Adrius burst through the door, as the ice smothered my chest, crushing air from my lungs, my last breaths puffing like clouds. He freed his sword and lashed a fiery bolt in my direction. With a splash the ice block melted into a sizzling puddle. Water flowed away from me like a living thing, releasing an agonizing cry, and then moments later solidified back into ice beneath my feet.
I stepped toward him wet, shivering, and confused. Why was she warning me? And who was he bound to? Everything she said made too much sense and none at all. But it wasn’t as if I had any control over my feelings for him. They just were. As if they’d taken on a life all their own. And with their own free will they refused to be reasoned with, or altered. My love for him was binding. I could no more turn it off on demand than I could turn off the beating of my heart.
Octãhvia tapped her staff on the ground, amusement dancing on her malicious face. “We’re done here,” she said cheerfully.
“Lorelei?” he said, keeping his gaze fixed on her.
“I’m ready,” I said, through chattering teeth, and turned my back on the ice witch. It was not the exit I had imagined when I’d frantically tried to plan his rescue. I’d pictured terror, fighting, and a lot of bloodshed. Letting us go freely didn’t exactly come to mind. And while millions of questions were brewing, I knew it was better to leave now, before she changed her mind.
Zanthiel was waiting for us in the corridor, ready to lead us out. He looked at us impatiently.
“You ready now?” he snapped, directing his question to me.
I nodded, tightening my hold on Adrius’s hand.
Zanthiel noticed. Something flickered in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. He raised his hands and a round invisible doorway opened in the middle of the hall. Like he’d cut a hole in the air linking this place to another.
Adrius looked at him. “Zanthiel,” he said evenly with his usual detached calm.
“Adrius,” he returned.
“Thank you,” he said through slightly clenched teeth. “…For keeping her… alive.”
Zanthiel replied with a nod in my direction. “The gateway to Faery will open at the next daybreak, and remain open for only a short while longer. I suggest you hurry.” His silvery gaze held mine a moment longer, then as usual he dissolved in a frenzy of swirling black smoke and fluttering wings.
We stepped through the shimmering porthole leaving winter behind and emerging in a wooded area bathed in the warmth of summer.
I exhaled and the cloud of my still cold breath hung in the air before fading away. A split second later Tilak emerged, from the brushes, swaggering toward us, followed by two unicorns.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Adrius grinned.
“Tilak! What are you doing here?” I hugged him. “How did you know I needed help?” If it hadn’t been for him somehow alerting the summer fey, I might have been soulless troll food by now.
He rolled his eyes as I released him. “Please. We are talking about you after all, lassie. It wasn’t a stretch to figure you’d gone back for Lord Adrius. And considering you certainly know how to scare up trouble… well, I had to do something, didn’t I?” He grunted then stalked away.
Adrius dropped onto the ground and stretched out. I watched him, catching him staring at me with that hard-to-read expression on his face.
“What?”
“You must have been impossible as a child,” he said, squinting.
“No more than any other kid was,” I countered, with a toddler pout.
“Well, based on the way you ignored me when I told you to leave me behind, I’d say your mother probably had her hands full.”
“If that’s your way of saying thank you, it needs work.”
“So you’re telling me that you… were a typical child.” A flicker of amusement tugged at the corners of his lips.
“That’s right… well, more or less.” I considered his question. “I used to sleepwalk and talk to imaginary beings,” I said, slightly embarrassed. “They would find me on the beach miles from our house in my pj’s and bare foot. I never remembered any of it, but I do remember the voices. I could hear them as clearly as I can hear you now, and they would talk to me and sing to me whenever I was afraid or upset.” I sat down next to him and stared blankly into the sky. “It bothered me my mother was so freaked out by it. Gran was the believer. When I was with her, it was okay to talk about seeing the pain random people were suffering and the bizarre way I could heal them.”
Adrius kept a keen eye on me, while I inspected my finger nails, never entirely comfortable talking about my unusual gift. There was a fine line between being special and being a freak. And I’d always relegated myself to the freak side.
