Page 87 of Lore of the Wilds

“I might have, um—kissed someone.” Lore’s cheeks heated, and her stomach tightened at the memory of Asher’s lips.

Grey sat up, leaned his back against the headboard, and pulled an embroidered pillow to his chest. “You’re going to tell me all about this, aren’t you?” He waggled his brows. “How I’ve missed your dramatic romantic endeavors! Better than any romance novel.” Lore inwardly grimaced.If only.Even though Grey wasn’t interested in a relationship himself, he’d always rooted for her amorous attempts.

Grey’s teasing reminded her of past lovers’ fumbling kisses. Of boys’ clumsy fingers, and youthful territorial demands, as if allowing them to touch her meant they now owned her.

“Yes, I am. In insufferable detail.” Lore looked around at the wallpapered walls and lingered on the closed door. Finndryl was in hisroom just across the hall.

Could he hear them? She was sure he could.

“You weren’t kidding about having a lot to tell me.” Eyebrow raised, he looked amused, but she could also see he was a little freaked. If Lore had kissed someone after leaving Duskmere, there was no way that person was human, and that in and of itself meant things would be complicated.

Lore lowered her voice, and in hushed tones told him all about Asher. She waited with bated breath, afraid of what Grey would say. Would he tell her she’d been stupid for allowing a fae to squirrel his way into her heart? That kissing him would only make it harder when they ultimately returned to Duskmere? That she was a terrible person for allowing herself to be so distracted when Duskmere was in the state it was in? All of these thoughts that had swirled through Lore’s mind would hurt a hundred times more if spoken out loud by him.

“Youwouldfall for the enemy,” Grey said through a grin.

Relieved, Lore playfully pushed him. “He’s not the enemy. He’s why I’m alive, to be honest. And when you meet him, you’ll see why I just can’t seem to stop myself from kissing him.”

“I will, huh?”

“Yup. Now tell me, what news of home do you have?”

Grey’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he spoke her name—or tried to, but his voice broke. He cleared his throat, trying again. “Lore, there is something I have to tell you, but I don’t know how to say it. You asked me earlier why I left Duskmere. Before this morning, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. It’s like Queen Riella’s wine stopped the words. But they’ve finally come back this morning. I don’t even want to tell you this because you’ve lost so much already but—” He reached out and grabbed her hands again, squeezing.

Lore pulled in a breath, steeling her stomach. She was used to bad news, but she was never ready. She could never be ready for it.

“Our people have been taken. So many of them. And Aunty Eshe... Aunty Eshe was hurt badly protecting Kyon and Milo. I don’t know if she made it. Our elders tried protecting those they took, but the sentries were merciless. There was so much blood.” Grey paused, letting this sink in. He continued. “We think they’re being held at Wyndlin Castle. The fae wore the black and gold of Alytheria, and their sentries aided in the roundup. Iwas able to escape, so I came to find you, knowing you spent time there. I hoped you’d have enough knowledge of the castle to help us rescue them.”

Lore’s face crumpled, and hot tears burned her eyes. She bent in half, pushing her face into her hands. Agony like she’d never known burned through her entire body. It was one thing to lose a loved one—she’d lost the two most important people in her life by the time she was nine. But it was another thing to have everything she’d ever known taken away. And the uncertainty of where her people were—the thought of what horrors they must be going through—left her shattered.

She couldn’t stomach it. How was she supposed to get through thenotknowing?

Were they being hurt right now? Who was taking care of the other kids? Were they with Uncle Salim? Her heart broke again, thinking of the pain he must have felt when he saw his partner hurt. A soft sob escaped into her hands.

Eshe and Salim Okorofor had a love story out of a storybook. They’d been together since they were fifteen. Unable to have their own kids, they’d taken in every child who didn’t have a home. They provided them with safety, food, clothes, and, more importantly, a family.

The dark fae had come in and taken everything from her. It was one thing to hurt her—but to hurt those she loved? She wouldn’t stand for it.

Lore allowed herself one more moment to cry—allowed herself one more deep wave of grief to rack her body with sobs.

And then she stilled. Drying her face with her hands and pushing her damp hair away from her eyes, she looked at Grey, whose own eyes were bloodshot.

“We must leave tonight. How many were taken?”

Grey nodded, relief showing on his face. He’d come to find her because he’d known she would take action. She’d always beenthe leader in their duo, and he would follow her to the ends of the earth.

Hehadfollowed her to the ends of the earth. After all, here he was, sitting in front of her.

“Thirty, I think.”

How were they going to get so many out of a spelled and fortified castle? They would need help. She thought for a moment of Finndryl and Gryph, but there was no way she could ask them to risk their lives. She was already the reason Isla was in danger.

Still, the thought of never seeing Finn again made her ill.

And Asher... who knew where he even was? She thought he would want to help, but she had no way of finding out where he was. Her locator spells had barely been able to let her know he was still alive. Grey and Lore were an entire kingdom away from him and Isla. And more importantly, could they make it there without being captured?

She would have to try.

She wanted Aunty Eshe to be safe and unhurt, and for her people to be settled somewhere new, far away from the dark fae and everyone who wanted nothing more than to see them harmed. She wanted every single person from Duskmere to be returned to their families unharmed. She wanted Grey to be there, safe, whole, and surrounded by his family.

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