by Jaymin Eve
Still…
“Let me down,” I said, my voice just above normal decibel level. “I can walk!”
Ignoring me, Kade powered toward Kian. My mate wasn’t even hearing me, entirely focused on saving his brother. He would never leave him behind in the Winter Court, not after all of these years wondering what had happened to him.
I wasn’t too keen on it either. The winter queen would somehow find out he helped us and she would kill him and his family without even a second thought. I could not have their deaths on my conscience.
Kian noticed us coming to him, and with one final slap at the fairy he knocked her down to the ground, unconscious. He then turned and dashed in our direction. I couldn’t see much from my position slung across my mate’s shoulder, but turning to a noise behind us, there were many more large shadows coming at us from behind the cart.
Guard patrol.
“We need to get out of here now,” I said.
Kade, who had ground to a halt before his brother, appeared to be stuck in some sort of shocked state. He was just standing there, staring at Kian, his hands tightly clenched around my thighs. I was relieved when he finally dropped me gently to my feet, before he leapt forward to pull Kian into a hug, his large hand coming up to grasp the back of Kian’s neck.
“Brother…” I wasn’t sure which one of them said it, full of so much pain and love. Maybe both of them.
Pulling back, Kian looked behind us and jerked his head to a nearby alley. “We need to get out of here.”
Kade was back in control, for the most part. He reached out to grab my hand and then we were off running, following Kian through the alley, our legs pumping hard, all of us taking turns to glance back at our pursuers, making sure we were keeping a decent distance between us.
As we reached a fork in the road, Kian grabbed Kade’s forearm, yanking us both down a small alley that had been partially hidden by two overhanging awnings.
“Stay close, I know a way to hopefully lose most of them. Then we just have to hope my wife, Shelley, has not been caught yet and is still waiting at the east gate.”
Kade’s reply was low: “Let me guess, Ari was supposed to be with Shelley right now, to meet us at the gate.” There was really no need for that level of dry sarcasm. He would never have left me behind, and I sure as hell wasn’t leaving him.
Kian just laughed, giving me a wink as if to say he understood. “Glad to see not much has changed with you, my brother. Extra glad to see you found a mate equal, if not greater, in power, beauty, and control.”
Kade’s strong hand tightened just a little. “Arianna is queen of the wolf shifters. She is the one I met when I was fifteen, and she is my bonded mate.”
Kian didn’t gasp. His expression didn’t even change. Considering a bonded mate was nothing more than a fairy tale, literally, his reaction was quite strange. And clearly Kade felt the same way when he asked, “You don’t seem surprised to hear about bonded mates, Kian.”
The slightly smaller male let out a strangled chuckle. “Nothing much surprises me anymore, but especially not when it comes to a bonded mate. I know I owe you and Mother a huge apology and an explanation. I never meant to take off and not return, but my mate, my bonded mate, is a bear-wolf, a dual-soul fae. There was no way for us to leave and get a portal home, and my mate was indebted to the winter queen for five winters, and we didn’t want to bring that trouble to Earth.”
A bear-wolf fae. That was the fae which Baladar told us of in his origin story. The ones who bred with humans and produced the first shifters. They couldn’t shift as we did, but their souls were bonded to bear and wolf. Together.
We were still ducking through the alleys. Kian seemed to be leading us through a huge labyrinthine race in a bid to probably confuse any followers and throw them off our scent trail.
Kade waited for a few more beats before he said, “I can’t say that I’m not angry with you, Ki, but I do understand, especially now.” His hand ran up the side of my arm. “I would go anywhere and do anything for Arianna. I would expect no less from you and your mate.”
Before anything else could be said, we were out of the alleyways, and the boys quieted down as we dashed through the streets of the Winter Court. From my brief time here I had a fairly good idea where we were – on one of the main paths, not too far from the eastern gate. It was lit with a few of those fire sticks, which meant we were more visible than we had been for most of our escape. This was the point we were vulnerable. We had to hurry it up.
As if I had conjured them from thought alone, a bunch of fae soldiers stepped out onto the path. Kade and Kian skidded to a halt. I took a moment to be grateful I wasn’t in this alone – and two burly bear brothers were not bad sidekicks to have.
Without giving it a moment’s thought, I shot out with mecca, drawing on every ounce of power I had left.
“Arianna…”
Kade was warning me, and for good reason. When I threw mecca like this without gathering it into a small ball first, it became like a runaway freight train, one my body wasn’t strong enough to handle. But frankly I was more than sick of being in the Winter Court, and I would never go back to my … my grandmother’s tender care, especially when she knew my weakness. She could use children and the innocent against me. Not today.
My hands were lit up like the aurora borealis. Swirls of midnight blue and deep purple continued pouring from my fingertips, and Kian actually took a step back. Smart man. The fae soldiers attacked and I moved my aim to hit them directly with mecca fire. And holy shifter babies, my original mecca energy was completely attached to the fae power now. Together they were more powerful than anything I had ever seen or felt before. And I didn’t hold back, knowing Kade was here to save me if I went too far.
