Syney missed him. She missed his smell, his touch, his eyes, his calming effect, his friendship, his ability to know when something was wrong, the way he always knew what to do, the way he protected her. She missed him.
Her heart was broken; there was no denying that. And she was still so angry. How dare he leave her? He didn’t even say good-bye. But he made sure to marry someone else before leaving. With everything that had happened, though—the way he’d left and his marrying Fern—there still wasn’t any way she could hate him, and that was the most frustrating part. This was the first day since he’d left that she hadn’t spent every second thinking about him, and he had invaded her mind anyway. She opened the box again and ran a finger along the two gems. He knew her so well. This was the ideal gift. Damn him! She snapped it shut again and almost threw it off the balcony but thought better of it. Maybe Leaf was right. Who knew if Hunter would even return from the mission? Then how would she feel about throwing away the only thing she’d have to remember what they’d had or even him? She pulled the box close to her chest and laid her head on her knees as she cried harder. Nothing was supposed to hurt as bad as this did. She missed him, and damn it, she still loved him.
“We should increase patrols.”
“Maybe even expand them from two wolves to three.”
“We could move up the mission and cross over the border now. See what they’re up to.”
“But the Shifter was in our own lands.”
“So?”
“Then we should increase our defenses. Maybe we can get more guards.”
“And do what? Line them up along the border in one big line? That might work.” Chuckle.
“It’s a better idea than changing to offense.”
“Why’s that?”
“More people die that way,” Hunter said, putting an end to Fern and Ridge’s back and forth. They looked at him as he studied the map in front of him.
“Then what do you suggest we do?” Ridge asked, an edge to his voice.
Hunter wasn’t surprised Fern had suggested going over the border early. She was antsy by nature and didn’t like to sit still. He also wasn’t surprised by Ridge’s wanting to bulk up defenses. He was a natural leader, and part of that was due to his innate care for his men. Hunter looked at Fern. “And you’re sure it was a Shifter?”
She nodded. “A snake if I’m not mistaken. But I only got the snake part as we left. I think it must have changed to get away.”
Hunter sighed. What had happened that afternoon didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t like unpredictability in his enemies, and that was what this was. They had been on the edge of Shifter territory for a while and this was the first sign of them crossing over onto their lands.
“What’s the matter?” Fern asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“None of us do,” Ridge said.
“Shifters are predatory. They attack any chance they get. But this one runs?”
“Maybe it saw it was outnumbered,” Fern said.
“No, a snake could have taken out at least one of you, especially Cass. She’s the weakest link, and any Shifter would have smelled her.” Hunter looked back down at the map. “Something isn’t right.”
“Does sound odd,” Ridge said, looking at the map as well. “What are you seeing on here?”
Hunter sighed and pointed to where their camp was. “We’re here. Fern said they smelled the Shifter over here.”
“That’s farther into our land than our own camp is,” Ridge said quietly.
“Exactly. What if they’ve been coming onto our land for a while now?”
“For what?” Fern asked.
“Food,” Ridge said with a smile. “That’s why we can’t hunt. They’ve been poaching the land.”
“But why? They have so much land of their own,” Fern said.
Hunter shook his head. “I don’t know. But I bet whoever you ran into today was on his way back from somewhere and didn’t know we were here.”
“You’re right. I don’t like this either,” Ridge said. “Do we have a map of Shifter territory? The whole thing?”
Nodding, Hunter pulled it from the pile on the table and placed it on top. “It’s old. Back from before the war.”
The entrance to the tent opened, and Ivy walked in. “Can I have a moment, sir?”
“Sure.” He turned to Ridge and Fern. “You two are in charge while I’m on patrol. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good hunting,” Ridge and Fern both said as Hunter walked out of the tent with Ivy.
“I’m assuming this is about Princess Cass?” Hunter said.
“Yes, sir. I’d like to be assigned to her.”
“She already has Protectors.”
“I know, but I’d like to take her away from camp once in a while, with your permission of course.”
Hunter stopped walking. “What’s this about?”
Ivy sighed. “I admire that she’s here. Not many Magic Users would be. This is something she wants. It’s the least I can do.”
Hunter looked her over. He had met her only once before the mission. Raine had introduced them right after they’d been paired. He had a feeling her connection to Raine had something to do with her sudden kinship to Cass but didn’t want to bring it up. Raine was still a sensitive subject among the guards and Cass. “All right. But you’ll take full responsibility for her. Meaning if she decides to run or get herself killed, I’ll hold you responsible.”
Ivy smiled. “Yes, sir. I understand.”
“Just make sure to tell me when you’re leaving and where you’re going.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I don’t know anyone who’d want that assignment, especially me. Just don’t kill her yourself,” Hunter said, and walked away toward his tent.
