Chapter 19

M ateo panicked. Avalynn had powers. She saved them from the dragon. Now she was dying from a claw wound? Master Kragar had mentioned the Shadowblood's claws could contain poisonous toxins. Perhaps she got injected by one of those deadly claws.

He touched the side of her neck. Her heartbeat thumped ever so softly, but still steady. Avalynn was beautiful both inside and out. He responded to her in a way he had never known. But she was a Stromm. A highborn. An enemy. He needed to win the hunt. Saving her could ruin that. But he didn't care. His mother was gone. His father and Floriana struggled. His heart said enough death.

Avalynn must live.

Stormshroud whimpered. She sniffed Avalynn's face and then dragged her smooth, wet tongue across her cheek. She nudged Mateo and pawed him, digging her thick nails into his arm as if pleading for him to do something. He patted her head. "I know, girl."

"Who's calling me girl?"

Mateo warmed at the sight of Avalynn's eyes opening. "You're okay."

She shook her head and winced. "I need help."

"What can I do?" He could carry her out of the hunt. Or even run back for a healer. But those options would leave him vulnerable and maybe even cause her wicked High King father to blame him for her state. He would surely end him on the spot. Yet still, he was pulled to help her.

"My satchel." She closed her eyes and pointed into the distance. "In the meadow. I have a vial of healing water from the Green Falls."

He raised his brows. He didn't think the hunters could bring anything outside of what they were provided. Yet Avalynn had a vial of saving water. Typical. She'd also withheld the Shadowblood's disappearing qualities. Besides magical powers, what other advantage did she have?

"Stormshroud will get it." He slipped off his, showed Stormy, and then pointed to the meadow. "Get Avalynn's satchel."

The wolf raced off in a flash while Mateo stayed with Avalynn. Eyes closed, her chest moved slowly up and then slowly down, as if she neared the endless sleep. He held her hand and traced her palm. Should he keep her awake? Or let her rest?

Leaves rustled, and Stormshroud bounded back with Avalynn's scorched bag dangling from her jaws. He took it and shoved his hand inside. Empty. He flipped it and shook. Nothing. The contents must have spilled out and burned.

"Not my lucky day?" Her head barely lifted.

He wiped the sweat beads from his forehead. "No."

"Great." She fanned her fingers. "Help me sit up."

He clasped her hand and helped her with a gentle pull. "What are you doing?"

She took a labored breath. Her trembling finger pointed toward the spot where they had left Eiric's body. "See if Eiric is still there."

He hurried over and found the body gone. He came back in a dash. "He's vanished."

"That's good." Her muscles relaxed. "Either my Enbarr or another knows this spot." She winced with each word. "I will call and see if it will come back and take me to the Green Falls."

"You know how to make that call?" He moved closer so she could lean on him.

She groaned. "Not exactly. But I must try."

Stormshroud let out a short howl and spun in place. Mateo scanned the tree line. As if on cue, the majestic Enbarr strode through the tree trunks. Avalynn had not even tried to summon it, yet here it was with its gleaming white and silver coat and fluttering long lashes.

Avalynn smiled. "My beautiful friend. How did you know?" It stopped beside her and brayed. "I am injured and must go to the Green Falls. Will you take me?"

The magical beast whinnied, then lowered its front legs so she could climb on.

Mateo helped Avalynn stand. But as soon as he let go, her legs buckled. He swooped her up in his arms. "Let me know if I'm hurting you."

She spoke in a weak tone. "I am mostly numb."

"I can work with that." With extreme care, he lifted her and sat her on the horse. He stepped back. The Enbarr swung its head. It nipped at Mateo's tunic and pulled him close. "I am not going. Only Avalynn." The Enbarr ignored his command and kept snorting and nipping .

"Get on," Avalynn said in a strained voice. "You know how she is."

Oh, he knew. The Enbarr was stubborn and seemed to have strong feelings about them. So, he climbed onto the beast and snuggled in front of Avalynn. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his back.

She whispered, "Thank you, Mateo."

He stroked her hands so gently, the overwhelming need to protect her flooding through him like an irresistible tide and pulling him into a sea of unspoken devotion. This time, he did not fight it. This time, he wanted her to know. "I would do anything for you."

A soft laugh came out of her. "Now you tell me."

Stormy barked. He glanced her way with a nod. "Stay here, girl. We'll be back soon."

