Forever Fae (Forever Fae #1)(57)
He turns to grab my hand and walks me to the door.
“This will soon all be yours, Calista. After tonight, when I take you to my bed it will all be yours.”
‘I don’t think so!’ I want to scream it at the top of my lungs, but I seem to have lost my voice because no words are making themselves come out of my mouth. My throat tightens up and I look up at him with a forced smile. Please let this be the end tonight.
Chapter 24
Ryder
Merrick and I arrive at the Black Forest by sundown. I dismount from Artemis and give her some water. I couldn’t have taken this journey without her speed and agility. Even though the journey through the valley was long and tiresome, the thought of being this close to Calista has sent an adrenaline surge throughout my body. My body trembles with the need for action and my heart feels like it’s about to pound out of my chest. I look over to see that Merrick is stretching out his limbs and pacing back and forth. It seems he’s just as restless as me.
Neither one of us has spoken to each other yet. The entire journey here I could tell he was deep in thought with his brows furrowed and his mouth in a constant frown. I turn back to Artemis and I see that her head is lowered and she’s looking at the ground. Artemis is extremely smart for a mare and her feelings have always been in tune with mine. With her head being low she knows what I’m going to ask her to do, and I know she doesn’t like it. I gently caress her neck and scratch behind her ears. She loves to get her ears scratched. She lets a throaty huff and I know that is the equivalent of a laugh. I move over so she can see my eyes and how serious I am when I command her softly to do as I say.
“Listen to me, girl. I want you to stay here until I return with the princess. Do not follow me in there,” I say as I point to the oily dark trees of the Black Forest. “If you hear someone coming, run as fast as you possibly can out of here. Are we clear?” I demand as I raise my eyebrows and tilt my head waiting for her to answer. She blows out a puff of air that definitely tells me she’s not happy with me and then she lifts her muzzle up and down to accentuate that she understands and she will obey.
“Good girl,” I murmur softly. I kiss her muzzle and pat her back. I leave her to walk over to Merrick, who has Calista’s silver locket resting in the palm of his hand and his guardian dagger in the other. His red, watery eyes meet mine for a quick second before he turns away. His shoulders slump, he takes a deep breath and his voice breaks when he speaks.
“I spent this whole journey in denial. I have loved Calista ever since we were children, and I knew it was never going to be enough. When you came along, the pieces fell into place and I knew then that I had lost her. I just wanted to hold on for as long as I could.”
He stares down at the locket and his chin trembles.
“I hated you for taking her away from me and I still do, but you both have an important role to play for the survival or our lands and I can’t come between it. I see that now, but I am her guardian and I will always be there for her. I will protect not only her body, but her heart, and I know it belongs to you,” he sadly replies. He looks at the locket for a little while longer and then he looks up at me with a small smile forming and a smart ass expression. I realize how strong of a character Merrick is. He accepts defeat and comes rearing back with humor. I can see why Calista befriended him.
“You may have won the girl, but I will be there every second I can to bust your balls,” he says, grinning wickedly.
Leave it to Merrick to make something like this funny. He reminds me so much of my brother, Kalen. They both like to joke and play around.
I reach my hand to grasp his forearm in the traditional warrior greeting and say, “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. She cares for you and I know she wants you in her life. Other than me, no one could protect her better than you.” I watch his reaction as everything I’ve said sinks in and I see respect showing in his eyes. Maybe things will work out after all.
“Now let’s go rescue our princess,” I command while motioning toward the Black Forest.
Merrick looks at me and shakes his head no.
“It’s time to rescue our queen.”
He takes the dagger and with a slight hiss he pricks his finger to draw a drop of blood. He opens the locket and the drop of blood falls silently inside it. Merrick closes the locket and clasps it around his neck. A few seconds pass and then his form begins to fade. When he completely vanishes, I become invisible as well. Turning invisible is very easy for me because all I have to do is imagine it and it happens instantly. I get a feeling of feathers floating across my skin as I change appearance. I also have the ability to make different parts of my body visible while the others stay unseen. I have scared numerous people in the mortal realm by using this trick.
“Ryder, are we ready?” Merrick asks impatiently.
“I believe we are. Stay close and stay quiet,” I answer back.
Our steps are silent as we make our way through the Black Forest. It is completely dark, but because we are fae, we can see pretty well. It’s been eerily quiet other than the sounds of our breathing. The smell of death and decay burn my nose, making it hard to breathe, and the stench makes my stomach churn. We continue on at a fast pace for about an hour before we finally see some light. Up ahead must be the village. We get a little closer and see little dwellings and different types of houses scattered around the grounds and in the trees. I see the biggest tree ahead, toward the end of the village, and I know that must be where we have to go.