Chuckling, Sebastian stepped into the ring with her and pulled Mor into his arms. “Darling, if we took horses the trip would take two weeks. Not to mention the risk of ambush.”
“Ugh. Fine.” Mor groaned and leaned her head against Sebastian’s chest.
He pulled her tighter against him, trying to ignore how hard she made him being pressed up against him like this. He whispered the incantation, bracing himself and holding her up. When they popped out of the other side, he tilted her head back and kissed her breathless. Pulling away he asked, “How was that, darling?”
“So much better. We should practice the kiss part again.”
Sebastian laughed and pulled her out of the ring and into the surrounding forest. That was Earth for you. Barely any sky to be seen - unless you liked climbing trees. “Come on, let’s find our horses. I promise we can practice later.” He pushed his laughter - and lust - down and led a grumbling Mor over to where Samantha stood with the horses. “Hey, Samantha. Can you point us to our horses?”
“Your Majesty, Sebastian.” She smiled at them and then pointed behind her. “They’re all just over there. We’re all ready to go as soon as everyone gets through the ring.”
“Excellent.” Sebastian pulled Mor along. She was steadier on her feet but he didn’t loosen his hold. Sebastian loved the feel of Mor pressed up against him. “Ready for your first mission as queen?” Sebastian felt anxiety spike in Mor.
“I’m going to have to be, right? We need them.” Her face was set in a frown.
“Don’t worry, darling. We’ll help you through. And how can they not be charmed by you?” He grinned down at her. “I think I see Isabella’s horse just over there.” He pointed to a gray, dappled horse. The horse’s mane was silver and neatly braided to keep it out of the way.
Mor turned and gasped when she saw the horse. “This is Isabella’s horse? She’s so beautiful!”
The horse snorted and Sebastian shook his head. “That’s a male horse, Mor.”
She glared back at Sebastian. “Does that matter? Not like he understands.” The horse snorted and pawed at the ground making Mor turn back around with her mouth hanging open.
“So these are not your human horses. These are Fae horses. And they do understand quite a bit more than what you are used to.”
“Oh.” She paused and looked at Sebastian uncertainly. “How much do they understand?”
“Not as much as we do, but enough to be aware of simple conversation. They were bred to have a higher intelligence so they would be more useful in battles.”
Grimacing, Mor said, “That’s not a very good reason.”
“On the contrary, it’s an excellent reason. The increased intelligence helps keep both partners alive.”
He watched as Mor held a tentative hand out to the horse. “What’s his name?”
“This is Slayer.”
“Seriously? She named her horse Slayer? That’s fucked up.” Mor’s voice was incredulous as Slayer pushed his head into her chest and huffed.
“Isabella is…different.”
“No shit,” Mor mumbled.
“Time to mount up.” Ben came up behind them. “Do you need help mounting, Mor?”
“I think I can…I was allowed to take lessons for a few months one year because the daughter of a business contact was taking them at that stable. It’s been a while, but I think I’ll be fine.” She moved around to Slayer’s side and put her foot in the stirrup, swinging herself up in to the saddle. “And since he’s a Fae horse, I shouldn’t have any problems. Or at least fewer. Right?” She looked over at Sebastian and Ben.
“Absolutely.” Sebastian smiled at her, wanting her to at least be able to feel easy about something. He knew how strong she was - even if she didn’t fully see it yet - but he could also feel the stress and anxiety that rode her almost constantly. It was the curse and blessing of the mate bond.
Ben looked at Slayer. “If we are attacked, protect the queen and get her out of there.”
Slayer nodded, leaving Mor with her mouth hanging open. “That’s so fucking cool.”
Sebastian chuckled as a smile barely cracked across Ben’s face before he turned to find his horse. He had fallen into his army mode. That meant the rest of them would need to be more focused on Mor since he would be almost solely focused on keeping her safe. Atreyu walked up with his horse, Shadow, and Sebastian’s horse, Swift. Swift was high-stepping, looking like was trying to show off. Sebastian rolled his eyes but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He liked to show off for Mor too.
