Chapter 20

Man, this had been a really sucky day.

Traveling in this dying world by horseback, and trying to avoid a magical, evil queen, hard enough. Doing all that and traveling with thirty-two injured men, women, and children, still in shock from recent events and in one doozy of a monsoon? Pure hell.

We had been lucky enough to find a wagon still in decent shape back at the village and a few horses that had been grazing in the back paddocks. The morquals had thankfully missed them in the attack.At least most of the injured and the children were able to ride in the wagon instead of walking. But that had been the end of our good luck.

Starke, Kara, and I had given up our horses to the older survivors, testing our own endurance. But it wasn’t even the walking slowing us down. It was the muddy roads. Almost every hour the wagon would get mired down in the muck, and we’d spend just as long trying to get it out. I’d lost track of how many times I’d fallen on my face already, but my clothes and hair looked like I’d just won Endova’s ladies mud wrestling competition. At least one thing was in our favor. At least last night’s cold snap had broken, and we weren’t freezing our butts off as well as being rain soaked and covered in mud. Thanks, Lady Luck for being less of a bitch today.

“Push,” Starke yelled as he shoved against one of the wagon wheels. I did the same, Kara, the guards and a few of the survivors pitching in. The wagon rocked for a bit in the hub-high muck before gaining traction and jumping ahead out of the mire. I stumbled, trying to catch myself from landing in the bog again. Strong hands steadied me and righted me back on my feet.

“Thanks,” I shot at Starke as I tried, and failed, at wiping the rain out of my eyes. Geez-us, I swear it was raining sideways now. What was up with this stupid world?

Starke nodded as he ran his hands through his dripping hair, slicking it back out of his face.

“That’s like the fifth time today. We can’t keep doing this,” I yelled at him over the driving rain. “Can’t you magically enhance the wheels or something so they don’t sink in the mud? Or I can put a magic bubble over us to keep the rain off? I mean, I’m a water elemental. I should be able to control this, right?”

He glared at me through the streaming water. A glare that said quite clearly I should know better than to ask such a stupid question about magic. His look said it all. Did I want to send Asha an open invitation to come find us? Use a whole bunch of magic and leave residue that practically screamed, here we are, come get us?

I swear I heard every bit of his condescension in my head, but I was saved a lecture from him by the approach of a lone rider on horseback. Bishop was back from scouting ahead.

“Bish, please tell me you found a Holiday Inn up the road?” I yelled over the thundering rain. “Or at least a pub where we can partake in a nice ale in front of a warm fire?”

Bish didn’t even look my way as he dismounted. He directed his comment to Starke.

“We will have to make camp and wait until the rain stops. The road farther ahead is flooded out. We will not be able to pass with the wagon.”

Well that’s great news. Because waiting on the side of the road in a rainstorm sounded so appealing.

“We wait?” I yelled again. “For how long?”

He blinked at me. “Until the rain stops, like I said.”

He left off the moron part, but I heard it quite clearly.

“Ahead up the trail there is an abandoned farm. The barn is still somewhat standing. Should provide us with some shelter at least.”

Great. An abandoned barn on the side of the road. Talk about bringing back bad memories. Let’s just hope we have better luck with it than the abandoned gas station on Bixby’s world.

Starke nodded. “Agreed, Bishop. Do you think Frita made it past the flooding in time?”

Starke had sent one of the guards with us ahead to my grandmother’s village days ago to attain another wagon, in hopes to meet us halfway so none of us had to walk. Another wagon would get us back to safety a hell of a lot quicker. If it would ever stop raining.

“I saw no sign of her along the way,” Bishop answered. “I think she got by in time.”

“Good.” Starke squinted up at the cascading rain. “I don’t think this will hold up anytime soon. We may as well stop for the night and allow everyone a good night’s rest. I believe we are safe for the moment. If anyone was following us, they would have had numerous time to attack over the past few days.”

Made sense. I hoped.

