Chapter 10

Ten

Astra

I 've been running for an hour. I'm exhausted and dirty by the time I reach Cade's house.

His mate Leona opens the door. The red and blond highlights in her hair catch the moon's light. She cocks her head when she sees me. "Astra, are you alright?"

"I need help." I've never said those words in my life. Tears pour down my face and I can't catch my breath. "I don't know what to do. I'm sorry."

"Cade!"

"What the hell?" Cade's voice is stern, but he lifts me off my feet and carries me inside his house.

"Put her on the couch. I'll put water on for tea." Leona is a blur through my tears.

I sob. "I didn't know where else to go."

Cade hands me a box of tissues and sits in the chair adjacent to me. "Of course, you should come here. We've been friends a long time."

"But Leona." I can only imagine what the pretty human thinks of me and my friendship with Cade. "I don't want to cause trouble for you."

Leona plops down on the couch next to me. "No trouble. I know you are old friends. Would you like to tell us what happened? If I make you uncomfortable, I can leave the two of you alone to talk."

I take her hand. "You are very kind." I knew she was the moment I saw her in the woods. I heard her sweet nature in my head. "Stay."

Squeezing my hand she says, "How did you get here? I didn't see a car."

"I ran." I take two tissues and wipe my face.

"How far?" Cade asks.

"From who?" Leona asks.

I sigh and shrug. "Quite a ways. My father struck Niko and it's all my fault. He's a good man and I can't marry him." More tears come. Never have I cried so hard or so long. I ache from the effort.

The teapot whistles in the kitchen and Leona gets up to make the tea.

"Astra, what's going on?" Cade's golden eyes are filled with concern.

"Who is Niko?" Leona calls from the kitchen.

"Niko is the satyr that your father arranged a marriage with?" He extrapolates from what I've told him in the past.

"Yes."

Leona brings a tray with three mugs steaming with tea and a bottle of bourbon. "I thought we might need something a little stronger."

I reach for the bourbon and pour a healthy dollop into my tea. "Thank you. I knew you were good the moment I met you."

"Because you read my mind." She sits on Cade's lap and puts a little bourbon in her own mug.

I sip and let the warm tea and burn of whiskey distract me for a moment. "I can't help it with humans. Your thoughts are very loud."

Cade pours his bourbon into a Glencairn glass that Leona provided. The delicate glass looks precarious in his big hand and knowing that he can shift into a terrifying manticore makes it even odder. "Is the satyr trying to force you into marriage?"

It almost makes me angry for anyone to think badly of Niko. "No. He has been very understanding and patient."

"But he wants to marry you?" Leona asks. "Of course, he does. Who wouldn't? I'd marry you." She blushes.

"Niko is not subject to my magic the way you are, Leona. Yes, he wants to marry me. At least, he did." My chest hurts and my eyes fill again.

"Don't cry anymore, Astra. What happened?" Cade's command is gentle but effective.

I wipe my eyes and tell them about the deal I made with Niko and about my father showing up at his house.

They both stare with mouths agape. Cade speaks first. "Niko took the full blow of Nocturn's magic to save you."

I nod.

"Would that kill him?" Leona grips her mug with white knuckles.

"I don't know what Father's intentions were for me. I saw Niko fall and I ran. If he survives, he'll hate me for running like a coward. I thought Father would chase me." I down the remainder of my spiked tea. "I'm no good for him. Just like my father, I have no ability to love."

Cade wraps an arm around Leona's waist. "Why are you crying if you don't care about Niko?"

How dare he. "Of course, I care . Not wishing death or magical enslavement on someone is not the same as being able to love them."

"That's true." Leona puts her mug down and leans forward. "Why did you run?"

"I thought my father would be distracted, run out of Niko's house, and leave him alone. If I could have lured Father away, then Niko might have been strong enough to withstand one blow. Besides it's unlikely Father wanted to kill me. He probably would have bespelled me and forced me to marry tomorrow."

"Can he do that?" Leona's eyes are wide.

I nod. "He's a demigod. He could have done so before, but he thought to trick me instead. Maybe it was part of the terms of his wager with Prede."

Gape-mouthed, Leona blinks several times. "There was a wager about your marriage?"

Cade holds up a hand to pause whatever else his woman was about to say. "Let's come back to your father's behavior later. We already know the nature of demigods is to toy with the lives of others for amusement. When you ran out of the house, you wanted to protect Niko. Did you enjoy your time with him?"

"Yes. He is kind and we had fun." I don't say that his music soothes me, his hands calm me, his cooking nourishes me, or that his body fits mine perfectly.

"Maybe you just wanted to have a good time and then go on your way to find the wyvern you were rushing to when we saw you last. Niko was a fling." Leona leans against Cade's chest and wraps her arms around his neck.

A rush of longing sweeps over me. I want what these two have found, a sense of belonging and being a part of something special. "No. It wasn't meaningless."

"Do you miss him?" Cade nuzzles Leona's hair.

"I've only been away from him an hour." A knot tightens in my gut and my chest feels hollow.

