by Quinn Loftis
As they ate their bread in silence, Lilly began to realize that Cyn was right; there was more to this bread. She felt full despite the small amount she had eaten and she felt her body being infused with energy. She was just about to remark on this when suddenly Cypher was on his feet from one breath to the next. His eyes narrowed as he stared into the trees and his head tilted to the side, listening. Cyn had stood as well and was looking in the opposite direction as Cypher. Lilly started to stand but stopped when Cypher looked at her and put a finger to his lips. She moved more slowly as she rose, trying not to make a sound.
Cypher narrowed his eyes as he searched for the elves he knew were watching them. He'd felt their eyes on them for several minutes now. He also knew they had been following them for quite some time. He didn’t feel like they were in danger, but he preferred to be able to see his potential adversary, and not have wonder if they were indeed planning to attack. He looked over at Cyn and saw that though she too was alert and looking into the forest, her stance was relaxed, indicating that she did not feel a threat either.
“You would find out our purpose for being here a lot quicker if you revealed yourselves.” Cypher’s voice carried though he didn’t yell.
Silence met his words as they waited to see if the observers would reveal themselves. Several moments passed. Finally, a tall form stepped around one of the large trees. He strode forward until he was in the center of the clearing and the light of day revealed his appearance. He was tall with long lean muscles. His hair was blonde and straight, hanging down his back. There was a single braid in front and some sort of adornment woven into it. He took a step closer revealing sea green eyes, high cheek bones, thin lips drawn tight in a straight line and a strong jaw. His ears were slightly pointed at the tips but not any larger than a human’s. His clothing looked as if he had walked straight out of Lord of the Rings, complete with a bow slung across his back. He didn’t say anything right away he just stared. His eyes landed on each of them, evaluating the level of threat.
“I am Thalion, of the Elves. What brings a human, a Warlock King, and a Fae Guardian into our realm?”
“We went to a bar first, but that joke didn’t seem to pan out, so now we’re going for a human, a warlock and a fae walk through a Veil. Doesn’t quite have the same ring, but we’re hoping the outcome is better than at the bar.” Lilly knew she was rambling and she had tried to tell herself to shut up, but for some reason her mouth just kept moving. Cypher glared at her and she mouthed “Sorry” to him.
Cypher shook his head letting out a deliberate breath then looked back to Thalion.
“It seems you know who I am,” Cypher told him.
Thalion nodded once.
“We have come seeking your aid. A draheim has made its way into the human realm, whether by accident or on purpose, we do not know. What we do know is that you make the only weapon capable of killing it.”
Thalion’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you think it needs to be killed? Why not return the creature to his own land?”
“Whatever he once was he is no longer. All that is left in him is a raging beast. He tried to kill us, and from what I could see in his eyes there was no intelligence left in him. He has been trained to murder. More than likely, anything good in him has been beaten out of him.” Cypher answered.
Thalion seem to think about this for a moment. He looked over at Cyn. “What do you say Guardian?”
“I think it is very important to weigh the consequences before any life is taken. We all serve a purpose in this life and we must be careful not to throw off the balance lest we invite evil to fill the void. With that in mind, the only thing that can come from this beast’s continued existence is harm. More than likely, if we were able to get him back to his realm, his own kind would kill him. We have enough danger in the human realm as it is. We do not need another one.”
Thalion stared a few moments longer at Cyn before a slight smile curved his lips, only adding to his beauty.
“How have you been, Cyn?” He asked, and the formal elf that had been standing before them was suddenly relaxed and staring at Cyn with obvious endearment.
Cyn blushed slightly and Lilly’s eyes widened at the scene before her. Bloody hell, she thought. The elf has the hots for the fae. I so, did not see that one coming.
“I’ll be better once there is no longer a witch trying to destroy the werewolves and unleash a horde of demons into the human realm,” she answered, honestly.
Thalion’s eyes hardened and he took a step towards her. “What is this that you speak of?”
“We threw the balance off many years ago and now we are reaping the consequences of our actions.” Cyn dropped her eyes from Thalion’s as she continued to speak. “Desdemona, the last of the witches, has become very powerful. That power has only made her greedy for more. She discovered that gypsy healers have returned to the packs. She wants them. She has already attempted to kill the Romanian Alpha in an attempt to get to them. She was unsuccessful, but she will not be swayed.”
Thalion took another step towards Cyn and another until he stood less than a foot away.
“Why are you just now coming to me with this?” The look in his eyes burned with rage, but even stronger than that was the obvious care he felt towards Cyn.
Lilly took slow steps, not wanting to disturb the exchange between the elf and fae. She reached Cypher and looked up at him. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” She whispered.
A small smile crept onto his face as he leaned down and placed his mouth next to her ear.
“I do believe Thalion has set his sights on our little fae.” Lilly shivered as his warm breath caressed her neck and she turned her head back to the couple in question in an effort to shake off Cypher’s effect on her.
“I know that you do not mingle in the human realm, nor burden yourselves with the problems of others,” she answered and her voice wasn’t accusatory. She was simply stating a fact, as she often did.
