I’d stepped forward before he’d even finished speaking the words. This entire trip had been my idea. If someone had to stay up and lose sleep this night, it should be me. “I’ll keepwatch.”
A frown flickered across Rourke’s face. “You should get some rest. I’m sure one of us will be happyto—”
“I’d like to do it,Rourke.”
A pause, and then a nod. Rourke had spent enough time with me to know that I often preferred to do thingsmyself.
“Very well. You take first watch. If there is any problem at all, wake meimmediately.”
After we ate some porridge and hard bread, I took my spot beside the fire, warming my hands as the forest chill deepened along with the darkness of the night. My five companions settled onto the ground and drifted off to sleep in what felt like mere moments. As I dropped back my head, I spotted a break in the cloud cover, smiling at the brilliance of the stars. It was hard to imagine that I’d never called this place my home. Less than a year ago, my feet had pounded the streets of Manhattan day and night, the sparkling city lights drowning out all signs of the stars in the skyabove.
I had loved the city at times, but my bones had never felt that same sense ofrightnessthere. The world and my life had never fully felt like myown.
Just behind me, a twig snapped, and the scent of him swirled into my nose. Mist and darkness andsnow.
“Hey.” I glanced up and shot Kael a smile. “Couldn’tsleep?”
He shook his head and settled onto the damp ground beside me. “I don’t know how the others are able to relax out here. The Wilde Fae could easily ambush us if they happened to passthrough.”
I shivered and not from the cold. “Honestly, I hope I never have to see another damn Wilde Fae in mylife.”
He shifted a little closer, and his arm brushed against mine. The two of us sat staring into the flickering fire, silence passing between our lips. But it didn’t feel weird or awkward or anything but right. With a sigh, I dropped my head onto his shoulder and closed my eyes. The warmth of the fire soothed my skin as it crackled away, a soundtrack to what was beginning to feel like a perfectnight.
“Does it bother you?” I lifted my head, finally breaking the silence after several long, calming moments had passed by. “The fact that everyone likes to demonize theRedcaps?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his body slightly stiffen. “I am not truly a Redcap, Norah. You knowthat.”
“No, but you were bitten. You can transform into the beast. And you do, sometimes. Surely it bothers you when everyone around you seems to hate the mere thought ofit.”
A pause. “They’re just afraid of what those creatures can do unchecked, the human ones who have fully transformed into the beast. The ones who have no humanity left within them. Our own creation has turned against us. And it will never be something we can undo. Even the Starlight cannot fully eraseit.”
“Why do you think the Starlight didn’t fully cure Bree?” I asked with a frown. “I thought it would make her human again. Instead...well, it made her more like you, I guess. And you didn’t even take theStarlight.”
“Ah.” His smile was sad and ghostlike. “Bree was human. I am fae. The Redcap venom didn’t affect me the way it did her. As a human, she wasn’t able to withstand the full horror of it. As for why she wasn’t fully cured…I do not know. Perhaps the Starlight is not as powerful as we once thought. Perhaps Bree was too far along in her transformation. Perhaps she had spent too much time in the fae realm. Perhaps…well, I am not certain I shouldsay.”
I arched an eyebrow and shifted to face him. “Just tell me,Kael.”
He pressed his lips together, sighing as he wrapped his hand around mine. “Perhaps she did not want to fully let go of thebeast.”
“That’sridiculous.”
“Is it?” He pursed his lips. “If Bree had become fully human again, she would have been forced to return to her own realm. Since she has been here, has she even once expressed a desire for home? Or regret that she had to stay in Otherworld? From what I can see, she prefers ithere.”
I shifted back just slightly, surprise flittering through me. As much as I wanted to argue that Kael was wrong, he had a point. Bree had been practically ecstatic when I’d told her she would be staying at the Academy. I hadn’t thought much about it at the time, mostly because there was no place I would rather be myself. Had she somehowpurposefullyprevented the cure from fully takingshape?
I couldn’t believe that wastrue.
“To be honest, I don’t blame her for wanting to stay here,” I said, stretching my finger so that the tip of it rested against the edge of his knee. “I wouldn’t want to return to the human realm, not after knowing this place. And everyone init.”
The desire to be close to him suddenly overwhelmed me to the point where I could barely think of anything else. All I wanted to do was climb on top of him, wrap my legs around his waist, and to feel his lips on myskin.
“I’m surprised you would say that,” he said in a low growl, his glittering eyes boring deep into mine. “Not after everything that has happened. Queen Viola. The Redcap attacks. Your life has been in danger from the moment you stepped foot in this realm, no matter how hard we’ve all tried to keep you safe. Danger just keeps coming at you, almost as if it’s drawn toyou.”
“But I met you,” I whispered, my hear flickering inside my chest. “And Rourke. And Finn. And Liam. Not to mention that I feel…well, it’s hard to explain. More like myself than I ever felt before. I don’t feel weak anymore, Kael. I don’t feelhelpless.”
A flicker of a smile crossed his lips. “That’s because you aren’t, Norah. Far fromit.”
He leaned forward, hungrily pressing his lips against mine. Breathing deep, I kissed him back. My eyes fluttered shut as his strong hands slipped into my hair, curling around the long blonde strands. His thumb caressed my cheek, and I sighed. There was nowhere else I’d rather be but here in Otherworld with my future mates. Despite the fear I sometimes felt. Despite the danger. Despite knowing that one day the Dark Fae would come forme.
