Page 76 of The Barbaric Fae's Soul

They left a gap at the front of their group for us, making it clear where they wanted me to go. Though they way overestimated how much space we’d need, I appreciated it anyway.

I slowly circled the cliff before making my way to the spot they’d left for us. When I landed, I did so carefully, tapping into Vevol’s magic to make sure the landing was gentle.

Aev remained on my back as I looked at the klynnas gathered. Though we hadn’t discussed it, we both knew that I was the only one who could communicate with them. And that meant Aev would follow my lead, even if it irked at his protective instincts.

My eyes collided with Rerrwyn’s, and he nodded his head while his emotions ran over me.

I was safe.

They wanted peace too.

Letting out a slow puff of air, I shifted back to my human form and stood in front of them. Aev stepped up to me, pressing his chest to my back and holding me around the waist. Though the only thing he could really do to protect me in the situation was drag me off the cliff, I figured holding me the way he was would make him look more like a worried male, and less like the fae men the klynnas despised.

The klynnas made noises I couldn’t identify, which worried me a little, but Rerrwyn’s emotions told me they were just shocked to see a female version of the male fae who had hunted them.

His emotions shifted, and when most of the other klynnas looked at him, I got the feeling they were having a silent conversation. It made me curious, but there was no way for me to listen in. His emotions remained calm, though, so I didn’t think it was anything to worry about.

So many huge heads swiveled back to us.

Aev’s grip on me tightened, but I stayed calm, in hopes he would do the same.

My eyes met one of the other klynnas, and her emotions met mine much more lightly than Rerrwyn’s usually did.

Hopeful.

Desperate.

Afraid.

She wanted peace, too.

The only time I’d heard Rerrwyn’s actual voice in my mind was when he gave me his name, and I knew that names had power in Vevol. If it was his full name—which I thought it likely was—I could use it to call him to me, at any given time.

Which meant protection.

So, I didn’t think we could communicate verbally about everything. The connection didn’t feel like it worked that way, and I’d never seen any other evidence that it could.

But I did know that the klynnas could understand when I spoke, because they had turned away so many times when me and the other life-bringers had asked them to.

“We don’t want to fight with you,” I told the klynnas. Though I didn’t yell, or even talk all that loudly, I spoke clearly and confidently. I hoped that would sway things in my favor, if I needed any help to do that. “We all want peace. The fae who used to fight with you had no way of connecting with you like we do now, and they feared you. They regret trapping you, now that they understand your feelings. And now that we can communicate, we hope to eliminate any need for fighting.”

The klynnas watched me, and the feeling of Rerrwyn’s approval flowed from the creature to me.

“Like you, we just want to live our lives in safety and peace. We want the freedom to choose our mates, and the time to love them the way we want to. We have no desire to hurt you, as your males can proclaim. When we could’ve attacked in the time you’ve been free, we never did. Instead, we used what power we had to defend our people without violence. Now, we just want to coexist peacefully. Would you be interested in that?”

Rerrwyn lowered his head toward me—a motion of confirmation, if his emotions were to be believed.

Another klynna lowered her head, too. Another male followed her, and then two more females.

A few minutes passed, but slowly, all of the creatures around us did the same.

Hope swelled within both me and Rerrwyn.

His emotions brushed mine as they all lifted their heads.

He wanted to promise his protection.

And wanted me to promise ours too.

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