“She always seemed to know things…about me and about other people. So when I told her about the voices and the singing she wasn’t surprised and never once questioned my sanity.” I paused, focusing on nothing in particular. “If she actually knew about any of this… it would explain a lot. Although, I still don’t see how she could. I mean, if she had actually crossed the veil, into the Nevermore… wouldn’t somebody know?”
Adrius shrugged one shoulder and traced lines in the grass. I watched, hypnotized by the rhythmic motion of his hands, wondering what more my mother and grandmother knew but kept from me.
“Sometimes the obvious answer is the hardest one to find, Lorelei.”
I arched my brows. “Are you turning into Hawthrin now?” Tossing a handful of grass at him, I leapt to my feet.
He laughed, rolling deftly out of reach. “I do know this,” he said, when I missed my target. “I’m not the only one whose life you’ve irreversibly altered by being here.” His liquid golden eyes were penetrating.
The insecure voice in me that wanted to ask if that was a good thing fell silent. Stifled by the way he was looking at me.
If anyone was irreversibly altered, it was me… because of him. Silently, I basked in his dreamy eyes. Afraid if I said anything now, my voice would betray how hopelessly addicted to him I was. Eventually, I had to look away; the way you do when you’ve been staring at the sun for too long.
“It’s getting late; shouldn’t Tilak be back by now?” I asked, when looking into his beautiful face without touching it became unbearable. “What could he be doing for so long?”
“Who knows,” Adrius drawled lazily. “I can’t even begin to imagine what goes on in the mind of a dwarf.” He was resting with his head cradled in his hand, propped up on his elbow. “Besides, I feel like being alone with you for a while.” Patting the ground beside him, he flashed his infamous smile. The one I was sure got him everything he wanted and more. Shaking my head, I obliged, sinking back onto the soft ground next to him. It felt good to be near him again, to feel the heat of the sun after days of gloom and ice and cold. I curled up close enough to feel the warmth of his breath, smell his faint blend of campfire and pine.
“It has been a long time since I’ve felt this comfortable with anyone.” His voice resonated with sudden emotion. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this comfortable with anyone,” I said quietly. It was true. There was no comparing how I felt when I was with him, to anything I’d ever experienced before.
“I find that hard to believe.” The corner of his mouth twitched into a half smile. “A high school full of human boys all dying for a chance to be with you. Someone must have caught your eye… your heart.”
We had carefully avoided talking about us, whatever that entailed. It was like an unspoken agreement. But it quickly became the unmentioned elephant in the room, overpowering every moment we were together.
“Ha,” I laughed aloud. “Not really. But I could say the same for you. I’ve seen the way girls look at you. In your world and mine. This place is overflowing with gorgeous girls all eager to be the next Princess of Mythlandria.”
I was careful to keep the envy from my voice, but he saw through it. He always did. No one had ever known me the way he did. Letting people in was not something I did often. Carefully guarding my emotions, I kept a part of myself locked away from the curious and judgmental eyes of the world. But Adrius didn’t wait for an invitation. He saw through the layers, and I shivered as his gaze pried into my soul. I felt open, exposed and completely vulnerable around him… and yet, at the same time, perfectly safe.
“Surely over the course of hundreds of years… there must have been someone… like maybe the someone Octãhvia mentioned…”
He placed a finger gently on my lips, his expression suddenly serious. “Only you,” he said, sweeping his hand along the length of my jaw. “You are the one I’ve been waiting for, Lorelei. I just didn’t know it… Didn’t want to know it.”
He reached out and took my hand and my breath got stuck in my throat. “I know I was the one who said this couldn’t be. But, something happened in Octãhvia’s fortress, when you were gone. I had a vision. You were surrounded, and about to… die. It terrified me. More than anything else, ever has.”
I leaned forward, silently urging him to go on.
“The thought of losing you made it clear how much you mean to me.” There was a pause and he shifted slightly.
My stomach twisted in anticipation.
“How much — I love you,” he said softly.
I gasped as he kissed the back of my hand, stealing my breath away. Before I could say anything, a swarm of sparkling yellow butterflies surrounded us, floating silently in mid air before disappearing into the horizon, as if on cue. There was a tingling sensation that left my hand feeling mildly numb. Nothing like the electric sensation of our last kiss, that had spun me off my feet, and left him in inexplicable pain. I wasn’t one to believe in signs, but this had to be a good omen. Eyes lit with emotion stared into mine and I bit my lower lip. I’d never seen him so exposed, so open. The depth of feeling radiating from him was as overwhelming as it was longed for.
