Asher and Locke appeared behind us again then. They’d fallen behind, and there was a tension between them that made me pause. Before I could ask whether something was wrong, Asher’s face relaxed, his lips smoothing into a lopsided grin. “Oh, I don’t know about that. It was nice seein’ Kade laugh for a change. Even if we were about to die.”
Forgetting about the tension I’d just witnessed, I grinned. “It’s a sight I’ll never forget.”
My gaze went to Locke then as I thought about how strange it had also been to see him laugh, but the vampire was busy staring at the surrounding forest, his brow creased and his mind clearly elsewhere. I had the strange urge to fall into step beside him and ask what was troubling him, but I didn’t.
No one had spoken about Warrick or the outliers since our discussion back in Katakin. It made sense that Warrick wanted to kill me, but Locke? No one had brought up the fact that Warrick had been all too ready to murder his son, and I couldn’t imagine how Locke was feeling about it all. I wasn’t sure if that was what he was thinking about right then, but something told me he wasn’t pondering the strange toadstools we’d just faced.
To stop myself from trying to pry into Locke’s mental state, I said instead, “Why do you think there weren’t any fae warriors waiting for us on the other side of the portal?” Not too long ago, Locke had flown to the tree line and spotted a vast fae city in the distance, not far beyond the southern border of the forest. We’d agreed to head toward the city, but I hadn’t asked the question about the portal. “I mean, I know Prince Azaren said portals to Katakin are forbidden, but I’m surprised they wouldn’t have found it by now.” In fact, aside from the toadstools, if you could count them, we hadn’t encountered another living being in the forest. I kept expecting an ambush as we trekked among the tall, slender trees, but so far, all was quiet and peaceful.
“If the portals are forbidden, perhaps the prince traveled here in secret before creating it?” Darian suggested.
“But then how did the fae know where he’d gone?” I asked thoughtfully. Warriors had gone to Katakin looking for the prince, so they had to have found out somehow. I’d always assumed they’d simply found the portal he’d created, but now I wasn’t so sure.
“We should be discussing what we plan to do when we reach the city,” Kade growled. “The moment we’re spotted, we’ll be captured. We don’t exactly blend in.” He looked pointedly at Asher then, and Asher’s tail flicked almost as if it had a mind of its own and it was enjoying being the center of attention. “If the fae find us with Prince Azaren like this, it won’t go well,” Kade added. Violence shone in his eyes, and I knew a part of him welcomed the idea of a fight. The fae had killed his mother and sister, and if I was in his position, I would have felt the same.
“So we leave the prince somewhere the guards’ll find him?” Asher offered. “If it’s anythin’ like Katakin, there’ll be soldiers stationed around the city. Maybe they’ll think someone in the city beat him bloody.”
Locke peered at us. His face was paler than usual, and I wondered whether it was because the sun was weakening him or if there was another reason. I thought he would chime in about our plans, but he simply stared up at the darkening sky and said, “We should rest here for a while and get some sleep.”
“Sleep?” I asked incredulously.“We’ve only been walking for a few hours.” Truthfully, a rest sounded like bliss. I was still exhausted from the episode with the toadstools, and the idea of finding somewhere to sit my ass down was appealing, but we had no idea if the fae had detected our presence in their world. I had expected Locke and the others to push us to continue until my feet felt like they would fall off. There was at least a half hour of sunlight left, going by the position of the sun, and the monsters could see in the dark either way.
“We should keep going,” Kade agreed with me.
Locke’s eyes hardened, and Asher gave Kade a pointed look. “Let’s rest for a short while,” the demon said, dragging out the wordrestlike he was talking about something else entirely.
I frowned at them, sure I was missing something, but Kade seemed to understand the hidden message, and he didn’t enlighten me. His gaze briefly flicked to Locke before he nodded, and just like that the monsters set about finding a sheltered spot for us to make camp.
Knowing I wasn’t going to get an explanation, I was quiet as we ate rations from Kade’s satchel, and then Asher wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to the grass, curling me against him. “You should sleep, sweetheart. We won’t be here for long.”
“I still don’t understand why we’ve stopped at all,” I began, but before I could comment further, Kade dropped down on my other side, squeezing me between them, and the wolf shifter rested a large hand on my thigh. I sighed heavily. Being squished between the two large monsters was warm and suffocating but also...comfortable. We were in the middle of a strange forest in an unknown land, but right then I felt safer than when I’d been on my island. With that unsettling thought rattling around in my head, I eased against them and closed my eyes.
I must have fallen asleep quickly because I didn’t remember drifting off, but it didn’t last. A nightmare plagued me, the image so clear it seemed real. In the dream, Asher knelt before me. His arms were limp at his sides and his eyes were defeated as flames consumed him, the fire crackling against his skin.No!I gasped as my eyes flew open, my heartbeat pounding at my throat and panic tightening my chest. Blinking, I lay there as the night sky came into focus, and the scents of Asher and Kade soothed me, musk and leather mixing with sandalwood and coffee.A dream,I assured myself asI fought for air.
