Chapter 21

21

D amon

I open my eyes, knowing that something woke me up. I strain to hear what that something was. There’s a shuffle of a boot. Someone close by sniffs.

Neither of those sounds would have woken me. A horse snorts in the distance. The wind rustles the tent. Again, all normal sounds. The kind you drown out. The kind that don’t mean anything.

I wait. Just as I’m starting to relax, an owl hoots from somewhere in the distance. Once and then a second time in quick succession. It’s fairly high-pitched for an owl, and it’s what woke me, for sure.

It’s a species I recognize since they are found in these mountains. I hear it again, two quick hoots. It’s a Frost Wing, except that particular owl species only hoots once before a long pause. It’s never twice in quick succession like that. The pitch is accurate, but not the frequency.

I smile.

Someone is out there, and they’re trying to alert me. At least, I think that’s it. I can’t be sure. What I do know is that something is about to happen. I hope I’m right. The guards in the tent with me are none-the-wiser. It’s not unusual for an owl to hoot at night, so why would they be? Bloodfae are not from around these parts, so they don’t know any better.

I stay perfectly still and keep my breathing even. There are two guards in the tent with me and two more outside. I’m sure they’ll have a guard on the horses and one or two more patrolling the general area.

The owl goes silent. I’m sure that whoever is out there is making their move. I let my eyes adjust to the dark. One of the guards is asleep. I catch his soft snores. The other is standing in front of me. He keeps shuffling his feet, probably trying to stay awake and also to stave away the worst of the cold.

We’re in a tent. I’m inside my bedroll and covered with an extra blanket, and still, white mist plumes from my mouth.

I wait…and wait some more. It’s almost too quiet out there now. I’ve only just thought it when there is a soft thud and a grunt from outside the tent.

This is it!

The guard turns toward the sound. “Aithan?” he calls softly. Then he pauses for a few seconds before whispering, “Hector?” I’m sure these are the names of the guards posted just outside. No one answers.

The guard who is sleeping on duty begins to stir. It’s now or never.

I decide to take a chance and act. That wasn’t a Frost Wing just now, and that noise outside was indeed suspicious. The lack of response from the two guards is even more telling. It would be easier if I wasn’t bound at the wrists, but at least my hands are in front of me instead of behind my back. I’m on my feet in the next second, and I throat-punch the guard, who makes a choking noise. I reach for his dagger when someone enters the tent behind me. It’s either one of the bloodfae who will tackle me to the ground or…it’ll be my salvation. I’m praying it’s the latter.

I pull the dagger and thrust it into the side of the male’s throat. Blood squirts, and his eyes go wide. He tries to scream but gurgles instead as blood dribbles from his mouth. I grab him before he can fall and slowly lower him to the ground. The scuffle was quick, but the choke was louder than I’d have liked.

I look across to the other side of the tent. There are two dark forms standing over the unmoving body of the second guard. It’s a female I’ve never seen before and… I smile because I recognize an old friend. An absolute sight for sore eyes.

I walk over, and we clasp hands at the wrist. Xander smiles back; his grin covers his whole face. We shake twice before letting go. I smile at the female, who gives me a wave. I start to cut through my binds with the bloody dagger, but Xander takes over and makes quick work of it. I grab a sword from one of the fallen guards, pushing the dagger into the top of my boot.

Then we make our way out of the tent. A horse nickers, and another snorts before all is quiet once more. The three of us stand there, poised and ready.

Aithan and Hector are crumpled on the floor outside the tent. I turn my senses outward, and all seems quiet. For a moment, none of us dares to even breathe. We wait for what feels like a long time. That same haze covers us, even at night. It blocks the sky, making it moonless and starless. Once again, I am grateful for my fae vision.

When we finally start walking, Xander takes point, his eyes darting back and forth, scanning for any signs of danger. The woman goes just in front of me, one hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to strike if needed. Her other hand is on Xander’s back so that he can guide her.

As we move further from the encampment, the eerie silence is broken by the faint sound of snoring coming from the Primus’s tent.

Nothing stirs.

We walk on, being slow and careful. Once we are clear of the camp, the human jumps onto Xander’s back, and he starts running. I follow, sure to keep a few feet between us so that I can observe anything on the path that might still alert the bloodfae in the camp behind us. The last thing we need is to step on a twig or a patch of dead leaves or even into a puddle of water. We move fast and quietly.

I keep a vigilant watch behind us, my senses on high alert, searching for any hint of pursuit from the bloodfae camp we left behind. The adrenaline coursing through my veins heightens my awareness.

Suddenly, Xander comes to a halt, holding up a hand for me to stop. He cocks his head as if listening for something but must decide that we are in the clear because a few moments later, we are on our way again.

I can’t help but think how that escape felt too easy. Then again, the bloodfae have been pushing hard to cover as much ground as possible. The guards have been functioning on little sleep, only managing a handful of hours each a night. Perhaps no one heard anything. Still, it feels wrong.

From the way Xander is acting, I would say that he feels the same. Like he’s waiting for the penny to drop.

It doesn’t.

I still don’t feel any better. That is, right up until I see her…Kyrie. She turns toward us, her eyes searching through the darkness. She’s with the horses, three of them. Two are smaller steeds with shaggy coats, and the third is one of the fae steeds. It’s big and black and prances at the end of the reins, eyes white at the edges. The beast can hear us approach and is spooked.

“Easy,” she whispers.

“It’s us,” Xander calls out.

She huffs out a breath. “Oh, thank the gods. Is… Did you…? Is…is he…? Is Damon…?” Kyrie continues to peer in our direction, her eyes big and ever-searching.

She has to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. A ray of light in pitch black. A drop of water in the desert. “Ky.” My voice is deep…a little too deep.

I somehow didn’t expect the emotion welling inside me. I didn’t expect to see her at all, and here I am choking up.

I rush over to her. “It’s you,” I say.

“You gave me a fright.” Her eyes are welling with tears. Kyrie throws herself in my arms as I reach her. I hug her close, breathing her in. So familiar, so warm, so right in every way.

I pull back, tracing my thumb down the slant of her face until I get to her full bottom lip. I sweep just shy of the underside. “I can’t believe it’s you. I thought you were gone. I thought I’d lost you, Ky.”

“You won’t get rid of me that easily.” Her smile is so sweet. Her eyes—

Someone clears their throat behind us. I remember that Xander and the female are there, that we just escaped a camp full of bloodfae. A camp that isn’t too far away from here.

“We need to get gone,” the female whispers.

“Right now,” Xander agrees.

Before we can do anything more, a voice rings out. “Stand right where you are.” I recognize Egan’s voice.

We are surrounded by the remaining bloodfae. We’re greatly outnumbered and in big trouble. My first thought is for Kyrie.