Fires of War (War and Deceit #4) - Erin O'Kane Page 0,143

have mounted a counterattack by now, yet it’s too quiet. “Did you see any forsaken?”

“No.” He frowns as he realises the same thing I have. “Perhaps the wave took care of them all?” I can tell he thinks it’s strange too, his eyes scanning the nearby buildings as he holds me close, searching for any threat.

I can’t suppress my shudder any longer as I look up and meet his gaze. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Frowning, he nods, rubbing my arms comfortingly. “Let’s meet with the rest of the army, they will be coming in at the other side of the city.” He steps back and offers me his hand. Threading our fingers together, he gestures towards the far side of the city, and we begin running.

Vaeril and I run through the city in the direction we know the army will be marching towards. We only come across one forsaken, which Vaeril quickly dispatches, lighting a small fire to burn the corpse. The longer we go without seeing any others, the more I get the feeling we’re missing something. As we get closer, I smell smoke and can see several pillars of it rising into the sky.

Eldrin finds us first, with Tor close behind him. They both envelop me in their arms, those missing pieces of me returned, and the tightness in my chest eases as my bonds hum with happiness. Eldrin stiffens at having the tribesman touch him, but he’s not willing to let go of me, so he just grunts and puts up with it. I know I won’t feel completely whole until I see Grayson, but it’s more difficult for him, and I can feel his need to be with me through our bond.

Tor releases me, running his hand over my hair, his eyes shining with affection. “We saw you.” A grin spreads across his face, pride shining like a beacon through our connection. “You were magnificent.”

Eldrin grumbles, his arms still tightly around me, his hand capturing my chin and gently guiding my face so I’m looking up at him. “Kelpies are dangerous creatures.” His lips are set in a frown, but I feel the remnants of his fear like an echo. “I nearly lost my mind when I saw you.” His voice breaks, betraying his feelings.

Melting in his arms, I stretch up on tiptoe and press my lips to his. “I’m fine, I’m here,” I whisper, running my hand over his chest until his heart rate begins to slow. Now that I’m sure he’s calm, I give him a final kiss and step back, looking between him and Tor. Vaeril and I need to know what happened with the army while I was with the kelpies and making our way through the city, and since they were in the thick of it, they are the best people to ask. “Can you update me on what happened?”

“There have been a few skirmishes with the forsaken, but it looks like your wave took out most of them,” Tor informs us casually, his arms crossed over his chest, but the whole time we’ve been here, he’s been scanning the area for any threats.

Eldrin grunts a low laugh. “You were right, you saved us.”

I should be happy, but his words only make me frown. “And the queen? The king?”

Picking up on my discomfort, Eldrin’s expression changes, becoming more alert. “We’ve not found them yet.” His eyes start searching the area like he suddenly expects them to jump from one of the buildings. “We’re combing the city for them now.”

I just can’t shake the feeling something is wrong, that we’re missing something. Why isn’t the queen here to watch our demise? This has been too easy. “Something isn’t right about all this,” I mutter, my skin tingling as I speak, and the atmosphere becomes tense as my mates react to my statement, instinctively moving closer to protect me. Blowing out a shaky breath, I rub at the ache in my chest, needing to be with my mage. “Is Grayson okay?” I ask no one in particular, but Tor nods and gestures for me to follow him.

“I’ll take you to him.”

When I reach him, he extends his arm and tucks me against his side as we walk through the city. We make it to a town square, and I see the army has set up a base. The square seems to have escaped any major destruction, seeming only to have cosmetic damage, thanks to being surrounded by buildings on all sides. With a sick