“You okay?” Cain asks.
“Somewhat. Kind of. It’s the same thing like before. I think the fae are nearby. There’s a lot of them, and I can feel them all almost as if their souls are inside mine. Those souls burn so brightly, so fiercely, and now I can finally sort of understand why fae are so addictive to vampires, with our bright shining magic souls.
But it also really, really hurts.
“Can you keep it contained?” North asks. “Or do you need us?”
As much as I love my mates, I doubt the middle of the jungle is the ideal place to have sex. “I can keep it under control,” I say through gritted teeth.
It takes what feels like all of my concentration, but I manage to shut the fae out. I picture all of them one by one going into a box, and I nail that box shut, and shove it to the back of my mind. That seems to work, somewhat. Like trying to contain a hive of bees.
“Could you follow your connection to them to find the community?” Cain asks.
“No need,” Raven replies.
We turn to see that Raven’s gone a few steps ahead and parted some large leaves, revealing a path. “I think this leads us there.”
Well, it’s as good of a guess as any. We follow it, Raven in the lead.
It takes a few minutes of walking, but then, as if we’re leaving the real world and entering some kind of dream, suddenly the community is before us.
While King Malcolm’s castle was classically European and imposing, the buildings here are anything but. They seem to have been grown from the trees and the landscape instead of built on as additions. Most of the buildings are nestled between the strong limbs of tall trees, and seem to even be made with the use of those limbs. Delicate wooden steps wind up the trunks, carved right out of the tree bark, and the ground is strewn with plants and flowers.
Even more lovely than the buildings, though, are the people. The fae.
There are dozens of them running around, just going about their day. People carry baskets, weave on looms, or cook on grills or in large pots over fires. Some teenagers are gathered around another playing on his phone, while kids run past each other, playing some variation of tag. There are elderly fae sitting and relaxing on porches or playing board games in the shade. In one of the houses I can faintly hear an argument.
It’s all so domestic and relaxed. And beyond my wildest dreams. I could never have even thought to hope that such a place existed for us fae. A place where we could simply exist, together, the way that we had so long ago before the vampires took everything from us.
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. I feel breathless, all pain forgotten for a moment as I take it in.
The men seem just as caught up. While Cain had been angry and on guard while with the vampires, now he looks like he might cry with the joy of what he’s seeing. Raven’s mouth is hanging open. And North just looks satisfied. Like he’s just been given a hearty meal.
I get it. Really, truly I do.
Before any of us can say anything or decide what to do now that we’re here, a woman appears before us as if out of nowhere. I wonder if she was using some kind of cloaking device to get close to us.
She’s tall, about the same height as I am, with pale blue spiked hair and dark, tanned skin. She has strong, almost masculine features, very striking, but somehow that just adds to her beauty. I feel a bit in awe of her, like I’m in the presence of someone legendary. Her eyes, I realize as she draws closer, are silver.
Wow.
“And who might you be?” the woman asks. She doesn’t seem to have any weapons on her, but I’m sure she’s armed. She appears to be some sort of border guard, and I can’t blame her for being suspicious. The lives of everyone in this community depend on secrecy.
I pull out the letter that Willow gave me, and I hand it over to her. “This is for Nahini, from Queen Willow and King Malcolm. We were told to give it to her so that we could prove we were friends and come in peace.”
“You’re in luck,” the woman replies shortly, opening the letter. “I’m Nahini.”
Oh, well, that streamlines things then.
As Nahini reads the letter, her expression, and then her entire appearance, shifts. It’s only for a moment, but her face softens and becomes less angular. Her hair becomes auburn and her silver eyes shift to dark green.
It all shifts back as she finishes reading, and I realize that she’s wearing a glamour to change her appearance. I didn’t know that fae did that just for fun.
Nahini glances up and sees my expression. “What, are you not using a glamour?”
I shake my head. “I just look like this.”
Nahini gives me a small smile. “Here in this home we’ve built, we don’t need to use glamour just as a trick to keep ourselves alive. We can use it to make ourselves look how we want, to express who we feel we are.”