Page 73 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

“It must’ve been summoned from the Faide.” I shiver and cross my arms to keep out the chill that seems to be taking hold deep in my bones. Either that or the adrenaline leaving my system is leaving me a wreck of shaking limbs.

“Who would summon it? Why?” Rowan comes up to us from wherever he was dressing and joins our conversation.

“If I had to guess, I would say it was the same person that sent the Rovern after me,” I tell them, clenching my teeth to keep them from chattering.

“Rovern?” Rowan asks, slightly louder than necessary.

I clear my throat, realizing I forgot to tell them about the attack on me and Finn in the woods. I quickly recap the encounter for them, and they stare at me in disbelief.“Sorry,” I say, feeling foolish once again for not sharing a detail that put everyone in danger tonight.

Rowan looks like he’s about to berate me, but Shepherd steps in before he can get a word out.“It’s fine,” he says, cutting his beta a look.“But who would want you dead enough to continue summoning demons from the Faide?”

I shake my head, wrapping my arms against myself.“I’ve tried to come up with an answer to that question myself for weeks now. The only person I can think of who would want me dead that badly is Selena.”

Lyker and Ekko have joined the conversation at this point, and the pack nods in agreement.“Damn, that’s cold.” Ekko shakes his head.

“Come on,” Shepherd says to all of us, effectively ending the conversation for now.“We can’t stay here tonight. We’ll find another spot to camp.”

We all gather our things and head through the woods to a new campsite, grateful to leave the pile of bones that was once the abominable creature behind.

Once at our new campsite about a mile away, the pack gets a fire going and sets a watch schedule. I lay down by the fire, my body aching and trembling from the events of the evening. Even though I’m exhausted, sleep doesn’t come. The pack must sense my restlessness because Rowan and Shepherd come and lay on either side of me while Ekko and Lyker take the first watch. Their body heat radiates toward me from either side and with it, my body stops shaking. Knowing I’m not alone is enough to relax my mind and body, and sleep soon pulls me under.

But while my body rests, my mind does not. The Mordeka haunts me all night, but in my nightmares, I can’t heal Shepherd, and he dies under my incapable hands.

Chapter Thirty-three

As I stir from sleep the following morning, I feel a body pressed to my back and an arm slung across my stomach, holding me tightly. Still in a daze, I snuggle in further against the warmth behind me and sigh contentedly. The only other time I’ve woken up like this was with Finn, and I smile at the memory of his strong arms around me, his familiar smell. But as I wake further, it’s not Finn’s scent at my back, but someone else’s. My heart sinks slightly before I can remind myself that Iloathehim.

Hatehim.

Despisehim.

Maybe if I tell myself that enough times it will actually be true.

I flutter my eyes open, turning my head to see who’s behind me. Shepherd’s face is only a few inches from mine, his features relaxed with sleep as he breathes deeply. I watch him for a while, contentment rising in my heart for him and the rest of the pack.

And laying here with Shepherd, getting to know him and spending time with him feels good, feels easy. Last night when he was injured, I was genuinely afraid for him, scared of losing my new friend.Although I can’t readily open myself to anyone now, especially not in a romantic sense. I learned my lesson about trusting others too freely, too quickly, with Finn. Regardless of how comfortable I feel around Shepherd, I can’t let my guard down fully.

The alpha stirs behind me, his eyelids fluttering open. His amber eyes lock with mine before he realizes that he’s wrapped around me. He quickly removes his arm from my waist and sits up, clearing his throat.

“Good morning, lovebirds,” Rowan teases as he walks over to us, dropping some plums in our laps for breakfast. Shepherd cuts him a death glare and bites into the juicy fruit without a word. I roll my eyes and head into the woods to relieve myself. When I come back to the campsite, the alpha and beta are talking together quietly, seemingly arguing about something.

“Just drop it!” I catch Shepherd whisper-yelling, and Rowan huffs frustratedly.

Curious about what they were discussing, I raise an eyebrow at Rowan, but he only winks at me. It’s not my business, so I drop it and eat a few plums for breakfast then get Shadow saddled for the day.

We get back onto the main road, carefully avoiding the spot where we were attacked by the Mordeka last night, and make our way further south toward Kelderon. Our day of travel is thankfully uneventful, with no guards from the Winter Kingdom or demons to be found. We all breathe a collective sigh of relief as we check into an inn that evening in the town of Tarnstead.

I smile when I see a card table in the corner of the tap room, and Rowan catches me watching the game unfold there.“You wanna play?” he asks me, bumping my shoulder with his playfully.

“We’ll see.” I shrug, trying to play it cool to lure him into a game or two with me. We all eat dinner together, and I even indulge in a few glasses of wine. Emboldened by the alcohol running through my veins, I saunter over to the card table, Rowan at my heels. We sit down next to each other and pay to play. There are three other males playing, two elves by the looks of them, and one cloaked figure in the corner, his face hidden by the darkness of the room and his hood.

The rest of the pack comes over to watch, and Shepherd stands directly behind my chair, his hands braced on the back of my seat as his fingers brush against my shoulders occasionally. The touch is a comfort; a reminder that he’s here for me, even in leisurely times like tonight.

I’m hit with the sensation of someone knocking on the door of my brain, requesting entry to my thoughts. I follow the feeling, and it leads me to Shepherd’s sound, his mind silently asking to speak with mine. I have no idea how that's possible, but I open the door, forging the connection between our thoughts.Want me to tell you what cards Row has?

I choke back a laugh.You take me for a cheater, Shep?

Not really.He says in my mind, and I look up at him to find him smirking slightly as he watches the game unfolding on the table.But Row bet me he could beat you, and I put money on you.

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