Page 13 of The Barbaric Fae's Soul

Nods went around the group.

Everyone seemed to have expected the news, which meant that hopefully, they had been preparing.

“The oracle should be here soon. With any luck, she’ll be able to use her magic to pinpoint where and when the attacks will be,” Oren said.

“Do we need to start building homes under the ground?” Sunny asked. “Or at least fortify the Stronghold somehow? Only a few of the new human girls have even tried shifting; they’re basically sitting ducks.”

“My life-bringers have focused their magic on tunneling downward,” Fovea agreed. “It’s not safe for them or our humans on the land.”

“I can help them,” Sunny offered. “I’m pretty useless up here, and there’s no way Remmo will let me fight one of the klynnas yet.”

“Not a chance,” Remmo agreed.

“I can help too,” January added.

“So can I,” Mare put in. “We can use the opportunity to try to teach the new human girls to channel Vevol’s magic, too.”

Nods went around the group.

I itched to ask where Dakota was again, but still remained silent.

She was probably in the trees, spying on someone else for the damned Wild Hunt. Or perhaps already helping the other life-bringers tunnel downward.

“Until we’ve heard and seen the first klynna, we continue training,” Oren said. “If we’re going to avoid carnage, we need to be working as a united team, rather than three separate groups.”

Everyone in the circle exchanged grimaces.

Therewerethree separate groups. And each of us had extremely different ideas and preferences. Getting our people to work as one would be a headache.

But a headache I didn’t have to deal with, since I’d finally been freed from both my mate bond with Naomi and the throne I’d never wanted.

“None of us want to die,” I said simply. All of their gazes turned to me, but I was used to the stares. “We all need to forget how we classify ourselves, and focus on the desire to live. We are not unseelie, seelie, or harsh right now. We are fae. And we want to survive.”

A few people nodded.

Some looked at me a bit differently.

Done with the conversation—and with waiting for someone to just tell me where the hell my female was—I stepped across the distance between us and grabbed Vuvim by the elbow. “Where is Dakota?”

Nothing happened without Vuvim noticing, or finding out about it soon after.

“She went to retrieve the oracle and her mate,” Vuvim said, though his gaze grew slightly curious. “Why do you wear her scent?”

“She left?” My voice lowered, and I stepped back, turning my gaze to the other remaining generals, who would’ve had to approve her leaving. “Which of you let her go?”

They gave me nothing but silence in response.

Assholes.

“No way. Did she kiss you?” Summer demanded, though she looked absolutely thrilled. “I knew she had a thing for you.”

I had no idea whathad a thing for youmight mean, but I supposed kissing was probably the most appropriate thing to claim we’d done to connect ourselves.

“Yes, she kissed me. I was in pain after the bond broke, and Dakota took pity on me,” I said. It was only a half-lie. I lowered my voice, and felt my power flood the words as I asked again, “Which of you let her go?”

“All of us did,” Taven finally growled. “She was the only one who knew where the oracle was other than Teris, and he wanted to stay and fight.”

My icy glare landed on the Wild Hunt’s sabertooth. “You let my female risk her life so you couldstay and fight?”

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