Rhea grinned and flashed me a wink. “Why the fuck do you smelllikethat?”
Chapter Fifteen
Skylar Cathal
“Rhea!” I screamed as we crashed into one another. “Rhea.” Sobbing, I held her as tight as I could.
“Gods above, Sky,” Rhea answered, her voice wavering as tears dampened my shoulder.
I pulled back, watching Rhea look at me with a forced smile. She was happy beyond words to see me, but I could see the broken pieces of her pain lingering in the cracks of her joy. I silently grasped her hands, giving her a knowing nod. War was brewing. The chaos of blood and lives lost was a heavy burden to carry.
“You’ve looked better,” I said.
She rolled her eyes and managed a small laugh. “Not everyone gets to be ferried away to a magical land and doted on by towering High Fae princes.” Rhea chuckled with a witty smirk. She leaned in and sniffed me. “That’s Daxton’s scent, right?”
“The Silver Meadows high prince,” Talon answered, entering behind Rhea and pulling a shirt on over his head. “I knew it.”
I glanced at Talon, his shaggy black hair and pale blue eyes shining like beacons against the oil lamps illuminating the space.
“Hey, Sky,” he said, arms opening wide with a smile that made his crooked nose shift.
“Talon.” I sighed as I eagerly fell into his embrace. “Rhea won’t admit it,” he whispered in my ear. “But I told her, the night you almost killed him, that there was something there. Technically, I won that bet.”
“All right, don’t hog her attention,” Rhea demanded, pulling me in for another hug as Talon greeted Shaw and Neera closed in around me.
“Glad to see you in one piece,” Shaw said to his brother, clasping him on the shoulder.
“It was a close call this time around. Istar is sending in mages, along with King Taran’s personal guard,” Talon said, embracing Shaw.
I couldn’t help but notice how Shaw tensed at Talon’s news. With war at our doorstep, who knew which moments could be our last?
“Those bastard hunters don’t go down easy, but we were lucky in this last fight. The Satellite pack to the south of Solace is thankfully safe, for now,” Talon continued.
Istar was the lead mage of the human king, rumored to be as powerful as he was cunning. A deadly opponent known to hate our kind almost as much as the king.
“Have they told you about—” Rhea whispered as she squeezed me tighter.
I nodded in response, unable to say or do anything more than that, or risk falling apart in her arms.
“Julia willneverbe forgotten,” Rhea said. “She lives through Neera and through you, Skylar. She lives through all of us who carry her memory and name.”
I hugged her tighter, grateful for Rhea’s kind words of comfort.
There would be time, I told myself.
Time to grieve Julia’s passing properly and visit her final resting place to say goodbye. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her and thank her for everything, for the strength she instilled in me and the love she freely gave an orphaned child. I promised myself I would honor Julia’s memory by never giving up. To hold my head high and keep fighting.
We’re not just shifters; we’re Cathals!I remember her telling me when I was just a child.When we fall, what do we do?It was her favorite lesson to teach me.We get back up and try again.
“All right,” Rhea announced, clearing her throat. “Now spill.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything. Starting with why you smell like the High Fae prince,” she said with a wink, pulling me with her as she reached out for Talon.
“Daxton,” I whispered. Everyone tensed, sensing my hesitation. “He’s… He’s my mate.”
“Oh, Skylar.” Neera sighed, clutching her hands at her heart.
