Page 82 of Demure
Sierra bit her lip to stop from squeaking a second time in shock as she nodded. “Yes please.”
The creature lowered one of its massive legs, dipping its right side toward Sierra. Even though it was much closer than before,Sierra still wondered just how she was supposed to get up. She didn’t have to wonder long, as soon the creature had pushed her onto its back with its trunk.
When she was situated comfortably, or at least as comfortably as she could be without a saddle or something to hold onto, the creature resumed its lumbering pace across the meadow.
Where to?
“I’m honestly not sure. Do you know of a small house where a woman lives?”
Sierra couldn’t say for sure, but it seemed like the elipag dipped its head.
“If so, I need to go there.”
We know.
Sierra felt her eyes grow wide at the words in her mind, suddenly remembering that these things traveled in herds. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she noticed the trail of elipags behind them, all of their glowing blue eyes resting on her.
You’ll grow used to it.
Sierra desperately wanted to ask more questions, but she had a feeling whatever this connection thing she had didn’t work that way. Suppressing her urge to question what was going on around her, Sierra took a deep breath, trying to just be in the moment as she had been when she awoke and when she had first seen the floating lights in the field. But it was easier said than done, as the moment she was able to get it out of her head was usually the moment when she noticed she was on a creature much larger than herself, several feet off the ground.
Just when she was about to give up on getting out of her head, Fia’s house came into view, and Sierra felt a smile spread across her face at the fact that the elipags had known where they were going. She made a mental note to ask Fia about the mental capabilities she was experiencing once inside.
The elipag she was riding brought her close to the door before dipping a leg again so Sierra could slide off. She had to admit getting off was much easier thangetting on.
See you soon.
The words tickled her mind as the elipag waved its trunk and disappeared back into the trees, the rest of the herd following suit. Watching the elipags from this angle, she wondered if they had some sort of magic powers with the way they moved through the trees. They were so wide, and Sierra knew from experience that the trees were much closer together than they looked, as they had scratched her arms when she had been on foot with Aislan. But the elipags were unbothered, and they moved silently, with no sounds of breaking branches in their wake.
Yes, definitely magic,Sierra concluded before turning toward the door.
Now that Sierra thought about it, it was a bit weird that Fia hadn’t opened it already. Hadn’t she seen that she would return?
“Fia?” Sierra called out, not sure if knocking was a thing in Sidhe.
When no sounds reached her more sensitive ears, Sierra turned the knob in her hands, entering the small home. The sitting room was just as she left it, a fire burning low in the hearth, indicating that Fia had been here at some point in the last few hours. Sierra tried again. “Fia?”
She heard something that sounded like a step, and she spun toward the sound, but it was too late. Someone grabbed her around the waist, locking their arms so she couldn’t move; at the same time, someone put a gag in her mouth and something over her head that obscured her vision.
Sierra tried to struggle, and she knew immediately that these weren’t humans based on how strong their grips were. She tried kicking her legs, but they were grabbed by a third person, who quickly picked up her feet to move her out of the house.
She was being kidnapped. Again.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Sierra had to admit, although she hadn’t had much time to explore the Fae strength and heightened senses, she felt far less scared during this kidnapping than her previous one.
The thought caused her to chuckle to herself. Only someone with her luck would be kidnapped twice in a matter of weeks—and be making a joke about it.
Sierra tried to pay attention as she was moved, but this time, she was carried for the duration of her transportation over the shoulder of a male she assumed was Fae. As a result of being carried like a sack of potatoes, her head was lower than the rest of her body, and it was all Sierra could do to keep from vomiting from all the jostling and jiggling. She couldn’t decide if it was the position upsetting her stomach, or the unknown berries she had eaten earlier that day. Either way, the last thing she wanted was to make it even harder to breathe than it already was with the sack over her head.
At least this kidnapping, they kept her conscious for the entire event, which was good, because Sierra was able to gauge more accurately how far they were going, but it was also bad because it meant they likely knew who Sierra was and that she wouldn’t be able to find her way back to Fia’s on her own.
She hoped that if Conlan was the one behind this kidnapping, she would be able to speak to Slaine again. Braan, Kaye, and Aislan were supposed to be somewhere in Fuinseog anyway, and she was sure that if Slaine could get word to them, they would help her escape.
At least Sierra didn’t have to wonder for long who had kidnapped her because a few minutes later—which felt more like hours—she was dumped unceremoniously on a stone floor, and the bag removed from her head.
“I was wondering what happened to you.”
