Looking back on it, it should’ve been obvious. Nearly every inch of the Cursed woods is covered in ice or frozen ground. The large patch of purple-y grass should’ve tipped us off, though we fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I mean, the grass covered a hole more than ten feet deep. How stupid were we?
Or me, really, since I’m the one who stepped on it first.
We couldn’t find a fleasc since we’ve been in the Shadow Realm. Can my shitty luck finally turn? Can I find another trap?
Here goes nothing.
Instead of trying to outrun Grimly, I start watching my every step instead.
Please, please, please, pleaseplease—
I’m huffing. Out of breath. It’s one thing to go for a jog, but another entirely to run at this speed for as long as I am while adrenaline pushes me forward.
Come on. There has to be one. If I know that greedy redcap, he probably has traps laid out all over Faerie. The Faerie Market is nomadic, traveling from the Seelie Court to the Unseelie Court. The Shadow Realm is so dark, it’s gotta be perfect pickings for idiots like me who get lost in these woods.
Just when I’m about to give up hope, right as I’m wondering why the hell I came up with this plan instead of running back to Morgan’s cottage to get help from the others… it happens.
I see one. I pump my fist in the air. It actually worked!
Okay. Now to make sure it’s a trap.
I swivel around, searching for—
Yes!
There’s a rock about the size of a golf ball near my foot. Or maybe it’s a chunk of ice. I don’t know. Don’t care. I grab it and immediately toss it at the large, suspicious-looking pile of grass.
The grass immediately falls. Huh. At least that answers my question. No matter what, the trap would’ve given out beneath me or Morgan. It’s that sensitive.
That deep, too. I peek down. I don’t know what the redcap was trying to catch with this one, but it’s even deeper than the one that we fell into. The walls are as smooth, so I know Grimly won’t be able to climb out again.
It’s freaking perfect.
I scream, just in case. Now that I’ve set my trap, I need Grimly to fall for it. I could hope he’d follow his nose, but what if he left and decided to ambush me again later?
Nope. I have to finish this now.
I just hope his nose isn’t too sensitive. It won’t help if he tracks me down instead of figuring I fell ass-first into the hole myself. I think about it for a second, then shrug off my new shadow cloak. I throw that in the hole after the rock. Hopefully he’ll follow my scent on that, add that to my scream, and figure I’m stuck.
Crouching low, praying that the dangerous faerie folk lurking in the woods don’t come after me now that I’m even more vulnerable, I hide behind the nearest, thickest tree I can find.
I’m just in time. For once, luck is actually on my side. The gnome approaches from the opposite direction, stomping forward as if sure that I can’t run away from him again. I watch as his head moves to and fro, his long nose up in the air while searching for my scent.
He pauses—my heart just about stops—before he lowers his chin, focusing on the open pit a few feet in front of him.
“Ah, girly,” he says, way too gleefully. “Shouldn’t have run from ol’ Grimly. You had to know he’d find you in the end.”
I hold my breath, waiting as he moves to the edge of the pit. He looks down. “I’ll get you out.”
That’s my cue. Before he can realize that I’m not in there, I rise up from my hiding place and rush toward him.
“No you fucking won’t,” I snap as I place my hands against his back and shove him as hard as I can.
It works. It actually works. One push and he’s gone.
A second later, so am I.
Until the day that I die, I know I’ll never forget the way Dusk screamed when I set him on fire. The torrent of angry cursing, followed by full-throated shrieks let loose by a very, very pissed off gnome is only second to that.
I don’t trust Grimly. I never have, but after the way he tried to hold Veron’s bounty over my head like that… I’m not sticking around to see how the gnome gets himself out of the trap. If I’m lucky, he’ll be stuck down there forever. Or maybe the redcap will eventually check its traps again and Grimly can be someone else’s problem.
