AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It didn’t offer the same level of comfort now. They needed to run. This monster was going to devour them both and then her sister. Talon. Her people—
“Shh, it’s all right,” Rion whispered in the dark. “I promise.”
Her ragged breath clouded in the dim light and the cool air burned her lungs.I promise. I promise. I promise.He’d already proven he was willing to die for her.
When I return…
Despite the fear and how her voice trembled, Arianna said, “I trust you.”
He didn’t turn, but she noted the drop in tension from his shoulders. The way he seemed to take a breath despite the giant stalking toward him.
Slowly, she noted.
“It’s been a while, old friend.”
The creature growled in response then huffed as if it were smelling the air. It took another step, cracking fallen trees beneath its weight. Arianna’s heart raced even faster. She could smell it now, a scent like musty cypress and thick moss.
Rion extended his hand and the creature lifted one arm in response. She sucked in a breath, the world seeming to stop on itself as that long claw reached toward his extended palm.
And the two touched.
It didn’t tear Rion’s arm off, it didn’t try to devour him whole, and it certainly didn’t appear as if it possessed any ability to rip the soul from a body.
Rion spoke without turning. “The Dark Fae aren’t so different from the Fairy Folk. They’ve simply been forced to defend themselves from a society plagued by fear.”
The sun’s rays peeked over the trees, giving Arianna a better view of the massive creature. It resembled a tree with glowing eyes and a mouth large enough to swallow her whole. And those claws, they were more like branches in the light, but still sharp enough to pierce their bodies clean through if it wished.
But the creature didn’t threaten them. It simply stared, first at Rion then at her.
Rion reached back then, holding out his hand for her. Arianna glanced at it, swallowed, and took a tentative step forward.
Both the creature and Rion remained still.
She placed a hand on the edge of her protective cocoon, and it melted, leaving her exposed. The Dark Fae tilted its massive head and she paused, waiting for it to still again before continuing. Rion’s hand felt so far away, but when she grazed it with her fingertips, Arianna allowed him to pull her to his front.
How many times had she been told horror stories about the Fae of this forest? How many times had the adults in her village held their children tighter because of the fear that one day, these creatures would leave their dark mountain and take over the land?
She leaned into Rion for reassurance, his one hand still holding hers. The creature moaned, the sound akin to a dozen trees swaying with the wind, and Arianna shrank back into Rion’s body.
It blinked, examining her, then extended that long, pointed talon in her direction. Just like with Rion, it paused, seeming to wait for her to close the distance.
Rion was here, she reminded herself. Right here beside her and though all-consuming fear radiated through her body, Arianna raised a shaking hand. She moved slowly, not quite believing her own actions until they connected.
She’d expected something cold, like death itself, but warmth flooded through her palm along with something else. A feeling of life and divinity, just like with the Fairy Folk.
“Can you understand them?” she asked.
“Not any more than the Fairy Folk.”
Swallowing her fear, Arianna stepped forward and raised her other hand to touch the creature. It gave a satisfied moan and brought its face closer to hers.
Its eyes still burned, and its mouth was sharp and jagged, perfect for tearing through flesh, but she didn’t smell the blood and rot that might accompany a predator. She smelled the forest, deep, rich, and alive.
A ghost of a smile crossed her face. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Arianna stepped back when the creature rose to its full height. It stared at them a moment longer then turned, disappearing into the forest with crushing steps.
The sun illuminated the area enough for her to witness the exhilaration on Rion’s face and the Fairy Folk that played at their feet.
