Page 26

T he warm sun and Ridge’s light snoring wakes me. I roll to face him fully, admiring the angular structure of his face and the stubble lining it. I marvel at how relaxed his breathing is. He’s ungodly handsome, even sleeping.

Possessiveness envelops me with cogency. This benevolent male is mine .

He stirs, reaching an arm out for me before even opening an eye. He pulls me into his chest, and I slip my arm around his middle. My lips once again find his brawny chest.

“Mm, I’d like to wake up like this every morning.”

His laugh reverberates through me. “This is your room, seeing as though you’ll sleep next to me from now on.” He kisses the top of my head, then moves to get out of bed.

“So cruel to take your body heat with you,” I protest, flopping onto the spot he just vacated. “Why do you feel the need to get up so early?”

He raises an eyebrow at me.

Bolting up in the bed, I swing my legs over the edge, scrambling for the bathing room. Ridge’s laughter follows me as I hurriedly brush through my hair and get dressed. “Why did you let me babble on when they’re down the hall?” I call out as I pull my pants on and shove my hair into a loose braid.

Within minutes, I’m running down the long corridor toward the kitchen. There’s light chatter, and I say a prayer to the gods that’s Deah’s voice floating through the air. Slinging myself around the corner, I spot a head of dark curls taking up the head of the table, lifting a stoup of coffee to her lips.

“Deah.” My voice cracks as I take off into a sprint toward the dining table .

My friend whirls, slamming the mug down on the table. She leaps from her seat at the sight of me running, tripping over herself. I fling myself at her, squeezing her into a tight hug.

“Ale.” Her voice wobbles with relief. “I was so grateful you didn’t come back that night. So glad that you’re safe.”

Deah pushes out of the hug, holding onto me at arm’s length as if to inspect me. She nods, my appearance passing her assessment.

“What happened?”

A sigh behind me. “Can we at least get our plates before we start the dramatic storytelling?” I spin around to find Lotog, leaned on the doorframe, smirking. His hair still disheveled from sleep, as if he bypassed getting ready to join us.

I shriek, abandoning Deah to throw my arms around Lotog. He laughs as I nearly topple us both over. “You’re both fine.” I look at Deah. “Where are Ingrid and Emmy?”

“Witches typically sleep during the day,” Lotog answers, picking at a fingernail.

“You’re confusing witches and vampires.” Deah closes her eyes, shaking her head of curls. “They might both be asleep; it was a long night.”

Lotog gives Deah a gauche look. “Don’t start. I had to share a wall with you last night.”

“ What ?” I hoot, lightly smacking her on the arm.

Deah’s eyes widen, fingers fiddling with a strand of hair. “Nothing.” Panic lacing her eyes. “It’s nothing .”

Laz strolls into the kitchen, grinning at Deah. He breezes past us, heading for the breakfast options laid out on the counter in the kitchen. My eyes meet Lotog’s for a moment before turning to look at Deah, jaw threatening to unhinge.

She shakes her head in a silent plea, mouthing “ don’t ” toward Lotog and I.

I clamp down on my urge to giggle, trailing Laz into the kitchen for breakfast. “Good morning,” I chirp, piling eggs onto my plate.

Laz looks at me, swiping a few pieces of ham from the tray. His dazzling blue eyes twinkle, long golden hair tossed .

“Good morning, Aledrya. I noticed the door to your room was open late last night. I hope everything was fine.” He smirks at me, pouring himself coffee without breaking eye contact.

The coffee beckons to me as I stroll over to the counter, rolling my eyes in his direction. “And why would you have been walking past my door in the dead of night, Laz?”

Lotog snickers from behind, standing at the counter to fill up his plate.

Laz eyes me. “There’s no curfew around here.”

Deah ducks her head into her plate at the table, and I follow Laz to join her. To my surprise, he takes up the spot nearest to her.

“Good morning, Deah.” He eyes her over his cup, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “Are you as famished as I am?”

Deah wheezes, pausing mid sip. “We should have discussed this earlier.” She huffs at him, setting her cup down. “I guess we are not hiding it.”

“Have you seen you? I’d be a fool to hide it.” Laz puts a hand over his heart, dropping his head back for emphasis.

Deah’s nose wrinkles, but a hint of a smile tugs at her lips. She starts to go back to her plate before jolting, whipping her head in my direction. “Wait, your door was still open this morning.”

Must you exist in a constant state of panic? Artemis chortles. Don’t forget to breathe.

Oh please, you enjoy my turmoil, I tell her, snatching up my coffee.

I stall by taking a deep drink from my scalding coffee. The temperature causes me to choke, but I’m thankful for the coughing fit that prevents me from addressing her question. Lotog slides into a spot across from me, next to Laz, both watching me keenly.

