“Da, you will feel better if you do. I think while you eat, I will find a certain incubus and potentially kill him. That will make me feel better,” Olezka offered.
“Truce. If I eat, will you promise not to kill him?”
Olezka gave me a dry look. His famous five o’clock shadow had deepened to an actual beard. He was still devilishly handsome even if he had dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted.
I took the plate he had, placing it next to me on the bed, then grabbed his hand and tugged him closer. “Sit. Will you eat with me?”
Olezka rubbed the back of his neck. “I should see to the preparations for our departure to the human realm.”
“Or… you can eat with me and tell me what all this is,” I suggested, waving at the plate.
“Toast and sausage. Nothing too special. Hopefully, it will help with your hangover.”
“It will also help your hunger and your need for rest,” I said pointedly.
Olezka smiled at me. “You worry over your mate?”
“You worry over me, don’t you?”
“Da.” Olezka’s gaze softened, and then he leaned over and picked up a piece of toast. He brought it to my lips, waiting for me to take a bite. After I took mine, he took one, and we went back and forth until both pieces were gone.
It was peaceful, calm. Nice. When we were finished, I sighed, knowing we had to break out of our bubble and start getting ready for the day. We would leave for the trip, which Olezka said would take two days, and arrive in the human realm. Roman would meet us halfway and return to the human realm with us while Timur planned to remain behind.
I was conflicted. Excited but wary, disappointed to leave Ana but hopeful I would be able to pay Cyril his favor and be done with him.
****
“You are so handsome!” I gushed.
“You’d better not be speaking about another male,” Olezka grunted, coming around the stables where I stood outside with my mount. I almost laughed out loud at Anubis's wounded look as he trotted around the corner with Olezka. His gaze went from me to Warrior then back again, alarmed by the new visitor in my life. He came over to my side and pushed against my legs, moving me farther from Warrior. Warrior dipped his head and shook his impressive antlers.
“My goodness.” I rubbed Warrior’s forehead while scratching behind Anubis’s ear. “Are all my boys needy today?”
I heard a grunt behind me and stifled a laugh.
“I certainly am, Seis. You can use those talented hands on me…”
Cyril’s voice cut off, and I suddenly felt a squeezing sensation on my throat, though no one touched me. “Ouch!” I yelled, reaching for my throat as pinpricks of pain rained down the side of my neck. I pulled my hand away, expecting to see the remnants of some fae bug splattered on my hand.
“Careful, Half-breed, your mate feels my pain.”
I turned around to see Olezka releasing his grip around Cyril’s throat. He looked pissed about having to release him.
“Don’t call him that, Cyril,” I snapped. “And the only thing my hands will be doing to you is slapping your mouth if you don’t stop,” I warned.
Cyril held his hands up in surrender. Olezka moved closer to Warrior, who snorted and eyed him warily. Anubis’s tail whacked my legs, and I took a step away.
“Erebus is sending another trusted High Fae to join us in the human realm later. For now, it will be the three of us traveling as quickly as we can to meet Roman halfway tonight. He left my parents’ home already and is on his way to the meeting point. We have to get going,” Olezka explained.
Cyril would be riding one of the olams while I rode Warrior and Anubis ran along beside us. Olezka didn’t love the idea, but he wanted to be in his beast form while we traveled. I trusted his plan even though I amended it. He wanted me on the olam since, if we were separated, it would return me to the palace. However, I trusted Warrior to take me somewhere safe if need be.
We finished gathering the last of our meager supplies. Olezka wanted to travel light. We only brought what we needed to get us through the journey.
“I won’t be able to communicate with you the way I would like when I’m in my other form…” Olezka hesitated.
“What?”
“Once we complete our mating, when I am in my Hellhound form, you will be able to hear my thoughts, and I will be able to hear yours.”
“Oh.” My cheeks flushed.
“Do not worry. If I need to speak, I will find a way to let you know. Keep an olam’s length between you and Cyril. I do not trust him. Anubis will stay close by your side.”
