you could to keep me safe?”
“Yes,” he said. After a moment he added, “Or at least I thought I was doing the best I could.”
“Are you really planning on taking over the throne by force?”
“Yes. I have someone trying to sort through the ranks while I’m away.”
“And did you really plan on helping me escape the other night?”
“Yes… You and eventually Emer, Bidelia, and Doctor Egres.”
I let my hand drop and sighed in emotional exhaustion. All was answered truthfully. “But why are you here, Belenus?” I pressed. “Are you here to drag me back? I’m in the middle of something important.”
“I heard,” he said. “I spoke to the Moon Goddess yesterday with Koray.”
My brows shot up. “Is that where that rapscallion came from? Did she give you a wolf, Belenus? You’re not a shifter!” I asked, dying to know what happened there.
Belenus smiled softly and looked into the fire. “My wedding gift to you was me learning how to shape-shift like Emer can. I thought that maybe if you had another wolf to run with, you wouldn’t feel so lonely in my realm.”
I rubbed tears away crankily, not wanting to be pleased by that.Damnation, that was too sweet of a sentiment!
“However,” Belenus said with a small grimace, “I was dreadful at it. Could barely walk straight on all fours. When you learn how to shape-shift, you have to work out the body functions yourself. It doesn’t come naturally. Took Emer about three months to learn how to fly properly.
“And then when I mentioned I was going to try to track you, the goddess asked if I was going to use my wolf form, and… well… She thought I’d be more successful if She gave it a soul. So… now I have this inappropriate shit talking to me all the time. I don’t know how you shifters stand it…” He shook his head in disbelief.
“So, I suppose that means Escort would have been Eventide’s mate as well,” I murmured and blinked tiredly at the flames in the fireplace.
“Would have? He is,” Belenus said slowly, sounding worried. His hand shot forward, grabbed mine, and smacked it against his hard, gold-dusted chest once more. “Ask me if I’m in love with you, Hekla! Ask me!”