“There wasn’t time,” I say, mostly in a daze still. I’ve hardly known her for a day. I can’t rightly be cross.
“Sorry, again, that I wrapped you into my mess.”
“It’s all right,” I murmur. Shock compounds in me. The spirit of the moon… I should have known that with the wolf king hunting her, she was someone incredibly important. I suppose I did…I just didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Aurora needed help and help was something I could give. It was a reason to keep moving, a good one—she was wronged by a man who shouldhave handled their relationship with care. I know that hurt all too well.
“Let’s move.” Bardulf pushes the middle of my back and I stumble forward. I let out a soft cry at the pain in my thighs and shoulders, my whole body nearly giving out from the agony.
Evander seizes my elbow and pulls, keeping me upright. I clench my jaw and suppress a pained whimper. I’ve little doubt my agony would be triumph for these men. As if to test me, his grip tightens further as our gazes collide. Noses nearly touching.
Silver eyes. Razor-edged. They gleam as brilliantly as the moonlight the lykin swear themselves to. For a moment that stretches on and on, I find myself ensnared by an almost hypnotic allure of them. The crushing grip of his fist is a mere shadow compared to the intensity by which his gaze threatens to devour me.
“We should bind her.” Bardulf’s words break our focus on each other.
“She’s a human. What can she do? Run? Let her try and see how well that works out.” Evander releases me with a slight push, as if he’s suddenly disgusted he touched me at all. As if that moment—whatever it was—hadn’t happened. “We’re faster and stronger. If she tries to run,thenwe kill her.” He glances over his shoulder as he walks away from me. A shudder runs down my spine. He has the eyes of a predator and they are focused on me, and me alone. “And if we do hunt her down, her end will not be merciful.”
“I understand,” I say. But even as my insides are turning to jelly, I’m already trying to plan Aurora’s and my escape. I am not allowing her to go back with these men.
“Good, let’s carry on, then.” Evander starts onward.
I don’t move. “If you’re not binding me, then Aurora shouldn’t be either.”
“You dare to—” Bardulf begins.
“If you can hunt me down with such ease then you can track and stop her without issue, too,” I interrupt. “And we’re both equally valuable, each with half her power, aren’t we?”
The veins in Bardulf’s neck bulge, a flush creeping up toward his cheeks.
But, before he says anything, Evander interjects with a heavy sigh. “Just do it so we can be gone. The night is wearing thin.”
Grumbling, Bardulf unknots Aurora’s wrists as I collect the boots that fell from my person when he tackled me.
“Here.” I hold them out to her. “I noticed you were barefoot and I thought that…” I trail off, not wanting to mention our plans of the journey. “That you might need them. The cobbler in town is excellent, so they’re of good make—I’ve had mine for years.” I stick out my foot for emphasis.
Aurora’s expression crumples a bit at the mention of our grand plan to escape, but she recovers quickly. She accepts the boots with both hands, as if they’re a precious token and not leather bound and stitched. “Thank you, Faelyn. That is deeply thoughtful of you.”
As Aurora pulls on the boots, I go and collect my torch. Fortunately, Folost is resilient—he still sparks at the top of it. Mary wasn’t utterly crushed by Bardulf, either.
“What’s that?” Bardulf narrows his focus on Folost. “Think you can fight us with that puny little fire spirit at your side?”
“His name is Folost,” I correct, and start to walk, ignoring the pain in my shoulders and thighs. I’ll have to tend to my wounds, but I don’t think they’re going to take kindly to me asking for a reprieve and I’m determined to stay on their good side. Or, at least have them continue to see me as a pathetic human. The more they underestimate me, the better my chances are for getting away with Aurora. “And, unfortunately, I do not possess eyes with as keen of sight as yours. I need a way to light my path, or I’m going to slow you down further.”
My submissiveness works perfectly. Bardulf snorts and nods approvingly. Evander doesn’t even look my way; he’s already charging ahead into the underbrush.
“I’m sorry I got you both into this mess,” I say under my breath for Mary and Folost alone.
The marigold shudders, as if swept by a chill.
Folost blinks twice. What he says is,No. But what I understand it to mean is,Don’t blame yourself.
I smile at both of them as we begin to walk, Aurora at my side. My little family.
“If anyone is to blame, it’s me.” Aurora massages her wrists. The lykin can probably hear us, but for once they don’t interrupt. Perhaps they want to overhear whatever our conversation is to see if there’s any information to glean from it. “I was the one who?—”
“It’s all right.” I touch her elbow lightly. There’s so much guilt in her voice. So much pain. I’ve only begun to gather enough information to spin together an idea of her story. But what I’ve heard, seen, and surmised is more than enough to weave a picture of a desperate woman—spirit—who was trying to do anything to secure her freedom. “I’m not upset. You had your reasons and my involvement wasn’t intentional on your part by any measure. Magic can be unpredictable at times, that’s just the way of it.”
Aurora’s eyes meet mine and they hold so many unsaid words it’s amazing they don’t overflow as tears. I wish I could offer her reassurance. Even though I don’t think I have nearly as much experience with love, and men, and romance as an immortal spirit does. Still, what little experience I do have, was one of the most painful times of my life.
“Yes, but—” She stops short. “You’re bleeding a lot.”
