AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t have a moment to waste. Not when Beth needs me. I can feel whispers of her through the bond—and none of them are good. Fear, loathing, and pain all echo down the link between us. It’s enough to get me on my feet, the sand giving way beneath me as I try to get my bearings.
The summer realm sun is relentless, but it also gives some clues about where I am. The angle suggests it’s well after midday, and it moves eastward across this realm. If I’m in the Ocean of Storms at the far end of Byrn Varyndr, I can follow the coast west.
Bending down, I inspect the torn leather around my right calf. The skin has knitted itself back together, but my pants are ruined. The kelpie ripped my shirt with its claws, and I can feel a deep scratch running down my back. Damn the summer realm to the Spires. Angrily, I strip off my shirt and toss it to the sand.
With long strides, I set off down the shoreline. Large blue crabs skitter away from me as I hew close to the line of tropical trees, the shade welcome as I consider the many perils my mate could be facing.
Beth is clever, but she’s also a changeling—small, frail, and impossibly mortal. I’ve already grown accustomed to protecting her. I rather enjoyed it, if I’m being honest. But now? Now, it’s my life’s mission. I will take care of my mate, see to her needs, and mark her as a warning to any who might think to take her from me. Our mating is inevitable, and I hope to claim her as soon as possible, even if it means taking her here in this accursed realm. Even if it’s done in a copse of too-fragrant flowers beneath a too-warm sun as summer fairies watch with wide eyes, I will make it as enjoyable as I can for my precious mate.
The walk is long and arduous, hours passing as I trudge ever onward, the scenery never changing. Not that I care. I’m too busy with thoughts of Beth, of how we’ll start a home in Cold Comfort, of children. By the Ancestors, having children is a blessing I can’t even comprehend.
A prickly sensation rushes through me, yanking me from my happy thoughts. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I draw my blade.
“What in the Spires are you doing?” Ravella’s spectral form appears ahead of me, her hands on her hips. “I’ve been scrying for you for hours, and I find you all the way down here? How?”
I sheathe my knife. “The Catcher took my mate. I’m here to collect her.”
Her eyebrows rise. “How did you get to the summer realm so fast?”
I stride through her, but she races to keep up, her form nearly transparent. “The Catcher had some powerful alchemy. He opened a door that went directly to the summer realm. Like that.” I snap my fingers.
“That’s impossible.” She frowns. “Only the most powerful magics mixed with equally strong alchemy can do that. Queen Aurentia, maybe, has that power. Or possibly some of the more ancient fae. But the Catcher?”
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to get her back, and then we’ll return to the winter realm.”
“Whoa.” She tries to step in front of me, but I walk through her again. She growls. “You can’t go marching into the summer capital like this. What about the treaty?”
“Damn the treaty.” I shake my head. “It’s only words. A silly pile of words that has no meaning when it comes to the bond between Beth and me.”
“You’re in the mating stupor.” She tsks. “This is not the level-headed Gareth I know. This is the feral talking. The Gareth I know would wait for word from Leander, would handle this diplomatically, would use caution instead of flirting with a war between the realms over a changeling who—”
“Over my mate!” I bellow and wave a hand at her, chopping through her middle. “I won’t let Beth go back to her master.” I finally stop and pin her with a hard stare. “You saw the marks on her body. You saw what Granthos did to her. What do you think he’ll do to her now that she’s a runaway? I will never let that happen. Not when I’m right here. It will take weeks for Leander to intervene on my behalf. That’s time I don’t have.” I resume my path.
“I suppose nothing I say is going to stop you.” She sighs at my back.
“You suppose correctly.”
“Ugh. You’re thinking with your coc—”
“I will not change my mind.” I whirl on her. “You wouldn’t understand. You don’t have a mate.”
She flinches, and I immediately regret my words.
My frosty demeanor cracks a little, the feral backing down. “I didn’t mean—”
“I’ll let Leander know.” She pushes past the hurt in her eyes.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Ravella. Truly.”
“I know.” She shrugs. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” I give her a wry smile. “Who would have thought I’d be the one to find my mate so soon after the curse? I’ve never had any luck with females.”
“You would have had more luck if you weren’t ornery, stubborn, and honorable to a fault.”
“Maybe I just needed to find the right changeling to appreciate all those qualities.” I turn away and peer down the beach, hoping to see the palace lights glowing through the hazy night. I’m close. I can feel it.
She laughs softly. “I have certainly seen Beth appreciating your qualities every now and again. I’d daresay her favorite quality of yours is your posterior. Or perhaps your abs?”
Longing surges inside me, and I have to push away the images of Beth’s devious smile, her pert breasts, the way her warm thighs would press against mine when we rode through the Greenvelde Wood. Just the memory of her makes my mouth water.
“All right. I see I’ve lost you. My magic is fading. It’ll take a week to recover from this jaunt to figure out what in the Spires happened to you.” My skin prickles, and when I look around, Ravella’s resting her ghostly palm on my shoulder. “Go get her, Gareth. But be safe, okay? Don’t get killed, and try not to start a war.”
“I’ll do my best. Don’t worry about me.” I try to pat her hand, but only touch air. “I’m an old soldier. Tough to kill.”
“Good luck, my friend.” She fades out. “May the Ancestors smile on you and your mate.”
“And on you, Ravella.”
She disappears completely, melting into the coming night.
I redouble my speed, forcing myself to push through the lingering pain in my leg. When night has fully fallen, a voice up ahead catches my attention, and I drop low on my haunches. A small boat pulls up to the shore, and a handful of fishermen climb out, their nets full as they carry them into the forest. There must be a settlement nearby, because more boats appear farther down the beach, docked among the trees.
Eyeing the gentle waves, I hatch a new plan. A boat is a better option than simply walking into the capital. I can ease in under the cover of night via the port and creep into the city unseen. That will give me the best chance to find Beth, free her, and escape.
Stealing along the beach, I weave among the trees until I get close to the boats. The nearest one will do just fine, the wood smooth from a lifetime of use and a few barnacles growing along the bottom. It’s big enough for a few fishermen, but I can row it by myself without trouble.