"Then you know he's not dead?" Cade stares at me.

Leona smiles. "Do you sense him the way Cade senses me?"

Closing my eyes, I search the world and instantly, Niko is there. "He's alive. I feel him." I sit up straight. "I feel him. Why can I feel him from this distance?"

"Maybe he's your true mate." Leona sighs.

I shake my head. "Nymphs don't mate for life."

"Satyrs do." Cade runs his finger along Leona's upper arm.

I stand and walk to the window. A shiver runs up my back and gooseflesh pops out on my arms. "I know nothing of love or mates. I have lived my entire life under the thumb of my father, and he does not love me."

"You love your trees and the lakes here." Cade leans back and Leona snuggles against his chest.

"That's different. They are a part of me and care for me but cannot love, nor can I." These damned tears keep coming and I brush them away. I pace back toward my friend. "Explain love."

Both of them stare back at me as if I have three heads.

Leona recovers first. She stands and takes a deep breath. "It's hard to put into words."

"Try." Frustration wells up inside me. I want to do what's best for Niko. It would be wrong to tie him to a woman who will never share his feelings.

A hint of a smile tugs at her lips. "When I'm with Cade, I'm happy. When I see him smile or laugh, it brings me joy. When I'm away from him, my heart yearns to find him again. If something good happens, I want to share the news with him first. If a tragedy came to me, it would be his shoulder I'd want to lean on for support. That's love. At least, that's the way it feels for me."

Cade stands and wraps his arm around her shoulders. He opens his mouth as if he has something to add, but then shakes his head and blinks away some moisture in his eyes.

"I do miss Niko. I want to protect him. He listens to me when no one else in my life ever has. He not only wants me, but he's excited about who I might become when I find my passions. I wrote a short story the other day and wanted to share it with him more than anything, but I was afraid." The ache in my empty chest deepens.

"What were you afraid of?" Leona asks.

"That I could need him and he could leave." It hits me like a bucket of cold water. "I'm in love with Niko."

Nodding, Cade smiles. "It would seem so, old friend."

"What if Father kills him? I've got to go." I run to the door.

"Wait. I'll drive you." Cade grabs keys from a small table near the door.

We step onto the wraparound porch as the security at the gate beeps.

Stepping back inside, Cade looks at the screen. "I think your satyr found you."

The Jeep is on the screen, and in the window, Niko's teeth are bared. "Is Astra here?"

Without answering, Cade presses a button. "He'll be here in a minute." He nudges me toward the steps. "We'll be right inside if you need us."

Leona takes his hand. "But I doubt you will."

Once the door is shut with me on the outside, I stare down the driveway as the headlights get closer. My legs shake, so I sit on the wooden steps. The bottom of my dress is covered in dirt and a leaf falls from my hair.

The Jeep stops and my satyr climbs out. "Are you alright, Astra?"

I look at him as if seeing him for the first time. His dark hair is wavy, the perfect frame to his handsome face, and the sensual curve of his horns. His shoulders are broad and his torso tapers to a narrow waist. I can practically feel the ripple of his six-pack abs. He's looking at me with worry and caring.

My bottom lip quivers.

"Sweetheart?"

I run into his arms. "I shouldn't have left you with him. I'm sorry. I never should have run, but I thought he would follow me and leave you alone."

"Shh…" He combs his fingers through my hair. "I'm fine. He would have chased you, but I will never allow anyone to cause you harm, not even your father. I held him in the house and resolved his magic."

"How did you do that?" My father is very powerful. I've never seen anyone stronger.

"My grandfather was a demigod. Nocturn's magic will not work on me. Besides, I will always protect you, even if you don't want to marry me, Astra. No one will force their will on you, I swear it."

I press my hands to his chest and look at his strong jaw and beautiful mouth. "Why?"

A soft smile tugs at his lips. "Because I love you, Astra. I have loved you since first seeing your picture. Our bond is not breakable, no matter what decisions you make. I will respect your choices, but I'll never abandon you."

There seems to be no end to the number of tears I can produce. My heart pounds and my soul yearns to be one with this magnificent satyr. "I was wrong, Niko. I'm not like Father. I can love. I love you. It's only that I had nothing to compare all these feelings with."

Cupping my jaw, he kisses me softly. "I would have waited a lifetime to hear you say those words."

"Can you forgive me?" My throat tightens, knowing I don't deserve his forgiveness.

"What for?"

I don't even know where to start the list. "For making you wait and being the cause of whatever Father tried to do."

"Your father is back at his own home, licking his wounded pride. He'll have no magic for several days and hopefully will have lost his bet and learned a lesson."

"Now I'm really sorry I ran. I would have loved to have seen you squelch his magic."

As Niko lifts me into his arms, I wrap my legs around his waist. "Can I take you home now, Astra, or should we visit with your friends first?" His cock is thick and trapped between us.

I grind against him. "We can visit with them tomorrow."

With a growl, he leaves his Jeep behind and runs with me into the woods.

The thrill of it sends a shiver of excitement through me.

My forest, my satyr, my love.