Page 33 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)

Chapter

Thirteen

ELIAS

The second compound on the map took us deep into the Arizona woods.

It was colder here, the wind slicing into my flesh without reprieve.

For the first time, I wished I had worn a long-sleeved shirt rather than the short-sleeved one that tugged around my chest and upper arms. I reached for the blankets stored in my inner pocket of magic, which I had specifically kept for Teddy, and distributed them to each warrior.

Only Koa refused one, saying he didn’t feel the cold.

Begrudgingly, I gave Sebastian the last blanket, also tossing a cap I’d made for Javier while he wore the gloves I’d given him at our first encounter.

Even with his wrists tied and mouth gagged, I kept a watchful eye on him.

While I knew he couldn’t be trusted, I needed him here to guide us to the underground bunkers that imprisoned my fae.

With Koa as the only lirio with us, we had to be careful that the guards standing watch on the platforms within the compound walls didn’t spot us.

This smaller and busier compound boasted a larger number of soldiers and more weapons.

While scouting the area, we’d found a few men and women engaging in target practice outside their walls.

I’d been tempted to kill them, especially when I’d heard their carefree laugh, but reason kept me from doing so. Just as we’d had the element of surprise on our first raid, we needed that same advantage when we stormed through these walls.

For now, our only plan of action was to wait.

Once the people within the compound had settled for the night, we’d breathe Enfierna on them.

But even the fires from hell wouldn’t be enough to quench this hunger.

I hoped that by waiting, fewer civilians and young would die this time.

Near midnight, the murmurs within the walls started to die.

Without any fires to warm us, Brenton kept Everly and Finley huddled close to him. After several long beats, he’d trail his smoke magic around them and the other warriors to ward off some of the cold.

With the freezing temperature, I figured there wouldn’t be any live animals and hadn’t bothered hunting.

We instead ate whatever we’d brought with us from Niev.

When I went to take a drink from my jug of water, I lifted it toward Brenton, silently asking him to melt the frozen liquid again.

At his initial attempt, his magic stuttered before he forced more energy into it so that my water began to melt.

We hadn’t even started our attack, and his magic was already draining. With the lirio and nyxx absent, our pitiful army was even smaller. I fisted my hands, damning myself for not bringing more.

We could return to prepare ourselves better for the environment while bringing in more warriors to aid us. Not for the first time, I wished Alastor were here to talk this through.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Everly’s or Brenton’s opinions, but simply that I’d come to rely on Alastor and his instincts and wisdom, just as I once had Nalari.

Vith, I’d made a mess of things.

Koa moved noiselessly, his large footsteps never crunching on the snow. He scanned the area before he sat beside me. Much taller than me, his head was still several inches higher than mine. He leaned forward, resting a trunk-like arm on his knee.

“Alastor’s been trying to reach us,” Koa whispered. “He was only able to do so now.”

I sat upright, sensing when Brenton did the same. “What’s wrong?”

“Your mate and younglings are fine,” he said, still whispering.

Brenton moved beside us, his breaths filling the space with little billows of white smoke.

“Alastor said a group of twenty-two humans attacked your home with Teddy in it. She’s fine,” Koa repeated quickly. “Alastor and two lirio killed the humans surrounding the house while Teddy and Kieren took care of the two who’d made it inside.”

I wasn’t sure when I stood or started pacing, but I stopped to peer up at Koa’s standing figure. I raked a hand across my chilled face, desperate for a breath I couldn’t catch.

“Alastor and George are staying in the house with Teddy and the younglings,” he continued. “She has thirty lirio protecting her in the woods surrounding your home.”

Vith.

I spun, panic coursing through me so quickly I couldn’t form a thought. Brenton gripped my shoulders and shook me. I blinked back at one of my best friends, still unable to think clearly .

“She’s safe.” He slapped the back of my neck, leaving a smart sting to snap me out of my stupor.

“I need to get back to her,” I said.

Brenton nodded, and when I blinked again, Everly stood beside him, worry etched on every line of her face. Brenton turned to face Koa.

“You should go back with him,” Brenton said, his words low. “You’re only here for Teddy anyway.”

Koa tilted his head. “She’d be just as upset if her brother died.”

Brenton crossed his arms. “And I’d feel more comfortable if a lirio I trusted was guarding her woods.”

