Chapter dedicated to SareelaLove. Thanks, my friend, for reading, voting and commenting. You are the bestest!

Chapter 143 – Butterflies – Ileana's POV

Our FIRST chapter in ILEANA's POV!

I watched my queen walk down the steps into the large atrium where we waited. Her eyes were sad and her lips were puffy and red; a telltale sign she had been kissing Marku. It was none of my business, of course, although it did shock the hell out of me that he was willingly letting her leave him. I wondered if that one action on his part said more about their relationship than the rest of their moments, combined.

Felaern's eyes blazed with sustained intensity, his attention on her as well. I scowled.  I hated that man. He was just like all the rest. Every single one of them, from Felaern to Armand to even the fucking hunters, all thought Brialle hung the damn moon. It had been sickening to watch them all fawn over her.

A familiar pain twisted in my stomach. She had taken everything from me. She had become everything I was supposed to be—Armand's queen, his lover, his friend and confident.

Armand had been stricken the instant he first laid eyes on her. And from that moment on, I never had a chance. Maybe if I had been able to bear him a child, an heir to the throne—would he have loved me then? 

My heart broke because I knew the answer. He never loved me. He only chose me for my lineage to bear him a son. I was selected like some breeding bitch. And I was too young and naïve and stupid to realize it until it was too late—I was trapped, bound to a monster.

Until Queen Raine.

I gave her a small encouraging smile when she reached our group. Even though she was obviously stressed and had a lot on her mind, she still took a brief moment to show me kindness and offered a genuine soft smile in return.

The warmth of my bond radiated through my chest. She was a hundred times more worthy than Brialle could ever hope to be. Queen Raine had risked everything for me. First, sacrificing her freedom to retrieve me from Marku's clutches, and then, she defied her own father, when she refused to bring me back to Armand. If he had his way, I would be locked up where no one could ever find me, so he could indulge in the sick pleasure of torturing me for eternity.  That bastard! I stifled a growl.

No matter, I was free now. Queen Raine had freed me. Ironically, in order to free me, she had actually enslaved me—irrevocably bound me to herself. I could never disobey her, or commit an act of disloyalty. The bond wouldn't allow it. But I was happy. She was compassionate, and I loved her. Not in the way a woman loved a man, but in the way a thankful servant loved their master. I was hers to use however she saw fit, and I would gratefully serve her until the end of my days.  

Her attention turned to Felaern. She pushed her shoulders back. "Let's go."

Felaern didn't respond. Instead he turned on his heel and exited the doors.  We followed silently, everyone tense for the dangers the next few days would bring.

..........

We ran through the night, once again careening around trees and dense foliage in the vast expanse of forest, with a new addition—Loki. Queen Raine wasn't physically able to make the trip on her own. Rather than force another member of our group to carry her, she had insisted the tiger travel with us.

It made sense. Somehow, the wild creature provided her comfort and a small reduction in her suffering.  Her legs were wrapped around his wide girth. Her head down, resting against his thick neck, eyes closed, her fingers tangled in the scruff of his fur. His gait was steady and smooth, never faltering, never missing a step. A low sustained rumble could be heard from his chest.

The plan was to recover Cage first. After that, Felaern would use the connection Cage held to Lady Sofielle, to lead us to her. Raine had been thrilled and agreed upon finding Cage first, but informed Felaern, using her connection to Cage wasn't necessary; we already knew where Acheron was located. Felaern had shaken his head.  He was convinced finding Lady Sofielle would not be as easy as returning to where they were previously. He suspected Acheron had some sort of tracking or defensive mechanism in place that warned him if Felaern was near. It was the only answer, he could think of, that would account for how Acheron had been able to keep her hidden amidst his years of extensive searching. 

After two hours of silent running, Raine slowly lifted her head to view our surroundings.  She and Loki were alongside Felaern at the front of the group.

"How close are we...to the portal?" She spoke softly, trying to hide how much physical pain she was in, but the rasp and break in her voice gave her away.

