“No. I worry that if you touch me, I won’t be able to keep in control. I won’t be able to keep you free of another tether to me. Earlier was enough. You need your sleep. Rest, dove, for tomorrow everything will change. There will be no more obstacles in our way. Tomorrow, we go into the viper’s nest.”
25
It was dawn when they awoke again, entwined together, wrapped in each other’s arms. Light flared against the drawn shades in pulses of color.
Tarian sat up quickly, startling her. He untwisted his legs from around hers and swung them over the edge of the bed. In a moment he was striding, nude and glorious, to the window. He pulled up the shades and looked out, turning his head to the right and flexing his whole body.
“It looks like the Celestials are taking care of the darkrend problem,” he murmured into the din.
She pulled back the sheets and met him there. He turned, leaning his shoulder against the wall at the side of the window. With his other hand, he drew her in so she could see, her back against his front, his palm spread against the bare flesh of her belly.
Just across the clearing, in the sparse trees of the area, the darkrend struck at the sky with its huge claws. Even without sound she could recognize its roar trying to freeze its prey. Or, in this case, his attackers.
Against the lightening and changing colors of the sky, pink tinging the pale blue, beautiful, winged shapes dove and spun around the great beast. Explosions of light hit off its great head or hulking shoulders, knocking it back or forcing it to hunch down. They spiraled toward it in pairs or groups, slicing into it with their weapons and their magic.
She stood there, transfixed. Riveted. The beauty of their movements, of their wings, absolutely entranced her. They were efficient in their viciousness and deadly in their strikes.
The creature raged at them, slashing the air. The Celestials dove to avoid its claws, never ceasing their strikes. Full dawn blazed by the time the beast went down, the twisted tormentor no match for the protectors of the wylds.
The silence felt heavy in the wake. Like the sound had deadened not just outside the room, but within as well.
She turned back to find Tarian staring, his eyes hard but hollow. He looked frustrated but also…forlorn. She studied him harder, wondering about those conflicting emotions.
He glanced down at her, and his expression cleared. “That’s the darkrend taken care of. We’re freeto—” His gaze shot back to the window. His whole body tensed, and he moved quickly, running his hand through the air. The sound from outside rushed back in, wind shaking the leaves, wings beating against the sky. He’d taken down the ward.
Confused, she looked back out and started. Three Celestials were coming their way, their long, straight hair blowing back from their faces, skin so smooth it looked like she was viewing them through a soft focus lens. Their clothes were elegant and refined, declaring sensibility and nobility even though two of the three were heavily splattered in a strange, greenish goo. The creature’s blood, maybe, or a defense she’d never seen.
“Get away from the window!” Tarian barked, and magic shoved her back.
She reached out to brace her hand on the wall.
He’d stepped into his pants and now donned the tunic he’d worn last night.
“Come here. Quickly.” He beckoned to her, and she complied. “Here.” He draped her garment over her head and helped her into it before bending with her and directing her under the bed. “Hide.Quickly. Do not show yourself, no matter what. I’ll cover you with magic to hide the stamp of the crystal chalice.”
“I thought once we were beyond the Faegate, we were safe here.”
“Iam safe here, as a fae. You are a human who doesn’t belong and who slashed a few wings andpunctured a few Celestial bodies. They won’t be as inclined to give you impunity.”
She slid under, grabbing her panties as she did so. He moved toward the door, though she was only able to see his boots and then his ankles. No sooner had he reached it, a knock came.
The door swung open, allowing in a blast of chilly morning air fresh with the scent of blooming flowers and crisp green flora.
“What is it?” Tarian asked in a cold voice laced with authority.
“Pardon me, your—” The female voice cut off, the tone going from apologetic to utterly confused. Her voice then hardened to commanding. “What is the nature of this outpost?”
“It is a lawfully established way station belonging to the Obsidian Court, brokered by me, Tarianthiel Drystan Windryker, stationed prince of the Obsidian Throne, bearer of the five seals and carrier of royal, unseelie magic. If you had been doing your duty and scouting the land as you ought, you would’ve known of this place ages ago. But at least you finally brought down the darkrend, hmm? One only needed patience, it seems. That creature had obviously been twisted for some time. Out of balance. It destroyed one of my buildings. I’ll be seeking compensation from your Dusk Sentinel. Now, don’t trouble me again. I have important matters to see to.”
Daisy’s world bled of color as silence met Tarian’s response. One of the Celestials offered a crisp retort, but Daisy’s ears had started ringing. A prince? She’d been captured by a fuckingprince? No wonder his power level and magical ability were off the charts. No wonder he had the mindgazer magic. He was at the top of the kingdom’s hierarchy.
Her status as a toy, as a pawn in his political games, took on a more dangerous edge. He wasn’t just a player. He could rig the game.
“A prince, yes,” Tarian said softly, crouched next to the bed. He flattened to the floor so he could look in at her. The door had been shut, the Celestials apparently appeased and on their way. She hadn’t noticed. “A lofty title for someone who is little more than a thief for that court.”
“So am I, but I don’t have a crown to affix when I go to work.”
He didn’t crack a grin. So serious. So somber. “You should.”