Who am I kidding? This is my luck we’re talking about. He’s probably going to make some kind of bargain to get out—either with the redcap, an Unseelie, even the mysterious Hunter—then come after me. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m not going to stick around and be easy pickings for him, though. Hoping like hell that I’m heading in the right direction, I book it all the way back to Morgan’s cottage.
It’s easy. I can’t really explain it, but as I dash through the trees, I think about Rys and, before I know it, I’m running up to the cottage.
“Leannán?”
As if he can tell that something’s wrong, Rys holds open his arms. I fly right into them.
My heart is beating so quickly, so loudly, I barely hear myself as I pant out, “We have to go. We have to leave.”
“We will. We actually just finished the agreement with Morrigan. I was going to tell you when you came back that we’ll be leaving tomorrow—”
“No!” I’m so freaked, it comes out as a shout. “Not tomorrow. Now.”
“Did something happen?”
As quickly as I can, I explain what happened when I met Grimly. While Riley mutters darkly when she hears about Grimly lurking around, and Morgan promises to take care of him since he basically went after me in her territory, Rys listens to me without saying a word.
Until I’m done and he cups my chin with two fingertips. “You’re right. We leave now.”
“But what about—”
Jim.
Morgan clears her throat. I didn’t have to say his name. She—like the others—know exactly who I mean. “I’ll keep him.”
What?
I pull away from Rys, searching for my friend.
“Morgan…” Because, no matter what the others call her, to me she’ll always be Morgan.
“I’ve always been interested in humans. I told you that when we first met. I think… I think he might be why.”
As gently as I can despite the way my heart is still drumming against my ribcage, I try to explain, “He’s a man. Not a stray that you can take home with you.”
“I’m quite aware that he’s a man, Elle.”
Oh.
Oh.
Well, then. I guess my hunch when it came to these two was spot-on.
Taking a deep breath, composing myself just enough, I finally meet my ex’s gaze. “Jim… what do you think? Do you want to stay?”
He lifts his hand, rustling his dark hair, a shy smile curving his lips. “Uh. I mean, if Morgan’s cool with it, I don’t mind. I kinda think… and maybe this is a little crazy… but I kinda feel like I’m supposed to.”
That’s fine. I’m not going to argue with him. Not while I’m still running on the adrenaline that pushed me to, well, push Grimly. Besides, it’s not like this is going to be the last time I see him or Morgan. Once we bring the contract to Oberon to go over, the next step is Morgan coming to the Seelie Court as the Winter Queen.
But that’s later.
Future Helen can worry about later.
I turn to Riley. “What about you guys? Are you coming back with us?”
Riley exchanges a look with Nine before she shakes her head. “We did our part. Oberon never said anything about us having to go back to his palace and see him when we were done. That’s up to Rys.” It is? “We’re gonna head out, too, but we’re leaving from the Shadow Realm.” With a shrug, she adds, “It’ll give us more juice before we get back to the Iron.”
Juice? Yeah. That’s a good word for it. The way Riley and Nine acted when they first crossed over into the Shadow Realm was crazy. More like crack.
“We’ll see you again, though, right?” Aft
er everything we’ve been through, I like to think I made another friend in Riley.
“Yeah. Sure. You’re cool, Elle. And it’s good to see someone keep this guy in check.”
“Safe travels, Shadow.” Rys pauses, a teasing note slipping into his tone. “Give my regards to your mother.”
“Rysdan—”
Riley lays her hand on her mate’s chest, shifting slightly so that—for the countless time—she’s stepping between the two fae. Once upon a time, that might have triggered my jealousy. After the last few days? I shrug and let Riley handle it.
Which she does with a warning point and a short, “Don’t push it.”
Rys’s eyes glitter in amusement.
I clutch his arm. “That’s enough. Can we go now?”
“Of course, Leannán.” His amusement fades, a hard edge taking its place. “Should I barter for another ride?”
And have him owe a second favor to the Hunter?
I shake my head. “No. But I won’t say no to a shortcut if you have one.”
“For you, my darling? Anything.”
