Page 25 of Treasured By the Fae Royal
“Where is Yvette?” I ask again. “Did you just discover her missing? I require details.” I listen to the sounds of the forest for any hint that she’s nearby, but I don’t hear any humanlike rustles or distant screams.
Carol and Heather exchange a look.
“You!” Heather says in an accusing tone. “I should’ve known you would have something to do with this. What did you do with my poor niece?”
Carol grabs her sister’s arm and prevents her from lunging at me.
“I just arrived here, and Yvette had no idea I was coming. What happened?” I direct my question to Carol, deciding she’s the more reasonable of the two.
Carol wipes away a tear. “She was upset and went for a walk this afternoon. She said she was going to pick more pears, but I know she just wanted some time to herself. She promised she would be home for dinner, but she never showed up. We went looking for her earlier without any luck. We just got back to the cottage hoping she’d returned while we were out searching, but she’s not here. She’s not anywhere.”
Heather gives me a murderous look. “You swear you don’t have anything to do with this? If I find out you hurt my precious niece, I’ll?—”
“I would never hurt Yvette,” I say, cutting her off. I glance at Carol. “You said she was upset. Why?”
Regret wells in the woman’s eyes. “We tried to set her up with a nearby farmer who’s in need of a wife. Apparently, they didn’t hit it off, and I don’t believe Yvette was very happy with us.”
“Where does this farmer live?” My gut twists with worry, and bloodlust burns in the depths of my soul. If this farmer had something to do with Yvette’s disappearance, I will make him pay with his life.
“About two miles that way.” Heather gestures to the left. “In a large red house. But I don’t think he would’ve hurt her. Cody’s a fine young man and he lives with his parents. Godsfearing people, the whole family.”
I summon my wings and launch into the sky, heading in the direction Heather just pointed. But before a red house comes into sight, I detect the telltale scent of a mangga swarm.
Considering that mangga rarely swarm at night, as they are largely daytime creatures, I follow the vile scent until I reach a dense area of the forest.
I’m about to call out Yvette’s name, when her voice reaches me on the breeze.
“If you come any closer, I will stab you in the eyeball.”
There. In a tall treetop, I spot the glimmer of a blade in the moonlight. I rush downward with my arms stretched out. I reach her just as a mangga jumps onto the branch she’s seated upon. She swings her knife at the creature, but I swoop her into my arms and veer up through the branches, and we leave the hissing manggas behind.
Yvette’s startled cry hurts my ears, but it doesn’t take long for her to realize what’s happened, and I’m pleased when she relaxes in my embrace.
Gods, it’s so good to hold her again.
“It’s all right, sweetling. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” I’m flying just slow enough that the wind doesn’t drown out my voice.
She wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tight as I carry her toward the cottage. I want nothing more than to keep her all to myself, but I can’t allow her mother and aunt to worry about her. The older women might not approve of me as a potential husband for Yvette, particularly the aunt, but I cannot keep her from them just so I might have some alone time with her. Besides, she just experienced a fright and probably wants the comfort of her family.
“I dropped my knife.” She shudders against me.
“I will get you a new one, sweetling.”
“Oh, gods, I was so sure I was dead. Thank you, Lucas. Thank you for saving me. Again.“
“Tell me what happened.”
“It’s rather embarrassing. I went for a walk and got lost in the forest. Before I could figure out which way led to the cottage, I heard multiple manggas hissing, so I climbed a tree. Fortunately, though manggas can climb, it would seem they aren’t very good at it.” A nervous laugh escapes her, though she’s still trembling.
“You shouldn’t have ventured so far from the cottage,” I find myself saying in a scolding tone. I can’t help it. She could’ve died. If she’d stayed closer to the cottage, she would’ve been protected by the wards I’d erected to keep her safe. Not that she knows about the wards…
“Like I said, I went for a walk.”
“Your mother told me you were upset. I am sorry you were upset, sweetling, but you must promise to never do anything so foolish again.”
“Foolish?” she stiffens in my arms.
“Yes, foolish. You know as ussha spreads, more and more creatures that are native to fae lands will wander into human and orc lands. You must have a care for your own safety.”