“I can fight a lot of things, Lorelei, but not this…” He stopped and took a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair.
Something fluttered deep inside me.
“When I said, the things I said… I know I hurt you, but at the time it was the only way of not hurting you anymore.” Remorse lined his beautiful face. “I’m sorry.”
It came out in almost a whisper that made my chest ache for him, and I closed my eyes to keep from losing my mind.
“I can’t bear the thought of hurting you. And I can’t bear the thought of not being with you,” he said quietly. “But I don’t want to fight it anymore.” A passing cloud held his attention for what seemed like an eternity. When he looked back at me, his brows were drawn tight, and his eyes strained. “I know I have no right to expect… or to hope you might feel…” his voice trailed off.
“I love you too,” I blurted, when I could finally breathe again. Every part of me trembled. With a smile he exhaled a small sigh and the tension that had hung like an impenetrable wall between us since that day by the lake, dissolved.
He locked his fingers with mine, staring intently at our melded hands, then shook his head, perplexed. “I’ll never understand why,” his quiet reply came, as I leaned against his chest listening to the rhythmic thumping of his heart. His finger lifted my chin, tilting my face up to his. With an agonizing delay, his mouth lowered, and his lips brushed against mine. Softly at first, with a faint tingling, and then with heated electric fervency as I melted into him, weaving my fingers in his hair. Warm hands framed my face then slid down my neck, over my shoulders to the small of my back. An involuntary shiver trembled through me, and he pulled away, placing one last tiny kiss on my forehead. I wanted to protest but I was still buzzing with overflowing emotions. There was so much I wanted to say, but mere words were insufficient. They weren’t strong enough to convey what was in my heart.
I don’t know how long we stayed that way, locked in each other’s arms in the grass with my head resting on his chest. But when I finally got up, the sun was setting.
Wisps of lavender drifted across the sky, soothing the brilliant orange sunset. The blue moon had already made its appearance, looking close enough to touch from the nearest treetop.
I wandered to the edge of our grassy area, toward the fringe of densely packed trees.
“You are not going to wander off are you? Who knows what catastrophe you might stumble upon.” Adrius laughed dryly.
“You’re funny,” I said with a dismissive wave. Completely ignoring him, I moved deeper into the woods, until the trail behind me had all but vanished… drawn in by some unseen pull. Gnarled, thorny bushes blocked the path, preventing me from venturing any further. At night the forests in the Nevermore came alive, growing menacing and dangerous after twilight. All manner of vicious creatures woke up that would just as soon torture you as eat you. It was a deadly place and I again was grateful not to be alone. In the distance a bird hollered,but not a usual cry. I can’t say for sure how I knew this, but it was a warning.
Cold chills sped down my spine as I rushed back.
“Adrius, it’s Tilak. Something’s happened!” I could feel it. A vision came into my mind… a torn piece of his shirt hanging from a jagged branch. But more than that, it was the foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach that ignited my panic.
He leapt to his feet, gathering his weapons at light speed. Mounting our unicorns we took off in search of the dwarf. “Hurry, this way.” We rode through the dense brush, branches jabbing and slashing at our faces. By instinct alone I followed his trail, Adrius close on my heels. When we stopped at the mouth of a tunnel my unicorn gave a loud whinny, rearing suddenly on hind legs, his forelegs kicking the air. I lost my balance and tumbled to the ground, landing flat on my back in a shrub with a groan.
Adrius dismounted and placed his hand on the skittish unicorn’s head. He whispered something I couldn’t understand in Elvish, and the animal immediately settled.
“You okay?” he asked, offering his hand — his expression two-parts concern, one part amusement.
“I’m fine,” I snapped, getting up without the aid of his outstretched hand. “It’s not like that’s the first time I’ve been thrown by a unicorn. I’m used to it,” I muttered, dusting my clothes.
Everything had gone eerily still and quiet as though frozen in fear. A sharp wind tugged my hair. My head whipped around toward the tunnel, responding to a silent voice calling my name.
