Chapter Eight

Finn

T hough I've faced an army of dragons, voracious sirens, and murderous assassins, I've never been more terrified than when my mate fainted in my arms, staring up at me with glassy eyes, the color draining from her face.

I swept her up and ran through the dark tunnel as if the hounds of hell were at my heels. I had to get her to a healer. Then I remembered Nikkos was a green witch.

"Help!" I raced into our suite of rooms, nearly stumbling over Demon as I hurried toward our bed.

He made an angry stomp and hopped into his corner.

"Help!" I cried again as I laid my mate on our bed and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Finn! Ash's voice echoed in my head. I can feel your panic.

Where are you? I snapped, not bothering to hide my ire. I knew he was angry, but he belonged with his mate.

Above ground. What happened?

We're in the bedchamber. Tari fainted.

What?

Get down here! I snapped.

Shiri came racing into the room, followed by her three mates and the children.

"What is it?" she asked as everyone crowded around us.

I sat beside Tari on the bed, taking her hand in mine. She was so cold. A knot of panic tightened my chest. "Her memories came back and then she passed out."

Shiri sat opposite me. "All of them?"

"I think so." My throat tightened when Tari rolled her head and let out a whimper.

"Nooo," she cried. "Don't let him touch me."

"Nobody will harm you," I whispered, squeezing her hand. "You're safe with us, my love."

I thought I heard the clanking of hooves followed by the satyr Kaida saying, "I'll get the high priestess."

Then I winced when the girls climbed on the bed, sitting on Tari's legs. I carefully eased them back. "Not on Mommy's legs," I gently reprimanded.

They sat back on their heels, pouting, but didn't argue.

"Tari," Shiri said as she gently shook her sister's shoulder. Then she looked at me when Tari didn't respond. "She's in shock."

"What do we do?" I asked, looking from Shiri to Nikkos, who hovered behind her.

"Warm her," Nikkos said. "Let's get her under the covers."

I lifted Tari into my arms, her cries of anguish piercing my heart. "No, no!" she mumbled. "Don't hurt me."

The wolf inside me roared. Whoever had harmed her would pay.

"What's wrong with Mommy?" Ember asked while blinking up at us.

"She's had a bit of a shock," Shiri said while ushering the children off the bed and turning down the covers.

"Do you need help?" Aurora asked as she took her sister's hand and gaped at her mommy in my arms.

"No, girls." Shiri directed them to the corner of the room. "Mommy needs you to take care of the rabbits. Make sure they have water and hay."

Words couldn't express how grateful I was for Tari's sister and her mates as Blaze and Drae helped the girls with the rabbits. Then I placed Tari back in bed, tucking her beneath the blankets while Nikkos ran his hands down her arms, his fingers turning a soft blue.

Ash raced into the room, chest heaving, his cheeks a deep crimson. "Is she okay?" he blurted.

"She will be," Shiri soothed.

I refused to make eye contact as he sat at the foot of the bed. You should've been here.

His wolf's whimper echoed in my skull. I'm here now.

"What are you doing?" I asked Nikkos, feeling helpless and in the way while I sat back and watched.

"These are my healing fires," he said before placing his hands on her head. "They will also warm her."

My shoulders slumped in relief as some of the color returned to Tari's face. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me." Nikkos smiled up at me. "We're family. We take care of one another."

I silently nodded. I hadn't cared much for the Ravini Fae until meeting my new in-laws. These Fae were different from Malvolia's murderous henchmen.

I watched with bated breath while my mate began to stir beneath Nikkos's touch, her eyes fluttering open and then closing before she mumbled, "Finn."

Words couldn't describe my relief as I scooted closer to her, taking her hand in mine. "I'm here, my love."

The sound of hooves striking slate echoed outside before High Priestess Esther came into the already overcrowded bedchamber. Her silver robes swirled around her as she looked us over with a frown, her ears turning like waving hands. "What happened?"

"She said her memories came back and then she fainted," I answered.

Tari let out another moan, her head lolling to the other side.