“Aledrya was in our room,” Ridge drawls from the doorway, strolling into the kitchen. “Are we meddling before the sun is fully up?”

Laz leaps from his chair, eliciting a loud scraping sound. He looks between Ridge and me; his boyish features turning to stone. Those ice-blue eyes change rapidly as he focuses on Ridge .

“Explain. Now,” he demands, anger creating deep lines on his forehead.

Ridge snorts from the open kitchen, filling a mug with coffee. “You can’t possibly need me to explain that to you.”

“Don’t fucking play with me, Ridge.”

Ridge plucks fruit off a tray at the counter, the picture of unbothered. “I’m not playing in any sense; certainly not with Aledrya.”

Laz stops clenching his fists, faltering from his warrior-like stance. “Your reputation suggests otherwise.”

Ridge catches my eye. “Things change.”

He presses flat palms on the table, leaning over it. “So, this is serious?”

Deah rubs her hands down her face. “What is wrong with you?” she hisses, glaring up at Laz looming over the table.

Laz ignores the interjection, watching Ridge with a predator's focus. Ridge strides over to the table with his breakfast, sliding into the chair next to me.

“Oh, I can assure you, there is nothing perfunctory about this.” Ridge leans back in the heavy wooden chair, toying with a loose strand of my hair. His touch makes me draw in a sharp breath.

Laz stills completely, his eyes fixed on Ridge. “I knew it.” He breaks into a wicked grin.

“You knew what?” I demand, glaring at Laz.

“I knew this would happen. Caught him being all broody when he saw you and Lamond talking.” Laz focuses on me, then. “Told him someone else was right to claim you if he didn’t.”

“I’m sure that went over well,” I say as I take a bite, the savory bite of ham and egg melting in my mouth.

He smirks. “He told me to stay out of it or he’d remove my head from my body very slowly, and he’d enjoy doing it.”

Ridge lifts his stoup. “That still stands.”

“I sleep in one time ,” Ingrid squeaks behind me .

My entire body swings around to find her and Emmy standing in the doorway, mouths agape. “Ingrid. Emmy.” Flinging the chair back, my fork clatters on the table as I barrel to them. “I was so worried about you.”

Pulling both women into a hug, I feel Ingrid jerk back. “Ick, too early for prolonged hugs.”

I look over my shoulder toward Ridge. “I wanted to come back for all of you. Laz and the others said you were safe.”

Emmy grips my arm, forcing me to meet her stare. “It’s good that you weren’t there, Aledrya. We aren’t holding that against you.”

I’m holding it against myself, though.

Deah clears her throat. “Now’s as good a time as any to ask; where are we?” Emmy and Ingrid slip into seats at opposite ends. The chef in the kitchen senses the change in mood, bringing plates to the table for them.

Ridge’s hand finds mine, tugging me gently back to the table. I let him, falling into the seat beside him. He keeps his arm around the back of my chair, deft fingers trailing over the nape of my neck. “My home.”

The others share a look. Only Laz—who had sunk back into his chair—continues eating as if nothing is happening.

“I feel like there is more that isn’t being shared,” Ingrid interjects, looking between Ridge and I.

I remain silent, shifting in my seat. It’s not my place to share Ridge’s secrets; and he’d not even wanted to divulge them to me . I can only imagine how he must feel having to share with a room full of people.

“It’s not well known, because I prefer my privacy.” He pauses, drumming his fingers on the table with his free hand. “If you must know, I’m the reigning King of the Fae.”

It feels like the room is holding a collective breath, only Laz has yet to look up from his plate, popping a berry into his mouth.

Deah sucks in a noisy breath, leaning back in her chair. “Well, we all knew you were someone important, so it makes sense. Is this a secret we need to maintain?”

Ridge stops drumming his fingers, even Laz looks up at her question. With a sigh, Ridge runs a hand over his face. “No, you are not expected to keep my secrets. I always knew that being able to stay out of the public eye would be temporary, and it lasted longer than I thought it would. With war coming, our people will have questions, anyway. They will need a leader.”

Ingrid sets her fork down, offering a tentative smile. “We’re here to help,” she looks at the others. “Even with limited experience, we want to aid in any way we can.”

“What happened last night?” I turn my attention to her, unable to bear not knowing any longer.

Deah’s eyes turn glassy, her hands rotate between folded in her lap and resting on the table. Laz reaches over and intertwines their fingers, and she offers him a grateful glance.

“It was so terrible.” She fidgets in her chair, clearly uncomfortable. “They sent soldiers in, but they had these creatures with them. Once they broke through the Blocks, they started pouring in.”

“What manner of creature?” I press, pushing my plate away. My appetite having left the second we broached this subject. Ridge makes light circles on my shoulder; I relax slightly under his touch.

