Page 214 of Lana Pecherczyk
“Fucking fantastic.”
“Which way?”
Cloud wouldn’t have left a beast alive if he’d taken the right path, which meant he probably went left. River closed his eyes and reached through his mating bond. Nothing from the right passage, where magic seemed abundant, if not feral. On the left … she was there, faint like a dying ember.
He opened his eyes and scowled into the pipe. A few things didn’t add up. “Your mother can survive being cut from the Well, right?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Cloud survived it.”
“Cloud is…” Ash hesitated. “Different.”
“Yeah. And he knows we’re not.” Bitter laughter escaped River’s throat. “Of course, he’d choose somewhere he thinks we can’t go.”
Bastard.
“River—”
“Your ma is different, too,” he said, cutting him off and pointing into the cold darkness. “My mate is that way.”
Something like fear flickered in Ash’s eyes. “You can’t go in there.”
“Watch me.”
“You don’t understand. It’s not just metal. It’s worse. Nothing lives there. Nothing grows. Even the wind stops at its edge.”
“I’m still going.”
“But—”
“Cloud crossed the wasteland for her.” River’s tone quietened. “He endured pain that would have killed most fae to rescue a woman who became his enemy.”
“And maybe it drove him mad.”
“I don’t care. I’m going after my mate. You take the other passage if you want.”
“She might not be alive?—”
“Don’t you fucking dare say that.” River spun and seized Ash’s throat. “Where is this coming from? This doubt? This fear? You were the one telling me to trust my bond.”
Ash didn’t fight the grip. “I’m just saying … if she is alive?—”
“Of course she’s alive!”
“—prepare yourself for what state she’ll be in. Prepare yourself for what he might be doing to her that requires a place beyond the Well’s reach.”
The notion hit River between his ribs. He released Ash and stepped back.
“I’m not leaving her.” His jaw clenched. “Not like I left him.”
“Likeweleft him,” Ash corrected, expression unreadable. “Stop being a fuck face, taking all the guilt.” Finally, emotion flickered in his eyes. “Webothleft him. The guilt is shared.”
Ash was right. Just because he didn’t reveal his emotions so plainly as River, didn’t mean he felt them less. Usually, there was nothing River loved more than making his brother feel uncomfortable, but this time, it was his discomfort he couldn’t stand.
He looked away and mumbled, “Whatever, princeling. Save your feelings for your journal.”
“Fine.” A soft laugh. “Take all the blame. But in case you’re wrong, I’ll check the other tunnel.”