Esther folded her hands in front of her. "Then the tea worked. I imagine having all memories return at once can be jarring."

I squeezed Tari's hand when she moaned again.

"She's waking up," Nikkos said as he slowly stood, letting Shiri take his place.

"Ember, Aurora," Tari called. "Are they safe?"

The girls shot up, staring at their mother, but Blaze and Drae distracted them again with the rabbits.

Shiri brushed a strand of hair out of Tari's face. "They are fine. Everyone's fine."

"Help me sit her up," Shiri said to me.

We fluffed pillows behind her, and then I gently lifted her until she was sitting up, staring at us with a slackened jaw.

Esther turned, taking a goblet from a priestess behind her. "Here, get her to drink this," she said, handing the goblet to me.

I frowned down at the purple liquid. "What is it?"

"A calming tea of lavender and other herbs," she said. "She must drink all of it."

I held the tea beneath Tari's lips, letting her take her time as she took small sips. By the time she was finished, her cheeks were flushed with color, though she still had a glazed look in her eyes.

"Now how do you feel?" I asked as I took the goblet and handed it to Esther.

She covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. "Tired."

I rubbed warmth into her leg. "Tari, tell us what you remember."

She frowned then looked away. "I can't in front of the girls."

"I'll take them to our room," Blaze said before ushering them outside.

I gently stroked her arm while leaning closer. "Tell us, sweetheart."

She visibly swallowed, her hand trembling in mine. "He tried to rape me."

I stopped breathing. If it wasn't for the wild thudding of my heart, I would've thought time had stood still as I focused on my mate. "Who?"

Her lower lip trembled. "Thorin."

Ash jumped from the bed and let out a mournful wail.

Calm yourself, brother, I chided, projecting my thought only to him. This doesn't help our mate.

The wolf flashed in his eyes as fur sprouted on his face. I will rip out his heart.

Leave if you can't calm down, I warned. I respected that my twin was the alpha wolf, but his dominance meant nothing to me if his behavior threatened to upset Tari.

Ash's shoulders sagged as he lowered himself back onto the bed with a whimper. "When?"

"Many times." Tari swallowed. "I fought him every time, and then he'd erase my memory and try again about a month later. He was usually distracted by his human girlfriends, but when they weren't around, he'd turn his attention to me again."

"Oh, darling." Shiri's eyes watered as she stroked her sister's face. "I'm so sorry."

Tari wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Sometimes he'd call me Flora when he'd try to rape me."

I recalled Tari's first meeting with Selig in Fachnan's court. "Selig said the mind spinner was obsessed with your mother."

"We do look a lot like our mother," Shiri said.

Tari shook her head. "I didn't look like our mother when I was with Thorin. I was a plain little human." She groaned while hanging her head in her hands.

"He would've probably tried to rape you more if you had looked like our mother." Shiri rubbed Tari's back, her brows drawn with concern.

I imagined her soothing Ember and Aurora in the same way whenever they'd been traumatized. I was grateful to her for taking care of the girls these past few years, but it wasn't until that moment I realized she was so nurturing. Our children had been fortunate to have their aunt watching them, and I knew I'd never be able to repay her for her kindness.

All went silent as an invisible fog hung between us.

Ash cleared his throat as he leaned toward Tari. "Did he ever succeed?"

"No." She looked down as she folded her hands in her lap. "He was usually so drunk that it wasn't hard to fight him off."

Ash jumped from the bed, letting out a wolf's howl. "I'll rip his heart out and slice off his dick!"

The satyr priestesses flinched, hiding behind their high priestess.

"Ash!" I said on a warning growl, balling my hands into fists.

Shiri shook her head. "He'll change your memories before you can touch him."

"What about that memory tea?" I asked the high priestess. "Could that protect our minds?"

"I believe so." She rubbed her furry chin. "I will speak with Isa."

Tari clutched her stomach and moaned. "I think I'm going to be sick."

I jumped to my feet, pointing to a priestess. "Get her a bucket."

The satyrs scrambled and produced a chamber pot that was thankfully empty. I placed it on Tari's lap moments before she vomited into the pot.