I nodded.
As we began our journey, it felt strange, knowing we were going home.
It felt… wrong.
Chapter 7
Olezka’s tail flickered as the last bit of sunlight disappeared behind the trees. The mount that Cyril rode stayed a reasonable distance away from Olezka. Warrior was fearless of the hellhound, or maybe he had just gotten used to Olezka’s beast form, which in this world was even more massive and frightening than in the human realm. Olezka’s enormous form, complete with spiky black fur that he could ignite by will, acted as a second armor. He was bulky like a lion but had the elegant, muscular legs of a wolf. He also seemed to have muscles packed on top of muscles.
On this side of the Veil, he appeared even more hellish than in the human realm, though I had only seen him transform once. I felt a tiny stab of disappointment that I hadn’t seen this side of him very often. In this world, he had colossal black horns that twisted and curled behind his almond-shaped ears, which twitched and flickered as he listened to the forest around us.
Olezka had moved ahead of us a couple of miles back, and when he slowed his pace, Warrior followed suit. Olezka had promised me we were getting closer to the boundary that lay between the Veil and the human realm when we stopped what felt like hours and hours ago. I could tell I wasn’t the only one in our tiny party who was getting agitated.
Warrior’s ears flicked back and forth. He snorted and slowed his gait, searching our surroundings. So far, our journey had been blissfully quiet. Easy, even. I caught glimpses of the wildlife here and, possibly, even a few Dark Fae folks, but most stayed away. I was sure it had nothing to do with the massive hellhound leading us or the scary version of Anubis who trotted alongside.
Olezka suddenly slowed and lifted his head. His body rapidly changed in front of me, leaving me with the view of a very firm, very naked ass staring back at me. I yelped and turned my head.
“Roman, get out here,” Olezka demanded in an eerily calm voice.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Olezka was able to sense his brother in the area before he presented himself, but I was still surprised to see Roman step out from between a grouping of twisted trees farther up the path. “Put on some clothes, brother. You are scaring your poor mate.”
“He is not!” I shouted, feeling a bit miffed. I only jumped because I hadn’t expected it. Plus, he deserved his privacy.
“Did you find the cave?”
“Yes, and it’s ready for you. What’s with the other male?” Roman growled.
“An extra pair of hands, courtesy of Erebus,” Olezka answered.
Roman didn’t care for High Fae, and he really hated staying in this realm. It made sense that he felt uneasy around someone he didn’t know.
Olezka approached Warrior, and I studiously averted my gaze. After hearing the rustle of his clothes, I looked down to see that he was now wearing pants. Still shirtless, he lifted his arms to me. His dark hair flopped over his eyes, and his piercing amber gaze burned with his fire. Goodness, he was handsome. My heart fluttered in my chest.
“Come, give your mount a break,” he entreated. “The cave is not far from here.” He helped me down from Warrior, and I stretched my cramped muscles. Roman walked over to us, keeping a wary eye on Cyril, who dismounted from his olam.
“Another brother? Fuck, you all look alike,” Cyril said.
; “What is he doing here?” Roman said, annoyed.
Olezka breathed in slowly, working hard to control his temper. “We have much to discuss, brother.”
My mate wrapped an arm around my shoulders comfortingly. He’d sent a message to Roman to tell him we were returning home but didn’t mention anything about Cyril accompanying us. Erebus didn’t even want him to send that much information for fear it would be intercepted. He tried to keep our movements as discreet as possible so the Light Fae wouldn’t have any additional leverage to use over Ana or alert Key’s spies to the fact that we were on to them.
Cyril took the olam’s lead line, and I did the same for Warrior, though I had a feeling the loyal beast would have followed me regardless. We walked through the thicket for a bit; the brothers walked ahead of me, clearing the path.
“Here.” Olezka pulled me forward where I saw a small rock hill that almost looked like a Hobbit house perched in front of us. Any other time, I would have been clapping with joy, wanting to explore. But as it was, I was exhausted.
