Our bond was the strongest thing I had ever felt, even when we were teenagers. I had fought as hard as I could to resist him, but in the end I couldn’t. And it had cost me my crown. I wasn’t worried, though, I was going to figure out how to have Kade and still be a just leader to my people. According to Baladar – who was old, wise, and definitely appeared to top the magic born power scale – bear and wolf royal couples had worked in the past, and it would again.
“We’ll get her back, Ari,” Kade said, sensing my gnawing worry that would not abate. I turned so I could face him, pretty much straddling his body. For a brief moment I got lost in his whiskey-colored eyes as I reached up and brushed my hand across the scruff on his chin, pulling his face to mine.
Lips barely a breath apart, I said, “Together we can do this. I have absolutely no doubts.” If I’d learned anything in my time as queen, it was that Kade and I were stronger together.
His soft lips crushed mine, and as his scent and taste crashed through me, my head went light and my body tingly. I had no idea how he did this to me, but I was not complaining. When he finally pulled back I let out a contented sigh, which had a grin and dimple appearing on his face. Poor Nikoli had to put up with our constant physical contact when he had no one of his own. He was a good sport about it, even now he just sat quietly, eyes half closed, staring at the mesmerizing flames.
“I wish we could leave right now to get her,” I murmured.
Kade nodded. “Me too. But this time has been essential for us. We now have weapons, furs, and knowledge. This might just be the thing which gives us the upper hand we were lacking before.”
He was right, I knew that. We had ferreted out detailed information of the surrounding woods, people we might encounter, the best path to take. The gnomes had accepted our story that we were seeking jobs in the Winter Court, fleeing a scandal at the Summer Court.
All of us turned at the sound of wings. I sat up as Nix dropped down in front of us. Kade’s majestic familiar had taken to flying around and hunting at night. She was not easily concealed, and we didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves. When we travelled in the day, she’d either be flying low at our sides, or way up high to disguise her size.
Worries for tomorrow. Now it was time for bed.
I accepted Kade’s hand up and helped put out the fire and gather our things. We made the small walk over to our one-bedroom cabin, thankful that the icy rain had ceased. When we reached the front door, Nix flew up to sleep on the roof. She would keep watch and alert Kade if anyone suspicious approached. Upon entering the cabin, Nikoli crashed onto the bedroll in front of the fire.
“See you at first light,” the magic born said as he rubbed his eyes. “Oh, and we should wear our weapons. The gnomes told me there is no way we will make it to the Winter Court without running into trouble.”
I nodded, my eyes resting on the three swords leaning against the wall, all beautiful and deadly. The gold scrollwork on mine made it look feminine, but the serrated tip gave it a lethal edge. Kade’s blade was huge and thick. It had a base of branded steel and the tip had the slightest hook, making it an easy kill weapon. Nikoli’s was plainer but still amazing, a shorter sword with a three-pronged tip.
We had really lucked out finding that gnome when we stepped through the portal to the Otherworld. We were armed in many ways.
“Goodnight,” I told Nikoli, and made my way into the bedroom I had been sharing with Kade. My mate closed the door behind us, before crossing to sit on the edge of the bed and removing his boots.
I took off my boots too and then both of us crawled onto the bed. There was no point getting undressed, we would run in these clothes come morning, and we needed the furs to stay warm. It didn’t matter to me though, just being able to sleep in his arms was enough for me today.
“Can you believe this world has existed parallel to Earth this entire time, without our knowledge?” I said, snuggling closer to his warmth and the hard muscles of his chest. His smell enveloped me as he tightened his hold.
“It seems there is a lot we don’t know.” His tone was dripping with anger. My mate didn’t like to be kept in the dark about things.
Mate.
A fairytale concept, but it was a bond I already couldn’t live without. From the moment our connection kicked in, we could sense each other’s emotions and feelings, and even speak mentally if we needed, the same way we did with our familiars. I was still perfecting the mental-speak, but it was definitely nice to have it, especially in this place where certain things shouldn’t be said aloud.
I could feel the heaviness of sleep pulling on me as I drifted off. I fatigued faster here; the lack of mecca was definitely hurting us. Luckily shifters were resilient. Still, the longer we stayed the worse it would become.
Darkness dragged me under, but instead of disappearing into the land of slumber, I realized part of my mind was still coherent, like I was in a sort of half-awake, half asleep state. Drifting in this groggy place, I heard Violet’s voice:
“Arianna,” she whispered behind me, and in my dream I spun around. My surroundings became clear then. We were deep in a forest of thick trees. This definitely wasn’t a normal dream. I could still sense my body lying on Kade’s chest, but part of me was not in that room any longer.
“Violet!” I rushed to my best friend to pull her into a hug, but she put her arms out to stop me.
“Don’t touch me!” she shrieked, her face crumpling. I skidded to a halt a few feet from her.
Now that I was closer, it was clear Violet did not look well. Bruises and welts marked her face; she was paler than usual, which was saying something with her pigmentless skin, and she was very thin.
“Violet, we’re in the Otherworld. I’m coming for you, hold on.” I was freaking out seeing her look so sickly. We should not have spent two nights with the gnomes. She was running out of time. “Where are you? What are they doing to you?
She swallowed, holding out a shaky hand to calm me. “I’m okay. It’s just … they have most of my magic bound. It’s painful but … I’m okay.”
“How are you projecting in my dreams if your magic is bound?”
Her face crumbled for a moment before she straightened again. “They weren’t able to bind all of my energy. I tucked a small part away … a hidden pocket of mecca they can’t touch. It’s how I’ve come into your dream … but it takes a lot out of me. I don’t have much time.”
“Tell me what to do. Where are you? How many people are guarding you? What’s the best way in?” I rambled on, trying to get as much information out of her as I could before she had to go.
Violet bit her lip and a tear drifted down her cheek, “Ari, that’s not what I need to tell you. There’s something more important you need to know.”
My stomach sank. What could be more important than saving her?
Violet pressed on. “They took me for a reason. There’s this small glass case here. It’s filled with so much magic I can barely stand to be near it for more than five minutes. They told me they will unbind my powers if I can release the magic inside of the glass case and transfer it to Isalinda, the Winter Court queen.”