Bite Of Winter (Fae's Captive #3)(4)

“Safe, little one. Always safe with me.” Leander has one hand on the haft of his blade.

Para seems unhurried, and her companion at our back doesn’t rush us, just follows along. She walks a little while longer, then stops and steps to the side, motioning us onward.

“What is this?” Gareth stares at the landscape, which is exactly the same as the one behind us.

“Safety.” Para crosses her arms over her chest. “Hurry, before the storm hits.”

“Hurry into what?” Gareth sputters. “There’s nothing here. No shelter! We’ll be set upon by the wights and ripped to shreds.”

Para hitches a dark eyebrow. “You can either wait here and perish or follow my instructions and live.” She gestures for Gareth to continue onward. “I suggest you save yourselves. The wights sound particularly hungry, especially now that they’ve scented royal blood.” She looks to Leander. “It’s their favorite.”

Gareth glowers. “If this is a trick—”

“Suit yourselves.” Para shrugs and marches forward into the red waste. And then she … disappears.

I lean forward, my eyes likely popping out of my head. “What the hell?”

Beth yelps as if she’s been struck and stares at the spot where Para vanished. “She’s tricked us!”

“Not a trick.” Her companion strides past, my sword strapped to his side, and disappears right in front of us. The more I stare at the spot, the more something strikes me as off. This piece of land doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the landscape, as if the stamp on this area had a crack running through it.

“Hang on.” I tap Leander’s hand. “Let me down. I want to see something.”

He jumps down, his eyes wary, and then helps me to my feet. “Stay close.”

“I think ...” I sidestep and turn. “Wow.”

Leander has already drawn his sword as he hews close to me. “What is it?”

The shrieks are almost constant, and the low hum of the wind has grown to just under a din.

“An optical illusion.” I point. “Look.”

Para and her companion stand just inside a tall, rectangular doorway. “It’s masked to mimic the landscape, painted too. Look at it from any other angle, and it seems like just more of the same.” I take one step farther to the right, and the doorway disappears. “That’s kind of genius.”

“What magic is this?” Gareth frowns.

“Not magic. Perspective.” I reach out and touch the layered edge of the doorway, each inset like a piece of the horizon. “Art. No one would be able to find it if they didn’t already know where it was.”

“If you’re done, we’d like to get inside.” Para points to the roiling wall of crimson.

“Watch your tone when you speak to my queen.” Leander’s growl rivals the fury of the storm.

“It’s okay.” I turn and look up at him, his dark eyes filled with nothing but me, my reflection. Something inside my stomach flips. “We should go.”

He takes my arms and pulls me away from the door. “If anything happens, always run to me. I will keep you safe. We can’t trust the Vundi, especially not now. But they won’t take you. I will always protect you.”

“I know.” I hold his gaze, though worry twists in my gut. If it’s true that there’s a high bounty on me, how could Para resist turning me in? Especially if she’s telling the truth about her people going hungry.

A particularly sharp roar sends ice cascading down my spine, and Kyrin whinnies.

“In.” Leander motions for Gareth to ride forward.

Gareth can’t see the door, but he doesn’t question Leander. He and Beth disappear as Leander grabs Kyrin’s reins and we all walk into the red stone world of the Vundi.





3





Leander





The wind howls as the storm hits, bits of red dirt filtering down through the layers of rock and silting the floor as we walk deeper into the heart of Arin.

“I thought they were rumors.” Gareth reaches out and touches the rough-hewn rock. “But it’s true. The Vundi have a city of stone.”

“Your horses can stay here. Deep enough to be safe, but close enough to the surface for them to feel somewhat at ease. Cenet.” Para motions to her companion, who takes Sabre and Kyrin’s reins and leads them into a hallway to our right.

Kyrin gives me a long look, but I nod to him. Hay thickens along the floor as he goes, and I can see the stables farther down. I make a mental note of where we part ways and endeavor to keep a map of where we tread.

“Come.” Para leads us down the slope.

Taylor slips her hand into mine, and I force my purr to stay locked inside. The Ancestors must be testing me, putting her right within my grasp but withholding our mating. I keep my other hand on my sword. The deal has been sealed, and my mate is safe, but that doesn’t stop me from being ever on the lookout. She must be protected.

“At least it’s cooler in here.” Beth sighs. “And no wind wights. Always a plus.”

We continue down until the walls begin to smooth out, their red hue darkening and the lights burning bright and high above.

“Did the Vundi build all this?” Taylor stares at the rock that curves away from us as we enter a large chamber with two ornate doors at the end.