Page 98 of Lore of the Wilds

She could even see herself and Asher; they stood out on the grounds, looking different from the greenery around them.

She willed her moonlit sight to move farther out, toward the tower. With excitement that almost broke her concentration, she realized she could see it despite the spells around it. The tower was so tall, shouldn’t she have been able to see it from the public gardens? Or was it cloaked from that vantage point like she was? She imagined herself like a floating spirit and she rose up, up, up, until she found a window. The moonlight was weak there though, so she moved away, toward the side of the tower facing the moon, and looked through that window.

There, the abducted women! They all huddled together on the cold stone floor, most of them asleep.

She moved farther up the tower, pushing her sight into a new door, managing to find the children. She spotted Milo snuggled up to Katu, sleeping with his thumb in his mouth.

None of this made sense. What did the dark fae want with humans? Didn’t they already have everything they could ever want?

Then a cold feeling chilled Lore. They didn’t have everything.

They didn’t have many children. The royal family couldn’t even conceive. And what had the merchants’ child said? That the situation was so dire that they were stealing younglings. They must be kidnapping them to raise them.

Sweat broke out across her brow. It was harder to see now. The tower was getting hazier. No, no, no! She needed more power. She pushed herself harder, ignoring the splitting headache growing behind her eyes.

She raced farther up, probing farther into the tower. She found another room, one with more women. This room was much smaller than the last and it had six, no, seven women in it, all around her age. She recognized some of them.

This room was completely different from the first one. Tapestries covered the walls, and a fire flickered in the fireplace on the far wall of the room. Thick rugs lined the floor, and all the women had their own beds. It was a facade of warmth and safety, contradicted by the bars on the window. One woman, nearest the window, was strapped to the iron bed frame by her wrist, proving that this was anything but safe.

Lore wanted to scream.

Withdrawing her sight from the tower, she focused on herself down below. She felt so far away. A stab of terror struck her. She knew at once that this projection was dangerous. If she stayed away from her body for much longer or went any farther, there was a chance she would become disconnected from herself permanently.

She rushed back to herself and gasped in pain. Her nails had bitten into her palms. Her skull felt like it had split in two, so painful was her headache. Every bit of her was tingling all over and heat rushed through her cheeks. For a breath, she felt likeher own body was foreign to her, but she steadied herself, willing herself to be calm.

Or as calm as she could be, given what she had just seen.

“Asher, they’re using the human women to sire children.” Her words came out slurred. She hadn’t realized that casting herself out would cause so many problems. She had been reckless, but what choice did she have?

“What?” Asher’s brown skin paled. He reached out a hand to pull her up. Her knees were weak, and she leaned on him for a moment, pressing her forehead against his shoulder.

“Yes. I’m pretty sure seven of them are with child already.” Lore’s teeth chattered when she spoke. Nausea rolled through her in waves. She was going to be sick.

“We need to get you out of here. All of us need to leave until we can regroup with the rest back in Duskmere. If we tell those who remain, maybe they can—no. We can’t leave them here.”

Tears of anger threatened to spill. Hot rage burned through her like nothing she’d ever known. She couldn’t imagine the violation these women had faced in the last week. The children seemed safe, but for how long, and until what age?

“You are right. We can’t leave them here. You have to break the wards, Lore.”

“I can’t break these wards. I’m not strong enough.”

“You don’t have a choice. What if this is the only chance that we get to save them?” Asher stepped toward her until the moonlight bathed him too, highlighting his antlers and shining on his sharp cheekbones. He slid his long fingers through her curls, gently cupping the back of her head, and pulled her to him. His eyes searched her own a moment before he closed them, pressing his forehead to hers. A deep rumbling sound came from his chest as he inhaled her scent. “Have I ever told you that you smell like the deepest part of the forest? Like frosted cranberries and verbena.”

“No, you haven’t.”

“It’s divine,” he whispered before brushing the softest of kisses against her lips. He pulled her to him and his breath caught in a strangled growl as his tongue swept against her own. He was devouring her, tasting her, his lips insistent.

She opened to him fully, tasting blackberry and honey, relishing the feel of his hard chest against her own. She wound her fingers in his soft, thick curls, moaning into his mouth when he tightened his arms around her. The vines at her feet rose up from the ground, wrapping themselves gently around their legs, like he would tie her to him if he could, so he would never have to know what it was to be apart.

This kiss felt dangerous.

It felt too much like goodbye.

They both knew that going into that tower could be their end.

She broke away, panting. Asher’s eyes were so pained she had to look away lest she lose her courage.

For a moment there, nothing had seemed worth putting what she felt for him at risk.

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