Page 7 of Courting the Fae Captain (Romancing the Realms #4)

“You’re right, I’m so sorry. I, ah—I laugh when I get nervous. And say stupid things.” At my silence, the female cleared her throat and continued. “A terrible trait, I know. But I’d very much like to stay alive, if you can see where I’m going with this?”

The tension in my muscles eased. Socially awkward females, I could deal with.

But placing my trust in others was not natural for me.

I’d made the mistake before and been burned for it.

Who’s to say she wouldn’t stab me in the back the moment it was turned?

Or that she wasn’t pretending to play nice? I was her competition after all.

I realised she had been so light on her feet that I hadn’t sensed her approach.

Quiet and calm … Perhaps she could be useful.

But her scent gave her away. Jasmine and sandalwood, with something light and playful lacing the top.

Blissful, and entirely too noticeable. I sighed.

I wasn’t in a trusting mood, but I had already witnessed—in all bodily ways except for sight—someone else’s death.

I wasn’t in the mood to be around for another.

“They’re blind. Stay quiet and keep still, and you’ll be fine. Also, your scent gives you away. You’ll need to, um, mask it.”

“Mask it? With what? There’s no mud or … Oh! ” I heard her take a step and slip slightly on the stone … or rather, the blood coating it. Then it dawned on her. “Oh.”

I cringed. “I’m not a monster, I swear.”

“Better to become a monster than the meat,” she said after a pause. Somehow, that made the ice in my bones thaw a little. The survival instinct was oddly grounding. “I’m Sherai, by the way. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but here we are.”

“Aeris,” I offered. There was no harm in a name, and if we got out of here, she’d learn it soon enough anyway.

I didn’t bother to wipe my tears as I shuffled to the blood.

“Come. I’ll help you.” She squatted beside me, and the warmth radiating off her small frame was admittedly comforting. “I’m sorry for this.”

I dipped my fingers into the blood to smear it over her cheeks.

This close, I could see the outline of her face and feel the angles and curves as my fingertips swept over her cheeks.

She was beautiful. Bow lips, high cheekbones, arched brows.

Her frame was delicate and feminine. But then, I’d expected most, if not all, of the females in this competition to be pretty.

It would be an insult to our overbearing fathers to be anything less.

“It’s still warm,” she said softly.

“Try not to think about it. That female is gone now. We’re still standing.”

“Didn’t think my first friend here would be made while finger painting like some crazy blood ritual,” the female said, a little lighter.

Gods, her sense of humour was dry, which was kind of perfect for our current situation.

I couldn’t help but grin. “Honestly? I didn’t think I’d meet anyone friendly at all.

We’re all here for the same reason.” I added under my breath, “Mostly.” She didn’t say anything to that, so I finished up my work and sat back on my haunches.

“You’re good to go. We should probably get out of here in case there are more of those things stalking these halls.

They might come back to continue snacking. ”

“You know, we now have the smell of their lunch on us, right? Are you sure this is the way to go?”

I shrugged. “It worked the first time. Besides, there’s a difference between something fresh and hot and blood that’s turning foul. Let’s get moving. I guess we’ll find out on the way.”

We stalked through the dark at a snail’s pace, me with a hand on the wall, her with a hesitant hand clasped over my arm.

Surprisingly, her presence was a comfort.

Her steady breathing kept me hyper-focused as my ears strained for any sound and my eyes blinked back at the unending dark for even a hint of light to guide us.

The occasional scream or howl rang out somewhere distant, making Sherai hold on tighter.

My heart would race again, but nothing ever came of it, so we pushed on.

We walked for some time until soft snarls broke out ahead of us.

A squabble of some sort between not one but two or three of the creatures, from what we could tell.

I grabbed Sherai’s hand and we flattened against the wall.

They fought for a time, the occasional sound of flesh ripping the only time their growls and grunts halted.

“What do we do? They’re right in the middle of the path,” Sherai whispered in my ear.

Indeed. But we couldn’t go back. There was nothing to return to, and there was no knowing if anyone would come for us.

