It felt as if I had been wandering around for only a few minutes, but time had no bearing inside Faery. Worse than that, I had no idea how they calculated it. I'd passed the flowers Zahruk had been talking about—with women laying around them doing things to themselves best left unsaid.
The forest was growing denser and my feet were screaming with every step I took. I'd considered stopping and just waiting for him to find me, but he didn’t deserve an easy catch. He deserved a punch in the nose, or worse.
I jumped as a ripple tore through the air, the green leaves shuddering from the force a moment before the air grew thicker, tainted with a growing disturbance. I turned and ran forward as fast as my battered feet would take me. I could hear hounds howling and snarling in the distance as I moved further into the wooded area.
Adrenaline kicked into overdrive, my mind screaming. I calmed the overwhelming urge to panic, pushing away the sound of the hounds as they howled in warning of the approaching hunter. Water beat against rocks to the west. I turned and ran towards it hoping to cover my scent from the hounds.
I ran over grass and branches and came to a skidding halt on the edge of a cliff. I peeked over the edge and scanned for a simpler way down, I looked back over my shoulder as the beating of hooves grew closer. The hounds and a hunter were growing closer, I swallowed and turned completely around waiting, watching.
I'm not sure how I knew it was Ryder that approached, maybe it was the pulsing of power radiating from his body incredibly stronger here, where it was dampened inside my world. He sat atop a beautiful stallion, the horse stomping on the ground as it fought the rider for control to run freely. Its black sleek body shining in the sun's burning light, as its wild red eyes searched frantically for more open field to run through.
The hounds broke from the bushes and circled the horse, heads low with ears drawn back as they watched me closely. I stepped back as I lifted my eyes to Ryder who had found me faster than I thought he would. He was incredibly beautiful atop his mount. His eyes glowing from within the cloak gave him away.
He looked like something from another age long past, or a battle scene depicted in a museum. A heavy long cloak with a hood was drawn over his head in a heavy obsidian fabric that looked as if it could absorb light. Under this he wore a tunic and trousers of the same fabric. Thick black straps studded with onyx jewels set in dulled silver crisscrossed his chest and held a variety of wicked looking blades as if he was expecting a fight.
I licked my dry lips and stepped even further back and had to work to keep my balance as rocks fell from the cliffs edge. When I was back on solid ground, I flung my eyes back towards the Dark Prince. His eyes swirling with the adrenaline from the hunt, his wild electrical current wickedly abundant here sizzling over my flesh, kissing it.
"Careful Syn," he whispered as he lifted his hand to remove his hood exposing his face. He was even more beautiful in full Fae form. His face was lit up with his brands, his chest showing them as well from where his cloak was open enough to show it enticingly.
I said nothing, just watched him as he did the same to me. I looked down once more judging the distance between the top of the cliff and the enchanting pool below it, a waterfall pounded into the pond from the other side relentlessly. It was beautiful and serene so unlike the emotions and adrenaline pulsing through me now.
He narrowed his eyes as he figured out what I was planning, "Don’t you even fucking—"
I spun around and jumped.
A few things go through your mind when you do something stupid. Like, oh hell this was stupid, along with that moment of perfect clarity of this might be the last stupid thing you ever do. I'd just swan-dived off a cliff without any knowledge of how deep the water was, or if it held the Lochness Monster in its watery depths.
I didn’t have long to wait before I hit the water smoothly and luckily it was deep enough to dive into. I turned my body around and pushed off the rock's slime covered tops and crested the water's surface effortlessly. I scanned the top of the cliffs for Ryder, but he was no longer there. I turned towards the shore and kicked my legs sending my body in the correct direction. When my feet were able to touch I walked up and sat on a rock to catch my breath.
"That was stupid," Adrian said from behind me.
I spun around and took him in, he was wearing a cloak similar to Ryder's but Adrian's was crimson instead of onyx. I backed away from him, my feet once again in the watery pool. "Adrian," I warned as he lifted his blood red eyes that matched his cloak to me. Looks like Ryder wasn't the only one who looked different inside of Faery.