AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When I reached the bottom of the descent, the floor leveled out and smoothed. There were sharp bits of grass and broken glass beneath my feet as I strode deeper into the darkness, but the pain they caused was no more real than my body at the moment.
I quickened my pace when I saw a shimmering black crack hanging in the air, wavering slightly as if it too was affected by the breeze I’d first felt when I entered Vena’s mental world. She had hidden her memories far away from the rest of her mind, but even the deepest-hidden traumas could never be fully expunged.
Reaching the crack, I placed a hand on it, focusing my magic on my palm.
In an instant, I had slipped inside Vena’s memories and was surrounded by a foreign world, the likes of which I’d only seen in my mate’s mind.
The trees were taller than I expected, their branches longer and covered in more leaves and flowers than the ones in Vena’s mind. The stone streets were smooth, but leaves and flowers danced over the rock, dragged to and fro by the winds that seemed to populate her world.
Children laughed and ran down the street, chasing each other. A serious little girl with short golden hair watched them go, her hand wrapped around the wrist of a staggering drunk woman. I recognized her as the little girl from the day my brothers and I had transferred our personal night magic into the girls, so we could stay alive despite the throne’s torn-apart magic beating in our chests.
Children were much rarer in our court, because they could only be created by fated-mate couples. We valued life more than the elemental fae did because of that—and welcomed others from different lands for the most part.
“Come on,” little Vena murmured to the woman I assumed was her mother. “Hurry, before they notice us.”
I didn’t know much about the elemental fae, or their culture, but for whatever reason, Vena had clearly been on the outs.
Two grown men stepped out of a large building, off to Vena’s left. Neither of them looked powerful or official, but they took one look at the little girl and strode toward her.
Alarm flooded her expression. “Quick, mother.” She tugged on the woman’s arm frantically.
The woman only stumbled, and then crashed to the stone streets.
Vena stepped in front of the woman, her fists clenched but her eyes terrified as the men approached. “Don’t hurt us,” she pleaded with them.
One of the men crouched in front of Vena. The other dug into his pocket, and pulled out a small piece of what looked like candy. Vena eyed it with more suspicion.
“You’ve been alone too long, Venatrix,” the crouched man said quietly.
Her lips wobbled, but her expression remained fierce and strong. “I have my mother.”
“We both know that’s never been true.” The man studied her. “Her magic will fail soon, and you will die. It’s too soon for you to be tied to the land on your own, but there are men from another part of our world who can keep you safe. Protect you.”
Her lips wobbled further. “Would there be food?”
“Of course there would be food.” The man’s voice was warm, though his words weren’t particularly kind.
She swallowed roughly, then glanced back at her mother. A long moment passed before she finally whispered, “I can’t leave her.”
The man nodded slowly.
He gestured toward his friend, and in an instant, Vena was trapped in his arms, her mouth covered by one of his hands. A touch of lunar magic flooded the air, and then her body relaxed.
Fury for the little girl hit me, thick and fierce.
I would fucking kill them.
They carried her down the street without a backward glance at the woman they had left on the ground.
The air in front of me shimmered, and another crack appeared.
I stepped within it, and was quickly bombarded by a stream of short, fast memories. Vena didn’t recall every moment of it—she was on a boat. There was enough food to fill her belly. She smiled a few times, despite everything that had happened. She spoke to a pair of men who performed the same ceremony I had when I met her—one kissed every finger of the other, and then pulled the serenaded palm to his chest, claiming him.
He explained the importance of it to Vena, speaking to her like she was his equal, and I could tell it meant a lot to the little girl.
More time flashed by in short, choppy memories.
She reached the Night Court, and cried when the fuckers who had stolen her said goodbye and left without turning back.
