The First Fae Mate

Two | Dogs

Frigid air kissed Visena's cheeks as she scuffed her bare, cracked feet along the lake's edge. Shudders ran down her back as she noticed her blood mingling with the crystalline waters, swirling lazily around the eggshell and pumice pebbles.

Yuck. My feet aren't going to be pretty after this. She grimaced, giving her foot soles one last disgusted look before lifting her gaze to the horizon. As expected, nothing seemed out of place.

While the glinting light of the previous night disappeared, Visena felt determined to find its source. But, before she had the chance to march onward, the forest at her side quieted, and she realised how exposed it was along the lakeside. In the next moment, muffled voices had her stomach churning.

Her pace increased, as did the volume of the talking.

Surely voices are a good thing. I could ask for help. But Visena's fear only amplified as she made out the people's words.

"We have been searching for days. She hid her in here so we would never find her." A male.

Another voice responded. Female this time; her voice sounded sharp and bitter. "He wants her, and we do as we're told."

Visena knew they were looking for her. She wasn't sure why, but she refused to stand by and find out.

Despite being starving, cold, and tired, Visena ran as fast as possible. Unfortunately, her stumbling sounds alerted the trackers. Shouts sounded behind her, and she nearly screamed when a taloned hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Finally found you, little freak," the accompanying voice snarled.

Visena quickly realised struggling was pointless. She was far too weak to fight the muscular, bald woman after her feast of champions. I would kill for one of those dehydrating, crumbling snack bars right now.

"Where's the fucking portal?" The woman yelled to her grey-haired partner, who pulled out a strange device. It beeped and blinked a few times, and a dial on its front pointed towards the water.

"In the lake," the man replied.

"For fucks sake. I didn't want to get wet this time." The woman's grip tightened, and her tawny eyes hardened as she dragged Visena into the water.

Visena's breathing quickened as the icy liquid rose around their bodies. She couldn't even remember if she could swim.

The man with them had a hard time floating, and after a few loud groans, he shifted right before her eyes into a dog. It was at that point that Visena finally screamed.

That man is a fucking dog!

A massive grey dog. 

'Wolf.' The correction zapped into her mind with a voice different from her own. She had no time to question it as her panic set in.

"No, no, no, no!" Visena tore away from the female's grip, landing a hard kick to her abdomen, and tried desperately to swim towards the shore.

"Someone, help!"

She started to hyperventilate when something grabbed the back of her T-shirt. It turned her around in a wide arc, and she spotted the mean woman again, looking even more pissed off. Visena realised in horror after peeking over her shoulder. "No! You stupid fucking dog-wolf thing! Let me go!"

Visena's floundering made them swallow water, and she choked, barely drawing enough air when the animal pushed her beneath the surface. An eerie calm washed over her instantly after opening her bulging eyes against the stinging waters. Twinkling beneath them, she saw a small shimmering ring suspended, unmoving, parallel to the lake's bottom. Its iridescent border flickered around the dazzling centre, a colour she could not put words to. A sense of safety enveloped her when its name shot into her mind.