Page 30

“You know what, you’re probably right.” His words made a cruel kind of sense.

We definitely were not the same species.

That alone would certainly make things difficult.

What if I got pregnant? Would I birth a bear cub?

Oh God. Why hadn’t I thought of that before?

“All of this—this entire experience…” I scrubbed a little harder at his gash, accidentally reopening the laceration. “It’s definitely all coincidental.”

“Damn, woman! Easy,” he hissed. “Clearly I’ve struck a nerve.”

I grabbed a towel, blotting his wound dry and staunching the newly surfacing blood.

I paused, remembering the small vial in my pocket.

Would sprite ash heal his brow? It was worth a try.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt. Even with his shitty dismissive attitude, I still felt compelled to help him.

“I have some sprite ash,” I said, presenting the vial. “It should heal you up quickly.”

He jerked his head away from my hand as the blood welled again from the gash. “Sprite ash?” His lip curled like I’d offered him poison. “Of course you’d carry that filth around.”

“It’s not filth. It’s medicine.”

“Only cowards rely on sprite ash.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t need some drugged-up charity case playing nursemaid,” he growled.

My jaw clenched. Without hesitation, I smeared the ash into his wound out of spite, giving no concern for how it would feel.

Jase rolled his eyes back, and for a second I wondered if it had been a mistake to apply it directly on his open flesh. He took a deep breath. His eyes closed and his jaw went slack. I watched the skin over his brow knit itself back together as a slow smile crept across his lips.

“Do you know what’s in that ‘medicine’?”

“The ground-up remains of sprites,” I said it nonchalantly. I’d lost my patience with him and offered him the same respect he'd been giving me. “I think we’re done here. Take as long as you need. I’m going back to the others.”

He leaned back in the tub, taking a drag from the brimshade. “Things get too real for you?”

I paused staring daggers at him. Too real? Was he serious? He was the one denying the obvious magnetism between us.

“Let Nico know I’ll be out in a few.”

I left the washroom feeling conflicted. The others hadn’t mentioned any of Jase’s concerns.

In fact, they seemed enthusiastic about our situation.

What about the Book of Astrium? Could I really be the woman in the drawing?

Were they intentionally keeping more secrets from me?

I thought things were starting to align, but I now had more questions than answers.

The war room buzzed with heavy conversation. Jase’s return had already begun to fade from the spotlight.

I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself any longer. “Have you all forgotten what it felt like to lose Gunner?” I shouted over the others, demanding their attention. “I can’t believe that’s how you chose to welcome your brother. Jase is home. That’s what matters.”

“Mic, I know it seems harsh, but we need more answers. His return doesn’t make sense. We have to assume the worst until we’re sure.” Nico tried his best to defend their actions.

“What if Johan offered him immunity in exchange for selling us out?” Luca added.

“My Lady, with all due respect, your mates are right,” Sawyer interjected, his tone calm but firm. “The situation seems suspicious.”

“My situation is none of your concern,” Jase interrupted, returning to the room.

“Jase, this is Sawyer,” Nico offered, skipping formality. “He and his people are here to help.”

“I stand by my statement,” Jase muttered.

“Why don’t you give him a chance to explain?” I asked the group. “Why are you all so quick to assume the worst?”

“Why are you suddenly best friends with him?” Lucius chided.

“Right? He was never exactly a fan of?—”

“Let’s not air personal grievances in front of our guests,” Nico interrupted. “Jase, why don’t you tell us how you escaped?”

He laughed. “And yet you want me to share mine in front of them? Nico, you make no sense.”

“They’re not leaving, so you might as well get used to them,” Nico said. “Answer the question.”

“I offered to buy my guard a week’s worth of time at The Velvet Antler in exchange for holding a single dose of wolfsbane.

” Jase shook his head, laughing. “The promise of a few nights with a high-end whore had him practically begging to defy Johan. It was ridiculously easy. I sent my shadows to retrieve the key while the dumb ass was sleeping. Mathenholm was no match for my abilities.”

“If it was that easy, why didn’t you help Hunter and Finn?” Luca asked.

“Because we weren’t being held in the same area. It was either save myself or risk us all reaping consequences of a failed escape attempt. If you couldn’t tell by my appearance, Johan hasn’t exactly been kind.”

