Page 65 of Treasured

A long moment stretched between us as her eyes searched mine. She stepped forward, leaning her head against my chest. “I’m frightened, Sebastian,” she admitted.

My heart twisted at her admission. I hated that she was afraid. I hated that I couldn’t whisk her away through the shadows and never return. We wouldn’t get far without the tonic quieting the summons, and Luna needed her brother. More than anything, I hated that I couldn’t protect her from pain.

“I know.” I placed my finger under her chin, waiting until she looked up at me. “No matter where you are, in this life or the next, on this plane or another, I will never leave you, Luna. I will always fight for you. Always find you. Always be there for you.”

She sucked in a breath. “What about the queen?”

“We’re going to kill her,” I promised. I’d make the same vow a thousand times until we accomplished our goal. “Once we break the bond, we will destroy her.”

“And the voices?”

I raised a shoulder. “I don’t know. If they’re people she killed, maybe this will set them free.”

Or maybe not. To be honest, Luna was my only priority. Everything else was a problem for another time.

“I suppose it’s possible,” she said after a moment. Her eyes darkened, and she sighed. “Or perhaps we’ll die.”

“Don’t talk like that.” I ran my thumb over her bottom lip. “We will break this bond and kill the queen.”

I refused to entertain any other option.

She nodded, but traces of sadness remained on her face. Hoping to distract her, I threaded our hands together once again. “Let’s find the wolves. Did I tell you they are indigenous to the White Forest?”

Luna looked up at me, a faint glimmer of academic interest in her gaze. “Oh?”

I smiled, tugging her behind me through the snow. “It’s true. The white wolves are everywhere here. Legend says Ithiar created them to act as sacred guardians of the north.”

“Really? That’s fascinating.” She paused, drawing her bottom lip through her fangs. “Will you show me how to track them?”

“It would be my honor.” Anything to keep her mind off those voices and their ominous messages.

It didn’t take long to lose myself in the hunt. It was instinctual and easy, even peaceful. Something about being in the forest and tracking prey spoke to the deepest part of me. Other than flying, this was one of my favorite things. It was quiet in the woods, and I didn’t have to deal with anyone else.

Like in the Dead Forest outside Castle Sanguis, signs of the darkness were everywhere. Usually, wild animals roamed freely through the wilds of Eleyta. From the smallest rodents to large deer and other, more deadly creatures, these lands used to bustle with life. Now they were silent. Not only that, but everything was tinged in black. Brittle leaves were unnaturally dark, weeds burst through the snow, choking out any life that might have remained, and inky bark covered the trees.

We cloaked ourselves in shadows, and after I gave Luna a few directions, we moved as one through the forest.

* * *

I smelled the wolf before I saw it.

We’re close, I said to Luna through our connection. We had switched to speaking mind-to-mind a while ago, not wanting to risk the wolf hearing us.

Pulling on the pulsing shadows within me, I twisted my fingers. A small dagger formed out of the black mist, as real as any weapon made of steel. Shadow weapons always spoke to me in a way that blades forged by blacksmiths did not.

Ready? I asked.

Her fingers brushed against mine. Always.

She thickened her cloak of shadows until she was one with the darkness.

Our movements were synchronized, and communication was barely necessary. An awareness of Luna’s every move filled me, one of the new benefits of the Tether.

The wolf’s scent was strong and musky, standing out among the smell of snow and pine trees.

Is that a track? Luna pointed to something in the snow.

Bending, I let go of her hand, crouching to inspect it. Sure enough, she was right. It was fresh, untouched by the snow falling freely through the canopy of leaves, and it was large. It is. Good find, darling.

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