Page 37

EMBER

I snuck around the corner of the corridor, my eyes narrowing on Melodina’s toes peeking out from behind the apron that hung inside the butler’s pantry.

The kitchen staff shared amused glances as they went about preparing breakfast. Already I could smell the buttery scent of biscuits baking in the oven.

“I gotcha!” I said, pouncing on Melodina.

She laughed and shrieked as I tickled her underneath her armpits.

I finally allowed her to collapse at my feet in a fit of giggles.

We had been playing hide-and-seek. It was a distraction I had devised to keep Melodina from thinking about her father off fighting on the battlefield.

Though it didn’t work nearly as well at distracting my own wayward thoughts.

Anxiety clawed its way through my stomach.

Melodina pushed to her feet, her laughter ebbing. A look of sadness swept across her features. I kneeled down and grasped Melodina’s cheek gently.

“Hey,” I said softly. She looked up at me. “He’ll be okay. ”

She gave a small nod, a tiny smile appearing.

“Your Highness!” One of the guards called for me. He ran into the kitchen toward us. Several female faes scrambled to get out of his way as he weaved around the staff.

Chest heaving, he said, “The summer fae warriors have breached the gates!”

My insides turned to jelly, and my legs went numb. “What?” I breathed.

Around me, the kitchen staff dropped pots and spatulas as the news reverberated off the walls. Screaming soon pierced the air as they abandoned what they were doing and fled.

The shadow fae guard grabbed Melodina, placed her on his hip, then took my hand. “We must get you to a secured location!”

With that, I was dragged along, my shorter legs barely able to keep pace with his quick strides. Behind me, I saw the other nine guards move into formation, flanking the rear and sides of us. Their gazes whipped about the corridors, looking for signs of the enemies’ presence.

My heartbeat pounded so hard against my ribcage that I could hear the beats ringing in my ears. My breaths came out in quick pants.

My keen hearing could now pick up the screams of soldiers falling under swords, the war cry of the summer fae.

Oh, stars! They’re here. Cold horror crawled over my skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. This was a setup. They must’ve lured Drake into battle so we would be unprotected by him, and they sent another group out to take Melodina while he was away !

My inner wolf peeled back its upper lip, snarling as hot rage scorched through my blood. My daughter wasn’t without protection. I’d rip the throat out of anyone that touched Melodina!

“Momma, I’m scared,” Melodina cried, her eyes round with terror. She reached for me, and the guard relented his hold on her as I took her into my arms.

“This way,” the guard said as we moved down another corridor.

More screaming sounded. This time, it was closer.

I could hear the clash of sword meeting sword.

The guards led us to the back of the palace.

He pressed a hand along the wall and stepped back.

A section of the wall fanned outward. It was actually a door made to resemble the wall.

Inside I saw a small room with a bed and a chair in the corner of the room.

At the rear of the wall was an intricate tapestry that hung from the ceiling.

A small fridge was alongside the other wall. This was a hideout—a secret room.

The guards tucked us inside. One of the guards pointed to the wall at the back, alongside the chair in the corner. “If you lift the chair, you’ll find a small indent on the floor. Push on it, and it will open another wall behind the tapestry. A second room as a failsafe.”

I nodded, and the guard closed the wall behind him, locking us inside. Holding Melodina close, I backed up until the back of my knees met the bed. I sat down. Melodina wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face against my cheek. I swept a soothing hand down her back.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered. “We just have to be very quiet, you hear? Not a word. ”

Melodina nodded.

We sat in silence for a long while, listening to the world around us.

Then I heard shouts of anger not too far from where we hid.

Swords clashed with each other, and grunts and bellows pierced the air.

I heard many footfalls racing toward the skirmish.

The scent of overwhelming sunshine and dandelions.

A trickle of sweat slicked down my spine.

There are too many summer fae warriors. They’re going to outnumber the guards.

My grip on Melodina tightened. She then turned around and sat on my lap, listening to the sounds of battle. It only lasted for a few minutes, but in those minutes, it seemed that time had stretched on forever. Then, a final cry as a sword cut through flesh. Afterward, all was silent.

I licked my lips, the tiny hairs on the nape of my neck lifting.

I heard claws slice out and looked at my hands.

My claws weren’t unsheathed. My eyes snapped wide as I saw claws sprouting from Melodina’s fingertips, her hair bristling to resemble a wolf’s pelt.

Her inner wolf was pushing to the surface under the threat of danger.

I couldn’t help the small seed of pride that bloomed inside me.

Several pairs of footsteps then began to sweep up and down the corridors.

Far too close to our hiding place.

Muffled voices undulated from the other side of the wall, but my sharp hearing could pick up what they uttered.

“We’ve searched every inch of this palace,” one of the warriors said. “They must be here.”

“But are they?’ Another male snarled .

“They must be hidden somewhere, a secret room or something,” a third warrior spoke up. “You know, like our own palace has.”

Silence.

My eardrums rang with the pulse of my blood.

“Search the walls! Look for anything suspicious that might lead to a hidden room.”

