The sensation in my chest altered. Heat and spiraling rage settled into a trickle, like the steady rainfall of spring. Clouded, like the darkened sky. Thick and almost bitter. They were emotions, but they were not my own. They belonged to Neirin.
Was it possible this rashness was a reaction to the bond as well? Like the instinct of a creature to defend what was theirs at the cost of any rationale? If Neirin’s reaction drew from his fox or from the magic of the bond, perhaps my own unease would pull him back.
“Take me away from here, please,” I repeated.
Neirin growled, the sound coming from deep in his chest. Primal, raw. Despite the soreness in my cheek, the ache at my sides, and the severity of the situation at hand, something inside of me coiled at the noise; at the firm set of his jaw, the toned muscles of his arms where his cloak had fallen back, at the marks of the bonds on his body that said he was mine.
The coiling heat within deepened, and I released a breath, grounding myself. This was not the time to admire the firmness of his build, the way the light caught his features, the strength in his stance.
Entirely out of place for the situation, Neirin huffed a low sound of amusement.
Seriousness returning, he leaned in toward the man. “If you touch her again,” he warned, his words a promise, “I will not hesitate to end you.”
The farmer swallowed, turning his chin up to release the pressure of the deadly blade at his throat. Neirin held his gaze. A power emanated from him, intense and pulsing, extending over everything and everyone.
Releasing a breath, Neirin sheathed his sword and roughly shoved the man back.
“Evera.” My brother’s voice stirred me, and I turned to find him standing beside me. Gods, my heart was racing. I exhaled, steadying myself, and stood up. Though my ribs ached, I was confident that nothing was broken.
“Are you okay?” Aureus asked, raising a hand to my cheek.
I brushed his touch away, looking past him to where Ruairc knelt before the three men, his chest heaving as if he’d been running. My breath stilled as he held his fingers to their pulse. Quiet gripped those who’d come closer, abandoning their tasks in the field. Though he made no sound as he approached, I could sense Neirin’s presence at my side. I could almost sense his nerves at the situation we found ourselves in, even as I knew he would not show it visibly.
“They’re alive,” Ruairc said. He stood, and his gaze met mine.
What happened?My mind reeled.
“Evera, what happened?” Aureus’s hands came to my shoulders. He turned me to face him, tearing my scanning gaze from where I sought out Calix; the boy had vanished.
Unable to form words, I shook my head and sucked in a breath. Through the rush of emotions, my brother’s touch was too much. Rage flooded my veins, and I took a step back, roughly shouldering out of his grasp.
“We need to go,” Neirin said as the back of his hand brushed mine. I raised my eyes to meet his. There was a strange understanding in them, a solemness. It tempered my rage, drew me back.
Awareness of those watching us sent a shiver down my spine, and I nodded, taking Neirin’s hand in silent acceptance, in the space of words that would not come.
The warmth of his hand grounded me. “Can you ride?” he asked.
“Yes.” The word came on a rasp. And as the last of my fight left me, as the turbulence of my emotions shattered, Ishuddered. Hesitating only briefly, I gave in to the need for comfort, for stability, and curled against Neirin’s chest.
His breath caught with a heavy rise of his chest, and with the faintest of touches, he wrapped his arm around me, embracing me. The action spoke louder than any words he could have voiced. It resonated deep in my soul. With my head sideways, I blinked and met Ruairc’s gaze. He lowered his chin in a subtle half nod.
“Thank you for protecting my sister, Lark,” Aureus said, his voice low, deflated.
I turned my head to the other side to view my brother; his eyes were cast aside.
“I will always protect her.” There was no hesitation in Neirin’s response. No pridefulness or boastful edge either. It was a statement. A promise. He pressed a soft kiss to the crown of my head. The faint trailing of his thumb at my side was a comfort.
Aureus raised his gaze, and a flash—some indiscernible emotion—flickered there. “Go back to the shop, Evera. Ruairc and I will settle things here.”
And there it was, just as it had always been—my brother had come to clean up my mess, to patch our family’s reputation. My stomach sank. No, this was not as every other time had been. This was not the empty threat of a merchant or the idle gossip of women. Had any of the others seen Calix’s eyes darken? Or when the onlookers spoke of the scene, would they claim me the source of the magic? Would this day become a convenient anecdote to pad their speculations?
I let out a breath and hooded my eyes. Though I yearned to scan the fields for Calix, I knew the boy would be long gone, hidden beyond my line of sight, and that was for the best. Neirin would likely know where the boy would go or how to meet up with him again. What else did Neirin know? Did he know what Calix was? Surely, he did.
Neirin helped me mount Sorrel, and she started forward. Her initial steps jolted me just enough to tug at a dull ache at my side. Sucking in my lips and hardening my resolve, I lifted my chin, training my eyes beyond those gathered and to the roofs and upper story windows of the homes that lined the edge of town just beyond the farmland. It was time for answers. If Neirin truly cared for me, truly sought to win my trust, my heart, there would be no more lies or secrecy between us.
28
EVERA
