Embrace the Wind (22 page)

That’s when she’d understood the truth about her involvement with Zane.

She loved him.

She loved serving him as his blood rose, and she really loved sharing his bed.

With every particle of her half-human, half-wolf form, she loved him.

But how could he ever feel the same way about her?

Within a few minutes of running and bounding, she reached her small farmhouse, refitted to serve her laborers when they needed their meals or a bathroom break. Given that night had fallen, all her workers had gone home, most of them either trolls or shifters who could bear the sunlight of day-work.

She went inside and took her time brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Though most shifters lived out their lives during the day, she’d been on Zane’s schedule from the time she’d first ghosted him.

Now she was here, waiting for the hot water to drip through the fine grounds and release its treasure.

Part of her regretted leaving, but she’d needed some space, and she was sure Zane had needed the same.

His words had simply given her an excuse to take off.

When she had her mug in hand, she began to walk her now quiet property, the full moon an excellent source of light. She could see the improvements and changes her laborers had accomplished over the past three days; fields had been plowed, organic mulch worked into the soil, and extensive beds laid out in preparation of sowing some winter crops.

She also had several greenhouses she used during the cold months, in which she grew the vegetables the Helms Watch restaurants would require. Once the land warmed up, she’d switch to growing most everything outdoors.

The gro-lights were on inside. Electricity was a good thing, and the space was kept warm enough to encourage the plants to thrive, but cool enough to keep her energy bills down. The air was fragrant with herbs and sweet with oxygen the plants emitted.

She sipped her coffee, her heart thudding dully in her chest. Oh, shit. She’d been building a new supply for her man and now she was here. She should have fed Zane before she brought up the painful news about Emily.

But as she looked around at the plants, she suddenly felt terribly alone. It wasn’t so long ago that she’d been used to this kind of isolation; she’d lived her entire life before moving to Swanicott without close friends or even community involvement. Yet, oh, how much had changed over the past few nights.

She realized what bothered her the most about having left Zane was that she no longer wanted to live her life as an outcast, not on any level. She was part of more than one community now – as Zane’s blood rose and as a shifter who could create a Zephyr wind during battle. She needed and wanted to pull her weight, not hold back or keep her distance.

Mostly, however, she belonged to Zane. He was her man. He needed her, and the shifter in her knew she needed to stick close to him right now, despite his anger or her reserve.

Finishing her coffee, she ran back to the house. But even as she reached the kitchen, she could feel something was wrong. After unplugging the coffee maker, she headed back outside, preparing to bound high into the air.

Just as she was about to shift, however, Regan’s voice entered her mind.
Olivia, we’re under attack. We need your help. Now.

Before she could respond, however, the communication went dead. Olivia tried to reach Regan several times after that, but couldn’t raise the smallest response.

Her shifter bones told her something terrible had happened at the Fae Guild.

Olivia had never moved so fast in her life, becoming wolf before she’d even thought-the-thought.

She bounded into the air, higher than ever before.

She had to get back to the Fae Guild and to Zane.

~

Zane was pissed at himself for getting caught off guard like this. The entire Fae Guild was under heavy attack by Margetta and a fresh army of Invictus wraith-pairs. He heard screams all over the retreat grounds. Invictus swarmed around his cottage, so that he couldn’t leave and begin battling the bastards. The moment he opened a door, a dozen Invictus pairs would be on him and he’d be dead and no use to anyone.

Had Margetta known he and Olivia had spent the day here?

He prepared his battle vibration, ready to strike down any who entered.

He’d already contacted Chase, Sawyer and Luther. Each had troops on the way. He also pathed Ian, but asked him to stay in the north to field any Invictus attacks in that area of the realm. Ian responded in the affirmative, saying he’d contact Marian to let her know she could reach him at any time.

But what he needed right now was Olivia’s protective cloak if he had any chance of saving the resident fae.

He thought of Regan and felt sick at heart. His instincts told him Margetta had come back for retribution and nothing less.

Regan would have been her target.