Ingrid sucks in a breath, looking at Deah. “I don’t know what they were. They were four legged, mangled cat-like things, with red eyes and horrifyingly long teeth.”

Ridge’s hand freezes.

“Do you remember that rotted, leathery man we saw while talking to the gnome?” Emmy asks, tearing at her bread. “They sent those too. Many of them.”

“Beneath Walkers,” Ridge supplies, running his finger around the rim of his mug. “The only other one I’ve seen is the one that chased you through the woods. They were once folklore for children.”

My breakfast threatens to come back up. We’d never heard such tales in the Human Realm .

“We killed as many as we could. If we brought down the Beneath Walker, the creatures died with it. They’re linked somehow. The issue was their bodies vanished .” Deah flinches at her own words.

Ridge has gone so stiff it looks like he may snap in two. “Vanished?”

“It was strange, they evaporated into thin air.” Lotog snaps his fingers. “Like they never even existed in the first place.”

“Like the creature at the river,” I whisper, meeting Ingrid’s stare.

“Do we know how they arrived?” Ridge pushes. I catch myself feeling awe-struck at how he commands a room, how he catches every detail, his mind working quickly to put the pieces together.

“They seem to have ridden in on Amphitheres, landing on the Overhang,” Laz replies, straightening under the scrutiny of his king.

“They’ve been observing our patterns, then,” Ridge muses, rubbing his jaw. He shifts his attention to me. “Did you and Treia find anything interesting on the maps yesterday?”

I will never stop despising her name on his lips.

“Not anything worth noting. The Woven Wall attacks are too widespread and randomized for them to be utilizing one pass,” I tell him, pinching the bridge of my nose. “The king has no natural power. He is truly doing all of this by simply possessing an ancient Fae Vase?”

“There is no way he’s working alone,” Laz says firmly, his blue eyes focused on Ridge. With his youthful face schooled into focus, he looks the part of a barbarous captain. “Aledrya, Ridge mentioned you were left a note?”

I try to fight the urge to freeze up. “Yes,” I reply cautiously, sliding my gaze to Ridge. Intertwining my fingers with his for comfort, I look across the table to Laz. “When Westyn was killed”—I wince at the memory, the brutality of it—“I looked in his bag and found a note. It said, ‘did you forget what all of this was for?’” I notice as I talk, Ingrid's skin turns blotchy.

I continue, vision now fixed on her. “After Ridge and I found the Ravels destroyed, we went to our rooms to check on Deah. I found a second note on my bed, the same handwriting with the same message. ”

Ridge waves his hand and the note floats to the table, positioned for the others to read it.

Ingrid’s face is now completely void of color. “You know something,” I breathe in her direction.

“I got one too,” she croaks, bottom lip quivering. “Mine was a little different, but the message is pretty much the same.” She waves her hand, and a second note appears next to mine.

The familiar scrawled handwriting makes me nauseous.

Deah points between Ingrid and I. “It’s strange you two are the only ones who have received something like this.”

“You’re going to think I’m mad, but I think Abacae is leaving these notes,” I say softly toward Ridge. “In my nightmares, he always asks me if I forgot what all of this was for.”

Ridge tenses next to me and his fingers stop drawing idle lines on the back of my hand. Lines appear between his brow, but he doesn’t avert his gaze.

“What do you know?” I press.

Ridge abruptly stands. “Can we talk about this privately?”

“I just remembered,” Deah interjects, rising from her chair, eyeing the others. “I meant to go check on the birds in the Keep.”

The others nod slowly, as if in agreement. All but Laz follows her out of the dining room quickly, the only sounds from the chef working in the kitchen. His large frame rounds the counter, sauntering over and placing a clear beverage in front of me.

“Fertility tonic, miss.” He tips his hat and scurries off toward the back of the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind him.

I raise my eyebrow to Ridge, who shrugs. “I didn’t say anything. Perhaps he heard Laz’s outburst.”

I eye the liquid for a moment, casting one last look toward Ridge. Picking up the glass he left, I down it swiftly. I was suddenly thankful for the busybody chef, because I’d not even considered asking for it.

Laz taps his finger on the table, glaring at Ridge. “I mean it, you better be good to her, Ridge.” He bares his teeth, all but snarling. “I’ll rip you in two if not.”

“Oh, here we go,” Ridge mutters. He slides back into his chair, looking skyward, as if beseeching the gods themselves.

I set the glass on the table, giving the golden-haired warrior an incredulous look. “Laz, what is the matter with you?”

“Aledrya,” Ridge drawls, cupping my cheek to bring my attention to him. I forget my question entirely at his touch, turning my focus to Ridge. “There are a few things we should elaborate on.” Ridge winces, hard lines forming around his mouth. “I’m not accustomed to…sharing things. I’ve held onto secrets for many decades, it doesn’t come naturally to me to open up.”

