“Open your eyes.”

  I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He’s moved back to stand in front of me and I’m thankful for the space. When I open my eyes, I see someone I wasn’t expecting to see. The blood drains from my face and my eyes widen with shock. He stands there with a slow smile spreading across his face. My thoughts are scrambling around in my head and I’m trying to understand what I’m seeing. How could this be possible?

  My hands fall loosely to my side and my breathing stops. He starts to reach for me, but I quickly step back, not wanting him to touch me. My body begins to shake and the feeling of losing control is so strong I can’t stand it any longer. The world falls out from beneath me and I’m taken into the dark labyrinth of a nightmare. The dread and confusion poison my mind and the only thing I remember saying as I fall into blackness is the name of the man standing before me.

  “Ryder?”

  Chapter 21

  Ryder

  Before the Plan is Set

  The plan was simple: head into the Black Forest undetected, and rescue Calista. Arguments were spewed within the Great Room on who would be the ones to rescue the princess. Warriors volunteered left and right, obviously wanting to be the great hero. The bantering back and forth was getting us nowhere, and becoming a waste of time. This is my task and no one is going to go after the princess but me. She’s mine, and it’s my job to fight for her.

  Marching to the center of the room, I announce loudly so everyone can hear, “I’m going to the Black Forest to rescue the princess!”

  Glancing around the room, everyone goes silent. Looks of understanding and sadness circulate through their eyes since this is most likely a suicide mission and they all know it.

  King Oberon’s expression was one of grief and adoration. “Thank you, Prince Ryder. This is a very grave mission, and there’s no way I can repay the debt of your courage and love.”

  “Actually, Your Highness, there is.” King Oberon raises his eyebrows in curiosity so I continue, “When I bring your daughter home, I want to fulfill the marriage bond with her. I love her, and I want to be with the woman who has the other half of my soul, because without her, I’ll never be complete. Our lands need us, and Calista needs me to complete our court.”

  Admiration flashes across the King’s face and he nods in agreement. He must’ve already known I would ask this. “Very well, Prince Ryder, I will grant your request.”

  I begin to bow to the King when Merrick storms to the front, nostrils flaring and hands clenched. “No! I’m going with Prince Ryder to rescue her, and it needs to be made clear to her that she has a choice on whom to marry. I’m not going to stand by and let her marry someone because of some prophecy.”

  Before he’s able to speak again, he freezes in place and narrows his eyes in concentration. I’ve seen him like that before when he was talking to Calista. Strong emotions float across his face, everything from rage to despair, and I stand there anxious to hear what’s going on.

  The king stomps his foot angrily to get Merrick’s attention.

  “Watch yourself, Guardian. You can go with Prince Ryder to help rescue Calista, but you of all people know that Calista has and will always make her own decisions.”

  Merrick bows his head apologetically and looks around at everyone.

  “Forgive me, Your Highness, but Calista just spoke to me. The connection is gone now, but she says she’s okay and they’re headed through the valley to the Black Forest.” Tilting his head back, he sighs heavily, rage clearly warring in his body. I feel the same emotion coming across me because I have a feeling that whatever he’s about to say isn’t going to be good.

  “She also says that Avery was there and their meeting was not a friendly reunion. I think he might have hurt her, but she wouldn’t tell me. Her voice sounded defeated and tired when she spoke.” Merrick turns his head to look at me and then back to the king.

  “She wanted me to say that she loves us all and that she doesn’t blame anyone for what happened to her.”

  Merrick bows and sheepishly walks back to stand by the wall with the other warriors. The feeling of helplessness is not something a warrior welcomes because it’s not in our nature to feel like that. Elvena makes her way to the front and speaks to the king privately. When they finish, King Oberon dismisses everyone from the Great Room. He says his goodbyes to the council members and the Elvan leader.

  “I need you to get your things and head home,” I say to my brother.

  Kalen nods, “What all do you want me to tell our people?”

