I nodded. “I will.”
“He’ll want a big payment. Gold or precious stones,” she told me. “I heard him telling the guys he used to be a jeweler and was asking around for work. He’s known for finding precious stones and that sort of thing.”
Panic seized me at that. I didn’t have gold or precious stones. I had some seeds. I’d been gone for so long, and with the wolves being in the bunker … I wasn’t sure we had any money left. My husband was a billionaire, but I had no access to those accounts … but then my fingers went to the chain around my neck. My engagement ring. I’d put it on a necklace right before our journey. It would kill me to give this away, but if it helped Sawyer, it was worth it.
Marmal came down to where we had the horses tied and met Sage, quickly drawing a map to South Hill. There were some shops on the way where I could get a bridal veil. I thanked her and promised to be back by tomorrow night. We could sleep in the woods and then plan her escape the very next day.
Sage and I decided to push through the rest of today and get to Seam’s village. We could stay at an inn or camp out in the woods. That way we wouldn’t be rushed with him tomorrow, and could be back here tomorrow by nightfall.
Then it would be another day to get Marmal and her animals out…
I was cutting it pretty close given that Magic City Prison had given Sawyer seven days to live. But I didn’t need to be early, I just need to get there in time.
The half day’s trek to South Hill put us there way past nightfall. Sage and I got the bridal veil I’d needed by trading seeds right on the troll border, and then we found an inn for the night. We tied up the horses and then brought our dinner up to the room we’d rented, before scarfing it down.
The innkeeper took one look at my full face veil and asked if I was traveling to see my new husband, and I’d just nodded, which seemed to satisfy him. We were on the border of troll and fey lands and I’d seen a mix of both races. He took one look at Sage, inhaled, and then asked where I’d found her.
“Housemaid,” I’d said, and again that seemed to satisfy him.
That night Sage and I lay snuggled in bed together and I allowed myself to think about Creek. I’d purposely not thought about my son this entire time because I’d wanted to stay focused. I wanted to be strong for Sawyer, but…
A tear slipped free and I wiped it away with the back of my hand.
Sage frowned, lying on her side, facing me. “You miss Sawyer?”
I nodded. “Also Creek.”
Agony flitted across her face. “Me too. I miss the little squeaky sounds he makes when he sleeps.”
I grinned, feeling better after talking about it to someone. “I love the way he smells.”
Sage nodded. “Except when he poops.”
We both laughed until tears leaked from our eyes. Finally, I just stared up at the ceiling until I drifted off to sleep.
‘Demi!’ Sawyer’s voice in my head woke me from a deep sleep. My mind was foggy and my limbs were heavy with exhaustion. I looked around the room half expecting to see him before I remembered our current situation.
‘I’m here,’ I told him, shaking the last bits of fogginess from my brain.
‘I miss you.’ His voice was raw, yearning. I hadn’t expected that. He seemed less rushed this time and I relaxed, lying back into the pillow.
‘I miss you. So fucking much.’ My throat tightened.
‘They have a shield which keeps us from talking, but my warlock friend is able to take it down sometimes so he can contact his coven.’
So we didn’t know how long we had. I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. ‘Sawyer … I … a year. I’m so sorry.’
I’d told him three days and I was a gone a year. That realization killed me.
‘Are you crazy? You being gone this whole time has been a blessing. It’s the only thing that kept me sane. It gave me hope you were still alive and the vampires hadn’t gotten to you. Tell me something about your time in the woods, about Creek, I want to know everything.’
I guess that was a good point about being safe from the vampires. ‘I … can’t believe I had our baby in the woods and Sage delivered him in a cabin with no electricity.’
I could almost feel Sawyer smiling. ‘You’re amazing. Was the birth okay, or traumatic?’
I considered that question. What birth wasn’t traumatic to some degree? I had nothing to compare it to, but from what I knew it was pretty textbook. ‘Normal. I had to carry around his placenta in a bowl because we were too scared to cut it.’
He laughed, a deep throaty laugh that reverberated in my head and made me miss him so much it physically hurt. It felt like a weight sat on my chest and pinched my heart. ‘I gotta get you a push present when I get out.’
I giggled and looked at Sage to make sure she was still sleeping. ‘How do you know what a push present is?’
‘They let us watch human movies in here,’ Sawyer said.
I played with the ring at the chain on my throat. ‘Tell me about your past year. Walsh is there?’
‘Yeah, the idiot followed me in here. I don’t deserve him.’
I nodded, staring at a sleeping Sage, and wondered what I did to deserve her.
‘Is it … rough in there?’ I asked. I mean regular prison was rough, I couldn’t imagine prison with supernaturals who could kick your ass with magic.
He was quiet, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to say anything.
‘Sawyer. Tell me.’ I couldn’t feel much through our bond. Either he was tightening it up or some magic wasn’t letting things through.
‘I’m surviving,’ he finally said. ‘They make us all wear the cuffs you grew up with. The ones that cause pain if you try to shift.’ There was shame in his voice and I knew he felt guilty at knowing I wore those nearly every day of my life for over twenty years.
‘I’m sorry,’ I told him honestly. Keeping your wolf at bay for a year sucked, especially for an alpha. ‘Are there many fights?’
I suddenly felt protective of my man and I wanted to know what he’d been dealing with.
‘Every day,’ he finally answered. ‘But I’ve created my own little pack in here. Don’t worry about me. Focus on keeping yourself safe. Keeping our baby safe.’
It sounded like Sawyer had created some little pack gang to survive prison. My, my, how things had changed. I frowned at his telling me to just focus on keeping myself and Creek safe. ‘I’m focused on getting you out of there. I’m in Dark Fey Territory right now, meeting a guy named Seam who broke out of Magic City Prison ten years ago.’
Something spiked through our bond. Fear. ‘You’re in Dark Fey lands? Where’s Creek? The packs?’
I wanted to roll my eyes, but then remembered what it felt like to be in the woods for a year cut off from all information. Sawyer knew nothing about what had been going on. ‘Creek is with my mom and they are all in Paladin Village with both of our packs. Everyone is safe because I’m an alpha and I’m good at my job.’ I all but growled at my man.
‘Damn, you’re sexy when you’re mad,’ Sawyer said, and I could almost see him grinning, which lightened my mood. ‘You’re right, you know what you’re doing. I just hate not being there.’