Page 126 of Fate and Flame
The king’s chambers were cold, grey, and unwelcoming. But they were also empty. We poked around the room for several minutes, finding nothing but dust and soiled bed sheets.
“Where else might he be?” I whispered.
“No idea. We could search around, but we will have to be careful about Evin. The moment he detects us, he’ll sound an alarm and we will have to go.”
“Do it,” I ordered.
We spirited throughout the castle seamlessly. It was empty. Not a single guard, not even a servant was left behind. It meant only one of two things: Autus was in hiding, or he was already on the move.
“Take us home,” I said finally after searching for anything that would help us. “There’s nothing here.”
We spirited back to the sitting room. “At least we tried.” Wren reached her hands above her head and yawned.
“Tried what exactly?” a deep and deadly voice asked from behind us.
Together, we turned to find Fenlas and Greeve standing shoulder to shoulder in the doorway. Red faced and chests heaving. His anger rippled through me.
“We tried synchronized skinny dipping.” Wren shrugged. “Turns out the sea was far too cold.”
“With all your weapons?” Fen lifted a brow, not buying it for a second.
“Gaea’s a scaredy-cat,” she said, shoving past the seething males.
I would have laughed if not for their faces. If I didn’t know that, like it or not, I was going to have to tell him.
“Come find us when you get that ragey male shit under control.” Gaea wound her arm around mine and spirited us away.
“That’s not going to help anything,” I said as we stood in a barn filled with hundreds of glass sculptures.
“I’ve spent most of my life cowering within the shadow of an entitled male. I’ll be damned if I’m going to do it for the rest of it. We can make our own decisions.”
“If he left in the middle of the night to do something suicidal, I’d be pissed too.”
She shrugged and walked out. I followed her. There was a small cottage across the yard. She quietly opened the door and snuck inside, her slow steps becoming quick. Her tiptoeing turned frantic, running as she realized the house was empty.“They’re gone.” She sat on the edge of the couch, wringing her hands.
“Who is?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Let’s try to get some sleep. The back room is a guest room if you want it.”
“No, you’re not getting off the hook that easy. I need some more information here, G. I want the story. Your story.”
“There isn’t one.” She didn’t miss a beat as she turned away from me.
“A female who runs always has a story.”
She let out a long breath, plucking a small glass figurine off the end table. “There was a boy. And before the boy, there was a male, and before him, there was another that was like a father to me. And he died, and the world changed. And I tried, Ara. I fucking tried to get over it, but my heart wouldn’t let me. I couldn’t wake up and walk past his bedroom door. I couldn’t eat a meal in silence. I couldn’t breathe. Losing Oleonis broke a part of me. And the male. He was right there. Fighting for me. Waiting for me. But my heart wasn’t ready, and neither was his. I thought if we’d given it time, it would have gotten better. But then his mate showed up. And again, everything changed in heartbeat.”
“I also lost a male that was like a father to me.It never gets easier, but somehow you just learn to deal with it. Every day, every minute. I’m always here if you want to talk, or cry, or be pissed at the world. And as far as the other male—Temir, I’m guessing—it’s okay to let go.”
“You’re far too observant.” She sat back on the couch and wiped a fallen tear. “The thing is, I think I’m happy. I am meant to be with Greeve. The way he makes me feel, his strength, his darkness . . .” She paused, letting her mind wander. “I love him. And I’m terrified. I loved Temir. Even when I didn’t want to, I still did. Because he is such a good soul. But he was also reckless. And I was terrified I was going to lose him. I thought I’d come here, move on, and be safer. And now I’ve found my mate and I’m the reckless one.”
“Okay, stop. First of all, you don’t get to take credit for my brilliant ideas. I own those. All of them. They are mine. You’re the unfortunate best friend. And as far as your past, we all have one and you can’t blame yourself for trying to find happiness. For trying to escape the life of a prisoner, G.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to be the bad guy. To be the one who has to walk away.”
“Oh, so I should have brought snacks for the pity party?”
She threw a pillow at me and smiled. “It’s not funny.”
