Chapter One
Brightsunlightburnedthroughthe trees. The illusion of glitter hung in the air. The scent of fresh grass and flowers was all around. Lysander had always loved Faerie. This plane was the only real home he had ever known or cared to know. Plenty of his brethren had left over the years to make their way in the human world. Not Lysander. He enjoyed the occasional visit, and he understood what lured his kin. The way humans put their whole heart and soul into sex was irresistible to most fairies. It never took long for his kind to get addicted to that much energy being poured into them. While sex wasn’t exactly their food, they still needed it to thrive and survive. He had heard tales of how love heightened the experience, making fairies glow like the sun. Lysander would never know.
He rolled onto his side in his magical hammock and skimmed his fingers through the creek below. Lysander wasn’t being dramatic. He didn’t feel all “woe is me” or anything like that. Lysander literally stood no chance of finding love. He alreadyhad an unclaimed mate. Fate had a cruel streak, it seemed. Lysander could never have his other half. The sound of trickling water didn’t soothe him the way it usually did. Nothing did.
Lysander closed his eyes and pictured Stone—the sexy vampire life had chosen for him. His twinkling blue eyes and strawberry blond hair were such a gorgeous combination. Lysander’s chest hurt. It had only been a week since Lysander had followed Stone through the woods. The memory would forever be seared into his mind.
No grass rustled. No twigs popped. Lysander’s steps caused zero noise. Lysander was in the earthly realm, but then again, he wasn’t. Faerie existed all around him. The two planes were one, but they weren’t. Only certain creatures and those who ate food prepared by a fairy could see the seamless union. Stone had given up on food centuries ago, and Lysander hadn’t allowed Stone to drink from him. Lysander easily stalked him through the woods without being seen.
While Lysander had no idea where Stone headed, he kept pace. He needed to know what Stone had done to him. Lysander was like any other fairy. His life revolved around sex. Just as a vampire needed blood to survive, Lysander required the lust-filled energy to thrive. Sex was rarely personal with his species. Unless they found their true mate, fairies were unabashed flirts and sexual creatures. Since Lysander had allowed Stone to seduce him, something changed inside him. His thoughts were mired in jealous rage. Stone was very similar to fairy folk. He didn’t hide his base needs behind a veneer of fake relationship goals. He fucked like sex was his fuel, and Lysander hadn’t been right since. Lysander didn’t feel this driving need to ownsomeone the way he did with Stone. He was furious and determined. Stone would lift this spell, or Lysander would see him dead to escape this hell.
Stone stepped around a large tree and disappeared.
Lysander froze and searched his senses. It was daytime. Vampires couldn’t vanish in the daylight. It was further proof of Lysander’s theory. Stone wasn’t—
In a breathtaking jerk, Lysander was snatched from behind and found the bark of a tree digging into his back. With an outraged vampire boxing him against the tree, he could get away a dozen ways, but his body wouldn’t obey.
“Why are you following me?” His fangs peeked out with each word, and Lysander was burning alive.
He licked his lips in his nervousness. His gaze wouldn’t move from those damn fangs.
The need to feed had him in a chokehold. “You think too much of yourself. We’re simply headed in the same direction.”
A deadly-sounding chuckle left Stone’s lips and tickled the base of Lysander’s spine. “Is that so? Tell me, what place has you going my way?”
Dear King, Lysander’s body begged to be touched. His throat no longer worked. He couldn’t answer. Pure lust stoleeverything from him. As he stared into Stone’s eyes, he realized the truth. Stone truly had ruined him for all others, and now he knew why. He stared into the face of his mate. Thankfully, or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at things, Stone didn’t seem to realize the truth yet. That didn’t stop Stone from leaning his weight into Lysander. His lips skimmed Lysander’s. It was over as quickly as the kiss had started.
Stone shoved away from him and pushed Lysander in the opposite direction. “Get the fuck out of here. I don’t want to look at your face anymore.”
The words stung more than Lysander ever imagined. He had always thought his mate would at the very least find him attractive. While licking his wounds, Lysander used his magic to completely vanish.
Lysander still had a hot coal in his gut each time he thought about things. Not that it mattered how Stone felt about Lysander. They could never be true, fully claimed mates. He had been right about more than his inability to steer clear of Stone. That would be true of any mates. Unfortunately, he had also been right about vampires being unable to disappear in the daytime. Vampires couldn’t do that. But a dark Fae could, and that was exactly what possessed Stone. Lysander had seen the beast in Stone’s eyes. That wasn’t something Stone could ever be freed from. He was as lost to Lysander as he would be if he had died. In fact, that was an apt description. Stone was dead. His body just didn’t know it yet.