When they had all mounted, Ben rode to the head of the broke, leaving Mor in the center with Atreyu and Sebastian on either side while Max rode behind her. They would keep her surrounded at all times. This area was on the edge of the Fae lands, far from the castle, but they would be stupid to assume they were safe. The rest of the company fell in around them. Ben glanced back once and they started moving. Hypothetically, they should reach the Pendragon border by nightfall if they kept up a good pace. Now, whether they would be allowed through right away was unknown.
They rode at an even pace throughout the morning. Atreyu and Sebastian worked at keeping up a running conversation with Mor. As the morning wore on, they could sense her getting tired. She had never ridden this long before. Sebastian reached out and brushed Ben with his magic. He saw Ben glance back at Mor and then raise his hand for a halt. At least he wasn’t so far gone that he would ignore the needs of his mate. Sebastian hid a smile as he followed the others to the side of the road and dismounted. Mor just sat on top of Slayer, staring at the ground.
“Need some help, darling?” Sebastian asked as he walked up to her.
“I’m not totally sure I can get down right now.”
Smiling softly at her, Sebastian reached up and pulled her gently from the saddle. He didn’t set her down, however. He pulled her in close and carried her over to where some of the soldiers had set up a light lunch. Settling with her in his lap, Sebastian leaned back against a rock. When she tried to get up he shook his head. “No, just stay right here.”
“But don’t you want to get some lunch?”
Nodding his head toward where the food was set up he said, “Atreyu is getting it for us. And Max will be over in a moment to heal your delectable ass so this afternoon won’t be as hard on you.”
“That’ll be nice.” She laid her head against him and snuggled in.
After a moment, he felt her breathing even out and he looked down to find her sleeping. “Huh.”
“Is she sleeping?” Atreyu asked as he walked over.
“She is. I didn’t think she would be this tired since we aren’t really pushing it.”
Max sat down next to them. “She hasn’t been sleeping well. And you know she gets up earlier than either of you to get in some extra training with me.”
“Fuck. Why didn’t I know that?” Atreyu grunted.
“Because you sleep like the bloody dead,” Sebastian grunted. “Can you heal her while she sleeps, Max?”
He scoffed. “Of course. It’ll wake her up, and hopefully she’ll feel less tired, too.”
“Go on then. I want her to have some time to eat.”
Max reached over and gently laid his hands on Mor, closing his eyes and concentrating. A few minutes later he pulled back and Mor opened her eyes. “Woah, I’m sorry. Did I fall asleep?”
“You did. And Max fixed you up.” Atreyu grinned at her and held out a plate. “Ready to eat something?”
“Yes! I’m starving!” Mor snatched the plate from Atreyu, making everyone laugh. They had all learned fairly early on not to mess with her food. “How much time do we have before we keep going? And where’s Ben?”
Max pointed over to Ben. “Ben is reviewing strategy with Samantha. And best guess, I’d say we have maybe ten minutes to finish up before Ben starts to get antsy, and fifteen before he gets annoyed.”
“You better eat up then.” Mor tried to move out of Sebastian’s lap.
&nbs
p; “I’ll eat if you stay right here.” He tightened his arm around her waist, holding her there.
“Fine.” Mor smiled and Sebastian had to remind himself to breath.
Sure enough, ten minutes later Ben was ordering clean up. And in fifteen he was barking orders for everyone to get up on the horses. Sebastian stood with Mor still in his arms and walked her over to where Slayer was patiently waiting for them to get going. Before she could protest, he sat her up in the saddle. “I know you can do it, Mor.”
She stared at him indignantly. “I wasn’t going to say anything!”
“Uh huh. And the sun isn’t shining, darling.”
She spluttered as he walked over and mounted Swift. “I - I - I resemble that remark!” She cracked up.
Grinning, Sebastian nudged Swift close enough that he could lean over and plant a kiss on her mouth. “You do resemble it, darling,” he said as he laughed with her.
“We’re wasting daylight,” Ben growled as he rode past them.
