Page 79 of Finding Her (Lore of the Fields #1)

Leaving Faeryn behind to bathe at Mykie’s house while I prepped our carriage was one of the hardest things I had ever done.

The fact was, we had to get out of town quickly, and I needed to grab vital supplies before we left.

Taking her to where the organization would look first was out of the question, so after I cleaned up, it was on me to prepare for our extended vacation .

Ragen was at my house as backup if things went south, with the added benefits of his extra pairs of hands accelerating the loading process.

Our tasks were completed efficiently and without trouble, but that didn’t mollify the sting of every passing moment away from my mate.

Ragen accompanied me back under the guise of providing additional security for the quick trip across town.

I knew with absolute certainty that the true motive was to see Mykie.

I imagined he’d been scared shitless about her well-being since we left for our rescue mission, and was eager to confirm her health with his own eyes.

Faeryn and Mykie were waiting for us on the curb when we pulled up. Ragen’s shoulders relaxed the moment he saw them through the window. I understood the sentiment.

“Thank you for everything,” I said after Faeryn squeezed both Mykie and Ragen into hugs and stepped herself into the concealment of the carriage.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with the organization? They’ve offered you a protected space for as long as you need,” Ragen pressed.

“I think Faeryn is eager to reconnect with her past.” I turned my head to stare at the carriage where my mate waited for me.

I had heavily considered taking Mykie and Ragen’s organization up on the offer to ensure her safety going forward within the confines of their headquarters.

But it would be a cage. There would be hefty walls, security, and strict regulations.

.. After years of being confined to a pod, Faeryn deserved freedom in its purest form.

How could I argue when she asked to return to her home field?

“Take care of her.” Mykie almost smiled. “And yourself.”

“I’ll be in contact once it’s safe. We can arrange some meet-ups.” Ragen had assured me of this multiple times already. “The house will be in good shape and waiting for you when this all goes away.”

I wasn’t sure it ever would go away, but I was grateful to have the hope of returning home someday.

Ragen suggested using it as a meeting place and temporary housing for their operation in the meantime, and I enthusiastically agreed.

I couldn’t think of any better use of the space than supporting the movement to end this madness.

It didn’t hurt that they’d offered to pay for the house while they organized there.

“We’ll see you both soon.” My brows tilted inward at the bittersweet tone of the moment. I was getting another chance with the love of my life, but it required a huge sacrifice.

I latched the door behind me, Venus and Violet promptly broke into their strides as instructed.

There was no time to waste, we had to get far away from the Western Continent as soon as possible.

We’d be zigzagging our way there and traversing lakes where their cars couldn't follow, to throw off anybody in pursuit.

As soon as the door closed, Faeryn was upon me, her arms squeezing my neck and her legs gripping just above my hips.

I buried my face into the sweet honeysuckle scent of her hair and closed my eyes.

We were finally together again, and alone to reflect on this new journey as partners—if she would still have me after what I was about to explain.

I fought the urge to lay her across the cushioned benches and push into her so our pulses could beat together as one. She had left in the first place for a reason; I had to erase the doubts in her mind. I would be completely transparent so she never had to debate if she could trust me again.

I sat on the bench, cradling her across my lap.

“I owe you some answers,” I started, pressing my lips to her forehead with adoration blooming in my chest despite the anxiety that suffocated me.

“Did you know about the factories?” she asked, not wasting a moment longer in the darkness. The pang in my chest from being reminded of what I kept from her was soothed when one of her soft fingers affectionately traced across my jaw.

“Yes. I was afraid to tell you. Females who escaped in the past… they haven’t responded well to learning the truth.

They run straight back to what they think is their life.

The program name is a disgusting lure that preys on their earliest memories.

I couldn’t risk that happening to you… and the thought of you taking your own life—” the words caught in my throat.

“ Shhh , it’s ok,” Faeryn whispered, grazing my cheek with the back of her hand.

“I was so scared.”

“You thought if I knew about the pods, I’d run away or… kill myself?” she confirmed, continuing to stroke my face.

