Page 67 of Bound to the Orc King

No matter how much Lukendevener thinks I’m being unfair to him, my cousin has far stronger feelings on the matter. He hasn’t forgiven the dragon for putting Naomi in danger.

“Good point.” She nods.

My guards are ready, each carrying their saddles and bags and one of the packs of meat. Naomi takes them one by one.

Then she takes Rune and Shadow, both carrying the bulk of the venison, since they have no other belongings.

Lukendevener stalks back out of the trees and stands, arms crossed over his chest, his clawed foot tapping against the ground.

Naomi pops into being in front of us, and I place a hand on May’s shoulder. “Go ahead.”

My bride spins in place, taking one last look at the waterfall, which is lit once again by the pink mushrooms. “I’m going to miss this place.”

“I can bring you back, if you want,” Naomi says. “Once all this goddess stuff is done.”

“I’d like that.” May offers her a soft smile, then cranes her neck to look back at the woods. “Where are the pixies? I wanted to say goodbye.”

“I bet they’re halfway to Moon Blade Village by now,” Naomi says. “They want to live where Pizza is.”

“How can they get there that quickly?” May asks. “Isn’t it weeks away?”

“Pixies, like many fae, have secret ways to travel quickly,” I say. “We don’t know exactly how they do it.”

“I’m glad I’ll get to see them again.” My bride reaches for her friend’s hand.

Then they’re gone, and I take a moment to also look at this lovely glen. I will never forget this magical place, which offered us sanctuary and where I first tasted my bride.

Naomi returns, and I adjust the saddle on my shoulder and nod. In a blink, I stand at the edge of a meadow. My guards already have a bonfire going, the light reflecting off the pale shapes of grazing unicorns in the distance, making them seem like spectral horses.

“Starfall?” I call out. “Lukendevener has returned from Avalon.”

Her answering snort echoes through the air, and I huff in amusement as she trots toward me, the rest of the unicorns following.

My eyes search for May, finding her with the others at the fire.

Sheevora stalks toward me. “Where’s Lukendevener?”

Naomi takes that as her cue and disappears, reappearing only a few seconds later, the other dragon with her.

“Sheevora the Magnificent, I am returned to you.” He steps forward and bows. When he straightens, firelight limns his features, outlining how grim they’ve become, his handsome facea series of hard angles. I know before he says another word that it can’t be good news.

“It’s even worse than we feared.”

Fuck. Sometimes I hate being right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

May

“There is no help to be found in Avalon,” Luke says as he steps closer to where we all wait by the bonfire. “No pockets of resistance ready to rise up and harry the dark fae within their own lands.”

“This was your plan?” Aldronn stares at Sheevora, his jaw hard.

“Do you have a better one?” She lifts an imperious eyebrow. Okay, so maybe that’s a dragon thing instead of a Luke thing. “If we could instigate unrest within Avalon, it would keep at least some of the Dark God’s shadow fae too busy to invade here.”

Luke turns to look at Wranth, who stands on the other side of the fire. “From everything I learned, King Strakk and Queen Belva offered the last true resistance. When your parents and their forces fell twenty-five years ago, there was no one left to rise in their place.”

Wranth’s expression goes carefully distant, not even a familiar frown in place.

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