Kane stared at me, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I’ve seen you use your ability many times, and it still awes me.”
I flinched as he pressed the cool rag to my forehead. His side bumped against my knees as he cleaned my face, that smoky scent of his too close.
“Don’t fae wield plant magic?” I asked, needing to break the odd tension of Kane standing so nearby.
Dropping the wet cloth, he picked up the jar and dipped his finger into it, scooping out a dollop of green salve. “Yes, but it’s different with you. It’s hard to describe why, but it’s as if nature is an extension of you.”
He rubbed the medicine on my forehead. The woody, resinous salve tingled against my skin. His fingers moved in smooth circles, gentle and purposeful.
“It should feel a little better in a minute,” he said, ignoring my discomfort. “Why were you in the village? It wasn't safe for you to go.”
“I can't sit around all day. What is the point of me being queen if I don’t actually do anything?”
Stepping back, he grabbed another cloth and wiped his hands. “Does this mean you're going to accept the fact you're Queen of the Fae?”
“What else am I to do? You've given me no choice.”
Even as he tended to my wound, it wasn’t out of genuine concern, but duty. How long before I became one of those beautiful caged raptors, waiting for permission to fly?
He screwed the top back on the jar, glaring at me. “This is what you were born to do. Wasn't it?”
I groaned and hopped off the stool. “I'd hope I was born for more than just to marry you and sit around all day.” Toki disappeared into the dirt and suddenly this workplace was very stuffy. “I'd like to return to my chambers.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned and left the workshop, stomping past the raptors and out into the fresh air, away from Kane’s smoky scent and confusing behavior.
The battlement headed straight to another part of the castle, but I wasn’t sure where. Considering I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day lost in a palace full of pointy-toothed creatures, I decided to wait forHis Majestyto follow.
Kane chirped at one of the raptors, feeding it another fish from the barrel.
With a sigh, I leaned against the parapet which reached just below my chest.
Dark storm clouds rolled in, the sky resembling the tumult of emotions running through me.
The longer I stay here, the less of a villain he becomes.
I need to leave.
Before I betray everything I stand for.
Resting against the wall, I stared into those storm clouds, searching for answers, for the All Father to speak words of wisdom to my soul and tell me what to do.
The stone rumbled beneath me.
A crack split within the stone, the sound rumbling through the parapet.
Flinching, I searched for the source until the stone crumbled beneath me.
My arms flailed, and the world tilted on its side.
I had just enough time to scream before hurtling right over the edge, spinning headfirst into the surrounding clouds.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Kane
“Deirdre!”
The stone wall broke apart right under her, sending her plummeting over.