“Lorelei, wait!” I heard Adrius shout. But it was too late. I was already inside, engulfed by the blinding darkness. I heard him sigh, followed by the rasping of metal as he followed.
The moment we entered, I knew it was a mistake. We were in a dark, dank cave filled with tepid knee-high water that reeked of spoiled meat and rust. But it wasn’t only the environment that had creepy chills crawling across my skin. Something evil was lurking here, I could sense it… a shadow, waiting for us. But what choice did we have, it was go in or go back. And there was no going back. Who or whatever was in there had Tilak. And I couldn’t let him die. Not after he’d risked so much to help us.
Adrius stepped forward, into the belly of the cave, and with a deep breath I followed, dreading what lie ahead. We had only been walking a short while before we heard the sound of splashing behind us. There was something coming and as it slammed against the walls rattling the stone, I knew it was something big. Everything in the Nevermore was big.
In the middle of the sweltering cave, Adrius stopped. I wasn’t sure why, but it was obvious a second later as a massive creature sprang from the water in front of us. I screamed, with no attempt to stop myself. It was a beast too terrifying for description. Like a monstrous squid with teeth, bearing down on us. Up until now, monsters had only existed in nightmares and horror movies. Here they were real. They were flesh and blood and deadly real.
A wave of foul water splashed in my eyes, temporarily blinding me with the acidic liquid. When I could finally see, what I saw made my blood run cold. One tentacle curled around Adrius, locking him in its grip.
“Lorelei, run!” he shouted as the creature thrashed him against the wall of the cave.
Common sense told me to listen, to get out as fast as I could. But then what? Leave him there alone with this blood-thirsty monster? How long could I keep running away? At some point I had to stand and fight. If the life of someone I loved wasn’t worth dying for then what was? A strange determination pulsed through me.
“Go, Lorelei!”
“No!” I shouted into the darkness, surprised by the strength in my voice. I searched wildly, for something, anything that might be of use. Then almost as if someone had whispered it in my ear, I remembered the bottle of liquid pain in my pack that Hawthrin had given to Adrius. I uncorked the tiny vile of lime green liquid, wading cautiously toward the beast.
“Hey,” I called out, my voice shouting back at me in an echo.
The creature changed direction, and splashed toward me, its wide open mouth filled with cracked, dagger-like teeth. Ducking the whipping tentacles, I waded as close as I could without getting caught in its suction-like grip.
Adrius watched from high above, he had almost managed to free his sword.
I needed the creature to be still with my terrible aim. If I missed, Adrius and I would both be dead.
Adrius yanked his sword free and sliced through the tentacle arm with the glowing blade. The creature let out a shriek, and sunk closer to the ground. It lashed out, pinning Adrius against the wall with one thorn-tipped tentacle and knocking his sword away with another. I heard him groan as the thorn pierced his side, nailing him in place.
I cried out in pain, feeling everything he felt. Withdrawing my sword, I waded toward the beast as purple smoke curled around my arm. I slashed at the tentacle holding Adrius in place. The blade sliced clean through before another tentacle flew at me. The impact sent my sword flying into the dark waters. Jarred, I stumbled backward but managed to regain my footing. It came toward me with its mouth gaping wide, slimy strings of mucus dripped from massive canines, sizzling as they hit the water. For a cold, heart-stopping second, I worried what would happen if I missed. Taking the bottle, I aimed for the creature’s mouth, hurling it with all my strength through the air. It hit its mark, and the giant squid let out an agonizing wail, releasing its hold on Adrius. I trudged through the rising water and pulled him up.
“Thanks…”He exhaled, shaking the water from his hair. “…but you have to stop risking your life for me.”
“Not a chance,” I said, wrapping his arm around my neck to support some of his weight. Even though it was dark, I could tell he was still bleeding. Fortunately, the putrid, coppery scent blended with other more offensive odors, making it impossible for me to feel queasier than I all ready did.
“It’s your life that matters, Lorelei. You have to keep yourself alive, and not only for me.” His tone was grave. “And if that means I give my life for you, then so be it.”
