Page 56 of Oaths & Vengeance
We kissed and touched, watched others, and fucked again and again before finally passing out on the soft grass in a tangle of limbs. I couldn’t have said how much time had passed before a familiar voice broke my slumber.
“Aella.”
I thought for sure I must be dreaming. “Hmm?”
“Aella!” he said, annoyed.
My head jerked up to find Darrow staring down at me where I was lying naked and tangled in Camden’s arms. I scrambled to pull away from my lover and draw my knees up to hide my body. “What…what are you doing here?”
Something dark and possessive lurked in my husband’s gaze, giving me chills.
“Looking for my wife,” he said coldly.
Chapter 26
Darrow
Ineeded to speak with Aella. A wiser man would have sent a sebeska with a message, but I couldn’t help taking advantage of the one night a year when it would be easiest to infiltrate Therress. The spell of solstice night took over everyone except the border sentries. They wouldn’t be a problem either, with the way I planned to reach my wife.
My sister and I had just finished visiting my Aunt Durelle and having dinner. She was long past the age when the celebrations interested her, so she was happy to have us over instead. We chatted and kept her company until nearly midnight. Since she didn’t get many visitors, and I didn’t want to infiltrate Therress until after magic rose to its highest, we didn’t leave right after eating. Instead, we chatted and played cards until she’d had enough of us.
“Are you sure about this?” Faina asked, raising her brows skeptically.
We stood a short distance outside my aunt’s home. Since she lived at the edge of the Sobaryan Mountains, we couldn’t get much closer to Therress from the Veronnian side.
I gave my sister an imperious look because she shouldn’t doubt me after all this time. “We won’t have to fight anyone, and if you do your job, no one will be concerned with us.”
“Yeah, but this is going to drain you, Dare. You’ll be more vulnerable.”
“I can still fight, if necessary,” I said, trying to be patient with her. As twins, we tended to be protective of each other.
Of course, she had no idea that I often used my secret ability for the king’s tasks. She would throw a fit and worry if she found out, and I had pledged to tell no one until matters hit a certain point, but I knew whatI was doing. True, it would drain me most of the way, but I’d planned this out carefully, so I’d have a small measure of power if an unanticipated situation arose.
“Fine.” She took my hand. “But if we get killed, I’m going to be really angry with you.”
I didn’t bother responding to that. Instead, I concentrated on a forest located between the Sobaryan Mountains and the Salmar River in Therress. Gripping Faina’s hand tightly, I pushed my magic to that point. We became weightless for several seconds before our feet touched the ground again. It was a strange sensation to dematerialize and then become whole once more, but I’d grown used to it over the decades. Faina immediately let go of my hand to retch on the ground.
I snorted and turned away from my sister to give her privacy.
A variety of pine trees, along with the occasional mistarr tree, surrounded us. We were a couple of miles from a border village I attacked with the Veronnian army nearly twenty years ago. Since I could only teleport to locations where I’d physically been before—flights with sebeskas not counting—I had to choose a place that would get me more than halfway to Ivory Castle. Now, we would stop for a couple of hours so I could regenerate my powers before I took us the rest of the way.
“Ahhh,” Faina said, straightening. “Now I remember why I’ve never been jealous of your inheriting mother’s gift and not me. That way of traveling is dreadful. You are going to owe me for this, brother.”
I could have gotten myself most of the way if I hadn’t brought her, but I needed my sister’s abilities to put everyone to sleep while I spoke to Aella. The plan was to get there and back without anyone the wiser.
“I already told you I’d owe you a favor,” I said, pulling a canteen from the pack I’d brought and handing it to her.
I’d anticipated her body wouldn’t handle it well. Also, I’d need to eat at breaks during the journey, as using this ability multiple times would take a heavy toll on me. By the time we reached Darynia tomorrow morning, I’d have to sleep for nearly a full day. It was one of the reasons I only used teleporting if I could do it with little chance of being caught. I didn’t likebeing vulnerable or anyone outside of a select group knowing I could do it. Even then, all my contacts had sworn a blood oath to never speak of it.
Faina handed the canteen back to me. “Why can’t you just send a message? You know she’s going to be with Cam tonight, and you do not need to get in the middle of that.”
How could I explain the driving need to see my wife after handing her over to Lord Morgunn less than a week ago? I’d had her in my grasp, but only a shell of her true self. She was still under the sleeping spell when I last saw her. With each day that passed since she’d returned to Therress, the urge to see her and make certain she was doing well grew stronger.
Also, I was still frustrated with the role she played in attacking Parvayn. We’d lost many good, innocent people from that. Catching Aella off guard tonight would be part of her punishment while also informing her of my plans to get revenge on Therress for what they did to Verona.
Faina and I took turns napping during the two hours we waited for my powers to return. A few creatures tried to creep up on us during my watch, but I quickly discouraged them. I was grateful when it was time to get moving again. The longer we sat there, the more my mind turned to what Aella might be doing at that moment with Camden. My overactive imagination didn’t do me any favors, but surely, I didn’t feel jealousy.
I’d never experienced such an emotion in my life. What did I care if she slept with another man? Yet, I found myself disturbed by the thought and wanting to ensure it never happened again.