Shiri sat beside her, pulling her hair out of her face and rubbing her back while she heaved several more times. Feeling utterly useless, I paced the floor, my inner wolf howling to break free and scale the walls.

Ash's eyes flashed again, his voice dropping to a wolf's rumble as he glared at Esther. "Your tea didn't work."

She turned up her chin, showing my brother no fear. "It's not for nausea."

I shot Ash another warning look. "Do you have anything else to soothe her?" I asked the high priestess.

She nodded. "I will have my priestesses make an ointment you can rub on her chest."

"Thank you," I said.

Esther glared at my brother once more before she and her priestesses clomped out of the bedchamber.

Tari finally stopped vomiting and laid back against the cushions with a groan.

I gave Shiri a helpless look, a maelstrom of emotions threatening to shatter my soul. "What can I do?"

Shiri motioned to the bucket. I carried it out into the hall, waving down a priestess who took it from me.

When I returned, Ash was pacing the floor and Shiri was gently tucking the blankets around Tari.

"What else can I do?" I hated this helpless feeling while wishing Ash and I could find that mind spinner and shred him to pieces like we'd done to Fachnan.

"Just be here for her," she whispered before kissing her sister's forehead. She stood and took Nikkos's hand, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"I'll always be here for her," I whispered, staring lovingly down at my mate. "Always."

Flora

AFTER REFUSING TO WEAR the hoop, and the face paints, and the ghastly blue wig, I looped arms with my mates and walked down the long corridor toward the dining hall, choosing to arrive at court a quarter hour late, knowing unpunctuality had always infuriated my sister.

I cursed my slick slippers while sliding across the marble throne room floor, empty save for three musicians hunched over their instruments on the dais, plucking at strings that sounded like dying cats. I caught sight of Malvolia's throne, the floral chair from our grandmother's sitting room, one of the few pieces of furniture that had survived the Dark Tide. I frowned as painful memories resurfaced. How I hated it here.

When we entered the dining hall, I was shocked to see our grandmother's long table had been replaced by a round monstrosity. Various sycophants that I didn't recognize sat around the table, wearing hideous wigs and face paints. There were more open chairs than filled chairs, and the room had gone so quiet, I could only hear the wild beating of my own heart as I stared into the narrowed eyes of my twin. She wore all black, as usual, her plunging neckline that barely covered her nipples leaving little to the imagination. Her black face paints, black lipstick, and shiny black crown of thorns upon her head was a touch dramatic, though I expected nothing less from Malvolia. Though she didn't wear a hideous wig, her hair was plaited like intricate vines, twisting around her crown to hold it in place.

"Flora, Lords Derrick and Marius." She forced a smile that didn't mask the coldness in her eyes. "I'm so glad you could join us." She motioned to three empty chairs to her left. "To think, Princess Shirina and her mates sat in your very seats just a few nights ago."

I refused to sit in the chair beside my sister when Marius pulled it out, so Derrick pulled out the next seat, and Marius took the seat beside my sister with Derrick sitting on my other side.

You don't have to sit there, I projected to Marius, motioning to the empty seat by Derrick.

He frowned while rearranging his silverware. It's fine.

Derrick looked around the table, scowling at the courtiers. "Where's the rest of your court?" he asked my sister.

Her smile thinned. "They've retired to the country."

"I see," Derrick answered, a hint of mirth in his voice.

I smiled while patting his hand. Oh, how I loved my mate.

I thanked the servants when they placed steaming rolls and bowls of what looked like tomato bisque in front of us. I scowled at the others at the table, noting how they hadn't touched their food. I refused to adhere to their foolish decorum and waste good food, especially after surviving too long on stale porridge.

Derrick was the first to dig in, slathering butter on a roll and dunking it straight into his bisque while ignoring gasps that rose up around the table. I followed suit, elbowing Marius while he stared at us. I spooned a generous amount of soup into my mouth, moaning as buttery tomato and basil exploded on my tongue. Oh, how I missed a good bisque.

