by K. Rea
“Better watch out, or you’ll have one too,” Jolie teased.
“It’s way too early for baby talk. Isn’t it?” I asked, suddenly worried. Jolie laughed while Jude frowned, and Aiden’s face turned somber. If I got pregnant, would he let me go? Would I want to leave?
“The Beecham’s are Goddess blessed,” Aiden said sadly. “I think more water is in order. I’ll be back.”
I watched as Aiden walked away without a second look. The lightness in his step gone, his walk rigid. The pictures of the baby and woman flashed in my mind. I looked back at Jude and Jolie. Jolie looked away, tears in her eyes.
“He’ll be fine. As for a baby, usually, only humans or nearly human supernaturals can procreate with vampires. Since you are a wolf, he cannot father your child. If you decide one day to be parents, you could go about it another way,” Jude explained delicately.
“The photos at the cottage, the baby?” I asked. Jude stiffened.
“The child is gone; it is a topic of great pain; it would be best not to bring it up again. I’m starving; anyone else want any food?” Jude asked, rising to leave.
“No, thanks,” I said.
“Yes, you know what I like,” Jolie said.
“Everything?” Jude said. “I’ll bring back your favorites.”
We watched Jude walk off in the direction that Aiden went. The opposite direction of the food and beverage tables placed nearest us. Jolie looked at me a bit sadly.
“Sorry if I upset you. I wasn’t thinking, I forget Aiden is a vampire sometimes; he’s not like the others anymore. Why don’t we go find some trouble?” Jolie asked. She slowly rose from the log and walked toward the vendors set up on the far side of the festival.
As the festival started winding down, Jolie eventually admitted she needed rest, and we all walked back to the Beecham house. She provided me with a set of pajamas, and I laid down in the guest room after a quick shower. I was exhausted from healing the tree with Jude and the festivities of the day. The nectar still took its toll. The men lounged on Jude’s back porch drinking, their voices flitting in through the guest bedroom window.
“It’s not good, Aiden. There’s unrest everywhere. There hasn’t been this much tension since the Shadow Wars. There’s talk even here of leaving the Court, closing the forest, and self-governing again. Some are considering leaving for the Light. If this continues, if Gaius reacts poorly, the Court of Shadows may unravel. It’s the perfect opportunity for the Court of Light to attack. He’s in no position to fight back with his Court divided. Even if the Court of Darkness honors their damned agreement,” Jude said.
“Piper is still working on who ordered the executions, I doubt we’ll find proof, but I expect the Court of Light set this complete debacle in motion. We appeased Gaius for the moment, but if wolves and other Court members act up, it will be a bloody affair,” Aiden said grimly.
“Would you take over?” Jude whispered. “Or will you be his commander again? He knows I won’t do a damn thing he orders me to as long as Jolie is safe here. He’ll have to find another way to move his armies this time. The Fae won’t help.”
“What you’re suggesting is treason,” Aiden hissed. “I’m not sure many would allow me to be king after the Shadow Wars. You know he’d burn me alive if he thought I’d rise against him. He’s said as much, and more, over the years.”
“I’d follow you. We aren’t the same stupid young men we were. If the moon shadows start a rebellion, Gaius will take Evelyn from you. Then use her as a pawn, break her, and force you to watch. Force you to slaughter her people in front of her. You can’t tell me you would follow the Blood King’s orders then. Even if you are the Dark Prince,” Jude admonished. Aiden grunted.
“That won’t happen,” Aiden stated.
“It will. You’re already half in love with that girl. I’d bet my firstborn child there’s a connection between that tattoo and her. He’ll see that love; he’ll use it against you. He’ll destroy her because of what she is. If it gets under your skin, he’d be even happier too.” The more Jude talked, the darker the bond grew; fury bubbling along it.
“Enough, you never know who is listening in the woods,” Aiden ordered, his voice dark. I heard a splash as if someone had thrown their drink out. What little of the bond I could feel was silent and grew taut as Aiden stalked away.
