by A C Wilds
I can’t take my eyes off of Noli as Cass drags me away. Tears start to form, and soon my face is dripping with salt and sorrow. A violet light begins to form around her, and I see Nora for the first time. She is controlling the bubble that surrounds my dear friend. That traitorous bitch! When she did my tarot reading, she presented herself as someone who was not out to do Michael’s bidding. My sadness turns to anger as I look upon the scene. They will pay. I vow it right here and now. The Seelie King and the Seer of the Seelie Court are both going to die for what they are doing to Noli.
Giving them my back, I run and hop up on Red. The soldiers are so close; I can hear their footsteps. I reach out and grab Cass’ hand, and we ride through the portal lightning fast. It doesn’t close behind us I like I expect. I jump down off of Red and pull at the energy to close the door. I am met with some resistance, but then it finally gives way and starts to bend to my will.
“Hurry the fuck up, Azra! They are getting closer. They are going to kill us all!” Grey yells at me.
I give him some major side eye, and I continue to pull and push the portal closed. “What the fuck do you think I am doing, setting a table for tea?” I ask through gritted teeth. The first of the soldiers are close, about 100 yards away. The portal is coming down, but I don’t know how fast I can get it closed. We might not make it. I double my efforts, bearing down and pulling with all my might. I feel Red come up behind me and place his nose on my shoulder. My strength multiplies by ten. The seam is almost repaired when a Fae soldier bursts his torso through the portal. His sword clips Red in the shoulder. And my Arion knickers in protest. Cass is there in an instant to block the second swing that would have gotten me in the neck. I start to turn and give the soldier some of my electrical power, but he screams in agony as the portal shuts around his body. He is sliced in two, and his pain-twisted face is the last thing I see before I feel powerful hands lifting me up and onto Red.
We take off like a shot, and I only have seconds to adjust myself in the saddle, so I don’t fall off. Red is fast, like super-fast. He is in the lead with the others trailing behind. At first, I don’t hear anything, and when I look behind, I notice we are too far ahead.
“Red, you need to slow down a little and let the others catch up,” I yell at him over the roar of the wind, as we whip past the trees.
“If we stop, they will catch us. You are more important than the rest of them,” he tells me.
“We are not leaving them! It is bad enough that I couldn’t save Noli.” My heart is cracked in a million pieces. It feels like there is a gaping hole in my chest. I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t even go to her. I squint my eyes shut and try to force back the tears.
“We are stopping now.” I tug at the reins. I force Red to a stop and hop off near a grouping of trees. He gives me a huff of disapproval and a head flick. Let him be pissed. I need my mate, and I won’t let Grey and Logan suffer at the hands of the King.
The guys catch up to us a few minutes later. Cass gets off Storm and rushes to me. We embrace, and I bury my face in his shirt. I can feel his strong arms around me, and at this moment I feel a bit better. I know that I can get through this with him by my side.
“I’m sorry you had to see that. I know Noli is your friend. I wish we could have done something,” Cass whispers in my ear.
“I am going to kill your father,” I say to him, as I look up right into his eyes. I don’t see shock or remorse there. He’s ok with what I have to do. He gives me a nod of the head and then gives his attention to Hurri who is breathing loudly.
Looking at Hurri, I am concerned she might be hurt. I detach myself from Cass and approach her slowly. I ask Red telepathically to tell her I need to check for injuries. He conveys the message to her because I see her body shift to the side I am approaching. She allows to me run my hands down each of her legs. Her right front is a bit hot. It could mean there is inflammation in her muscles. This poor horse ran for her life. “You’re such a good girl,” I tell her, while petting her neck. She nuzzles into me and gives me a soft snort. I take off all of her tack and find a brush in one of the saddlebags. I give her a quick rub down and then call over to Logan.
“Have you ever groomed a horse before?” I ask him.
“Yeah sure, when the other stable hands needed help, I volunteered,” he tells me approaching Hurri and putting a hand on her nose. Her breathing seems to have evened out some, and she looks a bit more relaxed.
“Here you go then,” I say, handing him the brush. “I want to make sure Red is ok.”
“I’m fine! I am an Arion, not an ordinary horse. I could have done that all day. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go in search of some water. I hear a stream about a half mile away,” Red tells us, and then trots off. I didn’t even get a chance to take his saddle off.
I make my way over to Cass as he is grooming Storm. “Hey, are you OK?” I ask him. He looks scared out of his mind right now.
“Yeah, I just think after seeing my father like that, it became real,” he says, as he drops his brush and steps in my personal space. “I always dreamed of leaving him, but it was never something I could ever do alone. Then I met you, and all that changed. You give me hope for a better world. One where we don’t have to be scared all the time.”
“Cass…,” I say, before I lean into him and find his lips. They are so soft. The kiss is kind and full of reverence. He breaks it off too soon and offers me a sweet smile.
“When we are out of these woods and somewhere safe, I want to explore every inch of you. Taste every part of you. Run my tongue the length of you. Our first night was amazing, but now I want to take my time.” he tells me with lust in his eyes. His words go straight to my clit, and I have to shift my legs to get comfortable again. Gods, this male is making me into a pile of mush. I instantly feel guilty about this happiness I have. My best friend is trapped in the worst place I can imagine, and here I am sharing kisses with a male I just met.
