Page 13

thirteen

Rivern

T he light of the moon starts to filter through the tunnel ahead. Finally . The trek through the tunnel has taken longer than expected.

I am just grateful for my fae eyesight that allows me to make out the shapes within the darkness.

Solen takes off towards the light. The sounds of crashing waves hit my ears, and as I ease out of the tunnel, I hit rocky, moss-covered rocks below. We knew this part might be flooded if we didn’t schedule the tide just right.

The tunnel isn’t a direct access to Haven’s inner kingdom, but by making my way around the rocky outcrop below the cliff face, I should find an entrance that will bring me to another tunnel within the cave centre. From there, the old maps I found back in Terra promise an entryway to the labyrinth my people originally built beneath the city. Considering the maze we currently live in along the far northern mountains, it was no surprise to hear a similar system existed in our first kingdom, albeit a bit less sophisticated.

The thought of more dark and damp tunnels fills me with unease. I prefer the light of the moon or the suns.

As I continue, a strange uneasy sensation weasels its way through my body again.

While walking through the tunnel earlier, I was disorientated by the back-and-forth ricocheting of feelings from my bonded. Fire and ice dance together within my heart, leaving a confusion I’ve never experienced before.

I have heard of the term “nausea” before, and that is the only label I have for the strange feeling. That, and maybe some concern for my bonded?

“Fuck.” I clench my jaw.

I do not want to admit that to myself. Not as I am making my way to kill the obstacle at the end of my bond tie.

“You okay?” Solen swoops from around the corner, where the cave entrance lies.

“Just dandy.” My boots get battered by the salty water as I leap from one slippery, rock-strewn outcrop to the next, my weapons clattering off my belt.

Making it around the corner, I spot the entrance, wide enough for a small boat. My only problem lies in the lack of stepping stones to get within the cave. “Looks like I’m going for a swim.”

The bird above me squawks. “Excellent,” the mutter falls from my lips. “Keep look out. I’ll call if needed.”

I slip into the sea with all the grace of a heavily armed siren. The water sets a chill to my bones as I battle the waves that push me to and fro.

At the entrance of the cave, the water yields a calmer tone, and I take reprieve, bobbing my head above the waves and admiring the glow-worms gracing the ceiling of the large, cavernous space. “Slimy little fuckers.” We have a similar species of worm throughout the cave systems in Terra, but they illuminate a green glow, not white like these ones.

With my numbing body now on high alert in the soft rise and fall of the water I enter the Kingdom of Haven for the first time, I scan the room for any true signs of danger. The first thing I notice is a large tree sitting in the middle of the wide, empty space.

My heart thumps against my ribcage so hard that it’s like it is trying to escape.

The bond, my heart whispers. The only place I have seen such a tree is within the depths of Terra.

Suddenly, my heart takes over my body, and my eyes glue to the tree. All my senses focus solely on the all-encompassing trunk. Her. Her. Her. The chant rings through my head, and I feel it— her , my bonded, andthe shattered pieces of her heart. Is she by the tree?

I quickly glance over the ground, and as I get closer, I notice the glow isn’t just coming from the ceiling above but from within a hole in the centre of the tree itself. A door of some sort.

With my head still bobbing along the surface, I yank my eyes from the trunk—which every fibre of my being is being drawn towards—to open my senses and look around the rocky space once more. And that’s when I hear—

Panting.

Feet slapping.

Chesty growls.

It cannot be. Surely, they don’t know I am here?

I was told to be wary of the dyre wolves, but I did not expect to run into one so soon. I am a guardian. I have been trained to protect, but this mission is purely one of stealth. In and out. No distractions. No fighting.

Swimming back towards the rocks of the outer wall, I hide within the waves, taking a large intake of breath before sinking just enough for my eyes to see above the dark blue.

With my dark golden hair, I can only hope I will not be spotted as I somewhat camouflage with the rocks surrounding me. Taking my dagger out of its sheath, I bring it up to my chest as a precaution.

