Good girl. Now tell me where you are, and I’ll finish what you’ve started.
My location is at the tip of my tongue, but then I hear the key at the door and remember what I’m traveling for in the first place. It feels wrong to just leave him, though, so I send one last message back to him.
One week. I’ll find my path, and then I’ll tell you where to find me, Donn.
CHAPTER THREE
You’re traveling to the Seer to find out your fate.
My eyes snap open before I have the chance to fully process Donn’s words as they swirl ominously inside my mind. A small thrill of excitement bubbles inside me, but the sensible part of my brain knows what’s at risk here.
My family is dead. I don’t know enough about this man to meet up with him on top of a mountain with only my brother as protection. He could arrive with an entire coven of trained witches or highly skilled mercenaries.
My gut clenches at the thought.
I'm lying on my side on the bed facing Pemba across the room. He's on his back, snoring, without any sign that he’s felt my concern, even though I feel as though my tension is filling the room and slowly suffocating me. In one fell swoop, my night of good sleep has just been ruined.
Why would you say that?I send back, trying to seem calm, but I know even before he chuckles at me that I'm failing miserably.
You said you were looking for the path you needed to be on. You’re on your way to the Seer, and I will meet you there.
My heart thumps in my chest and climbs up the back of my throat until it lodges itself there as an impossible mass to swallow around. I have to be careful with my answer here, just in case.
The smell of my coven burning still clings to my soul.
There's no reason for me to trust you. Just because we share some sort of bond doesn't mean I can just tell you anything. That’s a lot to ask of me, Donn, without you offering me anything in return.
He doesn't answer straight away, and I get the feeling that he's also choosing his words with caution. A sign that he really cares? Maybe…or maybe he just really wants to catch me. The new and unprotected Mother of the Ravenswyrd Coven.
The last of my kind.
It feels wrong to even think that with Pemba snoring gently across the room, but it’s true. He’s a Ravenswyrd, full-blooded and my kin, but he’ll never hold the titles I do. As a man, he can’t.
When Donn does finally answer me, it’s slow and well-considered.
What do I need to do to gain your trust? What can I do to prove myself to you, because I mean you no harm, croí. I only want to be with you now, as we are fated to be.
There isn't a simple answer to that, but it's also the most honesty he has ever given me, so I take the chance to pry a little further into what he’s saying.
You already know your fate then,I say, and he answers with the absolute confidence of a man who is single-mindedly determined to get what he wants.
You. My fate is you.
My heart flutters in my chest. Plain old Rooke is not only the first thing this man thinks of every morning but his fate as well.
The forest might have decided to turn its back on me, but perhaps the Fates are a little more kind.
If we're fated to be together, then the Seer will tell me the same thing, I'm sure. We’re not too far away from meeting with her. If he can just wait the week like I asked, I’ll be able to go with him happily.
What if I get there, and he’s wrong? What if my fate is someone else, and I have to look him in the face and say no to him? I don’t feel strong enough to do that. Not at all.
I will tell you where I am and where we can meet when I'm ready.
It takes every ounce of my strength to say that to him, and I can feel his frustration again like an itch down my spine as it bleeds through our connection and into my body.
I can't wait around for you, croí. I have to find you and bring you home as soon as I can. I swear to you on the Fates themselves that I mean you no harm. I only want to take you home and provide for you. You will never have to walk for miles and miles on end. You will never go to bed hungry. You'll never be scared or worried about anything. I will never let you feel that sadness that touches your heart again. I just want to take care of you as the Fates have asked of me.
It's the closest I have been yet to telling him where I am, the closest I've gotten to giving in and giving myself over to this man. After what happened to our coven, I desperately want to let him take control of my life and leave all the indecision I have found myself in behind. I want some quiet space to grieve properly and process the life-changing events I’ve been thrown into, until I feel like myself again. To have him take care of me and my brother, to keep us both safe… it’s so damned tempting.