Once inside he took a deep breath. He made his way to the small table in the back of the tent and pulled out the small paper calendar he’d brought with him. He made an X over the day. One hundred twenty-two days gone. He cradled his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He could spend all day working with the troops and doing patrols, but when he was alone, he felt the physical effects of being away from the Village, away from Syney. He once told Leaf he needed her to breathe, and he hadn’t lied. He took a few short breaths and looked at the ceiling of the tent. For this very reason, he tried not to be alone too much. The whole mission—and his men, whom he had sworn to protect—fell away, and all he wanted was her. He took a deep breath and stood. Then he went to his trunk and pushed it open. He looked toward the opening of the tent but he knew Fern would leave him alone. She was big believer in privacy before a patrol, for which he was thankful.
He pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the trunk. He ran his hand down the long leather strap and picked up the smooth brown stone with gold flecks that was tied to the end of it. He could still hear Syney’s words right before she had given it to him: I promise we’ll be together forever. He closed his eyes, squeezed the stone, and pictured her that night, the last time he had kissed her, the last time he had talked to her. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but as Gabe was so fond of saying, there was more to the matter than just him and Syney or their feelings. He opened his eyes and pulled the leather strap and the stone over his head. Then he wrapped it up and slipped it into a small pouch on the interior of his trunk. He never would forgive himself if he lost it. It was all he had left of her. Suddenly his chest tightened, and he knew he had to go. If he stayed by himself for too long, the idea of running back to the palace and taking Syney away, far away, always got too strong. He pulled off the rest of his clothes and left the tent, changing into wolf form once he was outside. He took off at a run and pushed all his feelings aside. As hard as it was, he needed to in order to keep a clear mind.
Gabe pulled his good black suit out of his closet and threw it onto the bed. Clothes, check. He rummaged through the trunk at the end of the bed and pulled out a bottle of cologn
e Faye had given him. It contained pheromones, which should do the trick. What else? What else? Maybe an attraction spell? No, she was already attracted to him, or she wouldn’t have agreed to a date. There had to be something else to seal the deal. He was rifling through his extensive collection of conversation topics when a knock came at the door.
“Come in!”
Adam walked in and surveyed the clothes on the bed. “You’re not dressing me. I look fine.”
Gabe eyeballed the younger man’s dark pants and white button-down shirt. The outfit looked OK but not as sophisticated as Gabe wanted. “You’d look better in black.”
“I look washed out in black. You look good in black.” Adam picked up the bottle. “What’s this?”
“Pheromones.”
He handed it to Gabe. “No.”
Gabe shook his head. “You’re going to need help. She’s still hooked on her wolf.”
Adam lay down on the bed. “She didn’t seem that way to me. I got her to blush.”
“Doesn’t mean she isn’t still in love with Hunter. You’re working against that, which means you’ll have to rely on more than just your usual charm.”
“If you’re going to tell me how to seduce a woman, I’m out of here!” Adam snapped. “I’ve had many women. Trust me—I know what to do.”
“Syney is different,” Gabe said quietly.
Adam sat up. “That was the most emotion I’ve ever heard out of you. Are you sure you’re not in love with her?”
“I’m sure,” Gabe said, tossing the bottle back to him. “Wear it. And talk a lot about life outside the Village. She hates this place, so anything nonpalace she’ll eat up. Stay away from the topic of Protectors or past relationships.”
“And don’t talk about religion or politics,” Adam said. “Never ask her weight or age. I told you, I know what I’m doing.” Adam stood and walked over to Gabe. “You wouldn’t have asked me to do this if you didn’t think I could.”
He was right, of course, but Gabe didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right. People, especially men, who were born as good-looking as Adam tended to get large heads without any help from their friends. Gabe didn’t want to add to it, although Adam was no Prince Brian. He wasn’t arrogant, just sure of himself. Deep down Adam was a decent guy. He just didn’t let people in too often. Considering how he had grown up, Gabe didn’t blame him. That was what worried Gabe the most, though. Syney wasn’t a fan of people who seemed as though they had no vulnerability. She tended to see right through them and toss them aside.
“You need to let her in and see the real you. That’s the only way she’ll let you in,” Gabe said.
Adam broke out into a laugh and handed the bottle back to him. “And she knows the real you? That’s ridiculous. No one knows you.” He headed out of the room. “Don’t worry so much. I’ll do fine. She’s going to love me. Just watch.”
Gabe didn’t say anything. He needed Syney to be joined, and Adam was the best he could do. But he still felt antsy not being able to control the situation. He wanted to be on the date with them, but he knew he couldn’t. He had to trust that Adam could do it. But Gabe wasn’t good at trusting people.
Adam opened the door to reveal Noelle, her hand up to knock. “Hello, there,” Adam said with a smile.
“Oh, hi.” Noelle giggled a little and walked into the room.
Gabe narrowed his eyes at her. Her pulse had picked up. He didn’t like this at all. “What is it?”
“I just came by to say hi. Syney is in a meeting with Helen. Do I get an introduction?” She looked back at Adam.
“Adam, Noelle. Noelle, Adam. And he’s just leaving,” Gabe said quickly.
“But I could stay.” Adam closed the door. He walked over to Noelle. “It’s really good to meet you. You know, they say royals are the prettiest of all Magic Users, but I think they might be wrong, because your eyes are magnificent.”
“Oh, wow,” Noelle said, her breath picking up. She wet her lips and even took a step closer to him.
