Page 6 of Beyond the Winter Kingdom (Faeted Seasons #2)

Meera

“I’d say it was nice knowing him, but it really wasn’t,” Darroch said with a shrug.

I’d known Lou since I was a teenager. He carried an air of confidence everywhere he went, but the moment Drayden arrived, all that bravado began to crack.

“What exactly is their history?” I asked Vareck after they’d pyroported from the room.

“I’ve never seen Lou look genuinely worried before. Not even when Cadoc stabbed him.”

Vareck had a slight smile as though he was pleased by that fact.

“Drayden was certain Lou stole Amoret’s amulet, and Lou was telling the truth.

We never had concrete proof. The interrogation was intense.

If Kaia and I hadn’t stepped in the last time they were alone together, the leprechaun would be dead.

Without a confession or any hard evidence, I chose to exile him.

To say Drayden was displeased would be an understatement. ”

Fearghal scoffed. “Seems like letting that one live was a mistake, your highness .” He curved his thumb toward the spot where Drayden had been. “Why couldn’t you be with the other guy instead? He seemed like a nice bloke.”

I smacked his arm with the back of my hand, leaving a slight sting on my skin. “You would pick the guy with serial killer vibes.”

“I don’t execute or imprison my people without cause, Fearghal. Perhaps when you grow up, you’ll understand that.”

I snorted, my other brothers laughing at Fearghal’s expense. Vareck came to my side, wrapping his large hand around my waist and pulling me closer to him.

“Are you sure it was a good idea to send Lou with him?” I asked, angling my neck back to look up at him. “Given their history?”

“Drayden won’t harm him. Probably. Scare him? That’s another story. He holds a grudge, but he is loyal.”

“Not that I want the piece of shit to walk away from this, but I’m curious; what about that amulet makes him so hellbent on torturing Lou for it?” Atlas asked.

It was a question that had come to mind for me as well.

I stared off into the distance and frowned, somehow worried for the leprechaun even though he could use a good punch in the face.

There was something about the way he came to me when Sadie was missing.

A tone in his voice. Concern? Guilt? I couldn’t place it, but it wasn’t like Lou to put on a show of caring.

“The amulet was my sister’s,” he began, and I snapped my attention back to him, catching the way the creases at the corner of his eyes twitched. “And Drayden’s heart belongs to my sister, even in death. It was the last piece of her he had.”

My lips parted on a gasp. “They were mates?”

“Not fully bonded, no, but fated all the same. When Maeve died, he did too, in a sense. Drayden blames himself. He’s never loved another since.”

“That is a long time not getting laid,” Darroch mumbled. “I can see why he was so pleasant.”

I glowered and shushed him, looking at my mom for reinforcement, but she didn’t even look in his direction.

Instead, she was focused on us, her eyes shifting to Vareck and back to me.

Her gaze had narrowed as she thought silently.

“Are you really mates?” she asked finally, changing the subject entirely and catching me off guard.

“We don’t need to see the bond mark. It’s just not like you to jump into things. ”

“I-I ... we’re um, it’s…” My attempt to speak came out in spluttering nonsense. I could feel the heaviness of Vareck’s stare once again, waiting for how I would respond. Poorly, was apparently the answer.

“Complicated?” my mother finished for me.

“You know we love you, Meera, but you barely know each other,” my dad added, sounding just like every father in the history of fae kind when their daughter was dating.

Mating? It felt weird to refer to it that way, even if that’s what it was.

Call it my Earth upbringing, but mating is what animals did.

While I could appreciate an animal in bed, I wanted a grown man for a life partner.

I cleared my throat, resisting the urge to look at Vareck. My skin felt heated, and a flush crawled up my neck. “Um, yes. It’s complicated.” The inside of my cheek throbbed from how much I had chewed on one spot. “It’s not like we’ve accepted the mate bond?—”

“Wait,” my dad said quickly, holding up a hand.

He looked back and forth between Vareck and me.

“What do you mean ‘accept’ it? I thought you meant you chose each other as mates. That’s what the cat said, didn’t he?

” When his question was met with an awkward silence, I finally shook my head. “You’re true mates? Fated mates?”

My mother inhaled harshly. “That’s not possible.”

“Apparently it is,” Vareck and I said in unison. The way our voices melded together made me smile, but it soon faded when my parents spoke again.

