Haelan’s Desire (Walk Through Shadows Book Four)

Roldan waited till an hour past sundown, then slipped into the trees near the base of the garrison and opened a portal to the human realm. He stepped out onto a snow-covered road and looked around. The road was empty in both directions. He swung his gaze over to his destination. The Alpha’s home had several lights on. A dark vehicle was parked at a bit of an angle in front of the building.

Behind him, the shimmering faded, and a chilly breeze ruffled his feathers. He wrapped his wings across the front of his body to shield himself from the biting cold. The action gave him a bit of camouflage as his silver and white plumage covered his dark clothing.

After another quick look around to ensure he hadn’t been seen, he started down the driveway. He got about halfway down the lane when the front door opened, and Isabelle stepped out onto the porch. Roldan halted his steps and crouched down, but she wasn’t looking in his direction. Instead, she was focused on the vehicle. He watched as she hurried down the stairs to the side of the car. She opened the back door, reached inside and fished around for a moment, then straightened and shoved the door closed. He held his position as she turned back to the house and rushed up the stairs.

Once the door was closed, he stood up and resumed walking. When he reached the stairs a minute later, he crept up them, silent as an early morning fog, and carefully peered through the cut glass insert in the oak door. At first, he saw nothing suspicious.

That changed a moment later. He held his breath to keep from fogging up the glass as Alasdair walked into the foyer, carrying a tray of white mugs. Roldan’s eyes narrowed as he watched his brother knock on a closed door. It took a moment for the door to open and when it did, Roldan’s breath escaped in a low growl. Emmeline was framed in the doorway for a second, then she moved back to allow Alasdair to pass. Roldan took a step away from the door and fixed his gaze on the painted floor of the porch.

Emmeline appeared unhurt. She didn’t move as if she was in pain. Nor did he see any bandages in the brief glimpse he’d caught. He shifted his gaze back to the door. Who would Alasdair lie to him? His handsome face twisted with a scowl as he lifted his hand. Not just Alasdair, but the mixed breed as well.

The side of his fist struck the door three times, hard. He folded his wings against his back. After a minute, without an answer, he repeated his actions.

Another minute passed. Just as Roldan raised his fist, the door opened to reveal Bryant Blackwell. “Your highness,” he said with a nervous smile. “What are you doing here?”

Roldan didn’t return the werewolf’s smile. “I’m looking for my brothers.”

“Your brothers?” Bryant leaned against the doorjamb. “Why would they—”

“Don’t bother with subterfuge. I saw Isabelle outside a moment ago.”

“Oh, that,” Bryant said with a chuckle. “She’s here. Came by to see my dad. She had some questions about the effects of elves on werewolves.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, toward the dining-room door. “You know her.”

Roldan folded his hands together in front of his waist. “And?”

Bryant swallowed. “Well, my dad’s not here so—”

“But Alasdair is,” Roldan said, then took a step closer to the werewolf. “As is Emmeline.” He looked past Bryant’s shoulder at the closed dining-room door. “Now I’m wondering where Haelan is.” His gaze swung over to Bryant’s face. “I find it hard to believe he would leave Emmeline’s side if she was so grievously injured that he felt abandoning his sons and fighters to face an elven assault was necessary.”

Bryant pushed himself away from the doorjamb. “He’s downstairs getting patched up.”

“From the arrow wound?” Roldan asked.

The lines of tension near Bryant’s eyes smoothed out a bit. “Yes, on his side.”

“I’d like to speak with him,” Roldan said.

“Well, like I said, he’s busy—”

“Fine then. I’m sure Alasdair can spare a few minutes to speak with me,” Roldan said. “To discuss the search.”

“I thought the twins had been found,” Bryant said, then took a couple of steps back.

“The other search,” Roldan said as he crossed over the threshold, then pushed the door closed behind him.

Bryant moved to the side to let him come into the foyer. “What other search?”

“We had a report of an issue with the barrier,” Roldan answered. “So far it seems to be unfounded.”

“That’s good news,” Bryant said.

“Indeed,” Roldan said. “I’d like to relay the news to Alasdair and Haelan.”

“Sure,” Bryant said. “Wait here a minute, I’ll get Alasdair for you.” Roldan’s head tipped down in a half nod. Bryant turned away and walked across the foyer to the dining-room door. He rapped the solid wood with his knuckles. “Alasdair, Roldan is here.”

There was a muffled thump behind the door. A second later, the door opened a couple of inches. Isabelle peeked up at Bryant. “Did you say Roldan?”

“Yep,” Bryant muttered. “He wants to talk to Alasdair.”

“You can’t get rid of him?” Isabelle whispered.

“No, he can’t.” Roldan’s voice came from right behind Bryant.

“Roldan,” Isabelle said as she squeezed past the door, then pulled it closed. “Is everything okay?” Bryant moved aside with a heavy sigh.