Adam smiled at Gabe. “I told you I’ll be fine. Now if you’ll excuse me. Have a lovely evening.” He left the room quickly.
Noelle took a deep breath. “He’s right—he’ll be fine. And is fine. Where did you find him?” she asked.
“His parents were friends of mine. Does that really work? I mean, are you all…you know?”
“Oh, yeah. I think it’s the smile. I’d buy anything he was selling. But that’s why he’s here, right? To court Syney? You know, in order for them to get a joining, the law about royals marrying nonroyals will have to be changed.”
“I know. I’m hoping she’ll fall so hard that she’ll push it at a council meeting. Do you really think he’s attractive?”
Noelle smiled and moved closer to him. “Not as much as you are, if that’s what you’re fishing for.”
“It is.”
They stared at each other, only inches apart, for a moment. Gabe had spent months thinking about Noelle and his feelings for her. He even had talked to Faye about it. He couldn’t get distracted, but now that she was involved, now that she knew he had a plan for Syney, that didn’t seem to be that much of a problem. When he was traveling around, putting some things into place, he couldn’t help stoping over in Bolchin. He didn’t have to ask around too long to find out everything he wanted to know about Noelle, and he had to admit, now that he knew her secret, he liked her even more. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun with her, right? Hunter had been right about one thing—Gabe loved games.
“I’ve been thinking for a while,” he said, running the back of his hand along her cheek. “And I think I’d like to explore what we have here.” He leaned in and kissed her gently. He felt her lean into him and deepen the kiss right away. He had expected the kiss to be good, but he wasn’t expecting all the feelings that ran through his body when they did kiss. It was much more than physical. He pulled back and looked down at her. “But I don’t like to start anything with any secrets.” He stepped back and started to put away the clothes he had pulled out.
When he looked back at Noelle, she was still standing in the middle of the room, her hand to her mouth. It was a little mean, he knew, but if she wouldn’t open up to him, she’d never open up to Syney, and now that he knew her secret, she was a big part of the plan. Finally she looked up at him and shook her head before walking out of the room. She would come around, he knew. It was only a matter of time. And he couldn’t wait.
Helen sat in the library, waiting for Syney. She had no idea why Syney had wanted to meet. Their lessons on the Realm had ended a few months ago, although they often met to go over books when one had a question. But Syney had gone through official channels for this meeting, which was odd. Helen waved as she saw her enter the room.
“Hey, sorry. I went shopping for a date.”
Helen looked at her, stunned. “A what?”
“Oh, right. You weren’t at the shindig last night. I got asked out,” Syney said, opening her notebook.
“Please don’t tell me it’s Brian.”
Syney smiled. “Not Brian. His name is Adam. He did, however, come in with Brian.”
“Ah, he’s the one who saved Brian’s life, right?”
Syney nodded. “He’s really cute.”
Helen smiled. “I’m so happy for you. It’ll be good to move on.”
“Uh-huh.” Syney’s hand went the necklace she was wearing.
Helen stared at it for a moment, speechless. She knew what it was. Leaf had showed it to her after he had gotten from his mother. They had talked for hours about whether he should give it to Syney. Helen thought it was a good idea but said Leaf should wait a bit longer before he gave it to her. She needed to heal first. I guess he decided differently, she thought.
“That’s a pretty necklace,” Helen prompted.
“Thanks. It’s just something I found. Noelle brought a bag of gifts to me this morning. I guess it’s customary for the whole Village to give a queen g
ifts on her birthday. Anyway, I wanted to meet with you to discuss something,” Syney said, quickly changing the subject.
“OK. What is it?”
“Well, I’ve been through all the history books in this library, but none of them says anything about the Great War other than it started and never ended.”
“That sounds about right,” Helen said. “Most of our books don’t go into much detail.”
“I was wondering if we could make a new book, or at least do some research into the war. How did it start? Who were the first casualties?”
“Why the sudden interest?”
Syney sighed. “I just really want to know. I mean, I’m supposed to be this savior who ends the Great War, and I don’t even know how it started.”
Helen nodded. “I get it. But you’re not going to find much here. Even the secured section doesn’t have any history books.”
“What about the journals?”
“Possibly, but most weren’t collected once the war started. You could…maybe that might work.”
“What? You do realize you’re talking to yourself in your head, right?”
Helen laughed. “I was thinking you could go into the Village. There aren’t any Magic Users who would still be alive, but there definitely are some Lycins. They—”
“Age differently, I know. Do you think they’ll even talk to me?” Syney asked.
“You’re their future queen. I think they’ll throw you a party,” Helen said with a smile. “Hey, why don’t you just ask Gabriel? I’m sure he was around back then.”
“He was, but knowing him, he’ll just lie to me, so what’s the point?”
Helen nodded. She wanted to ask Syney about the Blocadrian necklace he had given her, but she wanted to keep in mind what Leaf had said. If Helen asked Syney about it, she might tell her to talk to Gabriel, which would make Leaf very angry. Helen hated making him angry, although he was cute when he was. “If you want I can go with you. We can tell them we’re writing a new history book.”
Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2 Page 5