“I am queen,” she whispered. “And I will do as I see fit.”
“I accept your terms,” she said.
The Lich King swirled a finger and a black oval appeared in the air. He pulled a dagger with a jeweled hilt out of the dimensional pocket. The red crystals were brighter than any rubies I’d seen. Using his teleportation abilities, he floated the dagger over to the queen. “This will negate his magic. He cannot transform once you stab him with it.”
Out of the same magical hole that stood in the air, the Lich King pulled out a green stone. “This is a phylactery gem. Once you bind your son to it, keep it.”
Moira held her hand out as the stone floated through the air and landed on her palm.
“Now come forward and I will tell you the words.”
Moira walked to the throne. The Lich King leaned over and whispered in her ear, his glowing eyes watching me. When he was finished, he leaned back, and Moira stepped down.
“Are you able to fix the locator rune on this?” She held out the transporter rod. “It seems to be locked to the tower alone and we need to return to the mountains.”
He took the rod, held it to his lips. After saying a few words, he handed it back. “You may use it as you see fit.”
“Good.” She opened a portal and stepped through back on to the mountain range we first left from.
Watching the Lich King, I walked backward into the portal, releasing my magic as the portal winked out on the Lich King’s laughter.
“What were you thinking?” I said, swirling around at her. Her back faced me, and she held the stone in one hand, the dagger in the other. “How could you do this? Removing the Lich King’s exile? I know you’re afraid and upset, but you’ve gone too far. You’ve put the entire fae and every other race at risk!”
Slipping the items into the pockets of her cloak, she slowly turned to me, tears streaming down her face. “You told me you would be with me, no matter what. You swore to stay by my side until the bitter end.”
Seeing the pain on her face, I dropped to one knee, bowing my head in reverence. “You have my loyalty. That is not a question.” I glanced up at her as she fought back the sobs. “What we’re doing, we cannot take it back, but if this is the road you wish to travel, I am with you.”
She lowered herself to the grass. “You don’t have to do anymore. It’s okay. I can do the rest on my own.”
I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to hers. “If you think I’m going to let you do this alone, you don’t know me at all.”
“I know you,” she whispered. She reached up, touching my cheek and then kissed me.
I froze, not wanting to believe it, wanting to refuse the way she felt on my lips. The right thing to do would be to deny her, to stop this from happening, but if I was about to commit treason, then I would go all the way.
Chapter Fifteen
Moira
When Tallis didn’t moveor kiss me back, I wondered if I had made a mistake. I pulled away, but the moment my lips left his, he grabbed my neck and forced me back.
He opened my mouth, tasting me with the force of the wind. My heart hammered as every emotion for him changed and shifted into something deeper. A connection more powerful than any spoken word. He deepened the kiss, running his hands down my neck, across my face, his tongue caressing mine. At the same time, I wanted him everywhere. I pulled him closer, wanting to feel his chest against mine. I wanted his heartbeat to pound against my own until they were both in sync. If I had questioned his feelings before, I could feel them now.
I fell back on the grass. Tallis settling on top of me, kissing me deeply, my mind ready to forget everything and spend one beautiful night under the stars.
I was unsure of what to do.
This wasTallis.
And yet he tasted of everything I ever needed.
When his hands didn’t venture anywhere, I grabbed one and brought it to my hip. A sign I wanted him as much as he wanted me. He pulled back, panting, staring into my eyes, asking me a question I had already answered yes to.
Slowly, he slid his hand down my leg until he gripped the edge of the dress and pulled it up. His fingers traveled across my bare thigh, sending an array of tingles that lighted my body. I held his gaze, urging him to go forward, to take me away to somewhere else. Our breaths united, his mouth hovering over mine as he ventured around my body, desire rippling through me as each gentle touch elicited a wave of pleasure.
Our entire lives we had been connected, through the bonds of friendship, through the turmoil of being a young fae at court, and through the simple joy we found being in each other’s company.
Now, I wanted to bond with him in a different way, one that would change our lives forever. As we kissed, my magic tingled. His mouth left mine and he gazed in my eyes, our breaths washing over each other. Something changed in the atmosphere, a charge of power and then his magic melted into mine.
