I wouldn’t let either of them down. Not now, not ever.
“Xander?” Daegal’s voice broke through the fog of my thoughts.
Shaking my head, I ran my hand through my hair. “Sorry, I… it was a memory.”
More and more of them had been cropping ever since Saena returned to my life.
Daegal’s eyes filled with understanding, and he nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Gods, no,” I said. “Just… what do you know about the darkness?”
“It’s everywhere.” He shuddered. “We need to hurry, Xander. Time is running out. The balance is broken, and the situation is growing dire.”
“Of course it is.” Nothing was ever easy or lacked urgency these days. A sound came from the cot where I’d left Aileana, and I glanced over. She was tossing and turning. I needed to go back to her.
Before I could, Daegal grabbed my arm with a strength I didn’t know he possessed. “I have Seen a future where the draken reigns over the Four Kingdoms, Xander.” His fingernails dug into my arm, drawing blood as a wild overtook his eyes. “It’s dark and filled with so much evil that it makes the vampires and their bloodthirsty ways look like child’s play.”
He fell silent, and I tugged my arm out of his grasp, moving toward Aileana. I was nearly at our make-shift bed when Daegal spoke once more. His words chilled me to my bones.
“In that future, Xander, there is no hope.”
* * *
How are you feeling today,Xander?Aileana asked through our mental connection. She rested her head against my chest; her hand drawing mindless circles on my tunic. It was midday, and the storm still battered the windows.
I want to get out of here,I said honestly, my tone betraying the frustration running through my veins.I want to be alone with you, not always surrounded by other people.
That was perhaps the most frustrating thing about being in this cottage. Seven people, three of them couples, were too many to pack into such a small space. This morning, privacy seemed even more of a distant concept than it had last night.
And I wanted privacy. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I needed it. Being with Aileana tamed the rage and fire burning within me. She made me a better male. Talking to her, fighting with her, was the best part of my day.
Not to mention the more intimate aspects of our relationship. I wanted to lock her in a room and spend time alone with her, reminding her she was mine. I craved the way she sounded beneath me, breathing my name in short bursts as she fell apart beneath my fingers and tongue and body. I wanted her to scream my name. And then, when we were tired, I wanted to talk to her. Not just speak mind to mind, but out loud, with no one else able to hear the things we whispered—shouted—at each other.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.
Aileana pushed herself up, resting her chin on her palm. Her eyes searched mine as she tilted her head.You want to be free.
She understood me so well. Being cooped up in here felt far too much like a cage. I didn’t want to stay here, confined by something that was out of my control. There was a tightness in my chest that came from being inside for too long.
Yes, I said through our connection.I need to be free.
Aileana ran her hands through my hair, pressing feather-light kisses to the stubble on my cheeks.I understand, Elyx. Freedom is like tasting sugar after a lifetime of eating bland food. Once you have it, you can’t give it up.
I nipped at her lips.Talking about food again. Are you hungry, Sunshine?
She laughed softly, nuzzling my cheek.I’m always hungry these days.
That was true. Aileana had always shown an appreciation for food, but for the past few weeks, she seemed hungrier than usual. Her scent had changed, too. It was deeper now. Earthier. It must have been caused by the stress, but it was worrisome. This quest was taking a lot out of all of us.
Pushing up and resting my back against the wall, I tucked Aileana against my side. She sighed, releasing a green ribbon that flew around the room before diving beneath the floorboards. Her eyes closed, and her head leaned back, resting against my shoulder. Picking up her hand, I rubbed it slowly before moving up and tracing the mating mark on her arm.
At least we have this, Aileana murmured in my mind.Even in this cottage, we have each other.
Continuing my ministrations on her hands, I kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulders.You’ll always have me.
Aileana shivered, pressing herself against me.Thank the gods for small mercies.
If it wasn’t for this mental connection, I would have probably lost my mind by now.