Page 89 of Their War

“He's mated to her,” he said simply, as if this was common knowledge.

“We know Brannoc is, but why is Baer also in pain?” Arryn asked, confused.

Jude sighed and spoke again as if speaking to a youngling. “They are both mated to her.”

“How the hell did that happen?” Callum snapped.

At the same time, Arryn asked, “When?”

“I didn't think High Fae could have mates?” Lennox said.

Rhowyn's father stepped forward. “It's possible. Rare, but possible. Usually, it's formed when one High Fae gives their essence to the other and vice versa.”

“But...” Arryn started, realization dawning on all of us.

“When she saved him during the trials,” Lennox hissed out.

“That would be my guess. In her clumsy efforts to heal him, she gave him a part of herself. You didn't know this?” Jude asked.

“No! We had asked you about it, but we never got the answer,” Lennox said.

“Oh. There was quite a bit going on, and it must have slipped my mind. I remember now, but it wasn’t until you were already in the second trial that I stumbled upon the answer. Then you weren’t available for me to explain. I thought you had figured it out by the time I was rescued, so I didn’t bother bringing it up,” Jude explained, chagrined. “You really didn’t know?”

I wasn't sure if he was asking me or the others, my eyes having been squeezed shut as I listened to their conversation in an effort to distract myself from the agony that was coursing through me.

“No,” Arryn said, as I just shook my head, rolling my forehead on the floor, words still escaping me.

Just then, when I thought the pain couldn't get worse, another stronger wave coursed through me. “Shit,” Brannoc gritted out.

“What's going on?” Arryn asked him.

“She's...oh goddess... the pain.” He panted a few breaths, before trying again. “It's getting worse.”

At this point, I could only feel the grief that was coursing through her, the agony as the bond between us strained. Knowing that if I was hurting this badly, her pain had to be worse, I tried to push to my feet, determined to wake her. This time, I didn't care if I risked hurting her more. I couldn't let her continue feeling all of this.

Somehow, I pushed to my feet, panting hard with the effort, nearly stumbling back down and falling on my face as more pain rolled through me. By some means, I managed to put one foot in front of the other, making slow progress toward the hall.

“Baer?” Arryn asked. “Where are you going?” I opened my mouth with a gasp of pain, words still escaping me. Instead, I just shook my head and pushed forward again.

“Stop,” Arryn ordered. When I didn't heed it, he repeated it. “Stop. You can't wake her.”

I shuffled another foot forward, swaying as I forced myself to push through it. “Don't make me stop you. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't let you do this,” Arryn said again, pleading with me, closer now than he had been before.

I continued.

Jude's voice sounded out, a gentle hand touching my arm. “Son, you cannot. Trust in Avalonia. She won't let her be permanently harmed. She needs Rhowyn.”

I wanted to believe him, but how could Avalonia allow such pain to exist? How could she force this on anyone?

Again, I put another foot in front of me, so close to the hallway now. Suddenly, the pain vanished just as quickly as it had come on. The absence of it sent me to my knees again. I heaved in heavy breaths, finally able to breathe fully again, but my fear was only heightened because now, I couldn't feel her at all.

Scrambling to my feet, I lunged for the hall entrance, picking up speed as I dodged the hands of the others as they tried to stop me. A body tackled me from behind, crashing us both to the floor with an oomph. This time, my own pain rang through my body, my face slamming into the hard surface with enough momentum to send stars dancing across my vision.

“Baer, stop!” Callum growled out as I struggled underneath him. If only I could get out of his hold, her door was just two feet away.

Goddess, this fucker was heavy. Callum's weight made it hard to breathe again. I rolled onto my back, using my momentum to send an elbow into his cheekbone with a thunk of bone against bone. Instinctively, he pulled back just enough for me to scramble out from under him. Two large lunges had my hand on the doorknob, twisting it as I allowed my momentum to slam into the wooden surface and crash through.

Inside, I halted, two bodies slamming into my back and sending me stumbling forward. But as I caught my balance, barely staying on my feet, my eyes never left Rhowyn's. She was awake and looking at me now with confusion.

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