Page 41 of Wings of Snow

“We shall make a meal for all of you. Come inside.” Ilara’s mother beckoned us to join them, and my mate nodded eagerly.

We spent the next hour being pampered by her mother while I ate as much food as was put in front of me. Some of the black hole inside me began to fill. Each bite helped slightly, but it would take until tomorrow for me to fully recharge. Worry pulsed through me at how easily Tylen had rendered me useless even though his nulling magic had finally, fully worn off.

When we finished eating, her mother eyed the couch. “Would you all like to sit? Or perhaps go for a walk? This time of the day, the sunlight through the ice is quite beautiful.”

Ilara squeezed her mother’s hand. “We can’t, not at this time.” Ilara eyed me, her brow furrowing, and I knew she was thinking about everything we needed to do. “Soon, though, I promise.”

Cailis and Tormesh were in a deep discussion over what they’d been doing for the past year, not even listening to us, but they stood when we said we were leaving.

After tearful goodbyes and more hugs—all of which made Nish look slightly ill—we slipped through my illusion, and I had just enough magic left to fully stitch it back together.

Once done, my knees sagged, and I braced myself on them as I took deep breaths.Fuck.

A soft hand settled on my back as Ilara’s roses and dew scent drifted around me.

“Where can we go that’s not the castle?” she asked quietly. “I’ll mistphase all of us so you can rest.”

A part of me wanted to argue and tell her that I was strong enough to do it myself, but one look at her unrelenting expression, and I accepted it for what it was. After an entire day of mistphasing myself and my four guards repeatedly around the continent, the huge physical and magical blowout I’d had with Drachu, Tylen’s nulling magic depleting me, and then having to tear through my illusion at the Cliffs of Sarum before repairing it...all with no rest and hardly any food in between had nearly run me dry.

“There’s a village on the southern tip of Mervalee, near the border with the Nolus continent,” I told her. “The village has an inn that I’ve frequented from time to time. The owners have always been discreet. They won’t tell a soul that I’m there or that I’ve brought a black-haired, white-winged female with me.”

She gave a nod, and her face morphed into one of concentration as I told her exactly where the village lay.

Fierce wind continued to howl around us as my mate’s magic took hold of me and all of my guards. I just thanked the Mother that I’d found her and she was safe, even though in the back of my mind, it still hit me that Drachu had his clutches in her—possibly permanently—and right now, there was nothing I could do about it.

CHAPTER 13 - ILARA

The village Norivun requested we venture to sat at the base of the Elixias Mountains. We appeared just outside of the tiny town in a field filled with short grass and nightill flowers. Their little buds of purple and black were some of my favorite wildflowers, but we didn’t often see them near my village, only during the years when we were blessed with slightly warmer temperatures. But here, at the southernmost edge of our continent, they bloomed abundantly.

Fragrant scents from the blossoms permeated the air. Ahead, the small village waited. It didn’t appear much larger than my home village, given its single lane and two dozen buildings making up the entirety of the village’s center. It held the usual outposts from the looks of it: a school, a council building, a few eating establishments, a salopas, a market for trading goods, a few shops, and an inn.

Fiddle music strummed through the air from one of the eating establishments as the sun hung low in the sky, beginning to disappear behind the steep mountains that rose ominously and divided our continent from the Nolus fae. Snow-tipped peaks swirled in the clouds, and the tree leaves in the forest surrounding the mountain’s base shone silver in the dying light.

I took a deep breath and couldn’t believe that strong magic still rumbled inside me after mistphasing all of us at once for a second time, but even mistphasing six of us across a vast distance hadn’t depleted much of my power.

“Ock, you all right, Ilara?” Nish asked. “That’s quite the feat to mistphase so many fae at once so far.”

“I was just thinking that.” I probed my magic within my gut again as that strange sensation brushed against my back when my wings lifted involuntarily.

I still wasn’t used to the weight or feel of my brand-new wings. Truth be told, I hadn’t given them much thought yet or considered what an affinity that gave me feathered wings even meant. I also didn’t know the first thing about flying, but learning and understanding all of that was for another day. Right now, I needed to help my mate restore his magic.

“You’re all right?” Norivun’s hand settled on my lower back, right beneath my white feathers.

I nodded. “I’m fine. Truly.”

And amazingly, I was. Whatever God Zorifel had done this morning had truly unlocked everything within me. I felt strong. Powerful. And for the first time in my entire life, I feltfree. I just hoped that I would be able to master my two new affinities without Matron Olsander’s help. Who knew if I would ever be able to seek her training again.

“I’ll get us checked in,” Haxil offered when Norivun didn’t make a move to venture into the small village. “No need for all of us to show our faces.”

Norivun grunted, and since none of us were covered in illusion masks, I knew his magic was weaker than he wanted to admit.

A strum of worry billowed through me, and as though he scented it despite his depleted state, Norivun leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my neck.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered. “So strong. I knew you always had it within you.”

A shiver ran through me as the scent and feel of him pulled at something deep inside me.

I curled my fingers around his upper arms. A thrum of heat billowed through my limbs, making me want to mold my lips to his and forget everything that had gone wrong in the past few days. I knew my mate could provide that. Being close to him, getting lost in his scent and feel...it made the realm around us disappear. The magnitude of what we faced didn’t diminish the instincts surfacing within me that wanted to taste, caress, and stroke every inch of his skin. It would be so easy to get lost in our bond.

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