Page 72 of Fae Unleashed
The beast made ahrmphsound.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to believe. I can do it for the both of us.” I rolled onto my back. “I’m going to kill Faust, break your contract, and get rid of Beryl.”
Later, though. I would do all that another time. Right now, I stood and motioned for the beast to get up. He did so, his tail dancing back and forth as if my very attention delighted him. I cupped his broad face in my hands and said:
“Let’s explore the domain. I want to see it all. This world gave birth to me. I want to get to know it inside and out.”
The beast licked my face and let me climb onto his back. With my knees tucked under his wings, he leapt off the ground and into the sky. I yelped in fear at first. Clutching his fur for dear life, I tried to steady the wild thump of my heart while the ground grew further and further away.
Time worked oddly here in the fae realm. The sun crested the sky and painted it with glorious color. I felt as though I could hold my hand out and swipe my fingertips through the pain coating the horizon.
We landed in a small glen bathed in golden light. While I knew this forest had once belonged to Faust, the remnants of his nightmares were nowhere to be found. This was where he’d chased me, but the shadows here weren’t ominous. They weren’t watching me with devious intent.
The shadows danced in the wind, instead. They frolicked with the dappled golden light and set my heart at ease. Here, I could slide off Rhoan’s back and press my palms to the earth. The domain vibrated with power beneath my skin. It welcomed me home and wished me well.
With a contented sigh, I stood, brushed my hands off, and turned back to the task that was really at hand. Rhoan watched me curiously. The beast seemed to know what would happen next, but it dug in its heels at the thought of giving the man I loved back to me.
“Why are you so hesitant?” I asked the creature. “Do you think you can better protect me this way? Or are you trying to protect Rhoan from me?”
The beast nodded.
So, a bit of both, then. I understood the sentiment. If Rhoan and I indulged in the chemistry between us, then Faust would have everything he’d been working so hard to steal from us.
“I’ve been working on crafting a new potion, one that will break the contract between Rhoan and the pookah. It might mean severing you from Rhoan, though. Is that…can you…” My voice trailed off.
I knew what I’d asked of the beast, and it pained me to further put it into words. If all went according to plan, the beast would be no more. Without Rhoan’s contract, there would be no chimera. I was asking the beast to allow me to kill it.
When the beast nodded in agreement, I realized that I was the one who didn’t want to do this. I looked into the beast’s oil-slick eyes and saw the depth of emotion there. I saw the beauty of Rhoan’s other side as the sun reached across the beast’s back and illuminated the range of colors hidden in his dark fur.
This was a part of the man I loved. I couldn’t bear to sever him in two like this. He’d lived with the creature for so long, it would be like losing a limb. I would never ask that of him.
I dropped to my knees and started planning a new potion formula that would allow me to sever the contract without removing the chimera from the man. Though the beast might be willing to leave for the sake of Rhoan, I wasn’t going to let that happen.
The beast came up to me and curled around my back. Now that it thought it would disappear, the creature would be more determined than ever to get a few more moments with me. Bringing Rhoan back would be a long haul.
The beast didn’t want to give in and put Rhoan in danger. I was a little more than hurt considering that the danger was our love. If only the beast could have trusted me more. The creature loved me, but it seemed that trust was still a ways off.
I knelt in the glen and touched the ground. “Domain, can you bring me what I need to work on potions? Rhoan and I are going to stay here for a while, so I’ll need shelter, ingredients, and my cauldron.”
From the ground sprang a hut with a thatched roof and delicate chimes swaying in the wind near the front door. I stepped inside to find a lush, pillow studded interior with a corner filled to the brim with potion ingredients. My cauldron hung suspended over a fire pit embedded into the floor.
The walls were studded with tapestries, shelves, and climbing vines. The tapestries bore unicorns and dragons, their stories told in the tender weave of threads. Beside them, on the shelves, sat relics of fae creation and cute plastic cats from gumball machines. It reminded me of Rhoan’s crow-like collection back in his trailer.
The internal vision of a café owner that I’d held tight to for so long disintegrated in the dark recesses of my mind. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to reach that dream. Instead, I’d become the very witch that Beryl feared.
A sudden yearning for modern amenities clutched my already strained heart, but my own desires had to wait. I ran my hand along the brim of my cauldron and looked back to Rhoan, now sitting in the open doorway with his head carefully perched on his paws. He watched me with hawkish eyes like disaster might descend upon us at any moment.
“We’re not leaving here until I get Rhoan back,” I told the beast.
It forced air out of its nose in ahrmphsound.
29
RHOAN
Cerri set a plate in front of me. The smells of browned butter and cinnamon reached my nose, but it could never cover Cerri’s alluring scent. She had a grassy aroma around her, like sage in the sun. I hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her into my body so I could give her a kiss on the cheek.
She laughed and pushed away from me so she could step back into the kitchen where the light streaming through the window painted her hair in morning gold. It didn’t matter that my food was growing colder the longer I stared at her. The sight of my princess sustained me more than any meal could.