The room spun. A heavy copper taste coated the inside of his mouth. He couldn’t recall what he had done last night. His guess was there was a lot of blood and sex involved. Stone’s entire body stank. He stumbled his way to the bathroom. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed his thoughts. Dried blood coated his chin, and the distinct scent of pussy lingered on his fingers. Goddess, he was sick of himself. He had no clue why he couldn’t recall a thing.
Stone stood under a deluge of hot water and zoned out. It took him a moment to come back to himself and scrub his body clean. It was a damn good thing vampires couldn’t catch or spread diseases. This shit was out of control. An image of Lysander rose in his mind. Stone had him backed against a tree. Their lips met. A shaky-sounding breath was the only sound he could make. His entire body cramped with need. Stone had shoved away fromhim and told him he never wanted to see Lysander’s face again. Why had he done that? Why did he barely remember seeing him at all? He already felt the memory slipping away from him. It was time to find Frost.
The town’s healer Stone had been sent to protect had disappeared a while back. It was Stone’s job to protect him. He had no idea why he hadn’t searched for Frost. When he thought about the past few months, there were only scattered memories littered throughout nothingness. That shit drove him insane, and scared the hell out of him, if he were being honest. Stone never disrespected his post. He was proud to be among Celeste’s most trusted warriors. Something had to be seriously wrong with him. He had no excuse for not protecting Frost or searching the planet from top to bottom, leaving no stone unturned. Damn. Maybe he was dying. It was a damn good thing Frost had turned back up all on his own, like he had merely been on vacation. It didn’t look as if he could depend on Stone.
Lysander’s expression danced across Stone’s brain. He had looked so hurt when Stone pushed him away. Stone rubbed his chest. Why had he done that? That was all he could think. The question haunted him. While Stone was definitely a fighter, he was very much a lover too. He didn’t hurt his conquests. Not only that, but he also genuinely liked Lysander. They were supposed to be friends. It seemed as if Stone had failed everyone around him lately. He didn’t even know where to start to fix things.
An image of Lysander floating above a beautiful creek flashed through Stone’s mind. The scene felt so real. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the shower wall. Stone focusedeverything he possessed on reclaiming the moment. Blinding, glittery light fell around him. He saw Lysander as clearly as he would if Lysander were actually there. Lysander was in full fairy form. His flawless body glimmered. Lysander's translucent wings drooped. Sadness washed over him. As he looked on, a tear fell from Lysander’s eye and landed in the water. Lysander swatted the water as if trying to wipe away his reflection. Stone could barely breathe through the heavy emotions. Suddenly, Lysander rolled and their gazes met. The truth hit like a punch to his gut.
“Now, now. We don’t wallow.” The scene bled to black, suffocating him for a reason he couldn’t see. Stone couldn’t control his body. Everything became a blur. He didn’t know who he was any longer, but he wasn’t himself anymore.
Chapter Two
Lysanderstaredattheempty space just feet from him. He hadn’t imagined things. Stone had been there—half in Faerie and half out. It had been him, though. The real him with no darkness. That one had Lysander totally lost in his mind. Their eyes had met. The longing Lysander saw reflected back at him was crippling. Lysander hadn’t fed in weeks. Only the magic waters of Faerie sustained him. His energy was gone. A huge part of him wanted to rush to Frost. It was possible Wulfe’s town healer knew some way to free Stone. Then again, maybe it was none of his business. Stone didn’t want to see his face. So why had he been here? Lysander rolled back onto his side and curled into a ball. Knowing Stone, he had only been in his realm to fuck a different fairy. After all, he had been nude. Lysander shivered. It was always the perfect temperature where he lived. He had no idea why he was freezing.
“You look unwell.”
The appearance of Stellar made Lysander smile for the first time in days. A chiseled face, carved by the gods, hovered over him. His light purple eyes flashed with concern.
“I’m okay.”
A blanket appeared and covered Lysander, tucking him in and warming him. “You’re not okay. I can feel your light fading. When was the last time you fed?”
Lysander’s eyelids grew heavier by the second. The warmth felt nice. Darkness seemed welcoming. “I drank from the waters this morning.”
