by Quinn Loftis
“I was in the human realm,” Thalion began. “Leede had asked me to find a certain plant that she needed for one of her more difficult salves. She’d been out of it for some time.”
Thalion stepped through the veil from his realm and into the human one. The cold rain that hit him did not improve his already irritated mood. He looked up at the sky and, through the trees, he saw dark clouds and flashing lightning. The trees branches danced in the strong wind that blew through their whistling leaves. Just where he wanted to be: in the human realm being pelted by polluted rain, all the while hoping he didn’t get struck by lightning. While that wouldn’t kill him, it would make him very cross. Where he really wanted to be was back in the confines of his own comfortable room, pacing and growling over how long it had been since he’d last seen his Cyn. But, regardless of his irritation over not having the woman he knew was made for him, he still had a kingdom and a race to care for.
He walked deeper into the forest, leaving the veil behind. His eyes scanned the ground as his feet moved quietly over the dirt and twigs. Leede, their healer, hadn’t been sure if the plant would be growing during the current season in the human realm, but she’d asked him to have someone try to find it. Thalion hadn’t even considered giving the task to another. The chance of him seeing Cyn was next to impossible. But anything that took him out of his own realm gave him a chance, however small, to bump into the beautiful fae. He knew now he was getting truly desperate to see her again.
The rain continued to fall, and curses began to slip through his lips the longer he looked without success. He was so focused on the ground he didn’t even hear her approach.
“Now that’s something you don’t see every day—a prince lost in the rain, having a conversation with the ground. Have you gone mad, Prince Thalion?”
Cyn’s voice was the sweetest sound he’d heard in a year. He closed his eyes as he stood up straight. “Speak again,” he commanded.
“Standing in the rain is not the best place to have a conversation. I thought I made that clear the first time we met,” she said in that cool voice that never allowed him to know what she was truly feeling.
Thalion’s eyes snapped open, and he turned to look at her. His heart nearly stopped at the sight of her. She had her hair gathered and pulled up away from her face, emphasizing her high cheekbones. Her face was flushed, her lips slightly parted and begging to be kissed. Cyn’s clothes fit snugly, molding to her curves so they wouldn’t hinder her in a fight. The boots that laced up her calves seemed to make the fae’s small frame seem taller.
When his eyes finally made it back to her face, Thalion caught the confusion in her eyes before she quickly blinked and returned to the emotionless warrior he’d met a year and a half prior. She took his breath away and she didn’t even know it. How could he make it any more clear without screaming it from the top of the highest mountain and then repeating it at the depths of the deepest valley?
“What are you doing here?” Cyn asked him.
“I could ask the same of you,” he countered.
“I am not the one who avoids human interaction. I am often found in this realm.”
“But why are you here, at this particular location?”
Cyn didn’t answer right away. She seemed to be attempting to decide if she wanted to tell him. Finally, she spoke.
“We monitor all the veils. We know when they are crossed. I was sent to determine who had just crossed this particular veil.” She motioned in the direction of the veil he could no longer see.
She knew that someone had crossed from the elven realm. Did she intentionally come herself, when another could have been delegated the task? Did she come in the hopes that it was I who had crossed the veil? He didn’t bother to give voice to his questions. He knew she would either refuse to answer or simply answer with an infuriating question of her own.
“Are you going to tell me why you’ve crossed over into a realm that you supposedly care nothing for?” Cyn asked him.
He didn’t even try to stop the chuckle. It seemed that he was able to get under her skin and coax some emotion from her voice and features, even if only a tiny amount. Thalion liked that he was the one able to shake her.
“I am looking for a certain plant for our healer. And I never said that I cared nothing for the human realm. I simply made it clear that my own race must come first.”
“What plant?” she asked, ignoring his other comment.
Thalion started to answer, only to realize he couldn’t remember if it was a borage or boldo. He knew it started with a ‘b’, but seeing Cyn had cast all other thoughts from his mind.
He pursed his lips, feeling a tad embarrassed that he’d forgotten the plant. “I’m not quite sure.”
“You don’t know what plant you’re looking for? Then how were you expecting to find it?”
“Uh…”
“Did she tell you the name of it, or what it looked like?” the fae snapped.
Thalion pinched the bridge of his nose. Why was she asking all these questions about a plant when what they should have been doing was kissing the life out of one another? When he raised his head and looked at her, the desire he was feeling must have been evident in his eyes because her breath caught and she took a step back.
“Cyn, you’ve been around the wolves enough to know you don’t back away from a predator.”
“Is that what you are?” she asked.
“Most definitely,” he answered, taking another step forward.
She cleared her throat and crossed her arms in front of her. “What, exactly, are you hunting?”
Thalion took four more steps, and then he was standing less than a foot away from her. “You,” he whispered as he ran a finger across her cheek. “Always you.”
“And here I thought this was all about some plant,” she retorted.
