Page 8 of Taloned Heart

“Who are you?” Abraxas asked under his breath. “So I know what name to call you.”

“I don’t know who I am.” That was part of the fun. Lore grinned up at him. “I’m who she’s been missing, but who won’t be coming back.”

“Excuse me?”

The satyr looked up and a little shriek erupted from her mouth. “Alyss? Is that really you?”

Lore opened her arms wide and nodded.

The satyr dropped her wand onto the ground and launched at her. Perhaps it was a little cruel to be the person that this woman had missed the most, but she had to make sure it was someone that wouldn’t come back. Just like she’d said. She could only assume that Alyss was long dead, or worse, that she would soon be.

Clasping her arms tightly around the satyr in a hug, she hoped that this would give the woman closure she very much deserved. “I’m back, but not for long.”

“What are you doing here?” The satyr leaned back, holding onto her biceps and holding her still. “You were supposed to be across the seas by now! Is it Devlin? Did he not make it onto the ship?”

Lore could piece the story together in her head. Young Alyss was in love with a human. He’d fled to the ships with her, likely the last ones leaving, and they had sailed across the seas. Hopefully that was where the story began, and didn’t end.

“He’s safe,” she said with a bright grin on her face. “I didn’t make it onto that ship, but I’ll make the next one. I wanted to come say goodbye.”

“Well, and what a goodbye it will be! I’ll get the others. They’ll be so pleased to see you!”

“Wait—“ Lore grabbed the other woman’s arm before she could leave. “I just wanted to see you.”

A shadow crossed over the satyr’s eyes, and then the woman looked behind her to see Abraxas looming there. The woman swallowed hard. “And who’s this?”

Damn. Not her husband, clearly.

“A friend,” Lore tried. “Do you mind if we go somewhere private?”

“A friend? He looks like he’s in the Rebellion.” The satyr swallowed. “You were never involved in that, darling.”

Oh, but she was. She was very much involved in that and if she didn’t get the woman inside where she could at least pry into her mind in peace, then all of this could fall apart around her ears.

Lore glanced over her shoulder at Abraxas, her eyes wide. He misinterpreted what she needed. Her dragon took a heavy step forward, malice in his eyes and strength dancing down his strong shoulders.

“Heavens,” the satyr woman whispered. “What have you gotten yourself into, Alyss?”

“Nothing all too dangerous.”

“It seems as though that might not be correct.” The satyr swallowed, her eyes flicking over her shoulders, and Lore knew she was about to run. “Why don’t I get your father?”

No, no more family. No more hugs. No more people who would never see their dear Alyss again. This was a mistake. She should have thought up a plan that was less dangerous... and less cruel.

“Can we come inside?” She tried one more time. “Please?”

The satyr looked her over and something inside her died. Lore saw it. She saw the hope and the pleasure of seeing her drift away until there was nothing left but exhaustion and sadness. “You’re not my Alyss, are you?”

Lore bit her lip and then slowly shook her head. “No, I am not.”

“Why are you here?”

“To ask questions and get answers.”

“From me?” The woman pressed her hand to her chest, the fingers blunt and short. “I don’t know anything. We just moved here only a few months ago, and we were hoping for a quieter life away from the city. Surely you need the village elder, someone with more power than me.”

Lore shook her head, sadness stretching through her entire body until her limbs felt heavy with it. “No,” she whispered. “I need you. I need someone who will tell me what happened, honestly, without the filter of responsibility. I need to know from someone who lived it, and I believe you are that person.”

The satyr licked her lips. “What is your name?”

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