With a whinny, the Enbarr took slow and steady steps through the trees, each movement faster than the one before until it sped over the terrain with the grace of a summer breeze.

Avalynn tightened her squeeze around Mateo's waist while he gripped the Enbarr's mane, eyes shut, head down. Avalynn's perfect curves pressed against him, sending a pleasing warmth throughout his body. There were those lightning bugs again, swirling in his stomach. But he could not let them stay. He would help with her wounds, but then they would return to the hunt where he must take first, get those healing seeds, and then go home to the Sublands. He had to believe her High King father would spare her from the last place death penalty. She was his daughter after all. He touched the cross in his pocket. Please, let him spare her. It wasn't too much to ask.

The Enbarr's speed slowed, and Mateo's cramped hands released its thick mane. He stretched and popped his stiff and sore fingers. He had no idea how far they had traveled, but it seemed far enough for them to be on the other side of Faevenly.

With a shake of its head and a satisfying snort, the Enbarr came to rest. Mateo slid off and then helped Avalynn down. "Can you walk?"

"I think so."

He slowly released her, but her legs had no strength. He scooped her up and held her close, then quickly caught his bearings. He heard water trickle and scanned the lush green grass and tall majestic trees for the waterfall. He detected aromas of moisture, soil, and water logged wood from upwind. His chin swung in the direction of the source. "Up there."

Cradling her in his arms, he swiftly made his way over branches and roots. A few paces more and they came upon an open area with a looming magnificent cliff. The smallest trail of liquid dripped down the rocks and barely splashed into a small green-hued pond with water lilies floating on the surface.

"So," Mateo said, "the Green Falls are indeed dying. I have heard the rumors."

Avalynn teared up at the sight. "I had no idea it was so bad. Nia said it once roared like mighty thunder."

They walked along a muddy bank strewn with dandelions, bluebells, and clover blooms. Leaves and waterlogged sticks floated along the pond's lip. Minnows and tadpoles swam in the shallows. Algae fuzzed on the nearby rocks. He walked into the water then stopped.

"Shall I set you down here?" he asked.

"Please." He eased her to her feet, but kept his arm around her waist. "Nia said submerging in the water works best. I need help removing my tunic. I can do the rest. "

The lightning bugs returned to his belly tenfold. "Of course." He hid a swallow. He had never undressed a maiden, let alone beheld the undergarments of a princess. Unsure of himself, he flashed her a frozen smile, but neither of them moved a muscle or spoke. She must have thought him an immature sprite.

"Help me tug it over my head," she said.

He faced her, untucked her tunic, and lifted it with care over her head. Her long dark hair spilled over her shoulders and rested on the delicate lacework covering her bosom. He averted his eyes and spotted a purple splotch on her wrist. Perhaps the poison? But then he saw the bruises that trailed up her arms and made a perfect hand pattern. His gaze locked on hers. He could not unsee that damage to Avalynn.

She curled her arms to her chest. "It is nothing."

His blood boiled inside his fearless and intrepid veins. Someone would pay for hurting her. "Who did this to you? Was it Eiric?" He was dead, but Mateo would travel to the Passing Place to batter his body.

"It is none of your business."

"I beg to differ, princess." He turned her arm, exposing the bruising. " This right here…is always my business." He might have needed to win the hunt, but he could not and would not ignore that someone had hurt this princess. She irritated him to no end. Still, all he wanted to do was hold her close, kiss her lips, and tell her that nobody would ever hurt her again.

With downcast eyes she whispered, "I do not need or want your worry."

He lowered her arm gently. "I do not understand you. Or myself when I am with you."

Her head shook. "There is nothing to understand." She huffed, and her arms clasped close to her chest, hiding her bruises again. "They came from an accident. Now please, turn around while I remove the remainder of my clothing and enter the water."

He did not believe her for one second. Accident? He had seen the hand marks but did as she asked and turned around. He focused on a nearby boulder. Eiric the abuser luckily died, or Mateo would've choked the life from him. How dare anybody abuse Avalynn, ever.

Her boots thudded on the ground. A soft rumple of clothing hit the dirt. As she stepped into the pond, the water rippled and wings flapped from noisy water birds taking flight. He rubbed the back of his neck. The pond water splashed. His insides burned from something deeper now—desire.

He wanted to look. He needed to see. His eyes felt magnetized, and he fought that natural pull to—wait. She was injured. Wrong thing, wrong time. He needed to move away. "I will wait at that boulder ahead."

