“Is it who?” Thora asked.
“Do you think they have come for me?” His voice quivered in fear and his eyes widened.
There was no need for Thora to question his reaction or even wonder why he would think they were there for him. Such fear was typical for breeds across the faction. Thora slid from the bench and dropped to her knees in front of the boy. Taking his hands in hers, she leaned in close to him.
“Aris, you are safe in The Sanctuary. Whatever happened to you before you came here will never be part of your life again. The Zannis are good people.”
He didn’t appear convinced, and the doubt on his face would have been comical if she hadn’t just realized how hard his life had been before he came there.
“Marcella is the head of the family. I’ve heard she is quite pretty, though she has no sense of humor, so no playing tricks on her. Her brother, Garrett, is second in line.”
“What about him? Can I play tricks on him?”
Thora couldn’t stop the smile that curved her lips up.
“He’s never been cross with me when I tricked him.” She'd never tried to trick him but knew if Aris tried to, Garrett would play along.
“He’s your friend?”
“Yes. Of course. Only friends are allowed in The Sanctuary.” She stood and ruffled his copper colored hair. “Now run along, or I’ll find you a chore that needs to be done.”
“No!” He ran for the door with a giggle then paused as he turned to go down the hall. “They’re really friends?”
“Truly.” It wasn’t a lie; it wouldn’t even classify as a fib if she were putting it on the truth scale. There had been a time when they were friends.
The last bit of hesitation vanished from his face, and he took off at full speed.
She glanced back out the window and watched as the carriages pulled up to the front of The Sanctuary. A group of servants exited the second vehicle, while guards poured out of the first and last. They flanked the sides of the third carriage as the door opened. A tall, feminine version of Garrett stepped down, and he followed behind.
The heavy scowl on his face made her wonder if she'd made a mistake in telling Aris that Garrett didn’t mind tricks.
He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the dark curls back. At the same time he looked right at the library window where Thora stood, and although she knew the glamour around the castle prevented him from seeing her, she could have sworn he'd caught her staring.
Gripping the curtains, she closed them with a sudden swoosh, and the bottoms fluttered, but her frustration with Garrett quickly turned to sadness.
She had lied to Aris. There was no friendship left between her and Garrett. There never could be, because she wanted more. She wanted all of the same things as Rossa did, but she wanted them with Garrett.
For a few minutes, she tried to continue reading, but her thoughts kept straying. Giving up, she re-shelved the book along with a handful of others someone left stacked on the floor in the corner of the room.
She had just exited the library when Garrett turned the corner. They both stopped just in time to keep from colliding. Thora stepped back and brushed her hands along the front of her thighs.
“I see you’ve returned,” she said, and could have smacked herself for stating the obvious.
“I have,” he responded, a twinkle in his eyes suggesting he realized the humor in the statement.
For weeks, she'd thought up all sorts of things she wanted to say to him—accusations of using her, betraying Sophie, abandoning the breeds in his quest to fulfill a single promise to Sophie—but none of it mattered. All she wanted was to hear his voice and be with him.
She loved him. She'd never allowed herself to think in those terms before. He was promised to another woman. That was his fate. His choice. Yet, that knowledge wasn’t enough to keep her away from him.
“I was heading to the orchard for a stroll before dinner,” she said, her impulses leading her down a path she knew was dangerous, but she was unwilling to fight it any longer. “Would you like to join me? I had a few questions about my training.”
For a moment, she thought he'd say no, but then he nodded.
“I'd like that.”
They walked silently through the foyer and out the side door. The orchard was home to nearly two hundred trees, and one of Thora’s favorite places to work.
“In the village, the trees only blossomed once a year. Everyone pitched in to harvest the fruit. Britta and I would play games, running between the trees until we were laughing too hard to continue.” She was aware of her babbling, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. “It’s so different here.”
At The Sanctuary, magic kept the trees in bloom year-round. Already, she'd helped with the harvest twice.
“Does that make it hard?” he asked. “Remembering her?”
“I think it always will be hard. At first, I wanted to stop and cry every time my memories of her and Mother surfaced. But now… There’s a glimmer of light inside when I picture them smiling.”
“That is the Fae way,” Garrett said, though there was something in his voice that made her wonder if he wasn’t simply repeating a fact rather than really believing it. “Search for the light in the darkness. No matter how slight, it will be there.”
“Did you enjoy your trip home?” she asked as they passed the apple trees and entered the lemon tree section, The Sanctuary disappearing behind the dense foliage.
“I was there to work, so not especially.”
“You were hunting in the city?”
A grim expression passed over his face. “I did some.”
“And did you find the breed? Did you bring them with you?”
“I found her, but no, she’s not here.” He cleared his throat. “I was too late. She was already dead when I arrived.”
“I’m so sorry, Garrett.” She slipped her hand in his. He jerked in surprise, but when she would have let go, he curled his fingers around her hand and held tight.
