Page 136 of A Trial of Fate

“What is it?” The sound of flapping wings encroaching from behind me. The rapid beating paired with a snarl and sharp pang of talons opening to grab their intended prey.

I didn’t even have time to breathe.

In a silver flash, Daxton materialized behind me, shoving me aside and standing in my place. He stretched out his arms and shielded me from talons that shredded into his back before embedding deep into the flesh of his shoulders. The winged creature screeched a high-pitched cry and with one beat of its wings carried him off into the darkness, toward the land infested by the wilt.

“Daxton!” I screamed into the night.

My animal roared inside me, urging me to follow him and not stop until he was safely back in my arms. Crimson blood stained the ground around me, and I knew it was Daxton’s. He was gravely wounded, and since his powers were drained from the queen and passing through the veil… Gods, no.

“Daxton!” I roared again as I pushed myself up onto my feet. “Daxton!”

I didn’t hesitate as I took off at a sprint. Blindly following Daxton and the winged creature from the ground as they soared through the sky. I didn’t care what had captured him. All I knew was that I was going to get him back.

Castor managed to catch up to me even with his injured leg. I was about to argue with him, but I stopped when I saw the same decision echoed in his expression. There was no other option. We were going into the wilt. And we were going to rescue Daxton.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“It’s a fucking harpy,” Castor cursed between pants of breath, with a slight unbalanced sway to his stride. I offered to heal him, but he refused, insisting it was not worth the time or energy.

I could tell his injury bothered him more than he let on. Otherwise, he would be a good three lengths ahead of me. “A what?” I exclaimed.

“A half-fae-creature that is thriving in the wilt. It hunts with the hounds. Typically, one of them oversees a troop of garmr. Gods. Above,” he swore. “We knew better. We should have anticipated one of them lurking nearby in the sky.”

“Forget about what should have happened and focus on what we need to do now!” I was screaming at him even though I knew I didn’t need to. But I was scared. Watching Daxton being taken away like that awakened a very primal instinct inside of me that I didn’t expect to feel. It was like Daxton was pack and threatening him was a direct threat to me.

“What is the harpy doing? Where would she take him?”

Castor suddenly skidded to a stop and reached to grab my arm. “You… You should stay behind. Dax will skin me alive if anything happens to you.”

“He has to be alive for that to happen,” I snapped as I glared at him and shook my arm free. “I am going with you. Andweare going to find Daxton. You can’t do or say anything to stop me from going after him, Castor.” I dared him to try and buck against this. I was even willing to ask my animal to help tap into that command magic I had used on him in the past.

“Daxton can handle this. Once she drops him, he will kill her, and then—”

“I’m coming with you!” I yelled, interrupting him.

Castor gave me a firm glare, pursing his lips together into a thin line. “Skylar, I have personally witnessed my brother annihilate and tear through his enemies regardless of injuries acquired in a battle or his powers drained. Harpies, humans, shifters, and even fae—anything that stands in his path is dead. Shit, I have even seen him killsomeone with a gods-damned butter knife at brunch.”

“I. Am. Coming. With. You.”

He pursed his lips again, twin lines forming between his brows as he met my stare. “Fuck. Fine.” Castor turned and looked up into the sky. He analyzed our surroundings and plotted the best route through the forest and into the wilt. “This way… you better not die or get hurt. Daxton will bury me where I stand if that happens,” he snarled with a menacing tone, gesturing toward the southeast. I knew he hated the fact that I was coming along, but nothing was going to keep me from finding Daxton.

In a flash, I sped off in the direction Castor pointed, with him only a few steps behind me. To be honest, I knew where I needed to go to find Dax. I didn’t need Castor to tell me the way. Something pulled at my chest, guiding me.

I will find you. We will always find each other.His words flashed in my mind, and I wondered if it wasn’t all just for show.

“Damn you, Daxton,” I swore under my breath. “You had better be alive when we find you.”

We crashed through the thick, overgrown trees, slowly making our way through the forest until it began to thin and fade away. We stopped at the edge of a clearing where a distinct line was drawn in the dirt. On one side, where we stood, was life, green grass with the sweet smell of open, clean air. Looking across to the other, it was the polar opposite. It was one thing to see the wilt from a safe distance from the deck of theOpaland another to be inches away from stepping into its border. Death was only one word to describe the feeling from the wilted side. The smell of sulfur was strong in the air, along with the overwhelming feeling of unease. This place felt wrong. Unnatural in every way possible. Shadows lurked around corners of dead fallen trees like they were awake and searching for the next victim to swallow whole. There was no light, no life in this place. There was only… death.

This was a place that embodied destruction and decay. Materialized and manipulated into shadows and broken dreams of fear that paralyzed you from within. Fear gripped my chest, but I couldn’t give in to its crippling grasp. Daxton was in there. My animal surged up inside my center, causing me to fold over and clutch at my heart, which seemed like it was on the verge of exploding.

“Skylar?” Castor was at my side in an instant, looking me over for any sign of visible injury.

I waved him away. “I’m fine.”

“Bullshit,” he sneered, glaring at me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

I whipped my head around and knew my amber eyes were blazing with power pumping from my animal. We would not shift while the mark was on our arm to complete the trials, but it would not stop her from fueling me with the strength I needed. And right now, I needed every drop of it to rescue Daxton. “Yes.”

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