Page 19 of Veil of Shadows (Fae of Woodlands & Wild #2)

CHAPTER 19

I landed on unsteady legs in Jax’s suite, the others materializing beside me just as fast. Tension filled the room the second I was able to make sense of who I was with.

Everyone was present and dressed entirely in black: Phillen, Lars, Trivan, Bowan, Lander, and Quinn. All except Jax.

“How in the realm did you know they were going to be there?” Before I could reply, Phillen had me in a suffocating hug, his arms nearly crushing me he held me so tightly. “If we’d been captured, my family—” He swallowed thickly, and I absentmindedly patted his shoulder.

The others joined in, most of them thanking me, but I twisted my hands and glanced at the clock. Already, minutes had passed, and there was no sign of Jax.

I clasped my shaking hands together. “How is Jax going to get back?”

Trivan’s brow furrowed. “Jax is a tricky bastard. He’ll find a way.”

I gazed at all of them as they ripped their masks and bandanas off one after the other.

“How in the realm did the kingsfae know we would be there?” Lars whispered, a troubled look on his face.

“They shouldn’t have.” Lander scowled heavily.

They quickly fell into discussion about how their planned raid could have been leaked, or if one of them could have made a mistake unknowingly, allowing someone to overhear them.

At one point, Lander pulled a bottle of leminai out from one of the side cupboards and poured drinks for everyone. Given the trembling hands that took them, I knew they were as shaken as me at what had almost occurred.

But when nobody asked of Jax, not once, I finally threw my hands up. “Aren’t any of you worried about him?”

Frowning, Lander poured a glass of bright-green liquid for me and forced it into my hand. “Drink this, Elowen. It’ll help calm your nerves.”

I drank it all in one swallow, but despite its potent effect, I began to pace. I moved back and forth, back and forth. At least half an hour went by as the others drank and spoke in murmured tones about the absolute strangeness of what had just occurred in Possyrose Forest. A few times, Trivan glanced up at me, his gaze suspicious, his aura questioning. I had no idea if Trivan suspected it was me who had ratted them out to the kingsfae, but from his growing distrust I suspected he might.

“You’re going to wear a path into the floor,” Bowan finally called with a forced smile on his face. “Sit and have another drink, Elowen.”

“I can’t. I don’t know how all of you can pretend to be so relaxed when?—”

A flash of magic came from beside me, and the prince appeared.

“Jax!” I nearly choked.

He appeared from out of nowhere. Obviously, he’d had a backup portal key with him, and the second he was solid and whole, I almost flung my arms around him. Almost. Somehow, I stopped myself before the urge overtook me.

Jax, however, roughly ripped his mask off, then grabbed a hold of my shoulders. His aura pounded through the room, making me flinch. Sizzling blue irises met mine. “You’re okay?”

All I could do was nod.

A look of relief filled his face, and amazement filled his aura. “How, Elowen? How did you know they would be there?”

Tremors wracked my frame. Now that Jax was here and safe, the buzzing energy that had been cascading through me began to fade. Shivers took its place. “I...I heard two kingsfae talking near the fountains. It was pure luck that I did. They knew you were going to be in Possyrose Forest tonight and finally be caught. They said the king had known.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “How in the realm did the king know?”

The troubled expressions on all of his friends grew.

“Anyone have any ideas?” Jax bit out.

One by one, they all shook their heads, but Trivan cast me another scathing glare.

“What did you find from tracking them?” Lander asked, his eyes narrowing. “Anything?”

Jax raked a hand through his hair, finally letting go of me completely. “No. The kingsfae were entirely silent as they traveled with the shipment since that potion clouded them. I followed for a bit, but when it became obvious I wasn’t going to hear anything they said, I came back.” He turned seething eyes on Bowan and Lander. “Where did you get the information about the shipment?”

“I...” Bowan gulped, his throat working. He shoved both hands into his hair. “A fae in Jaggedston was talking about it at Wolfbane Salopas. Do you think we were set up? Do you think he knows I’m a raider? Shite, shite, shite.”

