by Ivy Clyde
They patted me on the shoulder and left my chambers. I drank some more wine, wishing I could savor the taste of victory from putting Coran back into the dungeons. Some of the joy was diminished by the swirling anxiety in my gut. Moira still dominated my thoughts. I wouldn’t be able to rest until I knew she was safe.
Not knowing how she was doing was even more torturous than facing my mother and the traitorous nobles of the court. Even Rowan and Leon were going away to search for her. Their absence was going to make me worry too. The whole thing was likely a trap and there was a chance I might end up losing my mate as well as my brothers.
“It’s all your fault,” I hissed, tightening my grip on the goblet. “You will pay for every second of worry you’re causing me, Coran.”
6
Leon
Pinkish white petals drifted down on me as a night breeze disturbed the blossom-laden branches of the trees of the western courtyard. It was almost time to leave the palace with Rowan to see if we could find Moira using the directional sphere that was sent to us. My brothers and I were certain it was a trap meant to lure us into danger, but there was no way we could sit back and wait.
My mind churned with the facts I’d learned a few days ago. So far, I didn’t have a chance to share the things Moira told me about her parentage with Rowan or Cade. She was the daughter of Lady Selene and King Arian. It explained the reason behind her extraordinary powers but I was still trying to wrap my head around one of our kind mating with the king of the lunar fae.
Skirmishes between the two factions of the lumina fae existed for centuries. Neither side seemed to want peace but somehow harmony between the two races lasted until recent years. Was it because of Lady Selene’s relationship with the lunar fae king?
She’d been a prominent member of the royal court before I was born. Common folk still spoke of her reverently but the nobility nursed a hatred for her. Selene wanted to uproot the noble families and introduce examinations that would test the ability of a person wanting a position in the royal court or in the administration offices. My father, King Drustan, agreed with her idea which would put the most deserving candidates in these positions of power.
Fate wasn’t too kind to Lady Selene or my father. She disappeared without a trace while my father lost one of his mates a few years ago, driving him mad with grief. And now, nobles like Coran were plotting against the kingdom and the royal family.
Just the thought of lunar fae soldiers causing a massacre in Coran’s manor was enough to make my blood boil with rage. How could he dare to bring them into our kingdom, risking the lives of our people? Was he that sure of the queen’s support in everything?
Even though I spent the past two days with Cade, I didn’t tell him about Moira’s parents. While I trusted Cade, I still wanted him to prove his loyalty to me, Rowan and Moira. My own doubts angered me but this was more about Moira than any of us. She was too vulnerable, too important to me. There was no way I would risk anything when it came to her.
The sound of snapping twigs alerted me to a new presence.
I stood still among the shadows.
“Leon?”
Raising my hand, I let flames erupt on my palm. “I am here.”
“Put the light out.”
I closed my hands into a loose fist, drowning out the flames.
“No one is around. I already checked,” I said. He was dressed in the same kind of woolen tunic, leather breeches, and tall, stiff boots as me. Our plain clothes hid the body armor we wore underneath them while also serving as a disguise. We didn’t want anyone knowing where we were going.
“That’s good,” he said. “There are horses waiting for us on the other side of that wall. Let’s be off.”
Striding forward, he leaped onto the lowest branch of a peach tree growing close to the tall wall fencing this particular area. With graceful movements, he climbed higher, until he could reach the top of the wall. He glanced down at me. “What are you waiting for? Come on!”
I followed the same path as him, climbing the branches of the tree until I was able to reach the top of the wall. Rowan gave a nod and leaped down to the other side. He landed on the hard ground with light feet without making a sound.
I followed him.
Rowan gestured forward where a pair of black-coated horses waited for us. They were fully prepared for a long journey.
“You have the directional globe?” I asked.
“Yes,” said Rowan, patting over his left breast.
“Take it out and see which direction it points to.”
“How about we put some distance between us and the palace first?” said Rowan.
“Just check it, Rowan,” I said. “We don’t want to waste time backtracking. Besides, if my guesses are correct, the globe will point toward Amaris.”
Rowan frowned but did as I asked. He brought out the small sphere glowing white with swirling mist. Holding it in his palm, he slowly turned toward the west. At once, the glass orb flashed red.
“Just as I thought,” I said. “It will lead us to Amaris.”
Rowan’s expression darkened. Placing the sphere back inside his tunic, Rowan moved toward the horses.
We mounted the horses and trotted away from the palace premises. The unused path was clear. I guessed Rowan had all the guards moved away from here tonight.
My thighs pressed against my mount’s sides, urging him to go faster. This late in the night, the roads were free of any bystanders. Gusts of chilly wind blew the long strands of my crimson locks behind me as I kept up with Rowan on my side. His handsome face was set in a determined expression. The molten-silver of his eyes caught the moonlight and glowed in the dark of night. The predator inside him seemed set on finding his mate tonight.
Rowan’s strong presence eased some of my anxiety. Not only was he a powerful warrior, but his feelings for Moira were also as strong as mine. While I still had my doubts about Cade, I was sure Rowan would always protect Moira no matter what.