Seeing Mor flinch, Sebastian leaned back in and kissed her. “Don’t worry about him. He’s slipping back into army mode. You can feel he loves you, right?” He waited for her nod before continuing, “Ben’s just focused on your safety. But if he really starts to be an ass, I’ll kick it for you.”
“I’ll kick it myself,” Mor grumbled.
“That’d be sexy. Please make sure I get to see that,” Sebastian purred.
“You’ll have a front row seat.” Mor laughed.
The rest of the afternoon passed without incident and they arrived at the border just as night was falling. There was a guard station sitting just over the border. Sebastian dismounted quickly so he could help Mor down. “We’ll stop here until we get permission to continue.” He looked around uneasily. “Stay with one of us at all times. I don’t like that we’re boxed in here.”
“What do you mean ‘boxed in’?”
“We can’t cross the border without permission - literally cannot. The Pendragon sorcerers put a magical barrier up thousands of years ago. We’re still not totally sure how Atreyu managed to sneak in. He’s not even really sure how he managed it.” He gestured to the forest. “And we can’t really see what’s coming.”
“So basically, we have poor visuals and are backed up against a magical wall.”
“Exactly. So please, stay with one of us all times.”
She went up on her toes and kissed Sebastian’s cheek. “I will.”
Sebastian tucked her hand into his elbow and led her to the stand with Ben, Max, and Atreyu at the front of the company. “Have the guards made an appearance?”
“No,” Ben grunted. “It is late, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep us waiting until morning.”
Just as he finished speaking, a lone guard sauntered out of the little building. He wasn’t any taller than the Fae, but he had a much bigger frame and muscles on top of muscles. Fucking dragons. Sebastian forced his face to relax, not wanting to antagonize the guard and fuck this up. The guard took his sweet time, and then slowly looked Mor up and down before licking his lips. Sebastian tried to force down his growl, but the others were growling too, so…fuck it.
Ben stepped forward, “We’ve come as emissaries to the king.”
“I know who you are. And I know who you claim her to be.” The guard’s face hardened.
“So you’ll let us through?”
He laughed. “No. Not until I get confirmation of my orders. And I don’t think I’ll here until morning.” His grin grew as he looked over them. “You all might as well camp here.” Then he turned and sauntered back to the guard house, slamming the door behind him.
“Well, fuck.” Mor shook her head. “Guess we’re camping?” She grinned at them. “I’ve never been camping. This will be fun!”
Ben smiled for almost half a second before turning and starting to issue orders for camp. Layout, chores, and watch duties were set up within a few minutes, and everyone got to work. Mor kept trying to help, and the soldiers kept gently sending her away. Sebastian watched as they smiled and laughed with her. No matter the outcome of this mission, Mor was working her way into the hearts of the Fae here. And they would go back and spread that love. So either way, they had a win.
* * *
Sebastian yawned as he crawled out of the tent. He was on the last watch shift of the night. Ben had set up four watches so that one of them would be on at all times. He trusted the soldiers - but not with his mate. Sebastian rolled his eyes, knowing that every Fae here would die to protect their queen, even without the growing love they felt for her. That’s why they were here. They were loyal to Sebastian and his brothers and the missing royal family. He huddled a little deeper into his coat, glaring at the frost covering the ground as he went over and switched out with Max.
“Anything?”
“No.” Max’s response was short. “Not that I expected anything tonight.” He clapped Sebastian on the shoulder before turning and heading into the tent. All around, Sebastian could hear the guards switching. With a sigh, he sat down on the rock Max had been sitting on and stared out into the forest. Not like he could really see shit, but that’s what watch duty was. Stare into a specific area and pray you saw something coming before it killed you or your friends.
Time passed slowly and the chill deepened. Sebastian shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders up. He should have worn a fucking hat. Why didn’t he think of that? He kept listing his complaints in his head as a way to stay awake. He was just down to mentally describing leaving the sweetness of Mor’s arms - in detail - when he heard something in the trees. Sebastian sat forward, instantly alert. Nothing happened for several long minutes and he started to relax back when the night was shattered with a scream.
