Page 11

CHAPTER 11

KAIDEN

Though I can see Mira sitting on her porch, I’m high enough in the air that she hasn’t noticed me. I’m also far enough away that I don’t feel the overwhelming warmth I always experience in her presence. I’m careful not to fly too close to her house, lest the tether the gods have placed between us starts pulling me in.

I’m flying back and forth in the sky on the pretense of supervising a training exercise for the highborn soldiers from various provinces, which means I’m not the only fae in the air. Even if she looks my way, I doubt she would recognize me amongst the other winged males.

As I squint and try to decipher what she’s doing, I dare to fly a bit closer. Corn. She’s husking corn. How strange considering it’s winter. It’s my understanding that in the human lands, corn is usually harvested in the summer months. But perhaps she has a way of preserving it that I’m not aware of. In Linnshire, we use magic to make our harvested fruits and vegetables last longer, as well as to keep away insects and rodents, but perhaps humans have devised their own methods of making produce last well beyond the harvest.

From high above the city, her homestead sticks out. Not because it’s one of the largest properties within the stone walls, but because it’s the greenest.

And she lives there alone.

I suddenly wonder if she has any marriage prospects. Perhaps that’s why she was so adamant that we not spend any more time together. Never mind that I was just as adamant.

Jealousy pulsates through me, a red-hot surge of emotion. I release a thunderous growl, and several nearby soldiers change course and fly in the opposite direction.

When Mira finishes husking the corn, she tosses the remnants into a compost pile and sweeps the porch. Smoke drifts from the chimney, and I imagine her home is cozy and warm. Welcoming. How I would love to visit her and sit by the fire with her snuggled in my arms all day.

After weeks on the road, I’d been relieved to get a room at the castle once we conquered Trevos. But my quarters are cavernous and cold and if I’m being honest… lonely. Because Mira’s not there.

Every night I lay awake wishing she were beside me, and every night I resist the urge to invite myself into her home and pay her a visit.

My heart sinks when she grabs the basket of freshly husked corn and goes inside, shutting the door behind her. Fuck. I miss her. I need to see her again. Soon.

Wanting her feels like a madness for which there is no cure. No cure unless I take possession of her and claim her. How satisfying it would be to seal the mating bond between us.

I abruptly realize I’m no longer flying back and forth over the northern part of the city, but I’m treading air far too close to Mira’s house. A glance around shows I’m alone in the sky, the training exercise I was supposed to be supervising has already concluded. A contingent of winged fae are gathered on the ground while Tristan addresses them.

Fuck. The general. He’s going to suspect there’s something going on with me, and I very much don’t want him asking questions. I still don’t feel comfortable telling anyone about Mira. It’s complicated because our mating union would affect the thousands of faefolk in Linnshire.

I don’t want to admit to anyone that I’m close to losing control and forsaking my duties just so I might hold Mira in my arms, kiss her, and thrust home between her thighs.

I’m about to join the winged contingent on the ground when the pretty human exits her home and heads down the road. My heart warms just to see her again, even from high above the city. Her auburn hair gleams in the sunshine, making her easy to follow.

And follow her, I do.

I follow her as she visits the marketplace, then as she visits the home of a friend, the same young female I’ve seen her with before. I’m glad she still has at least one friend, though it grieves me to know her reputation has been ruined and that most people are avoiding her.

All because she was spotted walking with me as I transported her firewood home.

I hadn’t intended to cause her any trouble and I regret that I have, but I couldn’t not escort her home that day. After discovering her missing from her home when I specifically ordered her to shelter in place, I’d needed to see her return to her property with my own eyes. Given her act of rebelliousness that day, I needed to be absolutely certain that she’d made it home safe and sound.

If only we hadn’t argued. If only she could entertain my point of view and understand that I’m duty bound to protect fae interests. When the Brossnin family of the Summer Court calls Linnshire soldiers to war, we must follow orders and fight for our people.

Ussha will only keep spreading. I muse that it won’t be long before the vegetation in the lands once solely occupied by humans and orcs becomes visibly infused with the lifeforce of ussha. One day, likely soon, the vegetation in the forests surrounding Trevos will gleam and sparkle in the darkness, providing illumination even on moonless nights.

I settle on a distant rooftop as I wait for Mira to emerge from her friend’s house, hoping I’m far enough away that she won’t see me. Or feel me. I know she experiences the same warmth I do when we’re close.

Hours later, she departs her friend’s home in the early evening and returns to her property on Sunflower Lane. I keep plenty of space between us as I follow her home. The instinct to make sure she returns safely is too strong to ignore. She’s my mate and I must protect her. Even if we never join our bodies as one and consummate our union, I must keep her safe.

Once I’m certain she’s settled for the night, I return to my quarters in the castle. My room feels so empty that I almost leave and join the revelers in the receiving hall, where Prince Lucas is no doubt holding court. I hear the music and drunken laughter, but in the end, I don’t join in the merriment.

The only companionship I desire is Mira’s.

Gods, how I miss her.