“Then, kiss me,” she whispered.
His lips crashed into hers, and his hands snaked around her hips. He tugged her up into his arms, crushing her against his chest. She entwined her arms behind his neck and gave in to the desperate desires of her heart. She’d run from him, thinking she had no other choice, but there’s been another way all this time.
“Excuse me.” Nollaig cleared her throat again. “I really do hate to interrupt this, but there isstilla very big problem that we have to address. It won’t matter how many Ghaisgeaches or Namhaids there are if we don’t stop this curse. It will spread throughout all of Tir Na Nog, and I daresay beyond. To Fomor.”
Eislyn slid her hand into Lir’s and nodded firmly. “Come on. Reyna needs us.” She stared up the winding streets, only just realizing how far they’d fallen behind. “I hope she hasn’t gone into the tower already.”
48
Reyna
Rhain hacked through several guards as they rushed down the final street. With the air king by her side, she shot a few ice blasts at the wood fae near the tower door. They went down fast. With her magic, these guards didn’t stand a chance against them.
As they rushed toward the tower, Reyna cast a quick glance behind her, to make sure Eislyn was safe. Her heart stopped.
She wasn’t there. Neither was Nollaig.
Reyna swore. “Thane, where the hell is Eislyn?”
He stopped, turned. His face dropped. “Dammit. She was right there a second ago.”
Shaking her head, she took a step back. “Nope. We’re not going in there until I have my sister. I didn’t just find her to lose her all over again.”
“There isn’t time, love.” Rhain jogged back, wiping his blade against his trouser leg. It was soaked through with blood. “There are only a few hours until dawn. Lorcan’s in there waiting for you. You’ve got to do it now.”
“Absolutely not. Eislyn’s gotten lost in the streets, and she—”
“Nollaig’s with her, love. You know she won’t let anything happen to the lass. Besides, leave it with me. I’ll head back down the hill and make sure they catch up. Nothing to worry about. She’s fine. You go on and do what you’ve got to do.”
She frowned. “I don’t think I can do that.”
“You and me,” Thane said, clasping her shoulder. “We’ll go in together. It should be us anyhow and no one else. We’re the ones he knows.”
The ones he loves.
Reyna lifted her eyes from the ground, a new idea suddenly firing to life in her mind. “Alright, Rhain. Go back to Eislyn and Nollaig. Thane and I will go into the tower.”
With a nod, the Fomorian took off down the street at a jog. He vanished around the bend, leaving her alone with the only fae who had ever broken through Lorcan’s dark magic bond with his father. She wet her lips and turned to him, desperately hoping he’d agree to her plan.
“Did you know that Lorcan’s father ordered him to kill you?” she asked quietly.
Thane looked taken aback. “Not quite so plainly, no. When the two of us tried to save you from my uncle—er, father—shadow fae warriors caught us on the path. They wanted to kill me, but Lorcan let me go. It was how I knew he wasn’t the enemy I feared he was.”
“Well, there’s far more to the story than that, Thane.” Reyna edged in close. “Bolg Rothach branded his son with a mark that was tied to Unseelie’s dark magic. He used it to control him over the years, and it caused Lorcan a great deal of pain when he refused to follow his father’s orders. Physical pain, not just mental. Sometimes, he couldn’t even control his own actions.”
Thane’s mouth dropped. “I had no idea.”
“He wouldn’t have been able to tell you.” Reyna took his shoulders in her hands and squeezed tight. “In the end, Bolg wanted you dead, and he ordered Lorcan to do it. He refused. He somehow managed to conquer that magic and rise above it. That’s how he saved you. And it’s the only time he ever successfully turned his back on his father like that. You’re the only one who ever managed to cut through the darkness.You’rethe one who can save him. Not me.”
His lips flatlined. “You can’t mean that. He loves you.”
“He loves you more. He always has. You’re like a brother to him. His blood. If anyone in the world can get through to him, it’s you, Thane.” It hurt to say the words out loud. She wished that she could be that person to Lorcan, that seeing her face would be enough to break him out of the curse.
But she clearly wasn’t enough. It needed to be someone else.
It needed to be Thane.
“You want me to try to get through to him,” he said quietly.
