by Zora Marie
“Lord Trazar,” Fen muttered. “I’ll go tell Arlen they need to come back to the house.” He didn’t wait for a response, just took off at a jog into the woods. He didn’t even need to follow their scent to know where they were. A quiet tug in his gut told him where to go. Just as he neared, he heard Arlen ask, “You all right?” Stopping where he was, he peeked through the branches. He could just make out Rina sprawled in the moss covered clearing, her hair shining like spilled ink as it pooled around her.
“I’m fine,” Rina grunted before rolling to her feet, ignoring the hand Arlen offered her. Squaring her shoulders, she put her feet in a stance Fen had seen Arlen use against larger opponents time and time again. “Again?” Rina asked.
Arlen lunged, going slow enough to allow her to deflect a few blows before pinning her arms to her sides and placing one of their blunted training blades to her throat.
“Not bad,” Arlen said as he let go of her.
“For a human.” Rina scoffed.
“Well, it is the equivalent of fighting with both hands tied behind your back, especially since you have no training.”
In the moment of stillness, Fen stepped into the clearing.
“I wondered how long you were just going to watch,” Rina said without even turning to look at him.
“How observant you are is what gives me hope for you. What is it, Fen?”
“Jefel just showed up. We should probably stick closer to the house.” He looked Rina over from head to toe. She’d already put herself back into an easy fighting stance.
“Fantastic.” Tucking the training blades in the second belt he wore, Arlen moved to the other side of the clearing where he’d left a bow and quiver. Picking them up, he walked over to Fen. “She’s a decent archer but has never used a proper bow. Get her set up in the field while I go wake Dorn.”
Taking the gear, Fen swallowed. A small part of him was relieved Arlen hadn’t asked him to continue training her with blades. He wasn’t sure he could make himself attack her—even if it was just for training.
“You all right?” Rina asked as they started to walk back ahead of Arlen.
“Hm? Yeah, fine.” He clipped the quiver to his belt for an easier carry. “If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t been able to get a blow in on Ash all morning.”
“Not really. Arlen is holding back so much that he may as well just stand there.”
“It’ll be easier once you learn to shift. At least then he won’t have as much of a speed edge on you.”
“Yeah, well, I have to shift first.” A wave of aggravation came from Rina and disappeared a moment later. “Sorry, my aggravation isn’t with you.”
“Practicing blocking, I take it.”
“Yeah. At least that’s something I’ve made a little progress on.”
“Hey, it takes time. Heck, I’ve been training with a sword for a few decades and still can’t get a blow in on Ash unless she lets me.”
“But we don’t have time for me to learn and you know it.”
“No one expects you to fight, we just want you to be able to protect yourself if we’re not stuck on you like sap. Hold this while I get the target?” Her eyes lit up when he held the bow out to her, yet she hesitated. He cocked his head. “What?”
“Nothing,” she breathed as she took the bow.
“Right,” Fen drawled and headed for the shed. He didn’t bother with the smaller targets for sharp shooting, just lugged one of the larger ones to the middle of the field. Glancing at Rina, he popped the wooden leg out. She was staring at the bow, her fingers running over the string with a near reverent quality. The sight of her in the middle of the field, sunlight shimmering on her black hair, with her face full of longing and hope was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
19
Arlen
Arlen sat on the edge of the bed. Dorn looked so peaceful, all covered up with his hands tucked up by his pillow, even if he was just lying there with his eyes closed.
“The nap was nice while it lasted,” Dorn whispered. “What is it now?”
“He knows about her. She’ll need you if he shows up.” Arlen let out a long shaky breath. “I need you to help her put on a front if you can.”
A warm hand cupped Arlen’s cheek as Dorn sat up. “I had already planned on it. Has someone gone to tell Farin yet?”
“Not that I know of, though I’m sure Ash already sent Jefel.”