  “Tell them about the dark sorcerer and that I’ve gone to rescue the princess. Explain to them everything that’s happened since we’ve been here. Our court needs to be prepared in case something happens.”

  “Do you think you can get her back?” he asks.

  “I have to believe I can. I can’t afford to think otherwise,” I utter.

  Kalen nods once and pulls me in for a brotherly hug. “Be safe, brother, and go save your queen.”

  Kalen sighs and leaves me to head to his room. The only people left in the Great Room are me, King Oberon, Elvena, and Merrick. We made our plans for the rescue and decided it was going to be just me and Merrick. Taking a huge army would draw attention and cause more bloodshed. Once everything was planned, Merrick and I set out to the stables to get our horses ready for departure.

  ***

  Loading my belongings onto my horse, Artemis, she turns her head and nudges me in the side, making me stumble. I laugh while taking her head in my hands, and placing my forehead against hers.

  “You always knew how to cheer me up, didn’t you, girl?” I say while running my hands down the long mane of her soft black hair. “This is going to be a hard journey we’re facing, girl. I need you to be swift and ride like the wind. Our princess is waiting for us and we cannot fail her.” Artemis huffs out a hot breath, and shuffles her feet excitedly to let me know she’s ready and nothing will stop us.

  “That’s my girl,” I say.

  Merrick comes up beside me, already on his majestic white horse looking irritated and impatient. Mounting Artemis we turn to head on our way, but Elvena takes this time to run out of the palace doors to stop us.

  “Wait!” she yells. “I have something for you.”

  When she walks up she heads straight for Merrick. Looking at us both she says, “I have something that’ll help you both out when you reach the Black Forest.” She unfolds her hand and in it lays a silver locket.

  Merrick gasps and looks at the locket lovingly. “Why do you have that?” he asks.

  Elvena smiles and hands it to him. “It’s for you. I conjured a spell that’ll help you turn invisible when you go into the Black Forest. Ryder has the ability naturally but you’ll need to go unseen as well in order to help him rescue Calista.”

  “How does it work?” Merrick asks securing the necklace around his neck.

  “All you have to do is place one drop of your blood inside the locket, and it’ll turn you invisible as long as you keep the locket on you. I don’t know how long the magic will last so once you activate it, get in and get the princess out.”

  Merrick nods, “We will … thank you. We’ll bring her home.”

  Elvena smiles at us both. “I know you will. Be safe, both of you.” She turns and heads back into the palace, but gives us one long heartfelt glance before disappearing inside the palace walls.

  “I noticed the way you looked at the locket. Does it mean something to you?” I ask curiously.

  Merrick looks down at the locket and then back up to me with a hard expression on his face. “Like it’s any of your business, but I gave it to Calista when she turned sixteen.” Before I could reply he snarls impatiently, “Let’s go, ice boy. Our princess is waiting.”

  “I’m not completely an ice boy anymore if you haven’t noticed, and when I find Calista and bring her home everything will change. You need to get over yourself and accept the fact that she chose me, not you,” I say, agitated.

  He briskly turns away from me, and I swear I heard him mumble the words ‘I know’ before riding off. I would actually feel bad for the guy if he wasn’t such a dick. I know he loves Calista and I love her, too, but no amount of his bitching and complaining is going to change anything.

  Heading out on our way, we ride full out for a few hours before we decide to stop. We’re most of the way through the Mystical Forest when Merrick freezes and closes his eyes.

  Merrick quickly turns to me and says, “I’ve got her.”

  He goes back to being quiet and furrowing his brows, trying to pay close attention to what Calista is saying. He gives me a couple of smirks, and a wide grin during this time and all it’s doing is pissing me off. Merrick seems to be enjoying the fact that I can’t speak to her and he can. Riding up beside him, I pull out my dagger. My heart beat is pounding in my ears and I clench my hand so tight around the dagger I’ll probably have indentions in my skin for a week. I point it at his chest, only an inch away, and warn him. “You better tell her that I love her, too. I know you’re spouting how much you love her and what not, but if you don’t tell her that I do as well, I’m going to cut your balls off with the dullest knife I can find, and shove them down your throat until you choke.”

