by Maya Daniels
Iris couldn’t work him out. One moment, Fern acted as if he couldn’t help himself and all he wanted to do was touch her. The next, he was a jerk who appeared to hate her more than anything in the world. She stared at his profile as he walked them over to the tree. The thick lashes mesmerized her with each slow blink he took. Or maybe she really was delirious, because she felt drunk. Fern passed Darion, using longer strides, and Iris looked over his shoulder. Darion slowed his steps and winked at her with a big smile on his face.
“He is bipolar,” Iris blurted out. The connection from her mouth to her brain seemed to have been cut.
“He is what?” Darion walked closer so he could look at her closely. He even squinted as if that would help him see better.
“One minute, he smiles at me and carries me around like some ‘Snow White’ crap. The next, he looks like he wants to be the one to end my life.” Iris chuckled shaking her head, and Fern’s steps faltered before he resumed walking. “Bipolar, I’m telling you.”
“I do not want to end your life.” Fern’s low voice sobered her up. “I want you to live.” Stopping at the tree, he held her in his arms longer than needed before kneeling down and placing her on the ground. “We will rest for a blink, then continue. It’s not that far now, we’re past the halfway point.”
Dropping on the ground next to her, he stretched his long legs out, folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. He looked like a statue to Iris. Darion patrolled the area, so Iris found herself observing Fern without feeling awkward. It was just like when he’d been unconscious at the store. She almost reached out a finger to trace his jaw, but he opened one eye and peered at her.
“What do you think we will find at those caves?” Trying to hide her rising blush, she figured the caves were a safe subject. As if hearing her, even though he was far enough not to have done, Darion headed back.
“I don’t know.” Opening the other eye as well, Fern turned towards her. “No one but Lazarus was allowed inside. I tried once, but he had some protection placed around them. I couldn’t break it.”
“I’ve heard a few of the warriors mention that they tried as well on a dare.” Dropping on the ground close to them, Darion joined the conversation. “None of them were able to enter.”
“But now we can, right?” She looked from one frowning face to the other.
“All the other wards and protections that Lazarus set are broken now that he is dead.” Fern looked at Darion for confirmation, and the other Fae nodded. “This shouldn’t be any different.”
“Well, that sounds promising.” Rubbing her calves, Iris couldn’t help worrying. “If not, we will have come all this way for nothing.”
“If there is still anything around the caves, I’m sure your magic will break it.” Fern sounded a hell of a lot more confident in her magic than her.
“You shouldn’t worry about that now, Iris,” Darion said. “We need to get there first. After that, we will deal with whatever we need to deal with.”
“I’m not worried that much about getting in,” she mumbled, and both men looked at her with a strange expression on their faces.
“What did you say?” Fern looked at her intently, and she squirmed.
“I said, I’m not worried that much about getting inside the cave.” Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly. “I’m more worried about what we will find when we do get in.”
Knowing that they won’t be staying long under the shade of the dead tree, Iris closed her eyes, leaning against the thick trunk to avoid the Fae’s intense stare more than anything else.
Even like this, she was very aware of Fern’s nearness, like her body was connected to his in ways she couldn’t explain. Iris had never felt anything like this before, and it made her so jittery and anxious that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be closer to him or run away and hide until it went away. He clearly wanted nothing to do with her, and all the times he was nice or protective of her must be because he hoped that she might save his realm. Or maybe he had some misguided obligation because she helped him survive when he broke the oath to Lazarus that should’ve killed him.
Iris still didn’t know how her magic had kept his heart beating, but she was grateful regardless. Fern might be a jerk elf, but it would be a shame if that pretty face no longer graced the worlds with its presence. Opening one eye slightly, she cast a sideways glance at him.
Fern was trying his best to not grab Iris and drag her into his lap to just hold her for a second. The witch was stubborn as all hell, but no matter how hard she tried to act tough, he could see the slight slope of her shoulders and the way her legs moved slower the longer they walked. At first, he thought Iris would argue and keep going until the end of days just to prove a point, but he was happy she saw reason, for once.
