175: Ada's POV

175: Ada's POV
I made Blade and Dagger carry Heath on his makeshift gurney. While they would say it was punishment, I called it being practical. As the only full-blooded fae in the group, they’d remained the strongest out of all of us. Even as food depleted, illness swept through the ships, and powers waned— they were constant. It meant they were most likely to evade if we happened to run into a patrol.

Odds were we would run into a patrol on the way to the cottage I was leading them to. Velentaria was certainly aware of our arrival, and there just wasn’t any way that she would allow us to continue freely.

Dried, dead leaves crunched as we stepped. The decaying earth was covered with layers of lush, green underbrush, but it was so silent that the years of unkempt death were all that could be heard around us. I almost winced with every step someone took. Nik was doing his best to muffle what he could with shadows, but he could only cover the ground beneath a few of our feet.

I led the entire group through the forest, thinking constantly of how angry my mates were about to be with me. Months. We’d been apart for months— well, except Phoenix and me— and there was so much that had changed. But I knew one thing hadn’t. Whether they had their wolves or not, my mates would practically implode when they realized I was taking them to Adrian’s hunting cabin.

It wasn’t a well-known spot, which is why it was where I was going. Not to mention the Beta was now long-dead, which most likely meant it had been vacant since his last trip out. While I couldn’t be sure of when that was, I knew that there would be dried meats and shelf-stable foods as well as a stocked wood pile and a garden. All of the area would be easy to ward and protect with runes. And easy to keep guard of, considering Adrian had several hunting landings in the trees surrounding it.

I’d known about the cottage since I was ten. Adrian and I had been close enough in age that he and I had hung out on several occasions. After a particularly rough screaming match with Francine, he’d brought me here to help me get away. He’d told my father he was teaching me to patrol and what our borders were like. Bryant, of course, had been more than happy to get rid of me.

We passed an oak tree that I recognized. Darius glanced up into the canopy of branches above us, squinting at something. I knew that a few trees to the left of the oak, one of the hunting lookouts would be present. Just like I knew that, just as we passed the next large oak tree, there would be a small meadow where the cottage would become visible.

There was a pang in my chest. He’d been such a good friend, and would have been a good chosen mate if that had been how everything played out. Adrian was loyal. And I got him killed.

I shook the thought from my head as we entered the meadow. I spun so that I was walking backward toward the cottage, facing everyone else. “Now, I can’t guarantee the condition of this place.”

“If it offers protection from the elements and a chance to rest,” Bryant pushed ahead of the group, walking in stride beside me, “It’ll do.”

He shot me a knowing look as we approached the small cottage. It wasn’t quite rundown, but the outside walls had definitely been taken over with native foliage, and the once-tidy garden was so unkempt that you wouldn’t know it was there if you hadn’t seen it in its prime. The door still appeared to be on its hinges, and the windows were primarily intact.

A loud creak echoed around me as I pushed the front door open. Nik glanced around the quaint living space, hands still shoved into his pockets. “I’ll leave most of you to set this up.” he turned to Blade, nodding at him, “Help me set up runes?”

Blade shrugged, he and Dagger moving in unison to lower Heath onto the ground, “I know a few that you may not know. Should protect us more directly from Fae.”

The two of them exited without even a parting glance at the rest of us. I cleared my throat as everyone remained rooted to the spot they were in, “There are two bedrooms back here. We should be able to clean up this area pretty—”

“I’ll go rummage around and look for some food,” Phoenix jutted a thumb over his shoulder, starting toward a flap in the floor, “I’ll take stock of what’s in the cellar and then go hunt.”

Paul and Felix were already lifting Heath, starting toward one of the rooms. It was Felix who sent me a toothy grin, “We’ll get Heath set up in one of the rooms. You and your mates can have the other.”

Darius and Bryant exchanged a glance before turning to me expectantly. I sighed and shrugged, “You two do what you want, then. I’ll start cleaning.”

“Chimney,” Darius cleared his throat, practically running out of the cottage.

Bryant sent me a soft smile, chuckling, “I don’t think your mates are happy with your choice of temporary residence.” I glared at him for a moment before walking over to the pantry that was just off the small kitchen. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to go look for some herbs and medicines for healing.”

“Don’t wander too far,” I stated absentmindedly.

He saluted as he exited. Phoenix emerged from the cellar, eyebrows raised. “Adrian was quite the hoarder. We have enough supplies to last us for months.” Dust kicked up off the floor as the broom in my hand went back and forth over the floorboards. Phoenix sighed, hopping up onto the small counter to sit. “Why are things so weird?”

“Probably for the same reason it was weird between us when we first lost our wolves.” I shoved the dirt and dust toward the open front door, flinging it outside. “They don’t know where we stand without being able to feel the matebond.”

“I thought only Darius would have that problem,” Phoenix sighed, hopping off the counter and grabbing a rag. “You and Nik just seem so...”

A small smile formed on my face as he began wiping the dust off the counter and the things on it. “Close? Friendly?”

“It doesn’t mean that will translate to chemistry without our wolves.” Nik’s voice called out from in front of the cottage.

Phoenix jumped, and I placed a hand over my chest. Nik and Blade were both walking back to the cottage. Blade smirked, “You two are loud when you think no one is listening.”

Nik, Phoenix, and I ignored him. I continued sweeping. “Well, help me and Phoenix finish cleaning, and then we can sit down and talk.”