  Merrick laughs and turns to me.

  “Calm down, ice boy, I told her what your cold heart had to say.” Hearing him laugh only fuels my anger even more.

  Before I can act on my anger his smile then changes and turns to anguish. “She also told me that she’s now reached the Black Forest, and that they’re parading her around the village. She was about to enter a huge tree that had a door carved into it when the connection was lost.”

  I nod my head in understanding, but when Merrick looks at my face I shoot him a lethal gaze. He’s pissed me off for the last time. The anger and rage travels through my body demanding to seek satisfaction and I know he can feel it too.

  “What is your problem?” he asks with a smart ass smirk.

  “You are my problem!” I yell.

  Clenching my hands into fists, I rear one back and slam it into Merrick’s jaw. The sound of my fist hitting his flesh, and the cracking of his jaw is music to my ears. I put the full force of all of my emotions into the punch, and it felt good to be able to release it onto Merrick. He falls off his horse and lands with a hard sounding thud. His armor makes a clinking noise as he lands on the ground. My inner self is smiling for its victory, except I can’t bring myself to feel that way on the outside. In all reality, my hand hurts from smashing it into Merrick’s face, and I’m mad because he’s acting childish about this whole ordeal with Calista. It’s infuriating and not making this situation any better. It must be his way of coping with the loss, but if he doesn’t watch it, he may be the one not making it home.

  Merrick climbs back up on his horse slowly, and gives me the most evil grimace I have ever seen. His body looks stiff, and I know that fall had to hurt just as much as the punch. I don’t feel sorry for him at all. We ride hard for another couple of hours until we decide to camp for the night. This will be the last night of rest before we charge into the Black Forest. Merrick is quiet for the rest of the evening, and doesn’t speak to me at all while we eat and rest. He falls asleep quickly after he eats his meal, and the quiet time gives me the space I need to think clearly and strategize our plan to rescue Calista. I wish I could see her in my dream right now, but I know that it’s not possible. I can’t imagine what all she’s going through at this moment. We only have a few hours to rest before we make the journey through the Black Forest. While Artemis lies down on the ground, I lean up against her warmth to rest my head. It’s not long before I drift off into an uneasy sleep.

  Chapter 22

  Alasdair- Dark Sorcerer (Black Forest)

  The princess in my dwelling is a welcoming sight. I look at her through another person’s eyes and all she sees right now is her precious prince staring back at her. I can see her trembling, and when I step toward her to steady her she takes a step back with a look of revulsion on her face. I can’t have her looking at me like that, can I? When I get my full corporeal body I’ll be irresistible to women, but until then I have to use my power to make my real body solid or else transform to someone else. Taking over someone else’s body works, but in this case I thought I would shake the princess up a bit.

  It’s been too long since I’ve taken a woman to my bed, and now I have the princess here to have any time I want. The way Calista’s body looks in her dress doesn’t help the growing erection I have pulsing down below. Her face grows pale and her trembling intensifies. I can tell she’s going to pass out way before her legs give out from beneath her. Catching her in time, touching her body sends electricity thrumming through my fingers. Her power is so strong I can actually see it pulsing throughout her body. I can only imagine the high I’m going to get when I take it away from her. When I look at Avery and Warren their attention is raptly fixed on the princess. By their expressions, I can see I’m not the only one who is mesmerized by the Summer beauty, however, they’re not allowed to look at her like that. She’s my prize and I won’t share her power with anyone. Clenching my teeth, I let my power fill the room.

  “Get the hell out of here,” I command them both.

  Avery looks at the princess and then back to me. “What are you going to do with her?” he asks.

  “I can do whatever I want with her. Now get out!” I yell.

