Page 70 of Faeheart
Wild’s playfulness vanished instantly, his emerald magic crackling across his skin. “Something that shouldn’t exist? That could be anything from a demonic entity to a corrupted artifact.”
“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Caden murmured, his blue eyes darkening with concern. “They must be desperate if they’re willing to breach the laws of magical containment.”
Atlas pushed away from the counter, his body tensing as if preparing for immediate battle. “How much time do we have?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “The servant didn’t say. But I get the feeling it’s not long. They could be here today.”
The kitchen fell silent as we all processed this information. Through our tetrad bond, I could feel each of their reactions. Wild’s chaotic energy spiked with anticipation, Atlas’s protective instincts flared like a shield around all of us, and Caden’s steady resolve flowed like an underground river.
“Well,” Wild finally said, a dangerous smile curling his lips, “at least we know our trap worked.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” Atlas grunted, though I detected a hint of admiration in his tone.
Caden moved to the window, peering out at the illusory misty seascape surrounding the mansion. “We should prepare. Last night’s... activities... strengthened our bond, but we need to be ready for whatever they’re bringing.”
I nodded, my magic already categorizing potential threats and countermeasures. “The servant seemed genuinely concerned about whatever they’re bringing. And if something worries a being that’s been bound to this mansion for decades, we should take it seriously.” I paused, taking a deep shaky breath. “I don’t want last night to be our… to be our last.”
All three of my bonded mates came to my side without hesitation. Wild was first, his arms wrapped around me so we were pressed skin to skin. Caden worked his way in next, his lips pressed to my neck affectionately. And Atlas was last, surrounding us all with his massive muscular arms.
“It won’t be our last,” Wild said. “That I can promise. We’ll beat the Purity Front, or we’ll escape with our lives. But I’m not letting anything happen to you, Elias. Toanyof you.”
Warm agreement surged through the bond, filling me from head to toe. I felt tears come to my eyes as I felt not just Wild’s love, but Caden and Atlas’s too. I leaned into their touch,savoring the warmth surrounding me from all sides. All I’d ever wanted were friends, a chosen family I could call my own. And here I was with the most perfect men I’d ever met in my life.
My voice was barely a whisper when it finally escaped my lips.
“I love you all.Somuch.”
Chapter 27
Wild
“The servant really had no idea what kind of artifact the Purity Front was bringing?” I asked, flipping through yet another book full of magical enchantments that could be a huge pain in the ass to deal with. “Any clues at all?”
Elias shook his head. “They didn’t know. Only that it was powerful and it shouldn’t be in the Veil.” He gestured at the mansion surrounding us. “Then again, none of this should be in the Veil either. This is a realm only for the dead. For all we know, they could be bringing another house with them.”
I paused in my reading, considering that possibility. The idea of the Purity Front bringing their own sanctuary into the Veil was both brilliant and terrifying. “That actually wouldn’t be the worst idea,” I said, closing the book with a frustrated sigh. “If they brought their own fortress, they could lay siege against us and just wait us out. They’d win eventually if they could block us from getting help.”
“Lovely,” Atlas muttered from where he was examining weapons that had materialized from the mansion’s armory. “A magical fortress versus magical fortress battle. That’s not ominous at all. It’s like a bad Godzilla movie.”
Caden looked up from his own research, amber magic flickering around his fingers as he traced protective ward diagrams in the air. “The real question is how they’re powering whatever they’re bringing. I doubt it's a house, but moving something that powerful into the Veil would require massive amounts of energy. Not to mention powering it up once they got here.”
“Blood magic,” Elias said quietly, his eyes dimming with distaste. “It’s the only way they could generate that kind of power quickly. And we saw what they did last time. They’re not above sacrificing their own to take us out.”
The thought made my stomach turn. How many innocents had they sacrificed to fuel their assault on us? Through our bond, I felt the others’ similar revulsion, our shared anger at the Purity Front’s willingness to murder for their cause.
“Well, wherever the hell my mother’s guards are, they’re taking their sweet time getting here,” I said, standing to stretch my back. We’d been researching for hours, and the floating breakfast platters had long since been replaced by an elaborate lunch spread that none of us had touched.
“Maybe they’re not coming,” Atlas suggested, not looking up from the enchanted blade he was testing. “Maybe your mother decided you’re not worth the political risk.”
I laughed, though there was no humor in it. “It’s been three days, Atlas. I realized after day one that she’s not sending them to rescue me. She’s sending them to clean up the mess. Dead sons tell no tales, and all that.”
The casual way I spoke about my mother’s likely betrayal made Elias flinch through our bond. His parents might be part of the Purity Front, but at least they’d once loved him. Maybe they still did. But mine had always seen me as a political asset at best, a liability at worst.
“Then we prepare for the worst,” Caden said, his gentle voice carrying steel underneath. “No rescue, no backup, just us against whatever they’re bringing.”
“Good thing we’re fucking amazing together,” I grinned, waggling my eyebrows at him.
Despite everything, Caden blushed, his dryad magic sparking with remembered pleasure from the night before. Through our tetrad bond, I felt Atlas’s approval and Elias’s fond exasperation at my inability to be serious for more than five minutes at a time.