Thalion’s eyes narrowed even more. His jaw clenched as he tried to keep control of his emotions. Only Cyn affected him this way. It had been so long since he had laid eyes on her, and still the hold that she had on him was undeniable.
“You truly believe, I would not help if you asked?” Thalion’s question dripped with challenge.
Cyn shrugged. “Why would you?”
Thalion held her eyes as he reached up and ran his fingers down her jaw to her neck. Cyn couldn’t hide her reaction to him as the speed of her breathing increased. Thalion chuckled as a smirk flashed across his face and then was gone. He dropped his hand and turned to face Lilly and Cypher.
To their surprise, Thalion found a stump to sit on. “Tell me.”
“We don’t have much time,” Cypher told him.
Thalion nodded. “I understand, but I need to know details before I lead my army into the human realm.”
Cyn gasped and Lilly’s head swung around to look at the Fae. It was the first major emotion she had seen from her.
“You’re going to help?” She whispered. “Why?”
Thalion’s sea green eyes met hers. He didn’t bother to hide the emotions swirling behind them.
“Because it’s you.” Cyn stared at Thalion. She didn’t have a reply to his candid answer and for once, she wished that she had Lilly’s quick wit and smart retorts.
She continued to watch him as she began the tale of all that had taken place in the human realm. She started with what had happened to the Romanian and Serbian packs.
Thalion sat silently, watching her intently as she spoke. As soon as she had finished, Cypher smoothly transitioned into his part in the story. Lilly had taken a spot on the ground in front of a tree. She leaned back against it, her legs stretched out in front of her, her head leaned back, and her eyes closed as she listened to the rumble of Cypher’s deep voice. The cadence of it seemed to match her breathing and she felt herself beginning to doze off, and when his voice suddenly stopped, her eyes popped open. She blinked a couple of t
imes to clear her vision and then looked at Thalion. He sat with a furrowed brow staring at the ground as if the answers would suddenly be written in the dirt.
“Thalion.” Cyn’s voice held a hint of apprehension as she watched him struggle with the information they had shared.
Thalion finally looked up and met Cyn’s eyes. “I will have the necessary weapons made and my army will join with you to fight.” His jaw tensed. “I have been foolish to ignore the happenings in the mortal realm.”
Cyn smiled. “Well, you aren’t the only ones. It took a moon goddess to get my race to act.”
“What do you mean it took a moon goddess?” Thalion asked, with narrowed eyes.
“The Great Luna has caused matings between the wolves and Fae. She also gave the command to the Fae council to call the packs together,” Cyn explained.
Cypher took a step forward. “You haven’t mentioned this.”
“I was waiting for the right moment.”
“When you say ‘the packs,’” Thalion interrupted. “Do you mean all of them?”
“If by all of them you mean all of them, then yes.” Cyn nodded.
Lilly shook her head at Cyn’s sarcasm. “I’ve created a monster,” she grumbled.
Thalion continued to meet Cyn’s gaze as he thought of the implications of her words. “For the Great Luna to be involved,”
“It’s bad,” Cyn agreed.
“Um, I have to agree that this all stinks to high heaven, but can I ask something,” Lilly spoke up. “I know you said that you are Thalion and we know you are an elf, obviously, but can you just clarify exactly how you are able to bring an army to help us?”
A ghost of a smile crept across his lips. “Of course, I am not just any run of the mill elf. I am Thalion, Prince of the Elves.”
Lilly’s eyes widened. “Prince,” she murmured, and then looked over at Cyn. “You didn’t mention that your contact was royalty.”
Cyn shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
Thalion stood and the others did as well. “I need one night to get everything together,” he told them. “I’m going to ask that you pass back to your realm and wait for me there.” Then he walked over to Cyn and took her hand. “Excuse us for a second please,” he said to Cypher and Lilly as he pulled Cyn several feet away.
Cyn looked up at Thalion in surprise. He frowned at her.
“Don’t look surprised, Cyn. You’ve known for a long time.”
She dropped her eyes, not wanting him to see the truth behind them, but he wouldn’t let her hide that easily. He tilted her chin up with a finger until her eyes met his.
“Why have you stayed away for so long?”
“Why have you?” She countered.
“You know that it is hard for me to leave. I don’t have someone in place to take over while I’m gone like the wolves do. I don’t have a council watching over my people like the Fae do. It is me and me alone that the burden falls to.”
Cyn nodded. “I know.”
Thalion’s eyes narrowed. “And?”
“And what? We both have responsibilities that we can’t just walk away from. I am a guardian, you are a prince, and those are the facts. We do not have the luxury of following our hearts.”
A small smile appeared on the prince’s face. “So, your heart leads you to me?”
“You know it does,” she whispered, shyly.
Before she could anticipate his next move, his lips were suddenly pressed to hers. It was a firm, quick kiss—it was a promise.
“I’ll see you very soon.” He gave her one last meaningful stare, and if looks could wrap arms around a person and possess them, then she would be locked in his.
Cyn walked back over to Lilly and Cypher in a daze.
“You didn’t see that coming did you?” Lilly asked.
Cyn shook her head, still unable to put any words together.
