“It is where you both belong.”
“Will they accept me?”
Tyr smiled, an impish look that always warmed her heart when she looked at her normally stoic father. “Aye, they will welcome you back with open arms. This fight with the Dark that you worry so much about getting Lothar back for… you are part of it and the outcome will determine what the future holds for you. Either way, your family will be there for you.”
Holly chewed on her bottom lip, and Tyr’s expression became stern. “You are better than this, baby girl. You are more than what you have become. You were raised as a warrior, don’t forget that.”
“Yes, but I am no warrior.”
Tyr smirked. “Oh, yes you are, and you will have the markings of one soon.”
Holly lifted her gaze back to her father, who pressed one hand to her heart and the other between her shoulder blades. He smiled as pale blue light glowed from his palms and added a gentle and soothing light to his features.
“First, we heal your heart,” he told her as warm waves of comfort and love pulsed through her chest. She felt another tear slip from her eyes, but pure love filled her.
Tyr leaned in and kissed her nose. “That’s my girl. Now we heal what you feel is physically missing.” He moved his hand, stroking her hair and settling his other hand against her back. He pulled her into an embrace. His fingers moved to clench her shoulder blades; she felt her skin twitch beneath his touch. A tickling itch formed where his hands lay upon her back.
“Are you ready to go back?”
She nodded. “I will miss you. But yes.”
Tyr pulled back, a pride-filled smile lifting his lips. “Go be the woman I raised you to be.”
With that, his hands fell from her back and the room exploded into a brilliant bright light.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Is she in pain?” Lothar asked as he watched Holly’s face contort, and heard an occasional whimper slip from her lips.
“Not physical pain,” Lechesis offered as she floated around the table.
“Emotional is just as bad.”
“Often worse,” Lechesis agreed. “The grand design led you to this moment in time and if she makes it through these trials, you will both return to where I intended for you.”
Lothar arched a brow. “You aren’t as obsolete as you might want us to believe.”
Lechesis scoffed. “Obsolete? Ha, you Fae believe what we created you to believe.”
Lothar shook his head, sensing that any conversation with this Fate would only lead him in circles that would cause his head to hurt. A tear slid down Holly’s cheek, and it took all of Lothar’s strength not to reach out and capture it.
“What kind of spell was in that blade you used? Under normal circumstances, she would have awakened by now.”
“Her blood must continue to flow in order for her to remain in the dreamscape; the wounds will heal when she completes her task.”
“She could die if she loses enough blood.”
Lechesis smiled. “Then let’s hope she hurries.”
Lothar growled and began pacing the room. He needed to do something to help her somehow.
“You don’t get it, do you? A stupid quality in men,” Lechesis chided. “She is strong enough to survive without your assistance, and she needs to understand that.”
“It is natural to want to protect the ones we love.”
“Yes, it is selfish as well.”
Lothar narrowed his eyes. “How so?”
“If you always protect the ones you love, how will they ever know if they can protect themselves? Now, sit down, your pacing makes me dizzy.”
This Fate was batty, old, and yes, her words were wise, but her manner of speaking and the way she looked at him told him the knowledge she possessed had not come without its costs. Taking a seat on the hard floor, Lothar rested his back against the cool wall and watched as Holly’s body responded to things he couldn’t see.
****
Cree wrapped his large arm around Rowan’s thin body. She had lost her curves and exhaustion had settled into her bones. Even when she slept, Cree could see there was little peace in her mind. He understood the feeling; rest didn’t come easy to him either. Each night was plagued with dreams he didn’t understand. Closing his eyes, he pulled Rowan closer, trying to fight off the dread that had settled deep in his soul. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and prayed for restful sleep that wouldn’t come.
The lands were blanketed in white. Their people fought for survival, many taking refuge in the villages closer to the Palace. All water-dwelling Fae had been moved from the lands; the rivers and lakes were frozen solid. The harvest and fruit-bearing plants had gone dormant, fighting against the cold. The livestock that used to feed them were long lost to the elements. Cree couldn’t bring enough food from the Human World to truly sustain their lands. Dropping to the frozen courtyard of the Light castle, Cree’s wings took refuge from the biting cold. A black hood covered his head and an attached cape fell around his thinning body. He caught Uriah’s eye; the brother wore a similar hood with dark leathers tightly hugging his solid frame.
Bain held Izzy tight to him, and he carried her towards Cree.
“She can’t survive this. I am taking her home.”
Cree nodded. “Take Kat, Kyra, anyone else you can. The snow is still falling, and the lands are being buried.”
Izzy reached out and took Cree’s hand. She flinched at the contact, telling him she had just gleaned some of his power even through the thick leather gloves she wore. “I am so sorry. I wish I could help.”
Cree smiled and, not giving a crap about what Bain might do, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know, Isabella, take care of yourself.”
“I know you won’t abandon our people, but stay alive and come see me when you need a break. I will start stockpiling what I can to feed as many as I can.”
Cree nodded and made his way towards the castle entrance, passing Kat, who carried a chilled Kyra. The poor child had already lost her mother to the freeze; she didn’t need to witness the destruction of her home as well.
