His smile dimmed but didn’t disappear completely, hiding in his eyes that were far more animated than I’d ever seen them before.
“Ahh. That was quite something, wasn’t it?” He ran a hand through his sandy-blond locks that were considerably longer than I remembered too.
Timur had protected me from the worst. I spent most of my time in Ashgate falling in love with him. Taking in Erik’s gaunt frame and dark shadows under his eyes, guilt flared inside me at the thought of what he and the other humans must’ve been through.
“It must’ve been awful,” I exhaled, dropping my gaze.
Erik cleared his throat.
“Well, notthatawful,” he said, then added, meeting my questioning stare. “The first time Mazra tried to manhandle me by dragging me off the auction platform, I punched her in the face, right there in the tent.”
“You did?” I gasped.
“I know, she’s a woman, and I shouldn’t have?—”
“Erik, Mazra was as tall as you and ten times stronger.”
“Still.” He winced. “Not something I would normally do. But for some perverted reason, that punch made me her favorite. She listened when I told her what we liked and how to make us happy. She fed us well and even tried to get our favorite foods from outside of Ashgate. I taught her everything she knew about the art of oral sex,” he said with a crooked grin. “But then… Then she learned about that fucking tea…”
He glanced at me, gauging whether I knew what he was talking about.
I nodded.
“Yeah, so,” he continued. “The tea made us all constantly horny. I never had so many blow jobs in my life. All three of us were jerked off constantly. It’s a miracle our dicks didn’t fall off.” He grimaced, scratching his chest. “But all that tea-induced sex joy wasn’t very good for the fae, either, as it turned out. Mazra started forgetting things. Sometimes, we’d go for a whole night or even longer without food. Nobody bathed anymore or wore any clothes. I believe she even forgot to guard us properly. We could’ve escaped probably even before your general showed up. Except that they kept pumping us with that fucking tea, and sex was all I could think about. Until the good general flew in.” He gestured at Timur with a ceremonial bow that could be considered mocking if it wasn’t for the earnest expression on Erik’s face. “That was when it struck me, ‘What the fuck am I doing here?’”
“I’m so sorry, Erik.” I took his hand, and he squeezed it briefly.
“I’m not,” he said. “I don’t have it in me to regret anything at this point. I even feel kind of sad that Mazra is dead. Personally, I would’ve let her live. I’m not angry at her, even if maybe I should be. I’ve been back in Teneris for a couple of days now, and it all feels so much better this time around. After my fucking divorce back in our old world, I was so miserable at home. Ididn’t even have a real home anymore. Then the fae brought me here, and I stopped giving a fuck about everything. I just didn’t care. But there’s still so much fun to be had, Elaine. We’re so lucky to be born humans. Look at these poor wretches.” He gestured at the lavishly dressed courtiers strolling by. “They would literally pay a fortune, steal, and even kill for a tiny taste of what we can feel freely if only we let ourselves to feel it.” He drew in a full breath of air with an open chest. “It feels so good to be a human, my friend.”
“You look happy,” I said, returning his smile.
It wasn’t a lie. Despite having lost weight and gaining the shadows under his eyes from neglect, Erik looked better than I’d ever seen him. He looked alive.
“It’s because I am happy,” he replied cheerfully. “It just took me two kidnappings to finally appreciate being free.”
Shortly after, we said our goodbyes, and Erik returned to his friends by the fountain.
“Elaine!” A delightful shriek cut the air.
The familiar blonde head appeared over the short hedge by the entrance to the palace.
“Dawn!” I ran to meet my friend, and she threw herself into my arms.
“I can’t believe you’re back,” she murmured, hugging me tightly.
I hugged her back with everything I had. A part of me didn’t believe she’d be here, that Timur had possibly made a mistake. A part of me feared I’d never see her again. Now that she was right here, inside my hug, relief washed over me so strongly, I swayed on my feet.
“I can’t believe you’re in Alveari,” I echoed her words. “You didn’t leave with Melanie?”
“I didn’t.”
“Because of the prince?” I asked.
“Him, yes.” She nodded. “And you. It felt like my heart had broken in pieces, and each of you had a piece of it. Melanie too…” She sighed. “If I could rip myself into pieces to follow each of you, I would. But…well, here we are. You’re here, and Rha, and Ciana too.”
“Ciana? She made it? Where is she?”
“At the temple. With Kurai, our Joy Guardian. We have our own Joy Source now, our temple, and our own Joy Guardian too.” She beamed. “He’s bonded with Ciana. They’re opening the temple for the night but will join us here soon. The queen is coming to Teneris, did you know?”
