21. Anevae

Maeyve and I spent the rest of that day relaxing. It was rough to tell her about Ambrose, but she deserved to know. She comforted me and made me feel safe, seen, and important. I wasn"t sure what to think of our "relationship," but I didn"t care. I didn"t need her to love me; I just wanted her around.

The next morning, I woke up wrapped in Maeyve"s arms again. I wanted to wake up like that every day for the rest of my life. I snuggled in for a bit longer before finally getting up to start the day.

During breakfast, we discussed our plans for the day.

"I know there won"t be much, if any, change in my plants, but I need to check on them today," I said.

Maeyve jutted out her bottom lip, pouting. "Do we have to? I don"t want to go outside. I think it"s supposed to be chilly out today. I want to cuddle up on the couch again. Maybe you could read me a book today? We can change things up."

"We can do that after we go check on my experiments. It"s not going to take long! Maybe ten minutes tops. If you don"t want to go with me, stay here, but I need to do this for my work."

"Fine. I guess we"ll go. But if it"s cold out there, you owe me," she grumbled.

"It"s almost summer! It"s not going to be cold. Let"s go get dressed."

After getting dressed, we went into the greenhouse and tended to the plants there. Once that was done, we made our way outside. Maeyve slid her hand into mine when we walked out the door, and I smiled at her. She gave my hand a comforting squeeze and grinned back at me.

As we reached the garden plot, Maeyve became agitated, her eyes darting around like she was searching for something. I tried to act like I didn"t notice. She squeezed my hand and pulled me to her. "I think I heard something out in the woods. I want to go check it out. I"ll be right back, okay? Do NOT go anywhere else. Please."

"Okay. I"m just going to check on these plants and make some notes. Be careful."

Before she left, she planted a quick kiss on my lips and another on my temple. Then, I watched her walk away into the woods. When she was just out of sight, I turned to my garden.

I was working for about five minutes when I felt a presence behind me. Thinking it was Maeyve, I kept working. Then, a pair of arms wrap tightly around my midsection. Dread coiled in the pit of my stomach. My gaze drifted down to the tanned, hairy arms that were wrapped around my center, arms that most certainly did not belong to Maeyve. I began screaming as loud as I could and thrashing in the stranger"s arms. When that got me nowhere, I threw my head back, aiming for his face. The only thing that did was make him angry.

After several long seconds, the black fox appeared from inside the woods. As it stalked toward us, it bared its teeth and snarled. What is the fox doing here? Where"s Maeyve? The stranger"s deep laugh startled me. He continued backing up with me, still wrapped in his arms.

"You think you scare me, little fox?" The stranger asked in a husky voice. "Quit acting like you can protect her somehow. You"re just a worthless being that should"ve been disposed of long ago. On the other hand, she was meant for greatness, and His Majesty is growing tired of waiting for her. Now, if you"ll excuse us," the stranger said, his voice taunting.

The fox"s orange eyes met mine. When a stray tear fell down my cheek, the fox crept forward, still baring its teeth and snarling.

The man laughed. "You don"t scare me one fucking bit, Maeyve. You"re nothing but a filthy whore, and you always will be. Royalty like her will never mix with scum like you. His Majesty would never allow it. Even if she is impure. Fucking Cordilaen, choosing that disgusting wolf over her duties. But this one will honor her responsibilities to the crown. I"ll see to it myself."

As the last words left the stranger"s lips, the fox leaped and latched onto one of the stranger"s arms. He hissed in pain and loosened his grip on me. I fell to the ground and quickly scrambled to my feet.

Out of curiosity and pure stupidity, I turned to look at my attempted abductor. His back was to me, but he was a tall, muscular man with hair black as night, slicked back and cut in a similar fashion to how my dad wore his.

Flailing his arm, he began flinging the fox around to get it off. I wasn"t sure how he was doing it because the fox was huge and likely weighed at least a hundred and fifty pounds. Eyes focusing on the fox, I remembered what he"d called it—Maeyve.

I knew I had to help the fox, especially if it was Maeyve. I could think about what had happened later. Taking off toward the cabin, I flung the greenhouse door open. Hurrying inside, I searched for anything I could use as a weapon against the man.

The best thing I could find was a shovel. Welp, this is going to have to work for now.

Just as soon as I was about to run back out the door, I heard a loud yelp. Clutching to the shovel, I took a step outside. The fox was lying on the ground next to one of the garden plots.

I ran as fast as I could, not caring if the man captured me. If the fox was Maeyve, I needed to make sure she was safe.

I slid up to the fox, placing a hand on its side to see if it was breathing. The fox yelped, and I pulled my hand back. Was it hurt? What happened? Was it okay?

Knowing the fox was alive, I scanned my surroundings for the man. When I didn"t see him, I glanced back at the fox. I couldn"t lift it alone, but I didn"t want to leave it by itself outside; moving it would hurt it, and I didn"t want that either. Reluctantly, I retreated to the cabin. I could watch it from the window to make sure it got up. If it didn"t, I"d have to worry about that later.

Once I was inside, I stood at the kitchen counter. As I glanced out the window, the gravity of everything hit me. Could I have been dreaming? Pinching myself, I determined it was, in fact, not a dream. Terror crept up, and I began to question everything I knew. With my mind swirling nonstop, I shook violently, and my head spun. An intense wave of nausea hit me, and I rushed to the bathroom.

After several minutes, my stomach had completely emptied itself and finally settled. I sat with my back to the wall and cried. Who was that man? How did he know my mom"s name? Why was ‘His Majesty" looking for me? Who was he?

As I sat there, question after question whirled through my mind, but then my thoughts drifted back to the fox. Could the fox really have been Maeyve? Every shred of logic left intact said she couldn"t have been the fox, but then my mom"s stories about Caellaias crept into my mind. Could it really be?

When I got up to check on the fox, it wasn"t lying in the grass anymore. I hoped it was okay… I hoped Maeyve was okay. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I slid to the floor. Burying my face in my hands, I drew my knees up to my chest.