“Am I an Earth Fae Royal?” I asked, arching a brow. “Or were my parents Quandary Bloods in hiding?”
Zen’s eyebrows lifted in surprise while her counterparts stared at me in confusion, making me wonder if I had deduced that incorrectly. But before I could ask, the ground began to shake, causing the Quandary Bloods to curse and weave their magic through the air in hypnotic shades of cerulean blue.
Shade’s grandparents vanished, the world shifting around Emelyn and me in a delirious dance of excessive light, blinding me momentarily before revealing the similar surroundings of the LethaForest once more.
Burning thwomps released an explosion of smoke and fire, causing me to cringe.
And chaos descended as magic wove through the air in a colorful eruption.
Emelyn grabbed my hand, yanking me to the side. I nearly shook off her grip, not wanting to fall into another enchanted paradigm with her, but then I saw Ajax on her opposite side, guiding us out of the field as his wand produced a thick black smog that hid the three of us from view.
He took off at a clipped pace through the woods, leaving the war behind us as the Quandary Bloods fought the Warrior Bloods—or I assumed that was the case. I hadn’t actually seen who fought whom, my focus primarily on following Emelyn out of the insanity.
Ajax didn’t stop until we were under a blanket of darkness, the trees in this area of the LethaForest boasting leaves.
I squinted.
No.
Not leaves.
Bats.
So many that they completely blocked the moonlight above.
If they were bothered by our presence, they didn’t show it. Only one seemed to care, his little feet moving along the trunk of the tree as he carried himself down until he was a few inches from my face. I slid my wand back into my pocket and studied the adorable little creature with intelligent eyes. He seemed to be doing the same to me.
“Good job, Draco,” Shade said from the darkness, startling me. He stepped forward, and the bat landed on his shoulder with a little clicking chirp. Then his icy blue eyes met mine. “We need to go. Now.”
“I’ve got Emelyn,” Ajax said. “Go.”
I glanced at the pair, who were locked in a hug that spoke volumes about their relationship. It left me wondering what their history entailed, because clearly one existed here.
Shade grabbed my wrist, a thick cloud enveloping us before I could ask for details or even voice my approval, and a moment later, our meadow appeared. My shoulders immediately relaxed, the flowers and sunshine calling to my element. I wrapped my arms around him, breathed in his familiar peppermint scent, and sighed.
Just for a moment, I allowed myself to calm.
To release the last however many minutes or hours of chaos.
To exist in a world that was me and Shade, surrounded by the familiarity of home.
Only, I sensed another presence, one that had my brow furrowing in confusion.
That was when I realized Shade’s arms weren’t around me, his body stiff against mine.
I pulled back to study his eyes, noting the coldness lurking inside. Shade?
No reply.
My lips pulled downward as I tried to access our link and found it closed, just as he’d done before when keeping me out of his mind.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“I know,” he replied, his attention on
something over my shoulder.
No, not something. Someone.