“I get how important this is, but if you still expect me to let you die…” I was panting too heavily to finish. Wading through water and holding him up was next to impossible.
“I can walk,” he insisted, but I heard him groan when he unhooked his arm from my neck.
He grabbed my hand before I could argue.
“Come on, we don’t have much time before the potion wears off,” he said.
From the darkness came a soft moan. As we moved closer, a head bobbed above the surface of the water.
“Tilak!”
Adrius grabbed him and we moved steadily in the opposite direction. Here, the water reached knee level on Adrius, and even higher on me. Any deeper and we might not make it out, since none of us were in any shape to swim.
“It’s not much farther,” Adrius called.
No sooner had he uttered those words than I heard a splash. And then another. The creature had regained its strength and came after us again, sending waves of dark water crashing over us. We waded hand in hand, Adrius with Tilak slung over his shoulder, through the darkness of the cave, aware of nothing but the urgent need to survive.
As we rounded a bend, a massive flailing tentacle struck us, sending us reeling into the water.
Tilak sprang to his feet, diving out of the way as a tentacle swatted at him.
I felt the sting as I slammed into the stone wall, my head knocking against the rock. Something held me in place. And a deep burning sensation spread through my side.
Adrius broke swiftly through the surface and swam to me and for a slight moment there was a flicker of panic in his eyes.
“Hold still, this is going to hurt,” he said, and before I could respond he yanked the thorn pinning me to the wall and caught me as I fell. I cried out, but my voice was muffled beneath the sound of thrashing water.
“Go Tilak, I’ve got her,” he ordered. Grabbing me around the waist, he lifted me into his arms. My head was throbbing, I felt nauseous and confused. Water seeped into my nose, obscuring the stench of blood and decay, burning my sinuses.
The Kraken followed close behind as we raced through the water filled tunnel.
A deep sounding voice began to hurl insults and threats. Was the creature talking…? When I forced my eyes opened, it wasn’t the monster, but something equally as frightening, skittering across the ceiling of the cave — a Redcap? Make that three Redcaps. As if one deadly creature trying to kill us wasn’t enough.
Up ahead, a glimmer of daylight meant we were approaching the mouth of the cave, and as we got closer, the stagnant water receded, pulled in a reverse tide back into the cave. We heard splashes close behind us.
“Give up, elf. You cannot win. I will have the half breed,” it hissed. “I will feed her soul to the Ice Witch and cast her remains to the trolls. And you will wish for death before it is through.”
Adrius gave a bitter laugh. “Like that’s something I’ve never wished for,” he muttered under his breath.
At the mouth of the cave he placed me gently on my feet and freed his sword. Closing his eyes, he uttered a string of Elvish phrases that I couldn’t understand. With a great heave he struck the sword into the wall of the cave. The ground began to quake, and I stumbled backward. Instantly the side of the mountain came crashing down in a cloud of rubble and dust, sealing the mouth of the cave, and the wailing cries, within it.
I collapsed on the ground, waiting for the familiar aftershock to leave me shaky and breathless, but instead exhilaration heightened and intensified my senses making me feel hyper-alive. Even the bed of pine needles beneath me was strangely soft, their fragrance intoxicating.
Adrius sheathed his sword and ran to my side.
“Where’s Tilak?” I gasped, looking around.
“He escaped. He’s fine. Still hiding somewhere no doubt,” he said, casting a quick glance around. He gently caressed my forehead, his hands trailing down my neck. I felt an electric shiver. A worried frown creased his face as he examined my wounds. He tore off a piece of his shirt, to gently blot the small gash on my head, but then his hand froze when his gaze dropped to the puncture wound on my side. An anguished frown shadowed his face.
I reached up and touched his cheek, wanting to soothe away his torment. “I’ll be fine,” I said between staggered breaths. The healing had already begun. “You on the other hand… ” I pushed myself up and looked at him.
“Take off your shirt.”
He stared at me blankly.
“I have to be able to touch the wound if I’m going to heal it,” I said, sounding rather doctor-like.
He gave me a strange look, but obediently removed his shirt.
I stifled a gasp. He really was beautiful. Easing onto my knees, I leaned over him, letting my fingertips trail down the length of his chest to the gaping slash torn open by the Kraken.