Cree groaned as the dream faded. A dream that was becoming more and more vision like. He wrapped his arm tighter around Rowan, pulling her flush against his bare chest. Her smooth skin warmed his as a soft sigh fell from her lips.
“Cree? You okay?” she murmured.
“Yeah, love. Go back to sleep.”
He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. What had his stomach churning and his body needing to feel her close was the fact that in all these visions he hadn’t seen her, he hadn’t felt her, and there was no longer the connection they always shared. Cree wished he could force the future to bend to his will, but his power simply didn’t work that way.
“I can feel your worry. What did you see?”
“Now is not the time to try and read my mind, love. Go back to sleep.”
“I love you, Cree.”
“I love you too, Ro.”
“Dream of me.”
Oh, how he wished he would.
****
“You bastard!” Esperanza pushed through her and Darion’s bedchamber doors.
Darion arched a brow. “Who told you?”
“That wicked little fairy was all too delighted to inform me that you are planning to march against my children in three days’ time.”
“Ardea.” He smirked. “She is a spiteful little wretch.”
Esperanza’s palm connected hard with Darion’s smug face. He let the first two slaps connect, finding pleasure in the pain, but as she lined up for the third, he caught her wrist. “I’m enjoying the foreplay, but if you wish to have any sort of discussion, I suggest you quit trying to turn me on.”
“You will spare my children,” she ordered.
Darion sneered. “All of them?”
Esperanza’s eyes narrowed. “What game are you playing? You know I speak of Rowan and Bain.”
“Ah, so no concern for
your youngest then?”
“Bain is my youngest,” she said in a clipped tone.
Darion chuckled. “Of course he is.”
Esperanza watched him closely. There was something sparking in his eyes that told her he was keeping something from her. Something about Holly, perhaps. Esperanza chose to let it go. Whatever game he was playing mattered not. Holly was a stain on her past that was of little consequence now.
****
The air was cold. Even in her dream, Izzy could feel the crisp air. The Middle World didn’t have winter like the Human World did, but the lands changed and the air cooled slightly with the human season. Izzy’s eyes were drawn to the sky, the pink of sunrise was blazing with shades of orange and a light blue background, but her eyes were briefly drawn to the large, shimmering moon that stood proud next to the rising sun. A twig snapped, bringing her vision back to the forest that lay beyond the meadow she stood in. Two figures pushed through the trees.
Her eyes landed on Darion first. The shirtless leader looked out of place, but somehow Izzy knew there was a reason his shirt was gone, and it was not leading to some sort of sick, twisted, wet dream. Next to him stood Esperanza in a strapless, queen-worthy gown, peeking above the blood red, silk fabric was the beginnings of a grey-scale tattoo. Izzy squinted to make out what she was looking at, a rose and the tip of an infinity symbol. Her eyes shot to Darion’s exposed left shoulder, where a whole tattoo was visible. Sure enough, there was a black rose with lavender tips and an infinity sign pulling the whole thing together. She gasped softly.
Purple eyes glared at her, piercingly cold and just as unfriendly as she remembered. Esperanza smirked, arrogance and superiority dripping from her elegant face. Izzy’s eyes drifted to the handsome leader of the Dark Fae once more. Darion’s smile held a similar arrogance as he snapped his fingers and a horde of creatures pushed through the thick forest that lay just behind the couple.
Izzy awoke with a start. Bain’s arms instinctively tightened around her, and all she could do was snuggle deeper into his embrace. Her mind replayed what she questioned to be a dream or one of Cree’s visions. Either way, it was disturbing the hell out of her. Next time she could pin Cree down she would have to ask him, but with all that was going on, she hadn’t seen the leader in days.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“The time is coming,” Alistair said as he entered the great hall he and his brothers shared.
Josiah lifted his gaze. “It is, and our sisters are aware of it.”
“They are the cause of it,” Makyle corrected as he took a seat on his throne on the dais, which looked out over their portion of the underworld. This top realm was really no different from that of their sister’s domain. It was the lower levels of purgatory that made even his stomach churn. Zarek, Josiah, and Alistair followed suit, taking their thrones as well. Each was uniquely carved and made of dark obsidian. Thankfully, the seats were cushioned, as the hard stone was rather unforgiving. Makyle tapped his fingers against the stone and sighed.
“Are you thinking of the girl?”
Makyle lifted his gaze to Zarek. “I spend much of my time thinking of her. She is the closest any of us will ever come to having a daughter.”
“What concerns you?”
“Her survival. This war will be hard fought, and the Middle World will essentially be reborn after. She is nearly immortal now, but she still carries some of her former human weaknesses. And she is quite stubborn.” A smile lifted his lips as he thought of the determination that always tinted Isabelle’s beautiful features. “She won’t leave his side, even for her own survival.”
“Have you asked our sisters who is on their list?”
Makyle shook his head. “I have no real sense as to where Isabelle will end up should she fall. I see no reason to ask.”
“She is not on our list.”
The brothers all turned to see Jelena standing at the entrance to their great hall.
“Jelena, what’s going on?” Zarek was the first out of his throne and moving towards her.
