Ever shook her head hastily, and a lone tear fell freely down her cheek.
“The only person who might help you is the pack alpha, and I’m not sure he’d be very willing given to the circumstances.”
“But you could—”
“—put in a good word for you?” I shook my head. “Ever, you took the life of an innocent child!”
The tears were falling more freely now. “I know! I should have paid better attention, instead of allowing those two to pull one over me,” she sobbed. “And if I could take it back I would in a heartbeat.”
“But you can’t,” Violet said. “And now the wolf pack in Virginia is paying the ultimate price.”
“Yeah,” Ever said softly. Her head bowed.
“Maybe we should go,” I said, sounding about as helpless as I felt.
“No!” Rue’s voice carried over the wind. I hadn’t seen her, but then it wasn’t easy to see anything in these blasted woods. “Stay, please. You wouldn’t leave me to face our mother on my own, would you?”
She came into focus then, having stepped out of the shadows and normally, she was right, I wouldn’t have left her alone to face Mom, but Ever and her misdeeds had left a sour taste in my mouth. It wasn’t as if my mother’s motives were nefarious, more so that Rue didn’t feel comfortable around her, seeing as how my mother had handed her over to Herne without so much as a backwards glance.
I sighed. “Violet?”
“Fine,” she replied. “But as soon as we’re through here, I’m telling Ash everything.”
“Oh, I’m sure you won’t have to wait that long,” Herne said with a knowing smile.
“Ash and Scarlett are here, aren’t they?” I asked.
“It didn’t seem right to invite your mother without inviting Scarlett.”
“No time like the present then,” Violet announced.
“Violet!” I hissed, running after her. “Maybe you should hold off. Rue’s already on edge.”
“Rue’s always on edge when it comes to your mother.”
“Let’s just wait until after the Wild Hunt, okay?”
“Alright, fine,” she said, tiptoeing to kiss me. “I’ll wait. But should anyone else let slip what Ever did, I’m not holding back what I know.”
“Fine,” I acquiesced.
“If you two are quite done, there’s a Hunt to get underway,” Herne muttered.
I stepped out of Violet’s embrace, while holding fast to her hand, all the while not missing Herne’s disapproval in the way he looked at us.
It wasn’t that much later that the woods opened up to a small clearing in which a quaint little cottage sat. Smoke billowing out from its one chimney.
I’d barely glimpsed the cottage for one whole minute before a boy with copper hair came tearing out of the house. Arianna who was much more reserved came meandering down the cobblestone path.
“Stirling!” Rhiannon called out after the boy. “What have I told you about running?”
The boy, Stirling, frowned. He couldn’t have been more than twelve, and yet it was clear whose son he was. Despite having hair the colour of rust, his resemblance to Herne was uncanny.
It was while I was looking at Stirling that I caught the Scarlett’s gaze flick from me to Stirling and back again. A troubled expression crossed her face. I don’t think she had set foot anywhere near the wildwood in years, which meant the pair would never have had the chance to meet, even casually. And while, Rhiannon may have accepted him and cared for him as if he truly was her own son, it was no secret who the boy’s real mother was, except to the boy himself. He was Scarlett’s that much was obvious. From his hair to the shape of his nose and mouth. Even in the way he held himself as he stood. The one thing that really marked him out as belonging to Herne were his piercing blue eyes and the tiny horned nubs that peaked out through his copper hair.
The wildwood swelled before my eyes. Fey and beast mingled together, which made it hard to tell one from the other. The smell of death mixed with blood, dirt, and fear hung heavy in the air, assaulting my senses. Though none of it, my own. I hadn’t been amongst the hunt before, but I had walked these woods countless times before.
Now, as I sat on Wildfire, the stallion I’d had since thirteen, I knew one thing for certain. When humans spoke of nightmares, they spoke of the creatures that inhabited the Wild Hunt.
