CHAPTER SEVEN
At first, it seems like we were heading back towards the palace, but once we exit the dense portion of the forest, we make a turn taking us in the opposite direction. We follow along the tree line in silence.
Well, mostly silence.
The faint sounds of the festivities carry to us on the wind. But intermingled with that I can hear growls and other animalistic noises that must be coming from those ‘monsters’ in the forest.
I cast quick glances behind me as if I can see through the foliage to where we left the portal behind. With every step we take away, the further it feels like I’m getting from the opportunity to get home. I know I complained to Tom about wanting adventure andmore, but I didn’t intend for that to mean I’d end up in a magical realm where anything I could pull from my worst nightmares could exist. This isn’t quite the same as visiting the neighboring villages. Though I suppose Iammeeting some new people…
“Do you live in a village nearby?” I ask, attempting to break the silence between us and distract myself from the beasts.
“No,” Bastian answers simply.
Okayyy. “No, as in it’s not nearby…?” I let my question trail off.
He lets out an exasperated sigh. “No, I don’t live in a village.” He flicks his eyes to me and when he catches me watching him, waiting for him to continue, he rolls his eyes. “My cottage is on the outskirts of a village nearby, on the edge of the forest.”
“Why there?” I ask.
“I like my privacy.” His reply is blunt, and he moves his gaze forward again, all but dismissing me from asking any further questions.
The forest we’re following along the edge of looks absolutely terrifying. It’s so dark, you can’t see anything inside past the first few trees, but I can hear the rustling leaves and snapping twigs of something–or several somethings–moving through it. I just hope it’s not moving in our direction.
“They call it the Nocturnal Wilds.” Bastian’s quiet voice startles me enough that I jolt. Shaking off the tension, I shoot him a questioning glance and, as I hoped, he continues. “The woods are mostly safe to traverse during the day, but once the sun sets, the creatures come out. Hence the name nocturnal. You’d have to be a complete idiot to traipse through the forest at this hour unprepared,” he says flatly while casting a sharp glance at me, clearly implying that I’m a complete idiot, not for the first time tonight either. All softness he started his explanation with having fled.
It’s not my fault,” I grumble under my breath.
“Well, maybe you should try thinking before you follow the wisps into mysterious portals,” he retorts with an eye roll.
My irritation spikes. “How was I supposed to know what they were? I didn’t know they were going to lead me here!”
“Even more a reason why you shouldn’t have followed them,” he bites off his words, a muscle twitching in his jaw.
“Do you have any idea as to why they would have led me here in the first place?”
“I have some theories,” he grumbles out.
“Care to share with me?” I ask, tone filled with false sweetness.
“No, I don’t think I will,” he offers with a quick smirk before refocusing on our path ahead.
The flames of my fury sweep through my body. This male does nothing but aggravate me. Every time I think he’s about to show some hint of decency, he flips around and shows me he’s just an asshole.
I roll my eyes, crossing my arms across my body and stomp after him.
We only walka little further before he stops abruptly in a small clearing.
“We’re here,” he announces.
I look to the left and right seeing… absolutely nothing.
“Are you sure about that?” I ask hesitantly. For all I know this male could have very likely led me to a quiet, secluded area of the woods so he could murder me without disruption. But… for some reason I have this strange feeling that I’m not in danger with him. Which sets off several alarming thoughts about the rationality of trusting my instincts where this Fae is concerned.
He shoots me a bored look before he waves a hand with a flourish. And then, as quick as a blink and with a slight shimmer, there’s now a quaint cottage sitting in the middle of the clearing where previously it was an open field of grass. It’s bigger than the one Fleur and I share, but not by much. The thought of Fleur and home sends a pang of homesickness through my chest. Imiss her. I wonder if she’s noticed that I’m missing. Although, it’s still the middle of the night so she likely won’t notice until the morning.
I stare open-mouthed at the now visible home. “How…?”
“Magic,” he says simply, amusement lacing the word.
