Page 53

I t is a tale often told that travelers disappear should they enter the ancient woods in the Northern Mountains.

Rumors abound about a home on chicken legs that moves through the woods only on the darkest nights. Sometimes, it is a home with candied walls and a furnace that burns bright all day long. A wayward soul once claimed he came upon a gigantic castle, with spires that reached for the heavens, a ghastly beast that kept a beautiful woman as a prisoner, and plants that moved as if by magic.

But those are just fairy stories.

Or so we’re told…

* * *

The bony, burnt skeletal remains of the castle still clung to the side of the cliff. It looked softer, though, covered in slick moss and sea spray. Adeline stared at the charred remains of wood and stone and smiled. It was fitting, for the place that once held the memories of cruelty and torture, that it was now returning to the wilds. It had been years since that night, and now and again, she felt compelled to make the trek down from the Northern Mountains and visit.

Had it all been a dream? Would Erik still be there waiting for her?

No.

Erik was well and truly gone. Thank the gods. No matter how many times her brain tried to trick her into thinking that she was still under his glamour, her visits here confirmed what she had overcome.

Her life with Rolf was one of ease and peace. She had her mate, they had their home in the mountains full of fae, and she was learning the gift of her magic. It took Rolf and Adeline some time to build out the cabin and clean the tunnels from the fire she set, but with the help of Arlo and some woodland fae, their home was now a multi-story home covered in magical fae flora that blended into the ancient forest around them. She used her knowledge of wards from her mother and wove her shadow magic into her spells to create an illusion that would keep them safe forever.

Their house had become a haven for all wayward fae creatures, and she was determined to keep it that way.

And now, as she stood looking at the castle ruins, she let herself feel awash with gratitude.

“Thank you for coming with me,” Adeline said, turning to Juliette.

Juliette sighed, a frown creasing her brow. “I can’t say that I’m happy to be here, Addy.”

Adeline tensed. Was this a mistake?

“But,” Juliette continued, and Adeline’s shoulder dropped with relief. Juliette gestured to the charred wood. “It helps that it’s just this. But I still can’t look at it for too long. It’s too much.”

With a huff, Juliette walked away, stooping now and then to pick up some wildflowers.

Adeline knew exactly what Juliette meant. Bringing her here wasn’t a mistake, but it wasn’t easy, either.

Visiting this place was Adeline’s way of overcoming everything . It helped her to see that the castle no longer loomed threateningly like it did in her nightmares. It also helped her uncover the layers of lies Erik had told throughout the centuries. The castle had been infused with his glamour magic, and it had suppressed her memories of all his horrific abuses. Which was why, when she was hunting the were-shifters, she had been able to unravel the hold he had on her. She hoped that it would help Juliette, too.

Juliette walked back to where Adeline stood and slipped her hand into the crook of Adeline’s elbow. She handed Adeline the small collection of wildflowers. Their eyes met, and she gave Juliette a soft smile. They hadn’t quite made up yet, their friendship was still tenuous at best, but Adeline never stopped making an effort to repair the bridges she burned. The guilt lessened, year by year, but Adeline was impatient.

That was something she was trying to work on. One would think that after being alive for hundreds of years that patience would come naturally. It didn’t.

“You’re tense,” Rolf whispered in Adeline’s ear. Rolf never let her go down here alone. Every time she felt the urge to leave their home, their bond reverberated, and he dropped whatever it was he was doing to join her.

Adeline was now sandwiched between the two creatures she held most dear. It made her heart swell.

“It’s still hard,” Adeline said.

Juliette hummed in agreement. “Hard, brutal.”

“I think this will be my last time here,” Adeline said. “For centuries, I never knew how much of a hold Erik’s magic had on me or this place. I used to be able to feel it, pulsing quietly. But it’s grown so faint and now I can’t even detect it.”

She held out her hand, soft grey shadows twirled between her fingers. Her magic used to tremble in response to the leftover energy. And though her magic was still new, after suppressing it since being turned, she knew enough that what she felt was true. She still had years left to learn how to master her particular kind of magic. But it had gotten easier after she found her mother’s grimoire in the willow tree.

* * *

Adeline had sought out answers to what her magic meant after Erik told her that her mother, Aurélie, had been powerful. So, Adeline and Rolf had travelled for days, back to the villages on the plains in the south where the Old Mill, her childhood home, once stood. But, it was as she had feared, after centuries of farming and growth, disease and famine, there was nothing left. Only a few hectares of ancient trees stood where the endless woods of her youth had been. Gone was the sacred stone circle on the mound where Adeline had sent Leda away. Now it was a flat meadow nestled in the forest. The tiniest parts of the monolithic stones peeked out of the dirt in a haphazard semi-circle formation.