“It will be,” Roldan replied. “When I can speak with my brother.”

Isabelle waved at the door. “Alasdair will be out in a minute. Haelan is—”

“Downstairs with the doctor,” Bryant said quickly.

Isabelle’s gaze slid over to the werewolf. He tilted his head slightly. “Right,” she said, then looked at Roldan. “With the doctor.” Roldan held her gaze for a moment. Behind her, the door opened. Isabelle stepped closer to Bryant as Alasdair eased himself through the partially open doorway.

“Brother,” Alasdair said. “Has anything been found?”

Roldan frowned at him. “No, Haelan’s fighters have located nothing of note over the borderlands.” He stepped back and waved for his brother to follow. After a brief pause, Alasdair moved to Roldan’s side and the two of them went farther into the foyer. “We will need to expand the search. In the morning we’ll begin searching other parts of the realm.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I would ask you to join in, but I fear it would be a waste of your time. I doubt anything will be found.” His brows lowered into a dark glower. “If you ask me, that mixed breed fabricated the threat as some kind of distraction. For all we know, he could be in league with the elves.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Alasdair said loudly. “He’s loyal to Haelan.”

“Are you talking about Sable?” Isabelle asked quickly.

Next to Isabelle, the door swung open. “Sable isn’t lying,” Em said as she stepped out. Isabelle grabbed her arm to shove her back in the room, but Em pulled her hand away.

Roldan’s head swiveled as he leveled his gaze at Em. “Emmeline,” he said. “Are you recovered already, lass? Darkbriar said you could barely stand when he delivered you to Haelan.”

Em stared at him for a second then shoved her hand behind her back, like she was about to rub at a sore spot. “Uh ya, our landing was pretty rough.” She said the words through a groan and winced as she stretched her back for a second. “What you’re saying about Sable isn’t true. He saved me from the elves that were trying to kidnap me.”

“And then submitted a false report,” Roldan said.

Em sucked in a breath, then moved closer to the faeries. “It’s not false. I was there. I saw it too.”

“Perhaps your mind was addled by the pain of your injuries,” Roldan said as he turned to face her.

Em’s hand dropped from her back as she took another step and looked up at him. “Did you just call me stupid?”

“No,” he replied. “I said you could be mistaken.”

“But I saw something too.” She turned to Alasdair.

“Then why haven’t we found anything?” Roldan asked.

She rolled her eyes as she turned to him. “How would I know?” She threw a hand up and pointed straight above her head. “All I know is there was a pile of ash in a clearing and a creepy swirly thing above it, way up in the sky. I didn’t get a good look at it because it went away a second after I got under it.” Her hand dropped to her temple. “Sable’s head almost exploded when it happened.”

“What do you mean?” Alasdair asked softly.

“I mean, he was in so much pain it nearly brought him to his knees,” she said earnestly. Alasdair turned his gaze to Roldan’s. “No, don’t you do that again.” She stabbed a finger at Alasdair. “If you’ve got something to say, then spit it out.”

Roldan turned his gaze back to Em’s face. “What you’re saying makes little sense.” He leaned closer to her. “Darkbriar’s ability is to sense magic. Haelan says he has pain when he’s close to it.” He waved at the side of his own head. “But a tear in the barrier shouldn’t cause that reaction. A weak spot in the barrier isn’t created by magic, it’s the absence of it.” His gaze dropped from her face to her chest, where she’d pressed her hands. “If he felt magic, it would had to have come from a different source.” Em pressed her lips together at the sound of Isabelle’s gasp. Roldan’s head tilted slightly as his gaze crawled up to her eyes.

“Lass,” Alasdair said in a gentle tone. “Did you see anything else?”

“No, but I—” Her voice caught in her throat for a second. “I felt something.” She tapped the middle of her chest. “It was just for a second—”

“When were you going to tell us you have magic?” Isabelle asked.

“Because I don’t know what it was, and I wanted to talk to Haelan before I said anything,” Em said, then spun around to face Isabelle. “For all I know it was just a bit of heartburn.”

“But it could be something,” Isabelle said as she moved away from the door.

“Or it could be nothing,” Em said. She looked down at Isabelle’s hand as it closed around her upper arm.

“An angel!” Everyone had been so focused on Emmeline that no one had heard Miles come up the stairs. He was standing in the wide hallway, gawking at Roldan’s wings. The prince turned in a quick spin. Miles glanced at Isabelle. “You didn’t say anything about an angel.”

“I’m not an angel,” Roldan said with a fierce frown. He stumbled sideways as Alasdair grabbed his shoulder and roughly steered him aside.

“Doctor, how is he?”

“Alive,” Miles answered. “Garrett is getting him settled.” He looked at Isabelle. “You were right about their metabolism. It took a lot of drugs to keep him knocked out.”

