Prisoner of Darkness (Whims of Fae Book 2)(12)

He was in the Autumn Court, but that was all he knew. Sunlight snuck through the gaps in the trees above, but the heavy shade and fall-like temperature kept the Autumn Court cooler than the Summer Court, and Raith was still in the t-shirt and jeans he’d borrowed from the Unseelie Court. He ran his fingers up and down his arms to stay warm.

Kaelem had offered to give him a few of his suits, but Raith had no desire to wear anything that had touched the Unseelie King’s body, washed or not. As a ganacanagh, Kaelem’s sexual appeal was potent to anyone who didn’t block it out, men and women alike.

The first time Raith had met him, he didn’t know about Kaelem’s special ability. As soon as he registered the vulgarity of his thoughts, he threw up a mental shield and his attraction toward him vanished. But the memory of the rotten taste of lusting after Kaelem, of all people, still lingered.

The Unseelie King had offered Raith refuge after the battle, but that didn’t make Raith trust him. Besides, fancy mortal suits weren’t his style.

Lack of sleep drained Raith. Daylight was the safest time in the forest. Maybe if he rested for a bit, traveling by foot wouldn’t be so bad. As Raith continued, he searched for a spot to sleep. A few fallen trees provided enough cover for Raith to lie in between them.

The ground beneath him was hard and sent a chill through him, but soon, Raith fell fast asleep.

A sniffing sound startled him. Raith’s eyes shot open. The bright forest he’d fallen asleep in had turned dark as he slept, lit only by the full moon above. Fuck. He’d only meant to nap, not sleep through the day.

He scanned the area around him. He was still alone, but he could feel the presence of something close by.

Before he could decide what to do, a giant, black wolf leapt over one of the fallen trees. Raith pushed himself to his feet as the wolf lifted its snout to the sky and howled.

It lowered its nose, rust colored eyes staring into Raith’s.

It was no ordinary wolf; it was a shifter. Raith had heard of the shape shifting creatures of the Autumn Court, but he’d never met one, at least not in animal form.

The wolf snarled as it stepped toward Raith. Its black fur swayed as it jumped, teeth bared.

Instinct took hold of Raith. He used his nature magic to yank one of the smaller trees from its roots and throw it at the creature. The tree collided with the wolf and it yelped.

Raith hadn’t expected a fight. He’d been walking by foot for so long then sleeping, he’d let his magic run low. The smallest tree had been the only one he felt confident lifting.

He must have hit he wolf hard enough, though. Raith could feel its pain. He breathed it in, feeding the power inside of himself.

He needed to get away. When he turned to run—the best plan he could think of—three wolves blocked his way.

Two had chocolate brown fur, the other a shiny silver coat that almost sparkled in the moonlight.

“I don’t want to fight,” Raith said. He didn’t want to fight when it was just one wolf, but now he really, really didn’t want to.

What had he been thinking, wandering through the forest alone in unknown territory? And falling asleep on the ground, knowing how exhausted he was. What kind of dumbass idea was that? Raith swallowed his panic. Freaking out would do no good. He was a Summer fae of royal blood, for fuck’s sake, with both Summer magic and nature magic. He could get away if he was smart.

The pack stood still as they watched Raith. Were they communicating with each other? Maybe they’d just let him leave. No harm done.

Raith soaked in the area around him, absorbing power from the trees.

When the silver wolf growled, Raith knew he wouldn’t just be walking away.

The chocolate wolves lunged in unison. Raith threw a murder of magic ravens at one—one of his most powerful gifts—and sent one of the biggest trees at the other. The one hit with the ravens—which had burst into dust on contact— stayed on the ground, but the other leapt out of the tree’s way.

Raith tugged at what little magic remained inside him and sent the branches of the tree at the chocolate wolf as he rolled back onto his feet. The branches twisted around its feet, holding it in place.

Three down, one to go.

The silver wolf snarled. Something told Raith the pack had saved the best for last, and, after using most of his magic for the ravens, he had used the last bit to trap the second chocolate wolf.

He had no weapons and no power.

The silver wolf hurled itself at Raith.

Raith tried to run, but the creature was too quick. He spun around before the wolf pinned him, his face inches from the creature’s. Drool dripped onto Raith’s forehead. Gross. With all the strength Raith could muster, he pushed the creature. As royal-born, high fae, Raith was strong. The wolf gnashed its teeth, but Raith kept his head out of its reach.

The wolf jumped off of Raith. Using his chance, Raith tried to run again, but it was what the wolf had wanted. It bit down on Raith’s ankle, sending a scream bursting from his lungs as pain shot up his leg.

The creature pinned Raith to the ground again and snapped down into Raith’s side, its teeth piercing his flesh.

A howl sang through the forest, but it was too far away to be the silver wolf’s. It was a warning, causing the silver wolf to retreat. Raith tried to push himself up, but he was too weak.

This was it. Raith was dying.

As he drifted into darkness, the last thing he heard was a wolf’s whimper.