Page 57 of Dark Fate

I stop talking as we approach the cave where I last saw Lucian and Meadow. We step in, and the musty cave chill surrounds us, but there's no sign of them.

"Lucian!" My voice echoes off the walls, met only by silence. "Mouse!" Again, just the echo of our own breathing and the steady plink of water from the stalactites meet our ears.

Dani arches an eyebrow at me, a silent question in her gaze. "Mouse?"

I force a half-hearted grin, unease clawing at my chest. "That's my nickname for her—tiny, sneaky, and quick, just like a mouse."

Dani remains quiet, picking up on my growing anxiety.

Closing my eyes, I send out a silent call, probing for my brother with our instinctive connection. I stretch my senses, searching for Lucian. Suddenly, I sense his unmistakable signature coming from directly overhead. Opening my eyes, I meet Dani's probing gaze.

"They're up the mountain," I tell her bluntly.

I study Dani, looking for any sign that she might be balking at the plan, but I see only determination—the same resolve coursing through me. "It looks like we're scaling a mountain," I state plainly.

Her nod is firm as we mentally prepare for what challenges the mountain has in store for us.

Under the full moon's light, we tackle the upward path. I watch Dani as we climb, her movements confident and graceful. The moonlight plays off her figure, dressed in an outfit that accentuates every curve, and my thoughts start to stray.

I force my eyes to look up and meet hers. "You know," I say, pulling back from those dangerous thoughts, "you still haven't filled me in on Axilya."

Dani rolls her eyes at the mention of her name. "She's been helpful," she admits, hoisting herself over a rock. "But I swear, her taste in clothing is designed to torture me."

I arch an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Let's just say her taste in attire for me has been more suited for a burlesque show than battle or diplomacy," Dani says, a note of frustration tingeing her voice but her lips curling in amusement.

"I gotta say, I like the view," I can't help but respond.

She playfully swats my arm. "You would. It's bad enough having Faderyn and Erik gawking without adding you to the mix."

Ignoring the comment about Faderyn, I ask quickly, feeling a sudden flare of possessiveness, "But she's on our side?"

"Yeah, she is," Dani replies. "She believes in what we're fighting for."

The back-and-forth between us is easy, each sentence stitching the space between us back into place. Dani opens up about unicorns, legendary beasts of untamed magic and immense majesty, each color representing a different facet of their power.

Eventually, we crest the mountain, the journey feeling eternal yet fleeting. I call out, "Lucian, you here?"

Lucian drops from a tree branch above, landing with precision.

"Jesus Christ, Lucian!" Dani yelps as she stumbles back into me. "You scared me." She swats his arm.

Lucian grins, aiming his smirk squarely at us. "Who, me? Scary? Never," he quips with mock astonishment, then bursts into a bout of chuckles, clearly amused by Dani's reaction.

"Scare is putting it mildly," she shoots back, her eyes thin slits of mock indignation but the corners of her mouth betraying her, twitching with a smile.

Lucian cocks one eyebrow, his dark brown eyes dancing with impish glee. "Damn, I was going for more of a 'holy shit, I just soiled myself' level of abject terror," he quips, a cocky smirk plastered across his face.

I roll my eyes while Dani scrambles to find her footing again after the shock. "Always the pain in the ass," I toss out with a gruff chuckle.

"And you're always ugly as sin—some things never change," Lucian fires back.

Dani can’t help it; she lets out a laugh despite herself. "You are such a jerk, you know that?" she says, the humor clear in her voice.

Lucian's voice oozes with his signature snark, "So this explains what you chased when you put on your brood-mood face." He shakes his head, amusement lacing his tone. "Should've guessed. But hey, Princess, I'm thrilled he stumbled upon you. Dude was a bee's dick away," he holds up his fingers, barely apart, "from completely losing his marbles."

Dani sighs and looks up at me with worry in her eyes.

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