  I stay on the floor with the princess in my arms until they leave the room. She’s passed out cold, and it doesn’t look like she’s going to be waking up anytime soon. Picking her up, I carry her to my bedroom. I lay her on the bed and crawl beside her. Her skin has changed, but I had been warned about it, and her temperature has tapered off a bit from the normal heat of a summer fae. I’m glad I got her just in time because if she and Prince Ryder had sealed the deal I would have been too late. No one is going to have her now, except me. Being the Fall Queen is not going to happen for the beautiful Calista now, and Ryder will be lost forever when I make her my Dark Queen. Their love was supposed to expand the Land of the Fae and produce a new court … the Fall Court.

  Now that I have the first of The Four here, I’ll take her power and merge it with mine. Her power along with mine will make it easier to obtain the other three of the prophecy and take over the Land of the Fae, weakening both courts. I’ll make Calista my queen and the other three will be made my slaves.

  I run my hands up and down Calista’s body slowly. The mounds of her breasts are too enticing, so I trace my fingers around the delicate bare skin showing through the sides of the dress. My fingers ache to touch her in other places, but I’m going to make sure she’s fully aware of my intentions, and enjoys the feel of me giving her pleasure and vice versa. I can’t have her now, but when I take her power she will succumb to me in every way and enjoy it.

  Taking the talisman off, I slip it over Calista’s head. This will be easier than forcing it on her after she’s awake. I slip off the bed slowly and exit the room. She can’t escape from here, so I have nothing to worry about. The power of the talisman should be siphoning her power as we speak. I know it’ll take longer since she’s a strong-willed person, but I’ll be patient and wait for her to awaken. With her wearing the talisman for as long as she has now, she should already feel the need to succumb to me. The hard part is done, which was getting her here. Now I can sit back, relax and wait for the power to come to me.

  Chapter 23

  Calista

  I feel a pillow beneath my head, and my body is lying on a soft, comfortable mattress that feels like a bed of clouds. I must be home. I bet I’ll open my eyes and see my purple walls and the beautiful flower arrangements that Meliantha put together for me. Slowly lifting my eyelids, my spirits deflate. I wanted this to be just a nightmare, but it’s looking like I’m not going to get out of it. Looking around the room, it’s the same room that I slept in at the invisible house. Am I back at that house again somehow? Sitting up in the bed, I feel a cold weight swinging between my breasts. Lifting it up, I see that it’s the talisman that … that Ryder was wearing before I passed out.

  Ryder

  How could that be? I remember seeing his cold blue eyes, and the evil grin that sent chills of pure terror racking throughout my body before I passed out. It couldn’t be him, could it? Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I slowly stand to my feet. I feel light-headed and my heart feels like it’s about to pop out of my chest. I try to walk a couple of steps, but my legs are sore and aching from travelling here. When I finally get to the door I twist the knob to find it … unlocked.

  Opening the door, I peer out into the rest of the place. As I look back and forth through the small hallway, I can’t see around any of the corners.

  “Shit, what do I do now?” I say, speaking to myself. I round the corner slowly, and as I do, I see the dark sorcerer sitting in a chair with his back to me. The memories of the last time I saw him come flooding back, and the realization hits me. It wasn’t Ryder that I saw, it was the dark sorcerer pretending to be him. How could I have been so stupid to believe that? What I see now is the shape of a man, except he looks like a dark shadow.

  His voice startles me and I gasp. “I will tell you everything my future queen, but first I want you to come here.”

  Future queen? What the hell is he thinking? He still hasn’t turned to look at me, but I must remember that I have to do as he says so he’ll think that the talisman is working. I take a deep breath in, and let it out to calm my nerves. My stomach growls from being hungry and the energy loss from no food has taken its toll. I might not have to pretend too much. I walk over behind his chair and around to the front of him. The smile he gives me is terrifying and coming from a shadow makes it even more eerie. If he had a normal body, I’d say he could be quite handsome, but I can’t seem to get over what he is. My hands are clasped behind my back so I can keep the ring out of sight.