Page 66 of Unraveled
“You two formed a powerful bond... Was that after the Hunt? Or during it? How did you convince her to stay?”
“The spirit is a gluttonous being. I just told her she could eat as many deer and geese as she wanted. Even an occasional human. She gladly stayed after that.”
My brows shoot up, and horror swarms through my body.
“Close your mouth, Monster. I’m just playing with you.” His chuckle begins as a slow roll, and deepens into a full belly laugh that breaks the gentle songs of the crickets below, and the hissing of the lunargyres that remain in the courtyard.
I hit the side of his arm with the back of my hand. “It’s not funny.” But there’s hardly any heat in my words. Whatever shock and anger I felt before dissipates like sugar in water. I’m just getting used to his teasing moods, and I really like the way he laughs. I’m so fucked.
I should probably go back inside. It would be the sensible thing to do.
I run my hands over my skirt, smoothing any wrinkles. Afraid if I change positions or make too much noise, he’ll stop smiling.
“She loves to eat deer, and it was the last thing I tried to bargain with that night. I was desperate, because she is extremely powerful. The Hellions, which is the type of spirit she is, are rarely seen roaming the mortal realms. But I think in the end, she wanted to be free. To live in our world. It’s brighter here, and she loves the sunlight.”
I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. My cheeks hurt from smiling, and my heart feels strangely large as I imagine Naheli running through the forest as rays of sunlight pierce the thick canopy.
I love that he’s sharing little details of his life with me. Even though a hybrid cursed him and his kingdom. Even though I’m part of the race that’s to blame for what happened here. I wasn’t part of the atrocities my people committed against his, just like he wasn’t responsible for what the old fae did to the hybrids.
We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I’m still a hybrid. And he’s still the king of the unseelie.
I’m woman enough to admit to myself that I like him. For better or for worse, he has become the one constant that I look forward to every day.
“And what do you get once you bond with a spirit?”
“My powers are exponentially amplified, and I can do things most fae can only dream of. Of course, now that I have to keep the kingdom’s enemies from reaching the castle and the few people that remain conscious, we’re both exhausted.”
“What prevents other fae from bonding with a spirit and taking over the throne?”
“Oh, they’ve tried. But my bloodline possesses a magical trait that makes the bond possible. They call us the soul weavers. Whatever that means...” Rough laughter escapes his lips. Unlike the true, beautiful sound of before, this one is raw with pain. “When I was young, after I made the prophecy, I prayed a long-lost relative would come and usurp my father’s throne so I didn’t have to inherit a cursed land.”
“Is that why Nera’s prophecy sends her to the seelie kingdom? Because she can bond to a spirit that might save them?”
Ash’s brows lift and he stares at me, jaw open for a moment before he can school his features. “You are intuitive, Monster, Igive you that. And I assume that’s the case, though the prophecy didn’t reveal those details to me.”
I mull over everything he’s sharing and enjoy the breeze that hits my skin. It smells like a storm is brewing in the distance. Then my world comes to a halt. I turn sharply to Ash. “You’re Nera’s soothsayer?”
“Of course I am.” He sounds annoyed, though I’m not sure if it’s more with himself or me. “There’s one soothsayer born from five thousand fae. Only two recorded in the last three centuries.”
“I just didn’t imagine you were the one.” I wring my hands as I debate what to do with myself.
Ash’s expression sours as he drags his palm over Naheli’s fur and stars dance around his fingers. “Not a day goes by that I don’t regret telling my father that Nera’s mate is Sylas of the seelie realm. That prick is not the man I want for my sister, not even if their union could save their kingdom.”
“Mates?” I almost laugh, but clear my throat before a sound escapes. I’m too much of a cynic to believe anything of the sort, but then again, I’m speaking to a soothsayer in the flesh.
Perhaps it’s time to open my mind to new possibilities—even if they sound ridiculous.
“Fated mates. There’s a difference.” Ash’s expression is unreadable as he meet my gaze. “Hasn’t one of the stolen books told you about them?”
There’s a bite to his tone, but there’s also hunger hidden in the way he looks at me. I must be imagining things again. My cheeks heat, and I don’t know if it’s from desire or frustration at myself. It takes all my willpower to remain seated. To learn more about the enigma of this world, of him.
The longer I spend with Ash, the more I understand he pushes away anyone that’s still coherent enough to want to stay close to him. I have a feeling he’s drowning in guilt. Perhaps he even feels he deserves this.
“They haven’t.” I lean back against the wall. Some roses beside me are still black, and they hum with small whispers, beckoning me to touch. “What is it... a mate, I mean? That’s not something we have.”
Silence descends upon us for a long time. And I don’t know if he’s going to answer my question, or speak at all. Am I being dismissed, and I’m just too stubborn to accept it?
“A fae takes a mate, much like a human takes a partner. Fated mates are different. The gods write their relationships in the stars. An unbreakable bond that can alter the world.”
