“Princess Naria,” he returned with a wink.
Forcing myself up, I tried to hide the shaking in my voice. “I told you not to enter my dreams anymore.” Aside from our encounter in Corlixir, where he’d glamoured himself as a cat, it’d been months since I’d seen the faery prince. Autumn had come and gone, and winter had well and truly settled into the cracks of the Steel Palace.
A small naive part of me had thought maybe our strange bond would just wither away. But the occasional ache of the crystals in my wrist had proved otherwise – along withthe frustrating way my heart fluttered now.
As much as I hated it, my body was pleased to see him.
“I respected your wishes, dear princess.” Arenn sauntered closer. “Although it pained me to do so, I’ve kept away for seasons.”
Instinctively, I stepped back. “And yet here you are now,” I dead-panned. “Inmydream.”
Arenn chuckled. “Do not take offence, sweet human, but you are confused. You mean to say thatyouare inmydream.” Grinning, he paused a few steps away. “We faeries sleep during the day, remember?”
I blinked. It was night when I fell asleep, wasn’t it? But then visions of late night tavern visits and far too much ale filled my mind, along with the bright morning sun filtering through the trees.
Oh no…
“I can choose not to enter your dream if we sleep at the same time, but I won’t stop you from entering mine, if you so desire.” Arenn tilted his head, watching me with a grin. “And you clearly missed me enough to take a nap during the day and wander into my mind.”
I scowled at the excitement in his eyes. “This was an accident. I didn’t intend to be asleep right now.”
“Oh?” His smile dropped. “Has someone hurt you?” I flinched as he rushed towards me, snatching up my hands. “Or has someone given you something to force you to sleep? Tell me, human.”
“No one has done anything to me. I’m fine.” I swiped my tingling hands away. But the sudden movement made me stumble as a wave of dizziness washed over me.
“What is this?” he growled, grasping me by my shoulders. He sniffed. Twice. “What’s that smell on your breath? Is it poison?”
I scoffed. “Some might call it that.”
But Arenn didn’t seem to understand my joke. Face paling, he seized my arms. “Who did this?” he hissed. “I’ll wake up and come for you right now. Stay where you are.”
“No!” I leapt back. “Don’t come for me. I’m not poisoned, I didn’t mean it like that.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, sighing. “I went out with a friend to a tavern and there was lots of ale.”
“Ale?” His face twisted in confusion.
“Like faery wine, I suppose.” Then I shook my head, stepping further away from him. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m fine, just drunk. And I apologise for intruding into your dream, but I’ll be going now. I’d appreciate it if you could continue keeping your distance.”
Arenn narrowed his eyes, tone darkening. “Don’t you think I’ve given you enough space?”
“It will never be enough,” I said firmly. “Now please, excuse me.” Spinning on my heels, I began to march towards a gap in the hedgeway. Though I barely made it a few steps before Arenn’s hand closed around my wrist.
With a yelp, I was forced back against his chest while his other arm wrapped around my front. “Do you not feel what I feel?” he breathed. I shuddered as his chin came to rest on my shoulder. “Naria, I am trying my hardest to give you time. To have you come to me of your own accord. But don’t you feel it already?”
I inhaled as his fingertips brushed my neck, trailingdangerously close to my pounding heart. “The way your heart beats for only me?” His fingertips continued roaming, dipping lower and lower. Voice deepening, he added, “I know you want me in other ways too.”
Gasping, I jerked out of his hold. “Don’t touch me like that,” I spat. “You have no idea what I want.”
“Oh but I do,” Arenn shot back. He straightened but kept his gaze fixed on me. “Whether you like it or not, human, we are connected.” He lifted his arm to show the matching crystals on his wrist. “Even while miles apart…” When his fingers brushed over the amethyst pair, mine burned.
“Stop that.” I grasped my wrist, wincing. “Just leave me alone. I never wanted this.”
A cruel smile tugged at his lips. “You wanted me at my Luminessia ball,” he taunted. “Or have you forgotten all about when you had me down on my knees as you agreed to marry me?”
My heart sank. That glittering faery ball felt like years ago rather than the mere months it had been. “I’m sorry if this is difficult for you to hear, but I will never marry you,” I said, easing away from him.
The archway out of the garden was so close. If I could just make it a few more steps…
“I know I may have agreed before, but a marriage between us is no longer necessary,” I stammered. “Lukas is helping me with my kingdom now.”