Thalion dropped his hand and began to slowly circle her, the beautiful woman he would hunt unto the ends of the earth and every realm in between. His arm and shoulder brushed against her body as he moved, and the electricity between them was as real as the lightning that was still flashing above them. The emotions that welled up inside of him at the sight of her took his breath away, and being so close to her was testing every ounce of self-control he possessed.
She held her head still and her shoulders tensed. But the moment he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back to his chest, her muscles relaxed and she practically melted into him.
Thalion leaned down until his lips were next to her ear. “Take us to my home, and we will go and ask the healer what plant it was she requested.” He pressed a kiss to the flesh just below her ear and grinned when she shivered.
Cyn did as he instructed, and before long, they were standing before Leede, the elven healer.
“Leede, this is Cyn. She is a fae warrior. She works under Perizada’s command,” Thalion told the healer.
Leede reached out her hands and clasped them around the one Cyn had offered. “It is an honor to meet you, Cyn of the fae.”
Cyn bowed her head slightly. “Thank you. The honor is mine, healer.”
Leede released her hand and then looked up at Thalion. “Did you get sidetracked and forget what plant I requested, Prince Thalion?”
He smiled at her, noting the playful tone in her voice. Leede could obviously see the connection between him and Cyn. “It’s easy to get sidetracked in the midst of such beauty,” he said, glancing down at Cyn. Her skin was flushed and, if they’d been alone, he would have kissed her to see if he could deepen it.
“Healer, I apologize to rush you, but could you tell us the identity of the plant so that I can assist the prince and then be on my way?” Cyn asked in her most diplomatic voice.
“Of course,” Leede answered and then turned to look at a book that lay open on a small table. “I need borage. It has wonderful healing properties, but it does not grow in our realm. We’ve tried, but it just doesn’t stay alive,” she explained. “Amazing, isn’t it? That th
e elven realm with such purity, such vibrant life, such clean water and air, cannot sustain such a unique healing herb. Yet, the human realm, with all its depravity, its pollution, its wickedness, provides the harsh environment that such a beautiful plant needs to survive.”
Cyn nodded. “Truly. I am familiar with the plant. Our gypsy healers have used it in the past. Some things must be hardened by harsh external trials before they are able to realize their truly fantastic potential. We shall return with your plant, healer.”
She flashed them before Thalion could extend his thanks to Leede. He imagined it was because she was so unsure of what he would say next. They reappeared in another forest, but this one was not currently being bombarded with rain, thunder, and lightning. Without a word, she walked away from him, her head down as she searched for the plant.
“Do you know what it looks like?” Thalion asked her as he followed her.
“Yes,” she answered simply. Then glanced over her shoulder at him. “Do you not know what it looks like?”
He shook his head.
“How were you going to find it?”
“Leede gave me a description.”
Cyn shook her head at him as she resumed her hunt.
Thalion had an idea as he continued to follow her. “Cyn.”
“Hmm?”
“What is your favorite meal?”
She stopped and took several deep breaths. Her shoulders were tense again and she seemed to be trying to keep herself composed.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I want to know you.”
“It is not necessary for us to know each other. I am a warrior of the fae. You are a prince of the elves.” She began walking again, hoping that he would not press the issue further.
“My favorite meal is soup. Any kind of soup,” he told her. “I love how it can heat up all the cold places inside of you as you consume it.”
She shook her head at him. She seemed to do that a lot.
“Cyn,”
“Hmm?”
“What’s your favorite memory?”
“There are too many to sift through.”
“Too many favorites or too many in general?”
“In general.”
Her answers were short, but at least she was talking to him.
“My favorite moment is when I saw you standing in the rain looking back at me,” Thalion admitted shamelessly. His knees still grew weak at the memory of seeing her for the first time.
“Cyn.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you ever wish you weren’t created a fae?”
“No.”
“Cyn.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you like your life?”
“Yes.”
“Cyn.”
“You can just ask the question. I am quite sure I will know who you are addressing,” she told him.
“So there is a wicked-tongued woman inside of you after all,” Thalion teased as he tugged at her hair.
She swung around, her eyes wide and lips pursed. She hadn’t realized just how close he’d been to her.
Thalion held his hands up in surrender. “Forgive me, Cyn. I find it hard to keep my hands to myself when I am with you.”
Cyn looked as though she wanted to slap the smug look off his face but seemed to think better of it.
“Please attempt to restrain yourself, sir.” Cyn bit out through clenched teeth. She turned back and began walking again, resuming her search for the plant. Their plight was continued in silence until Cyn nearly shouted, “Found it!”
Thalion thought he heard a tad bit of regret in her discovery, but if he had, she recovered quickly.
She pointed to the plant. “That’s what she needs.”
“Will you not help me gather it?” Thalion asked, attempting to look as pitiful as possible.
She looked away from him and shook her head. “I have council business to attend to.”
“How am I supposed to get back?” Was she really going to make him walk all the way back to the veil?
