Page 66 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)

“When do you think we’ll start healing Respandora?” the female shifter asked Alastor.

Something inside me stirred at the name. Respandora.

Alastor’s brows rose while he chewed the side of his lip.

“Is that the name of our land?” he asked.

The female eyed him curiously. “Have you not heard the name before?” When he shook his head, she continued. “Our land, our home is Respandora. Have you at least seen it?”

It felt right to consider Respandora our land and home. Already, I felt a connection to it without even having stepped on her dirt.

“Teddy showed me a vision of her once.”

The female waved her hand to reach into the inner pocket of her magic and pulled out several sheets of yellowed paper. Carefully, she placed it on a nearby empty table. The papers wore deep creases that she tried to smooth out from the middle.

My heart raced as I looked around Alastor’s shoulder to get a better view.

One side of his lips tilted up in an amused, half smile when he pulled me in front of him.

Much taller than me, he rested his arms on my head.

Too entranced, I didn’t bother glaring at him but waited with bated breath for the female to continue.

“I believe it was my great-great grandmother who drew these.” She placed each sheet on an empty spot on the table.

One illustration showed home after home, all the same size and with roofs that peaked at the center.

The homes themselves seemed to be made of various rocks, while the roofs were similar to those in Alastor’s village.

Flourishing gardens surrounded each home in an array of colors.

Alastor leaned around me to pick up another drawing, this one a group of ten mages.

Their faces were frozen in laughter that I swore filtered through my ears.

Goosebumps covered my arms, so I moved my hands to smooth them.

One woman in the painting held the bottom of her long, flowing skirt in one hand and a basket of flowers in the other.

Her dancing eyes seemed to stare at us from the page, and I swallowed past the lump that formed in my throat.

Her hair fell in loose, dark curls, but it was the round bump of her belly that I kept my attention on .

“Do you know who this woman was?” he asked, voice tight.

The female pressed her lips together, watching Alastor as he traced the outline of the woman.

“Her name was Bianca,” she said.

His throat bobbed, something dark swimming across his face and into his eyes while his shadows tugged against his skin.

“Bianca,” he repeated.

“Is that your mom?” I asked, my words coming out in a hushed whisper.

He remained silent, his fingers tracing the woman’s face with such delicacy. His eyes blackened further, his nostrils flaring while the air around us seemed to still. It seemed to hold its very breath.

“Alastor.” I held a hand to his arm, feeling the way his muscles quivered at the contact.

He turned to me, staring at my hand before he drew his attention to the female. “May I keep this?” he asked, holding the edge of the drawing between his fingers.

The female nodded before she gingerly went through the papers to draw out another one.

Triplet babies smiled back at us from the page, and I tightened my hold on Alastor’s arm.

He shifted closer to me, his unoccupied hand going to the bridge of his nose while he let out a long, drawn-out sigh that quivered from his parted lips.

I took in the way he looked back at the triplets. The way he fisted his hand that he tapped against his mouth. The way his eyes screamed of a deep-rooted pain I’d never be able to identify.

When he stepped closer to my side, I reached for the illustration of Alastor and his siblings. The female shifter kept her eyes downcast when I folded it with gentle care.

“Why don’t I hold onto this for you?” I asked. “Until you’re ready.”

His head bobbed in a jerky nod. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“I’m better alone.” He stared at the paper I held in my hand. “Keep them safe.” With that, he walked toward the exit and left.

“I’m sorry,” the female said. “I thought—I didn’t think . . .”

“I think this’ll be good for him,” I said. “Eventually.” Hopefully. “The people in all these illustrations look happy.” I tapped on another paper, with hundreds of people joined together outdoors, some eating, others dancing, all of them joyful.

God, it hurt to see that joy, knowing it’d be vanquished from this realm.

“They met every night to eat supper together,” the female said. “Each night, different families were charged with cooking for the whole village. After eating, they’d gather to play music and dance. Every single night. Can you imagine that?”

“It sounds like a dream.”

“Doesn’t it?” she asked. “Back in the human realm, our tribes were much smaller than Respandora, but our people would get together once a month to eat supper together. If we were certain no one could hear us outside our tribe, we’d create our own music and dance.

