There was a second, far greater problem than that. The spear held Lugh’ssoul.
And if someone stole it and snapped it in half, Lugh would lose the very thing that made him who he was. No longer would he stand tall as the King of the damned. He would transform into a nightmare wraith onceagain.
And he would become the very thing that could destroy this entirerealm.
* * *
For weeks,I’d been telling myself that nothing could get me to return to Edinburgh. No amount of pleading from anyone, whether that be Uisnech, Saoirse, or Lugh himself—not that he’d done any such thing. Lugh might be many things, but a beggar was not one ofthem.
And yet, I now found myself packing my things and saying my goodbyes to my Queen again. Axel drove us back up to Edinburgh, Uisnech in the back. The drive went by faster than I liked. And soon, I was standing outside of Castle Wraith onceagain.
The castle was an imposing set of buildings that sat high on the jagged cliffs above Edinburgh. Two towers squatted on each side, an arresting display of the southern and northern defences. Once, those defences had been manned by soldiers protecting the royal inhabitants within, but no one had tried attacking Castle Wraith for years—until a group of fae loyal to Nemain had tried to take Lughdown.
My dread grew as we drove up Castle Hill and across the cobblestone esplanade. Stomach twisted in knots, I peered through the front windscreen at the imposing gates that grew larger and larger with each moment that passed. Lugh would be on the other side of those metal bars, waiting. I wasn’t ready to see himyet.
I wasn’t sure I wouldeverfeel ready to seehim.
The last time he’d stood before me, I had run. As fast as I could. Away from the only love I had ever known. And I’d done it even when I’d seen the pain flickering in his hooded blackeyes.
He’d been so hurt that I hadn’t heard from himsince.
Until Uisnech had shown up at the Lake of the Dragon Mouth, I’d half-convinced myself that Lugh would never want to see me again, even if I did find a way to undo theprophecy.
The gates swung wide before us, and Axel inched the car forward until we were on Castle Wraith grounds. I peered out the window as we passed the towers. The guards nodded to us from their perches above and waved us through. Frowning, I glancedaround.
“Where’s Lugh?” I hated that I asked, but I couldn’t stop myself from voicing the words out loud either. I’d braced myself for this moment. I’d come here to help him. Plus…I was his fated mate, for fuck’s sake. Where the hell washe?
“The King is otherwise preoccupied,” Uisnech piped up from the backseat.
I twisted toward him and gave him a sharp look. “Otherwise preoccupied? With what? I came all the way up here from London to help him with this spearthing.”
“Yes.” Uisnech wrung his hands. “The King has been very busy recently. Much is happening in the Edinburgh supernaturalworld…”
I scowled as Axel quietly drove the car into the expansive garage toward the northern end of the castle. When we’d climbed out and grabbed our bags, Uisnech gave me a strange, little grin. “You’re going to be excited when you see yourroom.”
I glanced toward the residential building that loomed large in the dark. It was where the fae of the Court of Wraiths slept, lived, and hung out, for the most part. Last time I’d been here, I’d stayed in the only available room—a tiny, freezing rectangle with dodgy heating on the very topfloor.
“It’s a nice enough room, Uisnech,” I said slowly, “but I have to admit, I haven’t missed shivering in bed atnight.”
“You won’t be staying there.” He grinned. “You’ll be staying close toLugh.”
* * *
Stayingclose to Lugh did not mean what I thought it meant. Images had immediately sprung to mind. Me, forced to walk down the stairs every morning and see Lugh’s sleep-rumpled hair. Lugh, walking through the hallways topless, his corded muscles begging to betouched.
But Uisnech did not lead me to the Royal Palace like I feared—and half-hoped, if I were being honest. Instead, he took me to the building next door. When he led me inside, he smiled as I gaped at the towering shelves that lined the mahogany walls, the glistening oak tables with tiny green lights hanging above them, and the deep crimson carpet that stretched across polished hardwoodfloors.
“This is the library,” Uisnechsaid.
“No kidding,” Ireplied.
“Normally, we do not allow guests to stay here. These tomes are priceless, and the information contained within is too valuable to let just anyone nearthem.”
It was all starting to make a bit more sense now. Where Lugh’s constant stream of books came from. How he so easily swapped out the stacks on a weekly basis. He was combing through this library, looking for answers to impossiblequestions.
I wondered if he’d searched these stacks for information aboutme.
“However, my dear noble warrior,” Uisnech said, his voice rising with glee. “You are special. You must stay in theserooms.”
