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She could feel that he’d come to a decision, but even through the level of his determination, once more a familiar sadness came through.
“And I hope very much that it is.” She glanced up the path, in the direction of the colony. “And now there’s something I need to show you.”
She moved on, walking swiftly along a path as familiar as the rocks in the stream below her treehouse. He followed behind her, since the route was narrow. She listened to the birds, to the hollow sounds as she crossed a wooden bridge over yet another stream, and to the sounds of Malik’s heavier footfalls behind her.
When the path split, she paused, turning to him. “Do you know where we are?”
He gestured with a toss of his arm to the path on the right that led northeast. “That will take you to your treehouse complex, but I have to admit I don’t know where this western path goes, and I thought I knew every footpath in Ashleaf.”
Throughout her initial trip to Birchingwood, she’d debated just how much to tell him about the wraith colony. In the end, she’d decided to keep her revelations, at least for now, down to a minimum.
Heading west, she spoke to him over her shoulder. “You’ll be seeing more of the same vines soon, like the ones at my gate, my waterfall, and around the base of the oaks at my treehouse complex.”
“It’s an unusual vine, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
“I’m curious, though, why it hasn’t overtaken the surrounding forest like most vines would?”
“I keep it in check,” was all she was willing to say.
The distance to the colony from the fork in the path wasn’t far, maybe half-a-mile to the granite monolith and the vines that shrouded the entrance. Because she needed him to see why he had never been able to find her when he’d given chase, she put on a sudden burst of speed intending to vanish into the vines, then show herself to him.
She heard him shout his protest as she flew over a waterfall and sped the remaining quarter mile to the monolith. “You’ll see soon enough,” she called back.
>
Once there, she melted into the vines that guarded the entrance to the wraith-colony. She held two of her favorite thick stems and watched his arrival as he topped the last rise of land, his Guardsman coat flapping behind him. He was one pissed off vampire, which was something that made her smile.
“Willow? What the fuck?”
Malik was all Guardsman and though she rarely cursed herself, she knew that fighting men needed many avenues to let off steam, profanity being one of them.
“Okay, now I’m pissed. Why did you bring me all this way if just to make me chase you again? What kind of game are you playing?”
She saw him through the haze of her protective vine charm and suddenly felt very sad. After this night, she would probably never see him again, and for that reason she took a moment to just look at him, at his brown eyes and strong cheekbones, and at his long, thick, dark brown hair, which had a slight wave and was caught in the traditional Guardsman clasp. How many times had she imagined sinking her hands into his hair?
She was a hopeless case where Malik was concerned. He’d played a prominent role in her fantasies for so long and now she was going to expose one of her secrets to him, something only he would know. And after which, she would send him away forever.
“Willow, please don’t do this.” He turned in a full circle, looking for her.
She touched his mind telepathically. I didn’t bring you here to torment you, Mastyr, but rather to show you something. Please, turn toward the vines.
He shifted in her direction, his brow furrowed. He looked deeply distressed, which helped her to know just how frustrating all the chases had been for him.
Slowly, she willed the vines to part for her, then removed the protective spell. His eyes widened as she stepped from the vines.
He stared at her for a long time, before saying, “You have more power than even Alexandra, don’t you? So why aren’t you head of the Fae Guild?”
It seemed so much like Malik that he would address these issues first and not that she’d been hiding herself in the vines at the end of every chase.
She drew in a deep breath, suddenly nervous that she was about to reveal other things about herself, things she’d taken a vow never to reveal. Yet she trusted Malik, and he needed to know why he had to leave her alone from this moment forward. “There’s a simple reason; I have the ability to create a protective shield.”
He blinked, then asked, “But what are you protecting?”
Now for the white lie. She stepped back and gestured to the beautiful hanging vines. “For decades now, I’ve guarded several wraith families who live on my land behind these vines. Pure blooded wraiths.”
He met her gaze, searching her eyes. “Holy shit. And you’re absolutely serious.”