"Thank you. I will come to you when I am finished."

He trudged to and then climbed the massive rock. Eyes forward, his back remained to the pond. The sunbaked rock warmed his backside while the cool wind against his face lowered his internal temperature. He must stop thinking about her and turned his focus to the terrain.

Scanning the horizon, he saw their silver Enbarr grazing nearby. It swished its long tail while birds flitted from branch to branch. His gaze drifted to the clear skies. The dragon… where had it come from?

But the question that repeated the loudest in his head... Avalynn's blue light that came out of her... How did she do that ?

With a gust of wind, the note slipped under his door sprang to mind. Protect Princess Avalynn .

Panicking, he swung his head on a swivel. Avalynn floated in the pond. Dragonflies skated on the surface next to her figure. Her long hair spread on the water like a silken veil. His breathing steadied. He wanted to talk to her. He needed answers for himself. The time for secrets between them had passed. They were beyond that now.

The pond's cool water slipped over Avalynn's skin, caressing her like smooth silk. Its purity eased the pain in her back, diminishing it to a dull ache. The pond's muddy bottom squished between her toes. She closed her eyes and soaked herself in the gentle waves. If she were home in her bath, she would have opened her eyes and seen the blurred Stromm crest on her ceiling. Perhaps that image was more than an optical illusion.

Maybe her home was not what she thought it was. Her father left bruises on her. And those Shadowbloods… Surely, her father knew that the hunt could end her life. Perhaps that was his plan all along—kill every single hunter. That would have ensured her father could always claim the Sublander came in last, no matter what. Gullible Lily would then be next in line for the throne. He could manipulate her with ease. Would he hurt her? She trembled at the sinister thoughts that shook her to the core.

She rose from the water and examined her palms. How did that blue energy power come out of her? If the power lived within her, maybe she was the Only One, not Mateo. But how? And wouldn't she have known? The notes that came under the door into her bedchamber must have meant something.

Trust your instincts, not your past.

Be brave, for a new path is on the horizon.

Instincts. Path. What did it mean? Maybe Mateo had ideas. Maybe he channeled his power through her. She stretched her legs and arms underwater. She twisted her torso from side to side. Feeling as good a new, she made her way to the pond's edge and walked out.

Water dripped from her naked form, the sun warming her like a wood stove. She slipped on her lower lacework and then her upper lacework. But her blood-stained, filthy tunic and dirty pants lay crumpled on the spongy grass. Scooping them up, she returned to the water. After a quick scrub, she laid the clothing out on a flat stone. Time to talk to Mateo.

Grasshoppers jumped as she picked her way through the wildflower-filled grass. Mateo turned and dusted off his pants when she approached. Standing tall on the rock with the sun shining down on him, he looked like a radiant god—a vision of perfection. He smiled and crouched down, stretching his arm out toward her. "Please, let me help you."

She took his hand. Tingles raced all over her body at his touch. His strong gaze roamed her face and then darted to her lacy chest covering and exposed middle. She welcomed his glance and hoped he would never stop. Standing before him on the rock, she wasn't sure what would happen next because suddenly her mind drifted to their dance. The closeness of their bodies. Their almost kiss.

But Mateo had other things on his mind. "Are you better?" He motioned toward her back.

"A little achy, but that is all. The water did its job." She sat, and he joined her .

His forehead furrowed. "A lot has happened, and we have much to discuss."

"I was thinking the same thing." Pushing aside her desires, she tucked wet strands of hair behind her pointed ears. Everything she wanted to talk about cluttered her mind, with one thing overriding all the others. She held her palms up. "How did I do that?"

"I don't know." He hovered his hands over hers for a few seconds. "From the moment I stepped into the carriage to come here, I have been told that I am this so-called Only One. The witch from my village even claimed I had Strong blood in my veins. But they must have meant you. They must have meant Stromm."

"Strong blood? As in Strong Haven?" That did not make sense. Her closest and most trusted confidant, Nia, told her Mateo was the Only One. "I, too, have been told that about you. But I never heard anything about the Strongs. That bloodline is extinct."

Mateo sat back. Intensity darkened his gaze. His jaw tightened. "No one decides my fate. Not a prophecy and not a witch." His piercing stare returned to her. "All we have is the here and now. The hunt. We must go back." His voice lowered. "One of us must win, one must lose."