Malvolia straightened before clearing her throat. "Court, I'm sure you remember stories of my sister and her mates." She picked up her wine goblet and waved it in our direction. "Here they are in the flesh, and as you now know, the mind spinner tricked us into believing my sister wanted my crown." She gave me a look of longing that made me want to crawl out of my skin. "I would like to formally rescind the warrants for their arrests."

I ignored the murmurs that rose up around the table while slurping down my bisque. I was already eyeing the many uneaten bisques around the table, plotting whose bowl I would steal next.

"Lord Derrick," my sister continued, "I'd like to reinstate your position as the highest ranking general in my army."

He gave her a cool look. "To do what?" he asked before shoving the rest of his roll in his mouth.

She quirked a brow. "To defeat these demons."

"My position before was only symbolic. I know nothing of warfare," he said before picking up his bowl of bisque and slurping it down like a mug of ale.

Marius grumbled, and I smiled at Derrick before following his lead, not caring when I accidentally splashed tomato on my hideous gown while gulping down the soup directly from the bowl.

"You've survived the Periculian wilds for almost a quarter of a century," Malvolia continued, the ire in her raised voice palpable. "I'm sure there's a lot you know."

I set down my bowl with a clank and wiped my face with the back of my hand before cutting Malvolia a dark look. "He knows how to survive on meager rations while living in fear that my twin will turn us to ash."

"Ahh, Flora." Malvolia folded her hands in front of her while leaning back in her chair. "I was wondering when you'd find your voice."

I responded by letting out a loud belch. The courtiers gasped, Marius shook his head, Derrick laughed aloud, and Malvolia simply glowered.

"Allow me to introduce you to my personal coven," my sister continued, her voice edged with disgust. "You've met Lady Veronica and Lady Daminica." She waved at the two witches who'd helped me dress while fussing that I was making them late. Then she waved at two more witches beside them. "Lady Cordelia and Lady Ivy are also in my coven."

I absently nodded before thanking Derrick with a kiss when he snatched two soups from nearby courtiers and placed one in front of me. I ripped open a roll and dunked it in my bisque. "Where's the sixth witch?" I swirled the bread in the bisque before popping it in my mouth with a groan. I could eat this heavenly food for every meal. "Our grandmother and mother had covens of six."

"Lady Felicity Frensia." My twin's features tightened. "She and her mates were banished to their estate."

I gave her an accusatory look. "Why?" I already suspected the answer—her neurosis.

A hush fell about the room, and I swear I could feel the temperature drop as my sister looked at me with a cold gleam. "For attacking Shirina," she answered coolly.

Somehow, I got the feeling Malvolia didn't care about Shirina's wellbeing, and there was more to the story, but I decided not to press the issue when Derrick nudged my ribs. "I remember baby Felicity," I said around another mouthful of soup-drenched bread. "She was our cousin Solana's child."

Malvolia turned up her chin, ire flashing in her eyes. "Yes, she was."

"What happened to cousin Solana?" I pressed before picking up my bowl and slurping down the rest of the soup.

Malvolia took a slow slip of wine before eyeing me with disdain. "A casualty of the Crimson Tide."

I dropped my bowl in front of me, daintily patting the corners of my mouth before letting out another satisfied belch. "You mean a victim of your paranoia?"

"Flora," Marius warned.

Malvolia slammed down her goblet and flashed her teeth. "You're determined to twist that blade, aren't you, sister?"

I snatched my goblet off the table and gulped down several fortifying sips. "You think one ‘sorry' erases twenty-four years of horrors?"

"I risked my life for you during the Dark Tide." Malvolia jumped from her seat, her voice turning shrill as she jutted a finger at my chest. "I killed for you!"

I jumped up, too, kicking back my chair. "And then you tortured my mate and tried to murder my babies!"

"I knew where you were," she said with a sneer as black smoke poured from her fingertips. "I could've had you and your family killed at any time."

Marius and Derrick both grumbled, their feathers ruffling.

I gave my sister a challenging look. "Then why didn't you?"

She hung her head, her arms trembling as she rested her palms on the table. "Because I love you."