“I know you can hear me, wolf. He has feelings for you, but they don’t call him a Dark Prince for nothing. He won the Shadow Wars for Gaius. He’ll do it again if he’s forced to, though it would be at a terrible cost. It took a miracle for him to turn back to the light. If he goes dark again, we won’t get him back,” Jude warned. “For you, I bet he’d let the Darkness take him to the depths of the netherworld and stay there.”
TWENTY - THREE
The screams woke me first. Black smoke curled in the air coming in from the open window beside the bed, its bitter smell a stark difference to the sweet bonfires from earlier. Aiden was out of bed, pulling his clothes on, and gathered weapons I didn’t realize were in the room before my eyes could properly focus.
“Aiden, I’ve got Jolie. Do you have Evelyn?” Jude bellowed from the other side of the house.
“Yes! Evie, get dressed. We need to leave now,” Aiden ordered. I tumbled from the bed and started stripping out of the pajamas. He tossed me a pair of pants and a dark shirt, pulling my shoes out from underneath the bed. Once decent, he handed me my opal dagger and took my free hand in his.
“We’re here,” Aiden said, approaching Jude and Jolie. The pregnant woman stood nervously still in a sleep gown with a blanket thrown over her shoulders. “Do we know who it is? What’s going on?”
“Wolves and Court of Light fae are overtaking the forest. They’re torching sections of the town, forcing everyone west where another group is waiting according to the woods,” Jude hissed. His eyes glowed as he connected his hand with a tree growing through his house and communicated with the forest. Aiden cursed.
“What do we do?” Jolie asked.
“Jude and Jolie, you flee and try to make it back to my cottage; you’ll be safe there. Take Evelyn with you,” Aiden decided.
“Wolves?” I questioned.
“Moon shadows, most likely. The forest can’t tell the difference,” Jude said darkly to Aiden. The wolves had come for me, and they sided with a rival court. They were going to start a war.
“Please don’t kill them,” I begged; Aiden frowned.
“I can’t promise that. They may not be here for you,” Aiden said coldly. “Come on, we need to get you all out of here before they get to this house. Smoke is getting thicker. We’ll follow you, Jude; you set the pace, Jolie. Go as slow as you need to, but quickly.”
Both men had a sword in one hand and their woman’s hand in the other. Jude checked the front of the house before opening the door. Smoke lay in the air like a blanket of fog. Screams echoed in the darkness. Fae were running and hobbling by, and I could hear children sobbing from being woken from their beds. Above it all, I could hear the roar of flames and growls of wolves on the hunt.
“Help Jolie,” Jude ordered gently, bringing her to me. I released Aiden’s hand as Jude stepped out the front door. We followed behind, Aiden shutting the door behind us.
“Wait,” Jolie said before putting her hand on the side of the house. She murmured something under her breath as her eyes glowed.
“Just a spell to keep it standing and from burning hopefully,” she explained.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Save your strength,” Jude chided.
“Every tree lost in this forest weakens you. The forest burns tonight. You’re my strength. We keep each other safe. Now let’s go,” Jolie declared.
We walked as fast as Jolie could manage through town. The villagers left doors open, items were strewn about as fae fled in a hurry. Fae and the intruders left a destroyed market in
their wake. The growls were getting closer as we reached the tree line. Jolie stumbled; we both almost fell to the ground.
“Jude,” Jolie rasped, “the baby.”
Jude turned around, alarmed, looking at us, specifically at her belly.
“Now?” he asked, shocked.
“Yes, now!” Jolie groaned.
“Here, come here,” Jude said, holding his arms out for her. He handed the sword to me and bent to pick Jolie up. He carried her in his arms into the forest. Aiden took the sword from me and gestured to follow them. Jude approached a large tree that looked similar to the tree in Aiden’s sanctuary. A growl erupted behind us and echoed on both sides. Three dark wolves and two fae that glowed slightly stepped from the shadows. Aiden cursed again.
“Go, Jude, take Jolie to safety. Evelyn, shift, and run. Now,” Aiden ordered as he took a defensive stance between the wolves and the three of us. Jude didn’t hesitate; he approached the tree and glowed as he pulled on his power. Jolie cried out in his arms. The wolves growled.
