With her hand still tucked into his, Reyna strode into the forest with Lorcan. He led her off the path, through a thick hedge, and beneath a tangle of wild thorns decorated with pearl white flowers. Their feet crunched ominously against the underbrush, as loud as thunder in the silence. Dread coiled like a snake ready to strike. She was just about to suggest they turn around and head back when Lorcan parted a curtain of vines.
The steady rush of a waterfall rose up around them. The sun danced along the water, shooting sparkling light through the hidden clearing. Reyna gasped and stepped through the vines, smiling as she stared at the wondrous sight.
“The cursed fae won’t find us here,” Lorcan murmured as he stepped up behind her and wound his arms around her stomach. “Unseelie doesn’t like running water.”
She tipped her head back onto his chest, staring up into his chiseled face. “Running water? How do you know that?”
“Like I said, I found some books in Molt’s study. Some of them I could read.”
Nodding, she turned her attention back onto the waterfall. “I suppose that makes sense. It could explain why he’s trapped inside of Inishfall. In that pit.”
“Thesourceof him is trapped. The soul of him,” Lorcan murmured. “But his magic drenches these lands. This realm more than most. We have Ulaid Molt to thank for that.”
Reyna shivered. “But what does that mean for Seelie?”
“That I don’t know.” He pulled her tighter against his chest. “Molt was preoccupied with Unseelie. He had little interest in the other god. And why would he? One god requires a great sacrifice in return for a slice of his power. The other requires little more than a fraction of your soul, for power beyond anything else. Which would you choose if given the chance?”
Reyna pulled away from him. “You know which one I’d choose.”
“I mean, hypothetically. If you were Ulaid Molt.”
“Thankfully, I’ll never be Ulaid Molt, and neither will you,” she said hotly, though she didn’t understand why she was getting so annoyed with him. He’d only been asking a theoretical question, but it had brought up fresh pain and memories she’d tried to push aside. The bargain she’d struck with Seelie had broken her heart. And every time another wall sprang up between her and Lorcan, she couldn’t help but think it was her fault.
The worst part about it was, she was scared she wouldn’t choose Seelie now. If given the chance again, knowing everything she did, would she sacrifice Lorcan for the sake of the world? The Ruin had taunted her with these doubts, night after night after night. She’d almost drowned in them.
She wanted to believe she’d do the right thing, but when faced with that impossible choice, she didn’t think she would.
She hoped she’d never have to make that choice again.
“Enough of all this darkness,” he whispered into her ear, sending sparks of heat skittering along her skin. “I brought you here to enjoy the waterfall. Another battle looms before us. We have no idea what we will face. Let’s enjoy the time we have together.”
Reyna swallowed down the knot of dread in her throat. He was right. They had no idea what awaited them in Murias. If the pretender had managed to convince the rest of the realm that he was king, how would the lords react when they arrived with a lookalike? How would they be able to prove Lorcan was who he said he was?
And worse, what if none of the wood fae lords evenwantedthe real Lorcan on the throne?
They might put up a fight.
Lorcan trailed across the clearing, tossing his clothing onto the ground. His chiseled muscles rippled beneath the dappled sunlight. Reyna followed him, drinking in every inch of his dark skin. He shrugged out of his trousers, and his shaft sprang into view. Heat rushed into her cheeks as she quickly undressed.
Excitement pounded in her veins, even as a little voice screamed words of warning in the back of her head. They didn’t have time for this. There were enemies lurking in the forest. Hell, she didn’t even know if she could trust him.
But all logic fled from her mind as she splashed into the crystal clear pool of water beneath the falls. Lorcan grinned as the water rippled toward him, little waves left behind by her eagerness.
“This is not so bad, is it?”
She splashed him. The water rushed right into his face. “Stop looking so smug.”
With a heady look in his midnight eyes, he waded toward her and wrapped his arms around her slick back. Sighing, she wound hands around his neck, and their bodies collided together. Need was a storm between her thighs. His length was only an inch away. All he had to do was slide to the left, and their bodies would become one.
He dipped his lips to her neck, teasing her. Sparks lit up behind her eyes, and the soft caress of his tongue nearly drove her wild.
Something sharp nicked her skin. A strangled gasp exploded from her throat, and she tried to pull back. What the hell was going—
Pain exploded in her neck as twin knifes scraped through her. Fear shook her heart. She tried to push away. Her body slipped against his, but his mouth was locked tight on her neck and his arms were an immovable as steel.
“What are you doing?” she screamed into his ear, desperate to get away from him.
He didn’t answer. Water sloshed between him as a guttural moan echoed from his throat.
