Trial by Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #1) - Linsey Hall Page 0,46

in his eyes. Pain?

I couldn’t tell.

“I did,” he said, making no excuse. But his face closed up and his eyes turned dark. “I’ll be going now.”

With that, he disappeared.

I sank back against the tree, gasping.

Idiot. He might have saved my life, but he’d killed his brother. And he’d done everything he could to get me out of this competition. He was dangerous, and I’d been a fool driven by attraction and my own cockiness that my disguise would hide me.

I’d been wrong. And I’d been wrong to trust him—even if it’d been just for a moment.

After an uncomfortable night’s sleep on a sleeping pad in the woods, I rose in the near-dark to the sound of morning birds.

Groggy, I sat up and rubbed a hand over my face.

Memories of Tarron haunted me, but there was nothing I could do about them now. Dawn was coming, and I needed to get a move on.

As soon as I had the Wish Stone, and a way to get rid of the crystal obelisk, I’d interrogate the hell out of Tarron. I wanted to know what he had to do with it and what he planned to do about it. Then I’d deal with the fact that he knew I was a Dragon Blood.

I turned to face the stone circle. The sky was turning from black to blue. The sun would come over the horizon soon. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the golden charm, then started toward the middle of the stone circle.

Magic sparked against my skin as I stepped inside. Quickly, I climbed to the top of the center stone and put the golden charm in place.

There were already two there, each with a little protective barrier of magic covering them.

I looked around, searching the forest nearby. The other two competitors were out there somewhere. They’d laid down their keys before me and hidden themselves away.

I hopped down and brushed off my hands. At least I knew what I was up against. Luna the Fae and Cardin the fire mage, whom I didn’t know or care to know.

As the sun rose, I waited at the edge of the stone circle. Every second that passed made tension tighten within me. This was it.

When the sun broke over the mountains at the horizon, one piercing beam of light struck the golden keys at the top of the center stone. Magic sparked on the air, and the bright glow nearly blinded me. It expanded outward, gleaming molten in the middle.

A portal.

I sprinted for it, spotting the other two competitors running from the other edges of the circle. I put on a burst of speed, grateful for my Dragon Blood. I plunged into the portal, and the ether sucked me in, spinning me through space toward places unknown.

12

The ether spat me out on a huge beach made of gray pebbles. The ocean sparkled blue and bright at the edge, and three boats sat on the shore. There was an island in the distance.

We needed to get there. It all but glowed with promise, and even my seeker sense tugged me toward it.

I sprinted for the closest boat, glancing behind me in time to see Luna pop out of the portal. The fire mage appeared next, then Tarron, appearing just as the portal snapped out of existence.

Tarron.

That stalker.

What was he doing?

I turned back and raced for the boat, then shoved it into the water and leapt on board. I grabbed the two oars and began to row. I had a head start of a few yards and was determined to keep it. Luna reached her boat and took off. A half second later, Tarron leapt into the stern of her boat. She didn’t complain, just kept rowing.

What the hell?

He was so not just here for the entertainment.

Could the audience see him?

Clearly things were getting weird, because Tarron was helping Luna. Or just hitching a ride in a contest he had no part in.

Cardin the fire mage leapt into his boat and took off with powerful strokes with the oars. The bastard looked strong. He was almost as big as Tarron, with fire red hair and black eyes that burned with the intense light of competition.

I pulled on the oars, using my increased strength to try to keep my lead. Tarron held out his hand, and a blast of wind hit my back. It pushed my boat in the water, killing any lead I’d gained.

Luna and the fire mage were pulling up alongside. I looked behind