“Hold still,” I instructed, taking a deep breath that made my own injuries ache.
His skin felt warm beneath my touch and I had to fight to keep my concentration. I let the familiar energy expand inside me, traveling from my heart, up and out through my hands. His body tingled. It was as if I could actually feel the cells regenerating. That was something new. A minute later, I opened my eyes and his wound had healed. The area was still red and bruised, but the nasty gash had closed. “There,” I said, not wanting to pull my hands away.
He searched my face, with amazement and wonder. When he didn’t say anything, I was a little concerned.
“Does it feel better?” My voice came out in a whisper.
He didn’t speak, but he leaned toward me and paused agonizingly out of reach. I slanted in the rest of the way, closing the distance until our lips met. The electric jolt was barely noticeable under the pulsing rush of adrenaline. His kiss began with a delicate brush but the pressure and intensity quickly amplified. The firmness of his muscles and chest contrasted the soft fullness of his mouth moving against mine.
I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck and laced my fingers in the damp waves of his hair, pulling him closer. A deep moan escaped from his lips, as he leaned back into the grass drawing me down on top of him. I lifted my head to gaze at him.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” I whispered, tracing the lines of his face with my fingertip.
“I know how lucky I am,” he replied softly, pressing my fingers to his lips and kissing each one in turn. He placed both of his hands gently on my face. “Although I never dreamed I’d be this lucky.”
There was a trace of doubt in his eyes, before he slowly pulled my mouth to his. His hands perused the curve of my spine, and I whimpered. Then he rolled over with me in is his embrace and I felt the damp coolness of the grass against my back.
“Lorelei.” His voice was throaty and ragged. “Do you think this is a good idea?”
“I love you, Adrius. You’re the only one… you’ll always be the only one.” I tried to kiss him again, but he held back.
A flicker of seriousness came to his eyes. “I love you too,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “More than you can ever imagine. But we can’t do this. There’s still…”
“…Still what?” I buried my hands in his hair. All I wanted was him… And then more of him. Arching upwards, I placed a trail of tiny kisses along his throat, working my way along the square of his jaw before finding his lips once more. He moaned in defeat, sliding his hand down the length of my thigh, pausing under my knee. He cupped my leg, wrapping it around his hip. I gasped, feeling a shiver. For a moment it seemed like he might be reconsidering.
“What,” he murmured between kisses, “is the sudden rush?” His lips moved against the hollow of my throat. “Would you tell me?”
It was almost impossible to concentrate as he continued to pepper me with tiny delicious kisses.
“Waiting just seems so… unnecessary.— Considering.”
“Considering?” He stopped, pulling back a little and I almost cried out in protest.
Considering we had almost died nearly a dozen times so far. Considering I already belonged to him, heart and soul. Considering the chances we would survive this were extremely slim. I kissed him again, this time with an urgency that couldn’t be ignored.
“Mmm.” He sighed. It sounded like I was making progress.
“…Ready to reconsider?” I whispered.
Suddenly, he pushed himself away, rolling onto his back next to me. Breathing hard, he stared at the sky.
“Why must I be the only one with any control? I’m not made of steel. Even I could lose it.” His tone was serious and he seemed to be battling an inner war.
“This… it would be a bad idea, Lorelei.”
I shrank back, feeling self-conscious.
“I’m sure about my feelings for you, Lorelei. But I’ve had several of your lifetimes to figure out what I want. I know human girls… can be fickle.”
I shot him a look and he quickly added, “I want you to be sure.”
“This… the way I feel about you, Adrius… I’ve never been more sure of anything. Ever,” I murmured.
His dark gaze scanned my face. “I have to do the right thing. You have no idea how much it kills me to say that, but too many things — your life included — are at risk.”
He feathered his fingertips along my cheek and my eye lids fluttered closed.
“I want you,” he said, his voice low and anguished. Then pulled his hand away and sighed. “But you’re not thinking clearly, so I’ll have to think clearly for both of us. Especially since you seem to be riding some sort of post-traumatic rush.”
He leaned back, folding his arms behind his head and stared up into the waning sunlight.
