What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3)(119)

The vengeance, the monster rising within me, terrified me—even with the surge of power muted by my father.

My father.

“We aren’t leaving,” Caldris said, taking us out of view of the doors.

He waved a hand—summoning the shadows he called home. The walkway appeared before us, plunging us into darkness as he pulled on the hand he held tightly within his. It was a tether, drawing me into the shadow realm I’d walked through on my own more times than I could count. The portrait of what existed in the real world was foggy, hidden behind mist and shadows as we ran through the realm he created.

We emerged out the other side suddenly, stepping onto solid stone as a familiar hallway drew me in. Two guards waited at the entrance to the underground passage, blocking it from us as they stepped forward, unsheathing their swords as they went.

Caldris swept his shadows out, darkness bleeding from him as they fell to the floor. I felt the moment their hearts stopped beating mid-drop, felt the second they drew their final breath. We strode passed without hesitating, our steps already beyond them by the time they hit the stone with a loud thump that made me wince.

I knew this path. Knew the hallway before me as it led to a single doorway. The arch of it was unassuming as Caldris pressed his palm to it. His power lashed out, striking at the magically sealed door with lashes that left gouges in the wood.

Shadows curled around the surface as his eyes bled to black, wrapping around the frame—smothering it. He pulled his hand back slowly, shoving it forward to slap his palm down on the wood in a single, battering hit. Power erupted through the hall as the door finally flung open, clattering off the stone beyond it.

He pulled me forward, stepping into the darkness. There were no flames in the torches to light the way—not when we weren’t supposed to be in this hall. The floor turned to rough stone, the steps haphazard as we moved along.

Caldris knew the way, could see in the darkness. I channeled that part of me, drawing it toward me so that I could see enough, just enough to follow him without tripping on the crude steps. The light of the moon shone in from overhead in the opening ahead, bleeding into the tunnel as we approached.

The flames of the burning holly tree cast a warm glow about the forest, reflecting off the Cove as we stepped out into the clearing.

Come home.

The voice I’d shut out called, probing along my skin. It felt for any weakness, any ability to manipulate me into those waters.

I squeezed my eyes closed, forcing myself not to focus on it. To focus on the mate at my side, the danger that awaited us once Mab realized we’d escaped while she demanded the healers tend to her missing hand.

I raised my chin, tearing my eyes off the Cove’s waters to look at my mate. He met my stare, a deep breath releasing from his lungs as he glanced back the way we’d come. With no sign that we’d been followed, he turned toward me and took my other hand in his. He raised that grip to press my hand to his cheek as his head tilted to the side, his eyes glimmering with something wild.

“Now what?” I asked, swallowing as I considered the possibilities.

I knew what the logical option was—knew why he’d likely snuck us down while everyone was distracted in the chaos. I’d agreed to it once, told him I would accept the bond between us.

But that had been when it had been some distant concept for our future, not when it stared me in the face.

An eternity together—bound as two halves of one soul.

I swallowed.

“Now you run, min asteren,” my mate said, the dark creature beneath his skin showing itself. His head tilted to the side—something predatory emerging. It seemed so much more than Fae, so much more than the half-feral male I’d fallen in love with. “And when I catch you, you’re mine.”

I didn’t know what waited when he caught me, what else might be required from us to complete the bond. But time was limited, with the chances of discovery growing with every minute that passed.

“What if I don’t want to run?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. If I could just accept him, not require him to take me forcefully—

“This is the Court of Shadows, my star. The magic here demands I prove myself worthy of claiming you for eternity,” he said, releasing my hands and taking a step back. “Here, we are predator and prey.”

He’d barely gotten the final word out before I turned, sprinting into the tree line. I kicked my shoes off as I went, ignoring the tear of brambles and roots in the bottom of my feet. They healed as quickly as they hurt, even with my power more depleted than it had been. Wherever that male with the golden eyes—my father—had siphoned my power, it no longer surged in my veins.

Caldris laughed in the clearing behind me, the sound unnatural. It lacked all the joy of a true laugh, as the instinct to claim his mate overrode his senses. I knew when he caught me, this would be no gentle claiming. He wouldn’t gently lay me down upon the sand and make love to me but tackle me to the forest floor and mount me as soon as he’d flipped up my dress.

I winced when I thought of the delicate, beaded fabric being torn, branches already catching on it to steal the gems from me. They fell to the forest floor like a glittering trail, giving my mate a way to track me.

Even knowing what waited for me, I couldn’t bring myself to fear Caldris. It wasn’t terror that made my heart pound in my chest.

It was excitement.