He had his lashes slightly lifted, not enough for her to notice, and he saw when she turned her attention to him. Iris might think him oblivious to the way her energy shifted every time he had her full attention, and he wanted to keep it that way.
Something bigger was at play and Fern was adamant that he’d discover it before he let her, or her magic, trap him in their clutches. He would be damned if he let anyone have a hold on his life ever again. That lesson had been learned the hard way thanks to that insane king. Be that as it may, he still couldn’t help the feelings Iris invoked at the center of his chest or the way his cock hardened every time his focus landed on her. It was almost like the gods were tempting him so they could finally consume his soul. Grinding his teeth, he looked away from her, ignoring the pull she had on him.
She is an abomination. Who knows what her magic does, if it's only a trap for fools like me? Think with your head, not your cock!
“Here, try this.” Darion’s voice snapped him from the torrent of thoughts that were making his anger mount. When he opened his eyes, however, he realized his friend spoke to Iris, not him.
“What is the potato-like thingy?” Lifting herself up from her reclining position, Iris eyed the fruit in Darion’s hand warily.
“It’s fruit, you haven’t eaten anything, and you’ll need your strength.” He waved the life star fruit in her face. “Take it.”
“Where did you even get this?” Tentatively reaching her hand as if the fruit would bite her, she took it between her fingers. “I thought everything was dead around here.” Turning it between her fingers, her gaze lifted to Darion’s face. “Could it be poisonous to humans?” Her question made Darion frown, and his hand raised as if debating taking it back.
“You’re not human!” Fern winced at how harsh his words sounded but kept his face stoic.
“You don’t say, elf.” Iris glared at him, her green eyes sparkling with anger. Darion only slapped his hand over his face as if the sight of Fern pained him.
Iris fumed at Fern’s audacity, the mixed signals he gave her and most of all, at the anger coming off him like waves that she didn’t deserve. This was why she stayed away from people and kept to herself. If she didn’t care about what they thought of her or how they saw her, she would not feel this ripping pain in her chest. Unshed tears burned, but she would be damned if she let the jerk see how much his words hurt her.
To add insult to injury, those stupid symbols on her hip started pulsing. She scrunched up her face, breathing deeply, hoping to stop the buildup of magic in her chest.
You are stronger than this. You can control it. She kept chanting in her head until the pressure faded, and she sagged in relief.
When she finally looked around her again, she found Darion watching her with curiosity and something like awe on his face. Fern eyes, on the other hand, were narrowed with suspicion. What’s new? she thought angrily.
“What?” Ignoring the jerk, Iris raised an eyebrow at Darion.
“What were you doing?” At her confused expression, he waved his large palm, indicating her entire body. “You glowed a little.” Tilting his head left and right, making his long hair slide over his bare shoulders he frowned slightl
y. “Similar to the glow Ivy has…but not really. It was not golden.”
“It was not light either.” At Fern’s comment, she looked sharply at him, and fear squeezed her throat, making speech impossible.
“It was beautiful!” Darion snapped. glaring at the other Fae while his citrine eyes glowed. Iris smiled sadly at Darion in gratitude.
Whatever she was about to say stayed lodged in her throat as the energy around them shifted. The warmth from the hot weather evaporated, making her shiver, and goosebumps covered her from head to toe. Darion and Fern, picking up on her stiffening body, went on full alert.
Fern didn’t move, not wanting to alert whoever it was that they were aware of them. He scanned the area around them, looking for anything out of place. Darion shifted subtly and stood crouched in front of Iris as if expecting her to climb on his back. All three of them were prepared to move the second they saw who, or what, was nearby watching them. Cold sweat trickled down Iris’s spine.
