Page 126 of Fae Farewells

“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay. We’ll watch.”

“What are we watching?” I asked.

“Pete has seen Alric,” she stated, watching him as she added, “The memory isn’t pleasant for him. But he wanted to come back here so he could show us the clearest picture.”

I sat down in the grass, leaning against Pete’s back with my eyes closed. “We’re ready.”

A collection of sighs rang out around me.

“You’re ready,” Palmer corrected. “None of us is ready to live through Pete’s eyes.”

“The longer you wait, the harder it will be for Pete,” I told them. “I’m not trying to be insensitive. But we should let him show us and then keep moving.”

Sloane’s essence caressed my mind, pulling me into Pete’s memory without another objection.

Everything was happening too fast. The giant man crouched at the edge of the treeline, too late to save his mate. His view blurred before he wiped his eyes.

“All you had to do was carry the child.” As he spoke, Alric didn’t loosen his hold on the hilt of the dagger in her chest.

“I wouldn’t,” she growled, blood dripping from her mouth. “I didn’t deserve what you—”

“You should have,” he snarled. “This didn’t have to happen. If you would have done what I said, then you wouldn’t be dead. Your actions have cursed your entire species.”

He twisted the dagger before yanking it away. She collapsed to the ground, her eyes pleading with Pete to stay hidden. She knew he was there, knew he wanted to save her.

But she wouldn’t let him.

This was her sacrifice. Her regret and burden. The shame Alric had caused her was something Pete couldn’t fix.

Alric dropped a bright ball of magic into her wound before it healed. “Was this really worth all the trouble you caused?”

She smiled at him, blood covering her teeth. “I killed the babe, yet I am not the problem. In time, you will fail.”

Her body burst into flames, incinerating the bond Pete shared with his mate. A strangled sob slipped past his lips, his heart aching as he understood why she’d drank the poison.

Why she didn’t want to have the baby…

Why she didn’t want to be touched by her mate.

Alric glared at Pete through the underbrush, scowling as he stepped over her body. The mage pulled his hands apart and brought them together twice. On the second clap, a mass of purple magic formed.

Pete turned to run. He wasn’t strong enough to fight this man, not while his shock was morphing into grief. Not alone.

He looked over his shoulder, seeing the arch of magic chasing him. He ran harder, ran until his lungs were near bursting, racing the curse to warn his village.

But Pete just wasn’t fast enough.

We knew what happened next, so it was no surprise when Sloane’s essence faded from my mind. I was thankful, though. As bad as that sounded, I just couldn’t stomach the pain of Pete’s memory.

I imagined losing a mate was a tragedy like no other, but I hadn’t prepared to feel his bond break along with his heart.

“Did you see his face?” she asked us, her eyes glossy as she placed her hand on Pete’s cheek.

“It was a little blurry,” Briggs answered softly. “But I saw enough to get an idea of what he looks like.”

“It’s enough to sketch him out,” I replied. “It won’t be a perfect likeness, though I can make it close.”

Pete chirped and turned away from us, walking toward the treeline where he’d been standing in the memory. He glanced back, waiting for us to follow him through the forest.