“I am afraid we have lost our way.” She smiled sadly and looked to Makyle. “Your Izzy is not on the list. I don’t know if she would be or not. So I know not if that news brings you comfort. May we speak in private?”
Makyle nodded and the other three left the room.
“What’s the matter, Jelena?”
“I am preparing for my end… and I fear where it leaves Meriah and, even more so, Acacia. They need your council.”
Makyle wished he could explain what he and his brothers had always known, what the prophecy really meant for his sisters, but just as they were bound by rules, so was he, and some rules had devastating consequences when they were broken.
****
Holly’s scream pulled Lothar to her. Lechesis moved to stop him from reaching for her as her body lifted from the altar. The skin on her wrist knitted back together as she hovered a good three feet off the table.
“What is happening to her?” Lothar roared as her body began to spin in the air.
Lechesis smiled. “She passed and is receiving a gift for it.”
Lothar’s eyes shot from Holly to Lechesis, who smiled at him. “I thought this test was just supposed to send us home.”
“We wouldn’t send her home empty handed. I would close your eyes now.”
Lothar narrowed his eyes on the Fate. “What?”
“Close your eyes.”
Lothar slammed his eyes shut just in time for a blinding flash to explode from Holly’s hovering body. When he opened them again, Lechesis was gone and Holly sat in a ball on the altar. Massive white wings wrapped around her naked body and tears streamed down her face.
“Holly?” Lothar breathed her name as he stepped forward.
Lifting her tear-streaked face to lock her gaze on him, she looked angelic, ethereal, and powerful. She leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Holly, how?”
“Tyr… They hurt, Lothar,” she whimpered.
“I know, but it’s only the first couple of times.” He cupped her face and smiled at her, his thumbs wiping the errant tears from her cheeks.
“I didn’t expect them to feel so… real and heavy.”
Lothar nodded. He remembered what it felt like when he first found his wings. They were magical, hiding beneath the skin of his back. They shouldn’t have fit there but they did, which made him believe that they wouldn’t feel real when he let them free of the magical cocoon that protected them; but once he let them loose, he had nearly fallen backwards because of the weight.
“You will get used to them.” Lothar kissed her gently. “I am so proud of you. You did it, baby.”
“Yeah, but why are we still here?”
“Ahh, you need us to get home.”
The Fates stepped forward and circled around them. Lechesis leaned in and whispered to Lothar. “We’ll send you straight to your room.” The old woman winked with a smile wide enough that Lothar could see her missing back teeth. The Fates started chanting, and the temple around them began to fade into more familiar surroundings. Beneath their feet, Lothar could see his room. His bed sat directly below them, causing a smile to lift his lips. His eyes met Holly’s as gravity found them, and they crashed to the bed below. Holly’s eyes widened.
“Someone definitely heard that.” The crash was loud enough that she was sure the bed was broken beneath their tangled limbs.
“You might want to conjure on some clothes.”
Lothar shot to his feet and made it to the door in time to fling it open to see Kale and Cree running towards him.
“About fucking time,” Kale muttered as he reached Lothar and pulled him into a crushing hug. “Where the fuck have you been?”
Lothar shook his head as he hugged Kale back. “Good to see you too, little brother.”
Cree smiled as he eyed Lothar carefully, a knowing glint renting space in his glacial-blue eyes.
“We need to talk,” Lothar said to his lead
er.
“We do,” Cree agreed.
“Oh shit, I know that look,” Kale muttered. “I want answers too.”
“And you deserve them, but give me a few minutes.”
Kale dipped his chin. “I will go let the others know you’re back.”
“Thank you. I have much to tell you, Kale, and I have a message for you as well.”
Kale smirked. “From who?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you… not until you hear the whole story.”
“Well, I look forward to it then.” Kale looked to Cree. “You got Rowan covered?”
“She already knows and is on her way to us now.”
“That is one handy gift,” Kale said as he jogged away down the hall to find Uriah and Bain.
Cree gestured for Lothar to get back in his room. Closing the door behind them, he asked, “Where is Holly?”
Holly’s stomach dropped as she stepped from Lothar’s bathroom to face Cree. He pushed a heavy sigh from deep in his lungs as he looked her over.
“Damn it, kid,” he muttered as he moved towards her and pulled her in to a fierce hug. “Why?”
Why? It was one simple word that asked a very complicated question. Holly took a deep breath.
“It’s complicated. I didn’t belong.”
“Of course you did,” Cree argued.
“Cree, you need to listen to her.”
Rowan burst through the door then, blasting past both Lothar and Cree to grab Holly’s face and look her over carefully, a tear slipping from her lavender eyes. “It’s really you,” she whispered before pulling her into a tight embrace.
“I’m sorry, Ro,” Holly cried out. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Rowan nodded. “Because of Mother?”
Holly nodded. “He told me it wasn’t my fault, but I believed it was.”
Rowan looked at her with confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“I heard them fighting, just before Tyr left for Mount Pelee. They were fighting about me.”
“Why…” Rowan stopped mid-question as pieces began to fall into place. “You just called father Tyr.”
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