Red and Her Wolf (Kingdom, #3)

“What do ye ken, Cheshire?” His voice shook from the depths of his belly.

Balls of white fell back to the cat’s open mouth. He swallowed the twin orbs and blinking rapidly, readjusted his pale silver eyes before answering. “The birds talk. Talk. Talk. Incessant chatter; drives me simply mad.”

He narrowed his eyes, tugged on the cat’s scruff, surprised Cheshire let him. It didn’t last long, the cat faded in a puff of smoke. Only his whisper remained.

“She’s been found.” Then he laughed, and the woods behind him echoed with the strain of a thousand eerie cackles.

“What?!” Ewan thundered, whirling on the only other soul around.

“He’s a liar,” Jinni said with a firm shake of his head. “Do not listen.”

Fury ripped through his body, blanketed his mind with visions of death, and gore. “Danika!” Ewan thundered, roared her names to the heavens.

Hot air smacked his cheek, and with a crack of lightening, Danika hovered before him. Corn silk blue eyes were large in her pale face; wisps of gray blond curls framed her head in a halo effect. But he wasn’t fooled. He knew what the fairies were capable of, had seen their savagery for himself.

Taking a deep breath, Danika nodded. “It is true.”

Words escaped him, his mind went blank.

“The cat should not have told you. I came only just now to--”

Snarling, Ewan snatched her from the air, wishing her could squeeze the life from her fragile body. “How could ye? I’ve done all ye’ve asked and more. Trusting ye would help me find her, ye swore it. When I found Gerard that was yer promise. Yer oath…”

Her lashes fluttered, but gave no other outward sign of distress. “Three months ago Miriam told me--”

Trembling, Ewan dropped her, knowing he’d kill her if he held on any longer. “Miriam,” he thundered, his brogue becoming deeper with his shock. “Ye’ve talked with the Shunned? How long, Danika? How long have ye known where to find my mate? How bloody long!” Spittle flew from his lips, but he didn’t care. His vision swam in his head, out of focus, in and out making him dizzy.

“Since the beginning.”

There was no longer heat in veins, but ice. It sunk its claws into his soul, turning him numb. “An eternity,” he murmured and she flinched.

Memories crashed over him, rolling past his mind in a constant stream. Macabre visions of a desperate wolf mad with want for his mate. Bloody knives slicing through veins, rushing into the fray of battle as fiery arrows pierced his jugular, being forced repeatedly by fairy magic to return to the land of living. Dying slowly inside each day, soul shriveling down to nothing as the years rolled by one after the other. Returned from death so many times. Alive. But never whole.

She must have known, must have realized what the separation did to him. Danika had begun sending him on missions of hope. The flowers had spotted the Heartsong hidden deep within the Ogre’s woods, atop CloudMountain, within the briny depths of Davy Jones’ locker. Danika had sent him on fool’s errand, knowing all along his mate was on Earth.

“How did you do it?” he asked, his voice dead, monotone.

Danika licked her lips, glancing at Jinni, then back at him. “You must understand, I did what I must. T’was for the good of Kingdom, for us all…”

He held up his hand, unwilling to listen to one more word fall from her viperous, liars tongue.

“Answer the question, fairy. How did ye make me hear her last night? Did ye throw yer voice? Bribe Cheshire with a bag of bloody hearts? HOW?”

As he’d spoken, she’d begun to look more and more confused, until finally shaking her head, she said, “You heard her? Are you sure?”

“Don’t. Lie. To. Me.” Each word, so full of scorn, made her flit back, as if slapped. “How did ye do it?”

“I…I didn’t. I…” she grabbed her face, “dear gods, you heard her? Then it really is time. Miriam was right, the hour is upon us. You must save her, Ewan.”

Hissing, he thrust his face to within inches of hers, forcing her to back up. Her dragonfly wings trembled violently.

“Where is she?”

She took a deep breath. “She is where the cat claimed. Alaska. Malvena’s spies are close, Miriam has already killed many.”

He made to go, but she reached out a small hand to stop him. Ewan shrugged her off.

Hugging her hand to her chest, she said, “This is bigger than you, or her, Ewan. The moment Violet steps foot in Kingdom it will be a race against time. Not only will Malvena sense the return of the Heartsong, so will Galeta.”

“I don’t care.”