Page 86 of Facade

“The Western Realm.” My voice rang out in the silence as if I'd yelled it. Blood pounded in my ears as he stiffened, becoming preternaturally still—all amusement gone. Just a cold, calculating look in those dark blue eyes. Even Malachai seemed to stiffen.

“And why would you think that?” he ground out. He knew. He’d known what I was the entire time. Yet he kept it from me—playing power games like the Fae, letting me believe I was nothing more than a weak human.

“I—”

Malachai stepped forward, his large frame casting a shadow over us, once again interrupting a moment between Aiden and me. Only this time, I was grateful. I wasn’t ready to have it out with him. How could I tell him what I knew, without endangering Aniah? And Ryker…

“We need to go. Now,” Malachai growled.

Aiden didn’t take his simmering glare off me as he said, “What is it?”

“We aren’t alone.”

“The other useo?” Aiden’s eyes flashed as he scanned the forest.

“Could be.”

That had Aiden’s attention off of me in an instant, allowing me to release my breath as he sharply commanded us to move. Without my superior eyesight, I would've fallen a hundred times from the rough terrain through the trees since Aiden offered no help and made his anger more apparent by stalking off ahead.

As we broke through the dense forest, Luna trotted around happily. I shook my head at the Empyrean, wishing I could have her ignorance of the tension surrounding us. Dimitri was mounted on his horse, blood soaking his right pant leg, dripping on the snow-covered ground beneath him. His skin was pale, sweat making his brow slick despite the cold.

Is that what Ryker looks like right now? Is he suffering too?

“Evanee.”

I jolted at Aiden’s harsh tone and stared at his outstretched hand. He was already mounted and didn’t meet my eye as I reluctantly let him pull me up on Shadow’s back. We said nothing to one another as he set the group at a furious pace.

Every inch of my body screamed the entire ride to the next town. Everything hurt. My head continued to throb from my wound with each pounding of Shadow’s hooves, and from my mind envisioning the worst with Ryker’s injuries. The burn on my shoulder had eased—but I’d still have to peel the melted clothing from the wound when I wasn’t being watched so closely. Even my teeth hurt from the incessant chattering in the woods, but it went deeper than that—my gums ached as things felt like they were shifting.

Exhaustion weighed on me like a second skin, and now Aiden sat stiffly behind me, his silence louder than the hoof beats.

Not that I wanted to talk to him either.

I glanced at Dimitri, who was surprisingly still upright, albeit barely. His skin was leeched of color to the point he had a glowing effect beside us.

As we drew closer, a familiar, boyish voice rang out.

“Sirs!”

“Brax. Good to see you all made it,” Aiden called out with that serious captain’s tone fully in place as he slowed.

He hauled himself off and helped me down, letting me go as soon as my feet hit the ground. I nearly fell flat on my ass, fighting the urge to curse him as my legs buckled.

“Any trouble on your journey?” Aiden asked him, still assessing their group.

“Nothing we couldn’t handle, Sir! A few bandits, a small rebel force, and some skurs,” Brax said, beaming. A new scar was forming over his left eyebrow, along with the pride that came with it.

As I righted myself and massaged my aching muscles. I scanned the rest of our reunited party looking for—

“Well, I’ll be a Witch on a broomstick!” Lyra hollered from behind a horse. I wasn’t really sure how I felt seeing her. Relieved but also… No, not disappointed. Not necessarily…

She stepped around in the same dress she'd worn when we parted; however, it had definitely been tattered and messed up from whatever hellish journey they had been through. But her eyes seemed brighter, happier, than I'd ever seen her, and… did she have on rouge? Even her hair looked like she gave a damn, the straight strands shiny and brushed…. I rolled my eyes. I knew what had happened. Who happened.

“Shit! What the hell did this, Dimitri?” Brax asked wide-eyed as Dimitri eased himself down, keeping as much of his weight off of his injured leg. Not that he could have stood on it if he wanted to. Beneath his pants, the flesh was mangled, muscle and bone exposed. My face twisted—feeling as green as my eyes. Brax whined, sounding more like his wolf.

Alaric approached, arms folded in front, and even he grimaced at the mutilated wound.

“Fucking useo,” Dimitri scowled, leaning heavily on his mare.