by Jaymin Eve
My attention drifted to Jacob again, who wore an amused expression. As our eyes met, he reached out a hand and brushed it across my shoulder. “I’m really happy for you both. I can sense the bond, and it is as it should have always been.” His grin increased and he dropped the cryptic fey bullshit: “Ty has not shut up about you for the entire two months you were gone.”
I felt the blood drain from my face, and Tyson let out a strangled sound. “I’m so sorry, little witch.” His low voice caressed my senses. “I should have come for you sooner. This is all my fault.”
His anguish was a very real and tangible thing. I could almost taste it on my tongue. Jacob’s humor also fell when he realized what he’d inadvertently reminded us all of.
“None of this is your fault.” The firmness of my voice surprised me. “I asked you to stay away. You respected my wishes. This is my own fault for being a stubborn witch.”
Some of the pain lifted from his aura, and I was rewarded with a sexy grin. “I happen to like stubborn little witches, so don’t even think about changing.”
It was far too late for that, I had already changed, but the stubborn looked to be staying. Now that my magic was back, I quickly repaired the tear in my shirt, and cleaned my body as best I could. Basic body cleanliness, new underwear, and clean teeth was all I wasted energy on. The rest could wait until after we found my mom.
Tyson and Jacob waited patiently, and even though I got the feeling my mate wanted to step in and help me – lend me energy at least – he gave me the space to do what I needed. Seemed I wasn’t the only one who had changed in our time apart.
When I was done, he said, “If we’re going after your mom, we should leave now. I have no idea how long that portal will remain open.”
I turned toward the sunroom. My skin protested a little; it felt tight and itchy as more of my wounds closed up. I was pretty sure I was healed from all except the knife wound on my shoulder. As if he’d heard that thought, Tyson reached out and ran a gentle hand along my arm and down to my hands. A tingling warmth followed his path, and my eyes widened as the wound knit together.
He’d just done healing magic without words, and his energy … it was so strong. The unlocking of his sorcery side had given him a crazy boost. I just hoped he wasn’t taking on more than he could handle. Untamed magic was dangerous.
I had to hope he knew what he was doing, because I couldn’t worry about him. Not yet. My focus had to be on my mom. “You’re right, we need to go now. My gran will hurt my mom if she finds her first.”
Adrenalin spiked within me, and I pulled away from the boys, my feet moving before thought could catch up. My shoulder only ached a little. Tyson had done a very good job, and my natural healing was back on track. My energy felt really strong, actually, even without the new icy darkness inside. Was this a product of being mated to a Compass? Or the energy that blade had filled me with?
Climbing over the low brick wall again, Tyson stayed close behind me, our energies still crashing into each other. I liked having him there, knowing that I wouldn’t be attacked from behind. Mostly it was nice to not be alone. Sitting for days in the darkness had been a form of torture all on its own.
Staring at the portal, I was surprised as its continued strength. As I stepped closer, Jacob reached out and grabbed my arm, before positioning his body in front of me.
“What are you do—?”
“This leads to Faerie. You said you called this portal? Only a high-level sorcerer would be able to connect between the worlds.”
I opened my mouth but no sound emerged. I wasn’t sure what to say to that.
Tyson answered before I could: “How do you know it leads to Faerie? I’m not getting any vibes from it, although it definitely looks different to a normal step-through.”
He was right, it was far more intense than a regular step-through, the breadth of the magic larger, the colors deeper, the energy stronger. I had never created a step-through before. It was magic beyond my abilities, but I’d seen quite a few.
“There is no way I could have created a portal to Faerie,” I finally said. “Not only was this entire place magically shielded, but I’m not powerful enough.”
“What about that burst of energy you said emerged when your gran … stabbed you?” Tyson’s face hardened, his jaw twitching slightly. “Could it have somehow manifested this doorway?”
I paused, nodding a few times. “When the cold flooded my veins, I felt strong. It did spark something inside of me, an energy I had not felt before. Maybe it created this portal…” I tried to push Jacob to the side so I could see it better, but it was like moving a brick wall.
“Where is this blade?” the fey asked.
My eyes scanned the ground. “It disappeared when my cousin dragged me from the house.”
I felt heat flare through my mate bond, and looked up to see gold blazing in Tyson’s eyes. “How could your family have done this to you?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old photograph. “They don’t look like psychopaths.”
My hand was shaking as I took the crumpled print from him. I recognized the photo immediately. It was from summer holidays when I was five or six. I used to stay on the farm for two weeks. Some of my best memories from childhood: running free, climbing trees, home cooking, warm cookies, fresh milk. I had looked forward to it every year. Thinking back, though, most of those things had been courtesy of my grandpa, not my gran. She was just always there, in the background.
I had no idea how Tyson found this photo, but it had my heart aching and a burning sensation rising in my throat and eyes. I didn’t cry, my tear ducts were dried out still, but another part of me broke then. The betrayal of my family hit me even harder.
I tore the photo into multiple pieces and threw them across the room. All the time holding back a scream. Tyson and Jacob remained at my side, and I was grateful when they let me have my moment.
