We collapsed on the floor, breathless and tangled together, the room suddenly full of life and urgency.
We turned toward each other, my eyes locking with brown ones so similar to my own. A chuckle bubbled up my throat, and before I knew it, we’d both dissolved into fits of laughter.
He smelled of rain and pine, woodsy, just like his magic.
My brother.
“You’re here,” I choked out.
Tears filled my eyes anew, and I scrambled into a sitting position so I could throw my arms around him. His hands wrapped around my back as he pulled me against his broad chest. Violent sobs racked my body as he stroked my hair to soothe me.
“Shhh, Cadence,” he said. “It’s all right. Everything is going to be all right.”
When my sobs finally receded, I took a calming breath as I moved my palms to cup his face.
“You’re really here. How are you here?”
“I got your letter.” Callum shrugged.
My brow furrowed in confusion. “My letter?”
“You sent me a letter talking nonsense, but then I remembered about the code we used as children, and I deciphered your message.”
Of course.
I’d sent Callum that letter when I’d first arrived at the Unseelie Kingdom, but I never knew if Ryker had sent it or not.
“And you came? Just like that?”
“Well, I had to climb a mountain, cross a warded forest, bribe a witch for safe passage, battle a fire-breathing dragon before scaling a godsdamned castle wall, but yes, just like that.”
“Be serious,” I said, but I couldn’t conceal my grin.
Callum smiled down at me as he caught a strand of my unruly hair and tucked it behind my ear.
“I’ll always come for you, Little Sister. It’s you and me until the end of time.”
“Until the end of time.” It was a phrase I had repeated many times before.
“Gods, Cadence.” Callum sighed. “It’s good to see you. I thought…” He took a deep breath and pulled me into a tight hug. “I thought I might have been too late,” he admitted in a whisper.
He pulled back to study my face, his brown eyes searching mine. Determination settled over his features, and he clenched his jaw. “I’m getting you out of here.”
Excited anticipation filled me as thoughts of home whirled around my head.
My parents. The apothecary. The smell of Mrs. Taylor’s fresh bread straight out of the oven. Gods, I’d even welcome the sight of the tavern if it meant I got to go home.
Then reality came crashing down, and my grin faltered.
“What is it?” Callum asked with pinched brows.
“I can’t leave.”
“Why the hell not?”
How was I supposed to explain Ryker to my brother? If I ran, there’d be no telling how far Ryker would go — or what kind of monster he’d become — to bring me back again. I’d be putting everyone I loved in danger.
And then there was the mate bond. I doubted it was even possible to outrun him. There were ways to conceal the bond, Eleanor had proven as much, but I had never heard of a way to sever it.