“That adds up,” I said, drawing everyone’s attention back to me. “I spoke with Hunter and Finn today.” My cheeks warmed with the memory. “They mentioned Jase wasn’t being held close by.”

“That settles it. The boy’s home. Congratulations,” Amos blurted. “Can we shift the conversation back to something productive now?”

Everyone turned to Nico, as he stroked his beard in thoughtful silence. “I think that’s a wise idea. We were just finishing up here.” He paused. “Bruins, we’ll continue this part of the conversation later.”

“Jase, are you able to tell us anything about what’s happening back in Aetherfall?” Sawyer asked.

With no safe way to gather intel from the city, we’d been forced to rely on rumors. But Jase—Jase had been there.

“I was locked up most of the time,” he said. “But once I made it outside, I confirmed the horrors I’d been hearing among the guards were unfortunately true.”

He swallowed hard. Whatever he’d seen had left its mark. I saw it in his eyes back in the king’s chambers. He was carrying something exceptionally heavy.

The crowd awaited his next words with dread in their eyes.

“Johan’s been tormenting our people. Torturing anyone he thinks might know our whereabouts.

Burning houses to the ground. Threatening to kidnap and even murder innocent children.

I don’t think there’s anything he wouldn’t do to find us.

He’s on a rampage. If it weren’t for the atrocities he’s raining down upon our city, I’d call his behavior comical. He’s literally throwing a tantrum.”

My stomach turned at the thought. I didn’t want to believe what I was hearing. All these innocent people were suffering because we fled the night of the Crownspire. I couldn’t help but think I was partly responsible for these poor souls.

“But Johan isn’t the only reason for the despair in the streets,” Jase continued. “Illness is spreading throughout the city. They’ve started burning the dead.”

“The malediction will spread far and wide,” Maxfield said darkly. “Nothing can stop it.”

His words carried a heavy weight none of us were ready to accept.

“He wants Michaela,” Jase said, his voice cutting through the silence.

“Wait, what?” My heart quickened. Why would Johan want me?

Lucius immediately pulled me close, his warm hands doing nothing to ease the growing anxiety.

“He has plans for her. I don’t know specifics, but I can only assume they’re sinister.”

“Good luck getting through me first,” Lucius growled under his breath.

“He wants to use her as bait,” Nico said. “Do you have any more pertinent information?”

“What else is there to share?” Jase asked. “Under Johan’s rule, Hiraeth will become a desolate shell of her former self. Our realm as we know it—will cease to exist.”

Deep within the dark hours before dawn, the cabin was finally quiet.

Everyone was in their respective beds, sleeping.

But not me. My mind was reeling. Every time I closed my eyes, flashes of Jase’s macabre revelations haunted me.

Things were changing rapidly. It seemed like every hour brought some new development crashing to light.

What if this was my fault? Well—maybe not all of it. But I definitely had a hand in it.

What if Jase was right? What if he was wrong?

Ugh. What if all of this was for naught?

There was no chance I’d fall asleep like this. It was pointless. I got up and padded into the kitchen. Maybe some salmonberries would fill my belly and help me drift off.

I meandered silently around the cabin, munching on berries, lost in thought.

The large floor-to-ceiling windows in the main living area offered a stunning moonlit view.

I looked out, staring into the darkness.

Thornwyn Forest was a stark contrast to the bustling energy back home.

London never felt this still. Between streetlights and skyscrapers, you could barely see the stars.

But here in Hiraeth, the sky stretched wide and endless—a glittering oasis of twinkling light. The beauty surrounding me was endless.

I had just finished my fistful of berries when the hair on the back of my neck rose.

One of them was in the room with me.

Before I could react, he was behind me, pulling my hair aside and over my shoulder. He traced his nose along my neck and drew in a deep breath.

“My beast can smell him on you,” Jase whispered in my ear.

I froze instantly, my heart pounding. This wasn’t the brother I expected. He’d never been this forward with me. In fact—he’d always been the complete opposite, rejecting me at every opportunity.

“Jase?”

“I’ve tried everything in my power to deny you,” he said, biting my ear. “I won’t fight it anymore. I know he’s claimed your virtue. And now…” He dragged his tongue along my neck. “My bear wants what’s his.”