“Dark Prince, we’ve been looking for you,” one of the fae said. Their cloaks were a deep burgundy in the darkness, a bright yellow sun emblem sewn over their hearts. The symbol familiar, but I couldn’t remember why. I knew I had seen it before. The wolf in front, the largest of the three, shifted form.
“Evie, shift, and run damn it!” Aiden ordered; his eyes turned black, the edges burned like coals, his fangs on display. His shirt flapped in the growing breeze like wings. One of the smaller wolves lunged at him. The gigantic wolf finished shifting to human.
“Evelyn, come with me,” Mason said, a touch of alpha command in his voice. He stood there years older, stronger, and fierce. His face handsome, his eyes locked on me. I looked between the two men. My heart twisted in anxiety over the conflict that was bound to happen.
“Evelyn, shift. Run. Now! Don’t let them catch you,” Aiden ordered coldly. Firm hot compulsion burned along the bond.
Forgive me, little wolf, Aiden said into the bond.
Barely a breath escaped my lips, and I was shifting and running away. Snarls and growls rose to a fevered pitch behind me, yet I ran. I ran further, deeper into the woods, away from the fight for me. Away from the yelps, whimpers, and roaring. I could hear someone tracking me, following me. Steps echoed behind me in the crackle of leaves and the snapping of branches.
Minutes or hours later, I heard a river. The sound of water rushing over rocks and boulders sounded loudly through the forest. I heard the wolves pursuing me. The river was below me and too wide to jump across. It had a roar all its own, so loud it masked the rest of the forest. The fast frothy white water gave me pause. Even though I had spent years working with my parents and Orion to overcome my fear of rivers—white water still made me freeze. Fear gripped me as a wolf came barreling into the clearing. Before the blur stopped, it transformed back into a man. The expression on Mason’s face one of concern and seriousness. He knew my fear.
“Evelyn, come with me. I’m here to save you, not condemn you. Change back,” Mason said, my hackles raised at the alpha edge in the last command. I’d allow it this time. He walked closer. I changed back from a wolf into human form. His eyes raked over my body; his gaze froze on the mostly healed bite mark on my neck from the night before. His eyes hardened, and he clenched his jaw.
“That bloodsucker will pay, I promise you,” Mason vowed as he came closer. There was nowhere else for me to go. The river roared at my back.
“He’s still alive then?” I yelled over the noise of the river to be heard, even though I could still feel Aiden through the bond. He was livid. Frustration rippled down the bond. Do I leave with Mason? Do I run and stay with Aiden?
“That’s up to him and the light fae. I came for you,” Mason said.
“If I go with you, there will be a war. They’ll come for all moon shadows,” I said, and Mason shrugged his shoulders.
“Let them come. We’ve been waiting for it, we’re ready. It was going to happen, eventually,” Mason said. “You don’t want to be trapped with them when that happens.”
“There are innocent and good people at Court; not everyone is bad,” I said; he scoffed.
“If they’re part of the Court of Shadows, it taints their souls. They did nothing when wrongs were being committed. They must answer for that. No one is ever innocent. The Court of Light will burn that place to the ground to avenge what they lost. Gaius does not understand who he fucked with. He took something from their Queen, it was irreplaceable, and to her, worth a war—she will have her vengeance even if it means she has to come down from her ebony tower,” Mason said as he grabbed my shoulder to move me from the edge.
The moment his fingers wrapped around my upper arm, Aiden’s compulsion hit me full force. The urge to escape engulfed me like black tar, as did his awareness and fear when he felt it reverberate back down the bond.
Fight him off Evie, I’m coming for you. Aiden roared down the bond.
I growled, scratched, screamed, and pushed at Mason to make him let go. Still, that command to run and not be caught wrapped tight around me. The harder I fought, the less it pushed on me, but it still wasn’t happy. The urge to fight raged in me along the bond. Mason cursed as he fell, releasing my arm.