The horses traveled the miles at impressive speeds. They weren’t ordinary mounts but reared stallions from the Mauryan plains of Eire. My cloak spread out behind me in the strong gust created by their swiftness.
We started stopping from time to time as we neared the mountain ranges separating Aelia from Amaris. There were certain passageways through the hills here that would lead to the lunar fae kingdom. However, the ones we were aware of were heavily secured by soldiers of both factions. Even though we didn’t speak it out loud, both Rowan and I were wondering how we would pass these guard posts.
The directional globe led us through heavily wooded trails. It was an hour before we noticed a shift in the landscape around us.
“I believe we are inside Amaris,” said Rowan, bringing his horse to a halt.
The moonlight seemed brighter here. Heavy silver beams penetrated through the overhead canopy, lighting up the forest floor. The moon never shone this bright in Aelia.
“Coran might have used the very same pathway to lead those soldiers inside our kingdom without anyone knowing,” said Rowan in a grim voice. “It’s the only explanation why the border towns are still so quiet and peaceful.”
“The person who took Moira away could be a different person,” I said. “So far, there have been no traps for us.”
“We still don’t have Moira with us,” said Rowan, leading his horse into a light trot. “The trap could be waiting for us at the end of the trail.”
“Do you think someone from Amaris with a different motive took Moira?”
Rowan glanced at me. “What do you mean? Why would anyone from Amaris be interested in her?”
“Because Moira is the real heir to the throne of Amaris.”
Rowan brought his horse to a halt. “What did you say?”
“I didn’t get a chance to tell you and Cade,” I began slowly. “But Moira found out about her real parents. She is the daughter of King Arian and Lady Selene.”
Rowan’s face turned a shade paler in the moonlight. His eyes closed
for a moment. When he gazed back at me again, he whispered, “That’s why she could tear out the magical cores from those girls who attacked her. She has the blood of the ancient lunar fae kings running in her veins.”
“Yes.”
Rowan looked even more worried. “Where is Lady Selene now? Why did she let her child be born from a human? If she wanted to hide her baby, she could have hidden herself in the human realm.”
“Both Lady Selene and King Arian were snared into traps laid by Coran and Vishen,” I said. “Lady Selene believed Coran knew of her pregnancy. King Arian was on the verge of death himself because Vishen poisoned him. They transferred their cores into Moira before hiding her in the human realm. They both had help from Lady Demitria.”
“Lady Demitria?”
I nodded. “She was the mage who helped them.”
Rowan closed his eyes and massaged his forehead. “You think someone from Amaris already knows of Moira’s existence?”
“Yes,” I said. “While this trail could lead us into a trap, there is also a chance someone might be helping Moira. They removed her from Coran’s manor before the assassins could find her. Just think about it, Rowan. What if they managed to grab Moira? You would have become a puppet in Coran’s hands to protect her life.”
Rowan’s knuckles turned white as he fisted the reins tightly. “I would have killed him if he laid hands on her.”
“Well, he did try.” I gazed at my brother’s rage-filled silver eyes. “Do you understand how deep-rooted his plots are? He didn’t fall for your act of hating Moira.” A wry chuckle escaped me. “She is too beautiful and innocent to be hated by fae men. If we didn’t claim her, someone else would have snatched her away from us by now.”
My comment only seemed to enrage him. “Let’s hurry,” he said, leading his horse into a brisk trot. “We still don’t know who has her. I hate to think of anyone else laying a hand on her.”
I followed after my brother, enjoying the way he was no longer hiding his feelings for her. He’d pretended to hate her for far too long.
Rowan came to a stop again. “Have you told Cade about this?”
“Not yet.”
Surprise flitted through his eyes. “Why not? You had both the time and opportunity to tell him what you told me.”
“I want him to prove himself to us first,” I said. “He has our biggest adversary in his grasp right now. We will know of his true intentions by the way he handles this situation. Only then will I tell him about Moira’s ancestry. Not before that.”
“You’ve been right in your judgment,” said Rowan in a grim tone. “This is the greatest test for Cade. Will he side with his mother and release Coran or will he stay loyal to us and punish the man responsible for such heinous crimes? His decision will make all the difference.”
“The Fates have twisted up our destinies,” I said with a bitter chuckle. “We can’t trust the brother we share blood with. We are fated to be mates to a lunar fae woman which in itself is as taboo as it gets. And we are intent on destroying our beloved mate’s uncle.”
“Coran deserves the slowest, most painful death,” said Rowan in a cold tone. “So does his daughter, Deirdre.” A cold glint came into his eyes. “That woman has been too bold and daring toward me in the past. She has no qualms about speaking freely about our family. I should have her tongue pulled out too.”
“Which way do we go now?” I asked, hoping to distract Rowan from his violent, vengeful thoughts.
Rowan took out the directional sphere. It glowed red in our dim surroundings. “We have to keep going this way.”
We followed the narrow trail through the deep woods until something in the distance made us both halt.
“Is that smoke?” asked Rowan, gazing in the distance.
“I think so.”
We climbed off our horses and tied their reins to a nearby tree. The softly billowing smoke in the night sky was definitely a sign of people camping there.
