Page 53 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)

Chapter

Twenty-Three

ELIAS

I wasn’t sure when or how we’d made it to Koa and Bon’s hut.

I’d only realized we were there when Bon had offered me a mug of warm tea that remained in my hand, cooled and untouched.

On the floor, Leah sat atop a pillow with her head leaning against one of the thick posts that kept the tall house upright.

Her mug sat beside her, empty of the tea she’d drunk in two quick swallows.

If Eiran was right, if in the aftermath of death, grief was a gift, I didn’t want it.

With my every breath, my every step forward, every lunge back, it lingered. It stung.

Teddy watched me, her eyes glistening with the threat of tears that she held back for me. I kept my palm on her cheek, wanting to reassure her despite the emptiness I felt.

No, it wasn’t emptiness exactly. There was fury and anguish but also a sense of emptiness that lingered where my magic had lived since I was a babe.

There was an emptiness in my soul that had housed our soulmate bond for a few short months.

That emptiness was greater and wider than my despair over losing my mother.

“Fate chose wisely. Your mate is as strong, stubborn, and gentle-hearted as you are.”

She was that and more. So much more.

She’d held a sword against Eiran’s throat and drawn his blood. The vision of her ready to take on Death, take on the world, all for me, to keep my heart safe, seared into me and made room in my lungs so that I could breathe easier.

“What can I do for you?” She nuzzled her cheek against my palm, her eyes searching my face for an answer I couldn’t give her.

When she circled her fingers around my wrist and kissed my palm, I held that kiss tightly in my hand, digging my fingernails roughly into my skin, and watched her as she unclenched my fingers to hold my palm against hers.

I motioned toward the room Donnie rested in.

While Brenton had returned from the astral realm healed, Leah had been the one to heal Donnie.

Even with our joined magic, it’d taken a long time for him to regain consciousness.

Leah had taken the last of our offered magic and shattered what remained of my heart when our soulmate bond had disappeared.

The way Teddy had cried out in anguish and torn at her chest when she’d felt it leave her would haunt me until my final day.

Was the price we paid too great? I’d lost my mother, my magic, and the bond that tied Teddy and me together.

Yet the love I held for her remained. As long as I had that, as long as I had Teddy, I could and would move forward.

But there was an emptiness inside me where my magic once lived. It was like a phantom pain that throbbed, knowing what should’ve been there had been removed. It made me edgy, and that, coupled with the weariness that threatened to pull me under, was an erratic combination.

I wanted to move, to fight with my friends against the enemies within my kingdom, while also wanting to bury myself beneath layers of blankets so I could sleep off the remnants of today.

Already, I missed the way Teddy would wrap her magic around the threads of mine, calming me in a way only she could. I missed the way Teddy’s mind-speak magic would brush against my mind so we could communicate privately. Guardians, I missed the way I could call to my magic to heal myself.

What more would I miss?

“You should check on Donnie,” I finally said.

My head was heavy and a little foggy when Teddy cupped my face to pull my attention to her. I blinked several times until the black spots that marred my vision cleared.

Guardians, she was beautiful. Even with the worry lines creasing her forehead, she was the most exquisite creature I’d ever laid eyes on.

She took the full mug from me and handed it to Bon.

“I’m not leaving you.”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to her forehead, where I murmured, “I know.”

And I did know. She wasn’t one to leave when things got hard. She’d stay by my side and offer her unwavering support just as she’d done when my father had died.

Before I could circle my arms around her and lock her against me, I pulled away.

“Has Alastor or Koa returned?” I asked, chewing the inside of my cheek.

“Alastor did,” she said, digging her teeth into the pink flesh of her bottom lip.

“Brent came by to let me know he’d made Alastor go home while the rest continued to fight.

He never should’ve gone out to fight.” Her bright red hair spilled over her shoulder when she shook her head.

“He was too tired to fight, but I guess all of us are exhausted.”

She was right, as we had all been worn out before the second explosion. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed since then, but my weariness was carved into the marrow of my bones.

“Is Brenton with him?” I hadn’t noticed when he’d spoken to Teddy. I hadn’t even known he’d come by.

“He went back to fight,” she said slowly.