Asher’s grip tightened around me as if he’d noticed my distress even while he slept, and I peered up at his relaxed face. Moonlight glinted on his violet horns and illuminated the outline of his nose, defined jaw, and full lips.See, no fire,I consoled myself as I stared at his handsome face, but the panic wouldn’t leave me.
I knew the demon was fine. His body had been able to heal itself after I’d flooded the ballroom with magic water, but images of his burning body stayed with me. Shifting onto my left side, I turned toward Kade, hoping he might distract me, but like Asher, the wolf shifter’s body was still, his eyes closed and his breathing steady as he slept.
Well, that’s too bad.Moving onto my back again, I stared at the blanket of stars above me. I knew I should be sleeping. We likely wouldn’t remain where we were for long, and I could use the rest, but I resisted the idea of closing my eyes again and seeing Asher’s burning body. Instead, I began counting the twinkling lights above me and tried not to think about what the next days would bring.
I’d lost count of the stars and had decided to find Darian who was keeping watch when I heard a shuffling sound a short distance away. Lifting my head, I glimpsed Darian and Locke right before they slipped into the trees, disappearing from view. I frowned as I stared after them, wondering if they’d heard something and were going to investigate.The thought that the fae might have found us sharpened my senses, and I cocked my head as I listened intently. When I didn’t hear any screams or sounds of battle, I let out a relieved breath.One of them probably needed to relieve himself and the other one is there to keep watch. Nothing to worry about.
Having successfully calmed myself, I closed my eyes only to have the image of Asher’s burning form reappear in my mind. Hastily, I snapped my eyes open again.Nope. No more sleep for me.
Giving up on the idea of rest entirely, I slowly removed Kade’s hand from my leg and wiggled downward until I was no longer squeezed between the males. I half expected Asher and Kade to jump to their feet at the movement, but they continued sleeping, and I tiptoed away from them.
Prince Azaren remained unconscious close by, his limp body splayed out on the ground where Asher had dropped him. I checked the male was still alive, then grabbed the fae books Darian had placed on the ground.
Prince Azaren wouldn’t be happy when he discovered the other books had been left scattered in the forest, not after all he’d gone through to retrieve them, but I hoped he’d be able to collect them afterward. On the bright side, it hadn’t rained since we’d arrived in the fae realm, so there was a good chance the books hadn’t been damaged.
Dropping down, I sat cross-legged on the grass not far from Kade and Asher, and I placed the books beside me. Grabbing the fairy tale on the top of the stack, I rested it on my lap. Curiosity had been eating away at me from the moment I’d glimpsed Prince Azaren running with the pile of books in his arms, and I traced my fingertips over the buttery leather-bound cover, appreciating the golden embossed symbols of stars and clouds illuminated by the moonlight.
Carefully, I turned to the first yellowed page. The writing inked in the center of the paper was foreign and unreadable, and I guessed I was looking at the written text of the fae. The curves and strokes of the letters were artfully done, and I wished I could read it. Thankfully, beneath the fae text, a translation had been written in neat cursive handwriting.
The Diamond Princessby Sharou Zanae. I read through the translated story, delighted by the detailed hand-drawn illustrations accompanying the text on each page. The short tale spoke of a princess who was born mute but who could play music so enchanting it captivated even the attention of the gods. None of the princes from the neighboring kingdoms desired a bride who couldn’t speak, but Paentoras, the God of the Night, fell in love with the princess and begged her to join him at his palace high in the stars. A place where she would become immortal and the stars would dance to her music, their lights shining brighter with every note she played. Hearing of the god’s wishes, a prince from a neighboring kingdom was overcome with jealousy and kidnapped the princess with the intention of ransoming her to the god in return for his own immortality, but Paentoras rescued her and punished the prince’s kingdom by shrouding the land in darkness, never to see the light again.
When I came to the final page much faster than I expected, my fingers brushed over the illustration of the princess playing a harp while a man in a long dark cloak watched enraptured. Stars twinkled around them, dancing to a tune I couldn’t hear. The tale was dark but bittersweet, and I smiled as I closed the book. It was a captivating tale about love and acceptance, but I still couldn’t understand why Prince Azaren had risked his life to obtain the books. I went to grab the next fairy tale when I realized Darian and Locke still hadn’t returned. Lifting to my feet, I scanned the silent trees around me. They’d been gone for far too long for them to simply be relieving themselves.What if they’ve been taken?
Forgetting the book, I moved to warn Kade and Asher when a moan sounded from not too far away. It wasn’t the moan of someone who was dying but a moan of pleasure. I paused, spinning back toward the darkened trees.