I guessed that anyone who didn’t make it out would be eaten alive or left to rot.

“We have to keep going. We’ll never leave this place if we don’t.

If we can’t get through quietly, we just run, okay?

” Her body shivered beside mine, so I squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Trust me.”

We advanced cautiously, padding along on tiptoes while the beasts ranted and raged, fighting over whatever trappings of ‘meat’ they’d landed on. Whomever they were fighting over hadn’t stood a chance. Hells, our odds of getting through were slim at best.

If only my powers had decided to show their face.

I hadn’t mastered them. Hadn’t been able to flick that switch inside that allowed my true form to come to light.

My mother used to tell me I’d be powerful—that my bloodline meant I was destined for great things, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.

My magic had not awoken, and I failed to see it doing so now.

Avadir, as much as I’d loved the old boy, was the only other person who’d come close to setting them free.

But he was gone now, and the progress I’d made when attempting to wield with him had long receded into the dark depths of my mind and soul.

My ribs were a cage, binding that essence in tight, keeping them trapped beneath the surface.

Perhaps it was for the best. I’d only ever had my wits to rely on and that had been just fine … for the most part.

“I don’t suppose you can wield?” I asked Sherai in a low voice.

“Um … not well,” she admitted. “I’m from the Soul Court anyway. I don’t think reading fates or prophesying will be of much help here.”

“Unlikely. Onwards, then.”

My nose crinkled at the offending stench of blood and entrails as we crept forward.

I held my breath, pressing up against the wall once more and sliding sideways.

I almost gasped as something flicked against my leg—a tail, I realised.

It whacked against my skirts, and I stood there, mortified, until the beast moved unbothered and I was free to continue.

The creature in question must have made a bold claim on the body because the other two growled suddenly, followed by fresh chaos as the three clashed together again in violent delight.

It happened so fast. Claws scraped against stone, the smell of death and decay ripe in the air as fangs gnashed and giant bodies bounded around the space.

It was instinct, perhaps some kind of sixth sense, that told me to duck as a mouth full of razor teeth sliced through the space I’d been standing.

It didn’t stop the claw that sank into my shoulder, though.

Blazing heat seared through me, like a lance of molten fire.

And still I did not scream. Sherai grabbed me as I faltered.

We stumbled out of the fray and into quiet solitude as we crept far enough away to take a breath.

Only then did I let myself hiss in pain and slide to the ground.

Nausea bubbled in my stomach, and the darkness spun a little, making it even more dizzying and disorienting.

“We can’t stop Aeris. We have to keep moving.”

The girl was a goddamn taskmaster. Couldn’t I have a second to heave in peace? “I just … need a … moment,” I wheezed.

I felt the movement as Sherai shook her head. “You don’t understand. Your blood is in the air now. They have your fresh scent!”

I froze. My scent … Godsdammit. One body between three creatures was little more than an appetiser, so the promise of another one would be driving them mad. The second they finished with their entrée, they’d be ready for the main meal … Which meant they’d be after us any?—

Howls and roars and bloodcurdling growls. The sounds of a twisted hound catching the scent. I jumped to my feet, ignoring the stabbing pain in my shoulder. “Run. Fucking run, Sherai!”

To her credit, she didn’t immediately sprint to safety and leave me behind.

Instead, she pulled on my good arm and practically dragged me along as she hauled ass.

Each step was agony as the wound in my shoulder jolted.

A bolt of electricity, striking again and again until I was cradling my arm and biting my lip so hard I drew blood.

“I see light!” Sherai called breathlessly. “There, at the end of the tunnel!”

I’d never been happier to see anything in my life.

Pain be damned, I was getting the hells out of this place.

The thought of freedom egging us on, we increased our pace.

I gritted my teeth as blood dribbled down my gown, spattering the lilac silk and chiffon with artful drops as we ran.

Not long now and we’d be out of here. So close, so?—

A dash of movement, and I was knocked off my feet. I tumbled to the ground, my shoulder barking in pain as I hit the stone hard. My gown ripped, the delicate strap snapping, and the bodice tore halfway down.