After a few direct hits of power, the guards were disabled, and thankfully I had no trouble cutting off the energy, locking it back inside. Stepping forward, I surveyed the men on the ground. Most were unconscious, still breathing, but a few had blood dripping down from their noses.
“Sweet winter mercy,” Kian muttered.
Kade was all up in my face then, raising his hands to my head. “How do you feel?”
It was then I realized I didn’t have a headache. In fact I felt energized, better than I had two minutes ago, as if calling up this fae power had healed me.
Kade scanned my face and body, his furrowed brows smoothing out as he realized I was fine. Lowering his hands, he stepped back, and looked a combination of intrigued and confused.
“Come on.” Kian jerked his head and we followed him, ready to leave this hellhole behind forever.
At the east gate, I was relieved to see only two guards and a woman with a horse-drawn cart waiting there. This gate was smaller than the main entrance, just a door inside of a fence really, clearly not a heavily used entrance. As we approached, the guards kept their heads up, looking past us as if they didn’t even see us. Whatever Shelley had done, it was working. They were just going to let us through.
Kian rushed to his wife, who was at least six foot tall and willowy, with long cascading tresses of golden-red hair. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. Definitely a fae who stood out in a crowd. As they embraced, I could literally see the love between them, and I wondered if that was what Kade and I looked like now that we were bonded mates.
Kian pulled back and said in a low growl, “Nathanial?”
Shelley jerked her head toward the cart. “Asleep,” she replied. I guessed Nathanial was their son.
The pair faced us, and Kade gave a small head nod to Shelley. “Thank you for all you have done to help Ari and myself. We owe you a debt of gratitude. We insist that you three come with us back to New York City.”
She smiled so radiantly it lit up her already stunning face. “No thanks or debt needed, you are family. And if you can get us a portal, we will go.”
“We can,” I assured her, looking back at the guards, who were still standing there like none of us were nearby. Light was starting
to filter through the fence, shining across their perpetually young faces. The sun was coming up. We needed to leave or risk being stuck here forever.
“My gift,” Shelley said. “I can confuse people. My great, great, grandmother was a magic born.”
My eyebrows lifted, eyes widening. “You confused your own brother?”
She nodded. “That way the queen will not kill him when she interrogates him.”
I already liked her; she might be beautiful, but smart and caring were much more attractive.
“Let’s move.” Kian swung the gate wide open and Shelley nudged the horse and small cart through. As Kade and I followed, my knees almost buckled as a burst of energy caressed my body … and then I could hear Finn yelling in my head.
Ari! My familiar sounded frantic.
I’m here! We’re coming. We’re all safe. Tears filled my eyes, overflowing and trailing down my cheeks. I couldn’t help it, I missed my dear friend, and his voice in my head was the greatest sound in the world right now. High-pitched shrieks above me told me that Kade had signaled Nix.
Finn’s tone sounded emotional when he said: Violet is healed. Get to the campsite north of Winter Mountain. I’ll find you there.
For the second time, a surge of relief just about brought me to my knees. I had been in survival mode during my imprisonment, and at the back of my mind had been a deep-seated panic for my friends and family. I had no idea if they had escaped, if Violet had survived. I hadn’t been able to think about it or I’d lose my mind and never break free, but now that I knew everyone was okay…
I crumbled.
Kade wrapped his arms around me, hauling me up and cradling me close to him, almost like a baby. I struggled for a second before realizing I needed the comfort. So, for a few moments, I let myself be hugged, let Kade take the burden of my emotions. He strode across to the cart and with no effort at all climbed in, sitting with me cradled in his lap. Kian jumped up to the bench seat, beside his mate, and then we were off.
Letting my body relax into Kade, I enjoyed our closeness as I tried to calm the tumultuous emotions crashing inside of me. It took some time, but finally I was able to speak without my voice wavering. “Where has Nix been during our capture?”
Kade’s breathing got a little deeper, his voice raspy. “She attacked a few of the guards trying to find us, but then they started hunting her using magic, so she hid out for a bit, keeping herself in position should I reappear again.”
“She must have been so worried not being able to communicate with you,” I murmured.
His chest rumbled. “She was.”
He didn’t say any more. His fury of what had happened was only growing.
Deciding I’d been babied long enough, I slipped off Kade’s lap to see our surroundings better. A small section of the cart, just in behind the bench that Kian and Shelley were on, was covered, and I peeked inside to see a sleeping boy bundled in a blanket. A little white rabbit was snuggled on his lap. His familiar I was guessing.
“So where am I going?” Kian asked, turning his head around to see us.
“North of Winter Mountain, to a campsite. Help is waiting,” I said, and with that the horse took off and we left the Winter Court behind.
Kade was looking at the sleeping boy, emotion swimming in his amber eyes. “Is that…?” His voice was very husky.
Shelley reached back and took Kade’s hand. “Nathanial, your nephew. We have told him all about you and your mother and New York. We talk about you guys every day.”
Now my eyes were swimming with emotion, and Shelley took her hand off of Kade’s and placed it on mine. “Thank you for coming to get us. Even if by accident. It’s all I have prayed for these past five years.”
I could only nod, emotion clogging my throat. My mate’s brother had been found, alive and well. With a wife and child. It was sort of a miracle. And right now, we really needed all the miracles we could get.