I rolled onto my side to face him. Propped up on my elbow, I rested my head in my hand and waited for my erratic heartbeat to return to normal.
“I do feel… different,” I admitted, considering the possibility that this was part of an adrenaline wave. It might have been unusual behavior for me, but it didn’t change how I felt. “I can wait as long as you want,” I said. With my hand on his chin, I turned his face toward me, forcing him to meet my gaze. “But my feelings for you are never going to change.”
“And I will hold you to that.” He smiled and his eyes lit up.
It was all I could do not to pull him back into my arms again. But for reasons I didn’t fully understand, he was obviously torn and I didn’t want to make things more difficult for either of us.
He caressed my forehead. The small gash had all but healed. Perplexed by my ability to heal so rapidly, he ran his thumb along the remnants of a scar.
“I’ll try to be good,” I promised, sitting upright. “But I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed.
“Then you will be you.” He laughed then leaned in and brushed his lips against mine me once more. My breath hitched.
“Humans… so weak,” he mumbled, stroking my cheek quickly before rising to his feet. Extending his hand, I took hold and let him pull me to his side.
“Half human,” I corrected, with a light scowl. “And I can have just as much self-control as you do.” I leaned in and kissed him quickly then pulled away, pretending to be unaffected, as though my body wasn’t tingling from head to toe.
His face changed, and he gazed at me. “I think,” he said, and I could hear the strained control in his voice. “That we had better be careful when we do that. Sometimes a brush with near death does strange things to the mind.”
“Okay. I don’t want to talk about me anymore. Let’s talk about you for a change.”
“Why? You think you’ve got me all figured out.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “I don’t know everything about you.”
“You aren’t ready to know everything about me.” There was nothing playful about the way he said it. In fact, his expression had become serious.
I drew my knees to my chest and took the plunge. “Adrius, tell me about the girl Octãhvia mentioned. Is she the one you’re bound to? What was it Octãhvia took from you? My pulse was already racing so the nerves I felt waiting for his reply weren’t as noticeable.
"There is a lot you need to know, Lorelei, but I think we should wait.” I can tell you that once things with Octãhvia have been resolved, we can be together. And…” he paused.
“And?” I prompted.
His olive gaze narrowed. “And… if you’re absolutely sure you want this, then we need to do things the right way,” he said, looking me squarely in the eyes.
The right way… what does that mean? The question was on the tip of my tongue when Tilak reappeared, still grumbling under his breath and wringing out his handkerchief.
“Leave it to a shadow fey to open a porthole ages from where we need to be, and a hair’s breadth from a Kraken’s cave.”
“Just be grateful he left us an opening, Tilak,” I scolded, feeling a rush of relief surpass my annoyance at his less than perfect timing. “We were lucky he came along when he did.” The second the words were out of my mouth, I regretted it.
Adrius pressed his lips tight and his eyes became suddenly fierce.
“Lorelei, you think that Faerie is your friend… because he saved you? He isn’t. He’s a demon.”
I cringed at the unusual callousness in his voice.
“You don’t know anything about the shadow fey.”
I frowned. “I thought Zanthiel was a winter fey, from the Unseelie Court.”
“He was, until his mother forced him away. The shadow fey are a darker, more malcontent faction of the Unseelie. They form their own armies, allegedly to support all fey in times of war, but for the most part they end up serving only themselves. There is nothing of good in the shadow. Promise me you’ll stay as far from him as possible.” Anger simmered in his words.
I wanted to tell Adrius about my dreams. About Zanthiel visiting me night after night for so many years… about how he gave me my special gifts and assured me my father was still alive. But how could I, knowing how he felt about him? He lifted one eyebrow, staring at me, as though waiting for me to agree.
I couldn’t… a fact that didn’t go unnoticed. I saw the flicker of pain cross his eyes, hinting at things he sensed in me, but didn’t fully understand. Things I didn’t fully understand.
“If you trust him, you will end up dead … and if you cross him, you’ll be enslaved in the underworld of the shadow court. Either way, it won’t end well for you,” he said through a clenched jaw, his arms locked across his chest.
“Sounds scary,” I said quietly, trying to make light of things. I smiled but he didn’t return it.
“You have no idea how scary.”