Almost immediately, fire flared around the camp, surrounding them with a protective barrier. Sebastian stared past the fire, being careful not to look into the flames. He felt Ben come up next to him. “Max and Atreyu with Mor?”
“Yes.”
Sebastian nodded once. They would be brutal in their defense of Mor if necessary, leaving him and Ben to concentrate on the defense of their camp.
Samantha came running up. “We see movement on the East side of the camp outside the fire. No direct visual as of yet, Sir.”
As easily as breathing, Ben had slipped fully into commanding officer mode. “The scream?”
“Not on my side, Sir.”
“Where is Liz? Sebastian, go find her.”
Sebastian took off at a run. It wasn’t like Liz not to report in. He stayed on the perimeter, scanning the camp for Liz. Finally, he saw her laying on the ground with a body lying across hers. “No.” The word fell from Sebastian without thought as he ran over to her.
The body on top of her had her sword sticking through it. Sebastian pulled it off, pushing it aside without looking at it. Liz blinked her eyes sluggishly at Sebastian. “Se...bash...”
“Shhh, Liz. WE NEED A HEALER!” he yelled.
“Found...us...” Liz’s hand tightened in Sebastian’s hold. “Try...kidnap...”
“She’s safe, we have her. Just hold on.”
Liz smiled slowly up at Sebastian and his heart broke. They had grown up together and while he hadn’t been as close to her as he was with his brothers, she was special. “Tell...them...love...” She coughed and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
“I’ll tell them.” He knew who she meant. Samantha and Cadi were her mates. They hadn’t found their final pieces but they’d had each other. Liz smiled and her eyes drifted closed.
“No! NO!” Sebastian closed his eyes as Samantha reached them and dropped to her knees on the other side of Liz. “No.” Her voice dropped to a whisper and she fell across Liz, shoulders shaking as she cried.
“Samantha.” Ben’s voice cracked across them both. He waited until she sat up, tears streaming down her face. “Mourn later. Liz would want you to finish the mission.”
Sebastian ached at his words, knowing th
ey were true but wishing they didn’t have to be. He stood and reached down a hand to Samantha. Pulling her up, he led her away. “Her last words were love for you and Cadi.”
Samantha swallowed hard, nodding. “Thank you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Movement was growing on the other side of the fire. Sebastian saw Fae starting to line up on the edge of the trees. “Fuck! They’re here, Ben.”
“Defensive positions!” Ben yelled. “Get ready -”
Suddenly, a roar sounded in the night and fire lit up the sky. “Thank fuck! The dragons finally showed up.” Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief as the Fae on the other side of the fire froze before turning and running. He watched as the cobalt blue giant landed in front of them. No one moved until Sebastian heard a soft voice behind him.
“Ben? Sebastian? What’s happened?”
Chapter 9
Mor
Mor had woken up to chaos. Max and Atreyu had forced her to stay laying down. Mor flinched as she’d heard a scream and fire had flared outside the tent, casting shadows everywhere. Atreyu and Max were prowling around outside the tent, refusing to answer her. She had stayed put, knowing that coming out would put everyone else in more danger. But when she heard the roar and fire flared above the tent - nothing would keep her in.
She scrambled out of the tent and took off, ignoring the yells of Max and Atreyu. She heard them curse and follow behind her. She reached for Ben and Sebastian and headed toward where she felt them. Running around a tent, she stumbled to a halt. Liz was lying on the ground, not moving. She gasped, a hand going to her mouth. Looking around, she saw Samantha standing with a tear-streaked, blank face, staring at something across the fire. Ben and Sebastian were next to her, but she couldn’t stop looking at the creature on the other side of the fire. A beautiful, cobalt blue dragon stood there, watching her. He - she just knew it was a he - stood taller than the trees. He had spikes running down his back and two horns arching back across his head. Her breath caught. She should be terrified, but she just wanted to wrap her arms around his neck.
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