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Dusk and Onyx make their way forward to greet the old man, who looks a little like Sam Elliot but sounds a lot like Sean Connery. He has shorter hair than the others, but still touching his neck, that’s pure white in color, and his eyes are a light brown. He has a thick white mustache, and no beard, but an easy smile.
He’s not at all what I expected one of their elders to look like, in all honesty. Yes, it’s true that the fae have a lot of old traditions, and that those traditions often merge with newer, more modern, technology, but I thought this elder would be sitting in a corner over a fire, chanting to himself. For some reason.
He moves from his seat to another arrangement by the far wall, one closer to the fire. There are a bunch of cushions on the floor, made out of fur, gathered together, facing each other. I sit beside Phantom while Dusk sits across from us and Onyx remains standing against the wall. The old man walks toward us and sits in one spot that I suspect is his typical seat between us all.
Onyx watches Dusk who seems ready to translate anything that Onyx might need. Or, maybe, there’s another reason Onyx is watching Dusk. One that I have no clue about.
More secrets and mysteries… who would have thought?
“The shadows are whispering.” The old man glances at me. “I guess you’re the reason.” His smile is serene and if not for the tension among us, I might smile back. But I don’t. I sit with my hands folded in my lap and my body curled in so I don’t accidentally rub shoulders with Phantom, who spent a very long night with his body pressed against mine. And I could feel everything from his shoulder to his knees.
Every. Single. Thing.
“Whispering?” Dusk asks, and I lean forward, eager for his answer.
Do the shadows really whisper to these people? And if they do, what do they say? And what’s so special about it this time?
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, yes.” I like the elder’s voice. It’s smooth and rich and the accent is one of the most decadent sounds I’ve ever heard.
“It’s been foretold that the end of this chaos will be brought when a light fae,” his pointed look is directed at me, “and the shadow beasts are mated.” He looks at Phantom who nods, then at Dusk and Onyx. They all turn to look at me. “The bond must be made if there is any hope of defeating the Shadow King and saving this planet from his creatures.”
Mated. Bonded.These aren’t words I’m particularly overjoyed to hear, even though I’m hearing them a hell of a lot right now.
I shake my head. “No. No. Not me. I’m not… mating or bonding… no.” I hold up a hand and stand. “Whatever world saving you guys are doing, it seems you were fine before me, and likely will be fine without me. So, the answer is no.” Four pairs of eyes are pointed at me and not a single person in this cave is smiling. Me included.
But I don’t care. Let them stare. I already had a mate once and I lost him. It tore out my heart and destroyed something inside of me that can never be repaired. So even if by some miracle I could have another mate, I wouldn’t.
I will never hurt like that again.
Onyx begins to sign from his spot by the wall, and Dusk speaks for him. “Are you sure? There’s no other way?”
The Elder shrugs. “I am not the Moon Goddess. I do not know everything. But I have listened closely to the shadows, and they are excited. They see this as a chance to win, not just a battle, but the war.” He hesitates, his gaze moving to me. “But you should mate her soon, or it could open us up to more dangers.”
“Moon Goddess? War? Danger?” I give a humorless laugh. “You guys get that I’m just a normal light fae, right? That if you hadn’t kidnapped me, I’d probably be taking classes right now, and worrying about finals. Not… saving the world from whatever imaginary thing you’re afraid of.”
Not that the trolls and monkeys are imaginary...
Dusk moves to stand in front of me. “Ann, there is a dark cloud waiting to take over this world.” He tilts his head as if that is the thing that’s going to change my mind or make him look more sincere. “The Shadow King isn’t going to stop sending rot monkeys armed with moon stone shards. And once they’re in place and the cloud spreads, he will block out the sun, people will die. The earth won’t be inhabitable.”
Wait. What?I stare at them in shock and confusion.
Phantom stands on the other side of me. “And you can save them.”
My gut churns.No, I can’t save everyone from some magical cloud. There’s no way.
“By mating with you I’ll save the world?” I look at Dusk. “But not just you, you too.” Then at Onyx. “And you.”
And what girl wouldn’t consider having these hotties as anything but good luck, but there’s too much pressure. This isn’t like when Esmeray fell for Rayne’s best friends. No, she had never had a mate before. She’d never really loved before or lost before. We were different people. And I am not someone who is ready foranyof this. Who can handleanyof this?
Besides, I’d had my mate. “Isn’t it possible that you guys have this wrong? That I’m not even your mate?”
This time, they all look at me like I’m a fool, but Phantom is the one to answer. “No. The mate bond is as real as this cave. It’s not something that can be questioned. We feel it, with each breath we take. We feel it down to the deepest parts of our souls.”
“Then why don’t I feel it?”
A hurt expression comes over Phantom’s face. He opens his mouth, then closes it.
“Are you sure you don’t?” Dusk asks softly. “Because I think you do, you’re just trying to ignore it.”
