“You have a Foraltae?” Eiravel couldn’t have looked more confused if Heath had just slapped him with a wet fish and told him he’d better come back from the corner with Heath’s money.
Yep, that’s pretty much how Heath felt too.
“Yes, and she’s in,” he pointed to a far-off point that looked like everywhere else, “that direction.”
Cynes squinted his eyes. “Is that who you were looking at a moment ago?”
Heath nodded. “I don’t know how, but she appeared before me.”
“Did she give you anything more to go on?”
Other than a body that made me want to take her right then, no. “She couldn’t stay long enough. She looked scared.”
Eiravel snapped his gaze to meet Heath’s. “What do you mean, ‘scared?’”
“I don’t really know how to explain it. She was here, with me, and then she looked back in that direction and said she had to go. I can feel it.”
Eiravel stared at him. “Your fangs are marked.”
A sign of the impending Fate joining. Every Unseelie gained markings matching the color in their eyes in thin patterns across their fangs when they met their Fate. The same symbols would print on their mate. Heath had learned that as a babe. Males who’d met their Fate but hadn’t claimed her could be particularly dangerous to others.
When he’d been taken to the Seraph lands of the Seelie, he’d lost all hope of ever having the chance to find his Fate. Well, that was if he could even trust his memories. But he knew what he’d been taught. He couldn’t be wrong. His soul cried out to be near her, to claim her and make her his. There was no denying that.
“We all know the signs of the Unseelie, what that means. We inherently understood Heart Tethering and how to use our gifts. That can’t be a lie,” Eiravel surmised as if reading Heath’s mind.
“We’ll figure out the rest. When I was pulled in here, a voice told me I’d find my truth here. Perhaps my Fate has something to do with it.”
Cynes tucked his bow over his shoulder. “A voice?”
Heath nodded. “It’s what helped me heal. It sounds crazy as shit, but I can’t deny it’s been right so far.”
“I believe you.” Eiravel lifted his chin, posturing his confidence in Heath. “So we push forward. At least we have some way of knowing where we should go. Kallan and Teague must be reached.”
“I tried to use the Heart Tether but couldn’t connect. I can try again.”
“We might as well. If your Fate is being held hostage or in danger, the more we have on our side, the better. We’ve traveled a bit of distance, so it may be simpler to use the Tether.”
Heath nodded and closed his eyes. Accessing the Heart Tether only took a thought under normal circumstances, but it was like swimming through tar to reach them now. He could only touch Eiravel’s and Cynes’s, but they were close. Kallan and Teague were not.
“I can see them, but I can’t connect.”
“But if it’s easier than it was before, we’re heading in the right direction. Only mapping small sections of the In Between is putting us at a loss now,” Cynes grumbled.
“Then record it. Do you have any Mark Stones?” Hope swelled in Heath’s chest at the possibility.
Cynes could make precious stones and metal do anything—within the limits of his power. One of the first feats he’d accomplished was using a stone he’d created from diamond and inlaid with onyx. Looking through the stone provided the viewer with maps on each facet.
“Already on it. The minute Eiravel and I found you, I activated the stone. Eventually, when we connect with something familiar, the maps will meld. If not, we will at least have this space charted.”
Heath nodded, thankful he had his men with him. “Cynes, I want you to scout ahead. Use the stone for about a ten-mile radius. We need to know more about the terrain.”
Eiravel shifted. “Is it a good idea to split up? If he’s attacked, there’s no one to back him up.”
“Are you saying I can’t handle myself in a fight, brother?”
“No, I’m saying you have a way of enticing a battle just because you can. Someone has to be there to snatch your ass back.”
Cynes flashed a smile. “Can’t argue with that, but this is different. I will stay out of anything as long as I can and just work on charting the terrain. Set up camp. I can mark the stone to find my way back.”