Rowan took the glass orb of swirling red mist. As soon as he held it in the direction of the smoke, it glowed a faint green. We were close to our destination. Rowan gestured forward. Without a word, I followed him.
Our feet made no sound as we cautiously avoided dried leaves and twigs on the forest floor. Moving away dried brambles out of our way, we emerged before a humble cottage in a clearing. The area was well hidden in the middle of the deep woods. Without the help of the directional globe, it would be very difficult to find it in the sea of trees.
I glanced toward Rowan. He signaled me to get my weapons ready.
My magic surged to the fingertips of my left hand while my right gripped a short-bladed dagger. Rowan inched forward with his sword in hand. Glancing at me, he signaled for me to watch his back as he approached the cottage’s door.
I gazed all around the clearing, making sure no one was waiting to ambush us. Other than the night breeze moving through the tree branches, there seemed to be no other movement in the thickets around us.
Rowan pushed open the door of the cottage. It swung away with a loud creak.
We paused as light footsteps approached from within its dark depths.
“Rowan! Leon!” gushed a familiar voice.
Next moment, Moira appeared at the threshold. “I can’t believe you’re really here!” she gasped, flinging herself at Rowan. Eyes squeezed shut, she sobbed and babbled incoherently. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she clung to his neck.
A moment later, she opened her eyes and gazed up at me. Pure relief filled those sapphire-blue eyes. Letting go of Rowan, she moved toward me. “I’m so glad to see you,” she said with a smile while tears still flowed down her cheeks.
I pulled her against me and took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of apple blossoms. She was no illusion cast over us. Her soft body molded against mine perfectly as she rose on her toes to capture my lips in a desperate kiss. My tongue swept through her open, inviting lips and tasted her sweetness.
There was absolutely no doubt in my mind anymore. We were finally united with Moira.
7
Moira
Swiping away the tears still clinging to my lashes, I separated from Leon and gazed back at Rowan. My heart swelled with warmth and joy. Not only were my mates here with me, but Lucia also proved she could be trusted. Their presence made all my doubts regarding her vanish. She’d taken a huge risk for me to contact them and get them to this desolate cottage hidden in the woods.
“Where is Cade?” I asked after a while when he didn’t appear.
“Cade is still injured,” said Rowan with a glance at Leon. “We left him in the palace to take care of Coran.”
“Take care of Coran?”
“Rowan had the bastard arrested,” said Leon in a voice thick with pride. His amber eyes glowed as he gazed toward his eldest brother.
My momentary joy at seeing them vanished. “Let’s go inside,” I said in a grim tone. “There is still so much you don’t know about Coran.”
Before I could move away, Rowan caught hold of my arm. “Wait, Moira. Who brought you to this place?”
“She is inside,” I said. “You can meet her.”
His hand fell away as he glanced toward the cottage, like it hid some kind of monster inside its wooden walls. Lucia did warn me they would be highly suspicious of a message sent to them by a stranger. They were probably expecting some kind of trap.
“There is no one hiding in there to hurt you,” I said, walking toward the cottage to prove how safe it was. Entering through the door, I called for Lucia and found her only a few feet away. She was staring at us through the open doorway. Reaching her, I smiled at her. “You kept your word.”
Her gaze shifted from me to the two hulking men who stood behind me. Her usually warm green eyes turned cold at the sight of them.
“This is Rowan,” I said, lightly grasping his arm. “He is the eldest prince of Aelia.”
Lucia stayed quiet, still eyeing him warily.
“This is Leon,”
I said brightly, trying to lighten the tension between my mates and Lucia. “He is the youngest prince.”
“Where is the second prince?” asked Lucia.
“That is none of your business, stranger,” said Rowan in a curt tone.
My fingers dug into his hard, muscled arm.
“Who exactly are you?” asked Leon. “How were you able to escape with Moira to such a remote location? How are you aware of a passageway between Aelia and Amaris that is not guarded by either kingdom?”
Lucia’s cold gaze fell on him. “You wouldn’t believe a thing I would say, so I will just save my breath.”
Leon’s expression morphed into a mix of annoyance and surprise. I doubted anyone spoke to him in such a dismissive tone before.
Biting my lips so I wouldn’t grin too broadly, I said, “I will tell you all about her and the things she revealed about Coran.”
Lucia glanced at me. The cold look vanished from her eyes as she gazed at me. “I hope you’re happy now.”
“Thank you for bringing them here.”
“I will leave for now,” she said. “Speak to them while I am away and explain to them why you need to stay here.”
“Stay here?” hissed Rowan through clenched teeth. “There is no way we’ll leave her here.”
Lucia ignored him completely. While she was taller than me, she was still shorter and leaner than Rowan and Leon. It was almost funny how easily she brushed them away like whatever they said didn’t matter to her at all.
Lucia turned to me. “I will be back tomorrow night.”
I gave a nod. “Come back safely.”
Something flickered through those emerald-green eyes but it passed away too quickly for me to understand. She walked around Leon and stepped out of the doorway.
Rowan’s grip on my arm made me look up at him. “There is no way you’re considering staying here for a minute longer.”
“I am planning to stay as long as it takes to break Vishen’s power.”
“What?”
I glanced toward Leon. “Haven’t you told him yet?”