The bond twisted in my chest, my stomached churned. I hated her suffering and would do anything to make it go away. Talon was next to me. His fingers curled into fists. He must have heard it as well. He was not bound to her in the same manner I was.  Their connection was blood. She had changed him into a creature of the night. But his love for her matched—if not exceeded—mine. He too, struggled whenever she was in pain.

"About an hour," Felaern replied, tension running through his chest. Queen Raine didn't respond. Felaern cast a sideways glance at her. He spoke softer, "He is alive...I can feel it."

She made eye contact with him and whispered, "Okay."

Another hour transpired. We had long since exited the forest, and now made our way up a desolate mountain range. The progress was slower, grunts and growls of frustration could be heard from more than one member of our group.

Abruptly, Felaern stopped. We all ground to a halt.  I looked to the left and back to the right, taking in the scenery, or rather lack of scenery. Moonlight bathed the barren and unforgiving rock beneath our feet in silver hues.

There was no sign of a portal.

Felaern checked the coordinates on his GPS. With a resolute nod of his head, he seemed assured we were in the right location. His eyes narrowed. He lifted his hands, as though feeling the air for what his eyes couldn't see. He turned thirty degrees. I wasn't familiar with his gifts, but unmistakable power radiated out of him like a shockwave to my chest, when he growled a command into the air, "Reveal that which is hidden!"

Instantly, a portal appeared. It was rectangle in shape, similar to a tall door. It shimmered with a translucent glow, making it impossible to see what was on the other side.  There was no hesitation to Felaern's step as he walked through and disappeared. Loki and Queen Raine followed behind him with a gentle leap over the threshold.  Brialle was next, then Talon and myself, followed by the three dark Fae fluttering behind us.  Their reasons remained a mystery, but their intense dislike for Felaern was evident as they made a point to stay as far away from him as possible.

I sucked in a deep breath as I took in our new surroundings. We stood in a field with tall grass and wildflowers, at the border of yet another forest, but this one was unlike any I had ever seen. The trees curled in spirals and ringlets at they reached toward the sky, their branches making beautiful swirls against the horizon.  There wasn't much wind, but their leaves seemed to be in constant motion, fluttering and flapping in the breeze.

Four moons hung so low, they felt almost reachable if one leaped high enough. Their light cast a mysterious glow, reflecting shades of plum and wine in the darkened sky.

It was breathtaking.

"Wha—" Talon began.

"Silence!" Felaern roared.

Only it wasn't a roar. He made no sound at all. But his voice could be heard loud and clear in my head. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my startled cry and stared at him with wide eyes. What was happening?!

Everyone stood stock still. Queen Raine's gaze was riveted to Felaern's now. He shook his head and her eyes tightened. A long moment of silence went by.  She seemed to be searching his expression for something, no...that wasn't right...it looked more like she was listening to him, but his lips never moved.  Was he talking to her in the same way I heard his voice in my head?  It appeared so. It also appeared as if she was freely communicating back with him. But how was that possible?

Everyone waited.

Finally, Felaern's voice could be heard in my head again, "Those are not leaves in the trees. They are butterflies."

Butterflies?!

Shit, if that were the case, they had to range in size from 6-12 inches each! I looked at the woods closer. I saw them clearly now.  I had assumed the movement was wind rustling through leaves, but in reality, it was their wings fluttering in the air. But what was the cause for alarm?

Felaern went on to explain, his expression grim, "These butterflies have two sets of razor sharp teeth. Much like piranhas, they could strip the flesh off a man, down to the bone, within seconds."  

Adrenaline pushed hard through my veins.

There was no way he could be serious. Flesh eating butterflies?!

The look on his face told me he was deadly serious.

"Thankfully, they are blind and can only hunt using their sense of hearing. We are far enough away that they didn't hear when Talon spoke, but we could have just gotten lucky that time.  There is nothing to say they won't hear us the next time we make a noise."

Oh shit.

Tension rolled through our entire group. Everyone must be able to hear him.

"If I am right, there should be a river about thirty miles that way." He pointed to the left. Our eyes automatically followed. "Once we reach it, the river will drown out any noise, making it impossible for them to distinguish us. Tread carefully. Do not make a sound!"