“What do you want to talk about first?”

“Tethering,” he starts. “What do you know of it?”

“Assume I know nothing.”

He scrunches his brow but continues. “Some Fae have loose threads until both accept the tethering. Tethering requires a forfeit of power to the gods; each pairing is different so there is no way to know how much will be taken. Honestly, before I met you, I’d never even considered tethering because it would mean giving up a portion of my power. The unknown of how much the gods will take during it is unsettling.”

I nod silently, encouraging him to continue .

Ridge swallows. “Tethering cannot be undone. Not by anyone, or any god. It is truly for life. For you, and only you, I’d forfeit everything.”

Of all the terrifying things that have happened since my arrival in Xecelsion, this should be the most startling. Yet his words don’t rattle me in the slightest.

“I want to be with you,” I assert, squeezing his hand. “Whatever that entails.”

Those golden eyes shimmer at my words, but worry dances there, too. “Have you considered there may be other loose threads?”

“I don’t care to find out,” I answer quickly, but my curiosity itches to know. “What happens to the loose threads once you become tethered?”

“They fade.”

I can’t help the smile that tugs on my lips. “It doesn’t matter to me that I could have options. You are the one, Ridge.”

He leans forward, pressing a deep and breathless kiss to my mouth. My lips part for him as his hand holds the nape of my neck. He pulls his mouth from mine, stroking my jaw as he does. Gods, his smile makes me worthless.

He leans back, smile slowly fading. “There is something else.” There’s something like hesitation in his voice.

“I need to know.”

Drumming his fingers on the table, he considers for a moment. “As you know, Rathian was at one point breeding power.”

I nod confirmation, and he continues. “Your parents were just that, meant and kept for breeding. The king utilized spell-masters to enchant suitable partners into believing they were doing something for the good of the kingdom. It was likely not by free will that your parents handed you over that night.”

Tears form in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

Her power is not of the gods. She must be executed. The king’s words ring in the back of my head like a distant memory I can’t nail down.

I’m here with you, Artemis quietly whispers down our tether, soothing me.

“You would have been only fourteen at the time, but you were— are so powerful, Aledrya.” Adoration fills his eyes as he gazes at me. “When you showed your abilities, the king was petrified of you. His guards shook at what you were capable of. A mere child, able to make grown men fear for their lives. He immediately demanded that you be put to death.”

My ears ring, memories flooding me. The sharp stones biting my feet as I race down the corridor, my bloody footprints damning me.

“You ran but came to a dead-end that looked out over the sea. We knew of your existence, of what Rathian was doing.” His gold eyes turn steely. “We stationed guards at the Wall. We had spies in that castle. They killed the guards chasing you. Our soldiers tried to reach you, but you had already jumped.”

The memories are pelting me faster than I can keep up. The clanging of armor on the stone floor, the grunting of men being stabbed. The scent of blood that is not my own hanging in the air.

Ridge’s eyes are edged with tears now. “Laz and Tillian responded immediately. They snagged you before you could hit the water, carrying you to safety. You were so terrified.” He stops, clearing his throat and steadying himself. “When you arrived in our realm, it was decided you needed to remain in Torrent. It was all you knew. We used our own spell-masters to alter your memories, helping you forget what horrible things had happened. But truthfully, Aledrya—”he winces, squeezing my hand—“we were also a little afraid of you. We didn’t know what you were capable of, or who you would turn out to be. So we placed you into a foster family that we knew would be kind to you.”

“And you didn’t make contact again?”

He dips his chin. “We tried not to intervene once you were in Torrent. We didn’t want to tip off the guards to your being there. As you now know, we did send a few sentries over to watch you in the months leading up to you leaving.”

Nausea creeps into my gut, tears are welling up faster than I can stop them. “How did Laz know where to find me, when to catch me?”

“Call it a familial connection, I suppose, considering I’m your brother,” a low rumble from the other side of the table. Laz chuckles at the shock in my expression. “I happened to be in the area, and I saw you leap from that window. Surprised you didn’t see the family resemblance, sis.” He gestures to his eyes. The same icy blue as mine .

I blink, standing slowly. I take a wobbling step, unable to focus on what is happening around me.

Black dots sprinkle my vision, but I shove down the disoriented feeling. It feels like bees are swarming inside my head, buzzing relentlessly, stinging my skull. Scrubbing at my eyes, it does nothing to dull the abrupt onslaught of discomfort.

“Aledrya.” Ridge sounds so damned far away.

I reach for the table’s edge, but come up short. Ridge is at my elbow, lightly touching me as my world tilts. Laz’s concerned face is the last thing I see before everything goes black.