It took us about another thirty minutes of wading through mud and muck and fighting against the wind before the barn finally came into sight. The rain wasn’t lessening at all, and every single one of us was soaked to the bone as we stumbled into the poor excuse of a building. It was listing precariously to the left and one whole end of it was missing, but at least it was the end out of the wind. The other part of the building was nice and dry.

We piled in, leaving the horses and wagons for last and acting as a barrier between us and the outside. After the howling of the wind and driving rain, being protected by walls was eerily calm and quiet.

The villagers stood in a dripping heap in the middle of the floor looking around helplessly. They were still in shock, wet, and hungry no doubt. We needed fires and food double time.

Thankfully Kara had been smart enough to pack a bunch of covered kindling in the wagon, since we probably wouldn’t have been able to find a piece of dry wood outside from here to Timbuctoo. Within minutes she had a couple of nice blazes going in the middle of the stone floor, and even though the air wasn’t even that cold, the warmth from the fire added a bit of normalcy to the room. Like we could finally sit and relax. For now.

I found myself a spot on the dry side of the barn and removed my already oversized, knit sweater. Sopping wet, it was hanging almost to my knees and was so freakin’ uncomfortable. I hung it from a peg on the barn wall, hoping it would dry and maybe even shrink some before I had to wear it again. Man, I really missed my trench coat. Not for the first time since I’d left it behind on Zoe’s world, I cried a little inside for it. I knew it was silly and it was only a coat, but it was like losing my last link to anything I considered a ‘normal’ world, and I was left with this cauldron of craziness. I figured I’d better get used to it though, since from here on out it was only going to get worse. I pulled my boots off and turned them upside down, grimacing in disgust as muddy water ran out. My socks quickly joined my sweater and I rubbed my wet feet on the stone floor, trying to dry them as much as possible.

The noise of people settling down filtered through the barn. Soft murmuring. A few sighs. Everyone trying to get comfortable and dry some of their own clothes in front of the fires. Kara and Bishop got to work right away, setting up the pots over the fires so they could cook what they called grains. I knew it as oatmeal. By either name, it was disgusting. Lumpy porridge with no milk or sugar to add to the taste. It was utterly bland and terrible, but it filled our empty bellies, so no one complained, although I’d give my right arm for an extra cheese, pepperoni pizza right about now.

I slid down the wall and leaned my back against it. Now that we had stopped moving, fatigue was finally settling in. We’d been moving non-stop these past two days, barely allowing time for ourselves or the horses to rest. Scared that Asha’s people had followed us from the village. But as Starke said, we hadn’t seen signs of anyone. We’d taken no chances, avoiding all villages and towns along the way, choosing to travel through the woods instead of risking anyone spotting us. Asha’s spies were everywhere. It was going to take longer to get back to my grandmother’s village that way, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The survivors of Starke’s village had been through enough to scar them for a lifetime. They didn’t need to witness more bloodshed and war.

War.

The word echoed in my head. I was in the middle of a damn war. How had this even happened? Only three months ago my biggest worries had been graduating and avoiding the Scooby gang for another day. Now I was in the middle of a war for the multiverse. I commiserated with Bilbo Baggins all of a sudden. All he had wanted to do was stay in the shire and eat snacks. He hadn’t wanted any part of the big adventure quest. I totally understood, Bilbo dude.

It was surreal to even think about it, to even comprehend it, so I tried not to. If I ignored it, it wasn’t real, right? I knew thinking about my predicament too much would drive me over the edge. It was easy enough to avoid before with the world jumping and learning magic occupying my thoughts.But seeing up close the devastation Asha had left in the village changed all that. I couldn’t help but think about it. She’d brought it straight to my door with all the innocent people she’d killed. People that Starke loved, and some of whom I actually knew, like Shay, and made it all that much more real.

War. And not just any war. A magical war. Even with all my big talk and encouragement to Starke a couple of nights ago, I knew deep down I was terrified. Scared of what was about to happen. Scared to jump to another world. Scared that when the time came, we wouldn’t be able to do what we were meant to do. Scared of what would happen to those I cared about. My gaze roamed over Kara and Bish… and settled on Starke. Just watching him brought a sort of peacefulness to my inner turmoil.

