Throne of Silver (Silver Fae Book 1)

by KB Anne

  6. Helicopters were going to fly us to headquarters.

  Where is headquarters?

  ABSOLUTES:

  1. The General wanted me as an assassin.

  2. The Organization killed Sami and Jovie to eliminate loose ends.

  CONCLUSION: The Organization was willing to kill to stay off the radar. I needed to get away from Christian.

  I needed to act like last night was a mistake. Pretend I wasn’t interested in him. If I could get away from him, I could keep him safe. Maybe I could take Little Miss and ride back down to the car. Leave her in the paddock and hoof it far away from the cabin and Christian. It’s really the only way to keep him safe.

  “Good mor-ning, Sunshine!” he sang, jumping across the water to the boulder.

  “More like good afternoon.”

  “I don’t know why I didn’t sleep well,” he said, running his fingers up and down my back. “Someone kept me up all night. Someone I cannot live without.”

  I closed my eyes. Why did he have to go and say that? Not that I was doing a good job ignoring him, but his sweetness made it that much harder to get away from him.

  “Is something wrong?”

  A lone duck swam across the lake toward the enchanted forest. There was magic in that forest. Our kiss was magic too. I might be as well. Tiny ripples danced slowly across the water until they reached the shoreline. “Christian, can I ask you something.”

  “Anything, Sunshine.”

  “What are the chances you forget that you know me and go back to your life?”

  “None.” He reached over and stroked the side of my cheek.

  “Be reasonable.” I stood up and jumped to another boulder. “Last night was a mistake. It meant… nothing to me.”

  His jaw clenched. “Last night was not a mistake, and I am being reasonable.” He leapt over to my rock. “The day you went missing I became involved.”

  “Why?” I yelled latching onto my frustration. “Why did you? You didn’t even know me then. You acted like you couldn’t stand the sight of me.” I backed away from him.

  “I can’t explain it,” he said. “I feel like my world has purpose and meaning again because of you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. It’s like we’re two pieces of the same heart and now that we’re together, we can never be separated.”

  My mouth dropped open. I mean of all the things he could have said I did not expect him to say something like that.

  He stepped toward me. “Do you think after everything we’ve been through that I would leave you now? That I could leave you now?” he said his brows furrowed in disbelief. “Do you think I could leave you after this?” He placed his hands on either side of my face. Electric currents surged under the surface.

  Focus Starr, focus. And remember to breathe. Breathing is a good thing.

  “But,” I blurted out, but he said, “No,” and kissed me.

  I found it difficult to resist his persuasive argument. My lips met his, and I yielded to him entirely. After too short of time, he stepped back from me. “Well?”

  “Well what?” I asked, breathless.

  “Are you still trying to get rid of me?”

  “I wasn’t trying to get rid of you,” I whispered.

  His eyes narrowed. “What were you trying to do then?”

  “I was trying to keep you safe.”

  “When I’m with you, I am safe.”

  “When you’re with me, you’re in danger, constant danger.”

  “When I’m with you, the only thing that’s in danger is my virtue,” he teased.

  I was about to protest when I got a mouthful of Christian again. He broke the kiss entirely too soon to fish in his pocket. “I almost forgot. I have something for you.”

  “You don’t have to give me anything. You’ve done too much already.”

  “I didn’t buy it.” He withdrew a colorful beaded necklace from his pocket. “It was my mother’s. She must have left it up here.”

  “I can’t accept that. You should keep it.”

  “Starr, I want you to have it, and you really need to stop arguing with me all the time. You’re not always going to get your way.” He stared at me daring me to respond. Of course I tried to until I found myself getting kissed again. He broke away grinning as he put the necklace around my neck and stepped back to admire it.

  I squinted at him. “Is that how you plan to keep me quiet?”

  “Yes, and it seems to work quite well,” he said with his crooked grin. “What do you think?”

  I fingered the white, blue, orange, and brown beads. “I love it. What’s it made out of?”

  “The smaller, colored beads are glass. The Cherokee used to trade animal pelts and baskets with the white men for the beads. The brown ones are corn beads. We believe that each corn bead is a tear shed by the people during the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. The necklace is meant to keep good memories with you always, and since you’ve brought back all my good memories, I thought you should have it.” He reached up to finger the necklace thoughtfully. “I did make an addition to it though.”

  My eyes focused on the multi-faceted stone dangling from the necklace. “Is this the stone from the tree?”

  “I think I know what you asked for,” he said. “Now, let me be a part of your heart and accept that I’m not going anywhere.”

  “But what about the cranky old troll?”

  “He can find his own stone.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered finding it hard to voice the emotion welling up inside of me. The gift was so heartfelt—it was as if I had a piece of Christian with me always. I wrapped my arms around him and showed him just what I thought of my present. I always found action spoke louder than words anyway.

  After a few lingering kisses, he replied, “If I had known how appreciative you’d be, I’d have given you the necklace as soon as we got to the cabin, except of course minus our rock. It would have saved me all the nervous anticipation of trying to woo you.”

  “You were trying to woo me?” I giggled. He nodded. “Why were you nervous?”