"How dare you speak to me of love! How! Dare! You!" I screamed, throwing my goblet at her head as rage poured through my veins. Oh, how I wished I'd been born with Malvolia's power. I would've turned her to ash on the spot.

She ducked, clasping her hands in a prayer pose while her eyes filled with black ink. "I do, Flora." The ink spilled over her eyes, streaking her face. "I've never stopped loving you."

"Liar!" I backed away from her as Derrick tugged on my hand. "You sent three fire mages to kill us!" The lying bitch!

"My spymaster sent them." Her voice broke and splintered. "And only because Derrick and Tarianya exposed themselves." She flashed a watery smile. "And it all worked out, for Shirina found her fated mates."

The bitch. Did she think this was all a joke? "You have no idea how we suffered, how many nights Derrick and I went without so that our children could have whatever scraps we could find."

"Flora," Marius warned, trying to pull me back as black smoke poured out of Malvolia's fingers.

I shook him off me and clenched my fists until nails broke skin. "How our children lived in fear that their evil aunt would find them and kill them." I motioned to Marius, my voice tightening with emotion as tears threatened at the backs of my eyes. "And Shiri told me Marius was blind when she found him, living in his own filth without so much as a window in his cell. You didn't spare us! You prolonged our torture!"

She placed a hand across her chest, cradling the hollow cavity beneath. "You think I didn't suffer having lost my twin and my best friend?"

"Oh, you poor queen," I taunted, "suffering all alone in her palace with her servants and sycophants and long line of lovers." I waved at the courtiers who were gaping at us as if we were the strange ones. "We will take our supper in our rooms. My mates and I will no longer be attending your circus of a court," I spoke through clenched teeth while glowering at the table of painted faces. "We will stay long enough to help you defeat the demons, and then the dukes and I are returning to Elisi."

Malvolia twisted her hands together. "I gave Elisi to a distant cousin."

"Then take it back!" I roared, punching the air. "That estate has belonged to my mates' family for centuries. Living out our lives at Elisi was all we ever wanted." My voice broke, and I hunched over, clutching my chest when pain radiated from my tattered heart. Then I looked at her through hooded eyes, the burning ire of a thousand flaming dragons pulsing through my veins. "Not your throne, not your castle, and certainly not your ridiculous court!"

Malvolia bowed her head, more ink spilling down her face. "Yes, sister."

I motioned to my mates and grabbed their hands. Then we exited the dining room without sparing my sister another glance.

Tari

The Human Lands

Six months earlier

EYEING MY FATHER THORIN through sideways slits, I sat beside him, trying not to breathe in the sour stench of the ale fumes coming from his mouth. Swearing under my breath, I ducked beneath a tree branch as our old mule pulled us down the dirt path through the dense forest while we bounced around on our rickety cart with the one uneven wheel. The wheel wasn't just smaller than the rest, but wobbly as well. Each time we visited a new town, father promised he'd pay a wainwright to repair the wheel, but then he'd spend most of my hard-earned money at the pubs and brothels instead, leaving very little left over for us to find food and lodging. How I loathed this mundane life, and how I resented my father for forcing me to brew healing elixirs, all so I could pay for his booze and whores.

Heaving a sigh, I clutched my bag to my chest, absently stroking Demon's soft, black ears, when the thick tree branches overhead gave way to a piercing light as the forest abruptly ended.

I gasped as I scanned the graveyard of tree stumps as far as the eye could see, rolling up one hill and dipping behind another. What had happened here?

I turned to my father as he held loosely to the reins while stroking his bushy, gray beard. "Where are all the trees, Father?"

His eyes held no emotion as he scanned the devastation. "The demons used them to build their fleet."

"Demons?" I clutched my throat. "Fleet?"

He shrugged a bony shoulder. "Warships to invade the Fae lands."

I stared at him in shock, waiting for him to break into a smile and tell me he was joking. When he simply stared straight ahead at our mule's flickering tail, a glazed look in his eyes, I realized this was no joke. "Do the Fae know this?"