Eyes trained on the tree, I almost miss the blaze of black, furry muscle and sinew that speeds on all fours, coming to a stop in front of the one place that has my heart now alight with fear.

Turning his considerable muzzle towards the lake, he sniffs.

The wolf’s face and body are lacerated in thin white scars that make me cringe but speak to his strength as a warrior. I’ve had plenty of practise with fellow guardians, but we are lucky within Terra, not having experienced any wars yet.

Maybe I am out of my depth with the dyre wolves, just like my ancestors.

Before my eyes, the wolf shifts into the largest man I have ever seen. Bigger than any fae I’ve known, and we are not a short species. The humans, in comparison, must surely be smaller, according to the stories I have heard.

Completely naked with those identical white scars cutting through his brown skin, the enormous wolfman ducks his head to enter the tree.

Everything stops, and my heart loses all beat at the picture of the wolf moving.

She’s in there.

He’s after her .

What did she do?

I was sure I was the cause of the dyre wolf’s descent into the cave, but now I understand. My bonded is in that tree, and he can’t have her.

My blood stirs, my stomach turns and I want to go slaughter the very naked dyre wolf who stepped through that tree.

It’s a struggle to keep my body still, but I do. My blood hums under the surface, making the water boil around me.

A squawk comes from the cave’s opening, and I ignore it. There’s no way I’m giving away my position to the dyre wolf. My only advantage here is the element of surprise. The water around me should be dimming any smell that exudes off my body.

Some shuffling comes from inside the tree, but no voices. I strain, trying to get any clue about the inner workings of my bonded. She doesn’t seem to be in distress, not like before. In fact, a heat comes through the bond, which leaves me puzzled about her relationship with the wolf. If this is some sort of lovers’ rendezvous, I will kill the bastard.

Shaking my head and pushing against the bond, I remember what I’m here to do. I will kill both of them.

My heart keens, and I want to tell it to fuck off, but… But this feeling is much too strong. Even if I had a knife poised above her heart, I don’t know if I could sink the blade through her chest.

Shuffling comes from the opening of the tree, and I look up to see the dyre wolf stalking towards the archway he entered through, now with her.

My whole body lights up at the sight of her. I don’t even need to question who she is or what she means to me. This female is why my heart beats—why it sings. My whole existence belongs to her, and I’m totally and inextricably fucked. In every way, this is both the ending and the beginning of my life.

She hangs limply over the wolf’s back, not showing any resistance. I want to rip his head off. Feed it to the daemons of the sea.

Her silken chestnut hair cascades in long tendrils down the wolf’s back, leaving me no glimpse of her face. I just need to see her eyes, her soul. She doesn’t move. She just hangs there, but the bond is telling me she is okay.

A low rumbling sound starts low in my chest when the wolf disappears.

I take a deep breath and swim under the hot water surrounding my body. Taking large strokes, I hit the rocky outcrop just outside the cave.

As my head pops from the sea, Solen swoops at me, landing on the moss-ridden rock beside me.

“Did you find her?”

“Yes,” my voice rumbles out. The bond tugs at me to follow her, my mate.

“What’s the plan, then?”

“This is a bit more complicated than we originally thought. She has some sort of connection to a dyre wolf.” My heart shrivels at the prospect.

“You saw a wolf?”

The memory of the naked wolf carrying my bonded out of the cave warms the water around me. “Yes, a very naked wolf carrying my bonded. My very pliant bonded.”

A chuckle rings in my ears. “ Good for her.”

“No, not good for her. Bad for her because if she touches him, I will spank her till she’s red raw.” My hand is itching to do just that right now.

“Simmer down, prince. I thought the plan was to kill her?”

The bond, ever-present and now amplified more than ever, calls for me to find her, to save her. “It seems the Goddess has other plans.”

“Well, it looks like things got a lot more complicated.”

“Looks that way.”