Page 57 of Bonded By Moons

“Then she’s perfect for you. She’s all yours, forever.” He hands me the reins and I look at him with the tilt of my head, confused what he means by that.

“What do you mean forever?” I ask.

“She’s yours. I purchased her for you from a local farm and they were ecstatic that The Ember Amethyst would be owning one of their most prized mares.” He babbles on.

I barely hear him over the tightness in my chest and throat. Tears start to well up in my eyes and before I can stop them, they slowly pour down my cheeks.

“What’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you?” He asks while pulling me into a tight hug and cradling my head against his chest. I inhale the smell of cedar and salt, grounding myself again with my mate wrapped around my small frame.

I sniffle and lay my chin against the center of his chest, staring up into his eyes as he peers down at me. He slowly lowers his lips to kiss my forehead and It causes me to sniffle again from his sweetness.

“I can’t believe you got me a horse,” I say.

He lays a hand on the top of my hair and slowly runs his fingers through the strands, further soothing me. “I would give you the world if I could.”

Kyla waits next to us and nudges the back of my hair with her nose. I turn into Willow’s arms and get a better look at her. I can’t believe he got me a horse. Holy shit. And She’s the most beautiful mare I’ve ever seen.

“Would you like to mount her now?” he leans down and whispers into my hair. I slowly nod my head and reluctantly wiggle out of Will’s arms so I can approach Kyla.

“Hey, girl,” I say to her while circling to her right side before I examine the soft pink saddle Will must have created for me. The saddle has neon blue threading even though it’s made of pink-dyed leather. It warms my heart that he included a piece of himself in something so special.

Willow walks up behind me and places his hand on my hips. “Ready?”

I nod and he lifts me like I weigh nothing more than a garden sprite and places me into the saddle. It fits my body perfectly.

Everyone quickly mounted their mares and steeds, and before I knew it, we were strutting through the streets of Comet Cottages as we headed southeast to Estrallume. The trip takes less than a day, so we should be back in the comfort of the palace soon enough. It feels as if my soul craves the walls of the castle more and more every day. Now that I know I was meant to inherit the lands of Faerelle, I feel even more motivated to rid the lands of King Bryton.

We cross the rolling hills of Comet Cottages and finally come upon the southern outskirts of Doom’s Grove, local to the lost souls that were never given a ceremonial blessing to pass on their next lives among the stars. They are stuck in between realms. It’s said that if you venture deep within the forest the essence of your soul may be stolen by those wanting to hitchhike to the next life.

Per Willow’s command, Artie has been assigned to ensure Amara is safe and protected during the entire trip. Meanwhile, Willow attempts to watch over me. I’m a bit too independent for this babysitting bullshit, though. I wasn’t entirely happy that they weren’t going to let me ride next to Amara so we can talk about anything and everything. Willow is still great company, but I’ve missed Amara and barely had the chance to be there for when the Brooks accident first happened.

My ass is starting to hurt like crazy and we haven’t taken a rest in a while, so I look over to where Willow rides next to me. Fuck, he looks so hot atop that horse.

“Can we rest?” I ask Willow and Kyla neighs in agreement. “I think Kyla’s ass hurts equally as much as mine.”

He chuckles. “Yes, my mate. We can rest for a short while. Although, I don’t like being this close to Doom’s Grove.”

Willow then signals for Artie to lead us to a protected area to dismount. We’re guided behind several borders and can no longer see the trail from here. It’s relatively private. We should be safe for a while.

“Are you worried there could be assailants out here?” I ask Artie while he tends to the horse's needs.

“Not really. You said that the attacks only happen during the night, right?” He asks me as he feeds the horses some apples.

“Yeah, that’s what we assume.” I hesitate and then ask, “Do you know much about the shadow realm?”

He stood up straighter and turned to face me. “None of us should know much about that realm considering the laws and regulations regarding the knowledge of that repulsive place.”

“Right, Yeah. I get that. Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” I awkwardly back away and run smack dab into Will’s massive body. “Oof– Sorry–”

He wraps his arms around me, spinning my body around to face him and before I can brace myself, throws me over his shoulder. He smacks my ass and I scream, “Put me down, Will!” But he ignores me and fist bumps Artie before dragging me off into the bushes behind our temporary camp.

We’ve barely entered Doom’s Grove and I can already feel the lands here are angry and resentful. Before we venture too far into the woods, he sets me back down. We’re out of sight of the camp at this point.

Towering over me, Willow gives me a curious look.“So, why is my mate so interested in the shadow realm all of a sudden?”

“Why did you have to haul me away to ask me that? Was this really necessary? We should probably head back. This place has all sorts of magical unbalance.” I try to move around him but he grabs my wrist and tugs me back against the front of his body. Wrapping his arms around my waist, I place my palms against his chest, and before I can say anything else he captures my lips in a deep and hungry kiss.

I let out a subtle moan and let his tongue invade all of my senses as it licks and caresses my mouth. Instantly relaxing into his large body. I think I’m addicted to his kisses at this point. Groaning, he tightens his grip on my waist and slowly trails his fingertips up the side of my torso. He makes his way to gripping a handful of my hair in his fist. Making me feel claimed, protected, and flat-out turned on.

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