She turns just enough that I see her cheeks redden as she smiles—utterperfection. My mouth trails the side of her neck, and her breath hitches.
“Oh, get a room, won’t you?” Corren heckles from behind, and Thom joins in, snickering.
“If only I could. Instead, I’m stuck with all of you as an audience.” Sarcasm drips from my words, and they laugh harder.
“It could be worse,” Mikal shouts from the front of our procession. “We could still be at Castle Grager. What a punishment that was. Next time, Isiah, leave me at home. I’d rather be on latrine duty than go back there.”
It feels good to be in Daminae. The closeness of the trees isn’t as suffocating as they were in Selen. Dare I say, I missed Castle Thorne. My father will be overjoyed that I, for once, did as he bid and brought a female home. Thinking of how he will react has me laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Grace asks, peering over her shoulder at me.
“I was thinking how shocked my father will be to see I finally listened to him.”
She wrinkles her brow, but Thom laughs and gallops forward, matching our pace, and says, “We’re all surprised you finally listened to the king. I think he will approve, though.”
I secretly hope he will. Despite our troubles, his approval is still important to me.
We keep riding, making good time, only stopping once to water the horses before pushing on. But it appears the riding is taking its toll on Grace. She keeps shifting uncomfortably.
“Do you need a break? We can stop for an hour to rest if you’d like.”
She tries to deny it at first but accepts the offer.“My thighs are cramping. I never realized riding would be this tiring. In my defense, though, someone had me up most of the night, so I’m exhausted.”
I squeeze her hip and kiss her cheek before saying aloud, “All right, another hour farther, and then we should rest.”
Everyone murmurs in agreement. It’s been a long day, and as much as I want to press on, riding through the woods will require more focus than any of us have right now. The sun is dropping toward the horizon. Once it’s full dark, we’ll stop and rest.
We left Castle Grager in such a rush we didn’t grab any food, bedrolls, or blankets. The only things I took in my panic were a few extra knives and coin. It won’t get too cold tonight, not with the consistent fae temperatures, but once the sun sets, it’ll be chilly without extra layers.
After the horses have been watered and tied to low branches, we come together, sitting on bumpy roots and fallen branches. Grace shivers on the log beside me, so I tuck her under my arm.
“I mentioned how you’re to leave me at home next time, right?” Mikal says as he shifts uncomfortably on his makeshift root seat, arms wrapped around his chest.
Corren fidgets on a stump, rubbing his hands together. “What a picture we are right now, completely unprepared and huddled together like a bunch of destitute commoners.”
Everyone looks exhausted and chilled. But then a spark of light forms in Grace’s palm. It’s tiny but puts off a surprising amount of heat. She floats it into the middle of our group. “Is this okay? The flame isn’t too bright?”
I grin. “No, it’s perfect. It’s small enough that the light won’t travel far. You have come a long way with your magic.”
Her shoulders drop slightly. “One of the few good things Niethal did was to have me train.”
My next question will probably upset her, and I don’t want to ask it, but I need to know. “Will you tell us what happened with Ellis?”
She wraps her arms around herself. “He wasn’t supposed to get me this morning.” She has a faraway look as she reaches for her cheek, as if reliving the memory. If Ellis were here, I’d sever his hand for daring to touch her. Her fingers brush her cheek before falling to her side as awareness returns to her eyes. “He was supposed to take me to the training room to meet Reagan, but I knew something was wrong when he led me deeper into the castle. I tried to reach you through the bond, but you were lost in darkness.”
She turns and stares at me as if awaiting a response, but what she said about me being lost… I have no memory of anything like that.
Her face pales when I don’t respond. “You don’t remember? I reached for you, but the only thing inside your mind was darkness. There were claws, teeth, and snarling creatures. They were in your shadows, Isiah, and they called to me.”
A dream gnaws on the edge of my mind.
The howls.
Bits and pieces float to the surface, and before thinking better of it, I say aloud the words from my dream. “Hers is ours; we serve the blood.” As the words leave my mouth, a snap vibrates through the air.
Mikal and Thom jump up, swords drawn, scanning the surrounding woods. The horses whinny and stomp feverishly, trying to flee. I wince as the scars on my shoulder pulse in rhythm with my heart, and when I touch the crescent shapes, a chorus of howls sounds in my mind.
Grace must sense my panic because she brushes the bond, trying to soothe me, but as she does, the howls transform into words.“We will serve, we will serve; in darkness, we will serve the blood.”The words are rough and gnarled, as if spoken between misaligned jaws. But instead of recoiling, Grace pulls in deeper than she’s ever been. It’s as if we exist in one awareness. The creatures within still at her presence, claws retracted and waiting. Grace’s magic flows into my mind, illuminating my shadows to reveal the beasts, the Ossano. Their red eyes flash with intelligence.“We will serve the blood of Anaeris and her darkness.”