Chapter 33
BREACHING
I sat up and slipped my hand into his. Lysander’s eyes snapped wide at my intimate contact.
I peered into his eyes. “Go. We’ll be fine.” I squeezed his hand hard. “But please be careful.”
Lysander looked into my eyes, and it felt as if he saw into me, saw my innermost feelings and thoughts. I fought not to squirm, to not let the love I held for him shine through. He couldn’t know because I couldn’t stay here forever.
After a long moment, Lysander blinked. A slow smile touched his lips. He squeezed my hand back. “Thank you, Sera.”
Melodina crawled over my lap to kneel in from of her father. Worry shone in her round gaze. “Please be safe.”
Lysander’s gaze softened. “I will be,” he promised.
Melodina opened her arms, and Lysander pulled her in for a tight embrace. “I love you, Papa,” Melodina whispered fiercely.
Lysander’s eyes widened in wonder, his lips parting as a slow exhale breezed from him. He pulled back slightly and looked at his daughter. A crooked grin splayed across his face. He dropped to his knees and gathered Melodina into his arms once more. “I love you, too,” he said. His gaze flicked to me. “Both of you.”
Shock whipped through my insides. I inhaled sharply.
H-he…loves me…?
My inner wolf dropped to her belly before rolling over onto her back, preening for our mate and basking in the confession.
Could I really believe that Lysander loved me? Uncertainty created a hollow in my heart.
SERAPHINA
I snuck around the corner of the corridor, my eyes narrowing on Melodina’s toes peeking out from behind the apron that hung inside the butler’s pantry. The kitchen staff shared amused glances as they went about preparing breakfast. Already I could smell the buttery scent of biscuits baking in the oven.
“I gotcha!” I said, pouncing on Melodina.
She laughed and shrieked as I tickled her underneath her armpits. I finally allowed her to collapse at my feet in a fit of giggles. We had been playing hide-and-seek. It was a distraction I had devised to keep Melodina from thinking about her father off fighting on the battlefield. Though it didn’t work nearly as well at distracting my own wayward thoughts. Anxiety clawed its way through my stomach.
Melodina pushed to her feet, her laughter ebbing. A look of sadness swept across her features. I kneeled down and grasped Melodina’s cheek gently.
“Hey,” I said softly. She looked up at me. “He’ll be okay.”
She gave a small nod, a tiny smile appearing.
“Your Highness!” One of the guards called for me. He ran into the kitchen toward us. Several female faes scrambled to get out of his way as he weaved around the staff.
Chest heaving, he said, “The summer fae warriors have breached the gates!”
My insides turned to jelly, and my legs went numb. “What?” I breathed.
Around me, the kitchen staff dropped pots and spatulas as the news reverberated off the walls. Screaming soon pierced the air as they abandoned what they were doing and fled.
The shadow fae guard grabbed Melodina, placed her on his hip, then took my hand. “We must get you to a secured location!”
With that, I was dragged along, my shorter legs barely able to keep pace with his quick strides. Behind me, I saw the other nine guards move into formation, flanking the rear and sides of us. Their gazes whipped about the corridors, looking for signs of the enemies’ presence.
My heartbeat pounded so hard against my ribcage that I could hear the beats ringing in my ears. My breaths came out in quick pants.
My keen hearing could now pick up the screams of soldiers falling under swords, the war cry of the summer fae.
Oh, stars! They’re here. Cold horror crawled over my skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. This was a setup. They must’ve lured Lysander into battle so we would be unprotected by him, and they sent another group out to take Melodina while he was away!
My inner wolf peeled back its upper lip, snarling as hot rage scorched through my blood. My daughter wasn’t without protection. I’d rip the throat out of anyone that touched Melodina!
“Momma, I’m scared,” Melodina cried, her eyes round with terror. She reached for me, and the guard relented his hold on her as I took her into my arms.
“This way,” the guard said as we moved down another corridor.
More screaming sounded. This time, it was closer. I could hear the clash of sword meeting sword. The guards led us to the back of the palace. He pressed a hand along the wall and stepped back. A section of the wall fanned outward. It was actually a door made to resemble the wall. Inside I saw a small room with a bed and a chair in the corner of the room. At the rear of the wall was an intricate tapestry that hung from the ceiling. A small fridge was alongside the other wall. This was a hideout—a secret room.
The guards tucked us inside. One of the guards pointed to the wall at the back, alongside the chair in the corner. “If you lift the chair, you’ll find a small indent on the floor. Push on it, and it will open another wall behind the tapestry. A second room as a failsafe.”
I nodded, and the guard closed the wall behind him, locking us inside. Holding Melodina close, I backed up until the back of my knees met the bed. I sat down. Melodina wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face against my cheek. I swept a soothing hand down her back.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered. “We just have to be very quiet, you hear? Not a word.”
Melodina nodded.
We sat in silence for a long while, listening to the world around us. Then I heard shouts of anger not too far from where we hid. Swords clashed with each other, and grunts and bellows pierced the air. I heard many footfalls racing toward the skirmish. The scent of overwhelming sunshine and dandelions. A trickle of sweat slicked down my spine.
There are too many summer fae warriors. They’re going to outnumber the guards.
My grip on Melodina tightened. She then turned around and sat on my lap, listening to the sounds of battle. It only lasted for a few minutes, but in those minutes, it seemed that time had stretched on forever. Then, a final cry as a sword cut through flesh. Afterward, all was silent.
I licked my lips, the tiny hairs on the nape of my neck lifting. I heard claws slice out and looked at my hands. My claws weren’t unsheathed. My eyes snapped wide as I saw claws sprouting from Melodina’s fingertips, her hair bristling to resemble a wolf’s pelt. Her inner wolf was pushing to the surface under the threat of danger. I couldn’t help the small seed of pride that bloomed inside me.
Several pairs of footsteps then began to sweep up and down the corridors.
Far too close to our hiding place.
Muffled voices undulated from the other side of the wall, but my sharp hearing could pick up what they uttered.
“We’ve searched every inch of this palace,” one of the warriors said. “They must be here.”
“But are they?’ Another male snarled.
“They must be hidden somewhere, a secret room or something,” a third warrior spoke up. “You know, like our own palace has.”
Silence.
My eardrums rang with the pulse of my blood.
“Search the walls! Look for anything suspicious that might lead to a hidden room.”
I slowly stood up and placed Melodina on her feet beside me. My inner wolf skimmed beneath my skin, ready to be called upon. One of the summer fae came dangerously close to the entrance of our hiding place, his fist thumping on the wall.
Melodina gasped softly and shrank back a step. The floorboard creaked under her movements. Then, the pounding ceased.
“Hey!” One of the warriors called to the others. “I think I heard something.”
My heart dropped. I whirled toward Melodina and dropped to my knees before her.
“Melodina, you have to teleport,” I whispered urgently. “Teleport as far away from here as you can.”
“But I’ve never teleported more than just me,” Melodina whispered. Tears sprang from her eyes. “I don’t know how to teleport you, Momma.”
I shook my head. “That’s okay. I didn’t mean for you to teleport me. Only yourself.”
Melodina’s blue eyes filled with terror. “Then what about you?”
I grabbed Melodina’s shoulders and smiled at her. “I’ll be fine.” A lie. There would be retribution when they came across me and not my daughter. The pounding against the walls increased as the warriors tried to find a way to breach the wall. Any moment now, they’d hit the spot to unlock the hidden room.
Tears spilled down Melodina’s cheeks, and she shook her head. “I don’t wanna leave you, Momma,” she cried. “Can’t we hide in the other secret room?” She pointed to the tapestry.