Page 67 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

“Assuming none of the cultists managed to fool you into believing they’re on your side.”

“Exactly.” He slid a hand through my hair slowly, and I squeezed my eyes shut at the peaceful bliss of the feeling. “The bonded idorr of cultists almost always abandon them after they’ve killed a mated fae, but it’s not a certainty. A few of the idorr agree with them, which makes it difficult to tell friend from foe.”

I could imagine.

“What you need is a way to destroy all of them at once,” I murmured. “Like… a really big fire.”

Ravv chuckled. “You’re not getting involved in my war, Lae. My role is to protect you, not to risk your life.”

“My life’s already at risk. You saw the Demon flying above us just as much as I did.”

His humor faded. “We have a plan for him too, now.”

“What is it?” I lifted my face, meeting his gaze.

“We wait for him to attack. When he does, he faces the fury of an army of fae. Even a dragon can’t survive our wrath.”

“Aren’t dragon scales impenetrable?”

“There are solutions one can coat their weapons with to cut through scales. We already have some hidden away in case the sea dragons decide to go to war with us, so we’re ready.”

I nodded, biting my lip.

There were many ways that plan could go wrong, but what was the alternative?

I didn’t know of one, so I had no choice but to go along with it.

“Let’s find your friends,” he said, though he was already combing his fingers slowly through my hair again.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him we needed to stay in so he could rest, but the closer we grew emotionally, the more it would hurt when we separated.

So, I kept my mouth shut as he released my hand and led me out of the room.

“My male, you mean?” I teased him lightly as we walked, bringing back one of our first conversations in the mountains after he’d freed me.

He chuckled. “Only if you want him to die.”

I rolled my eyes at him, though my lips curved upward a little.

Ravv led me through a few hallways before we finally emerged from the castle. All three of our suns shined down on us, and I found myself squinting against the light. It felt good on my skin, but it would take time for me to readjust to it after so long in Jirev. I’d grown to like the sunlight during our days traveling through the Human Lands and the Timeless sands, so I hoped I’d start to like it again.

Ravv said, “The idorr want to meet you, as well. Many of them are without companions because most of our fae stopped reproducing. The mated pairs won’t allow them in their city without being already bonded to one of those pairs, for their children’s safety.”

My stomach curled with excitement. “Do you think I can bond with one of them?”

Veil, to have a companion…

It would change everything for me.

The fae could rely on their bonded beasts. They took care of each other, and became each other’s closest friends and allies. Having a bonded idorr would mean having protection and security, as well as never being so entirely alone again.

“Kier’s human bonded with an esu, so I don’t see why not.” He continued walking, both of us leaving distance between our bodies so no one would overthink if they saw us together.

My hope had returned though, fiercer than it had been in a long, long time.

My bond with an idorr wouldn’t break when the eclipse came around. It would be unbreakable, and soul-deep.

And damn, I wanted it.

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