by Macy Blake
Meshaq turned to him and glared. His uncle’s face was going to freeze that way one day. Nana Jerrick had said so, and Henry was really beginning to think she was right.
“Sylph,” Meshaq replied.
“We must… tread with caution. The queen is not happy with the current… situation.”
Sawyer cleared his throat nervously. “I think what Loch is trying to say is that we didn’t exactly have the queen’s permission to come here.”
Henry had never actually seen his uncle turn that shade of white. “You what?”
“But one of Sawyer’s mates is her son, Kavalan,” Henry rushed to add. “He brought us here. We are under his protection, and Loch is the captain of his royal guard. Right, Loch?”
Loch nodded, but his expression remained grim.
“I don’t suppose you’ll let me get you out of here, will you?”
“I won’t leave my mates, and they can’t leave,” Henry said softly. “We have to make things right with the queen. Kavalan is with her now. He’ll fix this.”
“You have a lot of faith in him.”
“I can always call for you if I need you,” Henry reminded. “You always come when I call.”
Meshaq gripped Henry’s neck in his hand and stared into his eyes. “I can’t get you out of this one, Henry. But I can take you with me now.”
Henry shook his head. “I’m sorry, Uncle Meshaq. But you know that’s not the right thing for me to do. I know my destiny and my duty. That’s to the Chosen One. We’ll get through this.”
“I should go, then. Queen Orfhlaith has given me free passage, but I do not want to abuse her hospitality and lose the privilege.”
“That is wise,” Loch murmured.
Henry pulled his uncle into another hug and felt himself get wrapped up against Meshaq’s huge form. “You be safe.”
“Tell my dads I love them, and I’ll let you know when we’re home.”
“Be careful, Henry. Words here are sacred bonds.”
He nodded.
“Come, Cosmo, Calli. The dryads have decided to remain in their homeland for the time being. We return to ours.”
“Alpha! I can stay and assist your nephew in his quest. Cosmo would— meep!”
Meshaq hadn’t stopped moving. He just scooped Cosmo up and threw him over his shoulder, opened a portal, and stepped through it. Calli tossed them a wave before stepping through as well, and then the flaming circle disappeared.
“He is so hot,” Sawyer purred.
Henry punched his arm. “Shut up.”
Sawyer wiggled his eyebrows and pulled Henry close. “Admit it.”
“Okay. He’s hot. But gross. He’s my uncle.”
“You know who’s hot but not gross?” Sawyer whispered against Henry’s ear.
“Saeward,” Henry replied.
He received a pinch to his ass in response.
“You are, nitwit,” Sawyer huffed.
“Not nice.”
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Sawyer said gently. “I was really scared.”
His hand had remained on Henry’s ass, and he began to rub the spot he’d pinched. Henry tucked his arms around Sawyer’s back and ran his hands along his spine. “I was too. But we’re okay now. We’re all okay.”
“Is it me, or does everything feel like it’s upside down and backward?”
“It’s not you,” Henry replied. “I mean, just look around. The trees are purple. We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Sawyer laughed. “That’s what I said when we got here!”
Henry tried to muffle a yawn, but of course, Sawyer caught him.
“You need to rest.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“No, come on. I’ll go with you. I’m sure everyone around here will be happy if I’m parked in one spot for a while.”
They were almost back to the little nest where Henry had woken up when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He reacted instinctively and pushed Sawyer behind him, but then he realized he’d probably lost his mind and this was all some sort of whacked out dream that he wouldn’t even be able to remember when he woke up.
“What the…” Sawyer said.
“Is that a…” Henry added.
“Toddler?” they said simultaneously.
They heard a giggle, and then the pitter patter of little feet running away.
Henry rubbed his head and glanced at Sawyer. He’d think he was crazy except he was pretty sure Sawyer had seen it too.
“Are we hallucinating?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What is it?” Loch said from beside them.
Henry shrieked, startled by Loch’s sudden appearance. But it was manly. Definitely not prepubescent.
