“But you cannot.” Pushing up from the floor, I reached to steady him as he swayed a little. “And even if you could, that wouldn’t be the answer. He’s a prince.” I hated that it mattered. But the faeries were powerful, and if we attacked one of their monarchs there’s no telling how the Faery King and Queen would react. A part of me didn’t think they’d see a problem with what Arenn was doing here.
Knowing the fae, they’d probably tell him to try harder.
Shuddering, I turned back to Lukas. “I spoke to Arenn before I left and made it clear I never wanted to see him again. If he’s got any self-respect he’ll leave me alone from now on.”
“But the bond.” Lukas’s hands slipped into mine. “He’ll always have that part of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “He can have my left wrist if he wants it so badly.” But then I paused. Would amputation fix this?
I barely noticed Lukas leave my side as my mind wandered. Of course I’d rather not lose a limb, but if it meant Arenn would stop pursuing me? Just how deep did the bond run…
“There has to be something we’re missing!” The sound of books hitting the floor tore me from my thoughts. Lukas was ripping them from their shelves, flicking through pages, and then cursing before tossing them across the room. I opened my mouth to calm him, when something glinted by the chaise lounge.
Tilting my head, I stepped closer. A dagger. The blade peeked out from its sheath, both tucked beneath the chaise. Lukas must’ve thrown it to the floor before he fell asleep. Or maybe it belonged to someone else. Either way, curiosity pulled me forward, and before I could stop myself, I picked upthe weapon.
“I’ll find some way to restrain him!” Lukas’s furious rambles filled the room while I tilted the blade. The stars outside the window winked at me through their reflections in the metal.
My teeth ground together. Not an amputation, but maybe if I…
Sucking in a deep breath, I aimed the point of the dagger between my skin and the first crystal. This was a bad idea. A horrible idea. But I was tired, and Lukas was furious, and my scrambled mind couldn’t think of anything better to try.
“Damn you, Arenn,” I hissed – then plunged the dagger into my wrist.
Cold darkness yanked me backwards. I gasped as distant screams filled my ears. No. Not distant screams. My screams. Writhing and kicking, I screamed through the pain – until suddenly, my eyes wrenched open.
I was on the floor. Lukas knelt beneath me, his arms holding me up.
“Naria, what happened?” His chest heaved. “There’s blood everywhere. So much blood. I didn’t realise…” he spluttered. “What did you do?”
“I—” My throat was so dry.How long was I out for?“I tried to cut them out…” Lifting my wrist, I stared at the crystals. Both of them were now red from the blood that poured down my arm.
“Oh…” I breathed. That wasn’t good. But for some reason, I didn’t seem to care.
Lukas cursed, reaching for my shaking arm. “Whatwere you thinking? Are you insane?” His hand wrapped around my wrist, his fingers turning red.
Tipping my head back, I shivered. Everything felt so heavy all of a sudden. Like I wanted to sleep and never wake up again.
Mmm. That sounded tempting.
“Naria?” Lukas shouted, but his voice sounded so far away. “Naria, damn it. Open your eyes!”
That would explain the sudden darkness. I hadn’t even realised I had closed them.
“Naria!” he yelled desperately.
With a smile, I nestled into his hold. He was so warm. And I was so cold. So very cold.
“Damn it, forest princess, I can’t lose you like this.”
My breathing slowed. All the heavy weight from the past few weeks lifted from me, as if I was floating.
“No. No. No. Come on, Naria. Wake up!”
Drifting.
“You can’t leave me. Please don’t leave.”
Falling.