“Exactly,” Jax snarled. “And this is why I don’t like last-minute raids. That information was not vetted enough.”

Trivan scowled. “But how did King Paevin know? That lazy arsehole is always the last to know of anything we do, unless someone he knows told him.” His gaze slid to me again.

My lips parted, his accusation making a rush of pain fire through me. “It wasn’t me.”

“Trivan,” Jax growled. “Elowen wouldn’t do that. The truth of the matter is that we were too eager. We shouldn’t have gone tonight.”

“Do you really think Elowen’s behind this?” Lander’s eyebrows slanted together as he assessed Trivan. “Wouldn’t spies be more likely? She didn’t even know we were going there until a few hours ago.”

Trivan shrugged. “A few hours is all that’s needed to alert the kingsfae.”

Jax growled again and said in a warning tone, “Trivan...”

Phillen scoffed, coming to my aid too. “Elowen warned us about them. Didn’t she? Why would she have been the one to give up our location when she ultimately saved us?”

“To gain our trust?” Trivan replied. “So she could trick us again in the future.”

It felt like someone stabbed me in the heart.

“Triv,” Lars said, his voice taking on an edge. “Don’t. It’s not her.”

“They’re right, it wasn’t me,” I said more adamantly.

But the lean blond crossed his arms. “Prove it.”

I shrank back, but just as fast, a tidal wave of power emitted from Jax.

“Trivan. Stop it,” Jax growled. “It’s not Elowen. She didn’t betray us. She wouldn’t do that.”

But Trivan shook his head. “How do you know? None of us really even know her.”

Lars frowned, but he didn’t disagree. Jax, though, was in Trivan’s face in two strides.

“It wasn’t her,” he snarled.

Trivan’s nostrils flared just as fast. “Just because you want to stick your cock in her doesn’t mean she’s?—”

A ferocious snarl tore from Jax, and in a blink he had Trivan pinned to the wall and punched him in the stomach. Hard.

The blond doubled over.

My jaw dropped just as Phillen winced.

Trivan wheezed, eyeing me again before giving Jax a murderous glare. “Command her, Jax. Command her to tell the truth.”

I paled.

Jax had told me once that he never used his Mistvale magic on fae unless they were truly vile. He’d called that aspect of his magic evil, yet Trivan had just asked him to use it on me .

“Watch yourself.” Jax shoved him against the wall again. “I’d advise you to choose your next words very carefully, friend .”

But Trivan’s suspicions seemed to speed through the group. Phillen, who’d always seemed to be on my side previously, cast me an apprehensive look. Lars did too, and even Bowan’s jovial smile disappeared, and Quinn’s entire focus centered on me.

“Maybe you should, Jax, just to put everyone’s mind at ease,” Lander finally offered. “I’m not saying I doubt her, but if you did, then we’d all know for certain.”

“I’m not doing that to her!” Jax roared.

But I took a step forward, my heart cracking that none of these males felt I was trustworthy, even though I tried to tell myself it was only natural to suspect me. They’d all known each other for full seasons and trusted one another explicitly. Of course, they would suspect me.

“It’s okay.” I licked my lips, my throat suddenly dry. “If it helps and stops everyone from fighting, you can command me, Jax.”

Trivan’s eyebrows rose, and a fleeting sense of doubt crossed over his features.

Jax shoved Trivan against the wall one last time, then faced me. “I won’t do that to you.”

“Just do it,” Trivan snarled from behind him. “In fact, do it on all of us. Make sure nobody in this room has turned on us.”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed, a heavy frown descending upon his face. “You think one of your brothers would do that?”

Lars shook his head. “Really, Triv...this is low, even for you.”

But Trivan just shrugged. “Then prove me wrong.”

Jax glowered at him, but the fact that everyone seemed okay with being commanded by Jax’s Mistvale magic seemed to put him more at ease to command me. If he did it to everyone, he wasn’t singling me out. Still, he raised his eyebrows at me, his expression full of remorse.