“I think we’re… seeing things,” Sawyer said.
Loch looked the direction they were both staring, and the baby poked its head out from behind a tree.
“That little...” Loch stormed that direction and even though the baby shrieked and tried to run, it was no match for Loch. The guard grabbed it, gave it a shake, and then threw it up into the air.
Henry and Sawyer both yelled in protest and ran forward, but they stumbled to a stop a few feet later when little wings popped out of the baby’s back, and it did some sort of complicated spinning and flipping maneuver, before giggling and popping its thumb into its mouth while hovering about twenty feet in the air above them. It blinked its big, fae-blue eyes, and Henry leaned into Sawyer for support.
“Holy crap, that scared me.”
“That must be one of the mysterious imps Kavalan was telling me about,” Sawyer said.
The one brave imp must have broken the ice for the others, because the next thing Henry knew, there were over a dozen of them running around and giggling. They ran to Loch, and he tossed each of them up into the air. It was the first time Henry had ever seen him smile. Sawyer seemed just as entranced as he was.
Pearl bound over, clearly wondering what all the excitement was, and the imps all began to flit about. She let out a happy bark. The imps squealed, popped out their wings, and began to flutter above them.
“She won’t hurt you,” Loch said.
He moved closer to them and glanced at Sawyer. “May I?”
Sawyer seemed… Henry didn’t know what. “Uh, may you what?”
“Show them how to play with Pearl.”
“Oh. Okay. They won’t hurt her, right?”
“I would never allow your beloved pet to come to harm.”
Sawyer swallowed hard, and Henry glanced back and forth between them. What had he missed? Just how long had he been unconscious?
Loch turned and ran for one of the tall trees at the edge of the shoreline. He laid his hands against it gently, and a moment later a branch fluttered to the ground. He gave the tree a pat, picked up the branch, and waved it to Pearl.
She began to bark gleefully, drawing more giggles and squeals from the imps floating above them. Then Loch tossed the branch and Pearl took off running after it. All of the imps flew above her, chasing her as she chased the wood. She returned it to Loch and danced around his feet until he reared back and threw it again. The imps flew after her once more, and from the happy sounds they were making, Henry figured they were having just as much fun as Pearl was.
Loch threw the stick several more times before he knelt down and gave her a good pet, praising her as the rest of them always did. When he looked up at the imps, it was with a stern look of a parent giving a child a warning. “You must be gentle with her. Anyone who isn’t will answer to me.”
Henry didn’t think that would be a problem. One of the imps— probably the same one from earlier, but Henry really couldn’t tell them apart— fluttered down and landed on the ground beside Pearl. Pearl, being the well-mannered girl she was, didn’t immediately stick her nose into the belly of the imp. But she did stand patiently and let the imp pat her awkwardly. Loch took its little hand in his and showed it how to rub slowly down her neck.
Sawy
er made a little happy sound, and Henry turned to him.
“So cute,” Sawyer said. “Look at him. Them. I mean, look at them.”
His sisters had gone through a phase a couple years ago where anytime they saw something swoon-worthy, they’d say OGB. They wouldn’t tell him for a long time what it meant. It was their little secret. But then, during a weak moment, Emily confessed that it meant “ovaries go boom.” As in, they wanted to have babies with whomever was making them swoon. Henry was pretty sure that Sawyer just had an OGB moment. He looked exactly like his sisters had. And Henry was honest enough with himself to admit he’d had an OGB moment when he met Andvari and Eduard for the first time. Emily had teased him, and said they should change it to TGB. As in “testicles go boom.” But Henry had wanted to curl up in a ball and protect his man parts at the mere suggestion of such an atrocity. Emily had laughed for days. She’d even left him a jock strap with an added cup on his plate one night before dinner. He’d been horrified, but the look Nana had given Emily had been worth it. She’d gotten disappointed glare number three hundred and twelve. It was one of the worst ones. Emily had cowered and apologized and never uttered the dreaded TGB again.
