Dying for Arden doesn't seem too big an ask.
Not when I feel a tendril of her magic press against my cheek. Rosewater fills my lungs at the gentle touch. I stare at her in the dark, our fire having dwindled to embers. The emotions shining in her eyes surely reflect mine.
The touch, her face, the feeling she elicits in me are far more dangerous than the horrors prowling this realm.
I am a weak man, as I greedily take the comfort she offers. Leaning into her magic, I let it wash over me. Arden's eyes flutter shut. It's not long before her breathing turns deep and even.
Her magic remains against my cheek, grounding me throughout the night. Only dissipating at the first rays of dawn.
9
FINN
The next morning, we travel deeper into Meadowmist.
The trees grow closer together, making the terrain more difficult to navigate. Heavy branches laden with sparkling emerald leaves blot out the burning tendrils of morning sun. Thick roots sprout from the ground. Soft grass that squelches beneath my boots.
Arden has favored using her wings to hover a few inches from the ground.
With the rising heat and day-old clothes, my scent is less than pleasing. The Queen, by contrast, smells just as sweet as she did the first time we met. Her rich rose and lavender fragrance deepens the longer I'm in her company. My lungs are filled with her.
Each brush of her gossamer wing against my arm makes my knees buckle.
I need a cold soak in a stream to soothe the raging fire in my blood before I do something ridiculous. The impression of her magic lingers on my cheek like a phantom touch.
Staring at her, I take in the leaves threaded throughout her curls and the glistening of her green skin. Her sharp teeth glintin the morning light, digging into her plush lower lip as she navigates the air. My eyes trail lower, towards the exposed flesh of her thighs.
Her hem seems shorter. It would only take a strong breeze too?—
My boot catches on an unruly root, and I stumble forward. Dew-soaked grass seeps into my shoulder as I slide along the ground.
The impact radiates pain up my side as I quickly lurch to my feet, praying the Queen didn't see me stumble.
"Finn? Are you?—"
"Fine."
Heat engulfs my cheeks as her hand tests my shoulder.
"You fell."
I flash a confident grin despite the bruise forming on my pride.
"No worries, Queenie, I'm in fighting order. One errant root won't bring me down."
Meeting her gaze, her plush lips twist to the side.
"Take care. Horrors greater than overgrown trees await us."
Something passes in her eyes as the meadow continues to darken.
She floats closer to me as if seeking solace in my nearness. Grazing deer with glowing white eyes feed from beds of glistening wildflowers while plump birds flutter between the pulsating overgrowth.
The metallic scent of magic clings to the air, rivaling the floral aroma for dominance.
A few of the small creatures venture towards us, stopping only to nuzzle into Arden's hip or lounge on her shoulders. She smiles at each one, bestowing a gentle pet or soft kiss. The tenderness in her eyes burns me alive. I've never seen anyone, male or female, with such gentleness in them.
My life has been nothing but hardships.