I slowly stood up and placed Melodina on her feet beside me. My inner wolf skimmed beneath my skin, ready to be called upon. One of the summer fae came dangerously close to the entrance of our hiding place, his fist thumping on the wall.

Melodina gasped softly and shrank back a step. The floorboard creaked under her movements. Then, the pounding ceased.

“Hey!” One of the warriors called to the others. “I think I heard something.”

My heart dropped. I whirled toward Melodina and dropped to my knees before her.

“Melodina, you have to teleport,” I whispered urgently. “Teleport as far away from here as you can.”

“But I’ve never teleported more than just me,” Melodina whispered. Tears sprang from her eyes. “I don’t know how to teleport you, Momma.”

I shook my head. “That’s okay. I didn’t mean for you to teleport me. Only yourself.”

Melodina’s blue eyes filled with terror. “Then what about you?”

I grabbed Melodina’s shoulders and smiled at her.

“I’ll be fine.” A lie. There would be retribution when they came across me and not my daughter.

The pounding against the walls increased as the warriors tried to find a way to breach the wall.

Any moment now, they’d hit the spot to unlock the hidden room.

Tears spilled down Melodina’s cheeks, and she shook her head. “I don’t wanna leave you, Momma,” she cried. “Can’t we hide in the other secret room?” She pointed to the tapestry.

I shook my head. “No, sweetie. They’d just discover that one too.”

“But, Mama?—”

I shook Melodina’s shoulders. “You must!” I hissed desperately. “Teleport now!”

Melodina looked into my eyes for a long moment. Then I saw the darkness shimmering around her. A dark violet vortex opened up, and Melodina was sucked inside, out of my arms. The last thing I saw was her tear-stained face; her hand outstretched toward me before the wall opened up.

The vortex winked out of sight. I spun around as the summer fae warriors stormed in. They promptly surrounded me. But instead of fear, all I felt was relief consume my limbs. Melodina was safe.

One of the warriors stepped forward, his green eyes bright with rage. “Where is the girl?”

I snarled at him in response. Calling upon my inner wolf, I shifted.

Once on all fours, I pounced on the summer fae.

He darted to the side, but not before my claws caught his hip.

Blood sprayed the air. He screamed out in pain.

The other warriors moved as one. They slashed and thrust their swords at me.

I managed to bring a few of them down before a sword speared me in the back.

I howled in agony. Another sword slashed at my legs, and I crumbled onto my belly, my eyes slammed shut.

Then I felt power spear up from the floor, surrounding me on all sides.

I cracked my eyelids open to find a golden net draped over me—a magical spell keeping me pinned to the ground.

All around me, the warriors slowly advanced.

Many of them had light shards speared from their fingertips, ready to be unleashed upon me.

The first guard who had spoken to me limped up. His upper lip curled in a sneer as he growled. “Shift!” He angled his sword toward me. “Shift or die here!”

Outnumbered and wounded, I wasn’t blind to my defeat. I shifted, a burst of light shimmering around me, leaving me in my two-legged form. Immediately, the golden net burst into a myriad of particles, and the spell was canceled—though the light shards were still aimed at me.

Another warrior spoke up. “Where is the girl?”

I glared up at him, remaining silent. He snarled, his hand whipping out to backhand me across the cheek. Pain exploded along the side of my face, the corner of my lip splitting open.

I felt a tremor of worry down the maternal bond. Melodina was reaching out, trying to see if I was alright. I pushed a reassuring thought down the bond.

Keep away, I thought, sending that sole message channeling across the cord to my daughter.

“Well, what the hell do we do with her now,” grouched one of the warriors. “We have no child, only the shadow fae king’s bitch. ”

“We can’t return to the palace without the girl,” another male spoke up.

“I say we kill her,” said another. He brandished his sword at me. I met his hard gaze with a glare of my own.

The warrior I’d first injured spoke, “Let’s take her to the palace.” A dark smirk formed on his lips. “She’ll be good for a ransom in exchange for the girl.”

Wicked chuckles erupted from the males. Cold dread settled like a stone in my gut.

One of the warriors reached out and grabbed me by the hair, dragging me toward the entrance.

I cried out as pain lanced across my scalp.

Scrambling to my feet, I hurried after the warrior in hopes of lessening the pain.

The warrior let go of my hair, choosing to grab my upper arm roughly as he guided me down the corridor, the other warriors falling into step behind us.

My stomach dropped as I witnessed the shadow fae guard's bodies, and we passed down the corridor.

The men who had died to protect us. Fear tip-toed down my spine at the thought of what these cold men would do to me, but that fear was overshadowed by the knowledge that my daughter was safe.

I felt along the mating bond, my heart lightening as I felt Drake was still alive and well. I sent a thought down the bond.

I have been taken by the summer fae. Our daughter teleported. She is safe. Protect our daughter, no matter what.

I felt the answering rage and despair shake the cord as Drake received my message.

Then, I cut the link. My attention returned to the present.

My daughter was safe. Drake would never exchange Melodina for me.

In the end, he wanted our daughter, not me.

And though that thought had hurt in the past, it now brought with it a sense of peace, for I knew my daughter would be safe and well looked after by her father.

With that, I let the warriors cart me away.