And sohebroughtmeback.
Bright light shone on my face, and my first thought was one of severe annoyance. My mouth was as dry as sandpaper, and my head felt as though it had been shoved into a blender. Every bone in my body ached. None of this washyperbole.
I cracked open my eyes and winced. “Am I inhell?”
Lughchuckled.
Lugh.
My eyes flew open wider. He sat next to me on his bed inside his Royal Palace quarters, an ancient text open on his lap. A pair of glasses perched on his nose. I jolted even more awake. Glasses? Why the hell was Lugh wearingglasses?
And also, how was I even here? I had died...hadn’tI?
“You are very much not in hell, Moira.” He smiled and shifted to face me. “I’m glad to see you’re awake. It’s been far too long since I’ve seen your goldeneyes.”
“How long?” I tried to shift toward him myself, but ooooouch. No, thankyou.
Doubt flickered in his eyes. “Don’tpanic.”
“Why would I panic?” I asked slowly. “How long has it been,Lugh?”
Wincing, he shut his book. “About sixmonths.”
My mouth dropped open, and another jolt of adrenaline went through me. “Six months?!How? Why? I don’t understand what the hell is going on. Are you sure I’malive?”
“You are very much alive.” Lugh reached up and scratched the back of his head. “Trust me. I know better thananyone.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Iwhispered.
He didn’tanswer.
I shifted toward him, grabbing his hand and pulling it to my chest. He felt so solid, so real. But...different somehow. Hell, I felt different, too. Probably a side effect of, you know,dying.
“Tell me what’s going on. You’re starting to scareme.”
He sucked in a deep breath and curled his fingers around mine. “It took awhile to determine what kind of sacrifice was required to bring youback.”
“So, I did die,” I said, hearttripping.
Slowly, Lugh nodded. “Whatever magic you tapped into to exorcise the wraith from my body...it was dark magic. It took yourlife.”
Eyes widening, I stared up at him. “And you brought meback.”
“We had the cauldron,” he said. “But no idea how to use it. The books were fairly useless for atime.”
“And yet...” I prompted. Lugh seemed so hesitant to explain what had happened. To put it mildly, I was beginning to get a bit nervous about the whole thing. What had he sacrificed? Another life? I wasn’t sure I could live with myself if I knew someone had died just so that I could have anotherchance.
“The cauldron has strict requirements. There are few things powerful enough for it to accept. Life is, of course, one of them.” Lugh’s gaze went dark. “So, I gave upmine.”
“What?” I bolted upright, scanning his face, not understanding his words at all. “But you’re sitting right in front of me, Lugh. I can feel your warm hands aroundmine.”
“Myfaelife,” he said quietly. “The supernatural parts of me. I gave it to the cauldron, and it gave you back to me. But, I must warn you, the cauldron was angry with the half-life I gave it, so it responded in kind. It did not bring you fully back, not how you were, at least. We’re the same now, Moira. I’m sorry I couldn’t do better than that foryou.”
“Wait.” I blinked. “What are yousaying?”
“No longer am I fae, no longer am I King. I stepped down after the...events. Bent the knee to your Queen. We’re now part of the Raven Court. I’m mortal, Moira.” He sighed and looked down. “And so areyou.”
I sat there for a long time just staring at Lugh. His words were difficult to comprehend. Not that I was angry with him—far from it, he had given up his supernatural world for me—or that I blamed him for my current fate. Just that...mortality was something I had never comprehended in my life. I’d been born a fae. I’d lived as a fae. I thought I would always die afae.