It was something I always looked forward to, and I hope once Respadora is restored, we can continue the mage’s custom. ”

I smiled despite the ache in my heart. “I’d love that too. ”

My eyes watered, and before I started crying in front of her, I excused myself and went to Elias.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, cupping my cheek.

I shook my head. “It will be.”

He peered behind me, and when I looked over my shoulder, I found Javier on the other side of the tavern with his friends. I smiled at Delaney and Kieren when they waved at me, only turning away when Javier caught me watching them. Before he turned away, I saw the hurt that crossed his face.

Dammit. Dammit all to hell.

In that moment, I yearned to speak to Elias through mind-speak, to twine the threads of our soul together and send my love to him through the ribbons that had come to feel as much a part of me as the skin that covered my bones.

Regardless of how futile it felt, I still searched for those threads, believing they lived somewhere inside us. But I couldn’t find them.

Dartboards hung on the walls of the tavern. There was one closest to our group, while Javier and his friends played at the one across the room.

Excusing Elias from his audience, I walked up to Brenton.

My brother was quick to jump to his feet to give me a hug before he clapped Elias’s shoulder, making a quick smacking sound that made me jump.

Elias turned his head, his brilliant, kind eyes on me and soothing words on the tip of his tongue.

Rather than speak, he trailed his fingers up my arm to the base of my neck, where he gave me a light squeeze.

This man. He was too gentle with me, too patient. He was too attractive. Too everything. He was the kind of man women didn’t believe existed but still wished for. He was the kind of man you held on to, never letting go .

“This is Haley.” Brenton motioned toward the pretty shifter fae with big brown eyes. Her black hair fell on her shoulders in loose spirals.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I gave her a warm smile and before I could damage the drawing of the triplets, I gave it to Brenton to store in his inner pocket of magic.

Elias grunted in reply, and I almost scolded him until I realized his attention had returned to Javier.

“Are you staying in Niev long?” I asked her.

She gave me a bashful smile. “I’m not sure yet. Brenton told me that in a couple of months, Niev will have three months of no snow. I may have to stay for that.”

“Ah, summer. I can’t wait.” I forced a smile that did little to ease the emotions that swirled and churned in my stomach.

As much to comfort myself as Elias, I sat on Elias’s lap with his arms circling my stomach as I watched Brenton with far too much interest. But I had to give it to him. He was smooth and charming, and if the smile that fanned across Haley’s face was any indication, she was very, very much into him.

But the flecks of gold that normally surrounded his hazel eyes were missing, as was the amusement and joy that usually shone behind them.

When my attention landed on Donnie, he lifted his chin toward the dartboard. “You wanna lose a round?” he asked me.

I snorted. “Listen to you,” I sang out, grateful for the tease in his voice. “Have you forgotten how awesome I am?”

Shaking his head, he pressed his hands onto the table to push himself up slowly. Beside him, Cierra moved toward him before she stilled and instead sat on her hands. Her green eyes stayed pinned on Donnie, though .

I turned to kiss Elias’s cheek, loving the way his fingers roved over my sides in a delicious taunt.

“After I finish kicking Ted’s ass, maybe we can play teams?” Donnie asked Cierra, nervously running a hand over his scruffy chin.

Yep, scruffy chin. When I smiled this time, it was genuine.

“You and me against Teddy and Elias.”

Elias cleared his throat when Donnie looked at him expectantly. “Sure, I’ll play.”

I kissed his lips, letting the momentary lightness settle in my chest. It wouldn’t last long. I knew this was only a temporary reprieve, so I allowed myself to sink into the feeling, wanting to hold on to it while knowing it’d slip away before I was ready.

“Watch me carefully because if you make us lose, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight,” I told Elias.

“Sit when you need to, Donnie,” Ryenne said, her eyes narrowed in concern.

Donnie frowned, his expression flaring in annoyance. “I’m fine.”

Together, Donnie and I made our way to the dartboard at a slow pace, but by the time we reached it, he leaned a hand against the wall and dragged in a slow breath. Knowing he wouldn’t want me to say anything, I gave him his three black darts.

While he remained leaning with his back against the wall, I took my position in front of the board. The first one I threw landed on the outer ring beside the number two.

From his spot, he lifted his hand and turned his thumb down.

“I’m just getting warmed up, smart-ass.”

He grinned.