  “I’m nervous whenever I’m around you.”

  I wiggled my eyebrows. “Are you nervous now?”

  “In a way…. I’m nervous that maybe you don’t feel the same way I do,” he said in a low quiet voice as he stared at me. His eyes held a direct line to my soul.

  I angled my lips to whisper in his ear, “You don’t need to be nervous.”

  He shivered and we continued where we left off last night. Well, until my stomach growled loud enough for him to hear it. He broke away. “Lucky for you, my lady, I brought breakfast.” He bowed down in front of me, presenting a blueberry muffin. All he needed was a suit of shining armor…though I refused to be a damsel in distress.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  That morning I came to the realization that I couldn’t get rid of Christian, and to be honest, at least for now I didn’t want to. We were safe up at the cabin. Nothing could happen to him while we were here.

  And it was kind of nice not to worry about anything for a little while. To just be.

  I set down my juice box on the blanket and stretched. I was a little stiff after last night’s make-out session. “So, what are we doing today or are we not allowed to plan our day at all?”

  He laughed as he pulled me up with him. “How does horseback riding sound?”

  I hadn’t been horseback riding in years. It was my favorite past time when I was younger. I dragged him along with me toward the horses. “Well, let’s saddle up!”

  Little Miss grazed in the grass close by. I released him, grabbed a bunch of her mane and hopped on. As I swung my leg over, I caught a glimpse of Christian out of the corner of my eye. I almost kicked him in the gut.

  “Ouch!” he grunted.

  I guess I did kick him in the gut. “What are you doing?”

  “I was going to help you get on her.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ve never hiked, camped, eaten mountai
n pies or s’mores before. I assumed you’ve never ridden a horse, let alone ridden bareback.”

  I raised my chin in and Little Miss sidestepped away from him. “You assumed wrong. I’ve taken lessons all my life, and by the way, you underestimated me again.”

  “I will never underestimate you.”

  “Good,” I grabbed her mane and trotted across the meadow.

  “Hey wait for me!”

  I sat deep in her back to stop. I turned to watch him run over to Demon and catapult himself onto the horse’s back.

  Before I could blink, he galloped over to me. I was in complete amazement at his athletic feat. “Were you a rodeo cowboy?”

  Demon reared up in the air with Christian still on his back. His legs kicked the sky before landing back on the grass. Excitement flashed in both their eyes. “I guess I’m not the only one who underestimates people.”

  “Point taken. Wanna race?”

  Before he answered, I kicked Little Miss’s sides and bent forward. “YA!”

  “YA!” Christian shouted to Demon, and we raced across the meadow. The air rushed through my hair. The sun warmed my face. I felt so, so alive.

  I hooted. I hollered. I called out to all the wild things to join us. For the first time in forever, I was free.

  Christian shouted, “WHAAA-HOOOOOO!”

  The primal yell echoed through the valley.

  Any care, any fear, any painful emotion was left at the starting gate.

  A baby deer leapt out of the way. Chipmunks dropped their acorns and scurried off. Butterflies and birds scattered from the horses’ pounding hooves. The horses muscles bulged and strained. Little Miss whinnied a challenge to Demon and pushed ahead. He snorted a reply and hurtled past her. She sped up. She wasn’t ready to lose the race any more than I was. The horses savored the energy and the freedom of this magical place, just as Christian and I did. Powerful bodies in motion, they raced side by side until finally Demon, the larger and faster horse, dug down into the earth, and charged ahead of us, kicking up clods of dirt. By the time, we reached the end of the meadow, the two were a good ten feet in front of us.

  Demon snorted as we pulled up next to him. Little Miss frolicked around him, nipping at his rear flanks. Sweat glistened from their coats, but neither one was breathing heavy. Their eyes shone as bright as the stars. They shone as bright as ours. “You win.”

  “What’s my prize?” Christian asked.

  “Bragging rights?”

  “I was thinking another kiss, but I’ll take bragging rights too.” He trotted Demon up next to Little Miss and leaned in.

  “You gotta catch me first! YA!!” I shouted kicking Little Miss. We sprinted off in the other direction.

  “Hey, no fair!”

  Demon’s hooves pounded the ground, but Little Miss and I had a good head start, and we were keeping it. I pushed her faster and faster until I reached the other side of the meadow. This time, it was our turn to wait for them.

  As they galloped toward us, I puffed out my chest as Little Miss pranced. “I won!”

  “You cheated!” he said accusingly.

  “It’s not my fault you weren’t ready to start.”

  When he didn’t answer, I turned just in time to see him, leaning in my direction. He put both his hands on her back behind me and somehow straddled her. My mouth opened in shock. “Are you sure you aren’t a rodeo cowboy?”

  He wrapped his arms firmly around my waist. “I guess you underestimated me again,” he replied with a smirk.

  “I will never underestimate you.”

  “Don’t,” he said dipping his head to collect his prize.

  That evening, we lounged around the campfire eating s’mores while the horses grazed nearby. Their tails swished back and forth at the flies that interrupted their evening snack.

