Xi. Her name was Xi Chin. The earth elemental. I recognized her now. It was said that only the dead knew what the other half of her face looked like.
I rose and took in the destruction again, sadness seeping into every pore of my body. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me now…waiting.
I was so tired. Jar’s firm grip caught me again and my body shuddered. I blinked to stop the world from tilting and shook my head hard, fighting to stay upright.
Growling, I stared out beyond the horizon, gripping hard to the leather strap of my satchel slung across my shoulders. “I’m going to bring her back home...”
Chapter 1
Shefoundme.
Riley Dragoon would be laughing his ass off right now. Goddess damn that fucking elemental for being right.
Through the pain of the imbecile sawing out my insides and the haze of my life being drained out of me, I felt her again—my soulmate.
I couldn’t keep the grin from spreading across my face even as the sickening squelch of a knife punctured my body. All this fucking time andshewas the one who found me—chained to a tree with irons, in the middle of the Wildwoods, bleeding out, and dying. How embarrassing.
I glared at my torturer with renewed strength. “What’s wrong Jurin, have you tired already?”
Spitting out my own blood, I watched as it splattered on his already disgusting boots—itimproved them.
“You know there are herbs that help you with stamina.” I snickered despite the black dots dancing across my vision. “I’m sure your bed partners would appreciate it, although with that face, I doubt you have any.”
The shifter named Jurin sneered. “Shall I make it the same for you? I believe you don't need this to talk….” His knife followed the trail of blood seeping down my torso and pressed threateningly against my dick.
I wrenched on the iron chains draining my shifter power and snarled as it seared my flesh. The pain was worth seeing the flicker of fear flash in my torturers muddy brown eyes.
Iron. A stupid weakness. Why our Goddess Faerie even gave us any weakness at all was beyond my understanding...perhaps it was some sort of kink she had.
“If you’re so worried about my dick, Jurin, then take these irons off and let me show you how a real male performs.” I bared my teeth at him, feeling my own blood drip from my mouth, too bad it wasn't his.
Jurin laughed up into the dark night. “You hear that boys?” He called over his shoulder. “Our poor, dear,golden onewould like me to take off his irons.”
The other three shifters in the camp laughed along with him.. The fae were otherworldly creatures. Dark, vicious, deadly…but still enthrallingly beautiful, powerful, enchanting. Unfortunately, for these four, their grotesqueness on the inside had festered to the outside.
Repulsed, I spat again on the forest floor.
Jurin dogged it, his face contorting into a sneer. “How fucking stupid do you think we are? We knew who you were the moment you stepped into our camp.”
I attempted to shrug, the smell of my flesh burning sending me flashbacks of a time passed. Those memories did not control me…that’s what the healer had said.
I swallowed down the nausea. “Stupid enough to fool you four into actually thinking you could capture me unwillingly.”
Although, bleeding out, on the cusp of death, hadn’t been part of the goddess damn plan.
Our heads snapped up at the long howl that pierced the cold night air. The sound sent Jurin stumbling from me with alarm and the other shifter scrambling to their feet, looking wearily around them. They were too stupid to notice the way the silver branchesof the Wildwoods leaned hungrily inward and the shadows around the firelight darkened with anticipation.
I chuckled. A cù-sìth call. Faerie could not have provided a better opportunity.
“What in the Sheol was that?” One of Jurin’s cronies, Tomac, whispered fearfully.
I snorted. How were these bastards even shifters if they couldn’t distinguish a cù-sìth howl? A call from these massive black hounds of Faerie meant your death was forthcoming. A true shifter would know that which was why it was a mistake for them to come here. Shifters resided in The West Isles for a reason and we were at the top of our food chain there.
But not here in Faerie.
From the gentle time warping wisps, to the smallest needle biting gnomes, and the great fierce weretrees of old, everything here was a beast that wanted to kill you first and ask questions later.
I smirked when three more howls joined the first.