Silence to a vampire wasn't normally difficult. We were lethal predators with an innate ability to sneak up on unaware prey. However, burdened with the need for absolute silence with our lives as payment if we failed, the task became much more oppressive and formidable.

We began making our way in the direction he pointed. We ran at a steady pace, but much slower than we had before. I wondered why Killian and the other two Fae didn't fly. It seemed it would eliminate the chance of them making any noise on the ground.

"Because the butterflies would hear the beat of their wings," the answer came in my head.

Holy shit!

Felaern could not only speak into my head, he could hear my thoughts as well?!

I didn't like that idea. Not one bit.

He graciously answered me again, "Not normally, but you directed your question toward me subconsciously.  If you intend for me to hear a thought, I can."

Oh! Okay, that was much better. Still, I was curious and tentatively reached out with my mind, to test him with a random question, "What color is your hair?"

I couldn't see if he rolled his eyes at me, but I suspected so since the huff was evident in his silent reply, "This is no time for gam—"

His thought cut off. I had been so intent on hearing his answer, that the sound of a branch breaking beneath one of Loki's big paws, didn't initially catch my attention. There was a flurry of activity from the trees. Thousands of huge butterflies ascended into the air.

A much louder thought yelled a command in my head, "Run!!"

Instantly, we were in a flat out sprint. My chest heaved from the adrenaline. Loki wasn't as fast as the vampires, leaving him and Queen Raine at the back of the group.

Oh no, no, no!!!

I slowed down. Felaern had made it clear we were far outmatched by the flesh eating insects. I wasn't going to let her face a hoard of little carnivorous bastards on her own.

"Run faster!!" Felaern snapped in my head from right behind me. He stayed at Loki's flank, while the three dark Fae took to the air. I obeyed him without question and sprinted faster. He knew more than I did in this situation, so if he wanted me to get the hell out of the way, by all means, I would do so.

I glanced back as I put more distance between us.  Killian, Orian and Scynth circled directly above and around Queen Raine, Loki and Felaern. Their large wings fully spread and beating the air viciously, knocking hundreds of butterflies, yards in every direction.

They worked as a team, flying in an intricate pattern to effect as much damage as they could, and keep Queen Raine protected. But still it wasn't enough.

More than one butterfly latched onto the Fae's bodies and wings, causing them to hiss in pain as the flying carnivores took chunks out of their flesh to fill their bellies. The scent of blood permeated the air.

I ran faster. I could hear the water now. Just a little bit more.

We careened up a hill. I saw the rushing river at the same time as Loki roared in pain. I didn't look back. I knew what had happened.

Seconds later, Brialle, Talon and I dove into the current. It was deep, completely submerging our bodies. When I came up, I spun around and saw Loki hurl himself into the water, Queen Raine still clutching him tightly. They both went under. I gasped and began to swim against the current toward them. Killian, his men and Felaern also dove in, knocking the remaining butterflies that had latched onto them, away, as they went under. Instantly, the water bled a deep crimson color.

Shit, that was a lot of blood.

The butterflies hovered in the air, hissing and darting in different directions, seeking their lost prey. But the sound of the river created a sustained hum making it impossible for the flying leaches to find us.

Killian and his men resurfaced, their faces contorted in pain. I heard Felaern's silent orders, "Get them out!"

Brialle, Talon and I swam toward them. I was closest to Scynth. I grabbed him just as he began to sink under the water, the struggle to stay afloat becoming too much for him.  I slid my body under his arm to support his weight and kicked my feet, pushing us both toward the opposite bank. Talon was already there, pulling Killian out. Brialle was right behind me with Orian. Talon reached down and took Scynth from my grip, lifting him from the water and laying him next to Killian.

"Talon!!" Felaern's silent command was vicious.

Talon's head snapped to Felaern's location in the rushing water. Raine was still attached to Loki's back, but Loki kept dropping under the water, even with Felaern's help.

