Rourke clapped my Winter prince on the back. “It’s not like she’s going alone, Kael. We’ll all be there with her to keep hersafe.”
“It’s not her safety I’m worried about,” Kael said in a tight voice. “She’s been injured. A Redcap attacked her only daysago.”
“I feel fine,” I assuredhim.
The truth was, I really was fine, as strange as it was. I still carried some pain around with me, but it wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t push it aside. Finding this Starlight was tooimportant.
“Alright,” Kael said with a hesitant grumble. “We’ll all go together, but the second Norah looks unwell, I’m bringing her straight back here to the Academy. I’ll throw you over my shoulder if I haveto.”
Not exactly the worst image I couldconjure…
The five of us set off across the rolling hills. Without access to the magic that could shift us from one end of the realm to another, it would be a long journey up north. We would trek the entire length of the free territory before even entering the Winter lands. And then we’d need to climb even further, crawling our way up the side of the mountains where the Winter Starlight could be found. It might take days for us to track some down. Or evenweeks.
By then, I knew it might be too late to stop the beast from taking hold of my mind. At least I was fae, I had to remind myself. I would be immune to the worst of it, though my time spent in the human realm might have weakened my resilience. Regardless, the beast would be inside of me. Always there. Alwayshungry.
Always eager for flesh and blood andbone.
Kael led the way down the winding path. Near dusk, he found us a small inn along the way. I’d expected us to camp out in the wild as we’d done before. It prevented rumors from circling about our travels, and it kept obvious targets off our backs. The Wilde Fae often ransacked the inns along the road, and I was a valuable target in theireyes.
“You need to sleep in a bed,” Kael said for the fifteenth time since we’d stepped foot inside the inn. We’d gathered downstairs and sat along a long wooden table, drinking bitter ale from tankards that looked as though they’d been used for centuries. “You won’t get the rest you need if you’re forced to sleep in thewild.”
The barmaid swung by our table and handed out plates full of home-cooked food. My stomach growled as I eagerly eyed the cut of meat, the roasted potatoes, and the gravy that had been poured generously over it all. I had to admit, this wasn’t a terrible way to travel compared to the hard ground and stale food we’d taken with us on our lasttrip.
I thanked the barmaid and tucked in my food, letting my mind drift to the minstrel’s song. He danced and played and sung a tune I’d never heard before, a beautiful song that made my heart feel light and my soul feel strong. It made me feel as if I belonged, and I was reminded again of how sucked into my own little world I’d been until now. These were the kind of things I needed to experience to truly understand and appreciate Otherworld. I needed to sit at the table with the local fae. Hear their songs. Eat their food. Know what their lives were like. The Redcap girl had a point, I had to admit. I was hidden behind ivory walls. My worldview was so limited to my training and my studies. If I was ever going to understand this place, I needed to do so muchmore.
Finn shifted in front of me and blocked the minstrel from view. He held out a hand and smiled. “Would you care todance?”
I grinned up at him and slid my hand into his. “Of course Iwould.”
The two of us moved across the room until we were standing within a small square space that had been cleared beside the minstrel. Finn tossed him a coin, and the minstrel gave a nod. The slow, melancholy tune dropped away, replaced by a lighthearted jig that made my body want tomove.
And so I danced. My feet sprang into motion, tapping and stomping along with the rhythm of the song. Finn held my hand, twirling me under his arm and spinning me around the floor. I tipped back my head and laughed, the lights of the room blurring at the speed of ourdance.
The song changed, and we kept moving. My head filled with the sound of it, and my heart swelled from a kind of happiness I’d rarely felt in my life. Finn pulled me close, wrapping his arms around my waist. My breath caught in my throat at the look in his eye. A look that was hungry and passionate and terrifying all at once. Our feet began to slow, and our stomps and whirls morphed into nothing more than the sway of our bodies side toside.
His fingers dug into my hips, and my forehead pressed tight against his. Everything within me sparked to life. No more pain. No more fear. JustFinn.
His lips caressed my ear, and then he whispered. “Would you like to spend the night withme?”
My lips on his was the only answer I needed togive.
Chapter Thirteen
Iwas suddenly very nervous.I’d built up this moment with Finn in my mind for so long that I didn’t know how to handle myself now that it was finally going to happen. He held my hand and led me upstairs to the room we’d all rented for the night. Liam, Rourke, and Kael stayed downstairs, giving us knowing smiles. It was almost as though they were giving us this moment together, a moment I sorely neededtonight.
My heart banged in my chest as Finn quietly shut the door behind us. He was so tall and so handsome, his gorgeous golden skin glistening even in the dim light of the room. He moved over to the fireplace and stoked the flames to life, and all I could do was stare at the way the orange glow kissed hisskin.
“I thought you wanted to wait,” I whispered as he slowly stood and turned toward me with that hungry look in hiseyes.
“When that Redcap attacked you, I realized I didn’t want to wait anymore.” He took a step closer, wrapping one hand around my waist. “Us fae may live very long lives, but we are not invincible. We are not indestructible. We never know how long we have to do everything we want with this life. We need to make the best of it while we’re alive. I would never forgive myself if I never took the chance to show you just how much you mean to me. I want you to see that I am yours. I need you to know exactly how I feel when I look into youreyes.”
I breathed in the scent of him, the deliciously sweet fragrance of spring: wildflowers and fresh grass. Staring deep into his brilliant green eyes, the entire world dropped away. I pushed up onto my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding tight and never wanting to let go. Finn was magic. He was the sunrise after a long brutal night. He was the sound of the chirping birds in the trees. He was the sweet soft caress of grass against bare feet. He was the laughter in the air and the brush of a warm breeze against myface.
He was all of that andmore.
“Kiss me,” I whispered to him. And so hedid.
Our noses brushed as his lips found mine. He tasted of berries, of coconut, and of vanilla. I sighed and closed my eyes, tightening my hold around his neck. Finn let out a light laugh and pulled away, his green eyes searching mine. I was desperate to pull himback.
