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Heading back the way I had come, I hummed to myself, singing a song that Lara had sung as a child. She was my daughter, though I should have realized the similarities. Lara had always been like me, even our sense of humor had been the same.
The queen would need to answer a few of my questions. I deserved that much after this fiasco. Then there was the prince. We had never been close, but I didn’t want to see him die. If I hurried back, maybe we could try again, or go to a different life root.
Kelia stirred in my arms. Her skin warmed, getting hotter. Soon, we’d be in a somewhat safer area where we could rest. If I veered right, back toward the city, it would be a slight detour but there was an oasis with soft moss and fresh water where we could rest. Readjusting her in my arms, I ran, heading toward the safe haven.
The more I held this female, the harder it was to deny the bond. It pulled and tugged me closer, making me realize that leaving her would be near impossible. She wasn’t fae and worse, she was a magi, beholden to an ancient sect who would not see her marry or bond with anyone.
Leaving was no longer an option for me, but I had no idea how Kelia felt. Did she care or had I been the one tricked the entire time?
Yellow and white lights shone in the cavern as I reached the oasis. A slow-moving river rushed along a mossy green embankment. The luminescent worms creating a natural skylight. I placed her on the soft moss, running my hand across her warm forehead.
Looking around I tried to find something to use to carry water. Big white and blue mushrooms dotted an area by the river. Plucking one of the large caps off, I scooped up water and brought it over to Kelia. Sliding under her, I rested her head against my chest and brought the water to her lips. “Drink.”
Drops of water trickled down her mouth and neck. I wiped them away with my hand then held her close. She would be fine. A few hours of rest and I’d move her again. For now, I’d keep her safe and warm.
Gently moving her back on the ground, I went to drink water and wash my face then I shifted. My fur would keep her warm. Curling around her, I nuzzled onto her lap and shut my eyes, fatigue finally winning.
“I’ve been porting around everywhere, and you’re here taking a nap?”
Opening my eyes, I yawned, seeing Alisha standing by us. Her gaze went to Kelia, and she kneeled beside the sleeping human. “I see the human still lives.”
She patted the top of my head.
I let out a low growl and Alisha smiled.
“Don’t be a grump,” she said and stood. “We need to return. Prince Eldritch is not doing well. We moved him back to the palace. We think he’ll pass tonight.”
Instantly, I shifted. “The queen has to have life crystals somewhere.”
Unphased by my nakedness, like most fae, she continued speaking. “We tried. She found a few in the vault, but nothing worked, and she did try. Not because she wants peace with the prince, but because Mab is inconsolable, and the queen has always had a soft spot for her. He’ll seem okay after we use one and then within minutes the blackness spreads again, like a vicious root.”
“We need to go.” I bent down to lift Kelia up. Alisha held out a hand to stop me.
“I’ll take the human. If she wakes, I’d expect she wouldn’t be pleased that you were naked.”
“Humans and their odd quirks . . . fine but be careful.” I held out my hand. “Give me the rod.”
Alisha handed me the rod then gently lifted Kelia.
One of the cave butterflies fluttered by. The big jade wings as beautiful as I remembered. I wished Kelia was awake to see it.
Visualizing the palace, I clicked the rune and opened the portal to the room Kelia had been staying in. The air shimmered and a wavery image of the bedroom appeared. Alisha stepped through first, I followed.
Once back in the palace, I sighed. “I’m going to get changed. Make sure someone tends to her.”
Alisha nodded and began walking toward the bed.
Leaving, I shook the unease from my mind.
Heading toward the room I was staying in, I tried to ignore the pull to run back to Kelia, knowing she was injured, but I couldn’t. I needed to clear my head and have a strong drink. Inside the quiet room, I went toward the table that held the wine I’d left from when we were here last. Taking the decanter, I drank, drowning out the mess in my mind.
Kelia barely accepted me as her friend, and I expected her to want me hanging around her forever? I slammed the decanter on the table, sloshing the rest of the red liquid, the desire to go to her making me mad. With a resigned breath, I stood and headed to the wardrobe where I got dressed. Slipping on a clean shirt, I thought back to when Kelia first arrived at the prison. She’d been fierce and demanding and breathtaking. I should’ve known from the moment that magical lasso wrapped around my neck my attraction to her was more than physical.
Remembering how she mounted me by the fire, ready to prove her power, I chuckled. Stubborn and dominating, yet so naïve about her beauty. Tugging on a pair of black pants, a slow ache formed in my chest at all the moments we shared, and how I thought she betrayed me . . . and then what I’d done. In my anger I’d torn her up, and I’d never been more disgusted with myself.
Bile rose in my throat, and I faced myself in the mirror. Looking at my somber features, the heaviness of my heart reflecting in my eyes made me feel like I was viewing an unknown entity. It felt so strange being in a familiar setting yet so out of touch with it. I wasn’t the fae who had once wandered these halls. Prison and my time with Kelia had forged me into something more. And just like I had sacrificed my life for Lara’s, I would accept the fate and the future that laid outside the door.
Someone knocked.