  “So I was thinking…,” I said before biting into my absolute favorite food ever. Crunchy graham cracker, gooey marshmallow with melted chocolate... What’s not to love?

  He rolled his eyes as he leaned in. “Do I have to kiss you again?”

  I giggled pushing him away. “No, I was thinking about where we should go next.”

  “Does your granpappy have a cabin too?” he joked, his eyes reflecting the firelight.

  “No, I meant where we should go to find out more about the Organization.”

  His shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

  I reached over to him. “What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t say anything for the longest time as he played with my fingers now that the s’more was gone. “I just thought you were having fun here, that I took your mind off other things.”

  “You did. You totally did!”

  “Then why are you trying to leave already?”

  “I’m not trying to leave, but I can’t stay here forever.”

  “Sure we can.”

  “Be reasonable.” He tried to interrupt me but I raised my hand in warning. “The Organization screwed with my life. They killed two of my best friends. I want revenge.”

  “Starr, revenge is a dangerous business.”

  “Christian, the Organization hasn’t met dangerous yet.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I was in a clearing. A huge meadow. Yellow, blue, and red wildflowers exploded across the field. Butterflies and hummingbirds flew from flower to flower, sucking the sugary nectar. Invisible birds sang from the trees. Baby deer and their mothers bounded back and forth. Tall wild grasses swayed in the breeze.

  I stood still and became acutely aware of all my senses. I heard blades of grass brush against each other and the wings of the hummingbird. I could smell the wildflowers in the breeze, and I could taste the sugary sweet nectar. Goosebumps danced across my skin as a shadow moved across the horizon.

  The lake glittered in the sunlight. I walked toward the sunlight but the shadow followed me. I wanted the warmth of the sun. I need the sunlight to be happy, but the shadow quickly enveloped the entire meadow. Everything turned to darkness.

  “Christian?” I jumped up in bed. “Christian, where are you?” My hands reached for him but found nothing. I searched the room. “Christian!”

  Panic jolted me out the door.

  Wrong.

  Something was wrong.

  I sprinted outside and searched the meadow as I shouted his name. Little Miss trotted over and threw her head against my chest. I ignored her and continued to shout for him. Again, she knocked her head against my chest. I pushed her away and ran down the path to the lake. Christian was nowhere to be seen.

  “Christian!” I yelled again. She followed me and butted her head in my chest again. I checked for Demon only to discover he wasn’t in the meadow either.

  I hurried back into the cabin and discovered a pile of blueberry muffins on the table along with a note.

  GOOD AFTERNOON SUNSHINE!

  YOU WERE UP LATE AGAIN SO I LET YOU SLEEP. I RODE DEMON DOWN TO THE BARN TO PICK UP THE REST OF THE SUPPLIES. HAVE A MUFFIN AND RELAX DOWN BY THE LAKE! I WILL BE BACK SOON!

  LOVE,

  CHRISTIAN

  The note did nothing to calm my nerves. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  He should have been back already. I knew it.

  I searched the house for a clock or a cell phone or a watch and found nothing.

  Didn’t these people care about the time?

  I paced around the inside of the cabin, unable to shake the feeling that something happened to Christian.

  Little Miss peeked in through the open door and neighed. I walked outside to scratch her neck the way she liked it, but she kept throwing her head into my chest.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie?” She snickered and trotted away. After twenty feet or so, she stopped and turned to me. She tossed her head in the direction of the path to the barn.

  “Should we go down to them?” She trotted back to me. I swore she nodded her head in agreement. I grabbed clumps of her mane and jumped on her back.

  Finding Christian was my single, mind-consuming
thought on the way. It was the longest five miles of my life. The gallop across the field to the barn that would have normally filled me with exhilaration, only tightened the nerves in my stomach.

  Demon danced around the paddock, but there was no sign of Christian.

  “Christian? Christian!” I shouted as I slid off Little Miss. The lump in my throat swelled up.

  On my way to the barn, something shiny caught my attention. I reached down and grabbed the studded black leather strap of Christian’s keychain. Clutching it to my chest, I shouted for him, but he didn’t answer. My stomach twisted into knots. I rushed over to the barn and almost threw up at the sight of the silver padlock hanging from the barn doors. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  Think Starr, think. Don’t panic. In order to find Christian, you have to figure out where he’s been.

  Interactions with Public

  Proximity to Cabin

  Nature of Interaction

  1st Hotel

  Clothes Shopping

  Grocery Store

  4 hours away

  All transactions paid with cash.

  2nd Hotel

  2 hours away

  Paid with cash.

  Rented Horses

  ? But must be close by

  Used cell phone and probably used credit card since reserved over phone

  HYPOTHESIS: The stable is somehow connected to Christian’s disappearance.

  SOLUTION: Go to the stable.

  The solution seemed reasonable enough. A Google search on Christian’s laptop would narrow down the stables in the area that rented horses. Besides, we were in the middle of nowhere. There couldn’t be that many.

  The silver padlock fell open with a simple twist of the key. As I slipped around the front of his granpappy’s old green pickup, I trailed my hand across the hood. Christian promised to take me for a ride in it when things quieted down for me. We never mentioned something would be happen to him.