It took me a few more minutes, but eventually I got it together. Clearing my throat I said, “My gran was never particularly warm, but she tried. My cousin Trevor, on the other hand, was always a slimy asshole. I’m glad he’s dead.”
Shadows reared up and I had to again calm the murderous anger rocking me. It gave that inky darkness energy, and I was trying my best not to encourage it. At least until I could figure out what was going on with me.
Turning back to the portal, I decided we had wasted enough time. Mild nerves rumbled within me; I had no idea where it was going to lead, but my mom needed my help and I would not let her down. My usual caution was gone, and without any warning to the Compasses, I stepped through.
Magic encased me strongly and my stomach rebelled. By the time I landed on the other side – my knees hitting something hard – I was gagging and trying not to vomit. The spinning sensation in my head and gut subsided quickly, and I rolled over to get out of the way.
Standing gingerly, I blinked as the portal started fading, almost like it was disappearing. Panic hit me hard, and I was reaching for the mate bond, when two pairs of military-style boots stepped through. Followed by two giant supes. The boys made it just before the last of the swirling energy disappeared for good.
Tyson’s gaze went straight for mine, and I felt a shred of guilt at the tightness around his eyes. I had worried him with my reckless actions, and that wasn’t fair. It also wasn’t a good way to start a mate bond, but … I was a mess. He might as well get used to it.
Crossing my arms, I waited for his reprimand. But there was nothing from him except a brush of heat across our bond. Where had the bossy Compass gone?
Jacob broke the tense moment. “Looks like the portal was connected to you after all. As soon as you stepped through, it started to dissipate.”
It might be connected to me, but it was a result of that blade. Had to be. I scanned the ground, but nothing was visible against the red dirt. No doubt my gran had picked the knife up in her travels. I’d be getting it back from her, one way or another.
Having no
idea what to expect, never having been here before, I stared around Faerie. We had landed in what looked like a desert, red dirt … or sand, spreading out as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t hot. Well, not as dry or hot as I expected a desert would be. If anything, the air was humid … heavy, with just the slightest of breezes. I thought I could smell salt too, like the ocean was close by.
“This is Faerie?” I asked, feeling my brow wrinkle. Not at all what I expected.
“One part of it at least.” Tyson’s energy brushed my own. He was standing close to my back, not quite touching me. The heat I expected from a desert kicked in with his close proximity. “I actually think this might be the jeweled meadows.”
Jeweled meadows. I took a closer look at the red dirt, blinking until I could make out some of the faceted pieces. Holy ... my first assessment of the land had been wrong. This was not the red dirt of a desert, nope, it was a huge expanse of crushed gems. Rubies.
Jacob leaned down and scooped up a handful, letting it trickle through his fingers. There was no visible sun here, but still the pigments glittered and glowed like a light was reflecting off them.
“Why are they crushed like this?” I asked. “Wouldn’t they be more powerful as whole gems?”
We used jewels and crystals in spell casting. Precious stones had their own energy and resonance in the universe, and could be used to store energy, direct a spell, protect and heal. They were very important not just to magic users, but to all supernatural races. Generally, though, stones used in casting would be at least a carat in size, and for the larger spells … well, the bigger the stone the better. I was gifted a set of fist-sized healer stones on my sixteenth birthday, when my witch abilities kicked in strong. Magic users always have magic, but maturity gives us a decided boost.
“It’s like this is a blanket of protection,” Jacob guessed. “Although … I feel no power from them.”
I started walking, needing to find my mom. They fell in on either side of me, and the three of us strode forward with purpose. I was in a rush, but had no idea in which direction to head – there were no landmarks to guide me – so I chose randomly.
As we crossed deeper into the land, I wondered out loud: “This world is not really deserted, is it?” My voice was low, barely audible over the light breezes still brushing across us. “I mean, all of our lives we were told that all fey escaped from Faerie because it was dying, but after everything you’ve all seen here, there is no way.”
“Definitely not dying, or deserted,” Tyson assured me. “And I still have no idea why we’ve been fed that load of bullshit over the past few decades. Someone was trying to stop supes crossing into Faerie, and I want to know why.”
He wasn’t the only one.
Our conversation broke off as the ruby sands started to elevate into a dune. Pushing through the burn in my fatigued legs, I hoped we’d be able to see something from the top. Gems trickled under my bare feet; it was softer than I’d expected, and I had no trouble keeping up a reasonable pace as we climbed. The burn even faded out after a minute.
“You’re starting to look healthier,” Tyson said, a hint of growl still in his voice. “I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t get to you earlier. If I had of known you were in trouble…”
He trailed off but I heard the unspoken words: he would have done anything to save me. That was how true mated males were. Compasses too. The fact that he hadn’t known we were true mates, and still had come for me, was what I loved the most. Before I left I’d been stupidly set on making him prove his loyalty, stubbornly refusing to allow my heart to be hurt again … so I created all of these hoops he had to jump through to prove his commitment. I was an idiot.
After almost being tortured to death, I knew that what I did was a waste of time and energy.
I hated that Tyson was beating himself up over it, and while I didn’t particularly want to talk about what happened, I found myself reaching out and brushing my hand across his forearm. His muscles flexed beneath my palm, and a similar reaction happened in my stomach. It flexed and whirled and churned, like a raging stampede of ants was suddenly marching through there.