Chapter Eleven
The insidious creep of frostbite.
During the first twenty minutes of travel, which were thankfully uneventful, I used our bond to tell Kade everything I had learned about my bloodline and true mother. To say he was angry was an understatement.
They both deserve to lose their heads over their treatment of you. He had me wrapped up tightly against him, shielding my body with his. The Red Queen is only slightly less guilty, because she clearly tried to protect you from the fae.
I sighed, relishing our closeness. It had been scary being separated, taken by our enemy, not knowing if we would ever see each other again. This was a gift.
Yes, she did, but it was her fault to start with. How could she be so stupid as to begin an affair with a winter prince?
Kade stared off into the snowy distance, his warm furs tickling my cheek. I only met her a few times, but her weaknesses were obvious from the start. Arrogance and love of power. It clearly blinded her.
I snorted. Yeah, she probably thought she would be the one to control him, to gain the Otherworld side of the mecca power.
I had no doubt that both of my biological parents had started their affair in the hopes of manipulating the other. In the end though, I had ruined both plans.
Not wanting to think about it any longer, I turned my head to regard the couple up top, who were controlling the horses. I cleared my throat to break the silence, and both looked in my direction.
“I’d really love to know your story,” I said. “How did you two meet? How did Kian end up in the Otherworld?” Shelley and Kian exchanged a look, and he gave his mate a nod. I felt Kade straighten beside me, and knew he was ready to hear this story too.
Shelley twisted around to see us better, her voice low and even. “My father betrayed the queen a long time ago, and it was my duty to work off the debt. The queen heard of my gift and employed me to use it on anyone she saw fit for the many years of my sentence. I confused people into seeing things that weren’t there so the queen could slip in and do whatever she wanted.” Fine lines formed around her eyes; her regret and pain were clear. I decided to return her earlier kind gesture, and I reached out and grasped her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
She continued with a wonky smile. “One day the queen said she had found a way into the Earth realm, and wanted me to confuse the bear king so she could get some information. I was scared but I agreed. She had already killed my father and was threatening to kill my mother. I felt I had no choice. A few magic born opened the portal, and as we stepped through I was amazed. The bright lights, the tall buildings!” Some of her sadness dissipated under the awe reflecting across her face. Yep. New York City would do that to a person, capture them and never let go. My heart ached for my home.
She swallowed hard. “I confused the king and his guards so that the queen’s magic born could spell the water behind his house, to be used as a portal for future fae to enter.”
Kade growled lightly at that, but Shelley, probably used to it from Kian, didn’t even blink. “But something went wrong. The portal we had opened to come in wasn’t closing like it was supposed to, and the winter queen left me and a magic born to deal with it as she traveled back here through the water. That’s when Kian showed up. The moment I saw him I knew he was my bonded mate. Fae can tell from just one look. Everything inside of me changed that day, rearranged itself to be with him. The magic born tried to hurt him, but I killed her. Killing her caused the portal to go haywire, because she had created it. It turned into a black mass of energy and sucked Kian and I inside. Then it exploded. To this day there is still a burnt part of forest on the south edge of the winter palace.”
“I wish I would have known,” Kade said. “I searched for you all over the boroughs, even outside the city, but never would I have imagined you were alive and living in a mythical land.”
Kian’s green eyes were shiny, almost reflective as he too turned in his seat to see us better. “You could never have known, Kade, and there was nothing you could have done. Once we were in the Otherwor
ld, there was no returning to Earth. The portals were off-limits.” His jaw worked as he fought for words. “The first few weeks here were rough. Shelley hid me in a nearby village, visiting every few days to teach me the way of the fae so I could blend in. There are some outsiders here, so it’s not completely uncommon, but luckily no one knew I was the bear king’s son. After a year, I moved into the main winter township with Shelley. She had to stay close to the queen. Over the time we tried everything to get a portal out of here, but we never could.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Shelley said. “We’re together now and we’re going home.” I was surprised to hear her speak of New York as her home. Kian truly must have talked about it every day.
The conversation drifted then into topics of less intensity, nothing too serious, just basic catching up. Kade and Kian especially wanted to know everything they had missed in each other’s lives.
“I’m so sorry about Dad.” Kian’s cheeks were tinged with red. I could see the flames in his eyes. He was angry at not being there to help his father. “I’m the oldest. It was my duty to stand by the king.”
Shelley dropped her head, and that caught Kian’s attention. He wrapped his arm around her, keeping his free hand on the reins of the horse. “I’m sorry, my love. I would not change the last years of our lives. It’s just hard to hear of the betrayal of my father. To know I wasn’t able to have his back, or Kade’s.”
My mate reached up to clasp his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “His death was avenged, and you were protecting your family.”
Kian gave him a nod, but didn’t look satisfied. Kade let out a rumbling laugh. “The worst thing you did was leave me to take the crown.”
I think he expected Kian to laugh, but the older bear didn’t. Only the slightest of smiles crossed his lips. “You still going on about that?” His eyes flicked across to me. “Don’t let Kade fool you, he was always the one better suited to rule over our people.”