Page 94 of Fate Unchained

“Hold on.” Lilah ran back inside and scribbled a note for Brooke thanking her for hiding the vulk and letting them stay in her home. When she returned to the garden, the portal was already in place, and Kyril took her hand and led her through.

38

Lilah gasped. She stood in a clearing, with pines towering above her, reaching far up into the sky. She’d never seen trees so large. Snow lay heavy under them, but the stone road weaving between them was clear. Two houses stood off to the side. They were built low to the ground in the northern lodge style, with strong wood and stone lines to keep them warm and secure even during the toughest winter. Wisps of smoke floated into the air above one, a warm light glowing from its windows. Vae style lampposts stood near the houses and peppered the clearing, making it look like an enchanted wood out of a fairytale book.

“Pack meeting in an hour,” Hans said.

Kyril growled. “Two hours.”

Hans lifted a brow and his mouth curled upward into a half smile. “Fine. Two.” Without another word, Hans and Briony headed for the house with the active chimney.

“Hans and Zann’s mother is living with us for the winter,” Kyril said, nodding toward the occupied house. “She watches the kids when Hans and Briony are busy.”

“Yeah, I’m going to go say hi to the twins, too,” Zann said, and he strode toward the house.

Hazel scrambled after him. “If I had to schlep all of you here, I’m visiting the babies, too.”

“That can be the favor I owe you then. I’ll let you see the twins.”

Hazel scoffed. “Not a chance. You owe me a much larger favor.”

Zann responded with something Lilah couldn’t hear.

“You’re the rudest oaf I’ve ever met. You should be a boar, not a vulk.” The sound of them arguing faded as they walked away.

Kyril wrapped his hand around hers, tucking her fingers carefully into his. “Come on, let me show you the den.”

Finn, Ayren and Blazh joined them as they wended through the trees. Even though they’d barely taken a few steps from the road, Lilah was already disoriented, with the forest thick around her.

They came around a tree, and a solid wall of rock rose in front of her. In the morning sun, the wet rock face glistened. Finn put his hands on the rock and pushed. A slab of stone slid without a sound, revealing a wide, arched entrance. Warm, inviting light shone from within.

The doorway wasn’t roughhewn rock, it was ornate, and sculpted, with small white rocks embedded all along it. She reached out and touched one.

“Moonstone.” Kyril wrapped an arm around her waist as if he couldn’t stop touching her. He gestured toward the forest behind them. “Vulk hide moonstone along our secret paths, so we always know where to go. I’ll teach you how to find them.”

He took her hand again, and drew her deeper into the den, sliding the door back into place behind them.

Lilah took in the vulk den for the first time. She froze and her mouth dropped open.

Kyril watched her, his gaze fixed on hers. “What do you think?”

“Heavens above … I expected a cave like our cave.” Smooth walls swept up to a high ceiling, but it wasn’t just that the walls were smooth, they were like water, with different threads of color in the stone highlighted. For being inside a mountain, it wasn’t dark either. Light glowed high in the ceiling, mimicking natural light, and sconces along the walls provided more illumination. The magically lit lanterns of Coromesto cast an almost bluish, cold light onto the city, but this light was warm. Welcoming. “This is incredible.” She pointed. “You have vae lights.”

“Yep. Come on.” He led her farther inside. The entryway opened up into a large living room. Three vulk lounged on massive sofas, and a pool table, much larger than a human-sized one, stood in the back near the fire. The vulk stood as they approached, and Kyril jerked his thumb at each one. “Thane, Danyr, and Troy.”

She barely had a chance to say hello before Kyril pulled her along. “I’ll introduce you properly later. And give you the grand tour.”

He pulled her down a quiet hall, with a dark rug lined in gold on the floor. “What are we—”

He picked her up and whirled, pressing her back against the wall. His mouth was at her throat, his teeth nibbling down from her ear to her shoulder. “If we only have two hours, the bedrooms are down here.”

She closed her eyes and melted into Kyril. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He was her vulk. Forever.

Kyril whispered against her throat, “We need to do one last thing.” He nibbled down to the slope where her neck joined her shoulder. “‘Only a bite truly binds.’ Remember?”

Her breath hitched. “Yes.”

“I thought about waiting until we were home in my den, but I can’t wait another minute.” He swept her up into his arms. He took the first right and shouldered open a stone door.

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