I frowned. “The healing pool is long gone. When Faerie fell, it was consumed with darkness.”
He shook his head. “No, child. Nothing can destroy those waters. If you send someone to retrieve a bowl full of that healing liquid, it will wash away any and all impurities.”
Send someone … Elle and Trissa came to mind, but of course I wanted to go myself. Leave the protective dome of Faerie?
“One problem…” I held up a hand. “I can’t touch the crystal without getting burned.”
Liam cleared his throat. “I can.”
I gasped. “You can?”
He shrugged. “I mean, I touched it for a minute or so that night at the masquerade ball and it was fine. It felt … dark … but I can handle it.”
The old Fae clapped his hands. “There you have it. The perfect plan. Now go and fetch your crystals and leave me be.”
Liam stepped away from his desk to leave when a thought occurred to me. “How do you … stay healthy without being near one of the soul crystals?” I looked around his house, wondering if one of them was hiding here. If it was, I didn’t feel it.
A wicked smile brushed across his face. “That is my secret. Now move along, little seekers.”
We stumbled out the front door, my mind reeling. The elders had been to see him. Liam could touch the dark crystals. The famous healing pools were still alive … and I had promised to restore Faerie. What the actual fuck just happened?
Liam and I were quiet as we descended the steps and got into the car. I gave Bashur a reassuring pat and tried not to think about the fact that he could in fact be a Urisk Fae Demon. Not a word was spoken all the way back to the safe house with the blue door either. It was only when I opened the car door and stepped out that Liam walked before me and spoke.
“It’s admirable what you want to do…” he said, stepping closer to me, holding my gaze. “Restoring Faerie and all that.”
Oh yeah, I had promised to do that. What the fuck had I been thinking?
He reached out like he wanted to hold my hand and I stiffened, so he pulled back. “But until then I need a crystal for myself.” His gaze darkened. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
I could see now that this dude had some major walls up. Last night for me was an emotional and physical experience. I’d given him all of me. But for him … I feared it was only the physical.
“Then tell me,” I pleaded.
He sighed, chewing at his lip. Too many silent moments passed, and he ran his fingers through his light hair.
I crossed my arms. “You don’t trust me.”
He shrugged. “I don’t trust anyone. Life’s easier that way.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. “I can’t restore Faerie without all the crystals.”
He nodded. “I know. So we’ll get two. You take one and I’ll take one and then you can go off and hunt down the rest. That will take you some while.”
“But eventually I’ll need that final one, Liam.”
He nodded. “I know. But I need it now. More than you do. This is life or death.” His voice cracked and compassion bled through my hardened heart.
“What’s life or death? You know I can help you. You can trust m—” Bashur barked and I spun to see Mara in the doorway.
“Get it all worked out?” she called out into the front yard.
Liam forced me to face him. “I need to see someone in town. You go to Faerie and get the water from the healing pool or whatever, and then come back to get me. Then we will find the next two crystals together. One each. Deal?”
I realized then that somewhere along the way I’d fallen for this dude and would do anything for him. It was a dangerous feeling. I also realized that he was using me for the healing water because the dark crystals wouldn’t regenerate his people like they did his father’s.
I nodded. “Deal.”
He kicked off the ground and shot into the air faster than I’d ever seen a Fae fly. I watched the dark spot in the sky get smaller and smaller, before finally transforming the VW Beetle and slipping the pen into my messenger bag.