And Zane couldn’t get to her.

Olivia,
he shouted into the telepathic void.

He didn’t expect to get anything in response, not after what he’d said to her. Sweet Goddess, he was still kicking himself for being such an asshole.

But her voice pierced his head anyway.
I’m thirty-seconds out and I’m ghosting you. I can see that you’re still in the cottage, I can hear the screams coming from the Guild property, and you’ve got the enemy at your door. Now tell me what happened.

He gave her a quick rundown that without warning Margetta had brought at least fifty wraith-pairs into the retreat.
She somehow broke Regan’s spell, but I can’t locate the Ruby Fae telepathically. She’s not responding.

Okay. We’ll figure this out. I’ll bound onto the deck where I left you. I’m cloaked. Only five seconds out. Oh, shit, you’ve got Invictus pairs back there, at least three, maybe more. But I’m gliding in anyway. I can sneak through. And now I’m on the deck.

Zane watched the back door glide open and the next moment, Olivia had her arms around his neck holding him fast. At the same time she spread her cloak to encompass him.

Two Invictus pairs entered the cottage right after her, probably thinking Zane had opened the door.

He gripped her hard, his throat painfully tight, pulling her off to the side, away from the Invictus.
I’m hoping they’ll leave this space, then we can slip by them.

Got it,
she said.

Both wraith-pairs, believing the living room was empty, raced into the hall that led to the bedroom. Zane quickly led Olivia back to the deck. She hopped onto his boot and he went straight up into the air, moving west toward the Fae Guild complex.

My Guard will be here in the next few minutes. I told them to fly in from the north and to let me know when they’ve arrived. But right now, we’ve got some vulnerable fae to rescue.

Then we’d better get on it.

Damn, the woman was game and not a single recrimination.

He veered back to the Guild’s formal garden and found several wraiths already feeding on captured women.

Zane, if we get close enough to those fae trying to hide, I can cloak them. We could carry them out of here that way.

It’ll do.

He dropped next to a woman crouching behind a hedge and spoke quietly to her, warning her he was cloaked.
We’ll get you to safety.

She was wide-eyed with panic but nodded, even though she couldn’t see him or Olivia.

Olivia then extended her cloak and the moment she did, the woman leaped into Zane’s arms.

He immediately rose into the air and flew swiftly back to the forest. He told her the Guard was coming as well as the shifter brigade, and to hide until she saw forces she trusted.

As soon as the woman was safe within a cluster of large rhododendron shrubs, he flew back to the compound.

He saw two women racing from one cottage to the next. He sped toward them and repeated the same process. Once Olivia had the fae cloaked, she was strong enough to hold one woman against her while he grabbed the other.

He carried them back into the forest, then dropped them to take cover, as he’d done before.

He repeated the process, again and again, as fast as he could. Olivia frequently directed him, her gaze searching constantly for signs of women in hiding.

He pathed to Chase, letting him know what he was doing.
I need a quarter of your men to protect the women I’ve left in the forest. Alert them to your presence, then get them the hell out of there and away from the Guild. I want the bulk of the Guard that’s with you to surround the central part of the compound. There are at least fifty wraith-pairs attacking and feeding in the central area. They’re also searching through all the rooms. How far out are you?

Half-a-minute. We’re flying fast.

Good. Let me know when you’ve arrived. Olivia and I are carrying as many into the woods as we can.

Zane took a moment to fly over the forest in search of wraith-pairs who might be chasing after fae that had escaped into the forest on their own. He found two fae women barely forty yards away from a shrieking wraith and her bonded troll mate.

He landed a few feet in front of the women and again, Olivia uncloaked them just long enough to alert the women.

“Come to me,” he shouted, holding out his arms.

The panicked women took a split-second to assess then raced toward him.

He caught one and Olivia caught the other. As Olivia’s cloak descended, he pulled the group a few yards to the right. The wraith shrieked her frustration as she plowed forward along the path well away from Zane’s position.

He gathered one trembling, weeping woman into the circle of his free arm, Olivia took the other and he carried them north.