Iris almost jumped out of her skin when a warm, callused palm settled over her hand that was subconsciously squeezing the life out of her cloak. Her head tilted down, and her gaze moved up the arm until it connected with Fern’s blue, glowing eyes. Fern moved his head, barely perceptively, tilting his chin to indicate she should climb on Darion’s back. In the middle of the situation they were in, Iris couldn’t find the strength to slap his handsome face.
“I’m not a monkey!” she squeezed the words through clenched teeth and snatched her hand from underneath his.
“We need to move fast, get on his back!” Fern snapped under his breath. This time Iris lifted her hand, and fast as lighting, slapped him.
The slap echoed in the silence like a bullet fired from a gun at close range. Both Iris and Fern froze, Iris in shock as she watched the red palm print appear on his face and Fern at her audacity to do such a thing.
Without looking behind, Darion snorted, then coughed, something between choking and a quiet laugh. Fern’s lips parted, no doubt to yell at her or say some other mean words.
The ground underneath them shook a moment before it split open a few feet in front of Darion. A shadow just like the one Iris fought with Artemis and Ivy flew out and released a screech so loud that all three barely stayed conscious. When the cry stopped, the white glow of the shadow’s focus homed in on Iris. Her heart stopped as if wishing to die before that thing got its claws into her.
Before Iris could protest or even notice that he’d moved, Fern wrapped his hands around her waist and flung her onto Darion’s back. On instinct, her legs wrapped around him and she grabbed hold of his shoulders to stop herself from dropping to the ground. Fast as lightning, Darion twisted around and bolted in the opposite direction of the shadow with Fern hot on his heels. Iris never would’ve assumed that the Fae were this fast. It might’ve been the adrenaline rushing through her veins, or the horror of seeing another shadow, but she was confident the Fae were even quicker than the vampires.
The wind stung her face, and her hair streamed behind her, pelting her skin. She clutched Darion harder, her nails digging dents into his skin. If it bothered him, he didn’t show it. Holding one of his short, wicked swords in one hand in a white-knuckled grip, he wrapped under her thigh, holding her to him.
In the middle of it all, Iris couldn’t stop the ping in her chest that it wasn’t Fern carrying her, but he’d chosen to throw her on Darion. She shouldn’t care, but she did. That was until she twisted to look over her shoulder and saw Fern guarding their back with a long staff with glowing symbols on it. Where he pulled that staff from was an enigma, but Iris was starting to get used to not having all the answers around the Fae. Fern ran while swinging the staff around his body in wide arcs, the light blue glow of the symbols creating beautiful shapes of circles and infinity symbols around him. It kept the shadow away from them, although it didn’t stop its pursuit.
As Iris watched him mesmerized, guilt at thinking ill of him ate at her. Fern looked like some fantasy character in a book. His beautiful face was set in determination, his full lips pressed in a thin line and a slight frown pulled his eyebrows over his intense glowing blue gaze. His silky black hair flew behind him, the speed of their running making the strands flip and twist in the air. His bare torso glistened, the muscles jumping and twitching with the movements of his arms, and his abs stood out, clenched in anticipation. She looked at him greedily without shame while her heart beat faster at the beauty and power radiating from him. The running caused his black pants to drop lower on his hips, emphasizing the V lines dipping in the waistband. Subconsciously, her legs tightened around Darion, and misunderstanding her, he gripped her harder under her thigh.
Fern’s focus zeroed in on the movement and his jaw clenched harder, making a muscle jump like a heartbeat on the side of his face. His swinging faltered. Over his shoulder, Iris saw the second the shadow noticed the opening and added more speed, heading for Fern with its mouth open, razor-sharp white teeth glinting in the light. Without thinking, she cocked her free arm that wasn’t gripping Darion’s shoulder.
