I pulled her off my shoulder and carried her in my arms. Her glare lacked its usual heat, but I met it steadily. For the first time in a long time, she lowered her gaze. I snarled, warmth blooming in my chest that she’d submitted, but also hating that she had. Gritting my teeth against that confusion, I lengthened my stride.
There was a mumbled sound, and she wriggled. I didn’t look at her again, though it didn’t take a genius to determine what she wanted. “No way am I letting you walk. You fucked up, Shan. That means you aren’t getting out of this. So you may as well relax.” I forced a cold smile to my lips. “And there’ll be no booze or fucking around where we’re going, so just accept that. It’s time to face your demons.”
Her body stilled, but I ignored the small whimper that came from behind my magical gag. Instead, I fixed my gaze forward. It was a surprise when, only minutes later, her body went lax, and her head fell against my shoulder, her messy hair falling across her face.
I adjusted her weight so her head fell back, taking the hair from her eyes. My nostrils flared as I inhaled her scent.Underneath the stale alcohol and sweat was the scent of fear—and exhaustion. I didn’t like it. Neither did my wolf.
I agree, my friend. She needs someone to take her in hand. Make her see her worth.
Could I really do that, though? It meant spending time with her, maybe even breaking her down more before piecing her back together. And, in the end, would that be fair? I couldn’t allow myself to get too attached, not after what had happened with Gwendolyne. Gwen had been my mate. She’d accepted my mixed blood when no one else in Faery had, and she’d been killed by Shannon’s father.
I’d been young in Fae terms when we’d run from my family and responsibilities. Rejection of those responsibilities had kept me away from Faery, and now that I was back, I had no intention of letting my father know. There’d always been expectations for my future as an heir of such a powerful High Lord. Even after my sister was born, it was all about how I could be used in marriage to shore up his alliances and army. No way was I going back to that—to him—even if a small part of me wanted to see my mother and sister.
This trip was for Shannon and Shannon only.
B’nar would keep my presence in his kingdom and home a secret if I asked. My father’s lands were on the borders of the Winter Kingdom, with Orth, the Unseelie dark Fae kingdom, far enough away that there was no reason for him to know I was there. He’d be busy protecting his borders from the dark Fae and taking gold coins from B’nar’s coffers for doing it.
Once the situation with Ava was resolved, I would take Shannon somewhere she could learn the value of life again. I swallowed hard at the thought of returning to the small forest cottage after all this time, but before I could dwell on it too hard, a stunning blue-white light appeared at the end of the portal corridor. Moving between worlds wasn’t as simple as steppingthrough a portal within the same realm. It required more of a tunnel than a doorway, but I’d done it before, many times between the mortal world and Faery. Yet this was the first time I’d returned and felt uneasy about what might happen.
Fresh snow crunched under my boots, and icy air hit my face. I inhaled deeply, revelling in the scent of the Fae world. My senses sharpened, and the perfume of winter blooms and pine filled my nose. My Fae blood sang at being back in this beautiful and dangerous world.
I tugged gently, glad when my wolf didn’t resist my command to settle back inside. Letting Shannon’s wolf spirit go, he did my bidding without protest. I studied the female wolf spirit, who looked suddenly lost. Was that what Shannon felt like?
Shannon was still passed out in my arms, and her vulnerability hit me. She needed to learn to accept help—and perhaps direction—from others. Her independence was admirable most of the time, but her stubbornness and lack of trust in herself and the people who loved her had become a problem. For some reason, she was intent on self-destruction. It was time to change that.
B’nar faced me, shoulders back and spine straight. “I’ll get Waib, my personal assistant, to sort you a room.”
“Thank you. We’ll need one that’s secure.”
B’nar glanced at Shannon. “You think she’ll run?”
My smile was not kind. “Oh, she’ll try. But my goal isn’t to make her life easy. She will learn how to cope with her new reality whether she wants to or not. And that starts with taking away her freedom to self-destruct.”
“Fair enough. I trust you to take care of her.” B’nar’s pale green eyes met mine.
I couldn’t help the snarl that came, no matter that B’nar was technically my king. B’nar meantfirst son of, and Ventry B’narVentris was heir to the Winter Kingdom and the crown of Faery. So, essentially, he was King until his father could break the curse that kept him in the human world. He knew Shannon was as important to Connor as she was to the rest of us in the Shifter King’s inner circle, especially my shifter brothers. She’d fought alongside them, yet she still thought being sired by the bastard who incarcerated them made her less in their eyes. It didn’t, but she’d never accepted that.
She needed to realise that she had reasons to live and people to live for. And I’d have to be the bastard that makes her acknowledge that. I didn’t need her to like me or even feel anything but hate for me. It was just as well, considering I was going to strip her bare, literally and figuratively, and build her back up again into a version of herself that she could love. I just hoped I was strong enough to carry this through. There was no denying that the thought of getting this female to succumb to my demands, and admit that she didn’t need to pretend to be something she wasn’t anymore, made my cock twitch. Especially when she’d challenged me at every turn for years.
“She will not be at risk. I can’t promise she’ll come to no harm because she’ll fight everything I do, and she’ll try to run. It’s her default setting. This time, though, she won’t escape.”
B’nar nodded, once again not questioning my plans. Fae and shifters were not human; our morals and behaviours were not beholden to the same laws or social expectations. Yet, I would never physically hurt Shannon. My wolf growled at the thought, but I had no qualms about forcing her to face her demons or her darkest desires in ways other than resorting to violence or pain—not unless the pain came along with pleasure, and she asked me for it. Heat unfurled in my lower belly at that thought. She’d always been a fighter, a fiercely independent Alpha among females. Still, the way her wolf had so easily submitted made me wonder if she sometimes needed to shed that Alpha persona.
“Then I will trust your judgement. Remember, it is unsafe to use real names here.”
“I remember.”
“Good. Then let me know when she understands that too and what her new name will be while she’s here.”
“I will. But while she stays behind locked doors, that won't be an issue.”
“I agree.”
With no further comment, the Prince nodded at the guards who protected this part of the palace gardens, which had always been used as the platform for his portal. He pocketed his portal ring and turned away. The ring was his father’s, yet B’nar never wore it. I had no idea why not, but until my friend wanted to share that information, it was none of my business.
I adjusted Shannon’s weight and followed after the Prince Heir, my boots crunching on the glittering frozen gravel. Blue and green snow blooms glimmered, sunlight catching their large frost-covered petals. Their scent was bright and fresh, so fresh it cleared my head, invigorating me. The blooms were utterly unlike anything in the human world, beautiful enough to make me want to stop and stare.
I shook myself. It was strangely unsettling to be back in a world that was so vibrant, where the air was so clear I could pick out individual smells, a world where I felt totally at home, yet one that, no matter how beguiling, was also exceptionally dangerous, especially to me.