“It’s fine,” I said, answering his silent question. “Despite what Trivan thinks, I’m not a liar.”

“All right.” Jax took a deep breath, and magic speared the air. “ Did anyone in this room tell the king or kingsfae where we would be tonight ?”

Potent, fiery power spiraled into me, and my lips moved of their own accord before I could even consider what was happening. “No.”

“No.”

“No.”

One by one, everyone replied, and each fairy had the same answer. No.

“ Has anyone betrayed our identities or whereabouts to anyone outside of our group ?”

Another resounding round of Nos came through the room.

Satisfied, Jax calmed his magic.

Phillen slugged Trivan in the shoulder as soon as everyone was free of Jax’s magical grip. “See, you big louse. Nobody here’s a traitor, not even Elowen. I knew my wife was right about her.”

Trivan’s attention slid my way, and perhaps he felt the pain ripping through my aura, or perhaps he cowed because of Jax’s menacing expression, but he finally dipped his head and had the decency to look sheepish. “All right, fine. But she knew where we were tonight. How could I not wonder?”

The prince stepped closer to me, and it almost felt as though he was shielding me from any further suspicions, not that anyone could suspect me after being subjected to Jax’s magic.

Fingers tapping against his thigh, Jax said, “Until we figure out how the king learned of our whereabouts, we won’t be attempting a raid again unless we’re certain it’s safe. Now, what does everyone know?”

They all sat in a circle around the table, regularly passing the bottle of leminai around. And whatever bad feelings had sprouted between Jax and Trivan melted away as the alcohol flowed.

The seven of them huddled together, their conversation moving rapid fire. Tentatively, I sat beside Bowan, and when none of them tried to hide anything they were discussing from me, it struck me that they obviously trusted me enough now to speak freely, even if Trivan had momentarily doubted me.

The hurt I’d initially felt about that lessened the initial sting.

Jax finally leaned back from the group and stated, “You know the drill now. Lay low. We go dark. We won’t be able to provide anything for the poor for several months. Not until we learn more about how the king knew of our whereabouts. Quinn?” He glanced at the newest male. “I’ll need your ears everywhere.”

Quinn nodded solemnly, then dipped his head at me. “By the way, I’m in your debt, Elowen. You stopped all of us from being caught tonight.”

“We’re all in your debt,” Bowan agreed, and a small smile emerged on his face.

Phillen cocked his head. “How did you reach us so fast anyway? I never asked.”

I shrugged and gestured to the jar Quinn had brought. “I stole one of those portal keys.”

Trivan laughed, seemingly completely over his earlier suspicions of me. “A criminal in the making. How fitting.”

“How did you know how to use it?” Lars asked, the redhead’s question almost sounding shy.

I raised my shoulders again. “I paid attention when Quinn used his. I remembered what he said.”

Bowan laughed. “ Definitely a criminal in the making.”

Trivan cocked an eyebrow. “That takes balls, Elowen. I have to say, I think I really like you, even if I thought the worst of you an hour ago.”

But Jax scowled at me. “I don’t want you risking yourself for us again.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I’m in this up to my neck at this point. I figure I’m either all in, or I’m not.”

Phillen stroked his beard, nodding. Some of the panic he’d emitted earlier had lessened, and he was now looking at me with pride in his eyes. “Saramel said she had a good feeling about you, and my wife is rarely wrong.”

Bowan snorted. “Saramel’s always had you wrapped around her little finger, Phil, but she’s right. You get my vote, too, Elowen.” He clapped me on the shoulder, and his hand was so heavy that I nearly fell forward in my seat.

“Stars, sorry about that,” he said gruffly, and then he tried to straighten me, which got even more awkward.

“Bowan,” Jax growled. “Hands off.” A ring of authority carried in his tone.

A surprised look passed over Bowan’s face, but a knowing look passed between Trivan and Phillen.

I glanced at all of them, and I wondered who it was that told Alec the prince had feelings for me. I was betting it was either Trivan or Phillen, considering the subtle look between them I just witnessed, not to mention Trivan’s rather crude comment earlier...