On a swear, I ran my hand through my dirty hair, tempted to pull the strands by their roots.

There was something about the fires and smoke. Magic was at play, and I didn’t know who was channeling it. Even with Garrison and the other truth-tellers, we hadn’t found out how humans had come into its possession.

But what if we were wrong and that magic came from our newly allied shifters? Why would they ally with us only to betray us though? Or could it be the shifter mages exacting revenge Leanora hadn’t finished?

It wasn’t just the explosions but the numerous armed humans who’d gone after the fae.

I wasn’t sure how those we’d questioned had been able to hide their intentions or their guns from the truth-tellers.

I wasn’t sure how so many had slipped through the tear in the veil and had organized themselves so well that they executed two attacks.

The only thing I knew was that the raging battle had stolen too many lives. Children, our precious children, had died.

Donnie had warned me I was making enemies in my own kingdom. I could rationalize the soldiers I’d killed in the human realm. I could even rationalize those I’d tortured and killed in my dungeon.

But today was as much my fault as it was the human soldiers who’d abducted my people, a lot of whom still remained missing. Would the humans kill them in retaliation to my own arrogance, or had today’s slaughter given them the restitution they sought?

Knowing I’d be more of a hindrance on the battlefield, I motioned for Teddy to follow me out of Bon’s hut.

“Why don’t we go check on Alastor?” I offered her my hand.

I let her lead me through the village I’d never stepped foot in before.

It was quiet, with the rising sun casting a shadow over the tall huts they called home.

Just like Niev, the various shops and dineries were nestled between the homes Alastor’s people lived in.

When we stopped at the hut at the center of their village, she opened the door without knocking, and I followed her in.

The inside was almost identical to Koa and Bon’s home, with high ceilings and wide, sturdy posts holding it together.

Alastor lay atop a round carpet in front of a blue, washed-out firepit that seemed to be made of clay. With his eyes closed, he rubbed the bridge of his nose before he trailed his hand up to massage his temple.

Teddy cleared her throat before she knelt beside him. Moving slowly, he turned his head toward her. His normally gray eyes had turned black and were edged in scarlet.

“Is your head hurting again?” Teddy’s words came out softly.

Alastor grimaced.

She patted his shoulder once before she stood to go to his kitchen.

She walked around the small area, opening cabinet doors and drawers with familiarity.

After she ground the flower from the same medicinal herb I used to brew the healing tea, she put water to boil and pulled out a cloth from his icebox.

After folding it, she rested it on his forehead.

Groaning quietly, he pressed the cold cloth against his forehead, where he continued to massage his head.

Once the water boiled, she poured it into a black mug, and when the liquid had cooled, she sat beside him again.

He leaned up on his elbows to take the offered mug.

He drank it with tentative sips while Teddy watched him with her brows drawn together in concern.

When he finished, he leaned back down and repositioned the cloth against his forehead. I was surprised to see a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

“How strongly do you wish to remind me that you told me I shouldn’t go?” It came out as a lighthearted tease that contradicted the pain reflected in his eyes a few short beats ago.

“You have no idea,” she tossed back, tapping a finger to her chin although he wasn’t looking at her. “What was it I said? Maybe something about your magic being depleted and you being exhausted?”

He cracked his eyes open, and I was relieved to see them returning to their natural gray color. “That doesn’t sound familiar at all.”

“Ass.”

On a small laugh, he lifted his hand in the air and raised his middle finger in a way that reminded me of Teddy.

In the months I’d seen them together, never had I heard him joke with anyone.

I’d noticed the ease that seemed to wash over Alastor when Teddy was near, had seen the way they looked out for each other, but this was different.

Around me, Alastor was quiet and solemn, and it made me wonder how much of himself he hid from those he didn’t trust.

“Don’t worry, I’ll lord this over you for years.” She pressed her lips together to hide her smile.

Removing the cloth from his forehead, he inched up to his elbows again before he sat up straight, taking a nearby pillow onto his lap. “Of that, I have no doubt.” He turned to assess me in that serious way of his. “How’s Donnie?”

She let out a strangled noise, so I stepped in when she stayed quiet to fiddle with her fingers.

“It’ll take a few days, but he’ll make a full recovery.”