Sawyer grabbed Henry’s hand and squeezed his fingers. Tight. There had to be an explanation for his reaction. It was pretty cute, and Henry wouldn’t deny that seeing Loch this way wasn’t having an effect on him as well. Not nearly as much of one as Sawyer was having, though. It was probably the magic in the air. The fae realm definitely had a different energy than what they were used to, and Sawyer had already been affected by the lake water. It made sense.
A sweet cooing sound from the imps drew his attention, but before he could process how cute it was that Pearl had rolled onto her back and was letting the imps pet her belly, he saw movement in the trees. The hair on the back of his neck rose, and he instinctively threw up his hand and armed his magic.
“Loch!”
Something flew through the air, but the fae guard moved fast. He was directly between Sawyer and whatever was in the trees. Henry knocked them both out of the path with his magic with barely a second to spare. A large wooden spear landed in the ground where Sawyer had been standing. Loch had managed to do one of the same aerial maneuvers the imps performed, and he’d landed over Sawyer in a Matrix-esque pose. Sword drawn, crouched down. His ass right in Sawyer’s face.
TGB.
“Guards,” Loch shouted.
Henry kept his magic focused, ready to deflect any other projectiles. Whatever had been in the woods was long gone, though. He could sense it.
“Chosen One, are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Fine. Just had the wind knocked out of me, but no injuries.”
Pearl bounded over to Sawyer, followed closely by the imps who were crowded around her. Within seconds, Sawyer was covered in them, and Henry couldn’t help but laugh. The other guardians surrounded them as well, everyone tense and on edge, but unable to resist the allure of a laughing Sawyer.
Loch finally moved from his protective position and shooed them away. “Go on, little ones. Back to the lake. You can come back to play later.”
They flew away with clear reluctance, pouting and huffing their displeasure. Pearl settled on top of Sawyer with a huff, clearly exhausted from her romp with them. Sawyer stared up at them all from his position on his back.
“My life is so weird,” he grumbled after a moment.
That about summed it up. Henry glanced once more toward the woods, and then turned back to the others. Loch’s brilliant blue eyes caught his, and the fae gave him a small nod of thanks. Henry returned it, but couldn’t quite put aside what he’d witnessed in the past few minutes. Something really strange was happening, and he really needed to get to the bottom of it.
Sawyer
Sawyer couldn’t sleep. His mates were curled around him, all resting peacefully, but his eyes wouldn’t stay closed. He should be exhausted. He was exhausted, but his mind wouldn’t rest. Anxiety rolled through him, and every time he closed his eyes, he pictured all the ways he’d almost died in the past couple of months. The newest was the least frightening, oddly enough. It said something that a spear being thrown at him was the least scary thing he’d faced. There was something about the latest attack, though. He was already out of sorts, in a world whose rules he didn’t understand, so the actual attempt on his life had amped up his anxiety to uncomfortable levels. Not to mention the fact that he found himself attracted to someone not one of his mates. Something had changed, and Sawyer didn’t know what to do about it.
Henry made a cute snorfling snore and rolled over, removing his arms from around Sawyer’s waist and grabbing Draco, who slept behind him, instead. His movement freed Sawyer from the tangle of arms and legs he’d been in, so he sat up and slid quietly down to the edge of the cushioned area which had magically appeared under the ceannbhrat once their dinner had been cleared away.
He tiptoed to the edge of the covering but didn’t leave it. “Loch?” Sawyer whispered.
“You should be resting.”
Sawyer turned and found the fae standing right beside him. “I can’t sleep.”
Loch searched his eyes and seemed to recognize the truth in his words.
“Come with me,” Loch said.
He turned and began walking toward the lake. Sawyer followed along behind him. Everything around them had settled into a peaceful, quiet slumber. The sky had darkened to the deepest of plums, and the lake itself shimmered in an iridescent silver. Loch stopped at the edge of the water and stretched. His arms bowed over his head. His back arched. His brilliant blue hair shimmered in the darkness of the night sky. Loch reached behind himself and unhooked the leather sheath holding his sword before lowering it gently to the sand. His tunic followed, bearing his scarred back. And then he slipped out of his trousers, leaving his skin completely bare.