Here’s hoping he means that after we escape the Shadow Realm again.
16
It’s just the two of us now.
It’s weird. When we were in Siúcra, and later when we were traveling through the Shadow Realm and sharing his manor together, I was used to it being just me and Rys. Of course, everything changed after Jim showed up, then we were joined by Riley and Nine.
Now Jim’s staying behind in the Shadow Realm, the mated couple has returned to the human world, and it’s just me and Rys crossing the Court’s divide into the Summerlands again.
Thanks to my shitty sense of direction, I couldn’t tell you if the way we took out of the Shadow Realm is the same as the way we went in. The Cursed woods are so big, so vast, odds are that we could’ve popped out anywhere.
And, yet, as soon as the purple sky fades to magenta burnished with gold, and the purplish-green grass turns the sickly sweet shade of cotton-candy blue, I enter the Summer Court—and come face to face with the pair of gold-colored stallions that brought us here.
What?
They’re the same ones. I know they are. Rys is a few pointed steps behind me, purposely watching my back, but as he crosses over, he moves ahead of me to greet the horses.
The horses are still here. After all this time.
It had to have been—
I pause.
Oh. Oh, wow. I blink, stunned at a sudden realization. I… I don’t know how long we were in the Winter Court.
And for me?
That’s saying something.
Ever since I waltzed through the fairy circle back home and ended up in this world, I’ve been super careful to keep track of the days. I don’t know why. Not really. At first, I think I did it as a way to hang onto my sanity. Then it just became a habit.
But, sometime after we got lost in the darkness of the Shadow Realm, I just stopped counting.
What does that mean?
I don’t know that, either.
I follow after Rys, being careful not to get too close to the horses. “They waited for us?”
“Of course. Seelie horses are as loyal as those that belong to the Wild Hunt. I told them to wait until we returned in case we needed the carriage again. I assumed there would be more of us when we crossed into the Seelie Court again.”
Yeah. You and me both.
He approaches the horses, running his palm over the mane of the nearest stallion. “What do you think, Leannán? Since it’s just the two of us, we can either ride back with the carriage, or we can take a portal.”
“You’re asking me?”
“Of course. I know you didn’t like traveling by horse before, and the portal will bring us back to the manor immediately. But if you’d rather ride… whatever you wish.”
The manor? “Don’t we have to go back and tell Oberon that we did what he sent us to do?”
“Eventually. My first priority is to make sure that you’re safe. I’ll feel much better once I have you back at my home.”
I don’t know why I’m so surprised to hear him say that. I mean, I’d hoped that Rys would let me return with him. Where else was I supposed to go? But it’s one thing to hang my hopes on my scarred Seelie, and another entirely to hear him make that pronouncement as if I should’ve known that was the plan.
I have to make sure. “I’m going with you?”
“Did you have any doubt?”
Uh. Yeah.
I’m no good at hiding my feelings. I’ve got the worst poker face, and when I’m running on empty like I am now, I’ve got no shot at fooling anyone. One look at my face and he can guess exactly what I’m thinking.
Rys hardens his jaw. He looks pissed, but I don’t think he’s pissed at me. The situation? Probably.
I’m pissed at it, too.
I love him. No denying that. And maybe I was supposed to, and maybe I’m blaming fate the same way that Rys is blaming his prophecy for the shaky state of our relationship, but even after all that’s happened since Saxon dragged Jim here, I still haven’t changed my mind.
There’s a promise in Rys’s eyes as he looks down at me for a second before tearing his gaze away. He moves back to the horses, murmuring something in the Faerie language. The harness vanishes. The carriage, too. As if they never existed, they erupt in a shower of sparkles—just like the doors inside of Siúcra—and they’re gone.
The pair of stallions don’t stick around. After throwing back their heads, neighing their goodbyes, they paw the springy, cotton-candy grass before stampeding off into the forest surrounding us.
Okay. So I guess we’re not going for a ride.
