Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(58)
No one even noticed they picked up a stray rider. Instead, they all kept their eyes on the forest and the surrounding foliage, looking for attackers while they searched for me. Without being noticed, I ambled off toward the woods and snuck away quietly. There were evil scouts that patrolled the forest so I knew I was bound to run into someone, but I didn’t expect it to be the person who showed up … a person who was no longer a part of our realm and someone who had just recently become a pain in my ass.
“I knew you were up to no good,” he said, pursing his lips. “And I must say that seeing you as a man is kind of weird. Does Brayden know you can do this?” Riding alongside me, or better yet, appearing right beside me, was Merrick on a majestic silver colored mare with eyes as black as coal.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed. “And how did you know it was me?”
Nonchalantly, he shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, looking sheepish. “Well, let’s see …” He paused for a minute and cleared his throat before admitting, “I was watching you, but not in a creepy sort of way. I followed you to your room and slipped inside without you noticing. Needless to say it was a shock when I saw you turn into a man. You don’t actually …” He shuddered, glancing down at my waist and then back up to my eyes, lifting a curious brow.
“Really,” I snapped, rolling my eyes. “Why are you going to ask me a question like that? No, I don’t have man parts if that’s what you’re wondering. It’s a glamour, Merrick. I don’t go into all the fine details when it comes to certain parts of the body. I’m sure I could if I wanted to, but that’s not really what I’m interested in.”
He held his hands up in defeat. “Okay, I was just curious. So what is your plan exactly?”
We were only a quarter of the way through the Mystical Forest so we still had a good ride ahead of us before we would get to the sorcerer. I was hoping to get there before dawn, and if we rode hard it was a possibility.
Slowing our pace to a trot, I sighed and explained, “There’s not much to tell really. I’m going to the Black Forest, and once I get close to Alasdair I’m going to kill him.”
“Do you think it’ll be that easy?” Merrick asked skeptically. “You’re not going to get anywhere near him looking like that. You’ll just be another worthless faerie in his army.”
“I know that, Merrick. Believe it or not I have thought about this. I’m going to watch the sorcerer and find out who he trusts most. Once I figure that out, I’ll glamour myself and get close to him that way. I know what I’m doing.”
Groaning, Merrick nodded. “Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I came along. I happen to know who the creature is that you seek. He was the one who helped Warren and Avery take Calista when the sorcerer was after her.”
“Then it must be fate that brought you to me.”
We rode for another couple of hours until the fatigue finally set in and I almost fell off my horse; I would have if Merrick didn’t catch me in his arms. I was too tired to keep up the glamour, so I was back to my normal self, but what really shocked me was the feel of Merrick’s skin against mine as he caught me.
“I didn’t know you could touch me,” I mumbled sleepily. “Can you touch Calista when you’re around her?”
Merrick carried me over to a soft, patchy area of green grass and laid me down on a blanket he’d just spread out. Sadly, he shook his head and answered, “No, I can’t touch her. The only time I can touch her is when Sorcha has us in the dream realm together.”
“Then why can you touch me?” I wondered.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t even know I could until I saw you falling off your horse. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to touch someone other than in the Hereafter. It makes me almost feel alive.”
“I’m glad,” I murmured, my eyelids growing heavier. Merrick sat down beside me and put his arm around me.
“Go to sleep, Ariella. I’ll watch over you tonight and wake you up if I hear someone coming.”
Nodding, I snuggled into his side, and before I could reply I drifted off into an uneasy slumber. I should’ve known that sleep wouldn’t keep my heart safe.
AS I WAITED on Sorcha to call Ariella into the dream realm, I paced along the snow and ice, contemplating what I was going to say to her. What the hell was I going to say? Come home?
“I’ve got her,” Sorcha said as soon as she opened her eyes. “Don’t be too hard on her, brother. She’s only doing what the rest of us would’ve done. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I knew. I told her I wouldn’t unless she decided to do something like this.”
She backed away and disappeared through the trees so I could have my time with Ariella. I wasn’t happy knowing that my own family knew of Ariella’s fate and I didn’t.
Would I have handled things differently? Probably. However, nothing was going to stand in the way of me bonding with her. I would’ve spent the time I had trying to find ways to keep her safe and away from her fate.
I could feel her presence long before she actually appeared in the dream realm. Her long blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders, giving her face an ethereal look, and with her pale, glimmering skin there was no doubt that she could pass for a real angel … she was my angel. When she turned around she wasn’t surprised to see me.