Ward just smiled, but his eyes held a banked fire of desire I didn’t know what to do with. He stared so hard I wondered if he was going to push me against the wall right there in the hallway. I licked my lips nervously, and he tracked every movement.
Pinching his eyes shut and furrowing his brow, he said, “There isn’t time.” That settled some internal argument, and he held out his arm for me to take. “The Grove is ready for you.”
“Just checking they won’t initiate me into a sex cult, right? They’re going to help with the snake thing?”
I didn’t really think that, but when I put my hand on his forearm, trying my best not to fumble or accidentally touch more of him, my mouth needed to give my brain a distraction. With my current swirl of emotions, I would do something stupid like ask him to fulfill Maggie’s orders. We started down the hall.
“No sex—” Ward cleared his throat. “No sex cult, viper. But when we’re finished, I will be leaving.”
I blinked at him. He was what? “Excuse me?” I definitely sounded angry despite the fight I just put up in my room. How were we supposed to figure anything out if he was leaving?
“Leaving where?” I asked.
Ward didn’t pause, but that suited me just fine. I had to walk out all these sudden feelings.
“Our realm isn’t safe from the Goddess or her relics. The time of the Godds was pure chaos. The first Kings gathered to kill them for just that reason. Veretis was an especially bloodthirsty deity, according to legend. As one of the only shifter Kings, it’s my obligation to help retrieve and contain them if I can. Shifters have worked hard to be seen as more than their animals. I am proof that we can be more than that.”
That sounded very noble, but also a lot of pressure. “What about the other Kings? Can't they do it?”
“Kings and Queens. We’ve made that much progress at least,” Ward said. “The others are powerful. They would have to be to hold a territory, but sirens, elves, vampires, the fae, even mages, will show no mercy to any shifter answering the call. Their crown comes with expectations that they will eliminate all threats in their domain and none of them would waste a breath on someone they see as little more than an animal. I have to find the rest of the relics before all the Harrowlands goes to war over them and us.”
My stomach twisted into knots as it replayed our quest together. That sounded a lot harder than just going to the local temple. “There are more? And you know where they are?”
He hesitated. “I will handle it. Our basic bond and my magic will have to be enough to keep me from the call. Your safety comes first. You’ll be safe at home.” He said it with such conviction it closed off any other words in my throat. “When this is all over, I will show you how good we can be together.” Ward brushed a thumb over my cheek.
That should have been flattering and swoon worthy. It made my tummy grumble instead. We hardly knew each other, but that brief road trip really got me to like the guy. The thought of Ward in danger made my head spin. He didn’t think I could cut it the second time. Great. Guess he didn’t need the sex demonstration to hightail it out of my presence. Someone else who didn’t want me, even with a mate bond in the mix. I didn’t know what I wanted at this point. His terrifying giantness and pure gentleness were scrambling my brain.
He led me out of the keep through a cute town, alive with the morning’s activities. Soft clouds scuttled across the sky, pushed by a warm breeze that ruffled Ward’s hair. He breathed deep, the sun glinting off the gold highlights in his hair.
I had little time to take in the town when we came back from the mountain, but in the soft light of day, it was a cheery place that just happened to be filled with monsters. There didn't seem to be any rending of limbs in the street as we walked by. Normal shops, the two inns, and a smithy and tannery.
Nearing the edge of town, where the woods met the last of the town’s shops, we stopped in front of a large building that was built like a cottage on steroids. The guy that answered the door looked like a kind old grandpa.
“Keegan.” Ward nodded respectfully. “Meet my mate?—”
“Oh, we heard all about it already. Everyone’s ready to plan the next wedding in between figuring out what to do now that the Godds are alive again.”
“They haven't returned. The Godds are still dead and we’ll keep it that way if we want any peace.”
Of course, that was the part he focused on.
Wedding!?My mental squeak grated on my own ears. I reached for our channel of communication automatically, even though I was in human form.Was that planned for before or after you abandoned me?
Ward winced.The druids are the town’s gossips. Just ignore them.
“No wedding. You can all stand down. Just here to help my mate with her snake problem,” Ward said as he released my hand to duck into the cottage.
“Of course, of course, my liege.” Keegan stepped back to let us in. “We will confer later on the Goddess.”
“This doesn’t involve eating anything, does it?” I instinctively reached for Ward again and surprised us both by folding our hands together.
Keegan laughed like I had told the best joke in the world. Too bad I was serious. He started down the hall without bothering to answer my question, and I looked at Ward. He shrugged. Keegan led us through swooping passages and towering architecture that appeared to grow out of the floor.
I don’t know, little viper. Druid magic is beyond me. They renew their magic through the Danu tree and commune with the land they live on. Like doing magic with a stick, if you ask me. Regardless, I would never let anything happen to you.
I looked out past the branches that formed windows. They looked more like portals to the fields beyond. I didn’t trust him—this magic foolishness was too strange, the rules too vague. What if a tree decided it didn't like me? Unfortunately, there wasn’t another way to be snake-free forever.
The natural fiber wall hangings didn't help orient me as we progressed. They all looked the same to me, unlike the tapestries Ward decorated his keep with. I immediately became lost. The entire building appeared deserted, giving it an eerie feel. I found out why as the druid pushed open a heavy door, built of an entire tree slab, to reveal an impossible room with every member of the Grove and a gigantic tree inside.