He laughed, a low, dark chuckle that set my nerves on edge. "I don't know, and I don't care."

And then we descended the next hill, the tree stumps giving way to burned grass, and the grass leading to a town that was clearly devoid of people with hollowed-out shells that were once modest huts and buildings with burned eaves and skeletal frames. I wrinkled my nose at a strange stench like fermented eggs that permeated the air. "What happened here?"

He crooked a smile that didn't reach the cold, serpentine gleam in his eyes. "My mistress happened."

"Your mistress?" I asked, vaguely remembering he'd mentioned a powerful demon mistress before, though I thought he'd said she was his mistress no more. "Where are the people?"

"Eaten," he answered flatly. "Slaves."

"How horrible."

"I know." He waved at the bottles that rattled beneath the canvas behind us. "We have a wagon full of elixir and no one to sell it to."

How could my father be so heartless? "Who cares about the elixir, Father? What about the people?"

He laughed. "What care I for lowly humans?"

"Isn't that what we are, human?" I looked down at my frail, pale hand that turned a bright red if I was exposed to even a little sun. Most Fae, I was told, had warmer complexions and more robust constitutions. I sneezed at the slightest breeze.

He gave me a cool look. "Do you feel human?"

"I-I don't know." Though my father usually covered his head with the hood of his robe, I thought I'd seen the pointy tip of an ear once when he was combing lice from his long, scraggly hair. But if he was Fae, why didn't I look Fae, too? I looked nothing like my tall, lanky father with sun-kissed skin and traces of dark hair underneath his gray roots. I was just a mousy human with straw for hair. Sure, I had minor green witch powers, but I didn't have the strength and stamina of a Fae. Many days it was a struggle to draw breath. If it hadn't been for the elixir that I drank when I felt a sickness coming on, I'd probably be dead by now. I gasped when our cart rolled over a homespun doll lying in the dirt. Depression and despair threatened to overwhelm me, and my head throbbed. "We should leave this cursed place."

"Nonsense," my father slurred before taking a long sip from his flask. "We will sleep in one of the houses tonight. We'll find a comfortable bed to share."

I arched away from him, nausea roiling my gut. "I prefer my own bed, and I will not be sleeping with these human ghosts."

He rolled his eyes. "Such a dramatic witch."

I tensed, looking over my shoulder, fearing that someone might have heard my father call me a witch, a hanging offense in the human lands. My shoulders sagged when I realized there were no living humans to hear my father.

"And a powerful one at that," my father continued, his words tripping on one another and spittle flying off his tongue. "One who thwarts all my advances." He grabbed my knee and squeezed while blasting me with his hot, rancid breath. "But you just make the chase more fun."

I pushed him away with a scowl. "You're drunk."

He waggled his brows. "Drunk on love, Flora."

I arched a brow. "Who?"

"Anya." He heaved a groan, dragging a hand down his face. "I gave up everything for you. I'm a hunted man because I chose to keep you safe." He reminded me of a spoiled child when he pouted and batted his lashes. "The least you could do is reward me with a kiss."

A hunted man for keeping me safe? But who was hunting us?

When he reached for me, his long, knobby fingers digging into my breasts, I'd had enough. I zapped him hard with a bolt of green magic.

He flew off the wagon with a feeble cry, landing hard on his backside.

Our donkey stopped with an angry bray while I peered over the cart. My father was sprawled out on the ground, his robe tossed up over his head, revealing his bony legs, flaccid member, and distended gut.

"I'm sleeping in the wagon tonight." Magic burned my palms as I glared down at him. "If you bother me, you'll regret it." And then on the morrow my father and I would part ways. I was tired of being forced to serve this cruel beast. I would leave him and set out to find a new place to call home, a place where I truly belonged. I clutched my throat when two sets of silver/blue eyes flashed in my mind, the same eyes from my dreams. Whose were they and what did these visions mean?

So consumed was I by those eyes, I hadn't noticed my father had gotten to his feet. I saw the gleam in his eyes before I could respond. "Ungrateful bitch!" he hollered, and then I saw only a pale flare before succumbing to the void.