Page 69 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

After Helena tried to stop Riordan, I had questioned the wisdom of helping these fey pick up whatever shattered pieces of theirlives that could be salvaged. Rather than attend Riordan’s first meeting with all the oligarchs of the city-states. A meeting which I was secretly hoping might finally change Riordan’s mind about mating with the witch, even though I knew the likelihood was small.

But it did not take me long to understand the immense value in Riordan’s presence. He took the time to talk to them and understand all the changes that had been made since he was cursed. He wanted to know how their lives had been impacted by his absence.

I finally caught up to him after a few hours of helping the survivors sort through the rubble of their village. Reinforcements arrived, returning the male who had come to warn us and bringing supplies. Then Riordan sent our scouts hunting across the lake, tracking down the Fuath to determine where their lair might be. Discussions were had on what the survivors would do next, which tribe they would seek to join. Riordan sent an emissary ahead to announce their imminent arrival and their circumstances so their people would be ready to receive them.

There was not much else we could do.

My king stood alone watching the handful of survivors set off into the storm that was gathering. They had not allowed us to help them travel.

“This is an enemy I defeated so soundly and so long ago that they should never have been able to resurface. Now they are back because of the incompetence of those who want to tear down everything I built,” he said when I reached his side.

“None of this was your fault. It was the fault of the blood witch who killed your brother and cursed you.”

Riordan stiffened slightly, and I guessed he must know exactly what I was insinuating about witches.

“Jade was a monster to be sure. But this tragedy is the result of greed and bigotry. Nothing more,” he insisted. “Our people failed these fey as their trusted defenders.”

I did not disagree with him, but his response irritated me all the same.

“Riordan, just tell me what it is,” I pleaded with him when I could contain the agitation no longer. “What is it about this witch that captivates you so unconditionally?”

Riordan tensed, his wings drawing defensively closer to his back, but he remained quiet for some time. I could not see his face, but I could feel his frustration with me seeping down the bond.

“I have not told you how I met her,” he recalled.

No, he had not, because I had been rather careful not to encourage him to share about her. But it occurred to me now that if I wanted to drive a wedge between them then I would need to learn.

“Tell me,” I invited him reluctantly, doing my best to swallow the bitterness.

Riordan turned from the retreating fey and checked to ensure that our warriors were still engrossed in preparing to return home. Then he faced me, leaning against the tree behind him and lifting his head in a way that exposed the tall column of his throat. For a moment, I was distracted by the thought of licking him. Of dragging my tongue up his neck and losing myself in the scent that seemed to live under my skin.

“I had been in Uile Breithà for so long, and Jade and her vampire lackeys had been hunting me since I returned to their world. I had to move constantly or they would inevitably catch up to me. She must have been able to track me or otherwise sense my magic,” he mused.

“Probably it is a similar signature to all the magic she took from Adonis,” I pointed out gently, and he nodded.

“One morning, I got tangled in a fishing net left out in the water while trying to hunt. I am still unsure if it was from a careless human or if the vampires put it there to trap me. But I was unable to get free once I hit the water and the netting got stuck in my wings. I thought I would drown. It took every bit of my strength to get to the shore, but I finally managed,” he told me.

I shuddered. Griffins were not fond of water, especially in our animal forms, and the thought of him alone and afraid made a fresh burst of guilt bloom in my chest.

“Even after I reached the bank, I was sure this was the end for me. I still could not get free of the net, Jade would soon catch up, and then I would be dead,” he said with a hint of the resignation he must have felt on that bank. “Then I saw her watching me. Amira,” Riordan clarified, breathing that name with enough reverence to make me want to recoil. “She had a knife in her hand, and I initially feared that she would try to kill me. Even if she was not a minion of Jade, I knew ordinary witches can still make great use of griffin feathers. But I had seen enough violent intentions reflected in the eyes of strangers to know it was not in hers. She just… kept reassuring me of her desire to free me and begged me not to kill her,” he recalled with a fond smile. “I was desperate enough to be free that I let her get near enough to prove herself, and she released me. I flew away, but I was intrigued with her. You may recall that I went to see theenukshaafter I was cursed, and she said that I needed to remain in Uile Breithà. She told me that it would be a witch there who helped me break—”

“And you forgot that it was a witch who cursed you to begin with? I do remember you going to see theenuksha! And I also remember you swearing that you would find another way rather than trust a witch,” I reminded him.

Riordan tilted his head forward to level his golden eyes on me with a solemn frown.

“It was twenty years for you, Orion, but it has been two hundred years for me,” Riordan reminded me firmly. “My anger and rage, all my pride, was crushed long ago beneath the impossible weight of despair and desperation. Had my animal instincts allowed it…”

He stopped and released a shaky breath as he looked away from me in shame.

“What, Riordan?” I demanded, even though I was sure I knew what he meant to say.

“I would have taken my own life so my magic could transfer to Rhea. So she could care for our kingdom.”

I was so horrified by his unexpected admission that I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Not even to remind him of all the reasons why his sister was not a good option for our queen and why he was the only choice for our ruler. Much less tell him that taking his life would have been a death sentence for me too because I simply refused to live in this world without him.

“All I wanted was to get home, and I wanted it so bad that it was worth the risk that she was not what I hoped. She would either free me or kill me, and I was content with either outcome by then. So I stayed near to observe her and allowed her to get close to see what she wanted.”

“And whatdidshe want?” I asked him suspiciously, finally finding my voice.

---