Oh, my gods.No.
The only dead person I’ve ever glimpsed was my mother, and that was brutal enough, but seeing an innocent child? For a moment, I feel as though this can’t be real. It’s simply too dark, and the grief rolling off Gideon through the bond is almost unbearable.
He’s filled with sorrow, disbelief, and shock—and with surges of rage that he struggles to hold tightly beneath the surface.
He finishes tending to the children, walking among the six little bodies, turning them over and closing their eyes. I continue shaking with silent, violent sobs. How could someone do this?How?
Eventually, he resumes moving among the adults. Then he suddenly stops, and his eyes widen with a glimmer of horror that sends a chill to my bones. A strangled sound leaves him.
“No,” he says. “Please gods, no.”
He drops to his knees beside a dark-haired female who has two arrows lodged deep in her back. As he turns her over, the arrows snap in half, making an awful sound in the otherwise quiet forest.
He goes utterly still as he stares down at the woman. Anguish tears through him, and his hand trembles as he brushes dark strands of hair away from her face.
“Maelissa,” he whispers, his voice cracking.
As I sense more of his thoughts, I suddenly realize the identity of the fae woman, and my heart aches with shared grief. She is his brother’s mate.
Oh gods.
She is Lachlan’s mate.
I take a hesitant step closer, and then the air shifts around the site of the ambush. At first, I think it’s only the wind stirring the branches overhead. Then a single snowflake lands upon my hand. Another snowflake settles on Maelissa’s still form, followed by several more.
Within moments, snow begins to drift down around us, falling only upon this part of the forest, silent and mournful, as though the land itself is grieving with Gideon.
He bows his head and braces himself on the ground, and frost soon spreads outward from his palms, climbing over the forest floor as the snow continues drifting down.
The full force of his sorrow surges through the bond like a breaking wave. He’s devastated by the loss of so many of his people, but seeing a family member, his sister-in-law, who was always kind to him, has left him shattered. And he can’t help but feel responsible for her death, as well as the demise of the other faefolk from Frostfall.
They were so close to him… yet he didn’t know they were headed this way. Or he would’ve come. He would’ve helpedthem. He would’ve stopped the human soldiers from Hollins from executing them in cold blood.
Tears coat my face as I stand beside him. His eyes remain wide with shock as he stares at Maelissa. The snow slowly covers her body.
I lower myself beside Gideon without a word. Quietly, I place my hand over his. He’s ice-cold, but I don’t let go, nor do I speak. I simply remain there with him, touching his hand, as the snow continues to fall.
CHAPTER 18
GIDEON
Disbelief gripsme as I guide Isabel through the forest. Does Lachlan know his mate is dead? Did he feel it the moment she died, an abrupt silence where their bond used to be?
Such thoughts weigh heavily on my mind as I scan the trees, searching for a good place to shelter for the night.
Tomorrow, I will make a quick trip to Hollins to warn Isabel’s father about the impending battle. I haven’t yet decided whether I’ll bring my mate along. Part of me wants to erect a series of protective wards around her, one behind the other, and leave her there until Hollins is conquered and it’s time to depart for Frostfall.
When Isabel stiffens beside me, I know she has heard my thoughts. But she wisely offers no protest. I’m in no mood to argue about her safety. We’re in a time of war, and I’ll do whatever I must to keep her safe. If soldiers from Hollins or another human town discover she’s my mate, they might try to harm her for the sake of cruelty alone.
I’m so lost in my dark thoughts that I almost don’t see the cabin through the trees. But then I catch a glimpse of a thatched roof and stacked timber walls, and I guide Isabel closer to the small clearing that does indeed contain a cabin. The thick overgrowth surrounding it reveals it hasn’t been tended in quite some time.
Wanting to ensure it is truly abandoned before I bring my mate inside, I send a gust of winter wind to push the door open. Once the wind dies down, I stand very still and listen for any sounds coming from within.
I hear nothing.
When I draw in a deep breath, I detect no trace of humans, orcs, or anyone else nearby. Relief spreads through me.
“Come, little moth.” I grasp my mate’s hand and guide her inside.