Dorn nodded. “Good and I wouldn’t worry too much about Rina’s reaction. She may surprise you now that she has people around her who care. But you’re right, we need to be there for her. Go on, I’ll join you outside as soon as I’m dressed.”
He pressed a kiss to his mate’s temple before heading back outside. He made it all of a step past the door before he found Ash leaning against the house.
She met his gaze. “Jefel went to let Farin know. Prat is scouting the perimeter and should hopefully give us forewarning if Trazar happens to show up here.”
“Do you think we were naive for thinking we could keep her from him?”
“Hopelessly hopeful is more like it. We’ll be lucky if we have a couple more days before he shows up, but I doubt it. At this point she hasn’t been here long enough to be considered one of us, which means she may be worth something to him. She’s basically a blank slate.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong,” Dorn said, shutting the back door behind him. “She may not know fae customs, but she knows when something isn’t right. That’s what concerns me the most when it comes to Lord Trazar. I’m afraid she’ll kill herself before she lets someone control her again, before she would let someone she cares about get hurt.” Dorn’s gaze grew distant as he stared across the pond, toward the training field.
“Come on.” Arlen intertwined his fingers with Dorn’s. He wasn’t sure what his mate had sensed in Rina, but it clearly had him concerned about her.
“She revealed something to you last night, didn’t she?” Dorn asked and slowed to a stop at the pond’s edge. “Please, I can’t help her if I don’t know.”
Arlen let out a long sigh. He hated revealing someone’s secrets, even if it was to help them, but he also knew not knowing would weigh on Dorn more than the truth would. “Tomilin wasn’t just beaten. Jake did other things to him. That’s what her nightmare was about last night. She attacked Jake when she found out, but ended up unconscious for her efforts. Now she’s determined to learn how to fight… at least she’s got the bounce back part down.”
“And how are you?” Dorn asked.
“I’m fine.”
He raised a brow at him, clearly not taking his halfhearted lie.
“Aright, so it took everything I had not to go tear that monster apart when I first saw Rina, but I know it isn’t worth it to break the treaty with the human wizards by attacking a human. I may not be able to protect her from this war, but I can at least not start another one.” He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “If I didn’t know how lost she was before, I’d think it was a mistake to bring her here.”
“Ayduin,” Dorn whispered Arlen’s true name, his tone sweet and comforting. “Ash may have said she hasn’t been here long enough to become one of us, but she already loves you more than you realize and that alone makes her one of us. Now come on, we shouldn’t leave her in the training field alone. Fen might be powerful, but shadow walking will only get him out of so much trouble.”
20
Rina
The shield Dorn had drawn around her splintered and cracked. She felt its crack like the rumbling of a falling tree through her flesh. Rage like she’d never felt before ripped through her, foreign and red hot. Clutching at his calloused hand, Rina used Fen’s presence and emotions to teether her against the onslaught that made her want to rend the world to dust. It’s not me. She reminded herself and forced herself to breathe.
The crushing presence of a lord was here now, too. “That’s not Farin, is it?” she whispered, already knowing the answer. This power w
as greedy and harsh, new to her yet familiar somehow. It rippled through the world bent on destruction, where Farin’s was like the lapping of water in a lake.
Beside her, Fen was stiff as a board. “No. That’s Lord Trazar.” The targets he’d held clattered to the ground. “We should get inside.”
She scanned the trees and the sky as Fen pulled her along. She didn’t want to be inside. Inside there were walls and doors, corners to be trapped in. Jake’s anger and rage paled in comparison to this. It made her want to be sick and run, and fight all at once. She latched onto the last one. She would face him or he might just keep coming back. He might kill Arlen and Dorn, and all the others for keeping him from her. More than anything, she was tired of losing people. She wouldn’t survive the loss of another family.
She planted her feet, not letting Fen take her another step. “He can come to me here. I won’t hide from him.”
His hand tensed around hers, but he didn’t force her. “Rina, I don’t think you understand—”
“I understand men like him better than you realize.”
