I am flung back to my body with a gasp. I’m still straddling Slate’s face, but I fall forward, like a puppet with my strings cut. He catches me, and we tumble to our sides, both breathing heavily. His eyes are happy as he strokes my side and pulls me closer. It’s clear he didn’t see what I did.
What did that mean?
Who is that woman?
Was she talking to me…and if she was, will she really be seeing me? Why does that thought fill me with dread?
There is only one person I’ve ever heard of being able to rouse the dead, and even amongst the fae, it is spoken about in hushed tones—a necromancer. Wielders of such great power, they are destined to fall into madness and darkness, doomed to die at the hands of those around them because their powers are too great to control. It burns them from the inside out. But I thought they died thousands of years ago. Our own people killed all of them…so if one is alive now…how is that possible?
And worse yet, what does that mean for the world we live in?
I curl into Slate’s chest, stroking him. It’s just a dream, I tell myself. He didn’t see it, it was just me, it has to be a dream…but why are they happening when I’m awake now?
He holds me close, kissing me and murmuring loving words, so I push away the worry and fear. It’s something to think about tomorrow, not tonight. Tonight is for him and me. It’s for the love that is building between us, as that is what it has to be. I have strong feelings for him, I care for him, and he makes me happy. He makes me laugh, he makes me feel safe, and when I’m with him, I feel like I can fly, like nothing else matters but him and me. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what it is.
“Darling, I feel your thoughts,” he murmurs. “You do not need to rush this, but yes, I feel it too. The falling…because, Alejandra? I am falling in love with you too.” I can’t say it. Years of training to not speak my own feelings stops me. He smiles anyway, kissing me. “You will say it when you’re ready. There is no rush, I can wait forever, and even if you can’t say it then, it doesn’t matter, I will know. Now rest, tomorrow is a new day and I think it’s time we rejoin the world, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I whisper, kissing him. “Together.”
I fall asleep in his arms with a smile on my face. I’ve never felt so content, like I have finally found where I’m meant to be, where I belong, and it’s at his side. We have the whole world to explore now. We have both broken free from the chains holding us.
And side by side, we will walk this world together.
Slate
I’m deep asleep with my mate in my arms, but something rouses me. My eyes slam open as the change instantly comes over me, my protective instincts screaming. Alejandra wakes as I shed my skin, and in a moment, I am my wolf, standing over her as I growl. My head is lowered as I keep my gaze on the entrance to our den.
I feel them. Intruders are heading towards us, and they have magic. It fills the air as they form a barrier around us so we can’t escape.
Fucking fae. They have come to take my mate away.
“Slate?” she asks worriedly.
When I turn my head towards her, she immediately holds onto my tail with fear in her eyes. Nothing to fear, darling, they won’t get you.
I turn back just as the first wave of magic explodes on the back of the den, making the wood creak and shake, trying to get us to come out into the open. Stay here, I tell her.
They are no match for my wolf, especially when it comes to his mate. She isn’t theirs anymore, she is mine. I charge outside, moving quickly. I have a split second to take in their positions. There are at least twenty of them surrounding us, two with their lips moving at the back, no doubt the creators of the barricade around us. I need to get them first so Alejandra can run. A fireball barely misses me, and I have to roll and dodge as more and more magic flies my way.
They aren’t just here to capture her, they are here to kill me.
I lunge at the closest one. I manage to clamp my jaws around his neck and snap it, tossing him away as his magic infused blood fills my mouth, tasting bitter after my mate’s. He didn’t even have time to scream. I notice the others hesitating, and I use it.
I rip another to shreds before disembowelling the next with my claws, but more come from the forest—an army of them. I don’t even have time to howl a warning to my mate before their magic slams into me. It throws me across the clearing and into a tree. A whimper slips free, but when I spot Alejandra coming out to help me, I growl and stagger to my paws.
She grabs a branch and knocks out a fae, and pride fills me as she fights and kicks before magic bursts from her, knocking the closest fae down. I rip through two more, but it’s still not enough. I meet her eyes across the clearing, knowing she realises it too.
Her eyes are wide and sad, resigned.
I love—
My words are cut off as the world goes dark.
The first thing I notice is that I am still in my wolf form. I can feel my human form underneath, lurking, waiting, but something is preventing me from reaching it again. Not any injections this time, just pure fucking magic. I crack open my eye and look down to spot a collar on my neck. It’s infused with magic, stopping the shift and controlling me, the spikes on the inside digging into my flesh.
The smell of my blood fills the air.
Alejandra.
I leap to my feet, looking around for my mate, but she isn’t here. I can sense her, she isn’t close, but she doesn’t feel hurt. That’s the only reason I settle enough for my wolf to pace around the cell to look for a way out. The bars on the front pulse with magic to contain me. The space is dark, with only a floating ball of magic above me providing light. There is no bed or toilet, nothing but three walls and a cement floor. The dark of the walls and floor glitters with an inner shine that only the fae possess in their building materials.
I feel no one down here. I must be under the castle, if Alejandra’s memories are anything to go by. I reach for her, but the collar stops me from being able to talk to her. Instead, I can just graze her mind and feel her worry, but also calm. She’s safe for now, but I need to get my ass out of here, find my mate, and get us away from these fae.
She left for a reason. They won’t be happy about that, and after what she told me about the queen and that fuck nut they wanted her to marry—if they touch her, I will murder them all. Turning my head, I gnaw at the collar, but it imbeds deeper. Fuck this. I slam my head into the wall again and again, trying to dislodge it, but the spikes wiggle deeper into my body as if they are alive. Blood drips steadily down my fur, but my rage and worry for my mate blind me to the blood loss.
My fear closes around me, mocking me, reminding me of the last time I was captured and locked away in a cell. But this time, there is a difference—I have something to live for, to fight for, and she is waiting out there for me to get free and save her.
First step, I need to get this fucking collar off.
Just then I hear a jangle and footsteps. I turn and growl at the fae who steps closer to the bars. He’s tall and thin with a very feminine face, and his eyes are filled with hate and contempt. He’s the one from my mate’s memories, the one who hurt her. He eyes me curiously. “I heard they found her with a beast, I almost did not believe it. Tell me, wolf, can you understand me?”