While I watched the stallions race off into the trees, Rys must have used his recharged power to build us a Seelie portal. It’s waiting for me when I turn back around. He doesn’t say anything, though. He just nods at the fiery red-orange-yellow-white portal and waits for me to step inside.
I do because, despite how many times he’s told me not to trust anyone, I trust Rys. Plus, I’m tired. If he’s spoiling for some kind of fight, I’d much rather it be in the safety of his manor where, once it’s done, I can get away from him and not get lost on this side of the Court’s divide.
What a difference a few months make. The first time I was shoved through a Seelie portal, I was terrified. Now? I take it easily, landing right outside of Rys’s big house without losing a single step.
I can sense Rys right behind me. I don’t look back at him, though. Instead, I head right for the front door.
And that’s when his lilting, lyrical voice chases right after me.
“I can’t have you as my ffrindau.”
This again? I stop short, frustration eking out of my tone as I snap, “I know. You keep reminding me. How can I forget?”
He takes my hand. I’m not expecting it and a jolt of intense emotion rushes through me. By the time he tugs on it, turning me so that I have no choice but to face him, some of my anger has faded.
That’s the power of the touch—and I’m still 100% addicted to his.
I try to hang onto my annoyance. “What?”
“I can’t have you as my ffrindau, but I can’t bear for you to have another.”
I blink. “What are you saying, Rys?”
“I thought, if I brought your human to you… if I brought Jim to Faerie… you would be happy. And, if you were happy, then I could be. But I can’t change what I am. I’m fae. I can’t be selfless. I won’t let anyone else have you. Not Dusk. Not anyone.”
Yeah. He made that pretty obvious when he lopped off Dusk’s head like that.
He squeezes my hand. “Stay with me. I know you can’t return to the Iron, but even if you could, I’d beg you to stay with me anyway.”
I’ve gotta be hearing things. Rys? Begging?
“I have the room,” he continues, “and I could take care of you. Until Oberon and Morrigan make their deal, it’s still not safe to be a human withou
t protection. And maybe that makes me ruthless and cruel, but if I have to use that threat to keep you in my home, I will.”
“You don’t have to do that. And I love you just the way you are, Rys. You’re not ruthless or cruel. You’re Seelie. But you’re also thoughtful and so, so good to me.”
That’s the absolute truth. From the pear he saved for me when so I wouldn’t be sick while we were still in Siúcra, and the way he took any punishments the guards wanted to give me, the bag of apples, and how he found me when I was minutes away from being sold at auction in the Faerie Market…
“Even when I thought I could go back,” I confess, “I knew I wouldn’t. I want to stay here. I want to be with you.”
Rys lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh. Thank Oberon.”
Feeling suddenly lighter than I have in a long, long time, I can’t keep back my giggle. “Afraid I’d turn you down?”
“No,” he admits. Before I can react, he lets go of my hand, reaching around me to scoop me up in his arms. Carrying me in a bridal-style hold, he encourages me to put my arms around his neck before he presses his cheek to my forehead. “I was afraid that, since you’re not affected by my glamour, you wouldn’t fall for my charm.”
I snort. “Charm? Seriously.”
He laughs, not even a little bit offended by my tease. “Come on, my darling. Let’s go inside.”
Holding me tightly, Rys glides forward. He whispers something that I can’t make out and the front door opens on its own so that he doesn’t even have to break his stride. I’m a little surprised—though extremely pleased—when he heads right for the spiral staircase that leads to the second floor.
At least, I am… until he brings me to the door on the right side of the landing.
My room. Not his.
Huh. Either I totally misunderstood everything Rys said to me outside, or I’m super confused.
I look at him.
“You’re tired,” he says gently, “and, with you, I’ve learned that I can’t always put my wants first. This is me doing that. As much as I’d rather you in my bed, for tonight, you need yours.”
Freed: A Supernatural Prison Romance (Imprisoned by the Fae Book 3) Page 16