I observed him as he moved through his people. A kind word here. A soft hug there. Wiping away tears from a little one’s cheek or helping an old one remove their boots so they could dry by the fire. He didn’t stop. His concern and love for them was so obvious. It came so natural to him. And even after all the villagers had been through. All they had lost, they still believed in him. It was awe inspiring to see. They loved him back fully and completely, their eyes watching him like he was the answer to all their problems. Trusting in him completely.

I didn’t blame them. I felt exactly the same. He was very compelling, despite his Fae arrogance. If you managed to look past that and see the real Starke, it was worth the struggle to get there. I loved the sound of his voice. The touch of his hand. The way he laughed. The way he made me laugh. The way he put others before himself. He genuinely was a good person. I hadn’t met too many of those in my jaded lifetime. I suddenly realized he was the reason why I was here in the middle of a damn war and following him blindly. He made it far too easy for me to love him.

Woah, Nellie. Where the hell had that come from?

The thought in my head froze me like a raindrop in an ice storm. Did I just admit to myself that I loved a guy? And a Fae prince at that? No way. I don’t fall in love. No one was worth that much trouble, not even him. I stared at his broad back wondering if I had just lost my mind.

As if he felt me watching, he looked up and caught my eye. That beautiful smile encompassed his face, highlighting lips that I suddenly ached to touch. Heated blood coursed through every part of my body, as the tips of my ears caught on fire and my breath hitched in my chest. Fear that he would know exactly what I was thinking competed with embarrassment. His smile faded as our gazes remain locked, his green eyes slightly questioning like he saw something in mine he didn’t quite understand.

Lord, what was wrong with me? I couldn’t be in love with Starke. Could I?I started to hyperventilate. No, no, no. I was just a stupid idiot caught up in the emotions of everything that was happening around us. That wasn’t love. Maybe just gratefulness. Yeah, that was it. I just needed air to clear my head and help me think rationally.

I dropped my gaze; afraid he’d already seen what I was thinking. Pushing myself to my bare feet, I scurried to the open end of the barn, past the horses and wagon. Hidden from the prying eyes of the others, I leaned against a barn post and stared into the falling rain, trying to clear my thoughts. What the hell just happened back there?A shadow fell over me and I knew it was him before I even looked up.

“What’s wrong?” Even just the sound of his voice made my heart skip a beat.

I blinked at him in terror.

“What? Why are you following me?”

“Because of the way you were looking at me. Not sure, but you were thinking something. And it wasn’t good by the look on your face.”

“I wasn’t thinking anything,” I denied hotly.

“Are you in pain? You looked like you were in pain.”

“What? No.”

“Well then something is wrong. Tell me, Jette.”

“Stop questioning me,” I growled. “You’re annoying me.”

“No different from any other time, but annoyance is not the issue right now." He moved toward me.

“Don’t come any closer,” I warned as I held up a hand.

His brow creased in concern. “Jette, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I gasped, lying through my teeth. “I just need a moment. I think I’m having a slight panic attack.”

“Do you need my help?” He took another step.

“Don’t,” I gasped, still sucking air and not sure why I was so terrified of him touching me. He’d touched me a million times. Why was now so different? But my mind instinctively knew that if he touched me right now, things would never be the same between us again.

Like the stubborn Fae he was, he didn’t listen to me. In two strides he was at my side. Strong hands gripped my arms, pulling me upright as he stared into my face.

“Tell me what is wrong.”

I swallowed noisily as I got swept up into his concerned gaze. “I…I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t? You can tell me anything, and you usually do. Whether I want to hear it or not. So talk.”

“Not this time. I can’t tell you because…because I don’t even understand it myself.”

“That makes no sense. You do realize that, yes?” He grinned at me. I knew he was just trying to make me feel at ease so I’d spill the beans. Wasn’t happening. Those thoughts in my head were not making it past my lips, no matter what.