“Yeah well, there’s a lot of that going around so welcome to the club.”
Q
“SHE DID WHAT!” Desdemona yelled and the walls of the small building shook. The windows rattled and threatened to shatter as a wave of her power whipped through the air. Mona stared in the direction of the voice, though she could not see the owner. Once again, the Fae traitor had come to her, offering her information, because she hated one of her own.
“They are no longer in the In-Between,” the Fae reiterated.
“Yes, I kind of figured that’s what you meant when you said that Peri rescued them,” Mona spat at the cloaked figure. She still could not determine the identity of the Fae and it was really beginning to tick her off.
“Don’t take your incompetence out on me,” the Fae snapped back.
Mona froze. Very few beings would dare to talk to her that way and live to tell about it. She turned slowly to face the figure. Her hands itched to work their magic and the darkness swirled inside her pulsing, pushing to be released.
“I told you that I could help you Desdemona. I also told you that you were not my only option. I bring you this information to show you that I am telling you the truth when I say I want Perizada stripped of her power, kneeling before me knowing that her death is upon her.”
Mona couldn’t help the shriek of laughter that bolted out of her. “Damn, I thought I was blood thirsty, but I’m beginning to think that some of you so called good guys are even nastier than little ‘ole me.”
The cloaked figure stepped forward and the darkness around it slowly faded as the hood fell away. Mona laughed as she saw who stood before her.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she clapped her hands with glee. “This is just too much. Does Perizada have any idea that you, Lorelle, are so hard up for her demise?” Mona watched as a small flash of emotion passed over the high Fae’s face and was gone just as quickly as it appeared.
“I feel the element of surprise is much more satisfying when plotting the demise of one’s sibling, don’t you?” Lorelle’s eyes filled with a hatred that Mona fully understood, though she didn’t know one of the Fae was capable of such loathing.
“Thurlok is still at the bridge, though he is cowering under it in hopes that you will not find out what he has done.”
Mona turned and glared out of the window into the poor, tiny village tucked away in the mountains, untouched by progress or time. She had been surprised when Lorelle had asked her to meet in such a place, because it was not a setting that most Fae would choose to spend time, owing to their disdain for anything quaint and opulence free. Had she any semblance of caring she might have thought the village charming, but as it were she could care less if it burned to the ground.
Mona turned back to Lorelle, “You have tracked them?”
“Yes, she keeps us informed of their progress. She believes that we all have truly seen the error of our ways and are fully on board with the Great Luna’s plans.”
Mona’s skin crawled at the mention of the deity who created her foe.
“Where are they?” She snapped.
“They are making their way back to the Romanian stronghold. They are moving quickly through the forest and it seems that Peri is able to influence the plants and animals to aid them. They are drawn to the light she and the healers represent.” Lorelle explained.
Mona’s eyes narrowed as the she bared her teeth. “Well, we will just have to remedy that, won’t we?”
Though Lorelle had allowed her selfish desires and quest for her own power to twist her intentions into something evil, she still shuttered under the feral violence that surrounded Desdemona. It enveloped her completely, leaving no space for compassion, sympathy, or regret. Even now, something in Lorelle still opposed the idea of hurting her sister. But, she could see that Mona would gladly tear the wolves, limb from limb, reveling in their screams of agony, and then casually eat a meal afterwards without a second thought to the lives she'd just destroyed.
If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she didn’t want her hate of Peri to twist her that far, but somehow honesty
just wasn’t her strong suit.
Chapter 11
“I watch her sleeping. I can’t tear my eyes from her for even a second, for if I do I will see her battered, broken body. She’s so worried about me. I try to put on the smile she needs, but I know she sees through me. My desperation to touch her, taste her, and smell her are complete giveaways to what is really going on inside of me. I can feel it from the other males, even Vasile. The effects of the In-Between run much deeper than we could have ever imagined. Though we are free from the physical prison, I fear that it could still be what destroys us.” ~ Costin
Sally stood breathless from the brisk pace that Peri insisted they keep. They had been pushing through the forest for two days and still the males teetered on the edge of violence. The once unified wolves that had trusted each other were leery and edgy around one another. Their eyes darted, constantly waiting for the danger they seemed so sure would come. The males wouldn’t let their mates more than a foot from their sides, Costin included. Sally would have laughed at their ridiculous possessiveness, but the fear in their eyes crushed any humor.
Costin walked up to her. He was not out of breath she noticed, irritably. His hand reached up and brushed away hair that had escaped from her pony tail while they were running. His touch was tentative and gentle and she hated that he, who had once been so confident and bold in his pursuit of her, was now hesitant to touch her—his mate.
“Not for the reasons you think,” he told her as he held her eyes.
“Then why?”
She could feel his need to protect her and, though she appreciated it, in that moment it enraged her. She knew that she was his and he felt an unwavering, all powerful need to protect her, but he was hers too, dammit. How could she protect him, even from himself, if he didn’t let her in?
“You feel the tension, especially because you are a healer. The darkness that we all have kept at bay, the control we have kept on our wolves, is all but gone. We are fighting what we have always feared would destroy us.”