Tiernan’s gaze remained trained on the thick expanse of trees, where it seemed no life stirred.
Merrick looked at the forest’s edge, then back to Tiernan. “What is it, my lord?”
“Maeve and Lir have not yet returned from the woods.” He glanced up at the sky once more. Already the sunlight was being washed away, doused in hues of faint purple and dark blue.
A line furrowed across Merrick’s brow. He shook his head, then raked a hand through his silver hair, and the hot pink lock fell across his face. “No. No, that can’t be right.”
“What do you mean?” Tiernan demanded. “I saw them walk in there. We all saw them go in.”
Rowan strode across the snow toward them, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Something wrong?”
Tiernan ignored him and stared at his hunter, whose eyes had closed.
Merrick inhaled deeply, and then he paled. When he opened his eyes, they were wide with an emotion Tiernan recognized all too well.
Fear.
“No, my lord.” He swallowed, tugging on the collar of his armor. “I can’t detect a trace of either of them.”
Rowan reared back. “Son of a?—”
“No!” Tiernan shouted, and took off toward the tree line. Panic fired through him as he raced into the forest, his heart dropping with every step. “They have to be in there!”
Merrick and Rowan sprinted after him, their footfalls clamoring in his ears.
Evergreens blurred past Tiernan, their branches reaching for him like the claws of a monster, snaring his armor in an attempt to slow him, to stop him. Terror struck him like the blade of a dagger, digging into his back, ripping through muscles and tendons. He never should have let her walk off, he never should have let her out of his sight. They were entirely too close to the Spring Court. Too close to Parisa. Spears of ice-cold fear lanced through his heart and he sucked in a breath, the frozen air freezing his lungs.
“Maeve!” His gaze swung wildly, latching onto anything that could offer a sign of their whereabouts. Snapped branches, staggered footprints, a shred of clothing.
Not again. He couldn’t lose her again. Not to Parisa. That vile fae bitch would destroy her. Mind, body, and soul.
“Fuck!” Tiernan roared, his own fury damning him. He’d made such a careless mistake. They were in the midst of a war, and he’d tried to play the part of her hero. If only he’d let her fight those damn giants on her own, then she never would’ve stormed off. She never would have said she didn’t need him. She never would havelefthim.
He grabbed his wrist, tearing at the sleeve of his leathers to reveal the witch thread marking him. The twin mountains with the star bursting between them throbbed against his flesh, but the bond tying him to his mate was silent.
There was nothing.
Maeve and Lir were gone.
“There!” Merrick called, pointing at the base of a nearby tree.
Tiernan’s heart lurched in a sudden beat of hope, but the crushing weight of remorse left him hollow when he spied what Merrick had discovered.
Propped against the tree was the lifeless body of a Winter fae soldier. His chest was mangled, as though he’d been attacked by some kind of beast. The warrior’s armor was in shreds, his eyes were empty, and his mouth was parted as though he’d been trying to speak or call for help before his death. From the looks of it, he’d bled out right before they’d arrived.
Merrick knelt down on the snowy forest floor. He reached out, carefully closing the fallen fae’s eyes. Then he took another deep breath. Hunting. Tracking. His magic flared, the dense scent of orange blossom and cedarwood overpowering the metallic stench of fresh blood. Spreading one hand, he placed his palm against the rough bark of the tree. Still kneeling, he swiped his free hand through the snow then made a fist, so tiny droplets of water seeped out through his closed knuckles. A cold breeze sifted through the trees overhead, rustling the leaves, sending a flurry of snow scattering to the ground around them. He stood, and the brilliant blue of his eyes swirled.
“They were here.”
Rowan stepped forward, his gaze focused on something deeper within the woods. Something Tiernan couldn’t quite see. “Where are they now?”
“I don’t know, my lord.” Merrick dusted the snow from his leathers, casting one more long look at the Winter fae. He moved in a slow circle, inspecting the woods. “It’s like they vanished.”
Impossible.
Archfae couldfade,but they didn’t simplydisappearwithout a trace.
There were only two possible explanations. Either Maeve and Lir were taken…