Next to me, Violet sat on her dapple-grey mare she’d named Sunday, after the day I’d gifted it to her. The fear I’d picked up on was hers, which made me grateful that neither my horse nor Violet’s spooked easily. The last thing I needed given her pregnancy was for her to be thrown. Both were faerie horses and part of the bloodline bred for fey royalty that had existed since before Queen Mab’s time.
It was when Rue pulled up behind me, with Stirling nestled in front of her, that I caught Kit’s laugh. I’d heard different views of the same tale over the years from both Kit and Rue, but it always ended the same way. When Rue was about twelve, she’d snuck out of the house and joined Kit and Herne on a Hunt. Rhiannon had not been pleased.
“You’re playing with fire,” he said. “You do know that, right?”
Rue grinned. “I know but I don’t care.”
Kit frowned. “Herne might.”
“We’ll see.”
And with that, Rue gave her horse a sharp kick in the flanks and took off into the night.
I looked over at Kit, who shrugged. “She can be stubborn.”
“No kidding,” I acknowledged, gathering up the reins and about to set off after Rue when Rhiannon’s voice stopped me.
“Was that Rue I saw?” she asked. “With Stirling?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We could stop her, if you like.”
Rhiannon shook her head but smiled at me. “That’s alright. Herne’s spoiled them both. I’ll only look like a fool for trying to keep the boy out of the night’s revelry. Better to let them be.”
I smiled sadly.
“I do not need your pity, Prince,” Rhiannon said. “I am not without my own tricks for getting exactly what I want.”
“I’m sure you’re not,” I murmured, as Arianna rushed up to us.
“Hi Fox.”
“Hi,” I said softly, turning my attention back to Rhiannon.
“Are you both coming or…”
“On the Hunt?” Rhiannon laughed. “Goddess no! I’ll leave that horrible business to Herne.”
“The dead are scary,” Arianna announced.
“They’re just misunderstood is all.”
“Oh, no!” Violet said. “I’m siding with Arianna on this one. The dead are scary.”
“Everything you can’t see is scary.”
Rhiannon looked off in the direction of Herne and the others had headed. Only we couldn’t see them anymore.
“You’d better be going, or you’ll lose them for good.”
“Yeah, I guess we should.”
Violet smiled, though her lips trembled a little. “Bye Arianna.” She nodded at Rhiannon. “Bye Rhiannon.”
I pressed my heels into my horse’s flanks and worked him into a canter. Behind me, Violet did the same and together we raced each other through the wildwood to catch up to Herne.
When at last we did, Ash gazed at us both knowingly. “Get lost, did you?”
Puck chuckled while Violet’s face flushed beet red.
“Talking to Arianna, actually.”
At the mention of my half-sister, Ash stiffened. She did have a claim to the Summer throne after all and despite Rhiannon’s reassurance, Ash and Scarlett remained unconvinced that Arianna wouldn’t try to usurp the throne as my father, Evander had tried to do when I was only a child.
“And how is the would-be usurper?”
“Fine. Frightened of the dead, actually. So, you won’t be seeing her. Or Rhiannon.”
“Good,” Ash said gruffly.
“Don’t be mean,” Violet said, having regained some composure. “Arianna is very sweet.”
“With Rhiann
on and Evander as parents? I think not.”
“Ash!” I heard Scarlett hiss.
“Apologies, Herne.”
“Perhaps a change of topic is in order?” Mercy’s husband, Locke mused. They’d been married when the seasons had turned from Spring to Summer. Which had also been when Scarlett had chosen to step down from her duty as Queen of the Summer Court.
“Quite,” Herne muttered.
“Forgive me for breaking up the festivities,” a deep male voice interrupted. When he came into view, I recognised him as Teague McKiernan. A Fey Lord and Court appointed Executioner, but that didn’t explain what he was doing here during the Wild Hunt.
Unless… he was here on account of Ever and her wrongdoings.
