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Luckily, my reflexes and speed both seemed to have improved when I became a fae myself, because as I continued moving, I got more comfortable on the branches. I started walking faster, and then eventually, started jogging. The female fae moved more quickly than I did, but there were a bunch of them, so I didn’t get too far behind.
When they finally stopped moving, I was coated in a thin layer of sweat, my heart pounding lightly as I loosely hugged the nearest tree’s trunk, still standing on one of the branches.
The sun was rising over the trees as I watched the last two fae women disappear into a cave that looked like nothing but a crack between two rocks.
Guess we knew where they stood when it came to letting us have personal freedom.
I’d seen them haul January and North in, too, which meant there would be at least two raging mated men when they realized their women were gone. From experience, I knew the rest of the seelie would probably rage with the Wild Hunt guys. Those bastards were always looking for an excuse to fight.
I’d never seen the unseelie council up close, or had a conversation with any of the other unseelies, but I had to think that at least a few of them were protective of women. Particularly the ones who had exchanged vows with ex-human women.
If not them, the Tame King still had to react. Him and his queen, Naomi, had sealed their bond through sex. They didn’t get along, but that didn’t change the fact that they were mated.
My eyes widened as I watched the crack between the two rocks seal, merging the rocks and completely concealing the evidence of their hiding place.
I stared down at it for a few long moments, trying to memorize the location. Knowing that my senses were better in my dragon form, I carefully walked a few feet from the tree’s trunk, and then shifted.
Though the branch strained a little beneath my new weight, it didn’t crack or break as I studied everything around me.
Taking in the smells, sights, and sounds, I forced myself to pay attention to everything.
I was going to find this place again, with the men, and get the other women out.
There was no other choice.
Since I didn’t know if there were any other female fae out guarding the forest or searching for me or anything, I shifted back to my human form and then started on the long journey back through the trees.
No way in hell was I getting dragged into their cave when I was the only one who knew where my friends had been taken.
By the timeI made it back to the dome, I had been hearing roars and snapping tree branches, smelling blood, and seeing men soar over my head as well as sprint below me for about half an hour.
None of them appeared to be in their right minds, possessed by their fury, so I didn’t call out to any of them.
The level-headed men would probably have stayed near the dome, to try to figure shit out, I hoped.
It seemed like it had only been thirty minutes or so since they started waking up, after all.
When I reached the tree Ervo had left me in, I debated attempting to climb down for a full minute before my tired, stressed-out mind admitted that was a stupid idea.
So, I shifted and glided down to the ground. I saw Nev in a group with a few other fae I didn’t recognize, but since he was the only member of the Wild Hunt within my view, he was the man I headed toward.
They all noticed me coming, and cleared enough space for me to land—albeit clumsily.
I crashed into a pair of guys after I hit the ground, but this time, didn’t earn any chuckles.
Things were too intense for that.
“What happened? Where did they take you?” Nev asked me, as the men I’d hit released me and stepped away. They gave me plenty of space, so Nev was the one I was nearest to. “They disguised their scents somehow.”
I appreciated that he was level-headed, despite the anger he was probably dealing with. He and Dots were the friendliest of the remaining unmated seelie couples; they actually seemed to get along the way friends would. They didn’t discuss their pasts or anything, from what I knew, but they didn’t argue or have problems with each other.
“Ervo smelled something in the air and then hid me in a tree,” I explained quickly. “I followed the fae women from above. I saw where they took the other girls—I can lead you guys there.” My heart was pounding quickly, oblivious to the hunger that rumbled my stomach.
Relief crossed Nev’s face. “Damn. We owe you.” He turned to the other guys. “Spread the word. Gather everyone you can, and make sure someone finds Lian, Aev, and Priel. We’ll head out as soon as we can.”
The seelie usually hated being given orders, but the laid-back way Nev gave them and the tension of the situation ensured that they didn’t argue.
The men exchanged a few words before dividing, some taking off on foot while others shifted.
