Page 24 of Lady of the Lost Fae

I don’t hesitate as I turn away from her, running back down the maze of halls back to my bed chambers. The marble feels cold with each barefoot step I take, and my feet slap against the floor, echoing down the hallway. It’s a sound that’ll haunt me forever if Dreyden isn’t okay.

* * *

We’ve been searchingfor Dreyden for hours with zero luck. There’s no sign of him ever returning from Tartarus. He never sent word to tell us he wasn’t coming back tonight, and that’s what scares me most.

The legion has been out in the rain all night, searching every inch of Fire Court they can. Everyone is sopping wet and exhausted, worried sick for their high lord.

I’m a ball of tears, barely holding myself together. I’ve had to step in and out of the bathing chambers several times for a few minutes of alone time. I bawl my eyes out, hyperventilating into a towel so no one hears me, and then I return to the front entrance to wait beside Izan. He doesn’t say anything when he sees my red eyes and puffy cheeks, he only gives me a sympathetic smile before reluctantly giving me the same update over and over again: no sign of Dreyden.

Arryn and the lost travelers joined in on the search when they caught wind of my missing mate. He keeps checking on me to make sure I’m all right. Izan seems annoyed with his presence in the castle while Dreyden is missing, but it’s nice to have someone checking in on me.

“The darkest night end will end in the most beautiful dawn. You will get your sunrise, Lady Adeena,” Arryn says each time he stops by the main entrance. His silver eyes are kind, and I see so much potential in him as a lifelong friend.

“Why is this guy so artsy with his words?” Izan whispers when Arryn finally leaves for the night.

I let out a light, forced laugh. “I think you’re jealous. He’s witty and sharp with his tongue. You may know your way around a sword, but he could probably cripple an opponent with one sentence.”

That’s perhaps an exaggeration, but it’s a hilarious thought.

Izan scoffs, rolling his eyes as his lips twitch upward. He’s hiding a smile.

Lyra went to bed hours ago, along with most other people inside the castle.

“You need to get some rest,” Izan says beside me as the sunrise begins peeking through the windows.

We’ve been pacing near the front entrance all night. Izan has stayed cool, calm, and collected throughout the entirety of the night, and I, on the other hand, continue to have breakdowns.

“I can rest when Dreyden is found,” I sigh through a yawn, rays of stray sunlight burning my eyes as the sun climbs over the horizon. This is only the hundredth time he has told me to go to bed.

“If he returns while you’re sleeping, I’ll have someone get you right away.” He’s no longer asking me to go to bed, but he’stellingme to.

I stand there, mulling over my answer in silence for a few minutes while he stares at me with his hands folded behind his back. He looks surprisingly energetic, but he isn’t the one who’s been crying over their mate all night long.

“Fine,” I eventually concede as I raise my fist at him in a threatening manner. “You better wake me up if he comes back.”

He raises his hands in defense. “I will, Adeena. Go to bed.”

“Thank you. Goodnight,” I say as I leave the main entrance, padding down the hallways back toward my bed chambers.

Once inside our room, I slip out of the clothes I’ve been wearing all night long and into my favorite lace and silk robe. IntoDreyden’sfavorite robe.

Climbing into our massive, empty bed, I allow sleep to consume me quickly. My eyes are too heavy to fight my exhaustion, and my body is physically drained from pacing all night. My power reserves feel depleted from the amount of energy I’ve used throughout the night. My body pulled from my power reserves to self-sustain, but it only goes so far.

I fall into a deep sleep, picturing my mate as my mind fades.

Chapter Nine

DREYDEN

My power depletion hangover is better than I expected it to be this morning. I originally planned on portaling back to Fire Court as soon as I woke, but an overenthusiastic Alaric was already up, packing our supply-drop bags.

“I tried to convince him to stay, but he won’t listen.” Ellia wipes her hands on her apron, dusting excess flour from her hands as she side-eyes Alaric. She’s whipping up cinnamon rolls this morning with the cinnamon she pulled from my bag yesterday, and they smell fucking incredible. My stomach growls at the smell of the dough alone, I can’t even imagine how they’ll smell while they’re baking.

“He’s a man on a mission, Ellia,” I say as I shovel fork-fulls of scrambled eggs into my mouth. “I’ll take care of him. I promise.”

Her eyes rise as she looks up from the sticky dough in her hands, burning a hole through me as she glares. “If he gets too weak, you need to force him to come back. You’re in deep shit if you don’t.”

“We’ll be fine,” Alaric says as he walks into the kitchen. He scoops a slice of toast off the counter as he throws a bag over his back. “Let’s go.”

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