Fen’s gaze grew frantic as he looked between her, the path to the house, and the sky. A muscle in his jaw worked as he fought an inner battle. A thread of fear coiled in her gut as she realized he might force her to go inside. Make her stand by as Trazar takes his anger out on the others.
“Fen, I’m not going to do anything insane. I’d just rather meet him out here in the open.”
“All right, but let’s at least find Arlen and Dorn.”
“They’re just at the pond’s edge.” The moment she said where they were, she realized Lord Trazar was nearly there as well. She could feel his discontent growing closer with every beat of her heart.
The need to get to Dorn and Arlen, to protect, clawed at her. Ripping her hand free of Fen’s, she raced for the pond. She’d barely made it to the crest of the hill when a flash of light exploded in front of her. A man with blinding white hair appeared right behind Dorn and Arlen. A sword and daggers hung from his black belt, yet he didn’t use them as he lunged. Grabbing Dorn by the back of his tunic, he lifted him off his feet. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed him into the pond as if he was throwing a skipping stone. Turning to Arlen, his leg snapped out. Once, twice—in quick succession, he slammed his foot into her uncle’s knee and then his stomach. As Arlen keeled over, the man yanked him back up by his throat and slammed him into a tree.
Her heart lurched against her ribs as Arlen struggled to move, completely powerless against Trazar. He’s going to kill them. The world fell away as rage boiled up within her. How dare this man hurt her family. She wouldn’t—couldn’t lose anyone else. The buzzing warmth of power filled her chest. A flash of light emanated from her, pain sering through her, and then she was running, a roaring sound filling her ears.
“How dare you try to hide her from me,” Lord Trazar yelled at Arlen.
“Get your hands off him!” Light spilled out of her as she slammed her hands into his shoulder and chest, throwing him across the field. He hit the ground in a roll before skidding to a stop.
She blinked down at her hands. They looked different, her fingers longer. The light was gone though. She turned and glanced at Arlen who sat in a heap as he gasped down air. Everything seemed sharper, more in focus now too.
Movement from where Trazar had landed in a roll grabbed her attention. She’d nearly thrown him against the house—further than her old bow could have made a kill shot.
Lord Trazar’s teeth were bared in a silent snarl as he stood. Energy rippled off in him in great waves as he stalked toward her, his clothes singed. “How dare you.”
She froze as his rage focused on her. Some small part of her mind screamed at her to run, but she couldn’t make herself move. Then he was there, hand around her throat, choking her as he slammed her against a tree. Adrenaline surged through her, numbing her to the pain. Arlen lunged for him, steel flashing, but Trazar flung him away with shimmering light as he shoved her back again. She heard rather than felt her head connect with the trunk. She tried lashing out with power as she had before. It built inside her and erupted in a burst of light. But there was some sort of shimmering shield around him now, and her light bounced harmlessly off it.
His hand tightened around her throat. She gasped, unable to draw in breath. Images of Tomilin dangling helplessly in Jake’s hand flashed through her mind. Her body burned as her vision grew hazy around the edges. Tomilin had died for her; she couldn’t let his death mean nothing. In a desperate attempt to free herself, she kicked out hard.
“Enough.” Fen’s voice cut through the fog in her mind as darkness exploded from him. It wasn’t the calm soothing darkness of a peaceful night, but the raging dark of a storm. The flash of Trazar’s magic now like lightning in a starless sky. Fen moved so fast she couldn’t even see him until he was right there.
The hand on her neck disappeared. She gasped for air, each breath a struggle to suck in. The ground swam up to meet her, but warm arms caught her before her knees hit the ground. As Fen pulled her to his chest, Ash forced more distance between her and Lord Trazar. Flames swirled around the woman and her daggers.
“Move out of my way,” Trazar snarled. “I’m here for the girl, not you.”
