escaped him as he descended deeper into the cavern. He had the feeling that he was going to have to do something about Alseida. So many of the nymphs looked to the dryad for guidance that he had hesitated far too long in removing her from the palace grounds. Her jealousy and possessiveness would not be tolerated any longer. Not when he had his uxorem at his side. He would have to keep a guard on his mate until he was certain that Alseida was far away and no longer a potential threat to Diana’s safety.
Ahead of him, the mist churned around the rock of the fountain, and he drew up short when Dorinda climbed upon it, her tail sliding easily among the stones, whipping against the mist. Being foul of temper and unforgiving toward him, never had she come to greet him without his summons. Judging by the displeasure on her face, he suspected that she had been waiting. Slowly he drew close to the edge of her pool, his eyes never leaving the vegoia whose sharp gaze tracked his every step.
“Dorinda,” he offered a cautious greeting.
Her lips stretched into a hard, wide smile. “So… you return, and with Nocis in hand I see. Finally, the scales are weighing out to where they should be. Just in time, it would seem,” she observed archly.
Silvas frowned at the blunt statement. That she didn’t seem especially surprised about the state of the Eternal Forest was concerning.
“Did you know that this would happen?”
Dorinda rolled a shoulder in a shrug as she let out a long hiss of frustration. “I suspected that Cacus would take advantage of your absence—you have undoubtedly seen evidence of his influence before you departed the forest—but never had I believed that the forest would succumb so quickly. Already it is dying. I can feel it here, even beyond the roots of your palace, below the deepest roots of the trees. I can feel it withering.” She shuddered, and for the first time he saw, behind her mask of disdain, the very real fear in her eyes.
A prickle ran over his spine as he sent his senses out through his woods. She was right. How had he not noticed the decline of the forest as they traveled home? Had he truly been so distracted? When they arrived, he had noted that the hamadryads had appeared weaker, but he had blamed it on the gloom. He should have known something wasn’t right.
He gritted his teeth, a dark anger surging through him. He had allowed his infatuation with Diana to cloud him to his duty and to the heart of the forest. Perhaps she truly was a danger to him. Until he could determine how far the threat that she possessed extended, he would imprison her in his rooms where she would be watched at all times. He would post guards at the doors, and he would personally observe her during the night for any sign of betrayal when she was most vulnerable.
His heart wrenched, the pain lancing deep, but he pushed it away. He couldn’t be foolish in this. He had recklessly trusted Alseida; he couldn’t afford to ignore the signs and make the same mistake again when it came to Diana.
This time, there was even more at stake.
Setting his jaw against the pain, Silvas blocked Diana out, their bond dimming as he shut out her light. The agony that rose within him was like severing a limb from his body. Pushing through it, he straightened and pinned his sister with a firm look.
“Speak without riddles once more. Tell me, what do I need to do to save my forest?”
Dorinda stared back at him intently as the words flowed from her lips. “Go to the place in the depths of the woods, where the waters of the Pegaeae are touched by the full light of the moon. There you will wash the stain of the strix from Nocis and lay it out for the blessing of the queen of the night. Even this will not be enough to defeat Cacus. You must restore yourself and release the shroud with which you have been surrounded. Surrender yourself to the Pegaeae and be cleansed of the miasma that separates you from your true self. Rise again, Selvans, god of the Eternal Forest.”
Instinctively, he sought his mate on their bond for her strength and gentle presence. He recoiled when he felt the block on their bond.
He had to do this alone.
“And what,” he