Fern wasn’t sure what happened. One second all his focus was on swinging his weapon and making sure the shadow kept its distance. The next, Darion pulled Iris closer to his back and red bathed everything around Fern. Darion had no right touching the witch, and he ignored the fact that he’d put her on Darion’s back in the first place. Jealousy reared its ugly head, and he almost swung his staff at Darion’s head. That thought evaporated when a strange light enveloped Iris a second before she lifted her arm and looked straight at him. On instinct, he ducked out of the way. The air stirred next to his ear as the fruit went sailing past his head.
A shriek sounded, and the shadow fell behind. Looking over his shoulder without slowing down, he saw the gray shadow writhe around the fruit like smoke coiling up in the air. Whatever the reason, it slowed the thing down, so he pushed harder to catch up to Darion. Fern didn’t miss the look of shock on Iris’s face as she stared with her lips parted at the shadow.
“We can lose it at the hills,” Fern called, putting power in his voice, just enough so that Darion could hear him through the whistling of the wind. “We can split up; I’ll try to lure it in the opposite direction. You make sure she stays safe!” Darion nodded once sharply, not even looking at Fern.
“I can look after myself, thank you very much. You make sure your ass is safe, elf!” Iris yelled. Darion staggered slightly before catching himself. His booming laughter echoed around them, making the shadow screech from a distance.
“Try not to strangle her until I get back. She doesn’t have control over her mouth.” Glaring over his shoulder, Fern whirred off to the left, not missing a beat.
“I saved your stupid ass, elf! With a potato fruit!” Iris yelled after him. “You’re welcome!”
It looked to her like Fern ran faster at her words, but she could’ve imagined it. Darion tilted to the right and headed in the opposite direction. Iris couldn’t help twisting around to see where Fern was going, and worry gnawed at her that the shadow would go after him while he was on his own. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the glowing patterns of his weapon in the distance and the shadow following behind him.
“We should go after him,” Iris yelled at Darion, but he didn’t slow down or acknowledge her. He kept running, putting more distance between her and Fern.
Annoyed that Darion would listen to Fern but ignore her, Iris poked him as hard as she could with her finger on his shoulder, repeatedly.
“Hello! I said we should go after him! I’m not sure he can fight the shadow on his own.” Her throat hurt from screaming the words, but she didn’t care. Fern was on his own with that creepy thing, and fear for his life made her irrational.
“Fern will live. He always does, Iris.” Darion’s voice sounded like it came through a speaker, making her wince and almost lose her grip on his shoulders.
“Have you seen anything like that shadow before? How can you be so sure?” Her question made
Darion glance over his shoulder, his citrine eyes flashing for a second.
“No, I have not, but he is one of the best warriors we have after Artemis. He will be fine.”
“You are as stupid as he is!” Pissed off, Iris released his shoulders and wrapped both her hands in his long black hair. Arching her back, she pulled on it as if she was trying to rein in a horse. She didn’t release him until he staggered and then stopped, grunting in pain.
“Human!” Panting slightly, Darion glared daggers at Iris, and she beamed at him proudly like a two-year-old.
“So now I’m human? What happened to Iris?”
“I could’ve dropped you, damn it! At that speed you could’ve broken your neck!” Fuming, he clenched his fists so hard Iris heard the bones cracking.
“But I didn’t!” Snapping back, she fought the shiver that passed up her spine at the thought of dying there from a stupid fall while a ton of people and creatures were trying to kill her. “You don’t understand, we must go after him, Darion.” She implored him, hoping that he wasn’t as bullheaded as Fern. “Even Artemis couldn’t fight the shadow off. I had the protection of magic around us when Ivy somehow got to it, but it cost her a lot. Artemis couldn’t do anything. And now we’ve sent Fern on a suicide mission.”
“This is the same shadow?” Frowning, Darion cast worried glances towards the horizon.
“Ivy destroyed that one, but this one is exactly the same.” Reaching, Iris grabbed hold of his hand, clinging to it in desperation. “Please, Darion. If we don’t go now, we might be too late!”
“If you are wrong, he will have my head, friend or not.” He glared at Iris, but she could tell doubt and worry had taken hold of him.
