Page 93 of A Lick of Flame

“Fetch Orion right away,” I tell her. “Please!”

Thankfully, she doesn’t question me. Thesha jumps to her feet and runs in the direction the men just left in not so long ago.

I don’t have to pull my sleeve down to know that the mark is back. I’m not sure how or why, only that it is there again. We are in grave danger. Worry swirls in my gut.

32

Orion

I pull down Maya’s sleeve, and it’s there. It’s right there. I can’t believe it.

The mark of her dragon. It’s on her shoulder, clear as day.

“Your tether came back?” I push out, looking at her.

She nods once. “Yes, I have already connected with Raila. She missed me and was happy to have me back. She wants me to go to her. I have this urge to leave right away. She’s calling to me.”

“It shouldn’t have happened,” I say.

“Have you heard of such a thing happening before?” Xander asks.

“No.” I shrug. “There isn’t much information on this kind of thing. The few accidental tethers I’ve known of, normally end in death. Normally, just the death of the fae, but in this case, if Maya dies, then Raila will also perish. She is too young to withstand such a thing.”

“If Raila were to die, chances are good that Delphine would sever her tether with Orion, causing his death, too,” Maya says, looking stricken.

“There is no one to replace you, Orion. You are the only heir to the crown. It would be a dark day indeed,” says Xander.

I swallow thickly. “I know. My top priority is to break this tether as soon as possible. We need to leave right now.”

“Where to?” Thesha asks.

“We need to go and see the witch in Windsar Forest,” Maya says, sitting taller and looking so brave it makes my chest ache with love for her.

“But she couldn’t help you before,” Xander says. “Whatever spell or potion she gave you clearly didn’t work.”

“Yes,” Thesha says. “I sincerely hope you didn’t part with any coin or, heaven forbid, that you made her a promise you will now have to keep. I’m with Xander on this. Why would you go back to her?”

“We never went to her in the first place,” I tell them, locking eyes with Maya, who gives me a tiny smile. “There are other ways to break a tether…or so I thought.”

Maya goes blood red, and Thesha gives her a knowing look.

“But you said that you—” Xander starts to say, but Thesha sticks her elbow into his side. “What was that for? What other ways?”

“Maya was a maiden when she left. We both heard about the bounty.” She laughs. “You are slow at figuring things out.” Thesha might not know of the fae lores, but she clearly has common sense in spades.

“She was a… Oh!” He looks from me to Maya and back again. “The two of you are…?”

“You mean to say that you didn’t see them kissing earlier? That you haven’t noticed the heated looks they give each other?” Thesha is grinning. “And that you didn’t hear Maya shouting Orion’s name earlier when we were in the pool…um…washing.”

“I didn’t see the kiss or the looks, and I was too busy…washing your back to hear much of anything in that pool.” Xander gives a wry smile.

Thesha laughs. “Excuse him.”

Maya blushes even harder and looks at her feet. I put my arm around her. “We’re in love…and we need to leave right away.” I look at her. At how the whole front of her dress is covered in blood. “How are you feeling now, love? Any more headaches? Thesha said your stomach also hurt.”

“I’m fine. It was my whole body. It was worse than before.” Her eyes cloud, and she bites down on her lower lip. “I’m fine now.”

“I’m going to tack up the horses.” I smooth her hair, putting a wayward lock behind her ear. “You can get cleaned up and changed.”

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