“Is that damn stone working?” Ezra says, stopping abruptly. One of the floating lanterns Nostra spelled to light the way through the forest hovers by his head, making him look even more sick than he already does. “Well, is it?” he persists.

“I think so, Ezra. I’m just following Nostra’s instructions. If the stone vibrates, then that’s the way we go. If it stops vibrating we’re off track.” I sigh, not in the mood for Ezra’s shitty attitude. He’s been irritable ever since we left Nostra’s hamlet and it is beginning to wear thin. It’s all to do with the fact that he refuses to take my blood to save his life. The only reason he is here now is because we made a deal. I would undergo the Claiming to save Rhain’s life, and Ezra would help me find Clover. Granted, in the end, despite the overwhelming desire that had my head spinning, I had wanted to make love to Rhain. I had wanted to save him. Turning my head, I catch Rhain looking at me. He smiles. I smile back, a warm feeling expanding in my chest.

Ezra scowls. “We’ve been traipsing through this forest for hours, and nothing.”

It is abundantly clear Ezra does not want to be here, but he made me a promise and now he has to fulfil it.

“What’s the alternative, that I abandon my friend and we return to Nostra’s hamlet, so you can return yourself to the light?”

“This is a fool’s errand,” he says, avoiding my question.

I sigh. Ezra is right in some respects, we have been walking for hours now and there’s been no sign of the mysterious Clan Terra. Just endless trees, shrubs, and the occasional foraging animal. Apart from the oddly shaped, luminescent-green trees, the forest is like any other back home on Earth. Frankly, it doesn’t feel very forbidden to me. I’m not sure what I am expecting, but it isn’t this.

“You should accept that your friend is lost to the fae and we should return to the village.” Ezra starts to walk back the way we came, but I grab him by the arm.

“Don’t you dare. You made me a promise, Ezra. Are you going to go back on that now?” I can see a muscle feather in his jaw as he glares at me. Why does he have to be so difficult? It’s hard enough for me to be here so far from home. He needn’t make it harder. Right now, I hate him for it.

“Give the stone to me.” He snaps his fingers with impatience.

“No,” I say, closing my fist and clutching the emerald to my chest.

“No? Hand the damn stone over, Accacia.”

“Ezra, leave her alone,” Rhain says sharply, stepping up beside me. “You know as well as I do that Nostra has spelled the stone just for Accacia to use. It will not work for you, or for anyone else.”

Ezra narrows his eyes at Rhain. He opens his mouth, then slams it shut just as Devin strides over to us. As always, Devin acts as the peacekeeper.

“Look, there is no use fighting amongst ourselves. Be calm, brothers. The Forbidden forest is big, much bigger than even I expected. It may be days before we find Clover. If we find her…” his voice trails off as he notices the look on my face.

“When we find her. I’m not leaving until we do,” I say, folding my arms across my chest.

Devin places a hand on my arm. “Apologies, when we find her,” he repeats gently. “Ezra, Rhain, we can continue further without the need for rest, but Accacia is tiring. I think we should find somewhere to stop for a few hours.”

Now that Devin has pointed this out, a sudden overwhelming exhaustion settles over me. “Actually, it would be good to stop for a while. I am feeling tired. It would appear that I only got the crappy traits of the curse, not the everlasting stamina and strength you three have in abundance.” Except, maybe, for Ezra who is still trying to hide the fact that he is hurting, despite us all knowing that he is. Giving me his blood to heal my burns a few days ago has started a chain of events that will only end in his death if he doesn’t take my blood in return. Ezra refuses to do so because it means that we will be joined, and he does not wish to betray his late wife’s memory by effectively becoming my husband. The thing is, I am perfectly happy to give him my blood. I don’t want him to die even though, sometimes, I could happily throttle him myself.

“Here will do,” Ezra snaps, avoiding my gaze. He sits down against the trunk of a tree, crosses his arms and closes his eyes. Well, I guess that’s the end of any conversation with him tonight. Not that I particularly want to speak with him right now.

“Arsehole,” I murmur, knowing full well he can hear me. He flinches but says nothing.

“Come and sit for a while,” Rhain says, taking my hand and pulling me away from Ezra. “You can use me as your resting spot.” He winks. I smile, some of the tension leaving my shoulders.

Devin hangs back, one of Nostra’s spelled lanterns hovering above him. He looks at me, dips his head and takes a spot near Ezra. “I’ll keep arsehole here company,” he says with a jerk of his thumb and a devilish grin. Ezra’s eyes snap open and he glares at Devin.

“What?” Devin says innocently.

“I am not an arsehole,” Ezra growls.

“Not all the time, brother,” Devin agrees with a laugh.

Rhain lays his jacket on the ground and sits upon it, pulling me onto his lap. He is warm, and familiar to me now. The sexual tension is still there, but the overwhelming desire I had felt before we underwent the Claiming has gone, thankfully.

“Do not let Ezra rile you, Accacia, he is not himself,” Rhain murmurs into my hair.

I absentmindedly run a hand over his chest, my eyes resting on Ezra, who is now staring at me intently. We look at each other for a long time and I can’t help but feel guilty that Ezra is in pain because of me, because I took his blood. Though at the time I didn’t have a choice in the matter. The way he is staring at me, it’s as though he is trying to figure me out, like I am a puzzle to be solved. It’s so frustrating, and it doesn’t help that my own feelings are so confused when it comes to him. There is something within me that is drawn to Ezra. Perhaps it is the sadness he exudes, I don’t know. My mother always said I needed to be able to fix things. I went into medicine because I wanted to find a cure to my disease, to help others like me. Ezra’s sorrow is a little harder to fix. My heart aches for his loss, but at the same time I feel angry that he has placed me in this position with no consideration as to how it would affect me, and angry that he seems to want to hurt me.

Eventually he looks away and I curl into Rhain’s arms, resting my head against his chest, glad of the comfort and the steady beat of his heart.

“He is so angry all the time, angry at me mostly, it would seem,” I whisper into Rhain’s chest. “I understand the tragedy of Ezra’s loss. I can’t imagine what that feels like. I just… He made the choice to give me his blood. I wouldn’t have taken it had I known what was at stake. At the time I had no say in the matter.”

“Yes, he did have a choice, Cia. He knew exactly what he was doing. I am sorry you have been caught up in his sadness. I wouldn’t have allowed him to do it, had I known what he had planned,” Rhain says, pressing a gentle kiss against my head.

“Do you think we can change his mind? Maybe if I tried speaking with him again…”

“Ezra is a stubborn man. I’m not sure anyone can change his mind.

“Despite the way he is with me, I can’t watch him die.” My voice catches in my throat as Rhain squeezes me tighter.

“Hush, don’t think about it now, just rest. I will watch over you all. We might have more stamina, but we are not infallible. We still need to sleep every now and then too.”

“Thank you, Rhain.” I whisper, the heavy drag of exhaustion pulling at my eyelids.