Chapter Twelve

They emerged near Elvine's home, nestled on the outskirts of her village near the forest.

The exterior of her small, one-story cottage was surrounded by a vibrant array of untamed wildflowers and bursts of color. The front porch, adorned with pillowed wicker chairs, was a bird lover’s paradise. Multiple feeders hung from the eaves, and vines crawled up the walls, while colorful plants spilled through the porch railing slats, to rest on the floor.

It was the coziest porch Raidh had ever laid eyes on, causing memories to come flooding back.

He remembered spending endless hours sitting on those very chairs with Elvine, playing games and laughing until their sides hurt. She had been such a tiny fae then, her delicate wings constantly fluttering as she squealed with delight.

And then, her mother would appear with a tray of tea and treats for them, her warm smile radiating love and happiness. She would ruffle their hair affectionately before joining them on the porch, making it feel like home in every sense of the word.

He cleared his throat, wiping away the brimming tears. No matter what, Raidh vowed to bring Elvine home to her mates. She was his best friend, and he couldn’t bear to leave her in the hands of that cruel guard.

When Casimir cursed, Raidh looked toward the center of the village. No less than six guards stood there, Elvine in the middle looking trapped with no way out.

Leaving even twenty minutes behind her had cost them too much time. This would no longer be a quiet attempt to retrieve her. Raidh gritted his teeth when he saw Willopher approach her. He knew exactly who that guard was, had seen the slimeball with his father on too many occasions.

Willopher approached Elvine and tucked his fingers under her chin, smiling cruelly down at her. Raidh couldn’t hear what the guard said, but Elvine began to struggle harder as she was led toward an alley.

Oh hell no!

As Casimir took off toward the guards, Raidh closed his eyes and tilted his head back, chanting quickly as he pulled on the powers of the realm. The magic of his homeland charged the magic he already possessed, making him stronger than he already was.

He flew toward the alley, his wings fluttering madly, arriving in time to find Casimir battling two of them with glowing green swords in his hands. Raidh threw his hand out toward Willopher and blasted him away from Elvine, who was against a wall, but the guard got right back to his feet and went after her again.

With a snarl, Raidh threw his hands out, palms up, then raised them higher. Willopher shouted as he rose into the air. Seeing Elvine’s torn shirt and the tears in her eyes, Raidh unleashed hell on the guard. He caused Willopher’s blood to boil in his veins as his skin peeled from his body. Then he snapped the man’s neck before Willopher dropped to the ground.

Elvine raced toward him and threw herself into his arms, openly weeping. “My parents turned me in. It was a trap!”

Knowing Casimir could handle the other guards, Raidh cupped the back of her head and hugged her to him, cursing as he felt her trembling so badly. “If they care so little about you that they would lay a trap for you, then I renounce your familial ties to them. They can rot in hell, dewdrop.”

His renouncement didn’t add up to squat, but he was so infuriated that it had just felt good to say it. Elvine had risked coming back to this realm out of fear for her parents safety. She had risked so much, and they had betrayed her love for them.

They had always treated Raidh like family, but in the end, they had been just like his parents. Looking out for their own best interest. “They didn’t deserve your love or loyalty, Elvine.”

“Thank you for being my best friend,” she said, her head resting against his chest. “I love you, tulip.”

He grinned, realizing just how much he missed hanging out with her. “Love you too, dewdrop. Now I have to get you home to your men.”

She groaned softly. “How mad are they?”

“Well, that depends on whether you think a destroyed kitchen table constitutes as mildly perturbed or panicked and enraged.”

“Who—”

“Raidh!”

He spun at the sound of Casimir’s warning shout but was too late to stop the black bolt from hitting Elvine. She let out a piercing scream as she convulsed violently in his arms before collapsing against him.

“Elvine!” Everything had happened so quickly when they’d arrived that Raidh hadn’t had a chance to place protection spells on any of them. He should have done it while they were standing there, but he’d been so focused on trying to comfort Elvine and distract her from Willopher’s attack he’d let his guard down, leaving Casimir to fight five elite guards alone.

After he gently lowered her body to the ground, Raidh turned, his fury consuming him as he snarled and bared his teeth at the two remaining guards. “Move out of the way, Casimir.”

The warrior looked as if he’d just fought a hard battle, bloody and covered in sweat. He rushed to Elvine’s side and lowered to one knee to check on her, as Raidh unleashed all of his rage on the guards who had dared to harm her.

“You cowardly dogs! Attacking a woman with her back turned? She carries a child!” For the first time in his life, Raidh let go of all control and released the full force of his dark fae powers to avenge his best friend.

His hands glowed with dark magic as he channeled the power within him, causing the guards’ blood to boil and their skin to peel away from their bodies.

When the guards dropped, Raidh’s anger dissipated, leaving him panting heavily and feeling exhausted.

Six dead guards. All the king had to do was use a spell to find out who had murdered them. If he wasn’t already, Raidh would now be a hunted man, just as Casimir was. They would know the warrior and Raidh had been here, and the king, as well as the council, would discover that Raidh was the most powerful Unseelie of their kind.