Sawyer sucked in a breath, drawing Loch’s attention.
“Why are you standing there? Swim. The lake will take care of you.”
“I, um, don’t really want to get high again.” It was the first excuse that came to his mind, and luckily it was a good one.
Loch waded into the water to his waist before turning around and meeting Sawyer’s gaze. “She won’t do anything you don’t need. Trust me.”
Sawyer chewed his lip nervously before slipping out of the tunic Puteri had left for him to sleep in. They hadn’t exactly had time to pack— much to Eduard’s dismay— so they’d changed into the clothes she provided. It had been a little weird sleeping in what amounted to a long shirt. It was comfortable and soft, though.
“Sawyer?”
“Coming.”
He stepped slowly into the water but stopped several feet away from Loch. Loch turned and swam away from him, revealing flashes of his pale skin above the darkness of the water. Sawyer gulped and sank further beneath the depths.
“What the hell is wrong with me?”
A gentle pulse of magic answered, soothing in a way, but no less confusing. It said, “You’re okay. This isn’t wrong.” But Sawyer knew otherwise. He didn’t need to be developing a crush on Loch when he needed to be focusing on his mates and fixing the awkwardness between himself and Kavalan. He didn’t need to put Loch in that position either.
Sawyer turned and started back toward the beach. “Loch, I’m going to—” Something held him tight, almost as if the water had hardened around him, keeping him from moving. “Loch!”
Loch was immediately at his side. “What is it?”
“I can’t move. Help me.”
Loch moved in front of him and reached beneath the water. He gripped Sawyer’s waist in his hands and moved him to the side.
The vice that had been around him was gone.
Just one more instance of the world around him not making any sense. He didn’t know what he was doing. Had no clue how to stop his insane crush on the beautiful fae. Had no idea why the magic here was making him feel things he didn’t understand, didn’t want.
/> “What’s happening to me?”
The water pulsed again, and Loch trembled. Sawyer could feel it in the grip still on his waist. He could see it in the flash of blue from Loch’s eyes.
“I do not know,” Loch confessed.
But there was something in his tone, something Sawyer recognized. “You feel it, too. Don’t you?”
Loch looked into his eyes, searching. Always searching.
“I am following orders. I was told to not leave your side.”
It wasn’t a denial. Sawyer felt like he’d been sucker punched square in the kidneys. Loch felt it, too.
The lake seemed to sense his distress and sent a cool wind to flutter through his hair. Loch still hadn’t let go of his waist, had in fact pulled him a little closer. “Loch,” Sawyer began.
He had no idea what else to say, though.
Loch didn’t seem sure of himself either. He glanced around, the first sign of hesitation on his face, a small glimmer of confusion, before he masked it once more and began gliding them deeper into the water. “I’ve never seen her respond to anyone like this.”
“What do you mean?”
Loch didn’t answer for a long moment. He continued to guide them toward the center of the lake. “She responds to your power.”
Sawyer shook his head. “I don’t have power. That’s the point.”
Loch gave him one of those looks that he’d mastered so well. He might as well have a blinking neon sign over his head stating that he thought Sawyer was an idiot.
“No, really,” Sawyer said. “I’m a null. That’s how all of this started. Everyone thought the Chosen One was going to be some all-powerful something or other, but what I really am is a null. I guess that’s how I’ll be able to fix everything when the time comes. I’m not sure, to be honest. We haven’t been able to figure out what’s going on.”
Loch frowned and adjusted his grip on Sawyer’s waist. He ended up pulling him even closer, until their bodies pressed together beneath the water. Sawyer couldn’t help the shiver that went through him. He couldn’t help the way his body responded. Their eyes met, the moment building into something more. He raised his hands, placed them carefully on Loch’s muscled arms. Sawyer gulped. Loch’s eyes lowered to his lips.
