“I saw the look on her face.” Eislyn clutched the shadow fae’s gloved hand. “She’s lost hope.”
Heavy wings flapped the air, spraying dust into Eislyn’s face. She gritted her teeth against it and shielded her eyes. Nollaig coughed and stumbled back. Together, they stared up at the new arrival.
Eislyn’s heart twisted at the sight of those powerful wings, the glistening bronze skin, the eyes as dark as night. Lir landed before her, his bare chest rippling beneath the glow of the twin moons.
“Oh my,” Nollaig muttered. “Well, this is certainly unexpected.”
Eislyn swallowed hard, not sure whether she should launch herself into his arms or start thumping her fists against his chest. She had no idea why he was here, but it couldn’t be good. Terror stormed through her veins. Had he come to the same conclusion she had? Was he here to kill the Namhaid?
She had to stop him from seeing her sister. Either one of them.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her fisted hands trembling. “Did you follow me?”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t?” He stalked toward her, his wings still flared wide. “You’re my wife. I wasn’t going to let you out of my sight.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Not anymore. We broke that bond.”
He let out a deep chuckle that rattled like thunder. “Our bond can’t be broken. The druid only pretended to do it because I asked him to.”
Anger stormed through her. “You pretended to break the bond? How dare you! You can’t just force me to stay your wife!”
Nollaig cleared her throat. “I think I’ll be leaving now. There’s this whole charge on the tower happening. A whole curse to stop. I’ll just let you two have a private dicus—”
“Nollaig,” Lir growled. “Stop.”
“What?” Eislyn whipped her head toward the shadow fae. “You know each other?”
“Before the Fomor became an empire, she ruled one of the warring kingdoms. We spoke at great length between battles. She wanted peace, but her people refused to accept anyone other than Nollaig as their ruler. So, she fled our lands for Tir Na Nog to keep the empire from tearing itself apart. She’s a hero, though I doubt she’d ever say that about herself.”
“You will not speak a word of this to anyone,” Nollaig said in a sharp tone of voice that refused argument. “Lir, you should have kept that damn information to yourself.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” Eislyn said before whirling back to Lir. “I’m more concerned about why Lir insists on continuing to force me into wifely servitude.”
“You know why I did it at first,” he said quietly. “I thought you understood that.”
“I did understand.” She poked a finger into his chest, seething. “But you should have let me go when I asked you to break the bond!”
“Ican’t.” His voice shook with raw emotion. “It’s impossible. No one has ever been able to break a Fomorian marriage bond. It is eternal, Eislyn. I should have told you that when you asked, but I was afraid you would hate me for it.”
“Yes. Youshouldhave told me,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry I didn’t.” He spread his arms wide. “But here we are. You ran from me, and I was forced to follow, because the magic won’t let you out of my damn sight. I’ve seen you these past few days. You’ve been so strong, so brave. But I need you to explain to me exactly what’s going on here. Now.”
Fear thrummed in her veins. “I need you to listen to me before you do anything hasty.”
His brows furrowed. “Hasty like what?”
“Like try to kill my sister.”
“You’re worried I’ll think she’s the Namhaid. That’s what this has all been about, isn’t it? You fled to protect her from me.” Hurt flickered in his eyes. “You didn’t even think to trust me.”
She shook her head. “Do you blame me? One of your guards tried to kill me because he thought I was the Namhaid. You only kept me alive because you…”
“Love you.” He pulled the shield from her hands and tossed it onto the ground, and then closed the distance between them. “You’re right. I love the hell out of you, Eislyn, and I never would have been able to bring myself to kill you. Even if you were the destroyer of us all. I would have sacrificed everything for you.”
Tears poured down her cheeks as she gazed up at him, her heart growing as large as the moons. “Then, will you trust me when I tell you that Reyna is not the enemy you seek? I know she fits the prophecy, just like me. One of us has to be it, right? But we’re not. Please. You have to believe me. Do not kill my sister.”
“You’re my wife,” he said softly, curving a finger beneath her chin. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”
