Page 10 of Forgiving a Fae Warrior

Sylvie pushed off the floor and sat up straighter. “Galen…” she started. Her features shifted and pinched as she seemed to consider her next words. A pink tongue slipped over her lips, the sight stirring desire low in Galen’s center.

“Yes?” his voice cracked through his dry throat.

Once, she had been his rival, then his friend. But over time, that friendship was no longer enough. He craved something more, something deeper. It wasn’t just about sex and mating, though he couldn’t deceive himself if he tried to say he didn’t want that too, but most of all, it was about trust and connection. That unbreakable bond he’d never shared with anyone, not even kin. So many times, he’d almost worked up the courage to spill his desire to her, but the fear of losing her, of breaking the beautiful thing they already had, held him back.

After his betrayal, the most he hoped for was to see her again. That alone was a gift, one he’d been given. Yet even now, his foolish heart couldn’t help but yearn for more.

“I…” Sylvie leaned in ever so slowly.

Galen held his breath, fearful of breaking the moment.

“I should let you get some rest.” She pushed off the floor in a rush.

Galen fought to hide his disappointment as she went about hastily dusting off her pants.

“You look exhausted,” she continued. “When was the last time you slept?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been a while…” He’d managed little rest the night before the final competition and none since.

“Right. Well, I’ll stand watch and alert you if there’s any trouble.” Sylvie bolted for the door.

“But—” He reached for her.

She twisted around on her toes and wagged a finger at him. “Rest. Then we can talk more.” With a wink, she turned and vacated the space beyond his outstretched hand.

Chapter 5

WithSylvieonwatch,Galen managed to rest. Her nearness threw a shadow over the towering mountain of worry and regret that had taken shape within him over the past hours. Shortly after he woke, Sylvie left quickly to return to the Court of the Forest with a plan to return. It was a bittersweet and quick parting, but a necessary one. Every moment she spent with him was another that risked her future. He’d considered telling her to stay away—for her benefit, but in the end, he couldn’t quite bring himself to. Not yet.

The day passed slowly, time dripping by like honey instead of water. Galen forced himself out of the shelter and back toward the area where he’d shifted to with Wren, just outside the Forest lands. If he was going to find anything useful, he’d wager it would be there. As much as he longed for Sylvie, even more so, the driving need to somehow help his friend pushed him on like a strong wind at his back.

When that effort turned fruitless, Galen crouched amid strands of tall, brown grass. Their brittle stalks gave way with ease, and it took absolute stillness not to disturb them as he waited for something…anything. It’d been years since he was a trainee, and had been forced to do such exercises to build his skill. His body let him know it, too, muscle groaning in pain and a tingling numbness building in his feet if he stayed too long in one spot. Perhaps it was foolish to linger and let time slip away, but some inner sense told him to remain there.

As the cloudy sky darkened toward night, Galen prepared to leave, the weight of his failure an added burden, when he spotted something on a rise some distance away. Multiple figures moved on the horizon, dark forms against the muted and hazy sunset. One had antlers or some other feature reaching from their head into the sky. The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose.Unseelie.But why there, and for what cause?

It was too small a party to attempt anything against the Court of the Forest unless there were many others near that he could not see or sense. Another appeared from nowhere, though he could not see or sense the magic of their shift—an even rarer ability among the Unseelie given the fade of their magic. Something that might be a tail flicked out behind the newcomer. The small group of others joined them. A moment later and they were all gone, shifted away.

He swallowed heavily. If he’d been seen, they could outnumber him easily.

Galen waited in absolute stillness for a few minutes, pulse racing and poised on the tip of his toes and ready to spring should the Unseelie appear around him.

But no threats presented themselves, nor did they return to the low hilltop or any other place he could see. Convinced they were gone, Galen shifted to the spot where the Unseelie had been. Their scent lingered faintly in the air—they hadn’t been there long.

The top of the hill was wide and flat, an ideal perch for taking in the surrounding territory. Much of it was covered by shorter prickly grass, brown and dry like much of the surrounding land, but a section of the center was nothing but dirt. A chill crept down Galen’s spine as he advanced on the dusty plain. Marks and symbols were worked into the ground, though not ones he recognized. His brows pinched as he stared at them, trying to make sense of what they could mean. Nothing leaped to mind, but there was a hint of familiarity that he couldn’t quite ignore. A bit of magic clung to the space, too—the faint feeling of something evoked by the working.

As he pondered the oddity, another form of magic rolled across his skin, this one signaling a member of the Court of the Forest shifting in close behind him. Galen turned, his momentary apprehension slipping away as he beheld Sylvie at the edge of the rise. He breathed a sigh of relief and felt the corners of his lips rise as he beheld her. She’d returned, just as she said. He knew her words for truth, and wouldn’t have doubted her anyway, but there was always the possibility that someone could have observed her actions and forced her to remain in the Court of the Forest. The possibility had nagged at him all day.

Sylvie released the pendant of her necklace, obviously having used it to find him again, and made her way toward him.

“Sorry it took me a while to return,” she called.

That was the last thing on Galen’s mind at the moment—he’d have waited years if he had to. Besides, at least she looked refreshed. Hopefully she’d taken time to rest herself. “Come and have a look at this.” He gestured to the ground in front of him.

Sylvie cocked her head to the side as she came to a halt next to him and peered at the workings. Her lips pursed together. “So strange. I feel like I should be able to read it or know what it means, but I can’t.”

“I had the same reaction.” Galen rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at it once more. “It’s Unseelie, I believe. I saw a few of them up here before they shifted away, and I came to investigate.”

“Shifted?” Sylvie stared at him, her lips still parted.

---