“How can you tell?” my dad pressed, coming toward us.

“I ... I don’t know. I can’t explain it.”

My parents exchanged a deep look of concern before speaking again. “No one has found a true mate since the curse.”

I didn’t know what to tell them. I didn’t have an explanation either.

“Can I speak with you for a moment?” Vareck asked, though he didn’t wait for me to answer.

He pressed his palm into my back, guiding me away from my family and near a table by the window.

Glancing over my shoulder, my parents watched with a strange look of concern mixed with awe, and maybe a touch of disapproval.

“Slow down,” I hissed at him, pulling away slightly. He towered in front of me, causing my neck to bend back more than I cared for when we spoke. Vareck was huge. As a tall, plus-size woman, it wasn’t often that someone made me feel little. Usually, I liked it with him, but not in this case.

“You’re avoiding calling me your mate,” he said in a dark tone. “Is there a reason?”

“You want to talk about this now ?” I crossed my arms, feeling goosebumps rise on my skin.

He lowered his voice in an attempt to keep our conversation quiet, though we both knew we had an audience. “You’re the one trying to pretend it didn’t happen, as if there could be some sort of mistake when we both know what we feel.”

“No. I am not pretending anything,” I whispered harshly, “I haven’t had time to process what happened last night and newsflash, Vareck, it’s kind of a big deal.”

“Then talk about it. Stop avoiding the subject.” The way he said it was so matter-of-fact, like we were talking about what to have for dinner.

“Now isn’t the right time.”

“Really? When is a good time? Maybe you can pencil me into your busy schedule. Somewhere in between working for the leprechaun and trying to run off when I’m not looking?”

I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not fair.”

“Neither is ignoring this. You said you were ‘seeing me,’ and that we were ‘complicated.’ I’d like to think if I said that about you, you’d be pissed off too.”

“This—” I gestured between the two of us—” just happened. I am seeing you, but this is complicated, and I don’t want to talk about it with my family in the room, Vareck.”

“Then we’ll be addressing this later?”

I sighed; the annoyance I felt was difficult to hide. “Yes. Happy?”

“Can you focus on your love life later?” Atlas said, interrupting us. I don’t know if my brother intended to save me from the painful awkwardness of the conversation, but I was thankful for the reprieve, regardless. “Lou’s portal was temporary, and we don’t know how long we have.”

I thought Vareck would snap at him. Or me. His body language screamed that he was ready for a fight. Rigid shoulders. Flared nostrils. Anger flashing in his eyes. Tense moments passed, then his features softened, and he nodded.

“Atlas is right,” Vareck said on a tight exhale, walking away from me in a hurry.

He reached for his coin purse and set it down on the table for Farris.

The innkeeper stood behind his bar top, arms crossed, impatiently waiting for us to leave.

He acknowledged the payment with a single dip of his chin.

“Unless we want to extend our travel time, we should move quickly.”

I got what I wanted. The conversation ended. But the way it ended didn’t feel good.

My family led the way, and we followed them silently through the town, twisting and turning through different alleyways.

Every time I heard a noise or muffled voice, I half expected the gang of misfits to emerge again, poorly crafted knives in hand, demanding payment.

For their sake’s, I hoped they didn’t. My brothers wouldn’t be nice about teaching them a lesson.

My mom used the end of Babe to push a creaky door open, peeking around the corner to make sure no one had entered the room. She ushered us in, and we followed. In the center of an abandoned home, a purple vortex swirled. Specks of silver magic crackled on the outer circle.

“Where does it lead exactly?” I asked.

Atlas twisted his lips, his nostrils flaring as he exhaled. “Your safe house outside Seattle.”

“What?” I snapped harshly. My heart started pounding. “That fucking leprechaun. How did he know about it, let alone where it’s at?”

“Unsettling, isn’t it?” Darroch said quietly.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Atlas said, ignoring our brother. “Maybe he followed Sadie there when she was looking for you. Hard to say. I’m sure Cadoc is pressing him for that information as we speak.”

Without another word, he walked through the portal. My parents and brothers followed, and Vareck placed his hand on the small of my back, gently nudging me forward. Even though I was mad at him, his touch still felt soothing. I groaned internally. Even this part of us was complicated.