“What’s going on?” Mercedes asked, stepping out of the shadows.
“Rumours have been circulating about an illegal ritual that was performed five days ago,” Teague said plainly. “I’m here simply to discover the truth and put this matter to rest.”
“What sort of ritual?”
“The kind that sees a wolf shifter infant dead,” Teague said, while before me, Mercy flinched. “There’s more. An I.D. bracelet was found on the child. It’s missing now, but we recorded the details into the council’s ledger. The child’s name was Zephyr, and she was from Fairfax, Virginia.”
“Why come to us?” Mercy shook her head. “I don’t understand. They have banned those rituals since Gloriana took the Summer throne.”
“I’m here because the council has reason to believe that Ever is somehow involved.”
“Is this true, Ever?” Mom asked, hands on her hips, mouth turned down in a frown, disapprovingly. Even on horseback, she could be brutal. “Were you involved?”
“I…” For the first time in her life, it appeared my sister was speechless. “Pax brought word of a bloodletting ritual to my attention a few weeks ago. They said if I didn’t the fey nobles would riot because they couldn’t take a Queen that ruled alone seriously. I was unsullied in their eyes. So, when Aeron told me he’d take care of everything, I figured it was nothing… that it was harmless. I’d run a knife across my palm and collect the blood in a goblet or something. That was before they brought out the child… then I panicked. Pax had a knife to my throat. He said if I didn’t do it, he’d slit my throat and kill the wolf pup himself.”
“Pax?” Mom questioned. “He was exiled from the Winter Court for trying to pull the same thing over on me!” she turned to Teague. “I want him found and punished.”
“There’re already scouts out searching for Pax and Aeron both,” Teague reassured her.
“And what of the wolf pup? Will there be restitution for the family?” Mercy asked. I knew why she asked and I couldn’t help but wonder if the family would get closure.
“We hadn’t really discussed that,” Teague replied.
“Have they disposed of the body yet?”
“Last I heard, no it had not been disposed of.”
“Then have someone retrieve the child and bring her to me,” Mercy said succinctly.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?” There was concern in the Summer King’s eyes. It was then I knew that he knew the secret Mercy kept. The two of them had met for the first time, when Mercy’s mother was so ill that Mercy was practically forced into the role as Queen Regent because Ash was too distraught over the possibility of losing Scarlett. Not every mated wolf shifter enacted something known as a blood bond. But Ash and Scarlett had, and even decades later they didn’t quite understand why. It was because of this that they were highly in tune with one another’s feelings. If one died, it could literally break the other’s heart… perhaps even kill them.
“I don’t care!” Mercy shouted.
“Alright,” Teague murmured. “I’ll see to it and return with the child.”
The Wild Hunt continued to move through the woods and us along with it. A ghastly entourage, containing spectral beings, most of them fey, who had come into Herne’s possession by Arawn, who harvested their souls. And once your soul belonged to Arawn, Herne collected your body, and you took up the hunt alongside him. Occasionally, and on rare occasions, mortal souls were collected and thrown into the fray.
Teague returned awhile later, having caught up to us a fair distance away from where he’d last left us, with a tiny cloth-wrapped bundle in his arms.
The dead wolf shifter pup. I thought forlornly.
“Mind seeing me to the border, Fox?” Mercy asked as Teague handed her the tiny, wrapped bundle.
I shrugged, looking apologetically at Rue. “Sure.”
“I’m coming too,” Violet said.
“Me too,” Leo said, surprising me. I guess learning of Ever’s mistake had soured their reunion somewhat.
“Do you think they will punish Ever?” Mercy asked.
I looked back. “I don’t know.”
* * *
Across the border and in Fairfax, we left the horses tethered to a hitching post that was conveniently placed near the twin yew trees and once each horse was secured, Mercy wasted no time at all. Because tonight was the esbat, the wolf shifters would be celebrating
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked her.
