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Ellie lowered her voice. “Perhaps you should.” Her gaze darted between the pair. “I don’t think I need to tell you tension is high right now. It’d be best to avoid doing anything that might aggravate the masses. Arianna was already loved as the daughter of the High Lord, but now that she’s The Divine, there are those who seek to protect her and don’t quite believe the whole mate thing.” She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “Though, let them get close enough and they’ll change their minds.”
Heat rose to Arianna’s cheeks. “We’ll be discrete with the details,” she promised and squeezed her mate’s hand.
Ellie inclined her head. “I’ve had to keep your sister away, too,” she said to Rion. “She wants to see you before she returns to Brónach.”
Something about his sister made Rion wince. “I’ll make time.”
Eoghan had remained perfectly still throughout the exchange, a statue rooted to the path he stood upon. He’d followed the pair through the estate all week, but it’d been at a distance. This was the closest he’d been to her since he’d delivered the key to release Rion of his shackles.
Rion’s gaze ran up and down the male’s form, taking in the weapons sheathed at his side and the way he stood. She could feel the sheer dominance radiating from her mate, but when Eoghan bowed his head, something in Rion relaxed, if only by a fraction.
“Thank you,” Rion said, much to her surprise. “For before.”
Eoghan simply nodded. “I live to serve my queen.”
Ellie clapped her hands together, causing them all to startle. “Enough with the serious stuff, are we going?”
Despite the anxiety rushing through Arriana’s veins, a smile tugged itself free. “Lead the way.”
***
They walked along the neat cobblestone path in easy silence, Ellie and Eoghan to their front. The swirling channels of water were ever present, gently flowing toward the stairs that would lead them into the city.
But they weren’t going into the city and when Ellie veered from the main path, leaping over the freshly budding bushes that lined it, Arianna knew their route.
And Ellie had cleared the way, just as she’d promised.
No sentinels walked the area nor stood guard. No servants raced toward the estate. No children played nearby.
It was almost eerie, but it made the journey easier.
Or she thought it would make it easier. Arianna had leapt over the garden beds that lined the walkway only to be tugged back by Rion. He gave her a questioning look, his eyes swimming with memories from his past.
She squeezed his hand again in reassurance and pulled him along. There weren’t assassins waiting for them in the trees here, nor ambushes set up by those who had promised to be their ally. She knew he’d suffered both and likely a lot more, but her mate had nothing to fear from her little sister. She hoped he’d learn to trust her one day.
The roar of Elview Falls wiped her worries away as they drew closer. Arianna’s adrenaline spiked when the trees thinned and she ran ahead, dragging Rion with her. Her legs pounded against the forest floor until she hit rock, then stopped at the very edge of the cliff that dropped two-hundred feet.
Mist collected on her clothes and she lifted her face toward the sky, relishing in the gushing water that flowed past. It came straight from the mountains, its icy temperature a constant that kept most Fae from daring to dive into its depths.
But aside from the view of the Falls, spread out before them was the entire city of Levea in all its wondrous glory.
Arianna spotted the main waterfront that stretched from one side of the city to the other, then the five smaller waterways that jutted out from the main, each turning and twisting their way between buildings. She knew from history class that the paths had been carved that way on purpose, to allow enough water throughout the city in the event of attacks.
Then there were the small channels that surrounded everything, carved like an intricate piece upon the land that left it looking like an artist’s hand had delivered the final touch.
Fae ran to and fro, though most were too small to make out. The rooftops glistened black, a special liquid applied to the structures to ensure water didn’t cause unnecessary damage.
She breathed in the scent and turned to find her mate smiling slightly. Did he know how much this place meant to her? Could he feel it down the bond?
Despite reuniting with her sister and Talon, this was the first time she’d truly felt at home.
Ellie walked closer and stood by Arianna’s side. “I should have brought you here when you first came home.”
Arianna didn’t let her smile fade. “I’m glad you didn’t.” She knew she wouldn’t have appreciated it as much then. Because now she felt whole, like nothing in the world could bring her down.
Arianna turned to her mate again and Rion’s entire body went rigid. Her smile faded and a deep growl rumbled from his chest. She turned at the same time he did and her lips parted when she spotted Talon standing just outside the tree line.
The wind ruffled his long honey-brown hair and he no longer wore fighting leathers. Talon stood before them in a neat blue tunic, his pants a shade darker. No weapons hung at his side, but something about his face seemed pained as he took in the four that stood beside the cliff.
