Page 57 of Chaos Tempted

OAKES

Our entourage approaches King Nathaniel’s castle hours after crossing over into the mortal realm.

All three of us have kept a worried eye on Wyn during the ride. I tense at the sight of the castle in the distance, not looking forward to the confrontation that will take place.

I try to pour my love and healing magic into her, but I doubt she has absorbed any of it.

Then suddenly, Wyn gasps and her body jerks violently.

The only thing preventing her from falling off the horse is my firm hold on her.

“What—” She spins her head to take in her surroundings. “What’s happening?”

“Wyn?” I cradle her cheek in my hand so I can turn her to face me and look her in the eye to see if she has indeed returned. “Are you alright?”

The human soldiers and Elven escorts all stop to figure out what the commotion is about.

Wyn doesn’t answer me. Instead, her eyes dart around to see where she is. Confusion paints her face with a crinkled brow.

The Elven guards, knowing that Wyn has not been well, circle around to create a wall of privacy from the humans—a fruitless attempt, but one I appreciate.

Wyn is obviously rattled, and the human soldiers have seen as much. Her sudden mood change confuses the men.

Rhys moves closer, ignoring the Elven guards blocking his way. “Princess?”

Between the space left by the guards, Wyn registers Rhys’s face and then finally looks up at me with the question of what’s happening clear in her eyes.

I send her the answer through our telepathy.“We are in the mortal realm to see the king and princess.”

“How did I get here?”she asks through our connection.

You were under a spell. We thought it best to see if someone here was behind it. But we shouldn’t let these soldiers know what’s happened to you.”

“Oh.” Wyn looks dazed. Her eyes seek Eldrin and Jaden. She reaches out to them, and they each take her hand in turn. “Yes. Of course. I dozed off and didn’t know where I was for a second,” she says to cover her confusion.

Eldrin smiles at her, his relief clear in his expression, and then calls out to Rhys, “Let’s keep moving!”

Our group resumes its fast pace to the castle.

When the attention is off her, Wyn mind-speaks to me again,“How long…”

“Since this morning.”I hug her close to my body, relieved she has found her way out of the spell on her own. I expect her psychic senses are stronger than I originally thought. Perhaps the mind exercises helped.“Do you remember anything?”

“I remembered waking up with Jaden late last night. I had a nightmare about Twyla, then I fell back to sleep and… then… now.”

“What happened?”I prompt.

“I had a nightmare, I guess. It was all my fears. Losing you. And Eldrin. And Jaden. Merlara told me there was to be nothing but war and bloodshed—a never-ending battle—because of me.”

“There is something else,”I ask.“What is it, my treasure?”

Tears well up in her eyes with the overwhelming feeling of rejection and loss of the mate bond. I sense the nightmare still feels real to her—that she fears it’s some kind of warning that we will betray her.

“Wyn?”I ask, bringing her back to our conversation.

“None of you loved me. Eldrin had only brought me to the castle to torture and use me.”

I kiss her temple.“I’m sorry you had to go through that. But remember, it isn’t true. It was just a bad dream.”

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