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I growled, the sound building low in my chest and erupting from me before I could stop it. "He would have died by my hand, and you let him escape!"

She didn't flinch away from my anger, and I thought perhaps she had more in common with Ruya than her pretty hair and eyes. "My life and my daughter are more important than your assassination plans!" she bit out.

But I was done listening. Fear. Confusion. Pain.

A harsh caw reached my ears as the intense feelings pulsed down my connection to Ruya and Yukio. Cicely had lost every last bit of his sense of self-preservation as he dared to tug at my arm, his green eyes panicked.

He was bonded to Ruya too. Though he wasn't an alpha, he was her mate. He had shared mind-speak with her, had spent countless hours in her dreams. No doubt he felt her terror as well.

Odin fluttered into the room and alighted on my shoulder, his caws deafening, his sharp beak pecking at me and yanking on my hair.

"Fuck," Sanka muttered, turning and heading toward the door.

I shoved down the impulse to shift to dragon and fly to my mates. To protect them from whatever was causing this fear. "Sanka!" I snapped, halting his rush toward the door. "Do not run out there half-cocked."

I strode over and grasped the spelled chain that held the banshee in her prison. Calling on my own magic, and my dragon strength, I formed claws once more and sliced through the chain like a hot knife through butter. The magic in it flared up, but though it might hold a banshee, it was no match for a dragon's innate power. The emperor had probably used my own magic to craft the damned thing, after all. Which just made it that much easier for me to break.

The chain split, leaving a length dangling from around the banshee's throat. I gripped the trailing end and gave it a little yank, glaring down into the stranger's eyes in warning. "Betray us, and I will kill you. I don't care who you are."

She swallowed hard and nodded, her hands coming up to cover the chain that threatened to restrict her breathing. I stared at her a moment longer before releasing her.

I loathed unknowns. Any bit of doubt about a person, place, or thing increased the likelihood that something would go wrong. And I had already erred by rushing into this attack without better planning. But if Ruya didn't want me killing strangers, then I highly doubted she'd be too fond of me killing her mother.

Turning, I dashed up the stairs, the others hot on my heels. Moments before, I had been consumed by thoughts of my missing power and my need for revenge. But all I could think about now was my true mate, and how I longed to gut whoever had just threatened her.

I was losing my grip. All of my carefully cultivated calm scheming was falling apart. I never should have allowed her to come with us.

And then, my sense of her diminished to almost nothing, as if she had been suddenly torn away from me.

Ruya! Ruya! Her name echoed in my mind over and over again, my fangs parting my lips as I lost control of my shift. Find our mate! Now!

Chapter 10

Ruya

Iclasped Yukio's gloved hand tightly in mine as we walked through the chilly forest. A lifeline to keep me from getting lost or stumbling and hurting myself. I didn't often spend much time thinking about my blindness. It was just a part of who I was. I was used to it. For most of my life, I had been sheltered, locked away in the cult's tower in their secret pocket world. My entire world had consisted of my bedroom, bathroom, and the bit of the hallway I experienced on the rare occasions when The Mother dragged me out to a bigger room for some ceremony or show of magic. I had always been guarded, at least two people nearby who would keep me from harming myself in any way. They were careful to maintain The Coven of the Triple Moon's prized asset. I was contained, and my needs seen to by others. So, my blindness was never really a barrier.

Now, my world was so much larger. The world, and the possibilities for my future, stretched out around me in what sometimes felt like an endless space. It was exhilarating. Mostly. But at times like this, I was keenly aware of that vastness. And of all the dangers it held for someone like me. Someone who couldn't see what was coming. Who was terrible at self-defense, despite Martina's best efforts to teach me. I had no great defensive magic. And I had very limited experience with the people and places around me, little context to draw from when I found myself in strange situations. Which seemed to happen all the time now.

As I walked along in the endless woods, trying not to trip over branches and underbrush or run into trees, very aware of the fact that there were probably invisible wild fae eyes on us, watching our every move, trying to decide if we were a threat… I realized that my affection for Yuki ran deeper than I had really acknowledged before. Yes, his exterior was a frosty barrier meant to keep anyone from getting too close. But I had long since learned to pay more attention to his actions than his words.

He held my hand just as tightly as I held his. He murmured cautions to me now and then, and guided me around obstacles with more patience than he ever showed for anyone or anything in his life. Back home, at The Fox, he was constantly cooking for me, making little treats that he knew I would enjoy. He also stood up for me with the others, advocating for them to give me space, or to curb their behavior where I was concerned. He paid attention. He knew when I was about to lose my patience with some of our more… eager court members. And there was always this little thrum of awareness between us. My magic and my soul reacting to his. He thought I was oblivious. That he hid it well under his gruff, grumpy words. But I knew he felt it too.

"What nonsense is that silly head of yours creating now?" my fae companion said into the cold air, his hand giving mine a little squeeze as if to rouse me from my daydreams.

I turned my head slightly toward him and smiled softly, trying to sound cagey. As if I actually was dreaming up mischief. "Who, me?"

He scoffed and tugged on my hand, pulling me to the side. "Rock," he explained. Then he resumed his prodding. "Your face went all disgusting and dreamy there for a moment. I was concerned you might be ill."

I huffed a laugh and leaned toward him, awkwardly bumping our shoulders together as we walked. "I was just thinking how sweet you are," I teased. "And there you go proving it with your honeyed words."

He didn't reply. But I imagined his expression was unimpressed.

I had been doing that a lot lately. Imagining what people's faces looked like. It was all Cicely's fault. I had a limited bank of visuals to draw from. But my sweet faun had gifted me with the ability to see not only his own face, but Dusek's as well. And now I was curious. Was everyone in the rebel court as beautiful as I thought they must be?

"There," Yukio said in a mock frustrated tone. "That look right there. You appear to have intestinal cramps."

"Yuki!" I gasped in joking outrage. "Don't be disgusting. My intestines are just fine."

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