“This is a safe house that Erebus created not long before he took the crown. He has several of them scattered around his lands. We will be safe here for the rest of the evening. We should reach the gateway into your realm soon.”
“Okay.”
Vines draped over the entrance of the cavern, forming a vegetative barrier that acted as camouflage. Roman pulled them back so I could duck under their fronds, and Olezka followed. A crackling fire filled the small cave with light and welcome warmth. Cyril squeezed into the shrinking space while both brothers stayed close to my side, and the silent fae helper entered last.
Olezka had the bag that he unhooked from the olam’s saddlebags slung over his shoulder. Unbuckling the bedding, he rolled it out against the back wall on the far side of the fire. My jaw cracked as I yawned and tried to hide my gaping mouth behind my hand. Olezka shook his head and nudged me toward the bedding. “Food, then sleep,” he grunted.
I gave him a sleepy smile, grateful to have him taking care of me. Olezka headed out of the cave, probably to rustle up some food. Roman took his place by my side, glaring at Cyril, who raised his brows at me.
“These males are very protective of you. What do they think I would do with you, I wonder?”
“Leave my sestra be,” Roman said. Roman had the shortest temper of the brothers or, at least, out of the brothers I’d met so far, I reminded myself.
“Seis, you should ditch these brothers. They are far too over-protective.”
“Back off, incubus,” Roman snapped, his body temperature skyrocketing as he said the word incubus like a sneer. I touched his shoulder, flinching at the heat.
“You can only tolerate Olezka’s fire, Sixx,” Roman chastised.
“Sorry,” I muttered before walking over to the bedding. Several minutes later, Olezka returned, but tense silence remained. Cyril leaned back against the other side of the cavern wall while Roman watched him from the opposite side, his back to the entrance.
Olezka handed me a handful of trail rations he’d gotten from our supply bag. The rest of the party would hunt for food, but as the sole human, I needed to be careful about what I ate this side of the Veil. Otherwise, I could be trapped here forever.
“Sleep, Sixx. We will rise early to continue our journey.”
****
I. Hated. Nature.
So much.
Sleeping on the thin pallet Olezka provided me wasn’t great, but I dealt with it. Lying on a rocky surface left me aching in the morning, compounded by the pains in my back and legs from riding on the back of an animal for a full day, but I still carried on. And when the night became bitterly cold, I didn’t mind the body heat Olezka offered. No, all of that was fine.
What I hated was waking up to find a snake in my blankets.
I stirred awake to something slithering against my leg. Of course, as any sane person would do, I jumped and ran out of the cave like a bat out of hell. The problem with that?
Well, I was screaming like a banshee.
So… I might have alerted a few wild fae nearby, which resulted in the brothers running out of the cave and chasing me down before hurriedly packing and rushing us back onto our journey. I apologized to the Volkov brothers countless times, but Roman waved me off each time, telling me not to worry about it. I even startled Anubis with my freak-out. My cheeks still burned with embarrassment.
Cyril, on the other hand, was having a grand old time. I could hear him every so often snorting with laughter from his place on Warrior’s back.
Having decided it would be best to ride with me, Olezka perched behind me on the olam I’d affectionately named Raymond. Unfortunately, Warrior wasn’t very keen on having Olezka riding him. We traveled several miles in relative silence before my mate leaned down to press a kiss to the side of my neck.
“I am going to switch out with Roman. He cannot use his powers as recklessly as I can use mine,” Olezka said with a hint of humor in his voice that made me feel a little at ease. He slipped off the giant olam, who had been calm and relaxed the entire trip.
Roman jumped up behind me and took the reins without missing a beat, and we moved forward like nothing had happened. Thankfully, the rest of the trip was quiet. Olezka disappeared a couple of times into the woods that surrounded us, and each time he did, Roman’s muscles tightened. But since he didn’t speak or adjust our pace, I assumed everything was okay.
And so, we rode. And rode.
And. Rode.
