“Do you fear me, human?”
My chest tightened. “No.”
Grinning, he stepped closer until he was mere inches away. Then, bringing his hand to my face, he swept his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up. While everything else seemed so hazy, his touch felt so real on my skin. It almost burned.
“You’re lying to me,” he chided. “And I don’t like it when people lie to me.” His words were strict, but there was a dark enjoyment hidden in his sharp features, as if every tremble from me only fed him more. “So I’ll ask you again, little human, do you fear me?”
This isn’t real.
Exhaling a ragged breath, I maintained eye contact. “No.”
“Wrong. Answer.” Arenn’s fingers crept up from my chin as he swiped his thumb over my lower lip. When his other arm found my waist, he wrapped it tightly around me, forcing mecloser. I gasped as our chests collided – the very real scent of wildflowers and cinnamon filling my nose. “Whatever shall I do with this naughty lying mouth of yours?” he pondered out loud. My breath shuddered as the hand that was caressing my face dropped to my hips. “I know…”
Before I could push him away, he scooped me off the ground and tucked my legs securely around his waist. With him carrying me like this, our lips were so close I could imagine his taste on my tongue. It was just like when he held me in the crystal pool, except there was no water to soften my landing if I fell…
Swallowing hard, my arms quickly wrapped around his shoulders.
“You mustn’t tell lies, Princess,” he chastised me in a low, warning tone.
“Or what?” The words slipped off my tongue almost instinctively.
He flashed a wild smile, then pressed his lips against mine.
Instantly, my heart leapt.I didn’t want this.But then a strange feeling washed over me and I resisted for barely a second before my lips parted and I welcomed him in. The moment I did, everything else faded away into a dreamy, foggy void. There was only me, him, and the irresistible taste of wildflowers on my tongue. I hadn’t realised how desperately I’d been craving that taste until now.
As his tongue explored my mouth, fear danced with the passion in my heart. This was so incredibly dangerous. After seeing what he was capable of, I could barely stand to be in the same room as him – just meeting his poisonous gaze was enough to transform me into a trembling mess. Yet, there I was, shamelessly dragging my fingers through his thick black waves while we claimed each other’s mouths.
“Thisisa dream, isn’t it?” I asked, keeping our lips a mere heartbeat apart.
“Of course it is.” He gnawed my lower lip, smiling deviously. “We’re miles away from each other right now, and there are no lakes like this in Nythinia.”
“But you taste so real,” I said breathily.
A low laugh rumbled in his chest. “How peculiar… I suppose the next time we cross paths you will just have to kiss me again. Then you can tell me how real this feels.”
My head pulled back in surprise. “We won’t be seeing each other again,” I assured him, but without his lips on mine, my mouth felt uncomfortably cold.
“Is that so?” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “That’s quite a shame, and will be terribly inconvenient since we are now engaged.” I tensed at his words, and as if to drive the point further, the crystals on my wrist began to ache. “You know, it is very difficult to break a faery engagement… It’s almost impossible and very painful. You’d also need to find someone else who’d be willing to break it. And of course, their desire for you must be stronger than our bond or they’ll die trying.” His eyes sparkled as his lips curled into a sinister grin. “Does your foolish human prince fancy a go? Does he finally see the beauty that I see? How I’d love to see him dead at our feet. I’d so enjoy watching his torture.”
“Don’t say that,” I snarled. Furious, I shoved my hands against his chest, suddenly desperate to be as far away from him as I possibly could. “Put me down. Now.”
His smile faded like someone snuffing out a candle. Then, something else burned brighter in his gaze. Rage? Betrayal? Jealousy? It was so hard to tell.
He didn’t drop me, though. Instead, his grip on my legs only tightened.
“You have feelings for him,” he growled. Around us, the once-enchanting scene seemed to drain of colour. It was all so bizarre. With each passing moment, I felt less like this was my dreamand more like I had somehow invaded Arenn’s.
“Feelings for Lukas?” I snorted, but I could’ve sworn I felt Arenn stiffen at the mention of his name. “Don’t be ridiculous.” The idea was completely absurd. I could never love anyone who didn’t love my kingdom. “Now please, put me down.”
“You’re lying again, human,” he grumbled. This time there was no dark amusement in his tone, only fury. “You know how I feel about liars.”
“Stop this.” My heart pounded just as my fists did as I beat them against his chest. “Put me down.”
To my surprise, his grip on my thighs loosened, and slowly I slipped down his tall form. I thought, naively, for a moment that he might’ve calmed down, but when my eyes caught his, there was a burning rage like I’d never seen before. It made my blood turn to ice.
In one swift and very sudden movement, his leg hooked behind mine, and we both tumbled to the grassy floor. He cradled my body as we fell, one hand behind my head and the other protecting my back. The moment we hit the grass, he straddled my hips with his strong legs. Then, without giving me a chance to wriggle away, he grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them over my head.
Drawing his lips to my ear, he said in a low, venomous whisper, “I don’t share my toys, Naria.” I shuddered at the sound of my name on his tongue. “Especially not with other princes.” My breath caught. There was no way I could escape now, not with the full weight of him pressing down over me.