Chase let him know his force had arrived and that part of his men had already started gathering up the refugees.

By then, Zane saw Luther bounding toward him in wolf form, and he started to breathe a sigh of relief.

He pathed to Luther.
I can see you, but Olivia has me cloaked. Go to the central compound; the Invictus are feeding. Chase will be there by the time you arrive.

I’m on it,
Luther responded.

For the first time since the attack began, Zane took a real breath. Sweet Goddess, what a nightmare.

Zane found Chase’s force. The nearest Guardsman’s eyes glinted with battle readiness and Zane feared a hand-blast in his direction if without warning Olivia unshielded them both.

He therefore alerted the squad leader telepathically before revealing himself. The Guardsman, wary, responded,
Mastyr, I’m ready. Go ahead and uncloak.

Zane had Olivia release her shielding frequency and the next moment the Guardsman drew close in a protective stance, his gaze searching the horizon. Two more Guardsmen drew near as well and set up a perimeter around the women.

He was about ready to take off once more with Olivia settled on his boot, when one of the fae grabbed hold of his arm. “Margetta took her, Mastyr.”

“What do you mean? Took who?”

“Mistress Regan. I serve in her household. Margetta showed up well before the attack started, and a strange mist came out of her. Regan lost consciousness and Margetta picked her up in her arms. I passed out soon after but not before I saw the Ancient Fae take Regan into the air.” She pointed a shaking arm into the sky.

“Which direction? North? South?”

“Southwest. I’m sure of it.”

Zane glanced at Olivia, whose eyes were wild. Her voice entered his head.
Regan pathed to me earlier, calling for help just as I was heading back here. But the communication broke off.

Zane knew then that the worst had happened. Margetta, in her need for revenge, had returned to Swanicott and kidnapped Regan. Maybe she’d even killed her.

To Olivia, Zane said, “Will you fly with me? See if we can find Regan’s trail?”

“Of course.”

With her firmly clasped to his side, he rose quickly above the trees, then flew at top speed in a southwesterly direction. He zig-zagged a path over a mile in width, hunting for Regan’s or Margetta’s trail. He hoped beyond hope that in the same way Margetta could track Olivia, either he or Olivia would be able to detect some residual sign of the women.
Do you see a trail of lights, or a scent maybe? Anything?

Olivia held him tight around his shoulders. The land slipped away and they were now in flight over Maris Luna.

I’m not seeing or smelling anything, Zane. Nothing that would indicate we’re on Margetta’s trail. Or Regan’s. How about you?

No, nothing.

After another fifty miles and a lot of lateral zig-zagging, he finally slowed to a stop. He levitated a quarter mile above the ocean.
We should head back. There’s nothing out there for hundreds of miles. And we’d eventually reach the Camberlaune Realm access point.

He turned around and headed back in the other direction.

Where are Margetta’s headquarters?
Olivia asked.
Because I’m pretty sure the camp she had here in Swanicott wasn’t her primary fortress?

I have no doubt that the camp at Angler’s Cliff was merely a staging point. As for where she resides, or from which location she launches her attacks, no one knows. It’s one of the greatest mysteries in our world. I’m convinced she’s holed up in one of the realms, and making use of powerful shields of some kind. Believe me, we’ve all hunted. But this recent spell that kept Margetta’s camp hidden from view tells its own story.

He felt Olivia shudder.
I just have the worst feeling Margetta has taken Regan back to her lair.

You may be right, but I think this is my fault.
Guilt pummeled him all over again
How is this on your head, Zane?

Because I chased you away. If you’d stayed, then together, we could have gone to Regan immediately. As it was, you saw how many Invictus surrounded our cottage.

Well, hindsight and all that. Please don’t think about it, not right now.

You’re being gracious.

I’m being realistic,
she said.
And the exchange at the cottage didn’t mean anything, not really. You were upset. You lashed out. We hardly know each other after all. We should be allowed to have a few squabbles, especially given all that we’ve been through.