Isabelle waved a finger at her chest. “Did you have to?”

“No, but it had been cut badly. I stitched it up as best I could, but I’m not a vascular surgeon.” His gaze moved from person to person as he searched out Bryant. “We’ll need to keep a close eye on him. How long can he stay here?” Bryant didn’t answer.

Everyone turned to look at the werewolf. He had his back against the wall. His eyes were closed tightly. He’d turned his head away from the knot of beings in the foyer and pressed the side of his face to his shoulder.

“Honey,” Isabelle whispered as she pushed Em in his direction.

Alasdair grabbed Em’s shoulder and pulled her behind his back. “Bryant, she’s not yours,” he said quietly.

“I know,” Bryant said through a thick groan. He sucked in a deep, calming breath. “Garrett told me it would be hard to resist, but I never imagined—” He drew in another breath, gave his head a shake, then slowly opened his eyes. “The Alpha’s flight gets in tomorrow afternoon.” His voice was a tortured growl. “If we’re going to keep this quiet, everyone will need to clear out by midday.”

“Will it be safe to move him?” Isabelle asked Miles.

“If you’re careful,” he answered.

“Someone explain what is happening here,” Roldan said loudly as he rounded on Alasdair.

“Who is this person and what has he done to Haelan?”

“Brother,” Alasdair reached up to take hold of Roldan’s shoulder, but Roldan swatted his hand away.

“Who is he?” Roldan growled.

“Miles Sinclair,” Miles said. Roldan turned slowly. Miles thrust his hand out to him. “I operated on the faerie.” Roldan looked down at the man’s hand. “To get the arrow out.”

Isabelle moved to Miles’ side. Roldan’s angry stare crawled over to her face. “So, it was a very serious injury.”

Isabelle nodded once. “Miles is a friend of the Blackwells.” Her voice dropped to a murmur. “A trusted human.”

Roldan turned his gaze back to Miles, who had taken advantage of his distraction to stare at the feathers peeking up from behind the prince’s shoulders. “Roldan,” he said as he took the man’s hand.

“Crown prince of the faeries,” Isabelle said in a stage whisper.

“Really?” Miles asked as Roldan gave him a firm shake. “Here I was thinking you’re just an archangel.” He finished his statement with a chuckle.

“You’re a doctor?” Roldan asked, then released the man’s hand.

“A vet actually,” Miles said.

“Bryant.” Isabelle looked over at Bryant. The werewolf had his head down, clearly still fighting off the effect Em was having on him. “You didn’t say he was a veterinarian.”

Bryant shrugged but didn’t lift his head. “When you think about it, it makes sense to use a vet since the patient isn’t human.”

Em scooted around Alasdair’s side, then Roldan’s to stop in front of Miles. “Can we see Haelan?”

“Emmeline,” Alasdair said. “He may not be strong enough yet.”

“Just for a minute?” Em asked. “If it causes him any pain I’ll leave, I promise.” She turned her pleading gaze to Alasdair. “Please?”

“Why would you cause him pain?” Roldan asked.

Em turned to him, “I’m his true mate.” Roldan’s eyebrows rose. “Or, I will be, one day.” She blinked against the sting of fresh tears. “I hope.”

He stared into her sparkling deep blue eyes, taking in the distress that made them appear even darker, until she blinked. Then he took a breath and tore his gaze from her to look at Miles. “Take us to him,” Roldan said.

“Shouldn’t I go?” Alasdair asked. “Garrett’s down there—”

“I’ll look after her,” Roldan said and extended his wing across Em’s back, then looked over at his brother. “When I return, you can try to convince me to keep this lapse in judgment from mother.” He gave Miles a quick wave. Miles spun around and started walking to the basement door. Roldan and Em followed close behind him.

When the trio reached the patient room, both Miles and Roldan let Em enter first. Garret got up from the stool he’d been sitting on near the head of the bed and took a few steps back as Em got closer. Miles caught his eye. The werewolf shook his head once.

Em inched her way to the end of the bed. She pressed her hands to her stomach as her gaze ran up the clean white sheet to Haelan’s peaceful countenance. Her breath stalled in her chest as she took in the sight of her strong faerie lying there. To her, Haelan had always seemed so formidable, even in quiet moments when his objective was only to comfort her. After a moment, she glanced at Garrett.

“Nothing yet,” Garrett said softly. “Heart rate is nice and steady.” He took another step back. “Yours is jumpy though.”

Em wasn’t listening. As soon as he said ‘nothing yet’, she’d moved to the opposite side of the bed and crept closer to Haelan’s upper body. She paused at his side and took his limp hand. “Bossy faerie,” she whispered as she wrapped her other hand around his. “Please don’t ever do that again.”