He was right. A sick feeling churned inside her gut. Powers aside, they needed to finish what they started. And they were the last two. She found a stick and started tracing the surface of the boulder. She repeated his words in a whisper, "One of us must win, one must lose."

He let out a sigh. "That is right."

A trio of wood sprites swooped downward toward the pond. They flitted with high-pitched laughter, skirting the top of the water before soaring away. Watching the tiny creatures, she longed to go back to her life before the hunt. Back to a time where her life wasn't at risk and her crown wasn't in jeopardy.

She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. There had to be a way for both of them to get what they wanted—the seeds for Mateo and the victory for her. The command to ensure Mateo's last place finish be damned. They needed a plan, a solution.

Her thoughts returned to the hunt's qualifier. She and Engrendorn were neck and neck the entire event until she got distracted at the last minute by a butterfly. He swooped in and dashed across the finish line first. But what if they had crossed the finish line at the same time? What would have happened?

Hope sprang inside her. She grabbed Mateo's arms. "I know what to do."

"What?"

"We each capture our prey and finish the hunt together."

He paused and furrowed his brows. "A draw? So, we both get the rewards and avoid the death penalty?" He cupped and stroked his chin. "Has something like that ever happened?"

"I do not believe so. But as the Stromm princess and daughter of the High King, I will get you however many seeds you need, regardless of whether there is an issue with the reward. For your family and for all of the Sublands. We just need to cross the finish line together."

His mouth parted, and he sat back, looking almost dazed. "You would do that for a lowborn half-fae from the Sublands?"

"I would do that for you." She placed her warm hand on his awaiting knee.

He scooted away and rose to his feet. He faced the falls. A soft breeze whisked between them. The water trickled. Had she upset him with her suggestion? Said the wrong thing? She hoped not. She joined him at the boulder's edge but stayed silent, waiting for him to speak.

He sighed and stared into the distance. "All my life, I have carried a hatred for you Stromms." His words came out like a whispered confession. "And now here I stand with one who is willing to help me and my people." He faced her, his intense gaze igniting a flurry of desire within her. "I stand with the one who makes my insides flutter like fireflies." He wrung his hands. "She makes me forget who I am. I am wholly unworthy of her."

His vulnerability tugged at her like a fierce current, pulling her into the depths of his truth and the profound abyss of his being. Echoes of pain emanated from Mateo, like a haunting and rhythmic melody. That pain, combined with reservoirs of immense strength, meant he had weathered countless storms and would weather countless more. Through all his complex ways, she felt as if she was seeing him—the real Mateo, for the first time. But seeing him was not enough. She needed to feel him.

Her pulse quickened. Should she open her heart to him? Tell him how he burned a fire inside her? How she would toss her duty and her station in life for him? But what would happen to her then? Her solution was simple for the hunt. But this force that united them was like their dance, intricate and unpredictable, where every step held the weight of the unknown. A war raged inside of her—what she should do versus what her heart wanted. Duty or love.

The walls he had lowered were slowly rebuilding. His face hardening. He stepped away. "I have said too much."

She should've let him walk away. She should've never crossed that boundary to the point of no return. But she locked her hand inside his arm. "You make me forget who I am too." Her words came out fast and unbridled. "And you do more to me than merely take my breath away."

His eyes took on a smoldering look. Her body trembled in reply. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer. "What do I do to you, princess?"

She could not describe in words the passion bubbling inside of her. She could not tell him the things she longed for him to do with and to her. No words could have expressed the way he moved her. She would show him. They might never have this moment again.

"You do this to me." She took his hand and placed it on her cheek. She closed her eyes. Her hand guided his across her mouth and then down her neck. With quick, shallow breaths, her chest heaved as the fire for him burned so deep within her she thought it might consume her. With his hand hovering over her laces, she opened her eyes. "I am yours, Mateo."

"Are you sure?" He searched her eyes with tenderness.

She pressed his hand against her thumping heart. "Yes, I am sure."

His lips met hers, softly at first, then harder and filled with passion. And she wanted all of it—taste, scent, sight of the one who had worked his way into her heart. His hands explored her body, and hers did the same. They had been stripped to nothing but two simple souls brought together against all odds. Nothing else existed, not a hunt, or a dragon, or a prophecy…not even time.

On that boulder, with the sun basking down on them, the water birds trilling, and the waterfall splashing, she drowned herself completely in Mateo. And they shared it all.