Page 67 of Their Trials

Once he had me settled to his satisfaction, he took off at a run, branches slapping us both as the pixies bit him over and over. He was now at their mercy since both his hands were full, ensuring my safety. I could see flashes of the setting sun peeking through the dense foliage as we rushed through the forest, hopefully close to the stream Arryn had mentioned.

A dull roar sounded in the near distance, indicating we were close to the river, the noise gaining in volume as Callum continued to evade the pixies unsuccessfully. Every now and then, he would shrug a shoulder, pinching a pixie between his shoulder and neck to dislodge it. His curses were hissed under his breath, but I still heard them.

I studied his face since it was one of the only things I could do in this state. He really was a gorgeous man, his brows furrowed in concentration and determination, beads of sweat dripping down his face to run across the cords of his neck, which were pronounced from exertion. I wished I could break through his walls, that he would let me in. If anyone could understand him and whatever tragedy had befallen him, it would be me.

“Hold your breath!” he barked down at me, keeping his eyes on the path in front of him.

I did the best I could, startled from my thoughts and fears, confused about his reasoning. Just as I managed to get a deep breath to inflate my chest, I felt us go airborne. The rushing water drowned out all of the other noises as we plummeted into the river.

The ice-cold water sucked what little air I was able to hold from my lungs, the rapids and impact pulling me from Callum’s grip. I found myself at the mercy of the current, which raced me downstream, still paralyzed as I sank deeper into the water.

Just as warm arms closed around my waist again, I felt a sharp crack against the side of my temple, knocking me out. Black encompassed my vision as I succumbed to the inevitable.

Chapter Twenty Nine: Callum

Just as my arms wrapped around Rhowyn’s waist, we both crashed into a rock that was protruding from the water, her small figure taking the brunt of the collision. As I struggled to hold us both above the water as we careened down the river, I saw faint trails of blood.

Fuck. She must have been injured somehow, but I couldn’t spare the time to look, needing all my focus to keep us both alive. I had one purpose here and that was to keep my Chosen alive so she could complete the trials. Our only hope lay with her, and I would give my life to ensure that she succeeded and took the throne.

Several hundred yards ahead of us, the water picked up pace, and the roar of the water grew until I could feel it in my bones. The white caps splashed in the distance, indicating rocks and a waterfall. I needed to get us both to shore now.

If Baer were here with her, he could use the water to get them to shore, but he wasn’t. In fact, I didn’t know where any of the others were. My only thought had been to get Rhowyn away from the pixies and not keeping up with the rest of our party.

None of it mattered anyway if I couldn’t get us both out of this alive. I transferred her weight to one arm and began to swim sideways, kicking and grasping at the water, hoping to pull us against the current fast enough. We wouldn’t survive a tumble over the waterfall.

Slowly, more slower than I wanted, I made progress, the shore growing closer and closer. I pushed even harder, fighting the fatigue in my muscles from the freezing water until finally I pushed through a section of water that was stronger than the rest. Once I forced us through the boundary, the water calmed significantly, a small pool of tranquility among the chaos of the river, hemmed in by two boulders. I dragged us both to shore, where I collapsed, leaning up long enough to ensure that Rhowyn was breathing though unconscious.

My breaths rushed in and out as I lay there, turning my head to ensure the pixies hadn’t followed us. They didn’t like crossing running water, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t if they were starving. Thankfully, there was nothing but the soothing sounds of the forest around us. My eyes drifted to the sky, which was slowly darkening around us. I had no idea where the others were, but I knew we needed to find somewhere to bed down for the night.

I could go on a hunt for them, but with that asshole Raven with them, they were more likely to find us if we stayed put. However, they wouldn’t be able to do anything until morning since the woods were too dangerous to traverse at night.

Sitting up with a groan, I pushed through the exhaustion. I could crash later when we were safe, but for now, there was still much to do. Once on my feet, I leaned over and gathered Rhowyn into my arms, finally noting the still-bleeding wound to her temple where we’d slammed into the rock.

Seeing her in this state was always nerve-wracking, bothering me more than I cared to admit, even to myself. Someone with so much fire and passion and strength should never look this frail. Her skin was pale even in the darkening night.

