Chapter 16

A valynn did not want to disturb Mateo, but at the same time she longed to know what he saw in the crackling fire. The red rocks from his Sublands home seemed the obvious choice. Death from another fox attack made the list. His wolf favoring and coming to her over him seemed most likely.

He patted his pocket, something she had seen him do at least a dozen times. Her mind toyed with what he carried inside that pocket. A coin? A trinket? Maybe a gem? Still, the news that Mateo might be a savior with powers weighed on her mind the most.

The wind whistled through breaches in the cave's bumpy stone walls. The smell of dewy earth hung thick. She had nudged Stormshroud and directed the wolf to join him. Now they were side by side, Stormy's head tucked under Mateo's hand. Avalynn's heart felt heavy, knowing Mateo's wolf responded to her like it did. Perhaps she was drawn to the floral rose and jasmine scents that trailed Avalynn. While they were dancing, Mateo responded to that same scent .

The pull between them that night was unmistakable. Still, she had no idea if he felt it now. Withdrawn, his words and actions were as complicated as the cave—a labyrinth leading her down a dark, winding, and secret path. She wanted and needed to know the real Mateo, but did he even know himself? Only time would answer that question. Though it seemed they were running out of that.

Leaves rustled from tall trees swaying outside the cave's mouth. Frogs called from somewhere out there. She cleared her throat and softened her tone. "I would like to know more about the Sublands, if you would so kindly indulge me."

"You? Princess of House Stromm?" His voice echoed in the dark cave. He fixed his eyes from the fire to her. "You want to know about the Sublands?" He lifted his chin. "It is the dreaded home of us lowborns—the ones not worthy of breathing the same air as the Stromms."

Her back stiffened. She and the royals deserved that response. But she didn't back down. "Why not tell me?" She moved closer. "You are the one who said we share this land, remember?" She would have shared anything with Mateo.

He threw a stick into the fire. "Our night with the Enbarr." The flames jumped with a crackle and a pop. His eyes followed the dancing sparks, and then his gaze landed on her. "I remember every word I say to you." He stared deep into her mighty soul. "And every word you say to me."

Heat flushed her face. It came not from the burning wood but from the waves of intensity from Mateo. His body angled closer to hers. A gust of wind whipped by, and pebbles crumbled from the cave's mouth. Their knees touched. Such a simple thing while sitting on a log sent a flutter within her. Should she stay or should she go— the eternal question. Her heart pulled in one direction and her duty in another.

"What do you want to know about the Sublands?" Mateo's relaxed face spoke volumes. The butterflies in her stomach lost their wings. He had dropped his defenses. This was her opportunity.

She wanted to know more about his family. Knowing them would help her understand him. "How about starting with your family? Your mother and father."

Brows pinched, he shifted away and returned his stare to the fire's flames. She had struck a troubled nerve. Her instinct said to retreat, but her heart said to stay. "We do not have to talk about them."

"No. They are important to me." With clasped hands, he swallowed and sighed. "I am here because of them."

She put her hand on his knee. His soft, aching tone. The way he leaned forward and clasped his hands together. Something awful must have happened to them. "You can tell me."

He bowed his head. "Eight years ago…" He drew in a deep breath. "A mysterious ailment came to the Sublands—Dragon's Bellow. Our healers knew no treatment, let alone a cure. Without enough healing seeds, our village suffered." His chin quivered. Two teardrops rolled down his cheeks, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand. "It took my mother."

Seeds. Mateo said the highborns already had all the rewards they needed. He meant those healing seeds. He competed for those. A sickness whirlpooled in her gut, followed by the deepest sadness that soured her insides.

"Her cough grew worse until that morning. She could barely breathe." He wiped his tear-streaked face. "My father sent me to the healer for whatever seeds she had." His jawline tightened. He clutched his knees. "I ran so fast."

Avalynn dreaded how the story ended. Terrified for what was next. She could see a desperate race that was lost.

"I took the healer's small stash, hurried home, burst through the door, but…" He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "I was too late. She was gone."

He had lost his mother and blamed himself. Her heart broke. She had never beheld a sadder sight or heard a more sorrowful story. "It's not your fault." A pang of sorrow gripped her. No wonder he hated the highborns. She now saw the hunt in a different light. She competed for the Stromm name and for acceptance as the future queen. She hunted for duty and glory. Mateo competed for the prize of providing life-saving seeds. He hunted for life itself.

"Since that day, a fire has burned inside me and I have been running." He made a fist and pounded his leg. "Running so that I would be faster than any other hunter." He double-tapped over his heart. "I hunt for the sake of my mother's memory. I hunt for my father, sister, and other Sublanders who are sick." He looked up at the sky. "Winning means everything."

She swallowed the lump of heartache in her throat. Mateo loved his family so completely he risked death for them. And she was responsible for making sure he died. For what? Her father's approval? A mother who never spoke to her? A crown that would one day be hers if it pleased her father? A dark cloud covered her soul as tears streamed from her eyes. She was no better than her father.

"Hey. Wait." He wiped those tears with a gentle touch. "Why are you crying?"

She stared at her boots, shaking her head. Her tears fell for their twisted fates, which could not be unraveled without utter destruction. She cried for the person she was and for all the things she must do at her father's command. "I am sorry about your mother, your father, and your sister. I am sorry for all of it." She would never forgive herself.