Talon massive frame contracted and he released in a blinding move of power, vaulting over our heads and diving into the current. Within two strokes, he reached Felaern and the big cat. Talon went under and abruptly Loki's body rose so that his head was clear.  Loki's body turned toward the bank. Talon had to be beneath him, holding him up, swimming with him. Holy shit!

I knew he was strong, but I didn't know he was that strong.  Loki had to weigh close to 1500 pounds, and the force of the current added that much more resistance to his task.

Brialle and I had managed to bring Orian up from the water. She was on her knees at their heads, her arms outstretched, her face set in fierce concentration as she worked to heal their battered and bloodied bodies. She ran her hands over each of them, assessing their injuries to spread her healing as fast as possible over all of them, making sure the worst injured took priority.

"Ileana!"

I was on my feet and headed toward Felaern before I even looked in his direction. Between the two of them, Talon had pushed and Felaern had pulled Loki out of the water. The big cat lay on the ground, panting, with his eyes closed.

"Get Raine off of him!"

I hurried to her side, and lifted her as gently as I could from the animal's back. She did not appear to have any open wounds. She groaned and bit her lip to keep the noise in. I wanted to comfort her with words, but I didn't dare make a sound. Instead, I cradled her in my lap, and smoothed her hair back, stroked the side of her face and placed soft kisses on her forehead. She relaxed under my touch. Her eyes remained closed, but her breathing was even.

Felaern was on his knees, hovering over Loki's large frame. There were several chunks of flesh and fur missing from his hindquarters. He let out a low whine.

Queen Raine's head lifted and tension rolled through her body as she twisted to find him. She flinched at the movement. I stood with her in my arms, and repositioned our bodies close enough to Loki, so that she could reach out and touch his face. If he could help her heal, maybe she could do the same for him. Loki pushed his nose into her hand and whimpered, his big eyes open and locked on hers. They continued to stare at each other, while Felaern ran his hands over each wound. The wounds were deep. Each one took a few minutes to fully heal.  He had been bitten several times, so the process was long and grueling.

My eyes drifted to Talon. He was still in the water, his upper body draped over a large log to keep him up. His exhaustion was clear in the tiredness of his eyes and his heavy breathing. After several minutes, he slowly pulled himself out of the water, and lay on the bank, not moving.

Felaern addressed enough of Loki's wounds to satisfy him the cat was stable and then hurried to Brialle's side. They didn't look at each other, nor did they speak, but it was obvious in their coordinated movement they were communicating silently.  Brialle moved to the side and focused her attention on Scynth and Orian. Felaern lifted Killian into a kneeling position, so that Killian could spread his wings in the air. Killian hunched forward, his pain obvious. Once his wings were unfurled, Felaern began to heal them, methodically moving from one bite wound to the next.  I was shocked at how many he had.

Felaern didn't finish with him before he pulled Orian into a similar position on his hands and knees. Orian grunted when Felaern clasped his wings to open them so he could see the damage. Once again, he began the same process as he had done with Killian, healing some of his wounds before shifting Scynth into a matching position.  Thankfully, Scynth did not have as many.

Brialle moved her attention again to Killian, and they continued to tag-team their efforts. I suspected that Felaern's healing abilities surpassed hers and that was why he focused on the most severe wounds. There were only a few isolated wounds left on the three Fae when Felaern returned his attention to Loki and continued where he had left off. It took nearly an hour for everyone to be fully healed.

Once completed, the three Fae and Brialle came to where I held Queen Raine, sitting close around us. Once we were all grouped together, Felaern murmured quietly. "I believe we are far enough away from them now to avoid detection." 

"What now?" Queen Raine rasped.

"Now, I need to touch you again. I wanted to do that as soon as we walked through the portal, but plans changed." His face turned into a grimace at the reminder of what we had just been through.

"Okay," she whispered.

Felaern moved right next to us. He didn't instruct me otherwise, so I continued to hold her in my lap while he placed his fingertips on both of her temples. His head bowed as he 'listened' to whatever her body had to tell him. After several minutes, he looked up and pointed to the horizon. "We need to