“Don’t blame yourself,” I finally blurted out. “It’s not your fault. And…” I sucked in deeply, trying to quell the rising flood of emotions. My next words were a hoarse whisper: “I knew you would come for me. Despite the fact there was no way for you to even know I was in trouble, I knew you would come for me. I had faith in you.”
The deep, rich color of his eyes flashed to a bright gold for a second, his magic flaring within him. Muscle and veins popped on his biceps as he tensed, reaching up and running his hand through his short hair. My eyes locked on those tousled strands and I realized something.
“You cut your hair again?”
Some of the gold faded from his gaze and a grin tipped up one corner of his lips. It was not a happy grin, sort of sardonic, but it was better than the pure fury he’d been wearing a moment ago. “Reminded me of you. Reminded me not to fuck up again or I might be bald next time.”
A snort of laughter escaped me, and I wondered if that was the first time I’d laughed since being captured. It felt odd, but also freeing. The mirth was swallowed up by the universe, but a sliver of light seemed to infiltrate some of the darkness inside of me.
“Hey, lovebirds, you should get up and see this.” Jacob’s shout broke both of us from our moment, and I turned from Tyson surprised to see the fey was a few yards ahead of us, at the crest of the first hill.
Picking up the pace, I scurried along the shifting stones, falling to my knees a few times. Or almost falling before Tyson scooped me up and dropped me back on my feet. “You’re quick,” I said, a little breathlessly, after the second save.
He gave me a wink, his dimples appearing. “Not where it counts, I’m not.”
Heat flared in my body and in my cheeks, a blush staining my face. Just as I was opening my mouth to respond, Tyson linked his fingers through mine, as he sobered. “Shit, I keep screwing this up. I’m sorry, little witch. I shouldn’t have said that. After everything you went through … my timing sucks.”
Some of the heat faded from my cheeks, which hopefully meant my blush was subsiding. “It’s okay … really. I don’t want you to stop joking around or being the Tyson I expect. When we have a spare moment, I’ll tell you everything that happened these past two months. For now, take my reassurance that … that what you saw today, that was the first time he attacked me like that. You arrived just in time.”
A heavy rush of air left Tyson and it sounded like he said Thank fuck under his breath, but there was no time to ask because we were at the top of the hill, joining Jacob. The fey glanced briefly at our clasped hands but didn’t say anything. He just pointed across to the left of us and we all stared.
Holy shit! Where the hell had my portal led us?
Tyson Compass
A city was spread out before us, starting at the base of the hill and extending far back into the red land. Huge, imposing red-gates were front and center, carved from rubies, and standing three or four stories in the air. Their multi-faceted surfaces sent off red beams of light, despite the lack of sun in the pinkish sky. Was everything carved from rubies?
Touch of overkill there, but sure.
A shimmering wave of visible power cresting and falling through the city caught my eye. It spread out across the lands, and as its power washed out through that front fence and then through us, I tensed. Nothing happened, though, except a slight jump of my energy inside. Maybe it was just a natural power wave formed by all of the rubies.
Grace pulled her hand from mine as she stared down wide-eyed, her jaw slightly unhinged, her fists clenched in front of her. She looked a combination of intrigued and freaked out. I was struggling not to pull her into my arms, struggling not to capture her mouth and taste her. Whatever raging beast had been woken inside of me with the mate bond and sorcery powers … it was not under control. I was barely keeping my shit together. I had no idea
how my brothers lived with this sort of wildness inside.
I liked to be in control.
At least I could let go of one piece of my fear and anger. Grace wasn’t raped. The relief I felt at that was beyond words. No one should ever be violated in that way, and if I ever found out any supe was guilty of it, I would put them down fast.
Thank fuck I had made it there in time to kill her cousin. He’d still put his hands on her, but she wasn’t sexually violated, and I was taking my wins where I could. I half wondered if she would have even needed me in the end. She had been fighting like a warrior, despite being half-starved and injured.
That fight … it surprised me. It wasn’t that Grace was weak – far from it – but she was all logic and calm thought. A gentle healer. What I saw today was a different side of her, a darker side. Even now … her gorgeous skin was healing, resuming its normal flawlessness; her red hair, despite being a little knotted and streaked with dirt and blood, still had that natural luminance shining through – on the outside she seemed the same – but her aura and essence felt … different.
It was killing me not to be able to take care of her. I’d done a little healing earlier, and she’d cleaned most of the blood off and repaired her clothes, but I could have given her an entirely new outfit – put shoes on her feet. I hadn’t, though, because she seemed to want to stand on her own, be independent. And I would respect her wishes.
It also might be for the best. We were in Faerie – a world of magic I did not understand, and I was still struggling with my new sorcery energy. I would hate for it to backfire.
Of course, if Grace asked for my help at any point, all bets were off.
As if responding to this thought, power flared inside of me. I closed my eyes, as they were no doubt glimmering with gold as I tried not to lose control again. The last thing we needed was to alert all of Faerie to our presence, and a huge burst of energy releasing from me would definitely do that.