What had he just done? He’d promised Jaytee he wouldn’t let himself go down that dark path, yet Raidh had just taken a giant leap toward it.

Oh god. Kalen already was wary of the dark fae in his home, even though Jaytee’s father treated them all with love and kindness.

And Raidh had not only let Kalen down, but he’d also given the man one heck of a reason to fear them. If he ever found out…

Shoving aside those thoughts, he quickly lowered to his knees on the opposite side of Casimir.

“She barely has a pulse, and her mytconiz is fading.” Casimir’s voice trembled slightly. “Raidh, place your hands on her.”

He did as Casimir asked, noticing how badly his hands were shaking as he rested them on Elvine’s stomach. Please let her baby be okay.

Casimir placed his hands just above her breasts then began to chant. Raidh knew the spell, so he joined in, adding his own infused powers to help bring her back from the brink of death. It was no easy task. Once struck by a black bolt, only fae with immense powers could even hope to revive a victim, and even then it wasn’t always successful.

Thankfully, Elvine had two powerful fae at her side. Raidh just prayed they could save her and her unborn child.

Tears stung at his eyes as he kept a watchful gaze on her neck, willing the line to return to its pale pink hue.

The devastation would be heartbreaking if she lost her child. He had always looked at her as a little sister, and Elvine had always been the one constant in his life, the only person who had truly understood him until Raidh had met his mate.

As soon as he felt her heartbeat growing stronger, he created a passageway. They couldn’t spare any more time.

So far, he hadn’t seen any villagers around. They’d most likely shut themselves inside their homes and businesses when they’d seen the guards surrounding Elvine.

But they would soon trickle back onto the streets, and Raidh couldn’t allow them to see him or Casimir.

The warrior lifted Elvine’s unconscious body into his arms before they quickly raced through.

* * * *

“How long are they going to take?” Jax snarled as he paced the kitchen. He didn’t think Elvine would run into the guard looking for her, but she was pregnant, so he didn’t want her anywhere near the realm.

“They just walked through that weird slit,” Damon said. “Didn’t it remind you of a—”

“Don’t say it,” their dad interrupted firmly. “I won’t pop you on the head since you’re carrying my grandchild but I will cook your favorite dinner and eat it right in front of you.”

“You don’t have to be cruel about it,” Damon grumbled. “I can’t help it that line looked like a female’s you-know-what opening up.”

“Dude.” Jaytee scowled. “Please don’t tell me your pregnancy has turned you crass.” He stuck out his tongue. “Now all I can think about is that my mate walked through—”

Kalen’s low, menacing growl stopped Jaytee from finishing his sentence. If Jax wasn’t so panicked, he would have found humor in the situation.

“I can’t believe me and brat are going to be pregos at the same time. I swear, she better not hog all the good snacks.” Damon threw an arm over the back of the empty chair next to him, the smashed table at his feet. “Shit, now I want a snack.”

As Damon rummaged through the pantry, Jax kept an eye on the spot where the shimmering line had vanished, waiting for it to reappear. It wasn’t just his mate at stake. He didn’t want anything to happen to Damon’s and Jaytee’s mates either. Their family had been through enough, and Jax wished to god trouble would leave them the hell alone.

He glanced over to where his mate stood by the stove, seeming lost in thought. Jax wanted to go to him, because they should be leaning on each other at a time like this. But, as soon as Casimir and Raidh had left, Arion had become sullen and hadn’t wanted to talk.

Was this how his mate dealt with stress, closing himself off? That was not how things worked in their home. Jax crossed the room and stopped in front of his mate. “Talk to me, pumpkin.”

Arion glanced toward the floor. “I just don’t like feeling helpless. We should have been the ones going after her.”

Jax leaned his ass against the edge of the counter. “Trust me, babe, I feel your frustration. It’s killing me to sit around and wait. I’m ready to pull my hair out.”

“Although the situation is tense, I like having someone to talk to about how I’m feeling,” Arion admitted. “Elvine had Raidh and then you guys, and you have your family.” He shrugged. “It’s pretty much just been me.”

Jax gently gripped Arion’s chin, rubbing the pad of his thumb over his mate’s soft skin. “You can always talk to me about anything, hon.”

He gave a slight nod. “Do you think she’s okay? I understand why she has to go there, but I don’t understand why she went alone.”

“We’ll have a long talk with our young lady when she gets back.” Jax kissed his forehead.

From under his lashes, Arion grinned. “Maybe she needs a spanking.”

“Jesus,” Jax groaned. “Don’t put those kinds of thoughts in my head when my family is standing in the same room, pumpkin.” He leaned down and growled softly in Arion’s ear. “The offer still stands of you two getting naked and squirming on my chest.”

Heat blossomed over Arion’s cheeks. “Maybe when she gets back.”

