Good Morning, Little Ones!
Thank you to Mel, Jill, and Dani!
.: 45 :.
"Are you ready?"
We've put this off as long as possible. After making it to town and dropping the car off somewhere it would be discovered, we found a place to stay for the night while we gathered our supplies and finalized our plan. The crux of it is simple: don't separate. Shit gets infinitely harder when we aren't together, and we both agree we need to focus too much to worry about that.
I look up at Edward, my heart pounding in my chest. What I wouldn't give to be back in the room we shared last night, lost to one another again and again. I'd give just about anything not to have to do what we're about to do.
"Yes," I whisper, turning my face from his.
Edward makes a small sound, and then I'm being whisked sideways until my back hits a tree and Edward is over me, crowding every one of my senses. My body catches fire as he leans down to kiss me hard.
His kiss fills me with a universe of passion, and I cling to him, my body fusing to his, desperate to be closer, always closer.
My hips open to his, my legs scraping up to hook around his waist as he rolls against my body. Fuck.
I'm about to rip the clothes off both of us, when he breaks the kiss, dragging in a deep breath. "No matter what." He growls, his mouth latching onto my jaw, down my throat. My head hits the tree trunk as it's thrown back. "No matter what becomes of us," he whispers against my skin. "Nothing in the universe has ever been more real or true than this." He grinds his hips into mine, and I cry out, my legs squeezing his waist. "This sacredness between us is the only true truth." He reaches up and kisses me again, and I'm utterly lost to him. My hunger screams for more, and my body squeezes him to me, meeting the rocking of his hips with my own thrusts.
"We are inexorable," he whispers, breaking our kiss to suck in a breath. My chest is heaving against his, and a feeling I cannot name overcomes me. It is somehow more consuming than the universes that are born between us when our bodies become one; more precious and terrifying than anything I've ever felt before. My body is shaking, and when my hands frame his face, I feel as if I'm holding something infinitely more precious than life itself in my palms.
Edward's eyes flutter shut, and his forehead falls against mine. "Hold tight, Little One," he murmurs. "It's almost over."
…
Winter falls away when we enter the Hazel Woods. I'm relieved; I didn't realize just how cold I'd been until now.
I shed my coat, leaving it on a rock. Partly so that it won't slow me down, but also in case I need a quick getaway. I can't see the fae doors on my own, and though I need Edward to enter them, I can leave them just fine on my own. I hate that I have this flee strategy in my head, but I know it's necessary.
Like Edward said, I can't trust anyone in the Hazel Woods.
We stalk through the woods, quieter than we were the first time. I learned that lesson the hard way, and it's not something I care to revisit.
I'm not sure where we are when we enter, since it's a different point than where we came out, but Edward seems to know, so I let him lead. It's mid-morning, and though the cover of darkness would offer us far better protection, I fear what creatures we would uncover in the night.
Edward leads us on an invisible path, winding us around random trees and boulders. I don't dare question him—just because I can't see them doesn't mean there isn't all sorts of things lurking in the woods.
Our plan is simple, really. Edward needs to find one of the Viper Queen's other toys, so he can get the word out to them that we need the necklace. He can promise them freedom in exchange for it, so he's certain they will help. Once they are able to get the amulet from her, I'm supposed to somehow free everyone while also running for my life. I'm hoping by then the King and Queen will have much less of an army at their disposal when they can't command them with the bonds of fealty.
Simple.
Edward keeps walking until abruptly, he stops, his back straightening, his eyes going wide. I freeze beside him, and he motions for me to crouch low. I duck immediately, hiding my body under some massive ferns. He is crouched beside me, hiding, waiting.
It takes a few minutes, but then two creatures stroll by, and I can see by their armor they are part of the guard. We are silent as they pass. They never look in our direction.
"They are heading back to the castle," Edward whispers. "You need to follow them."
"What?"
"I need to find another way in. We'll be too obvious going together. Use your magic, allow it to cloak you. That should be enough to keep you mostly safe until you reach the castle. Once you're inside, seek out the library. There should be a scroll where the legend of the spell was recorded."
I gape at him. "And what are you going to do?"
He grimaces. "There is another entrance. Unsavory, but I'll be able to get in undetected. I'll seek out the Queen's slaves there."
I shake my head. "This wasn't the plan." I hiss and Edward smiles sadly.
"The only way to survive right now is to improvise." He leans forward, kissing me hard. "Go now, and don't get caught."
I'm confused and angry, but I also know he's right. We have to be flexible, or we really won't make it out of here alive.
Taking a deep breath, I glare at him. "Don't you dare fucking die," I snap. He grins as I climb to my feet and run after the two guards.