“Death is a new concept for the Fae,” he said. “I’ve seen it before, and it is always hard to watch.”
“I remember you telling me that the Fae find beauty in death and for the peace it brings to the soul.”
He snorted. “There is no beauty in watching a life extinguished by a cruel twist of fate.”
“No, but there is peace in knowing she can no longer be a pawn for the Bascadors or whoever holds her.”
His lips pursed and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “She was alone. Her soul star rose, and there was no one there to see it except me.”
“But you did. She wasn’t alone,” she reassured him. “You cared what happened to her, and her soul recognized that. You know her soul star would never have formed if not.”
“I didn’t even know her. How could I be the only person in the faction who cared?” His eyes glistened with tears he refused to let fall, and she pulled him to a stop.
“Because that’s who you are.”
He shook his head, and she let go of him to cup his jaw with her hands.
“You are a man who cares about every nameless breed, who is willing to take a stand against the most powerful Fae in the faction,” she said. “You’re a man who will sacrifice himself for the life of even just one breed.”
“I keep trying to do the right thing,” he said. “That line between right and wrong was always so clear cut, but you make them all blurry.”
“I’m not trying to,” she said.
“I know.” He sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I wish the world worked differently. Maybe it does in other factions, but here, my word is my bond and breaking it means consequences.”
She tipped her head back to look at him. Was he honestly suggesting that he had thought of retracting his offer to unite with Sophie?
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“If I break my unification promise without agreement from Sophie, she’ll have the right to demand whatever retribution
she believes is justified.”
“What could be worse than life with someone you don’t love?”
“She could have Amadeus kill me, or Marcella, or you.”
“Sophie is not always the nicest person,” Thora said, skirting the truth a bit, “but I don’t believe she’s a killer.”
“You’re right. She’s not. But she could have you assigned to the service staff or handed over to the Bascadors.”
Understanding washed over her and she realized he wasn’t playing games with her, or even just keeping his word. He was sacrificing himself—binding himself to Sophie for eternity, to protect her.
“Garrett, those are possible futures I’ll face even if you unite with Sophie.”
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “That won’t happen. After The Summit, you’ll be free to live as you want.”
“And if the life I want is with you?”
“Don’t say that.”
She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him briefly. When she pulled back, he followed, his lips moving along hers in a gentle caress. Teasing her with the taste of him before he pressed hard in a kiss that bordered on desperate. He was kissing her as if it were the last time and it broke her heart.
He tore his mouth away from hers.
“Thora… I wish there were…"
Thora watched an agonized look come to Garrett’s eyes. It was so different from the regret he'd shown the last time they kissed. It gave her a grain of hope that she latched onto. She was willing to accept his commitment to Sophie if he chose to honor it. But until the unification was done, she would do everything she could to change his mind.
With her hands woven through the hair at his nape, she pulled Garrett down for another kiss. If he had resisted, shown any type of reluctance, she would have backed away, but he kissed her back.
So under the apple bloom trees, they kissed as if it were the last time. She drew in every sensation and stashed it away in her memory, determined that it would be enough to last an eternity.
They moved together until her back was pressed to a tree trunk. The rough bark dug through her shirt setting off a flurry of sensations. As their tongues waged a delicious battle, she spread her legs enough for his groin to fit flush against hers and rocked herself against his rigid member.
She ran her hands down his back. Slipping them under his shirt, she let herself explore the rippling muscles she found, lightly scoring them with her fingernails.
His moan emboldened her. She broke their kiss, and turned them around so he leaned against the tree, then kissed her way down his neck. When she reached his shirt, she gripped the bottom and lifted it. It caught under his arms until he tugged it the rest of the way off.
The light scattering of hair across his chest did little to conceal his tight muscles. Thora ran her hands through the hair, skimming over his nipples and down to where the hair thickened as it led to his penis.
He froze, and she thought he might pull away but, instead, he simply waited as she unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down just enough that his hardened length jutted out at her, swaying as it sought release.
She curled her hand around him and began to slowly stroke him, learning the breadth and feel of him.
“Harder,” he ordered, and wrapped his hand over hers showing her the pressure he liked.
She stroked him again then gave a succession of rapid pumps. He twitched in her hand, and a drop of pre-cum formed on the tip of his penis.
She sank to her knees, putting his member level with her mouth. Holding him in her hand, she lowered her head and kissed a trail along the side of his erection. Swirling her tongue around the head, she licked off the pre-cum, tasting him for the first time.
He nudged her lips with his wide tip, and she twisted her head to the side to lick the side of his length. A groan rumbled from him as he tried again to get her to take him in.
“Thora, stop playing.”
She smiled up at him. “Patience.”
She flicked the tip with her tongue, and then nipped at the delicate flesh, enjoying the way his penis flexed with each touch.