“Whether it makes sense or not, it’s all you’re getting out of me. I don’t have to tell you everything, you know. A woman is entitled to her secrets. Just because you’re Fae, doesn’t mean you have to control me to your every little whim.” I knew I was blabbering, but the way his eyes were roaming over me was making me panic. Was his gaze always this intense? It was like he was trying to see into my very soul.

“Stop that,” I grumbled, trying to pull out of his grip.

“Stop what?” He asked innocently enough, but I saw the slight glimmer of magic.

“You’re trying to glamor me or some shit into talking. That’s invasive and wrong. In my world you don’t do stuff like that.”

“I apologize, Jette. I wasn’t trying to force you into anything. I was merely trying to help you relax and ease your panic. You are quite obviously worried and upset over something you do not wish to discuss. I will respect that.”

I knew he was speaking the truth to me. I felt it.

“Good,” I grumbled.

His mouth twitched. “You are such a strange little thing.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. I did not mean it as an insult. It was meant to be a compliment. Strange as in different.”

“Not much better,” I countered.

“Unique. One of a kind. Irreplaceable. Out of this world. Off the beaten track.”

“Stop. I get it. Those human idiom books of yours have to go. Just sayin’.”

He laughed.

“What I was trying to say is, you are special to me, Jette.”

His words were genuine and sweet, and melted my insides to goo. No. Stop it, Jette. Stop feeling this way. I struggled to pull myself from his grasp. To put distance between us, because I was scared of what I would do if I didn’t pull away.

“And you’re panicking again,” he stated as he let me go. “I’m sorry if my words upset you. That wasn’t my intention.”

He looked so contrite, so worried over me that I couldn’t help what I did next.

“Oh hell,” I swore softly as I stepped toward him. Grabbing him by the front of his wet jacket, I pulled him down to my level as I claimed his lips.

My kiss originated from uncertainty and desperation, but he quickly changed the pace. It turned from questioning to slow and mesmerizing. His hands roamed over my shoulders, my neck, my face as if he wanted to commit every detail of me to memory. His touch awoke every nerve ending in my body. The feel of his tongue against mine sending tingles from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. The kiss felt amazing and intoxicating and so, so right. Like I was destined to be the one in his arms.

Finally we broke apart, breathing heavily from our intimacy. Immediately embarrassment flooded my body.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” I babbled. “I didn’t mean to do that. That was…”

“You talk way too much,” he growled, shutting me up by kissing me again.

“Starke. Jette,” Kara’s voice echoed through the barn, stirring up the horses. They neighed softly as I pulled away from Starke just as she came into view. Her face gave away nothing. No indication she’d seen anything, but when she spoke her words with tinged with amusement. “Just wanted you to know if you don’t come get some grains now it’ll be all gone. Unless you’re too busy of course.”

“Be right there,” Starke answered, his face holding none of the heat of mine. I guess I was blushing enough for the two of us.

Kara shot me a mischievous grin as she walked away, her eyes twinkling with the promise that there would be questions for me later. She was going to want to know all the deets of what she’d just walked in on, I knew it.

Starke waited for us to be alone before he spoke, touching the tip of my nose with his fingertip. “You are adorable when you blush.”

“Adorable? Really?” I asked, swiping his finger away in irritation. “Just what every girl wants to hear, I’m sure.”

He laughed. “Come on. As much as I’d rather continue what I was doing before we were interrupted, we should go eat while there’s food left.”

“You go ahead,” I nodded. “I just need a minute for this to calm down.” I flopped a hand at my heated cheeks.

“Okay. I’ll save you some grains.”

I stared after his back as he walked away, my stomach flipflopping with the realization settling in the pit of it. I couldn’t deny it any longer and it was no use trying to talk myself out of it. I’d fallen head over heels for the arrogant Fae prince whose mother was my crazy-ass, mortal enemy. Man, I was such an idiot.