“I am going to hold you to it,” I tell him, kissing him again like my life depends on it. I put so much lust, love, and feeling into that kiss that it leaves us both breathless and panting.
“I almost forgot,” he says, leaning over storm and pulling a long parcel from his saddle bag. I recognize it right away. It’s the Changer sword.
“How did you? When did you find the time to take it?” I ask in amazement. I didn’t think I would ever see it again. I take it from him and unwrap the cloth. It is sheathed in a intricately designed scabbard. It has roses and thorns carved into the leather. I take it out and bask in its glory. It feels so right in my hand.
“I snuck in before I put the supplies out by the stream. You need it Azra. It’s the only thing that can beat my father. It has the power to kill him,” he tells me, with a bit of sadness in his voice. He must be so conflicted about all of this.
I hear the crunch of leaves and turn around to see Grey standing a short distance away. He looks outraged and turned on at the same time. His gaze rakes over me, and that sparking of arousal comes back. I clear my throat and step away from Cass. “Is there something you need?” I ask him, with a bit of a lost voice.
“Red is back, and he wants to take the horses to the river,” he tells us, as if Red is a person and not a horse.
Cass unhooks Storm’s bridle from the tree and pats him on the rear to send him on his way. He quickly catches up to Red and Hurri as they are walking in the direction of the river. Logan is trailing behind them with his head hanging down. I also notice a couple of water flasks in his hands. I guess there are even chores for runaways.
“Do either of you know where we are?” Grey asks, after the trio of horses and Logan are out of earshot.
“We are in Faerie,” Cass states. He says it like going through portals is fucking normal. We just landed in another realm!
“I’m sorry, what the fuck did you just say?” I ask him, with an exasperated voice. I might lose my shit right now. All the adrenaline from the chase is leaving m
y system, and I feel gross and confused.
“I’m sorry, Azra. When you opened the portal by bending the magic doorway, you opened it to Faerie. I thought you knew,” Cass says.
“How the hell am I supposed to know the difference between a portal to Earth, and one to fucking Faerie!” I scream. Grabbing my hair, I slink down to the ground. We left one mess and jumped into another.
Both boys stay standing. Grey looks like he is about to flip a table, if there was one in the vicinity. Cass is just looking at me meekly. He has no idea what to do with me. I look up at them both. “Well, what do we do?” I ask.
“We find the Dark Court, and ask for sanctuary,” he states.
“What if they don’t provide it? What if the Dark take one look at you, Prince, and kill us all?” Grey asks, pointing at Cass. He says Prince like it’s a curse word.
“The Changer is among us. I am her mate. They cannot hurt me if I am hers. They know it will cause consequences that cannot be undone.”
“That’s all good for you, but what about my brother and I? We aren’t exactly royalty or even Fae,” Grey says.
“The courts here are different. They don’t have human slaves like the Light does. Instead, they have human companions. Sort of like pets but treated better.”
If I thought Grey was mad before, it isn’t anything compared to this. He rushes toward Cass and tackles him to the ground. Greyson is on top of him in moments, taking a swing at his face. The rage he has coming off of him is visible. It is riding out of him in waves. I can see the energy in the air.
“You stupid piece of shit fucking Fae. You all think we are here to amuse you? I am so sick of this!” He pulls back, and punches Cass in the face. Cass lays there and takes the first punch. While Grey is pulling back to hit him again, Cass flips him over, and straddles his chest. He places both hands on top of Grey’s arms at the side of his face and gets really close.
“Listen to me, because I am only going to say this once. Your anger is going to get us all killed. You need to focus on what is important, and right now getting out alive is the most important; even if you have to pretend to be in love with Azra to do it. This is the only way,” Cass says.
Grey stares at him like if he had a knife, he’d stab Cass in the eye. I move up to both of them and grab Cass’s shoulder. “Let him up,” I tell him. Cass moves off of Grey and comes to stand next to me. “Look, Grey, I don’t know what you have been through, but I do know what it feels like to be taken from my home, thrust into this world, and flipped on my head. I just saw my best friend in a purple bubble next to the person I hate the most right now. We need to stick together and make the best of this ‘till we can get out of it. I want to protect you and Logan, so please, will you play along?”
He doesn’t answer either of us. He gets up and stalks off into the woods. Cass attempts to go after him, but I hold him back. “Let him process. He doesn’t have an outlet for all that anger. I can only imagine what he has been through.”
“You’re right. I may not have known Greyson personally when we were back at the palace, but I do know what they do to the humans. None of it is ever good,” he says, rubbing his head and trying to get the memories out. Thank the gods I didn’t have to witness any of it. I probably wouldn’t be alive.
Chapter 18
Fuck the Fae
Greyson
I stomp off into the forest. I can’t look at either of them right now — the way they kiss like they hold each other’s life breath. It shouldn’t bother me seeing her with him, but it does, and it befuddles me. I don’t know why I am thinking of her like this because, fuck, she is a Fae! The last Fae I lusted after landed Logan and I trapped here. There is something about this girl though. She is different. It sometimes slips my mind that I got her into this mess, and that I was the one who made her life infinitely more complicated. It just seems like she has always been a part of me. I fucking hate that. I’m so angry that my body betrays me whenever she is around.
