Page 16 of Lady of the Lost Fae

“You’re welcome,” she grins. “Hurry up and get dressed so we can go out there. I need to see what’s going on.”

Shocked she’s actually going to wait for me, I quickly dress in all-black attire to match Adeena, then we make our way outside.

We’re instantly overwhelmed as we step through the front entrance.

Izan wasn’t wrong when he said a dozen travelers were waiting for us outside. They’re all babbling and confused, asking each other questions none of them seem to have the answers to. It’d be almost comical if this wasn’t happening on my land, at my home.

“I’ve asked the legion to begin setting up the legion camps to hold all these people. There are too many to keep in the castle, and I’m not sure we want all these strangers roaming the castle unsupervised.” Izan eyes Adeena, waiting for her reaction to her plan, which is ironic considering I’m the high lord, but she does have me wrapped around her finger.

What Adeena wants, Adeena gets.

I hold my breath as I watch for her response beside him. I think this is a brilliant plan. We can’t release these people onto my lands, and we have no idea what they’re capable of or what their ulterior motive is.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Adeena agrees.

Thank the gods.

“We can keep an eye on them out here until they get their memory back or we figure out what’s going on with them. They’ll be safe in the camps, and they won’t overrun the inside of the castle. We can run it like a normal legion camp.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Izan says, releasing the breath he was holding. The breath we werebothholding.

“What can we help with?” she asks with more enthusiasm than I would as she steps toward the edge of the stairs.

The sunlight hits her perfectly, and the world seems to fade out around me as I focus on nothing but my beautiful mate standing before me. She’s the most cheerful and passionate person I’ve ever met, and she’s all mine.

Chapter Six

ADEENA

Puffy red eyes stare back at me in the mirror.

I spent half the morning assisting the legion in setting up the legion camp for the lost travelers. We worked quickly, distributing sleeping cots, blankets, and basic hygiene kits as soon as the tents were constructed. Every lost traveler pitched in, carrying their own weight and earning their keep.

They were hard-working and efficient as they worked alongside the legion. It’s hard to tell how old they are because of how fae age, and none of them know the answer anyway. They know their names, and that is the extent of their memory.

I was stopped dead in my tracks when I turned a corner in the middle of the tents. The hygiene kits I’d been carrying fell from my hands as I froze, calling attention my way as they crashed into the ground.

Tears rose to my eyes and a ball closed off my airway, making it nearly impossible to breathe. I stood there in silence and absolute shock as I stared at the man working alongside the legion.

Arden, I thought to myself.

As I was stuck in place, unable to move, I watched the young man distribute blankets to a line of patiently waiting lost fae. Everything about him moved and looked like Arden, my brother.

Pulling myself from the trance I was stuck in, I stumbled as I took a step forward.

The man heard my foot stomp in the grass as I caught myself, and he turned to look at me.

Dread and disappointment tore through me as I made eye contact with him. It wasn’t Arden. How could it have been? He was dead, lost to the Tartarus monarchy too many months ago.

Silver eyes pierced my soul as he walked toward me, once again frozen to where I stood. I couldn’t move as memories of my older brother flooded my memory, taking over every corner of my mind.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he reached for my arm.

I defensively pulled away from his grip. “I’m fine,” I said as I snapped out of shock.

A flood of tears was coming faster than I could control, and I turned to run inside.

And that’s how I ended up here: locked in my bathing chambers, bawling my eyes out as I am overwhelmed with thoughts of my brother.

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