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The frosty forest air squeezed the breath from Nyana’s lungs for a different reason than a rope around her neck. Her legs wobbled, and as if sensing she might collapse from sheer exhaustion or surprise or fluster, Joel wrapped his arm around her waist once more.
My brother?
“Bastien?” she rasped.
He reached for his chupacabra skull mask and slowly slid it off his head. White hair tumbled out from brown and white feathers, and then she found herself staring back at familiar silver-blue eyes framed by tanned skin.
His mouth lifted in a smile. “Nyana.”
“I haven’t seen you in—”
“—nearly fifteen years,” he finished for her. “You are a lot shorter than I remember.”
“And you much taller.”
Curiosity filled his eyes as he switched tongues, his words tinged with a Forest Folk accent. “Father and I have been keeping tabs on you. I didn’t realize you married again.”
“We’ve only been married for a few days,” Joel answered as he stuck out his hand. “You must be her brother.”
Bastien gripped Joel’s hand, light eyebrows lifting into his hairline. “You look like shite. No offense, but both of you do. The settlement is not too far. A few miles.”
“Bas,” the woman warned again. “Bringing them back may have dire consequences.”
Her brother laughed and shook his head. “Relax, Ash. Harboring family for a few days is not going to hurt anyone.”
“I hope you are right,” she muttered.
The group of seven began moving ahead, but before following, Joel turned her to face him. Worry pooled in his eyes. Not just worry, but pure terror. He ran his fingers down her cheek and over her neck. His eyes misted with anger and sadness when she winced at the pain of the simple touch.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then someone in the group called out for them to hurry. He dropped his hands, and a part of her wished he hadn’t. She was barely holding in her own lingering terror.
Instead of speaking, he helped her and Maisy onto the horse before holding Eva in his arms. She began wailing into his shoulder. Her heart broke for her daughter. But she tried not to dwell on it. Not yet. She needed to keep herself together for just a little while longer.
The aches and pains in her body increased as they ventured through the white forest. The chill seeped into her bones, and she began shivering. Or perhaps it was fear causing her limbs to tremble.
Bastien kept glancing back at her, where he led the group forward on silent feet, curiosity and wonder in his eyes. She found herself doing much of the same.
At least until her worried glance moved to Joel. The skin around his mouth puckered in pain, his eyes half-closed as he attempted to keep up with everyone else. A new bruise darkened to purple on his cheek. His pale skin attested to his continuing loss of blood.
She swallowed her emotion when thoughts of his pain pricked her eyes. She felt completely helpless. If only she were bigger. Taller. Stronger. If only her leg worked properly.
If only she knew how to harness her magic…
She stared at her pale hands, capable of sucking the life out of living things. What more could she do? How could she harness the power? Could she transfer it to other people?
As they traveled, the trees became thicker, larger, taller until she could no longer see where the boughs ended. Thick trunks replaced thin trees, each growing larger than the next. The size of her head. The size of a horse. And then the trunks were the size of a house with doors and windows carved into them. Smoke curled upward from many of the dwellings.
Forest Fae with tanned skin and white hair walked about the forest, from small babies to elderly folk. Each cast them wary glances once they noticed their Sun Fae ears.
Several children released peals of laughter as they ran across the snowy road, creating a pang of longing within Nyana’s heart. If only she’d looked more like a Forest Fae than Sun Fae, she could have lived here like Bastien.
But then she wouldn’t have Maisy or Eva.
Or Joel…
At the thought, she hugged Maisy tighter and pressed her lips to her auburn hair. Her life had been a mess of happiness and misfortune. She was grateful to have met Calle, as he’d given her Maisy. As deranged as it sounded, she was grateful to Liam for giving her Eva. And now, she was grateful for Joel for helping her pick up the pieces of the destruction they left behind.
She wouldn’t change anything for the world.
