Page 94 of Whisper Woods

It’s not deer-guy that answers. But a vivid green fae with leaves for hair who answers, her voice floating across the room like music. “Your worry for your Tavisher and his ward is endearing. Rafe shall be released soon. As for his ward… Time will tell.”

Well, fuck.

***

Despite my friends receiving their marching orders—because I’m sure as shit not leaving anytime soon—we take our time arranging for them to leave. Unable to resist spending one last night together, we gather in the informal lounge room hidden in the back of the house, feasting on whatever we manage to scrounge up from the kitchens. After the day Sed and Eldrid had, it’s not like we were going to ask them to make it for us.

Come the morning though, everyone is more than keen to make their way back to their real lives and their responsibilities. After a light breakfast—which features those delicious tiny little pastries after they appeared on our doorstep overnight—we make our way to the portal. With a small detour along the way.

Red, Ain, Jeddy, and Brin have agreed to help us. It’s a kind of surreal moment, standing in the hall of Rafe’s home introducing the Tathissian beings to my friends from home. Overwhelming, too. The last week has been fucking crazy and there is so much still in the air that we haven’t spoken about.

Brydon being held prisoner.

The future of Tathys.

The future for Rafe and I.

He was too exhausted to do anything other than lie wrapped up together in bed when we returned last night.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Seldon asks, chewing on his nail. He’s been skittish the past few days, stuck here. He had a big upset a few days ago, about how we’ve left Mauvy and Woodsy in the lurch and is generally panicking. We loved on him as hard as we could, but it was obvious that while, yeah, us being stuck herehasfucked things up for the Black Stump, he was having a delayed reaction to everything that happened on the cliffs.

If anyone is gonna understand that, it’s us. So we gathered up all the blankets and cushions we could find and piled them up in the library to create a nest where we’d stayed all day. Except when I needed to check on Rafe, of course.

“You mean leaving the house or the dragons?” Ain asks, their rough voicerumbling with a laugh, clapping Seldon on the shoulder and pulling him in for a one-armed hug. “Because the answer to both is no.”

A big laugh booms out of him when Seldon’s already pale face turns grey.

Rafe shoots his friend an unappreciative glare, especially when the other Tathissians snicker.

“Don’t be unhelpful, Ain.” Rafe already sounds tired, which worries me more than anything else. I can feel his steady resolve and the fatigue he’s trying to squash. “You will be perfectly safe so long as you follow my advice and stay away from the pups and the males.”

Tor and Roan share doubtful looks but keep their mouths shut, considering how excited Theo and Caelan are. Edith is even more subdued than usual. She has been ever since we got called in for questioning. Though she and Rafe have grown strangely close.

It’s like your mum being best friends with your boyfriend. Weird.

I have a strange pang at the thought of mums. For a moment I wish… I wish this was all something that I could share with my family. Tathys, the dragons. That they weren’t so disconnected from this part of my life.

That the line between pack and family and the rest of my life wasn't so harsh.

I swallow down the hard emotions forming a lump in my throat and feel Rafe’s fingers thread through mine, sealing our hands together. He gives me a squeeze and I look over at him, face pulled into a frown.You okay?He asks wordlessly. I nod, a half smile tugging at my lips and squeeze his hand back. Then I turn to my friends, my smile growing so large it takes over my whole face, my energy building.

“Right, who’s ready to go pat some fucking dragons?”

***

“This is crazy.” Theo’s voice shakes as he strokes Estella’s snout. She’s still the only dragon Rafe trusts enough to allow close to us. He switched to his dragonkin form after we crossed the farmland. The transformation seems to have given him more energy.

Estella snorts in appreciation, her yellow eyes closed, tail flipping lazily behind her, thoroughly enjoying the attention. Everyone is crowded around her giant head, giving her awe-inspired pats. I’m standing back with Rafe, who is keeping a careful eye on the dragons sunning themselves in the scraps of sunshine poking through the heavy clouds.

“She’s like a queen with her adoring public.” I murmur to Rafe, edging closer to stand behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. He leans back with a hum of agreement. It rumbles out in the gruffness of his voice in this form.

“As it should be.” His arms come up to cross over mine, pinning me to him. I rest my chin on his shoulder and watch the scene. I swear if she could roll over for belly scratches, she would. And like, I get it. Belly scratches are theshit. Seriously, one of the top five perks of letting Wolf take over.

Contentment radiates through me. Even though absolutely nothing is okay. The High Eminence woke yesterday while we were being questioned, but everything in Tathys is still in the air. Not that that’s my issue, I guess, but I know it’s weighing on Rafe.

And Brydon is still under watch of the guards at the palace. The last we heard is his father was testifying against him, that he was acting as a willing sacrifice, that he was working secretly with Heylor to seal Tathys off forever. The Orun are poring over the book and all of Brydon’s research, but until they are done, Brydon can’t come home.

Despite it all, for once my anxiety is completely quiet. It would be easy to say that it’s all Rafe. But it’s not. I think… I think that after everything I’ve been through in these past few months I know, for the first time in my life, I know, with absolute certainty, no matter what happens—the good, the bad, the deadly—I don’t have to face it alone.

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