Roldan watched from the other side of the bed as she leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Haelan’s forehead. The hand that she lifted to tenderly cradle his brother’s cheek trembled. Roldan reached down, took Haelan’s other hand, and cupped it with his own. The anger and frustration he’d felt earlier melted from him as he looked at his brother’s face. How could he be angry with Alasdair for his actions when the results meant they continued to have their brother in their lives?

Roldan looked over at Miles. “What was Isabelle asking you about?”

“His Magus node,” Miles answered from his spot by the door. “I didn’t remove it but we need to watch for signs of infection or sepsis.”

Roldan gave him a nod, then turned back to Haelan. “We will need to decide our next steps,” he murmured.

“Roldan,” Em said softly. He looked up at her face. “This wasn’t Alasdair or Isabelle’s fault. They didn’t do anything wrong. I bullied them into it. I know it was selfish but—” She looked down at Haelan’s face. “I couldn’t let him go.” She sniffed softly. “The twins would have lost the only parent they’ve ever had. I would have lost the man I’m supposed to be with.” She turned her gaze to Roldan’s. “I love him.”

Roldan took one of his hands from Haelan’s and held it up to her. “Lass, am I disappointed that all of you behaved so recklessly? Yes, very much so.” His gaze drifted down to her stomach. She held Haelan’s hand against it. “I’m not upset that Haelan’s life has been saved.” His gaze slid to Haelan’s face. “Far from it,” he murmured. “Not even if it means keeping secrets from my mother.” He smiled slightly. “As unpleasant as that endeavor will no doubt prove to be.” He gently laid Haelan’s hand next to his side. “Now, plans will need to be made. Stay with him, I will see to it.” Her lips curved into a grateful smile. He looked at Haelan once more, then turned and went to the door. “Doctor, will you accompany me?”

“Sure,” Miles said, then took a step out of the room. Roldan followed him.

When the pair got upstairs, they went directly to the dining room. Alasdair saw them first and got up from his seat at the end of the table. Roldan came to a stop a few feet away from him.

“Emmeline begs me not to blame you for this,” Roldan said to Alasdair.

“He’s not to blame,” Isabelle said as she got up from the chair in front of Celene’s car seat. “Em asked if we knew anyone that could help. It was my idea to come to the Blackwells.” She moved to Alasdair’s side, then reached down and took his hand. “This is my fault.”

“Mother thinks that mating and fatherhood have changed you, but I knew better,” Roldan said with a shake of his head. “And now you’re influencing your mate.” He turned his exasperated gaze on Isabelle for a moment. “I understand your motives and, though your actions could be viewed as going against our duty to protect our people—” He threw a hand up as Alasdair opened his mouth to reply. “I agree with them, and I have decided to keep what you’ve done to myself. We will need to work together for it to remain a secret.” He looked at Miles. “Will you need further access to Haelan?”

“To monitor his recovery over the next few weeks,” Miles said.

Roldan gave him a nod. “It would be best if Haelan stays with you,” he said to Alasdair. “Em as well. I will tell mother and his sons that he’s busy looking after Em at her home. No doubt scouring the barrier will provide a helpful distraction. I won’t need to lie often.”

“Thank you, brother,” Alasdair said with a relieved smile.

“I must return before anyone notices I’m gone,” Roldan said as he took a step back. “I’ll visit soon.” He smiled as Isabelle grabbed his arm with her free hand. “To spend time with my niece.” He winked at her. Isabelle gave him a quick squeeze, then let go. “Doctor.” He held his hand out to Miles. “Thank you for saving our brother’s life.” Miles widely as he shook the prince’s hand. “Bryant, I appreciate your assistance and discretion.” The werewolf was leaning against the wall near the door. He chuckled, then waved at the doorway. Roldan looked from Isabelle to Alasdair, then turned and followed Bryant out of the room.

“I’m going to go check on my patient,” Miles said. “You can come down if you’d like.” He smiled at the couple, then turned to leave as well.

Isabelle looked up as Alasdair pulled her in front of him. She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. “Lass,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

“So far, so good,” she said. “We still have a way to go but—” Her voice caught, then she leaned back in his embrace to look up at his face. “Do you realize what this means?”

“What are you talking about, lass?”

“Do you remember what Haelan told us after he tried to heal Em?” she asked in an excited chirp. “What that healer told him?”

“Rayne’s vision,” he said with a quizzical glint in his eyes.

“Yes.” She slid her hands from his back to his shoulders. “She said you would find him, and he would be saved! Now we just have to wait for Em’s magic to manifest!” She hopped up and wrapped her arms around his neck with a relieved sigh.

His eyes closed as he buried his face in her hair. But even with his mate’s comforting scent filling his head, a heavy weight settled onto his heart.

“Sable found him lass,” he murmured. “Not me.”