Damon groaned, pulling Jax’s attention away from his mate. “I should have asked Casimir to grab me some food from one of their taverns. I bet fairy food is amazing.”

“Fae,” Jaytee corrected.

“I know, but I can say fairy when none of them are here.” Damon ate a few cinnamon graham crackers then looked at the box in his hand. “We have got to get better snacks. Don’t we have anything strawberry flavored or the real thing? Now I have a craving for fruit.”

Damon was rambling to cover up how nervous he was. Jax had seen him that way too many times in the past. The guy turned into a chatterbox, but hearing his brother incessantly talk had always soothed him for some reason.

Jax’s heart pounded as the golden line materialized once again in the center of the kitchen. Everyone turned toward it as Raidh walked through the passageway. Jaytee grabbed his mate with a fierce grip and pulled him close.

When Casimir emerged with Elvine’s limp body cradled in his arms, Jax’s world shattered.

“No!” Arion wailed, launching himself at Casimir and pummeling his small fists against the warrior’s bulging muscles. Jax’s legs gave out from under him, and he crumpled toward the floor, but his father caught him in his steady grip.

“She’s not dead,” Casimir said, his voice tight. “Raidh and I saved her after she was hit with a black bolt.”

“The baby?” Jax pulled from his dad’s grip and cautiously approached Casimir.

Raidh shook his head when he turned from Jaytee’s embrace. “The pink line has grown faint. I was praying it returned to its natural hue, but at least it hasn’t disappeared.”

With trembling hands, Jax gently pulled Elvine from Casimir, cradling her against his chest. “Why is she unconscious?” he asked, but never took his eyes off of her.

“She just needs time to heal,” Casimir replied solemnly.

“Her shirt...” Jax squeezed his eyes shut, a flood of rage and despair consuming him. He pushed the thoughts aside, refusing to let them take hold.

“We got there in time,” Raidh assured him.

“And the guard?” Arion snarled, his fists clenching at his sides.

“No longer breathing.” Raidh turned and left the kitchen with Jaytee following closely behind.

Casimir scrubbed a hand over his face and told them what Raidh had done to three of the guards. “I’ve never seen so much rage coming from one person. I actually felt it stinging my skin. And for a brief moment, his irises turned black. The king will find out we killed them, and if Raidh wasn’t already a wanted man, he will be, just like me.”

“And we’ll protect the two of you like we’ve been doing,” Kalen declared firmly. “Take her upstairs, Jax. Let her get the rest she needs.”

“And if she loses the pup?” Jax’s voice broke as he struggled to hold back tears. Ever since Raidh told them he’d seen the line, Jax had been looking forward to being a father to their child, no matter which one of them was the biological father.

The three of them were mates, in this for eternity. They would have many more babes, fathered by them both.

“Then the two of you will be there for her.”

When Kalen walked out, Jax noticed the unshed tears in his father’s eyes. Elvine might not even know she was pregnant. If the line on her neck vanished while she was unconscious, should Jax and Arion even tell her or keep it from her?

As badly as he wanted to spare her, he would never keep anything from either mate.

“She’s a fighter, Jax,” Damon said, giving him a reassuring smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Elvine and your pup will be okay.”

“Thanks.” He and Arion went to their bedroom where Jax lay Elvine on the bed. “Pumpkin, can you go into her room and see if you can find some pajamas for her? I want to get this torn shirt off of her.”

Arion stood there, his jaw clenched, his eyes faintly glowing red. His hands were still clenched at his sides. “She didn’t deserve this. All she wanted to do was have some fun whenever she snuck out. She wasn’t doing anything bad when that guard caught her.”

Jax curled Arion in his arms. “Elvine is going to be okay. You heard Casimir. She just needs some rest.”

“She’s never going back there,” Arion ground out.

No, she wasn’t. They would have to figure out something as far as her parents went, but Elvine would never again step foot in the Unseelie realm.

Arion left the bedroom as Jax removed her shirt and bra, her small breasts spilling out. He lay her back down then sat, tracing his fingers over the faint line on her neck. “We’ll get through this, buttercup. All three of us.”

When Arion returned, the two of them worked together to slide on her pink satin camie top and shorts.

“I miss her blue hair.” Arion sat down next to her and ran his fingers through the long tresses.

So did Jax. He’d enjoyed seeing the purple hair, but he wanted her unicorn-blue back. That was the Elvine he’d argued with, adored, and, if he were honest with himself, had fallen in love with.

“How long until she wakes up?” Arion curled up next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. “I don’t like seeing her like this.”

Neither did Jax. She might’ve looked like she was just sleeping, but knowing the truth, it made her appear as if she were slumbering in eternal rest.

Shit. Jax looked away, his stomach twisted. Why had he thought that? How fucked up was his mind that he even let that slip through?

Getting undressed, he climbed in on the opposite side of Arion, holding Elvine close while running his fingers through Arion’s hair.

All they could do was wait for her to wake up.

And then break the news to her that she was pregnant and might lose the baby.