Page 193 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

Most fey could easily create a portal about the size of themself, but such a small doorway would take far too long to bring all the Spring Court fey through. It took considerable power to hold a portal open, even more so the bigger it was, but my mate found it effortless.

So once the kelpie established the link, he took over and widened the portal until it was easily the size of a bus. The rippling surface grew tighter until it was so thin that it was almost transparent. The scent of mud and brackish water, along with a hint of the fragrance of lily pads, was almost overpowering, and I saw Andromeda grimace.

Despite the boggy smell, I could not help wandering a little closer when the Spring Court became visible on the other side. It looked very much like the eerily beautiful, flowering marshland of the Spring Quadrant around us.

I saw a vast sea of fey waiting to cross into the Vale. Most were kelpies, their faces grim and determined, their meager belongings slung over their shoulders and infants clenched tight. There were thousands of them.

Several kelpie knights came through first with their hands gripping pikes with barbed spears. They appeared cautious until Clodagh stepped forward to direct them.

Soon there was a steady stream of fey coming through the portal and walking through the gate into the settlement that Riordan had made for them. The Spring King came finally, surrounded by guards, and I was relieved that he was bound by a blood contract when his magic flooded my senses. Fey might be able to lie, unlike in so many of the fairy tales, but they were bound by blood oaths.

I was sure that the woman beside him had to be his daughter, Aisling, that he’d tried to pawn off on Riordan. And, unfortunately, she really wasbeautifulwith her long, damp hair that was an astonishing colour of periwinkle and her fair, almost seafoam-tinted skin. I couldn’t see the colour of her eyes from so far away, but they were pale, and she was slim and graceful as she bowed to Riordan.

I had no idea how such an ethereal creature had come from one such as King Balor, but she looked like royalty. Someone who would have belonged at my mate’s side.

Riordan sent me a memory of how I looked the night before from between my own thighs while I was coming on his tongue, and I gasped aloud.

You are the most beautiful creature I have ever known. Would you not agree?

My cheeks were flushed as I darted my eyes to him, but he didn’t even look at me, although there was a smirk on his face as if he knew I was looking at him. He sent another image, this one from behind me when he had me pinned down on the mattress, and I gave another choked gasp that had Sofia glancing at me worriedly.

Point made,I assured him, and I felt him relent.

Andromeda lost interest in the proceedings once she met Balor, and she stopped pestering Riordan in favour of returning to the Metropolis. I thought she looked rather proud of herself for having made the effort.

Interestingly, Castor remained. I had almost forgotten about him because he hung back and didn’t make himself the centre of attention the way Andromeda had. He was watching the fey, Balor in particular, but also Aisling who attempted to engage Riordan in a private conversation.

Thankfully, she seemed to take note of his disinterest quickly, and unlike Balor, she respected it enough to just move along. I suspected her father must have actually put her up to it because Balor seemed disappointed after she politely excused herself.

It had been hours, and the afternoon sun was high in the sky when I felt Orion approaching with a shiver of awareness that warmed my skin. I had always been hyper aware of him whenever he was close to me, but it felt like I might be becoming even more sensitive to him.

Riordan was my mate, thanks to the Dowrra bond that I’d evidently created with him, and his griffin link to me. In that way, we were double bonded. Typically Dowrra only ever had one mate, but if they inherited traits from their mate, and I now had the griffin ability to form bonds with my mate’sskiá…

Did it mean Orion wasalsomy actual mate or was the attraction between us just a product of his connection to Riordan? Did it even matter if I felt… like this?

I glanced up at him as he leaned against the tree beside me with his usual solemnity, but I thought he was also hesitant which made him appear slightly vulnerable.

He had seemed ready to begin exploring a relationship after our kiss. At least I had thought so. But I was pretty sure Balor’s revelations about me as a Dowrra might have shaken him pretty badly. Especially what the Spring King told them aboutmy ability to command my mate’s will. That was what he had seemed most uneasy about.

Which, considering his past, I understoodcompletely. But I was pretty sure Balor was referring to the ability of Dowrra to command the fidelity of her mate. They did not possess any compulsion powers of which I was aware.

But I was not sure how to reassure Orion of that when we had not really established what was between us. So I tried to be patient with him. Despite my growing curiosity for him, I did not want to put too much pressure on him.

“You can return to the Metropolis. I know you have a lot to catch up on with the relief program now that this is finally done,” Orion acknowledged. He indicated Riordan who stood with Balor and Clodagh to oversee the portal with a forward tilt of his head. “I’ll watch over him.”

“It’s alright. I will start it tomorrow,” I reassured him, but he stayed there. His wings shuffled in discomfort.

“You… look tired,” he admitted reluctantly.

I barked out a laugh, equal parts offended and amused by his honesty. Although I refrained from telling him the main reason I was always so damned tired was that his belovedskiákept me up most nights.

Something for which he probably could have been providing me with some backup.

I had no idea if all griffins had such an insane libido or if Riordan was just getting centuries of celibacy out of his system, but regardless, it was hard on my mortal body.

The silence went on for many moments, and I saw his tail beginning to move faster with his growing agitation. Sofia eventually decided to give us space, as if she knew we may need privacy, and Orion seemed to relax.

“I never thanked you,” he told me finally, and I was so relieved to hear it. I had been so nervous he would revert to pushing me away after learning what I was.

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