Roman and I tried to play I-spy to pass the time, but it only took five unsuccessful rounds before we decided to give it a rest. Unfortunately, he wasn’t used to playing the game with a human, so each time he ‘spied’ something in the distance, it was too far away for me to see. Conversely, each time I gave a clue to him, he looked too far out for the object. After we’d given up our disappointing game, time seemed to crawl. The worst part – and one of the most dreaded parts of nature, even if they did help the environment – were the swarms and clouds of creepy, crawly, flying bugs. I hated them.
I huffed out a breath and pressed my fingers to my throbbing forehead. The weather was mild, heck, even pleasant. But something made me feel twitchy. Cold sweat started to bead and trickle down my neck. I wanted to pull my hair away from my neck and fan my skin, but Roman was sitting so close that I was afraid I’d hit him in the face.
“We are getting closer,” Roman finally announced.
“Is that why I feel so… out of sorts?” I asked, fidgeting. My skin crawled, and my stomach twisted with nerves.
“Yes; humans aren’t supposed to be this close to the gate. The gates are ancient magic. Trust me. It will only get worse.”
Unfortunately, get worse was an understatement. After another mile, Olezka had to relinquish guard duty to sit behind me again because not once, not twice, but five times, I tried to slip off Raymond and run into the forest. There was no reason for it; the desire hit me over the head like a baseball bat. I was mindless and only came to my senses when strong arms wrapped around my waist.
I rested my head against Olezka’s warm shoulder, not minding the additional heat even though I was already sweaty. My neck was craned at such an odd angle that I knew it would be sore later, but as it was, it was the only thing that provided a modicum of comfort. My stomach was knotted so tightly; I was afraid I would vomit all over him and poor Raymond. Every muscle in my body was tense, ready to bolt. Each time I thought I’d managed to calm down, the urge to flee would hit me, and I’d start all over again.
“You are doing well, my mate. I apologize for the discomfort. I didn’t realize how badly it would affect you.” Olezka brushed his hand over my damp forehead.
“Perhaps we should entice her to sleep,” Cyril offered. Anubis snarled at him, but both brothers were silent as they considered his suggestion.
Honestly, I could do with a good knocking out. It seemed preferable to the hell I was going through.
“The entrance is only a hand
ful of miles away. It’s your decision, Sixx,” Olezka said softly.
I groaned, hating that the decision was being placed in my hands. My knee-jerk reaction was to beg them to knock me out, but the rational part of my brain knew it would make me even more of a burden to them. If we were attacked, they would have to worry about protecting my unconscious body. I would be unable to offer any assistance even if that was just to run away. Plus, I would feel better knowing what to look for, just in case we got separated and I needed to find the barrier myself one day.
I swallowed another bout of nausea and shook my head. I sat a little straighter and lifted my chin. “No. I’ll ride it out.”
Olezka nuzzled my neck and nipped at my earlobe. “My brave mate.”
His praise did stupid things to my body. And in moments like these when it was already in chaos, I wished he wouldn’t. Pushing those thoughts aside, I took a deep breath and focused on the last leg of our journey.
****
“There’s nothing here,” I whispered in confusion, holding onto Warrior’s neck to keep me upright. The boys had walked ahead of me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get my stubborn feet to move. I didn’t think it was possible, but they had utterly betrayed me. Worse than that, I felt weak and depleted. Anubis pressed against my legs in a show of encouragement.
I wouldn’t say Raymond was a scaredy-cat, but he refused to get within a mile of the gate, which was why I was approaching it on foot with my trusty canine friend. The guys claimed they were standing right in front of the gate, but I didn’t see anything. Of course, in my head, I pictured the gate to be a leafy archway or something. Instead, we were standing in a nondescript patch of the forest. There were no rainbows, no dancing lights, and no spectacular vegetation. Nothing special.
“I’m so confused.”
“And what of the Light Fae beast?” Roman asked, looking back at Warrior, who snorted at him and stamped his foot.
“He will return to his lands or the palace. It is his life to choose now,” Cyril answered.
Sixx and the Incubus: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 5