“It wasn’t just the pod. I knew so much about your life that I couldn’t tell you. I was afraid all it would take was sharing the wrong information, and I’d lose you. But that wasn’t my choice to make for you. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll share anything you want to know.”

“So you know things about me… like how I’m a demigod?” she chuckled, amused by the idea. Did she not realize how special she was? I could feel divine magic radiating off her flesh whenever she was near.

“That’s part of it.” Just not the hard part .

Telling Faeryn what she already knew—she was a deity being preyed upon by the powerful—was one thing.

The rest was stuck in my throat. How was I supposed to explain that we had an entire history, an entire relationship, that she couldn’t remember?

And a part of that history was the reason she had all-but-literally lost her life.

I stared into her trusting eyes, my lips parting to breathe the words, but my tongue unable to form them.

“Did you kill Mr. Donnar trying to protect me?” Her tone was tense again, but her hand never stopped its caressing.

My brows rose in surprise. She knew about his passing? Is that why she’d left?

“Absolutely not. Mykie told me he was dead and assumed the same.” I averted my eyes to the wall.

“I’m sorry for how I behaved. I was trying to protect you constantly, and that obsession clouded my judgment.

I was so terrified of history repeating itself, I stopped considering your emotional safety.

” I had thought about this endlessly since she left, it made the genuine apology flow out like water from a broken dam.

The pressure of my shame had been building for days.

“History repeating itself…will you tell me about the other woman? I saw the room.”

“Other woman?” I blinked several times, my eyes returning to the precious female in my arms. Had she gathered evidence to assume I had another mate ? In my failing to fill in the blanks for her, she had drawn an… unexpected conclusion.

“I saw her clothes in the burnt bedroom. Was she a demigod like me?” Her voice was soft, hurt. She truly thought there had been another.

Realization dawned. “Oh, my Little Fae.” I pulled her closer. “She is you.”

“What?” Faeryn whispered, her body going still.

She blinked, her eyes shifting to her left hand.

Did she remember the ring? She would have passed the jeweler when she went to the school.

It was one of my favorite memories from before she was taken.

Proposing with a ring was an adorable human custom, and the amber stone she had picked out was lovely.

“That was our bedroom. You were stolen from it by the E.A.R.T.H program. We met on Eitrea. You were born of the field there, and we fell in love during one of my expeditions. We married and started a life together in Virylan in that little brick house.”

She said nothing. Her emerald eyes locked onto mine. I needed her to know what she meant to me. I would tell her our story every night to soothe her to sleep. She would know our history as if it were a fairytale—her very own lore.

Seconds felt like hours as she stared at me. I shouldn’t have called myself her husband in the car, it was too much. She wasn’t ready for this, no sane person would be. I was expecting too much.

“We don’t have to consider ourselves married if you… need some time to think about what you want.”

Her lips crashed into mine, desperately rubbing their soft pout over my mouth as her hands gripped the back of my head.

Her hips twisted to straddle my lap, teasing me with the way her thighs spread over my own.

I melted into her embrace, tension and doubt evaporating from my body as warmth overtook every nerve.

She was the furnace in my core, the spark in my palms. Faeryn was the fire that consumed me.

“So… what’s our last name?” She barely parted our lips to breathe the question.

I thought my soul was leaving my body, a groan of relief escaped my throat. “Hale.”

“Faeryn Hale.” Her lips pulled into a grin against my own. “That sounds correct.”

She returned to our kiss, lifting to her knees so that she rose over my height.

Her breasts pressed into my throat and I wanted them to suffocate me.

My hands rested just above her knees at first, the linen of her dress draping over my knuckles.

As the passion built, my fingers found themselves running up her thighs, grateful for every soft curve that meant she was no longer wasting away in a pod.

My hands found her bare hips. No panties. I moaned into her mouth and dug my fingers into her soft flesh. Surely there had been undergarments available to her after she bathed? Was this choice intentional? I did have a bad habit of ruining those delicate items of clothing when I got excited.

“Wait,” I breathed, pulling my lips just barely from hers. “There’s something else I need to tell you.” I moved my hands to the small of her back.