When she felt she teased him enough, she opened her mouth to let the glistening head slide in. His fingers burrowed through her hair, and he pressed her closer, urging her to take more of him.
“Relax, baby,” he whispered, and moved his thumbs to massage the point where her cheek and jaw bones met.
She relaxed her jaw and worked him in until her mouth was full. She pulled back, letting him pop free so she could blow a stream of cool air over his flesh, then guided him back in, repeating the motions as his breathing grew ragged.
With her hands on his hips, she could feel the tension holding Garrett stiff as he let her take him at her pace. But control wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted him.
Thora let her hands fall to the back of his thighs and gave him a tug forward, urging him to move.
“Hold on,” he said, and thrust his hips forward.
The movement caused her head to move back, but his hands tightened in her hair, keeping her steady. He pumped in and out of her mouth, the shallow thrusts gradually taking him deeper.
She braced herself by holding his thighs and struggled to accept as much of him as she could.
“I’m going to cum,” he said, and loosened his hold on her hair, giving her a chance to pull away.
Instead, she stayed with him as his hips jerked forward, and his loud groan echoed around them. His cum splashed against the back of her throat, and she quickly pulled back to swallow the salty essence.
Wiping her fingers over her mouth, she watched as he trembled with the last throes of his orgasm. When his body had calmed, he tucked himself back in to his pants. He lowered himself to his knees in front of her and wrapped her in his arms, his head resting on top of hers.
His body heat lulled her in to a sense of comfort—a sense of finally being home. That was where she belonged.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and her shoulders sagged under the weight of his regret.
“I love you,” she said.
She wasn’t sure what she expected him to say or do. She just knew she needed to give herself to him entirely.
“Don’t say that, Thora.”
He looked down at her, and the sorrow she found in his eyes shattered the speck of hope she’d clung to—not only for her own dreams, but also for him. Once he united with Sophie, Thora would move on with her life. Maybe with Darrian, or perhaps on her own, but she would be able to do what was right for her. Garrett would forever be bound to Sophie.
Chapter 14
Garrett watched Thora from the corner of his eye as they walked through the orchard, back to The Sanctuary. Her hand clutched his firmly, as though she feared he might pull away before they needed to part.
He'd expected anger from her, or at least regret. Yet, she appeared at peace with their fate.
Well, he wasn’t. He would follow through with it, swallowing the bitter pill of duty and deception, but he would do it with a rage burning in his gut at what The Council and Sophie had forced him in to.
The trees thinned, and as the building came in to view, Thora released his hand. The loss of her touch creating a hole in his chest that let emptiness flood through him.
“Thora…"
She gave him a tense smile. Perhaps she wasn’t as at peace as she appeared.
“It would be best if we kept our distance,” she said.
He nodded, but everything inside him raged against the idea. How had his life come to that—a moment when everything he wanted was about to be forever beyond his reach?
She quickened her pace, and he followed behind, letting her begin to put that distance between them. She had just reached the door when it flung open.
Rossa stood there, flushed as if she'd been running, and glanced furtively behind her before looking from him to Thora.
“Where have you been? Never mind. The question is what did you do before the two of you snuck off in to t
he orchard to taste some forbidden fruit?”
He might have laughed at Rossa’s phrasing if she hadn’t so accurately guessed what they'd been doing.
“We didn’t do anything before we went for a walk,” he said, mounting the steps to stand beside Thora. “I'd only just arrived.”
“Rossa, what is going on?” Thora asked.
“The Board is convening. They called for the two of you to join them,” Rossa explained. “Sophie is already there.”
Garrett’s stomach churned. He thought Sophie’s threat to go to Amadeus had been solely to force him to keep the unification promise. He never imagined she'd do it regardless of what he did.
The pink that had so delightfully colored Thora’s cheeks vanished, leaving her sickly pale. She stared past Rossa in to the building, the long foyer leading past the atrium to the closed doors of The Council chamber.
He stepped in front of her, blocking the interior of the building from her view and forcing her to look at him. With a subtle movement of his hand, he blocked Rossa from hearing what he had to say.
“I won’t let them force you into anything,” he said to Thora. “I have all the evidence here. I will threaten to expose them if they try.”
“You can’t. You were right about needing the entire faction to hear what is happening to the breeds. Threatening to cut off their atern funds will only work for so long. Eventually, they’ll find other means of storing their atern and life will return to what it is now.”
“That might never happen.”
“It would. By exposing them during The Summit, there will be no avoiding the consequences for them. If you succeed, then I’ll be free. A few weeks of suffering for one person is better than life for the entire breed population.”
“I’m not going to let you join the service staff.”
Thora gave a sad smile. “It’s not your choice to make.”
She stepped around him, and all he could do as watch silently as she walked confidently down the foyer with Rossa to the chamber.
Hunter: Faction 10: The Isa Fae Collection Page 16