Koa considered Brenton’s words. “Every lirio guarding her woods cares for Teddy. Each can be trusted to protect her. I’ll stay to help you bring your people home.” He pursed his lips, and an eerie whistle filtered through the air.

While the hair on my arms rose, the guards on the platforms didn’t seem to notice. A lirio stepped from between two tall trees.

“Do you want me to stay or go?” the lirio, Agthor, asked.

Guardians, I hadn’t even known he was there. Were there others trailing us as well?

“The choice is yours, brother,” Koa replied.

“You say this male is her brother?” Agthor tipped his head toward Brenton.

“He is.”

“I will see the prince to his home and return before we rescue the imprisoned fae,” Agthor said.

Cold wind skirted around my face, making the snowflakes that fell cut into my skin. Bewildered, I stared at the two fae whose loyalty Teddy had earned.

I ran a hand over my throat, rubbing at the thickness that grew inside. “Agthor,” I said, “you needn’t see me to my home.”

The lirio narrowed his black eyes at me.

“I’m grateful if you wish to,” I added quickly, my fingers tapping nervously on my leg. I wasn’t nervous about Agthor but eager to get home. “I appreciate either of you being here at all. I simply meant you shouldn’t tire yourself needlessly.”

Already, my warriors were tired, with Brenton inching his way toward exhaustion. A part of me wanted to use Teddy as an excuse to force him back with me, knowing the familial bond they shared was already urging him to see her and make sure she was safe and unharmed.

“Alastor said you should stay, Agthor, if that is what you wish,” Koa said. When Agthor nodded, Koa turned to me. “He will meet you at the tear.”

I shook my head. “Alastor should stay with Teddy.”

Agthor bared his sharp teeth at me, a guttural snarl ripping from his throat as his open mouth flooded with light. I glanced at the guards and was relieved to see none of them had noticed.

“You shouldn’t think to command our capaduci,” Agthor said.

I nodded at our shared term for leader. I took a few beats to pray for my warriors’ protection and without saying anything else, I bent space so that I stepped into the woods of Colina, where the cold was more forgiving.

It felt wrong to leave them, and that should’ve been warning enough to postpone the mission. But I bulldozed forward with only thoughts of reaching Teddy on my mind.

Alastor waited for me before the tear, and quietly, I followed him through it and back to Niev.

On the castle grounds, the mage gripped my arm, and I bent space so we were standing in my yard.

So close to her, my anxiety mounted with the need to see her and the younglings.

I rushed up the patio steps. Just as I was about to throw open the door, Alastor stopped me with a hand to my shoulder.

“They’re all sleeping in the living room,” he said quietly. “While the girls don’t quite understand what happened, they’re all frightened. If you barge in there, you’ll only scare them further.”

I rested my head on the doorframe, trying to calm my racing heart.

It wouldn’t quiet, though, until I had my mate in my arms. As if sensing me, Teddy opened the door and peeked outside.

She smiled when she saw me, and was in my arms before I took my next breath.

I picked her up, her legs wrapping around my waist while I held her close.

“You’re here.” She pressed her lips against mine, and my heart finally began to settle.

I let her tongue explore my mouth before I took charge. I kept the kiss tender but fierce. Calm yet hurried. A frenzy of two lips dancing together. I kissed her with the sole wish of imprinting the memory of us forever on her lips.

Drawing back, I kissed the arch of her brow.

She nuzzled her face against my neck, where a shuddered breath tickled, and her lashes fluttered against my skin.

The quiet click of the door sounded when Alastor went inside.

I sat on the porch swing, keeping Teddy wrapped around me while I pulled her face away so I could look at her.

I ran my palm over her cheek and through her hair until I rested it on the back of her neck.

She flinched at the final contact, and I sent my healing magic to her neck where a bump surfaced at the bottom of her head.

“Did Leah not come to see you?” I asked.

“I only asked her to heal Kieren and check on the babies,” Teddy answered. “I wanted you to be the one to heal me. ”

She didn’t know what her words did to me. How they both filled and devastated. She wanted me to heal her. Me when I wasn’t here. I would’ve torn the realms apart if only to get to her. And now, I’d stitch together every piece.

My attention dropped to her stomach.

“They’re fine,” she told me. “Leah didn’t see any problems, but she gave me an herb to boil every morning to help them grow strong.”

“What form of healing did Kieren need?” I asked.

“He’s sick,” she answered. “Fever, nausea, that kind of thing.”