“I’m not going with you.” Her voice was foreign to her own ears, grating and thin from being choked, yet stronger than she felt. Still, she couldn’t let them face this for her, she wasn’t a defenseless little human anymore. Stepping away from Fen, she squared her shoulders. “My home is here, not with you.”
Lord Trazar stiffened before visibly softening his stance, relaxing his shoulders, clearly unaware that she could feel the rage boiling within him. “Don’t you at least want to meet me and your grandmother? She misses you dearly. I could teach you to control your power; it’s not like theirs.”
A new power rippled in the air as thick fog poured from the house and into the yard. It thinned as it neared them, revealing three figures. Farin stalked toward them, flanked by two others. One with lithe cutting grace and eyes the color of gold. The other moved with the ebb and flow of water, his white hair stark against his tanned skin.
The pond roiled and the sun burned hotter in response to their presence, both ready to bend to the will of the lords before her.
“You come to my home and attack my family?” Farin growled.
Trazar stiffed, muscles coiling like a big cat ready to spring. “You’re the one keeping my granddaughter from me.”
The lord with sea green eyes looked Lord Trazar up and down before resting his gaze on her and Fen. “I believe she’s made it clear that she wishes to stay with her father’s side of the family, and it is her right to do so.”
The shimmering shield around him grew brighter as he growled, “She’s just a child. She doesn’t know any better.”
“Are you saying you got your butt handed to you by a child, Lord Trazar?” the lord with golden hair asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Trazar’s anger flared and a muscle in his jaw ticked as he looked at each of the three lords. Magic buzzed thick and heavy in the air. Tendrils of light and dark pressed against Trazar’s shield, fog coiling ever closer. “I’ll be back for her,” Lord Trazar spat before shifting into a bird and flying off toward the town.
The golden haired one watched her with rapt attention while the others watched Trazar go. She moved closer to Fen, his presence comforting in the cacophony of emotions and energy swirling around the lords before her.
Fen shifted uneasily from foot to foot as he turned toward her. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Just as she said it, Farin rounded on her, his gaze slicing right through her. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Father,” Fen growled, stepping in front of her.
“Not a word from you, either. He could have gutted both of you for that. And don’t you encourage her, Sadoren.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sadoren said, thou
gh his smile said that he so would.
“Thank you for the help, Lord Sadoren and Lord Sealar,” Dorn said as he came up beside her. Steam rose off him in little waves of heat.
She wanted to ask him if he was all right, if Arlen was all right, but her head swam with a fog that made it hard to focus. Pain radiated through her skull and ribs, making her vision fuzzy around the edges. Telling herself she’d had worse injuries, she focused on the strange lords around her.
Sadoren stilled, his head cocked as he sniffed at the air until his gaze rested on her. “You’re hurt.”
She shook her head as her heart raced as if to escape her chest. Her vision swam. A spike of pain shot through her skull and she fought the urge to cringe. “I’m fi—” The world spun as she fell and then darkness claimed her.
21
Fen
Fear consumed him as he caught Rina, her body convulsing in his arms as he lowered her to the ground. She’d said she was fine, but now she was shaking, her eyes rolling back in her head. He should have checked her over. He should have known that the buzz of emotions pouring off her, that adrenaline, had been hiding a wound. He’d sensed her pain. But she was projected like it was nothing more than a little bump or a troubled heart, even as she convulsed in his arms. He’d want to fuss, but fear of pushing her away had stopped him. He still knew so little about her.
Lord Sealar stepped around them, lowering himself until he crouched over her. “Give her here, Fen.”
A growl ripped out of Fen. He didn’t want anyone near her, especially an unmated male.
Sealar clicked his tongue as he reached for her. “Rina needs a healer, Fen.”
Someone grabbed his shoulders, keeping Fen from lunging or shadow walking away with her as Sealar reached for Rina.
The lord ran a hand over her head, his magic easing her convulsions. Slowly, carefully, he scooped her from Fen’s arms. “Dorn and I will take care of her. The rest of you should prepare things for when Lord Trazar returns.”