This little idea I have doesn’t seem like a good one anymore. I took Logan out of that hell hole to bring him into another. I don’t know why I can’t do anything right by him. I suck as a guardian. I wish Mom were here. Even if she couldn’t make it better, at least she could take care of Logan better than I ever could.
I see them up ahead through the trees. I can’t believe that damn horse can talk. I can hear Logan asking him a million questions. The kid has always been inquisitive. Sometimes it’s not the best trait. He’s laughing though, so Red must have said something funny. At this moment he looks almost carefree, like a real kid. They are splashing each other, and Logan is trying his best to win. He has no chance. The three horses gang up on him, and soon he is soaked. He’s never been able to experience a childhood. It’s good to see him let loose a little, and in turn, I feel some tension leave me as well.
I’m nervous about being this close to the Dark Court. I have never met a Dark before, but if they are anything like the Light, we are in a shit load of trouble. Cassiel better know what he is doing.
Turning around, I walk back to our little group, only to be stopped by Azra. “What do you want?” I ask her, with disdain in my voice.
“What I want is irrelevant; what I need is another matter,” she tells me. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and there is a steel look in her eyes. She seems different now. The first time I saw her dancing at Pete’s, she was lonely and incomplete. The girl in front of me now is determined and pissed off.
“And what is it that you need, Azra? I would think the Prince has that on lock right now.” I give her my attitude because I can’t show her anything else.
“Well Grey, I need for us to stay alive, so that I can have a chance to change things, and kill that fucking bastard King,” she says, as she makes her way closer to me. Her hips sway of their own accord. She has no idea how sexy she is. I can feel myself responding to her: the way she smells and the way she looks at my lips a little too long. “You are making it very difficult to hold our shit together. We have no idea what we are doing here, and you constantly resisting, instead of being a team player, is going to get us killed.”
She is in front of me now, at arm’s length. I can’t help myself, I reach out and grab her forearm. She jumps in surprise but then relaxes into it. Her eyes bore into mine, and I tell her the first truth, “I can’t submit to you.”
She looks confused for a second, and then it dawns on her what I am saying. “You think I would make you sleep with me so that we could get past the Dark?”
“That is what the Prince is asking. I can’t do it. I can’t do it ever again,” I tell her, lowering my voice but keeping eye contact with her. I need to see how she will respond.
“Grey…,” she says in a whisper. “I would never make you do something you wouldn’t already want to do, but I don’t think that’s the whole truth. You could have said sex, but you said submit.” This Fae girl is smarter than she looks. The Fae live in the gray area. They live for half-truths and non-lies. She just figured out how to read between them.
“You’re right, I said submit. I will never bend the knee to another being for as long as I live. If you want my body, take it. It will be yours, but I will never give you my soul.” I spew the last part out. My anger is coming to the surface again. I want nothing more than to push her back against a tree and thrust into her like a wild animal. I want to hear her scream my name as I punish her for all the deeds of the Fae. I want to watch her eyes ignite with pain as I make her scream my name in ecstasy.
Stepping away from her and her heated gaze, I slowly make my way over to where Logan is standing. If I don’t leave her now, I will make us both regret meeting each other.
Chapter 19
Finding a Place
Azra
Holy shit, I went to talk to Grey, but I had no idea it would be that intense. His eyes looked like they wanted to burn me alive. My body responded to him, even if I was afraid of what he could do and judging from the enormous bulge
he was trying to hide, I think he could do a lot.
They all come back at the same time. Grey is trailing behind them. Logan is soaked through, but he is wearing a smile from ear to ear. He runs up to our little camp and drops the flasks by the rest of the equipment.
“Hey Azra, did you know that Red is like a thousand years old? He is like the oldest Arion that is alive right now. He thinks there may be some here in Faerie. It’s been so long since he’s been here. Hey, do you think we will be able to see if we can find some? I’d really like a talking Arion of my own. You can’t call them horses ‘cause they get upset, so what do you think? Can we?” Logan blazes through with the quickness of a child in wonder. It is precisely what I need to hear. The innocence of life before responsibility catches up and chokes the purity out of you.
“I think if we find another Arion here in Faerie, it will be exceptional. I don’t think we can go looking for them though. We need to get to safety and make sure we have some allies before we continue. I want to first make sure you are secure and out of danger before we get to do any fun stuff,” I explain to him, in the nicest way possible.
“You make good sense,” he says, and then walks away to stand with the horses.
Cass and I start to tack up Red and Storm, while Grey tends to Hurri. There seems to be a rock formation or mountain on the other side of this clearing; we may be able to find shelter there. Red walks alongside me as Cass and Grey lead their horses. We walk for about 20 minutes before reaching what I can now see is, in fact, a mountain, but the stone is nothing like I’ve ever seen. It is dark, shiny, black and smooth to the touch. It also pulses with energy.
“Cass, can you feel that?” I ask my mate.