His finger trailed down the side of her face. He lifted her chin. Their eyes locked. His energy spread through her like wildfire. "It's not your fault. Do not cry for me or my people."

She wiped her face, feeling worse than before. "I am not normally this emotional, but…"

"But what?" He searched her eyes.

She trembled as her heart skipped a beat. "You have an effect on me."

"What kind of effect?" He scooted closer and licked his luscious lips.

"You know the kind," she breathed.

"I do." He placed his fingertips on her throat, then trailed his hand around to the back of her neck. His lips parted, and she closed her eyes. His musky scent sent her skyward, but he suddenly stopped. He pulled back with widened eyes, then grabbed a spear.

Dead leaves crackled near her feet. She lunged for her bow and snatched an arrow. "What is it?" Paws shuffled over the cave's floor. A flock of birds flew away outside. A yip sounded. Followed by another. Thunderation. The foxes. They were back.

Mateo's nostrils flared. He choked up on the wood, looking deadly and beautiful with his long dark hair gleaming in the firelight. "Wake the others," he urged Avalynn.

Stormshroud faced the cave opening with a growl while Avalynn sprinted toward the cave's back. "Up! Now!" She nudged the hunters with her bow's tip. "Foxes are here! "

Finnian shot up, grabbed his spear, and then darted to the mouth of the cave. Selene and Eiric followed him. The yips grew louder. Mateo and Finnian added handfuls and then armfuls of brush to the fire. The flames nearly engulfed the entire opening. With their weapons out, everyone stepped back. The yips were silenced.

"Are they gone?" Selene drew closer to Eiric. Her eyes darted about the cave in a zigzag pattern.

"I think so," Mateo replied. But then there was another yip, this time from behind them.

Avalynn's heart raced as she spun. Had a Shadowblood vanished into the shadows and slipped past when she and Mateo sat together? She needed to warn the others. They would hate her, but they needed to know. "You all should know the Shadowbloods are invisible in the shadows."

Mateo leveled her with a death glare. "You knew this all along and did not tell us?"

He didn't take the news as well as she'd hoped. "Let's move past that."

He squinted and seethed. "The worst of the highborns."

Selene smirked like a child. "She is a Stromm. What did you expect?"

"Stop this," yelled Finnian. "Everybody back-to-back. Stay sharp, or we are all dead."

They formed a tight circle. Stormshroud growled, fangs out, body lowered, fur bristled along her back. Standing beside Avalynn, Mateo shot her a side-eye. "Are they totally invisible?"

Her mind zipped back to her session with Kragar. When he threw the blanket over the cage, the Shadowblood had disappeared. But was any part of it visible? Had she paid well enough attention? "I'm not sure." She should have asked Master Kragar that question .

Another yip, followed by two more. Stormshroud's growl grew louder, her wolf body ready to spring.

"Those devious creatures play with us," whispered Eiric. "Stay sharp."

The yips continued. Right. Left. Closer and closer. Their circle tightened as Avalynn's muscles tensed. How many foxes were in the cave? Were the regular foxes here too? Maybe in the way back? Adrenaline rushed through her veins. Her senses beamed on high alert. She poked her foot around, searching for furry animals. Where were the damned foxes?

Illuminated by the flames, a ball of black fur shot from the darkness. Mateo lunged and speared it through. The beast yelped and jetted out of the cave. Stormshroud pounced after it.

A regular fox came at them. Selene swung, but missed it by a hair. Eiric followed with a thrust to the head. Shunk! Got it.

Howling yips shrieked as two more foxes charged. One made a beeline for Eiric. The other zeroed in on Avalynn. She nocked an arrow and let fly. The arrow pierced the fox's eye, but the creature continued rushing her. Mateo pulled Avalynn behind him. He slammed his spear against the creature. It dropped, howled, and then sprang back to its feet. Flying high, it soared over Mateo. The beast's claws scraped through Avalynn's hair as she ducked. Mateo grabbed it by the tail and hurled it into the fire. A piercing squeal filled the night air. Engulfed in flames, the beast cooked with a pop and a sizzle.

Bent over, hands on her knees, Avalynn labored for air. "Is that it? We got them?"

"The regular fox that went after me escaped," Eiric said between panting bursts. "The Shadowblood did not even try attacking."

"Devious and intelligent." Mateo kept a firm grasp on his weapon. "The other foxes are doing their dirty work."

"Maybe this was only a warning," Finnian suggested in a low voice, as if the creatures, wherever they were, would hear him and get ideas.

"A what?" Selene recoiled, her shoulders pulling up to her ears. "Please, no."

Spears out, Mateo, Finnian, and Eiric walked the cave's perimeter. Stormshroud bounded back in time to join them.

Avalynn and Selene stayed by the fire and tossed more branches in. The fox inside flamed. The stench from burnt fur turned her queasy stomach. She covered her mouth and nose and faced away from the flames.

Everyone gathered around. "The cave is clear," announced Finnian.

Mateo tacked on, "For now."

Was it really? She prayed to the Sun, Moon, and Stars the foxes stayed clear until the sun rose. So far, they had been fortunate, even lucky. Yet Avalynn feared their fortune and luck ran on short supply.