But despite that, it hit me that for the first time, all of them were looking at me with respect and...friendship.

A feeling of hope swelled in my chest. Never in my entire life had I ever been a part of a group. I’d always been alone, an outcast, a slave. Other . But in this moment, I felt like maybe I was one of them. And that I was choosing to be one of their group. I’d never chosen anything for myself before. Ever.

A lump formed in my throat, and I knew if I didn’t get my emotions under control, I was going to do something incredibly embarrassing, like burst into tears.

Before I could thoroughly humiliate myself, Quinn tipped his head toward Jax. “I’ll be off then.”

“See you soon, brother,” Jax replied.

Quinn’s entire body abruptly puffed out of existence and drifted into dark shadows. His inky form hovered around us, then he zoomed out the window and onto the capital’s streets.

My eyes bulged, and I blinked a few times.

Trivan snickered. “You should see your face right now.”

“He has shadow magic,” Lander replied in a monotone voice, looking entirely unimpressed that Quinn had just disappeared . He ran a hand through his hair. Tangles met his fingers since his scarf had messed up the shoulder-length strands. If anything, he still seemed to be running through the scenarios of how the kingsfae had ended up in that forest.

“Shadow magic?” My eyebrows rose. That kind of magic was rare. “He’s from Mistvale?”

Bowan shook his head and leaned back on the couch. “He has dual magic. Born and raised in Stonewild but blessed with magic from two kingdoms.”

“Is he a stag shifter as well?”

Phillen opened his mouth to reply, but Trivan beat him to it. “How about we make her guess?”

Bowan rolled his eyes and laughed. “Don’t be an arse, Triv. You’ve been enough of a cad for one night.”

Trivan brought a hand to his chest. “You wound me. I wasn’t trying to be rude. I was just trying to get some enjoyment from the night since all of our fun was stolen the second those kingsfae bastards showed up.”

Phillen crossed his burly arms and ignored all of them. “Quinn isn’t a stag shifter, lovely. He’s the only one in our group who isn’t. Instead, he’s a crowfy shifter.”

My eyes bulged when I pictured the shadow-magic male turning into a huge winged bird that was just as black as his swirling, inky magic. It was even more surprising because crowfy shifters were rare. And unlike the stags, crowfies usually were lone creatures, sticking to themselves. I wasn’t surprised Jax had found other stags to band together with, but for a crowfy to join them was surprising.

My brow furrowed. “How did he become a part of your group?”

A sly smile curved Bowan’s lips. “We helped his family once, and the tricky bastard managed to track us. It was back in our younger days when we still made mistakes. Anyway, when he confronted us, he blackmailed Jax. It was either we allowed him to join us, or he turned us in to the kingsfae.”

My jaw dropped. “He threatened to turn you into the authorities after you helped his family?”

The feel of Jax shifting closer to me on the couch made my breath stop. His aura was so potent, and my body was so in- tuned to him. Every particle of my essence seemed to know when he neared.

Jax’s low voice rumbled through the room when he replied, “As you can probably imagine, the first few seasons with Quinn were rather tense. But he’s since settled in, and now we’ve all come to accept him as one of us. His magic has actually proven quite useful.”

I could only imagine. Shadow magic allowed one to deform, similar to mistphasing, but fae with shadow magic could stay in that state indefinitely if they chose to. However, unlike with mistphasing, they were still able to see and hear when they existed as shadows.

“Do you think he’ll be able to track down how the king learned of your whereabouts?”

Jax’s brow furrowed. “I certainly hope so. That shipment would have fed a dozen villages for a full season with the wealth it carried. Fae were counting on us tonight, and we’ve let them down.” He inched closer to me, his look softening. “But if it wasn’t for you, we would never be able to help those fae again. My brothers are right.” Jax’s aura wrapped around me like a warm cloud, and my heart thumped. “We’re all in debt to you, Elowen. You saved all of us.”