Chapter 18: Athos

Chapter Eighteen

Athos

N ot to toot my own horn, but I’m an excellent cook. Eldritch shovels bites of food into his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in hundreds of years. I suppose it’s been quite some time, at least in his fae form.

My mind tingles with the intention of a wish. It doesn’t manifest as reality, but terror pulses in the bond.

Charity’s agony becomes so thick that I can hardly breathe.

Eldritch shoves himself out of his chair a second later as he clearly senses the same thing.

“We have to go.” I grab him by the shirt and siphon to Charity’s bedroom.

I pay little mind to the clothing I grab for her without acknowledging Eldritch’s questions. Once I feel like I have several options, I grasp on to Eldritch again and focus on our mate.

We siphon through the air, landing in a cabin.

Bane buttons and zips a pair of jeans that he must have had waiting here because the last time I saw him, he was nude. He jabs a finger at Charity, who sits on the edge of the bed.

She looks terrified.

I swirl through the air, dropping the clothing at her side. “No wishes, my love. Tell us what happened.”

“Help her get dressed,” Bane growls. “The dragons made a play to claim their heir.”

A shiver runs down my spine as Charity blinks at me with unshed tears in her big blue eyes.

She doesn’t have to say it for me to understand. She’ll trust Bane for now, but if it comes down to it, nothing will stop her from wishing, if the need arises.

I exhale heavily, waving Eldritch over. “Help her.”

He grabs the dress on top of the pile and shakes it out as I step over to Bane. He’s strapping himself into an unimaginable number of weapons.

“What do I do?” I ask, trying to figure out where I’m supposed to be.

“Go for Wraith and Knight,” he says, grabbing a coat off the hook and pulling it on. “Get one of them to collect Malice and Aline. Have all of them meet us at Meena’s. Hurry.”

My heart races, but I nod.

An instant later, I siphon through the air.

Wraith appears in front of me as I form. His head tilts as his massive void-like eyes blink eerily.

I spew everything I was told to say as Knight appears over Wraith’s shoulder.

“We’re going to need someone who can form a portal.” Knight scratches his jaw. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out together. I’ll go for Malice and Aline. You head to Meena’s.”

Wraith nods. “Tell Charity she will have the support of Haven at her back.”

My chest gets tight, and I nod before siphoning back to Bane’s cabin.

Eldritch pats the back of Charity’s head as he nuzzles his cheek to her temple. Bane must have loaned him some items because he’s strapped into leather braces with a dagger on his hip. “We will have him back by dinner tonight.”

My eyes fly to the windows.

The sun is just rising, but he knows as well as I do…time moves more quickly in Faere. We may be able to bring Veryn back in time for dinner in the human realm, and I’m certainly no expert on the time differential, but I’m fairly sure a few hours in our timeline equals days in Faere.

That just means every second counts .

I grab Bane’s arm, dragging him toward Eldritch.

As soon as we’re within reach, I hug Charity from behind. My magic drags all four of us into the siphon.

“If anything happens to him,” Bane snarls as soon as we land, “I’ll have your fucking head, witch!”

“Calm yourself.” Silence steps in front of the rabid dragon. His pastel green magic glows in his eyes and his hands as he blocks Bane’s path. “You have every right to be panicked, but it’s not Meena’s fault.”

“Oh, but it really is,” Bane growls. “You can’t tell me she didn’t see this coming. She planned it every step of the way.”

The old witch passes Ember off to her mother. I don’t have the first clue how Emerson and Dread got here so quickly. It’s a heartbreaking sight to see Ember’s red face and tear-filled eyes.

My senses buzz with an intended wish.

“Cover her mouth,” I hiss, preparing to siphon.

Dread carefully covers her entire face with his huge hand.

Ember got lucky with the wish for Eldritch, but her wolf senses the connection they have to Veryn. Any wish regarding him would not be truly free of personal gain.

I’ve rarely been around children. I’ve always assumed the universe had rules in place that would limit their ability to make a wish.

I’m baffled that her wish for Eldritch was even valid, but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It takes me several seconds to realize I’m no longer beholden to any wishes not made by my mate. It’s surreal to be able to breathe without fearing someone will make an offhand comment and end up ruining their life.

“Trust me when I say, I have seen this day play out on hundreds, maybe even thousands, of occasions.” Meena tucks her long hair behind her ear. “We are on the path for a favorable outcome. As long as your stubbornness doesn’t destroy everything.”

Bane blinks, like he doesn’t quite know what to do with what she just said.

Charity sobs and bends in half, despite Eldritch’s attempts to keep her upright. Her hair falls around her face, and the look of agony steals my breath.

“Now, don’t you go and do something stupid.” Knight appears at my side, squeezing my shoulder.

“I didn’t say a word,” I snap, shoving his hand away.

“You didn’t have to.” He quirks an eyebrow. “I can see it all over your face, but you can’t make rash decisions.”

Meena comes over, gently pulling Charity into her arms. The old witch murmurs something in my mate’s ear, but I can’t make out exactly what she says.

“Where the hell do we find someone to make a portal?” Bane growls, glancing around. “I have contacts, but they would take days to come through.”

Aline steps forward with her eyes and hands glowing a bright pastel pink. “My magic is sure I can form a portal to Faere.”

“I thought you struggled with them?” Charity sniffles.

“Silence will help guide her magic.” Malice gives Charity a soft smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll have the young alpha back to you before you know it.”

Silence, Malice, and Aline step off to the side as Emerson comes over to give Charity a hug.

“Tell him I miss him.” Ember chucks her tiny body at Charity.

My eyes get misty, and I glance away to prevent myself from bursting into tears of my own.

“Here,” Dread says, shoving a folded piece of paper at Bane. “It’s not worth the paper it’s printed on, but they don’t know that.”

Bane unfolds it to show the human realm’s paranormal council logo. “How did you get this?”

“My mother stole it from Kash’s belongings when we cleaned out his house.” Dread takes Ember back from Charity. “Meena helped us doctor it while we waited for you to arrive.”

I glance over Bane’s shoulder, reading through the information. It basically demands Veryn’s immediate surrender to Charity. Otherwise, the breach of the treaty between realms will be viewed as an act of war.

“Thank you,” I say, catching Dread’s eyes.

He bows his head. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that, but you have it if you need it.”

The echoing pop of a portal being opened fills the air behind me.

“I fucking hate portals,” Bane grumbles.

Eldritch growls, wrapping his arm around Charity. “It appears it’s time for a family reunion.”