She grinned as she pointed at his legs. “Those two things attached to your torso should do the job just fine. Until our next meeting, Prince.” She bowed her head and then flashed before he could say another word.
He nearly laughed. The fae warrior was indeed going to make him walk back to the veil. He wished he could have touched her one last time before she left, but it seemed she’d been going out of her way to keep him at a distance. Thalion smiled to himself. His little fae was going to be a bigger challenge than he’d first realized.
“She didn’t give you any indication of when you would see her again?” Reeve asked him.
Thalion shook off the memory and refocused on his friend. “No, she just left me high and dry.”
“Did that worry you?” Reeve asked. “I think it would’ve worried me.”
Thalion nodded. “Well, it did at first. It probably would have driven me crazy eventually. But an entirely different encounter set my mind at ease.”
“What encounter?”
“I had a visit from the Fates,” Thalion said with a small grin.
Reeve’s brow drew together in a deep ‘v’. “Wow. How could that have possibly set your mind at ease?”
“Because they gave me a future worth waiting for.” Thalion could still feel the power of the Fates pulsing around him from that night.
“Thalion, Prince of the Elves, savior of his people, revolutionary ruler, we call to you.”
Thalion had been standing in the garden just behind the palace. It was a peaceful place he liked to visit anytime his mind was cloaked in chaos. His thoughts had been nothing but chaos since Cyn had left him in that field. Even though three years had passed since that day, he could still see her face and hear her voice. The voices he now heard, however, were far different.
He turned to face the forms of the Fates. Twenty feet from where he stood, the forms pulsated and glowed. They didn’t have corporeal bodies but appeared as shimmering vapor to those whom they wished to have see them.
He bowed his head briefly before looking at them once again. “To what do I owe the honor of your presence?” Thalion was respectful of their power, even though a visit from the Fates was rarely an honor. More often than not, they were the harbingers of gloom and doom.
“We come with news of the female.”
He felt a chill run down his spine. Cyn? They had news of his Cyn? He tried to relax his features and not allow the strong emotions that were building inside of him to show. The Fates were the last supernaturals to whom a person should show weakness.
“What news?” he finally asked when he was sure it wouldn’t come out as a growl.
“You will make her your mate. She will help you defeat a great darkness that will one day take over your kingdom.”
Thalion nearly laughed. He didn’t laugh at the idea of taking Cyn as his mate. He’d dreamt of that for four and a half years. And he certainly didn’t laugh at the idea that she could help him defeat a malevolent force. She was a capable warrior. He had no doubt she could help him in any battle. But he did find it preposterous that any evil threat could overtake his kingdom. Who could possibly be strong enough or stupid enough to take on the elves? Their weapons were unbeatable, their speed only matched by the fae, and their skill was flawless.
“You may have doubts. But you must not disobey, no matter the doubts. It must happen this way or your people are doomed to become slaves. They will be beaten, tortured, punished for wrongs they never committed.”
“Who would do this?” Thalion asked, his voice tight with anger as he considered such awful things happening to his people.
“The time will come when the evil will be revealed. You will need the female. She will bring hope and strength to you and to those who will follow you. Your people will accept her when they see how willing she is to fight on their behalf. You must not tell her of this encounter. She must come to you of her own free will. She must be willing to sacrifice hers
elf for those who will need her.”
The Fates were gone just as quickly as they had appeared. Thalion wasn’t sure what to think. If his mind had been chaotic before, now it was just blown.
“Hmm, we are still here,” said Reeve. “I think I would have remembered if a dark force had taken over our realm.”
Thalion shook his head. “True. We are still here and no threat has assailed us. But rarely a day goes by that I do not think about the Fates’ warning. Other supernaturals have had their battles, but thus far we have been spared. We recently assisted the wolves in their fight against Reyaz, but I’m certain that isn’t what the Fates were referring to.”
“I heard about that,” Reeve said. “That was because of your female?”
Thalion nodded. “It was then that I realized I would do anything for her.”
“When did you finally see her again?”
Thalion’s lips turned up into a wicked grin. “Now that’s a story worthy telling.”
Chapter 9
“How is it that one person can change the entire focus of your life? How do all your interests, jobs, hobbies, and friends fall by the wayside, while you spend all your time thinking about only one thing?” ~ Cyn
“You just left him there?” Alina asked with a sly grin on her face.
Cyn nodded. “I had to. It was taking all of my willpower not to purr like a cat and rub up against him.”
Peri snorted. “Could you say that again so I can record it? That’s about the dirtiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
“Did you plan to see him again?” Alina asked.
“I told myself I wouldn’t,” Cyn answered with a shrug. “And I actually didn’t see him for five decades.”
Peri’s eyes widened. “Wait.” She held up a hand. “Does this happen to be the same five decades that you requested a leave of absence from duty?”
Alina frowned. “You took a fifty year leave of absence?”