“No,” Mercy frowned, looking down at the cloth-wrapped bundle. “But her family deserves closure.”
“And closure they’ll get,” Violet said matter-of-factly.
“Come on,” Mercy said. “I know where Fenris likes to hang during the esbat.”
I nodded and together, Leo, Violet and I followed and sure enough we found Fenris at the other end of town. Loud music and a bonfire signalled the esbat was in full swing.
“Fenris!” Mercy called.
“Mercy?” he asked, striding over to us. “I thought you were off among the Wild Hunt tonight?”
“I was but then I heard about Zephyr.”
“News travels fast.”
“The fey council is looking into it,” she said. “But I thought I should bring Zephyr’s remains home personally.”
It was then that Fenris really took in Mercy. Her curly brunette hair was loose and messy, as if she’d been running. Which given how fast we had ridden; it could almost be said we had been.
“Come with me.”
She walked away with the pack alpha, while the three of us stood awkwardly off to the side, away from the bonfire.
“You probably don’t remember me, do you?” a blonde woman dressed in jeans and a white blouse asked looking directly at Violet as she approached us.
Violet shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t.”
“I’m Briseis. Fenris’ wife,” she said. “I’ve met your father a few times during the summits.”
“You’re not a wolf though?”
“No.” She laughed when she spoke, “I’m not.”
“And yet the pack respects you?”
“They don’t have that much of a choice where Fenris is concerned. They didn’t always like me, but they’ve come a long way since Fenris and I first crossed paths.”
“It’s the same back home,” Violet said. “Not all the wolf shifters are accepting of Fox.”
“Not all fey are accepting of Fox.”
“Twist the knife in further, why don’t you?” I snarled. “We should go.”
“We can’t leave without Mercy,” Violet said.
“Of course, we can. This is her hometown, after all. She’ll figure out where we went and catch up later,” I said looking pointedly at Briseis. “Or she won’t, and we’ll be better off.”
“I see I’ve upset you, Prince,” Briseis said. “That wasn’t my intention. I merely meant that you straddle two courts just by being. I wouldn’t know where to begin or how to choose.”
“I chose the court of my mother,” I said.
“Of course. How silly of me.”
“Briseis, tell me you haven’t been making a nuisance of yourself.” Fenris asked having returned with Mercy in tow.
I spoke up before Briseis respond
ed. “We were about to leave.”
Mercy looked at me. A sad smile gracing her lips. “I’m going to stay. There’ll be a burial later.”
“What about the Summer King?” I didn’t know how much Mercy had revealed about her life prior to the one she had in Arcadia, nor did I know if he even knew of the wolf Mercy kept buried within.
“Tell Locke I got caught up. He’ll understand.”
“Okay,” I said. “It’s your call.”
I didn’t want to tell her we weren’t headed back to Arcadia, but to Knox instead, because then she’d feel pulled in two directions. The first being the wolf pup and the second being her duty to the Summer Court and Locke. I supposed I could always get a message out and inform the Summer King that way.
“Bye Fenris,” Violet called.
“Bye,” he returned. “Tell your father I said hello.”
“I will.”
It was quiet on the walk back to the cemetery. All three of us were lost in our own respective thoughts. I couldn’t help but wonder about Ever’s fate. But had we stayed for the pup’s burial; no doubt there would have been uncomfortable questions to answer.
Ever was the Winter Queen. The wolves would want retribution. It would end in blood. That I could be sure of. Only time would tell when my sister’s blood would be spilt and where? I could see the wolves ambushing her in the Winter Palace and I could see my mother wanting to protect her and if that were the case, the whole of the Fairfax pack would be on our doorstep and soon. I estimated no later than the next turn of the wheel. Midwinter. At the height of my sister’s power as Queen, which meant she stood a chance at least of surviving, even if she wound up dethroned.
“Something on your mind, Fox?” Violet asked as we stood before the horses. I helped her up onto Sunday’s back before responding.
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 92