Head wounds notoriously bled more than what one would think while still being quite minor. I was more concerned with the loss of consciousness and the possibility of a concussion, however, there was nothing I could do to heal her. I hadn’t the faintest idea of how to treat the wounds; everything I knew came from personal experience and with access to salves and ointments we currently didn’t have at our disposal. The bleeding from her head was already slowing, so there wasn’t anything to solve there. I’d have to wait for her to wake and heal herself. Normally, I wouldn’t be so concerned, our fae healing usually kicking in and healing us naturally from such things, but she didn’t have access to her fae healing with the glamor still in place.

I trudged into the forest, the light dimming even more now that we were under the shelter of the trees, as well as the temperature dropping. I called on my magic to increase my body temperature, hoping to warm us both up until I could start a fire. My eyes scanned the area in front of us as they adjusted to the darkness, looking for somewhere secluded and easily defendable.

I kept walking at a slow pace, searching for a cave or hollowed-out tree of some sort. At this point, anything would do since night was quickly approaching. Finally, I spotted a small cliffside, darker in one spot that looked like it might be a cave of some sort. My legs quickened under me as I rushed us to the spot I’d picked out. I’d been right; it was indeed a cave. Carefully, I pushed forward, ducking my head to fit inside the entrance, but as I made my way through, I noticed it was larger than I had initially thought. There was plenty of room for both of us.

Scanning the cave floor, I looked for signs that something had made this cave its home. No fresh tracks or debris jumped out at me. Grateful, I set Rhowyn down carefully along the side of the cave wall, and after checking her over again more closely, I went back out into the woods to collect tinder for a fire. I was running out of time to get us set for the evening.

Bending to grab branches and twigs that had fallen to the ground, I kept an eye out for tracks. Our bags were still on the horses we'd abandoned in our hasty retreat from the pixies, and we'd need food to replenish our use of magic. Rhowyn would need the strength to heal herself when she woke.

Staying busy was something I'd learned to do a long time ago to keep my demons at bay. Refusing to succumb to the thoughts that threatened to drown me, I pushed them back behind walls and kept myself busy enough that when I fell into bed at night, I passed out before they could come creeping out to haunt me. Now that time had passed, the memories themselves weren't so terrifying. But that didn't mean that I didn't still push all my unpleasant thoughts away at the first instance, more so out of habit than a need to protect myself.

Still, thoughts of Rhowyn crept out of the thick walls I'd erected, slipping through the cracks in my mind to hound me until I was forced to face them. I had come around now, seeing the wisdom in backing Rhowyn as our next Queen, but that didn't mean I was ready to take her as a lover.

Yes, I craved her body in a way I had never experienced, but I couldn't allow myself to let her inside in all the ways that truly mattered. And for someone like her, she deserved more than a meaningless fuck. For that reason alone, I was doing my damnedest to keep her at a distance. For all the good that was doing.

There was something magnetic about her, something that called to each of us in a way that was deeper than the bond that we now shared as Consorts and Chosen. She was fire and ice, air and water. She was innocent and naive to our world while also being jaded and guarded in ways she shouldn't be at such an age. She somehow fit all of us as if we had designed the perfect woman and then squeezed them all into one person.

Shaking my head at my thoughts, I caught the scent of a rabbit in the brush ahead. I slowly set my pile of tinder down so as not to startle the creature until I was ready to pounce. I set one foot in front of the other as I crept closer on silent feet. As an Autumn fae that could shift, my senses were even more heightened than normal fae. It also meant that I could move like the predator I was designed to be, my instincts taking over. Once I was close enough, I shot forward and caught the rabbit, breaking its neck in one swift move before it even knew what hit it. It went still in my hand as I tore a length from the bottom of my tunic and tied the rabbit around my waist before making my way back to the abandoned wood.

With both dinner and a fire taken care of, I made my way back to the cave, hoping Rhowyn was awake by now. I ducked my head to enter before setting the supplies down. Rhowyn still wasn’t awake, hadn’t even stirred from the spot I’d left her in.

I checked on her again, my eyes lingering on the curve of her small breasts and the way her hips flared into strong thighs and a thick backside. Her wet clothes clung to her in all the best ways. I never got the chance to just look at her so freely, always trying to hide my desire and interest. Now, I bit back a groan, unable to help myself from thinking about how badly I wanted to dominate her in bed, taking her from behind until she was submissive and compliant in my arms. Instead of allowing those thoughts to continue, I focused on the rise and fall of her chest, the steady and strong beat of her pulse.

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