“What the hell is wrong with you? What did they do to you?” he bellowed. He stood and came toward me again. Only this time, when I took a step back away from him, my foot hit nothing but air. I saw Aiden burst through the woods toward us, a flaming sword in hand. I saw the horror on his face as my weight shifted, and I fell. I fell screaming into my worst nightmare. At least I no longer burned.
The water swallowed me in a heartbeat. I could see nothing but felt bubbles all around me, making it difficult to swim. The river moved, spun, and dropped me. I hit rock after rock until finally, I could tell where the ground was. I kicked my legs to get my head above water. Coughing and sputtering, I got a few good lungfuls of air as the river carried me. I fought to bring my legs up to the surface of the river and point them downstream.
The further I moved downstream, the less the hot black compulsion pushed against me, and the fewer rocks and white water surrounded me. I tried to test the water to see if I could touch the ground, only to slip beneath the surface. I kicked my feet again to bring myself up. For a moment, the river seemed to settle. Less white water surrounded me, but an even louder roaring persisted in my ears. My eyes adjusted to the darkness.
“Evelyn! Evelyn, over here!” Aiden yelled; his panic trembled down the bond. He was halfway out into the river, his hands outstretched. Mason was further down the bank getting prepared to jump in. I tried to swim to Aiden, but every time I got close, the current ripped me back into the center of the river. Both men looked frantic, their gaze darting back and forth between me and a spot further upriver where the river disappeared. The roaring grew louder. “Evelyn, hurry, there’s no time.”
A waterfall. I kicked fiercely and swung my arms through the water, trying to break free of the current. Aiden came further out into the water. He fought the current to keep his tenuous footing. We were feet apart when the river whipped me past him, then Mason. The current faster and faster.
“Shift Evelyn, shift!” Mason roared. The river sent me careening into the air, surrounded by water. I shifted and twisted as I fell. I took a deep breath before I hit the churning water hard. The impact knocked the air from me before it pulled me under in a rolling wave of black water and froth. My lungs hurt; the water grew dark. My lungs burned, and still, I spun, trapped beneath the black churning waters.
As my strength gave out and I shifted back to human form, I felt something pulling me down, wrapped tight around my waist. I tried to fight it, but it fought back. It squeezed tighter and pulled me into the darkness.
I have you, little wolf; it is okay, you’re going to be okay. Aiden said through the bond. The current pushed us down river as I was a
bout to submit to the darkness, and he pulled us up above the water. That first sputtering breath hurt as it cooled my burning lungs.
“I have you, mo ghràdh,” Aiden panted into my ear as the river carried us away. In the distance, too far away to make out his expression, Mason stood on the river bank. He watched us float away without a step in our direction until he was out of sight.
After Aiden dragged us onto the riverbank, he checked me over for injuries. I was bruised and sore in several places, but nothing seemed broken. We limped to the closest tree that resembled Old Jezebel and sat at the base. He slashed it with the dagger I had given him earlier in the night and then his own hand. Aiden pressed his bleeding palm to the tree’s cut and waited. Cold, wet, and shivering, I huddled into his side for the warmth he put off. He hissed, and I tried to move away, but he wrapped his free arm around me tightly, keeping me close.
“You may have broken a rib or two. For being a wolf, you’re a bit of a hellcat,” Aiden chided, attempting to tease me.
“What happens now?” I asked, the woods around us singing a nighttime melody accompanied by the gurgling river nearby.
“We wait for the forest to tell Jude where we are, hope Jolie isn’t in the middle of giving birth, and wait for him to get us,” Aiden explained wearily.
“What about Mason?” I asked.
“Unless he wants me to rip out his throat, he’s staying on his side of the river,” Aiden said, gritting his teeth.
“Thank you for not killing him,” I said, my head resting on his chest. The tree at my back grew hot.
“Jolie will kill you both if I’m not back in time. Take my hands,” Jude ordered, only his glowing head and hands stuck out through the tree. Aiden and I quickly grabbed his hands. Relief swept through me, not entirely my own, as we fell out of Old Jezebel and saw the cottage ahead. Jude sprinted back to the cottage, toward the woman hollering for him without a backward glance to us.
TWENTY - FOUR