She had walked around and around, as if she were lost, until her feet took her down a path she had long since forgotten existed. Through the dense forest, each twig that snapped sent a shiver down her spine. She fought against the fear that Erik’s ghost was lingering behind her. It wasn’t until she came to a small cluster of willow trees that she realized she was in the same place where she had met her Angel of Death.

The large willow in the center stood just as it had when she had sought refuge under its boughs.

“Strange,” Adeline had said to no one in particular.

How could the same willow be here centuries later? She walked around the trunk, images flashing before her eyes of the night she almost died.

Her skin erupted with gooseflesh when she stood in the same root formation that had cradled her broken body.

Rolf showed up moments later but stopped when he saw Adeline sitting curled up on the ground.

“My Darkness,” he whispered.

Adeline couldn’t look at him, the tears in her eyes blurring the world around her. “This is where it happened.”

Rolf said nothing but sat down next to her and pulled her into his side. She nestled against him, his warmth radiating into her bones. As she adjusted herself against him, her hand brushed the root. But it was no root. It was soft to the touch.

Adeline balked.

“What is it?” Rolf asked.

But Adeline didn’t answer. Her hands were already digging around in the earth to uncover what she had touched.

After a few moments, she was brushing off the dirt from her mother’s grimoire. It shone with wards, both protective and illusionary, but at the touch of Adeline’s fingers, her mother’s script appeared.

“Adeline,” Rolf started. “What is this?”

She struggled to find the words.

This isn’t real. It can’t be.

But it was. She brushed the cover a few times, trying to get the last of the dirt off before she opened it. “It’s my mother’s grimoire.”

“Her what?”

“Book of spells, some of her history. My family story. My life.” The tears fell freely now, slipping down Adeline’s cheeks.

Rolf reached up and brushed them away. “How?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know how it got here or why it’s been here for so long.”

Adeline looked around, a part of her hoping she’d see her mother or even her sister through the boughs of the tree. But it was merely a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves. They were both gone, and the grimoire was the only thing left of them that she had. She cradled it against her chest. Relief didn’t even begin to cover what she felt at having found the book. It would take decades for her to master the spells in here, to see if her vampire magic would help or hinder the craft her mother had tried to teach her.

* * *

It was just the two of them, Rolf and Adeline, who watched the clouds turn from soft grey to light blue to a blush pink as the sun rose along the horizon. Juliette had wandered off to go find Elizabeth, her mate, before the sun’s rays forced her back into the carriage for the day.

He slid behind Adeline, wrapped his arms around her, and pressed her against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head. They stood in silence, words unnecessary, as their mating bond pulsed with feelings of peace.

The roar of the waves crashing against the cliffs lulled Adeline into a trance. It was in these moments, when she could let herself relax, let her guard down, that she could feel the vibration of the earth and the magic it held. She was right - this place held no more evil magic, and she would only be keeping that memory alive should she continue to come back here. It was best that she leave it well enough alone.

Under her feet, the earth beat with a rhythm of its own. Magic moved just under the surface, into the roots of the trees, with the water as the tide ebbed. Everything was alive, and the magic filled her up, breathing into her core.

She wondered if this thrum of vitality was something mothers felt when carrying their children. If Adeline had been able to get pregnant, she would have had no hesitation in carrying Rolf’s children. She often wondered if he wanted children of his own and if he was saying he didn’t just to appease her.

“Stop that,” Rolf whispered. “I told you I don’t need children with you to feel complete.”

“How did you—?” Adeline pulled to the side and stared up at him.

He gave her a sly smile, and his hand spread out against the center of her chest.

Adeline rolled her eyes. “That damned bond. Is nothing sacred?”

Rolf barked out a laugh. “Come, my darkness. You know you have become awful at keeping secrets. Some days, it’s hard to believe that you were a ruthless killer.”

“And you think you’re so funny,” she mocked, playfully shoving him backward.

“Funny, eh? I’ll show you funny .” Rolf scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder.

Adeline squealed and beat his back with her fists. “Release me, you ogre! Gertrude, save me! Gertrude!”

“I don’t know anyone by the name of Gertrude,” Rolf growled.

He carried her up the hill, heading back to the carriage that would take them all home. As he crested, he tripped and sent them tumbling into the grass. They rolled to a stop at the bottom, Adeline sprawled out with Rolf beneath her.

“Gertrude?” Rolf asked between bouts of laughter.

Adeline grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head. She nudged his nose with hers. “You said I could call you anything.”

“So I did, my darkness.” Rolf’s laughter quieted, and the way he stared at her now was the same look he gave her when they had walked out of the castle, covered in soot, bloody, and triumphant.

Her bond pulsed with a flood of emotions. She gasped.

“I feel all of that and more,” he said. “I hope you know that my love for you is boundless, my darkness. Each day it grows more intense, more far-reaching than I ever thought possible.”

“I do know.” She peppered his face with kisses. “Because my love grows for you the same.”